Reconciled in the End

Chapter 27: A Visit

“Ack! Siren, do you think we can wire it that way? Will it blow, you think?” Thomas scrambled as they were working on powering the tower with a generator.

Others were working on getting the fuel needed to power it as needed.
Putting her finger to her lip in thought, she was testing whether the fine tuned equipment functioned. After a couple hours later, Pierre got the generator started below outside and all held their breaths to see a display pop on from a monitor. Siren placed her Crown to her head as she analyzed connections and outside reception. The networks were utterly destroyed as she anticipated, however she noted a few signals generating from the city and other sources.

“People are alive out there,” Yuri sighed as he listened to an old-fashioned radio wave reception on his Crown. Someone’s voice was broadcasting a message. The group studied carefully and gathered information for several hours.

“Looks like it took a big impact out there. Supplies seem more bleak than here,” Pierre winced.

“Best stay where we are. At least we have a stable food source then,” Yuri surmised.

Thomas frowned carefully, “Sounds like the wars are still happening, most likely not safe to go into that. So much chaos, and people will be desperate to get what they want. They don’t trust that God will care for them, so they will attack anyone who has something without scruples. Society does preach, ‘survival of the fittest,’ after all…”

“I wish we could return a message to give them the hope however. Can’t we tell of God and salvation? Maybe that’s why we’re all still alive now? To do that at least, for the city?” Kisha asked innocently.

Thomas looked uneasy as he returned, “It does put us at a security risk by displaying we’re alive and maybe our location, but God will protect us. Even so, we ought make it our sacrifice to help even one more person here on this earth. Let’s do this then? Fox, are you ready once again to continue?”

Siren gave a nervous smirk, “If it is God’s will…”

With that, the team worked together each day to send messages out to any who could receive them. Taking shifts, all worked hard to rely all they could as succinctly as possible. Soon all lulled into a routine, and Thomas found the work very fulfilling. It was the most pressing and important in his life. His training as a Task Master benefitted him greatly. God really did supply man with all the tools one needed in life to complete one’s mission. Thomas felt it ever so acutely as they proceeded. The promise that God would never leave or forsake him gave him even more comfort. 

Although they didn’t know how far the distant went out in their transmissions, they continued diligently without fail to try reaching any who heard them. Thomas  commanded deftly, using his experience in technology and security. Siren and the others assisted him, so no one was strained. Many offered to read the Bible out loud to point the need for repentance and salvation.  

One day, as they were monitoring Yuri’s reading of Genesis, Thomas squinted in the distance as a military vehicle pulled up to their tower. He looked to Siren uneasily as the others murmured nervously.

“Why did that come here,” Tren frowned, quite alarmed.

Thomas took his Crown off and stood to address these unknown guests. Were they looking for a fight, food, or trouble, he knew not. He was going to brave the first contact however, instead of his wife.

“Siren, stay here. Hide if you can,” he requested firmly, his look to the others meant they ought to do the same.

No one made a noise as he took to the stairway very cautiously. Below, he squinted to discern the driver, though it was almost impossible to do so in that vehicle. Another shape inside alerted him to a passenger as well. They looked as nervous to display themselves as Thomas felt.