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A year later... Sybil had fallen in love with Michael all over again. She had forgotten that petty child she felt like she had loved, as they were to accomplish greater plans. Michael has bestowed the end times on the world. The nuclear bomb was successful and killed every living, breathing organism roaming the earth that wasn't in a protected shelter like the outposts Michael had designed. All of the outposts, expect for one, had failed— as no one had planned on food being a necessity. Yet, somehow, Outpost 3 had survived. Michael and Sybil found their way there to pick and choose who'd be eligible to go to the sanctuary with them. Miss Mead helped run Outpost 3, but her memory had been wiped so she didn't know who Sybil or Michael were just yet. But, soon enough, she would.
Michael and Sybil rose in on a carriage to the outpost. The outside was hazy and the fog of nuclear waste was thick. Mead and another guard at the outpost came out to greet the incomers. Michael and Sybil hopped out of the carriage and revealed their masked faces. Michael flashed his Cooperative badge to Mead and announced: "We need to speak to Ms. Venable."
"Yessir, Mr. Langdon." Mead obliged.
"Tend to the animals." Michael told, then he led Sybil down to the outpost quarters— which used to be the Hawthorne School that the two once attended.
* * *
Michael and Sybil met with a shocked Venable in her office. Michael cocked his head at her, somewhat recognizing her from before the end times. "Wilhelmina Venable. I'm in charge here." She introduced herself.
Sybil snickered. "Of course you are." Michael nodded.
"You don't sound like you believe me." Venable's face stiffened.
"Why wouldn't I? Seems like you've don't a wonderful job. The walls are still standing. Your people are alive and healthy. Which is... quite a feat... considering." Michael told.
"Considering?" Venable pressed for more elaboration.
"The three more outposts have been overrun, and the remaining three won't last through the year." Michael sighed.
"Why are you here?" Venable's eyes darkened at him.
"Because its only a matter of time before the same thing happens to you. The good news is, there's another facility, a sanctuary. This one's completely impregnable and stocked with enough supplies to last a decade." Michael smiled.
"You're here to take us there?" Venable's face lit up for once.
"Hmmm. I've been assigned to evaluate the people here and select the ones most worthy of survival. I could take all of you... or none of you. Those who make it, live. Those who don't... end up like my horses." Michael smirked, knowing exactly was rebooted Mead was doing outside to the horses he and Sybil rode in on. She was murdering them for food.
* * *
Sybil wrapped her finger in Michael long blond hair. She definitely preferred his long hair over the short shaggy hair he had when they first met. "What did Venable say?" Sybil asked.
Michael brought his face dangerously close to Sybil's and looked down upon her plump lips. Sybil reached out to trace her fingers along Michael's profile, finding no flaws whatsoever. "She said we're to meet the others in the dining hall at nine." Michael told, his eyes still lingering on Sybil's lips.
Sybil found herself suddenly seated in Michael's lap. She pulled his face in for a soft kiss, but Michael seemed to be overly excited that day and passionately began kissing. He stood up, her legs now wrapped around him, and pushed her back onto the desk— his lips never leaving hers.
Sybil parted their kiss to give him a questioning look. "Do we have time?"
"We'll make time." Michael grunted before he returned to kissing her. He began to tug off his own clothes and Sybil followed pursuit by unzipping her dress. Michael ripped away her clothes and took a moment to analyze her body. She was perfect. His hand slid from her waist down to her thigh to get a better grip on her before he began to make love to her.
* * *
Sybil and Michael strolled into the dining hall, hands intertwined, to greet the others who lived in the outpost. Michael walked to the front of the room while Sybil stayed at the back entrance. "My name is Langdon, and I represent the Cooperative. I won't sugarcoat the situation. Humanity is on the brink of failure. My arrival here was crucial to the survival of civilized life in Earth. The three other compounds— in Syracuse, New York, Beckley, West Virginia and San Angelo, Texas have been overrun and destroyed. We've had no contact from the six international outposts, but we are assuming that they, too, have been eliminated." Michael explained the situation.
"What happened to the people inside?" One boy asked.
"Massacred. The same fate that will befall almost all of you." Michael told.
"Almost all?" A girl dressed in all grey asked aloud.
"In the knowledge that this very moment might occur, we built a failsafe— The Sanctuary." Michael told.
"The Sanctuary?" Another rude woman interrupted.
"The Sanctuary is unique. It has certain security measures that will prevent overrun." Michael told.
"Excuse me, sir. What measures? Why weren't we given them?" Rebooted Mead asked.
"That's classified. All that matters is that the Sanctuary will survive, so the people populating it will survive, so humanity will survive." Michael told.
"Who are the people who are populating it?" Another man asked.
"Also classified. However, I have been sent to determine if any of you are worthy and fit to join us. The Cooperative has developed a particular and rigorous questioning technique we like to call cooperating. I will then use the information gained to determine if you belong." Michael elaborated.
"What is this, The Hunger Games? This is bullshit. I paid my way in here, and that is the only cooperating I plan on doing." One of the women from earlier shouted out again.
"You don't have to sit for questioning." Michael sighed.
"What happens if we choose not to?" One of the men from earlier asked.
"Then you stay here and die." Michael scoffed.
One man rose his hand energetically. He had pale skin and pale-colored hair. "I volunteer to go first." Galant was the name Sybil managed to retrieve from him through her magic.
"And so you shall. The process should only take me a couple of days, so you won't be kept in suspense forever. For those of you who don't make the cut, all is not lost. If the worst should happen and feral cannibals come knocking, down one of these:" Michael rose a vile for the crowd to see, "one minute later, you fall asleep and never wake up. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you." Michael told before exiting the room, leading Sybil out of the room.
* * *
Sybil didn't want to participate in Galant and Michael's interview. She knew Galant was going to thirst after Michael and Michael was going to exploit that. Later, Michael was going to confront Venable for trying to control the outpost.
Sybil stood in the bathroom and watched herself in the mirror. She was bored and hoped Michael would get on with the outpost business quickly. Sybil noticed her stomach had gotten stiffer over the past few days. It was strange and she worried that it was an effect of the radiation from outside.
