Maddy rubbed her hands together and blew on them. It wasn’t particularly cold, but she felt a chill. She was stressed, anxious, and entirely unsure of what she was doing. Two years ago, she had been a married paramedic. Now she was in charge of the last human settlement in England – although it was no longer really England. The survivors from Portsmouth were a mixture of regions, nationalities, and race. Old identities were gone. The loss of so much history and pride was sad, but it felt like a step forward for civilisation. Her biggest fear was that, once you accounted for the elderly, there might not be enough people to repopulate. It took more than just Adam and Eve. She was captain of a ship that might sink no matter what she did.
There was a knock at the door. Maddy sat down at her desk. “Come in.”
James entered the room and stood to attention. “Ma’am, you requested me.”
“Commander Tosco, how is our fleet doing?”
“Fishing yields are up, especially now that our warships have been repurposed towards the task. Our smaller vessels are continuing to scout the coast. Yesterday, they found a small group of survivors hiding out in Bristol – nineteen people. That’s over a hundred survivors in the last month.”
Maddy smiled. “Gives me hope that there might be more of us out there. We need to bring them all home. This place needs to grow.”
“It will. Now that people realise it’s safe, they’ll come out of hiding.”
“Are we safe, James?”
He frowned and stood at ease. “Maddy, everything is good here. You’re doing a great job, and everyone is working hard to make the best of it. It’s time to relax.”
“You know I can’t do that. Not yet.”
“Capri?”
Maddy leant back in her chair and sighed. “I have a call scheduled with him right now. He won’t stop until the entire continent is under his fist. Since the demons left, he’s gobbled up Portugal and whatever is left of Spain. There’s no stopping him.”
“We thought that about the demons. Then we kicked their butts.”
“This is different. Capri has an army. We don’t have a single bullet left. Our ships have swapped their guns for fishing nets.”
James strolled forward and put his hands on her desk. He gave her a hard stare. “Maddy, this isn’t you. When Thomas took over Portsmouth, you dealt with him – and you’ll deal with Capri. He’s just another arrogant old man with an ego as big as his pecker is small.”
Maddy cackled. “You do make me laugh, James. We still on for a drink tonight?”
“Of course. Alice and I found a lovely little spot today on our walk. There’s a pond there with fish and birds, a perfect place to get rat-arsed.”
“Ha! Have you been working on your slang?”
He grinned. “I heard one of the guys say that earlier. Did I use it right?”
“You did – and this pond sounds lovely. I can’t wait to see it. Being alone with you is the only time I ever stop worrying.”
James stood back at attention. “Glad to be of service, ma’am.”
The radio at the side of her office crackled. A green light blinked.
“That’ll be Capri.” Maddy stood and straightened her blouse. “Here goes nothing.”
James reached out and took her arm. “Hey, just remember who we are and what we’ve done. No one gets to push us around, big or small.”
Maddy went over to the radio and accepted the communication. “This is Maddy, spokesperson for New Hope. Who am I speaking to? Over.”
A woman’s voice replied, clipped and accented. “Chancellor Capri wishes to speak to whomever is in charge. Over.”
Maddy rolled her eyes. “That would be me. Put him on the line. Over.”
“Please await the chancellor.”
Maddy exchanged a look with James and mouthed the words, Can you believe this guy?
“Guten morgen, spokesman, this is Chancellor Capri.”
“It’s spokeswoman,” said Maddy. “What can I do for you, Chancellor?”
“I believe we spoke one month ago, and my demands have not changed. Commander Klein, his crew, and his nuclear submarine must be handed over to the German Confederation immediately. An expeditionary force will soon be dispatched to the British coast. He may hand himself over then, peacefully.”
“You do not have permission to send anyone here, Chancellor, and I—”
“I do not need permission, young lady. The German Confederation has taken guardianship of mankind’s survival. It exists to secure—”
“Your own fucking agenda,” Maddy snapped. “New Hope will not become part of your empire, Capri. I consider every part of this island to be sovereign territory. I suggest you stay off our property.”
“How dare you speak with such insolence, you foolish girl. You are in no position to make threats. The people of New Hope will not thank you for your truculence. The German Confederation is responsible for their welfare, and—”
“We are responsible for our own welfare, thank you very much. We don’t want your help.”
There was silence on the line. She had no idea what Capri was thinking – or even what he was like as a person – but she knew he was nowhere near backing down. The game would go on far longer than this.
“Spokeswoman, if you do not comply with the demands of the German Confederation, you will be forced to comply. Surely you understand this?”
“I’m afraid you’re the one who doesn’t understand. You’ve built yourself an empire, Capri, congratulations. The thing about empires, though, is that they fall. War is fleeting; only peace can make us immortal. New Hope is willing to be a close friend and ally to the German Confederation. In fact, we have already done more for your people than you have done for yourself?”
“Explain this.”
“We’re the reason the demons are gone. Perhaps you already knew that. I’ve had my people radioing out to whoever will listen on the continent, telling them how a handful of brave survivors in Portsmouth managed to close the final gate and defeat the demons once and for all. We’ve managed to speak with several of your ship commanders and many
