Fracking Apocalypse - a ZNation 10K/Tommy Fanfiction

EPILOGUE

Damn, I didn't realize we'd come this far. It feels so weird to say goodbye to this story.

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EPILOGUE - SIX MONTHS LATER

It was late summer when she and Tommy had decided to take the kids on a trip outside Altura. TJ had made a full recovery, Tommy's new hand was complete and he was scheduled for his first surgery at the end of that week. Bailey knew he was nervous, out of all the operations he'd have to go through, about half a dozen total, this was the biggest one. The hand would be surgically affixed to his wrist and connected to where the muscle tissues had been severed. The Man had helped and allowed them to x-ray his own hand so Hastings and Red would have a better idea of what they were doing. Red was really only there as an aid since Hastings had been prepping herself and her team back at the Rangers Outpost for the last several months, sending notes back and forth via Kaya and CZ.

They'd only called Bailey in a couple times for further explanation while they looked at the various files on the flash drive other then the hand schematic.

Bailey crossed her arms and leaned against the wall while The Man stood over CZ and Kaya's chairs as they typed away decoding many of the reports and research Zona had done. He joined her by the wall while Kaya and CZ ran a diagnostic and they waited for the bar across the screen to load. The two talked on and on between each other about how advanced Zona's tech was and how much it would help Newmerica progress and get even closer to resembling how the world looked Pre-Z.

There was an awkward silence between Bailey and The Man while they waited behind CZ and Kaya. Bailey kept looking at her feet, there were questions bubbling up in her but she wasn't sure how to ask them – or if she should.

"I'm glad you got out of Zona." The Man finally said as he stared ahead at Kaya and CZ working. "Like I said in Provincetown, I didn't know what they were going to do to you."

She shrugged still looking anywhere but him, "It all worked out though. . . because of you."

Out of her peripheral vison she saw him nod, "I was going on another mission on the mainland when I saw the opportunity." He began, "They'd gotten what they needed from you, the rest just seemed unnecessary."

Bailey repressed a smirk, he tried to look cold but she could tell he had enough humanity in him that he still cared. . . sometimes.

"10K told me there were still Zona people on the mainland who believed it was up and running. Even long after Warren left because everyone's immunity was failing."

He scoffed, "That's just how blind Zona was to the possibility of their own failure. I never liked staying long. If something went wrong the last place you want to be is on an island miles from shore."

The silence fell over them again before Bailey found the strength to break it, "Thank you. . . for what you did. And for helping with Tommy's hand now."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "You're welcome."

Bailey brought herself back to the present, she didn't have time to reminisce. This trip would do Tommy some good too and help him relax and take his mind off things, even if it was just a day trip. They were going to Old Frontera and were heading out early in the day, just after breakfast. CZ and Kaya had recommended the outpost, they had gone there several times with JZ. Because it was all farmland and livestock they'd left Simon's dog Pup there when they'd first moved from the Northern Light base. The farm had another dog and CZ thought Pup would enjoy being surrounded by animals instead of the high Talker population in Altura – he'd been worried the dog might start chewing on someone's leg if enough bone was exposed.