Chapter Five

They were informed that the party would be at the compound. Aside from doing their patrols, or dealing with immediate threats, Petra and the others rarely went off base. Balloons bobbed around the dining hall. A banner with a sparkly number eighteen hung against the back wall. An attempt to make it festive. Snacks, or junk food of any kind were pretty much a no-go, but tonight was a little different. The long tables were laden with burgers, chips, pizza, fizzy drinks, and cake. The evening held the promise of being something special. As each Martinet entered, they were overcome with the desire to dig right in. But experience taught them otherwise. A training exercise back in their early days, coached caution into their bones. Being poisoned was no fun.

Petra stood in front of the small mirror in her room, applying eyeliner. There were never occasions to dress up, or anything like that, so she had little practice. After several failed attempts, many of which made her look like a mess, she finally succeeded. She brushed back her dark hair, and tied it into a ponytail. This exposed the undercut on the left side, and highlighted the magenta streaks on the rest of her hair. She blew her nose, you know, just in case, making sure to polish her septum piercing. She had on a black jeans, sneakers, and a pink t-shirt. At the door, she threw on her custom made leather jacket, the reverse pyramid on the back. Custom, so that it could fit her bionic arm, which was wider than a normal sleeve. She walked the path she had taken thousands of times before, towards the dining hall. Petra followed the excited chatter of the group in front of her, but kept a fair distance.

"Look who came out of her hidey-hole" Ezra laughed, nudging her from behind. Petra stumbled forward, then turned to take a swing at him. Ezra anticipated her reaction, stepping well out of arms length. Petra scowled, not pleased that she hadn't made contact. "Just going for the food" she stated, and began walking faster. Ezra was taller than her, so it took no effort for him to keep up.

"You say that, but I know you love my company" he grinned, putting his arm around her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"Let go…" she was saying, as he returned it back around her, gripping tighter.

"You two getting cozy already" a voice behind them interrupted. Petra's body stiffened. It was Farrow. "Don't you have to go be annoying somewhere else?" Petra questioned, turning without warning.

"Ooooh, bang, bang, man down!" Ezra shouted, in a melodramatic fashion, clutching his chest. He broke into fits of laughter. Farrow's eyes widened, his mouth a gaping O, then a smile played at the corners of his mouth. Petra continued to glare at him, willing him to disappear. He winked and walked ahead disappearing beyond the doors to the dining hall.

"Why do you let him get to you?" Ezra asked, scratching his temple as he often did when he was thinking about something.

"Ahhh! I don't know, he's, so, so... annoying" Petra said, scrunching up her face. Ezra pushed open the doors to the dining hall, and held it open for her and a few others behind her. A flood of noise greeted them as they entered. Some of it from the other members, some from music. As they entered the dining hall, the food was the first thing to catch their eyes. Eyes feasting already, mouths watering, they shared a knowing look, and headed straight for the table. Taka, his mouth full, and his hands holding several different things, blocked Ezra's path. He pointed at the food in his hand like he'd never seen such a thing before. "Can you believe this? All this food, and it tastes a-maazing, and the music, How did Layla swing this?" he asked, aah'ing in satisfaction, between taking bites of his pizza. Ezra shrugged, finally finding a way past him.

"Who knows…?"

Sometime during the party, Addison the secretary, and Colonel Bent joined the group. The colonel was grey haired, stout, and had a face that had sourness carved into it. He stepped into the dining hall, and Ahem'ed louder than a buggy's engine. The chatter died down, and the music shut off. Everyone's attention was on the colonel. They waited, expecting him to bark an order, or to scold them for the party. Layla stepped forward, wringing her hands. She looked nervous, even though all the plans had been okayed. Before she could speak though, he cleared his throat, and gave a guttural cough.

"Today is quite momentous, as you well know, and as a treat, we have a message from our father, Argon Wells." he said, attempting a smile, but instead looking like his entire face was about to crack. The Martinets tried their best not to turn away. And managed to hold back their disgust at the distortion before them. The Colonel was not something pleasing to look at.

"He should stick to scowling" Tsidi whispered to Sanya who was the only one close enough to hear. Sanya stared straight ahead, biting the inside of her cheek to stifle a giggle.

Addison stepped forward. She placed a circular device that fitted in the palm of her hand, on an empty space on the table. She clicked a button, and a light shimmered from the center of the device. It twisted and distorted, and a moment later, a hologram of the man they all knew as Argon Wells emerged.

Argon Wells was the founder of Veritas, and the man who had saved the world. Out of reverence and gratitude, he was dubbed Father of the new world. Not only was he the Father of the survivors of humankind, but also their leader. He looked exactly like the giant marble statue they'd all seen in New Alexandria. He was taller than the Colonel, rounder at the middle, with a shimmering head.

"Good evening My Martinets. I trust that you are all well. Today is truly a special occasion. When our world faced an impossible situation, it was You dear ones, who saved us all. And You continue to devote yourself to peace, freedom, and inclusivity. As my manifesto said all those years ago. I'm proud of you, My creations, as any proud father would be. Ah, never doubt how special you are, nor how much We value your tenacity and bravery. Now I'm sure you wish to get back to your celebration. I only wish that I could celebrate with you. I wish you a long life of service, and many successful victories". His voice was calm, and heavily accented. The image warped, light bending, then disappeared.

The room was silent. Everyone stared at the space where the hologram had been a moment ago. The Colonel began clapping, breaking the silence and Addison joined in. Unsure of what to do, the others followed suit, until everyone was clapping. Once the Colonel stopped, the clapping died down. Addison gathered up the device, and returned to his side.

"Well, that will be all, how fortunate we are to receive a direct message from the Father himself!" the Colonel beamed, his unfortunate smile returning. "As you were" he saluted, cleared his throat and left.

There was an excited murmur that went around the room.

"Can you believe Argon Wells sent us that!?"

"Couldn't he come personally? I mean a hologram, really??"

"Of course he couldn't, he's busy running the whole world!"

"It was a special occasion though, shouldn't he have tried?"

"He did say he wished he could be here…"

"Enough, let's enjoy this time, while we can" Layla shouted, jumping on a bench. Everyone cheered, and the music livened up the dining hall.

With two pieces of cake and some other food on a plate, Petra snuck out. She hoped no one would notice.

A pair of eyes followed her the entire time, right to the door...