felt invigorated, not exhausted. He spent the return flight gazing out the side portal watching the landscape go by.
For every sight that accentuated the difference between this Earth and his, there were a dozen that drove home the similarities.
Yes, the architecture of the homes seemed a warped version of what he knew. Instead of open fields, the developers of this Earth preferred mountains and hills from which sprouted neighborhoods, sometimes on terraced levels, the same type of deigns he had noticed at the lake. Furthermore, the few roads he spied from the sky seemed wider than those back home.
Such subtleties meant little. If he closed his eyes, he could see children playing in the fields that were marked with lines for some sport or another; he could hear the ringing of worship bells in the triangular steeples of the churches; he could hear families gathering in their homes for the evening meal.
When he opened those eyes again he saw the devastation. Fields of bomb craters, toppled steeples, the charred remains of burned homes, the occupants either dead or enslaved.
Yes, the more tiny differences he found the more he saw similarities. The more he grew convinced that this Earth needed him.
– Trevor and his team returned to Thebes that afternoon. Nothing much happened the rest of the day. Nina disappeared to write reports and as the day went on Trevor's exhilaration turned to exhaustion as fighting alien blimps and shapely Majors finally got the better of him. He did not see her that night as he collapsed sound asleep in the apartment he shared with Johnny.
However, the next morning she knocked frantically on their door.
'We have to appear before The Committee.'
He would have suspected that The Committee wanted to pin a medal on him for winning such an unlikely victory. However, the grumpy expression on her face suggested otherwise.
'What is it?'
She spat, 'Our fearless leaders are not happy about our expedition.'
Reverend Johnny broke in, 'Not happy? Why, you would think they would be ringing bells of celebration after the sound pummeling we delivered unto-'
'What is their problem?' Trevor interrupted his friend’s sermon.
'I don’t know. I just know they want to see us.'
Johnny volunteered, 'Do not fear, Major. We will show them the error of their ways.'
'Actually, Reverend,' Forest tried to tell him delicately. 'They just want to see the officers involved.'
Before Johnny could be offended Trevor consoled, 'Don’t sweat it. Why don’t you do me the favor of reviewing the city’s defenses. I’d like to know what we’ve got to work with.'
Johnny huffed. 'Very well.'
Trevor followed the Major to the first floor where they met ground transportation to the Ops Center.
They traversed the city under a silky gray quilt of clouds blanketing the morning sky. No blue; no beams of sun, just a steady dull light. However, those clouds trapped enough heat to keep the temperature from plummeting too far. It actually felt slightly warmer than Trevor would expect for a mid-February day, perhaps the tenth or so.
He had lived in Thebes for more than two weeks with the exception of that night at the lake. Trevor’s time inside the walls-or what remained of the walls-had been spent mainly training soldiers from the Third Legion.
Trevor realized that he did not like being out on the vacant, decaying streets. They reminded him of the challenge he faced and the scope of failure that had befallen these people.
My people.
Yes, they were becoming his people.
Only a handful knew of his presence; Nina said most officers in the Third Legion received a briefing as to who and what he was. As for the others in Thebes, well, Nina heard that the rumor of his 'return' spread through the city.
Would they believe him a reincarnation of their Emperor? If they knew the whole story, would they accept this man from another universe as their leader?
The only thing he knew with certainty was that any leader who could bring victory to these people, who could wake this city from its defeat-induced coma, would find willing followers. After all, what choice did they have?
In reality, he had seen very little of the city but he had seen enough to know this was a leaderless flock wandering without direction.
That angered him; angered him enough to stay and fight a battle against the Geryons, a battle his head told him he should avoid. Yet he had sensed he could win. More importantly, he sensed that these people needed him to win.
And now what? And now The Committee called him on the carpet to tell him he had done wrong? That made him angrier still.
The driver delivered them to the Ops Center.
Trevor’s time whipping the Third Legion into shape had not spread to the heart of Thebes. The guards, the techs, and couriers, they still looked as lazy, as disinterested, and as unconcerned as they had the first time he had walked through those doors.
Someone needs to knock sense into these people.
Trevor and Nina marched the hallway to the main control room. Along the way, he saw a man flirting with a woman and a sentry leaning lazily against a wall.
He was about ready to explode by the time they came upon a group of technicians and junior officers laughing in a corner.
'You should have seen him! He was so drunk he puked right there in the office!'
'Oh, man, we were wasted.'
'Didn’t you have guard duty after?'
'Yeah, I think I slept through half of it.'
Trevor stopped. Nina actually took three steps before realizing she walked alone.
Stone approached the group of three male techs and both a female and male officer.
'What is going on here? You, soldier, you on duty?'
The female officer staggered, 'Um, yes, I’m here to-'
'Any one here off duty? Any one here on break?'
Nina hovered in the distance and watched.
The male officer responded, 'What’s it to you?'
Apparently their lack of attention kept them from recognizing his face but they did notice a lack of rank on his collar.
'What? What…is…it…to…me?'
Stone shot over, grabbed the guy with one hand on his chest, another on his throat, and slammed him against the wall. The thud echoed along the hall grabbing the attention of dozens.
'Listen here you worthless fuck. I just got back from two days of fighting. I watched people die on the battlefield to keep you useless sacks of shit alive back here. You will NOT dishonor them by acting like a bunch of god damn teenyboppers bullshitting in the hall between classes. Are you hearing me?'
The stunned junior officer reacted only with coughs. The blow to his head had sent him into a daze.
Trevor turned his attention to the others in the group. He spoke first to the female officer.
'What is it you are supposed to be doing?'
'I…I’m here from Second Legion to file readiness reports…ah…um…'
'Then what the fuck are you waiting for? Go file the reports then get back to your unit!'
She scurried away.
'And you?'
Trevor addressed the remaining three technicians. The first two answered in a miss-mash of stuttering sentences.
'Serv-servicing electrical junctions.'
'Supplies. I mean-inventory. I mean, inventorying supplies at the-'
Stone shouted, 'Then get in gear before I tear you new assholes.'
