He paused, scanning the faces of his friends and family.
“We have hope. Even at the bleakest moments of her presidency, even when others cowered in fear, she carried the torch of hope for us, blazing a pathway for us to follow into a future filled with opportunity,” he said. “To the very end of her life, she carried that hope. I am only here today because she took us this far. Now, it’s up to each and every one of us to take our turn carrying that torch.”
Kate picked up an old bottle of champagne that had previously been set beside the podium. She handed it to Beckham.
“That’s why, on this day, I’m proud to christen the newest ship that we reintroduce back into the Allied States Navy, the USS Jan Ringgold.” He moved from the podium and toward the ship, breaking the champagne battle against its hull.
Applause broke out over the crowd.
Beckham stepped back to admire the ship. It was a patchwork of repairs, and while it likely would never be restored to the same strength and functionality, it was a symbol of their country.
Damaged, but striving to recover, like all the survivors.
Beckham knew that with diligence, hard work, and with the people in this country who had gotten them this far, there was hope that he would never let die so long as he lived. And if they were lucky, they would pass that on for generations to come. Generations who would not only survive in this great country, but thrive.
A new society would be built from the ashes of the inferno that had enveloped the country.
From this Dark Age, the Allied States would emerge again, and Captain Reed Beckham was ready to lead the charge with his wife, family, and friends.
–End of Book 4–
I hope you enjoyed Extinction Cycle Season 2: Dark Ages! Writing the Extinction Cycle has been an honor and a highlight of my career. Sharing the adventures, trials, and tribulations of Team Ghost, Doctor Kate Lovato, and all of the heroes in these stories is something I will never forget. I want to thank each and every one of you loyal readers for following along over the course of this series. If you’d like to continue the story and see a sequel at some point, please leave a short and honest review letting me know. This is the best way for me to gauge whether readers want more books. Thank you so much for reading and thanks to Doctor Anthony J. Melchiorri for helping me bring this story to life!
Sincerely,
Nicholas Sansbury Smith
About the Authors
Nicholas Sansbury Smith is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Hell Divers series. His other work includes the Extinction Cycle series, the Trackers series, and the Orbs series. He worked for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management in disaster planning and mitigation before switching careers to focus on his one true passion—writing. When he isn’t writing or daydreaming about the apocalypse, he enjoys running, biking, spending time with his family, and traveling the world. He is an Ironman triathlete and lives in Iowa with his wife, their dogs, and a house full of books.
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Anthony J Melchiorri is a scientist with a PhD in bioengineering. Originally from the Midwest, he now lives in Texas. By day, he develops cellular therapies and 3D-printable artificial organs. By night, he writes apocalyptic, medical, and science-fiction thrillers that blend real-world research with other-worldly possibility, including works like The Tide and Eternal Frontier. When he isn’t in the lab or at the keyboard, he spends his time running, reading, hiking, and traveling in search of new story ideas.
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— Epilogue —
About the Authors
