2.34

The longer we drove the more sparse and sandy the landscape turned. Though Hannah had seen a similar sight many times before, for me seeing the desert was a first. I disliked it, especially its lack of trees.

"Better get used to it," System reminded me, "It's mainly desert and mountains from now til Oregon."

I groaned, looking away from the tiny front truck window and back to my feet. The road we were on was no longer smooth and I was regretting picking the truck. At least Alex had made me sit on his lap. Letting him hold me like a teddy bear as he took a nap.

"Damn it's been a while since we been here," I heard Rick say to his sister a little while later. I leaned to the side to peek out the window again, spotting the wire fencing separating the otherwise sparse landscape in front.

The entry point was surprisingly manned with a group of around twenty soldiers and a few make-shift quarantine tents.

Noah stopped the jeep in front, jumping out to talk with the soldier who came forward. A little while later the gate opened and all three vehicles went through to hopefully a new sanctuary of safety.

Before we were allowed to head to the actual base itself we had to register details and get an examination by their own doctors. It was at this point when I realised Will had not snitched up my real age to Alex.

"You're only eighteen?" Alex looked ready to pull his hair out as we left the tent where the doctors had done the examinations.

I twirled a loose strand of hair around my finger, unsure how to answer.

"She's really mature for her age isn't she?" Ty laughed.

He had come with me to hand my notes to the army physician, who had been an older man who used to mainly male soldiers for his patients, utterly clueless on gynae-related issues.

Though he had pulled these notes out of his bag, I knew he was just like me, using it as a cover for his space where lord knows what else he kept. I wondered if it was rude to ask.

"Damn," Alex cursed and walked ahead, leaving me behind with an annoyingly amused Ty.

"Share his bunk tonight and be sure to apologise properly," Ty condescendingly patted my head then walked off, leaving me to curse at empty air over one stupid accidental lie I'd fucked myself over with.

One day I could build a relationship without having to lie, one day.

When I returned to the rest of the group Will gave me no choice and dragged me into the jeep with Holly and Leo, leaving me unable to resolve things with Alex and stuck in the same small space as the man I wanted to avoid the most.

We had been told to enter our vehicles again to reach the base's entrance, escorted by one of their vehicles with a few men inside.

The base was unlike what I expected. Instead of a bunch of warehouse-style buildings behind more wire fences, it was built into the mountain. A nuclear bunker.

The road led up to a big concrete square frame jutting out sandy, rocky mountainside, the doors were already open allowing the vehicles to just drive straight in after their vehicle in front flashed a badge to one of another large group of soldiers.

The truck parked under the dim, artificial light a few miles in, next to a large array of vehicles, mainly related to the army. As I left the jeep I even spotted a tank.

Will grabbed my elbow and made me follow Noah through a set of doors. We walked down winding corridors to what looked like a command centre, if I were to go off the movies in Hannah's memories.

"Sit with Leo and Holly and stay out of trouble," Will sat me on a desk chair, ignoring the curious looks of other soldiers, and joined Noah behind glass doors to where what looked like the man in charge was sitting behind a desk.

The man was middle-aged, still in army gear despite the government likely having fallen, and greeted Noah and Will with a wide smile.

"So everyone knows your pregnant now right?" Holly leaned into my ear and asked quietly. I had been too focused on trying to read the man's lips to realise she'd gotten so close.

"Y-yeah," I leaned trying to get a look at Noah's lips. When he noticed me, he smirked and moved to the window only to close the blinds. I sighed, giving up, "it's Alex's, due in October." I answered the two questions I assumed would come next.

"Ah, that's why Noah's in such a bad mood," Leo exclaimed a little too loudly, I raised my finger to my lip, still cautious of the many eyes and ears in the room.

The men left the room, and the smiley army general greeted me with a handshake, "Nice to meet you again Hannah, last time I saw you you barely reached my hip."

I smiled, searching my memory for a face like his. System helped me out, bringing the less wrinkled and grey-haired face to mind.

"Ah, General Blackwood I almost didn't recognise you," my smile was now genuine, he was Hannah's father's old superior and always kind to Hannah when they met. He had a daughter around Hannah's age who would play when he visited with his wife and kids. How a man like Hannah's father had a friend like him I would never know.

"Yes, I've grown more than a few grey hairs this year that's for sure," he joked, turning to greet Leo, "and you must be Mr. Clark's son, Leo, I've heard a lot about you from your father."

"You have?" Leo asked, returning his handshake.

"Yes, last I checked he was up in Oregon with General Lee, safe and sound, though in a very bad mood his men didn't find you at your school."

Was Mr. Clark that powerful? I reevaluated the little brother at my side. I vaguely remember he was on a business trip the day after the new year celebrations.

"And it's nice to meet you, Holly," he surprisingly greeted Holly, though I knew she had no background to speak of. That was polite of him, not to leave her out. It made my opinion of him improve.

"I hope you'll make yourselves at home here even if your stay is short," he then wished us well and returned to his office where two men were stood holding files waiting on him.