Ch 928 - I Pick Debbie!

Christopher was rewatching the renovation show. Something about that house seemed so familiar, but he couldn't think what. He leaned forward, picking out every detail of the living room. Ken Stokes, the host, brought on several of the people who lived in that house in the woods. Christopher knew none of them, but their faces tickled something in the back of his memory. 

"They're awful people," Lincoln said from behind. "Reason the world is ending."

Christopher looked back over his shoulder to see Lincoln bent over one of the other velvet chairs. He fixed a hateful glare on the television. 

"I was wondering about that," Christopher said. "How could they produce a live renovation show when the world is ending?"

Lincoln took a deep breath. "It's all distraction, my boy. No doubt they think they're keeping people safe in keeping them indoors, watching reality television like this," he gestured to the television screen, which currently showed Alex being interviewed by Ken. "But it's nothing more than empty nutrition for the mind. It'll keep everyone safe while the world crumbles around them."

"I see," Christopher said slowly. After a pause, he asked. "Remind me again why we hate these people?"

Lincoln sighed heavily and sat in his chair. It creaked under his weight. 

"Alex Ambrose is a corrupt businessman," he explained, tenting his fingers. "He charges more for his medication than any other pharmaceutical provider. Then, he uses his profits to experiment on animals and humans alike. His most recent development was a super soldier serum which turned people into hulking monsters. He unleashed wave after wave of super soldiers until most of Baltimore was crippled. Now, he thinks he can win back their favor by going on television, and having his house fixed up."

Christopher looked again at the television. Somehow, that didn't quite seem right. 

Then again, he didn't know the people on the television. All he had to go on was Lincoln's word, and Lincoln seemed like a trustworthy man. 

"That all sounds terrible," Christopher said. 

"He's done far worse to those he loves," Lincoln said, leaning back in his chair. "How many times have you watched this?"

"About five or six," Christopher said, not really thinking about it. "It's fascinating. Seeing how the other half live."

"Indeed," Lincoln agreed. "I trust you know what's coming next?"

Christopher did know what was coming next. A woman with short, curly hair marched on set, madly raving and shouting at Alex. The two of them, forgetting that the cameras were present, began to argue. It ended with the woman, who Lincoln called Yvonne, shouted:

"I couldn't help falling in love with you, you idiot!" 

Everybody on screen went silent, until Ken Stokes reminded them that they were on air. Yvonne stared directly into a nearby camera, her face going crimson, and then she ran off. 

Christopher paused the video. He had had enough of watching rich people renovate their homes during the apocalypse. He turned to Lincoln. 

"What did you do?" he asked. "Before the end of the world?"

Lincoln pursed his lips. "Nothing important. Gave money to those who needed it. Tried my hardest to get the scum off the streets."

Christopher nodded. "You sound like a good person to know."

"That I am," Lincoln said, grinning. "And you, Christopher, I think you're a sharp young man."

"If I'm so sharp," he said, "why can't I remember anything except my name?" He hung his head. 

"Don't beat yourself up," Lincoln said. "Mark said you hit your head pretty hard out there. Probably just some swelling on the brain. You're welcome to stay for as long as you want."

"Thank you," Christopher said. He looked up at the bunker's ceiling. "I wonder what's going on up there?"

Lincoln followed Christopher's gaze. "In these parts? Probably nothing. It's the cities we're avoiding. It'll spread out here soon enough."

Christopher shuddered. He didn't think he'd ever see the end of the world, let alone live through it with an older man he didn't know.

"Are you sure that Alex guy is all bad?" he found himself asking. "I don't know why, but something about him seems really familiar."

Lincoln shrugged. "His face is all over his companies, from real estate to pharmaceuticals. That's probably why."

"Yeah, I guess," Christopher agreed. 

"As for him being bad," Lincoln said, leaning forward. "I'd say he's downright evil. Especially to those he loves." He and Christopher looked at each other for a long moment. "I don't know why that Debbie girl sticks around. The money, probably. But come with me. I have something to show you. Definitive proof that Alex Ambrose is absolutely no good."

Lincoln stood up, and walked out of the bunker's main room. Then Christopher stood up and had to jog to catch up as he followed the older man through the maze of rooms and hallways that made up the bunker. 

******

Off-camera, Alex waited impatiently while Ken Stokes and his camera crew finished up. Ken, being the media genius that he was, had spun Yvonne's little outburst into the renovation. He had her standing in front of the cameras, her eyes wide and shoulders tight. There was a faint blush to her cheeks. 

"Oh, Yvonne," Ken chuckled, tilting his hard hat at her. "I'm so glad you love the renovation."

Debbie had run off to her room, humiliated. Louis stood on the other side of the living room, also off-camera. Ken Stokes was, if nothing else, a master at damage control. 

"Yes, I do, Ken," she said, tightly. "It was such a surprise. I don't know what came over me."

"Just some excitement, I assume," Ken said, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "It's not every day you walk into something this beautiful." Then, he turned to the camera. "That's all for this episode of Relaxing Renovations with Ken Stokes. It's been an honor renovating this beautiful forest home with these amazing people. Tune in next time, when I help a single mother of five turn her rundown trailer into an eco-friendly micro home!"

"Cut!" called the director, and the crew started packing everything away. Ken Stokes turned to Yvonne and said something Alex couldn't hear. He just saw her nod, then Ken Stokes took off his hard hat and headed to his changing room. 

Yvonne stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room as the crew moved around her, barely noticing her. 

Alex marched up to her, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her into the basement. She didn't protest. Once they were in the basement, he slammed the door shut. They were standing on the staircase. She stood several steps below him, while he leaned against the door, every muscle tense with fury and humiliation. 

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, turning on her. 

Yvonne shrank back, looking away from him. 

"I didn't realize we were live," she said meekly. 

"Oh," Alex said, folding his arms. "So you were hoping it was pre-recorded so it could be edited out? Or did you want me to leave Debbie for you, and we can ride off into the sunset together while your best friend is heartbroken?"

Yvonne hung her head. "I don't know what to say."

"I don't want you to say anything!" Alex shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "I want you to understand something, Yvonne. You're my friend. What happened between us – it was nice, but I need more than nice. It was a moment of weakness. I'm not interested in you in that way. I was so excited when you and Debbie finally started getting along…now this. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Yvonne said nothing. She leaned over the railing and started to cry, her tears falling down her cheeks and falling into the dark basement below. Alex turned away. As angry as he was, he still felt a twinge of pity for Yvonne. There was no way she could have known that the show was being broadcast live. 

It doesn't excuse her behavior, he reminded himself. I need to do something. 

Things had been stressful enough with the super soldiers, the tower, and the whole business with Kylie. Alex just wanted one moment of peace for once, and he sensed that he couldn't get that if Yvonne was still around. Looking at her hurt too much, in way too many ways. 

"Yvonne?" Alex said. 

Yvonne turned her tear-stained face to look at him. 

"I can't do this anymore," he said, pain welling in his chest. "This is too damn much, Yvonne."

"What are you saying?" she asked in a tight voice. 

"You need to go," he said firmly. "As soon as Ken and the camera crew leave, I want you to pack your bags, and go home. I can't have you around anymore."

Yvonne froze where she stood, pale with disbelief. 

"It's for the best," Alex said. "Both for you, and for me and Debbie. I can't jeopardize my relationship. Not again."

"She's not the only one who loves you!" Yvonne said defensively. "At some point, Alex, you're going to have to choose. Me or Debbie."

"Debbie!" Alex said firmly. "I. Pick. DEBBIE. My girlfriend. The woman I love, who I have been dating for a very long time. The woman who is my rock and my heart. That's who I pick."

They stood in silence for a moment. Alex's face was getting hot from anger. The beeping and whirring of SCOT's machinery whirred in the background. 

"But you and Kylie-" Yvonne sputtered. 

"What I did with Kylie is irrelevant!" Alex shouted. Then, he took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. "I did what I had to do, otherwise she never would have helped us. What you did was humiliate the woman I love in front of the entire country! You disrespected my boundaries, and Debbie's, because you couldn't let up. No ifs, ands, or buts. Just get out, Yvonne."

Yvonne looked up at him, her big eyes filled with tears. 

"If that's what you want…" she said. "I'll go."

Alex felt his shoulders relaxed. "It is," he said. "And good."

Just as they were about to leave, an urgent knock came at the door. Alex opened it, intending to see them on their way. But then he saw Louis, staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"Louis…. " he said. "This isn't a good time-"

"There's something you need to know," Louis interrupted. "Ken Stokes has hidden cameras in the woods. He's found Christopher."

******

"This bunker," Lincoln explained, "took a few years to get right."

They were walking through a fancy hallway. The walls were hung with pictures of men dressed in fancy suits. Christopher had to stop himself from gawking at the fancy gold-lined wallpaper, and the solid oak picture frames around the portraits.

"We wanted it to be safe," Lincoln continued. "But we needed it to be sustainable."

"Well that makes sense," Christopher commented. 

"Indeed," Lincoln agreed. He led Christopher through a door which required Lincoln's fingerprint. Christopher's jaw dropped as the door clicked open.

"We finally got the balance," Lincoln said, turning to Christopher. "Unfortunately, there's not much we can do about it being underground. Even if the world is ending, we all do need a little fresh air. Some of us more than others. Come on."

They walked through the door, and it locked shut behind them. They had entered a massive living room. Christopher felt a brief moment of disorientation. It seemed to him that something so normal shouldn't exist underground. It was furnished with a comfortable-looking sofa, a massive bookcase filled with books, a coffee table with a cup of tea still steaming on it. A book lay open on the table. 

Christopher walked around the room, taking in how bright and pretty everything was. A couple of doors were embedded in the walls. Christopher opened one of them, revealing an opulent bathroom. The white marble counters were filled with skin creams and a variety of bath salts and soaps. A massive bathtub with propulsion jets was set in the corner, and a fluffy blue bathrobe hung from a hook next to the steam shower. 

Christopher whistled, impressed. 

"How did you get all this down here?" he asked, returning to the living room. 

"Contractors did most of the work," said Lincoln. His voice had changed from a kindly old gentleman, to something more refined. Christopher stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him. 

"Who are you?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "Really?"

Lincoln smiled. "I'm a friend, Christopher. A friend with a goal."

"And what goal is that?" Christopher asked. 

"A worthy goal," Lincoln said. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the book, thumbing through the pages. "I must apologize. I have misled you." He looked over his shoulder, then turned around so he was facing Christopher. "You see, the world is not ending in battles with zombies and fires everywhere. I'm afraid that was Mark's ploy to get you to come here."

Christopher took a shocked step backward, bumping into a lamp. The lamp wobbled, then crashed to the floor.  The bulb exploded and the lampshade cracked. 

"You've been lying to me?" he asked with disbelief. 

"Not lying, per se," said Lincoln. "Showing you how the world really is, through the veil of falsehood. However, I'm being honest with you now."

Christopher said nothing. He made eye contact with Lincoln, crossing his arms over his chest. Lincoln raised an eyebrow and held up the book for Christopher to look at. Christopher's skepticism disappeared when he read the title: The Beginner's Guide to Pregnancy.

"What's that?" he asked. 

"A pregnancy book," Lincoln said, snapping the book shut. "What else could it be?" He set the book back on the coffee table, then stopped forward, coming face to face with Christopher. "I wasn't lying when I told you that Alex Ambrose is bad news, or that he hurts the people who love him."

Christopher's gaze went to the pregnancy book.

"What the hell did he do?" Christopher asked. 

"Something unforgivable," Lincoln whispered. "Something no woman would ever forget or let slip by."

Lincoln brought his right wrist up, then pushed up the sleeve, revealing his sleek smart watch. He pressed a button and spoke into the screen. 

"Kylie?" he said. "We're ready for you." He looked up at Christopher. "Ambrose has been having an affair with Kylie for a number of months," Lincoln said solemnly. "Debbie has no idea. Kylie's present condition, however, cannot be kept secret for much longer."

The other door opened, revealing a gorgeous woman in a pink pantsuit. Christopher's jaw dropped when he saw her. Not for how beautiful she was, but for the bump that strained against her suit jacket.