The Program [COMPLETED]

Epilogue

Aiden walked along the edge of Second Unit, where he had returned after a long tour of the Nine Units just in time for his thirty-first birthday.

Theo and Rune had been the first to welcome him home after his month-long trip. Theo, now thirty-seven, and Rune, who'd just turned nine, were working on fixing up some of the Unit's aircraft when they saw Aiden's helicopter arriving. The two had stopped what they were doing to greet him, engulfing him in big hugs and promising to catch up at dinner.

"Well, well, well," Theo exclaimed. "Look who's back!"

"Hi, Uncle Aiden!" Rune waved. She stopped for a moment, looking mortified. "Um, I mean, hi, General Lycroft."

"You don't have to call me that until you're older," Aiden reminded her, chuckling.

"Older?" Theo shook his head quickly. "I don't think so. Rune's promised me to stay this old forever. I don't think I can handle older."

"Dad!" Rune whined. Theo and Aiden laughed.

Aiden was happy for Theo. Although he never married, he had found so much joy in his life through his adopted daughter, who loved him unconditionally. Theo had never quite gotten over Jayda, but his love for Rune was what kept him going. In a few years, she wanted to be a Programmer, just like her father, and become a pilot to dominate the skies. Aiden figured that if she could fly aircraft with any of the talent Theo possessed, she'd be a force to be reckoned with. Aiden expected big things from her in the future.

Meanwhile, it was Virgil who was overloaded with fatherly duties. Shortly after his marriage to Kerian, he became an incredibly busy father to two children. Their youngest was a two-year old boy named Soren, while their oldest was a four-year old girl named Cressida. They were even expecting another child in a few months, making Virgil's life even more hectic than it already was. Despite the presence of his children, Virgil never failed in his duties of being Aiden's Deputy and close confidant. Together, they worked with Zariah, Theo and Farley to improve and maintain the functionality of the Units. Their efforts, in combination with the other Unit Deputies that represented the remaining eight facilities, had created an overwhelming difference in the Units. Gone was Xylem's reign of terror and control. Creatan welcomed true peace, and the nine Units now worked together to sustain it.

Back in the cities, Roman dominated in his field of politics, representing the Creatan nation as its prideful President. Though he hadn't had any children of his own yet, his leadership had been a crucial element in repairing the years of damage to the Creatan economy and government proficiency. Roman had built an empire out of practically nothing. Only this time, he represented everybody, and the people respected his authority. In fact, they welcomed it.

As Aiden entered Second Unit headquarters, he crossed paths with Farley, who grinned and saluted as he passed by. A few months after the Eskium War, once things had started to settle in the Units, Farley decided to leave Second Unit and move into one of the cities in its sector. He acted as a military ambassador, educating the public about the reformation of the Program and its newfound promises. Little did he know, Farley would meet a young woman, fall in love, and start a family with her. Farley's wife had given birth to their son just a few months after Virgil's son Soren was born. Aiden figured that between the three old comrades, their boys would end up being great friends, much like their fathers were. Aiden smiled at the thought. He could picture the trio getting into all sorts of trouble together. Only time would tell if that was such a good thing or not.

Aiden's train of thought was interrupted by approaching footsteps. He turned around to see Zariah walking towards him, accompanied by their two-year old son, Matthias.

Aiden grinned, picking up his son and wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace. Matthias squealed with delight, his long brown hair a mess. He looked up at his father with wide, hazel eyes, a goofy smile spreading across his small face.

"Hey, kiddo! I missed you so much!" Aiden smiled. He kissed Zariah, putting down Matthias for a moment to spend with her. "What's been going on since I've been away?"

"Well, Matthias is a pretty good walker now, if I do say so myself," she teased. "Virgil's been going nuts over the baby. He's already got two rambunctious kids to deal with, a third is going to make him lose his mind. According to Virgil, Soren's the one that starts all the fights, but Cressida is the one to put a stop to it, and fast. She's going to have a fun time keeping him in line by the time they get older."

"Do they know what the baby's going to be yet?" Aiden asked, scooping Matthias and placing him on his shoulders. His son laughed, drumming his little legs against Aiden's chest happily.

"Not yet, but Kerian is hoping for a girl," Zariah replied knowingly. "How was the trip?"

"Long, but I'm glad to be back. How are my three new colonels? Living up to my expectations?"

"Dax and Seren are so in love, it's kind of sick to watch, but Osric's doing well too. Everything's been good here. Roman sent a transmission wishing you a happy birthday," Zariah explained.

"I'll send him a response once I've gotten settled. Besides, he's probably busy planning out his next campaign. Elections are coming up soon enough," Aiden nodded. He picked up Matthias, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack, making the toddler laugh joyfully.

"How's this little monster been?" Aiden inquired, tickling his son's stomach, who giggled contentedly. "He's gotten so much bigger than the last time I saw him. I don't know why that keeps happening."

"He's been grumpy the last few days, probably because he's been missing his dad, but nothing I can't handle," Zariah smiled. "Let's get inside. Dinner's going to be served soon, and there are lots of people who've been waiting to see you."

Aiden followed Zariah and Matthias inside, dropping their son off at the Care Centre and walking down the familiar hallways towards the dining hall. There, Virgil and Theo were sitting, waiting for them patiently with dinner plates already set up.

"Welcome back, brother," Virgil exclaimed, clapping him on the back. "Good trip?"

"For the most part. The other Units are doing well, and the cities seem to be in good shape," Aiden shrugged. "None of you managed to blow up the place, so I assume Second Unit is doing alright without me."

"Yeah, but it just doesn't feel like home without you here," Theo insisted.

"You're right, it feels like paradise," Virgil smirked.

"That's just the baby-brain talking. How're the kids?" Aiden laughed.

"Is that how old we've gotten now? To the point where all we can talk about are our kids?" Virgil groaned. "Though, on a side note, would any of you like to adopt a four-year old and two-year old? Free of charge, no returns."

"We're good, we've got one of those already," Zariah declined.

"Been there, done that," Theo added.

"Damn it," Virgil grumbled.

The four of them laughed, enjoying their dinner while telling stories. For Aiden, it felt good to be back at Second Unit. As much as he appreciated all of the other Units, Second Unit just felt like home to him. It was the people, the atmosphere and the memories that drew him to this place.

This was his home. These were his people.

This was the world they helped create.