Two years later.
"I'm at the airport... Don't worry, babe, I understand you have to work... I'm sure that Maya and Julian will be happy when they see me, you know they adore their auntie Ruby... Yes, they love me more than they love aunt Iselen..." I chuckle while my beautiful wife curses on the other end of the phone line. "Oh, come on, you know I was joking. I'll drive the twins to the hotel where the camp counsellors are waiting with more teenagers and, later, I'll go to the supermarket to buy some organic food for our dogs. I'll meet you at home for dinner... I love you, baby."
I shove the phone in my backpack while looking at the screens, checking that the flight from Madrid is not delayed. I can't wait to hug my niece and nephew, the last time the entire family gathered together was in Christmas and it's been 7 months, we have video calls all the time but it's not the same. This summer will be great... Iselen and I will be the hostesses when all our bothers in law, their wives and children, come to spend a month's vacation in California. Maya and Julian come first because they'll spend two weeks in a camp with other teenagers, swimming, hiking around the forest, climbing, riding horses... They'll have the time of their lives. I'm jealous, to be honest, and wouldn't mind to join them, but I have lot of things to do before my guests arrive.
"¡Ruby! You're Ruby Rose... Oh my God, I never expected to find you here. Can you give me an autograph? And take a picture with you, please."
"Yes, of course," I smile at the group of young girls that are surrounding me excited and take a pen, signing everything they put in front of me and smiling every time they take a pic that I know will be uploaded on their social media accounts. Some people look at us with curiosity while more teenagers wait for their turn patiently.
Life is gradually returning to normal, after two complicated years during which the soldiers have managed to kill all the zombies, finally, and everybody is focused on rebuilding our civilization, mourning the dead, searching for the missing friends and trying to move on. Some army officers tried to hold onto power, installing a military dictatorship in a handful of countries, but the NATO didn't allow it and politicians are in charge again. We hope that they'll behave this time although I wouldn't bet on that, accumulating power and being selfish it's only human nature, I guess.
Our lives are returning to normal too, after a crazy period of time when journalists, paparazzi and fans followed us everywhere, asking questions about what happened in the bunker to confirm or refute some conspiranoid theories that emerged, even if nobody knows where they came from. Dust has settled, apparently, and we're not breaking news anymore, our faces are well-known and I'm still working in the Hollywood industry, we still get invitations to attend fancy parties, but now we can walk down the street or through a mall going almost unnoticed and only a handful of girls will ask for an autograph or a pic. I know Iselen feels awkward being the centre of attention because she spent long years working in the army discreetly and feels relieved now that our faces are not all over the front pages of newspapers.
I say goodbye to my fans with a smile and look at the screens again, the flight is finally landing so I decide to get closer to the gate through which my niece and nephew will walk, fixing my hood over my head to mislead the paparazzi that are always on guard duty at the airport. People look very excited around me because lot of them will meet their family members for the first time in two years, air traffic is back to normal but it was a chaos a few months ago because of the lack of pilots and staff in air companies. We're very lucky giving that we have a private jet and an outstanding pilot available.
I smile when remembering Gabriel, even if he'll always be the Commander for me, I also call my wife lieutenant sometimes... I can't help it and they think it's funny. I think my brother-in-law feared that the members of his family would disperse as soon as the army was not the link between them anymore so he suggested to run a business together. De Soto & Partners offers private security services, bodyguards and expert drivers, consulting services for companies and private clients about threats related to new technologies and risk control in challenging environments, and all that is thanks to their well-trained personnel: the best ex-soldiers in the army, and not only from Spain. The Commander and his team's good reputation has turned the company into a success and veterans from all over the world submit their CV regularly and beg for a job interview.
