***
Safe Zone 4.
A plane landed on the ground, three figures disembarking and walking over to the giant building that was the base. It had many cracks and roots still sticking out but it stood tall and proud nonetheless
Amelia and her small 'entourage' consisting of two men were solemn in their brisk pace.
They walked over and saw the effort being put in by the elite Invigorated in helping people settle down. Most were traumatised by the earlier events and come night fall, most couldn't eat or sleep in grief.
It was tragic.
Fortunately, the timely arrival of the Construction Pillar, a small group of Invigorated with the abilities related to the creation of different structures, had helped, a few large buildings erected close to the base. This was to allow the surviving civilians to at least feel safer.
They were mostly made of rock and soil which were further solidified and compounded to hold vast amounts of people.
Some of them could be seen finishing the construction of yet another building for the standard Invigorated who were then led within by the elite Invigorated who tried to exercise as much care and consideration as they could.
There was a gathering near the base where some of the people related to the deceased were surrounding a young lady.
She was affectionately giving closure to those who were mourning. With a flash of green in her eyes, she would invite those related to the deceased to watch the dead be put to rest, the ground slowly opening up to cover the body.
It wasn't much, but it helped to some degree. Some of these people would embrace this young lady and weep bitterly, seeking comfort to which she would help settle their emotions with her powers.
This young lady was Emma, Astrid's daughter.
(A/N: I know she has basically no development, but I hope you remember her.)
When Amelia saw this, she felt her heart churn.
"I really failed them. I could have done better," she said with forlorn expression.
The short man behind her, whose name was Darius was quite displeased with Amelia's words.
"That's not fair, Commander. If you call this a failure, then we're responsible too," he said.
"I can't hide behind you guys, blaming you for everything. I'll take responsibility. We have to make sure that these people get to Safe Zone 1. We keep them alive, no matter what it takes," Amelia said with a determined expression.
What Aryan had said during the general meeting has really pinched her heart. She had wanted to defend herself and push the blame, but seeing the scene of the dead she couldn't help but feel stupid.
Blame couldn't change the situation. Only resolve could. Desire for change.
That is what she had cultivated. It was what her duty as a Commander entailed.
"Then let's bear that responsibility together," said the other man beside her, whose name was Sanjay. He was slightly taller than Amelia with a full head of red hair and a slim figure.
"Yeah. Let's learn from our mistakes Commander," said Darius.
From the side, a young woman came jogging with a smile on her face. She reached Amelia and offered a warm greeting.
"Did you roast the Panel well enough?" asked Mei.
"Kind of," replied Amelia with a slight smile. "We will be moving to Safe Zone 1 soon."
Mei wore a delighted expression and patted Amelia's shoulder.
"Glad to hear it. Those people have really lost a lot of their faith in surviving to the end," she said looking at the people being escorted to the new living quarters, others being served food but barely touching it.
Amelia smiled at Mei.
"Thanks for managing things while I was gone. I appreciate it," she said.
"No problem at all. I could stick around if you want."
"No, the Panel would chew you out. You can go. We can handle the rest."
"Alright then, I'll be off. Take care," said Mei as she jogged over to the plane that left for Safe Zone 1 minutes later.
Amelia and company went over to help with the work effort. She assumed her role as Commander and began managing the different departments that needed concise details of what to do next.
It was not easy, but a few hours later, things were in a much needed order.
Amelia called a meeting with the heads of the different departments in the Zone and gave them all the details about the migration that would soon happen as well as details of the new breakthroughs in technology.
After enlightening them on the overall status quo, she inquired about the challenges and progress that was evident within the base.
One of the pieces of news devastated her.
"What? How is Grace missing?" she asked in shock.
Grace was like a sister to her and she was always by her side. She was a caring individual that wouldn't simply vanish or run from her duties. The only plausible assumption was that either she had been kidnapped somehow or....
Amelia forced herself to remain composed and asked for details.
A man with a bald head and sunken eyes summarised the situation.
"Multiple elites are missing, Commander. We assume that this happened during the battle earlier. We're not sure what exactly happened, but our analysis points towards this being the work of a high ranked straggler. Among those missing are...." the man mentioned the names of those that were missing and among those were many reliable elites.
Amelia gnashed her teeth. This was way too much. She resisted the urge to slam the table to oblivion and took a deep breath.
"Did you enact a perimeter sweep? We could be missing something simple here," said Amelia with a stern gaze.
"Yes we did. The only thing we found were traces of a Grade A straggler that was involved in the incident earlier, fleeing. We didnt have sufficient or strong enough manpower to pursue it, unfortunately," the bald man said with a dissatisfied expression.
"Alright. Let- "
As Amelia was about to speak, a young man ran in and pardoned his intrusion before spilling his news.
"Commander, one of the missing elites has been found! It's Daniel," he said with a relieved expression.
Amelia stood up. She was relieved that at least someone was found. However, the individual himself was a sketchy one. Daniel. He had a cowardly personality and had multiple records of using his ability for selfish reasons like stealing excess food from the canteen or some perverted stuff that was unbecoming of someone tasked with protecting humanity. She wasn't sure if he was missing in the first place or hiding.
"Take me to him," she said. She followed after the young man and was led to what looked like a dispensary.
Inside was a man covered in claw marks. He was bleeding from the deep and shallow wounds, receiving aid from elite healers. His dark skin made the wounds look more visceral.
He looked to be in pain, his combat suit broken and tattered in many places.
The suspicion Amelia had on him vanished as she rushed to his side.
Daniel looked at Amelia and smiled wryly.
"Commander.." he said with a weak voice.
"Daniel. I really thought you had bailed," she said jokingly.
"I would've. I thought perhaps this wasn't the time to betray your trust. I did my job this time. I tried my best but.." he said with an aggrieved expression.
"Relax. Focus on healing. I'm glad you're alive. In this time we need all those we call our own very near. Thank you for your service," she said as she stroked his head.
"Hmm... I guess I won't snatching extra food from the canteen from now on," he said.
"No, dear," Amelia as she glanced at him one last time before smiling and leaving.
Inwardly, Daniel wore a sadistic grin that would have unnerved anyone had it been seen.
He had successfully infiltrated.