Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

15) Anthony

The events that took place on Venus continued to gnaw at Anthony. He questioned whether he was also to blame for the deaths of the Venusians of Atlas. Mila was ready to gun down President Ying in order to help them. Anthony wished he shared the same conviction as her, but knew there was no real way to determine who was carrying the virus and who was not. Bringing infected persons with them to another sector had more risks than rewards. He wished that there was something else he could have done in that moment. But there was nothing he could have done that did not jeopardize the safety of the other sectors. Perhaps President Ying knew this. Which is why he and Governor Conrad decided to sacrifice their own people.

Anthony rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He heard his phone vibrate on his nightstand and went over to get it. Mila had sent him a message, she wished to speak with him. Anthony got out of bed and put on his UN jumpsuit. Mila most likely wanted to talk to him about the contents of President Ying's phone. She had asked to see it shortly after they left Venus and Anthony was happy to oblige. Whether there was more to gather from it than what Anthony had found out already was unknown.

He exited his room and turned to his left as he heard Captain Boyd's door shut, but was able to get a glimpse into the room. He continued to stare at the door in confusion. It looked as though it was Adah that entered Captain Boyd's quarters. Anthony wondered why she decided to go there so late then settled on it not being his business to question it. He then went over to Mila's room. Despite her door being closed, he could hear her whispering to herself. He knocked twice on the door and told her who it was. The door slid open and Mila welcomed him inside.

"Sending a message to someone?" Anthony asked.

Mila shook her head. "Just thinking aloud. What about you? Haven't seen you send any messages back to Earth."

Anthony sighed. "Yea well, don't really have people to send messages to."

Mila gave him a curious stare.

"My mom left my dad and I when I was nine, never figured out where she was, not like I care anyways. My dad...he served in the UNSF. He was working to become an admiral but...he got dementia. The best way to speak to him is face to face. It's always been a motivation for me to make it home."

"I'm sorry," Mila began. "I didn't know I..."

"It's fine," Anthony interjected dismissively. "You find anything new?"

Mila nodded then returned President Ying's phone to Anthony. "All we've got is their word to go on. Amd if what's in there is true...you made the right call. You can quit beating yourself up about it."

Mila's words did nothing for Anthony's conscience. He still felt bad for leaving those people behind. He understood that in the grand scheme of things it was the logical course of action to take. But that did not mean much to him. "Right," Anthony said. He put the phone in his pocket and started towards the door. Mila gripped his left arm tightly. "Stay awhile," Mila pleaded as her small brown eyes locked with his own.

Anthony was prepared to rip his arm free but he caught a glimpse of a large book sitting on Mila's nightstand. "Is that...a Bible?"

"Bit nosey are we?" Mila asked rhetorically as she turned to the nightstand. "And it's not a Bible. It's the Quran."

"Wouldn't have guessed you were the religious type," Anthony said. "That's all."

"Most people make that mistake." She went over to the nightstand and picked up the Quran. "I've read this at least a dozen times. It just feels good to have something to believe in, you know?"

Anthony sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the cool wall. "Actually, I don't. Religion's never been my thing. Truth is, it's a comfort not believing in a hell."