***
Amelia sat at her desk, with an exasperated expression. She took in a deep breath and sank into her chair.
She was within a large office with a nice cement floor and the trade mark stone walls of all the bases on Earth.
On her desk was a computer which she used to manage most of the information required to keep the base in order.
She wore a tight black vest and tight black pants as she tried to rest her mind, her light ash blonde hair being ruffled by the chair.
She began to reminisce of old times.
In her 34 years of life, she had her fair share of joy and sadness. Most of both came from her family. A large family of hundreds that all lived within the proud continent of Australia. To her family, leaving the country for another was akin to betrayal. While she didnt exactly share that sentiment, she did love her country. It was where her life had started, with the many years of history behind it as well as where she got to make her future.
Large families usually have some of those relatives that always want to interfere with every little detail about the family, which brings forth a whole lot of drama.
Amelia had been subjected to this. The family leash. She had broken free, getting a job that she loved, though it was a taboo according to the family.
She worked as an international aid worker.
Truth be told, she never intended to do such a job, but after being referred to a famous company called Rinscorp, she gave it a try, looking for cash, flew to Madagascar and enjoyed the experience.
Despite her previous indoctrination that home was best, her mind set shifted. There was something about seeing different people who held onto different cultural values that excited her. Curiosity perhaps?
With that one taste, she was sold on the idea of travelling around the world. She hadn't actually been invested in the idea of simply helping people at first but after two more trips she began to get a clearer view of how fortunate she was to have people that meddled in her life.
Some people didn't have that luxury.
No one thought of them.
No one loved them.
People just passed by.
This was one of humanity's worst fears.
Being forgotten. Being unrecognisable among the billions of unique people. Living and dying worthlessly.
It touched her heart and she gained a new perspective.
She wanted to travel and learn. Learn more about different people in the world instead of confining herself to her own little bubble that was her home country.
And so she did.
Against her family's beliefs.
To lessen the friction with the more fervent family members, she decided to at least marry someone from back home.
And she did.
She married a handsome man who won her heart and had a daughter with him.
Her marriage was great for while, till her husband started to grow insecure about her constant travelling to other countries and asked her to quit her job, saying he had found her a better paying job in the country.
She understood where he was coming from. He did it out of love. Because of her travelling and meeting new people, her mind was open to people's emotions. She knew that his jealousy was a form of longing. His insecurity was a fear of losing her. She didn't rashly accuse him of wanting to take away her dreams but chose to talk to him about why she wanted to continue her work instead.
She always found time for her family, though probably not as much she could.
She kept trying to convince her husband of her wishes but he just couldn't accept it.
One day, he proposed a divorce. Declaring that if she wanted to continue her work, she could kiss him and their daughter goodbye.
She finally relented and got an office job where she was confined to the premises of the company all day, everyday. For the sake of her family.
Her relatives were ecstatic, patting her husband on the back. She pretended to be happy 'being with the family'. She smiled at her husband, went to family parties and all. But her soul missed the travelling.
She didn't hate her family for it. But it was just a shame. Saying that she enjoyed all the confined activities though, was a lie.
Her life became bland. Going through the motions with every day that passed.
When the Apocalypse happened, she had been Invigorated before the acidic rain could devour her. The whole continent burst and sunk. She had tried to get to her daughter and husband but the waves and unforgiving atmosphere wouldn't allow it.
She lost her home and her family in one fell swoop.
She had been devastated. Broken. Even wondering if this was retribution for her past selfishness of failing to appreciate her family and home.
Amelia breathed deeply, closing her eyes as she shook her head.
Life turned out to be even more horrific afterwards. She had been forced to shed away the fragility of feminism. She couldn't afford to scream in a corner and wait for a non-existent masculine hero to sweep her off her feet. She had to toughen up and become a boss. She met a lot of strong people who motivated her to do the same by how they handled the disaster.
Astrid, Sandra, Josh, Aryan, Roach, Darius, Sanjay, Thomas.... Maestro.
When she was assigned as a Safe Zone Commander, she was determined to protect the people within. Perhaps it was her own guilt. Or the need to not have to watch an entire population swallowed by a crisis.
She worked hard. Having Darius, a former militiaman and Sanjay, a martial arts expect, teach her all they could in her free time.
Sanjay had been cold towards her at first, but as time went on, he dedicated himself to helping her after seeing her brutal schedule for herself.
Darius had been indifferent, but slowly warmed up to her when he felt that she was a great leader who cared for all kinds of people.
'I wish I didn't have to pretend to be a pillar of hope anymore. God, I miss wearing skirts. Flirting with someone. Even the hustle of applying make up on a daily basis so I can look in the mirror and compliment myself,' she thought. 'Will life ever be like that again?'
As she rested, a knock was heard on the office door.
"Come in," she said.
The door opened to reveal a short figure with short, dark hair that was made into a crew cut. He had a stern look on his face with a hint of concern as he looked at her with his honey coloured eyes.
'I can always count on Darius to come check on me at least five times a day. I hope he is not turning into a simp,' she thought and flashed a smile.
"Anything the matter, Darius?" she asked.
"Not at all. I was just checking up on you," he said, still wearing a stern face.
"In a professional capacity or in a personal one?" she asked slyly.
"Both, Commander. The duty of someone under a Commander is to make sure they follow orders and that all your affairs are in order. I'm also entitled to checking up on someone I consider to be close."
"Entitled? That's a strong word. I appreciate it, Darius. You know I do. I can't manage everything without you and Sanjay. But right now I'm fine."
"With all due respect, Commander. I might be a hard-core individual with less understanding of human emotions, but I know fatigue when I see it. I can help you blow off some steam. The training room is only a few seconds away."
"You're offering yourself as a punching bag to me again?"
"Like I said. I'm a hard-core individual. I have great tolerance to pain. The burden you carry is a lot harder than anyone can imagine."
Amelia smiled and gave a short laugh.
"That's sweet. I'll beat your ass tomorrow. I'm fine for now," she said.
Darius smiled and nodded.
The door to the office opened, the new entrant not bothering to knock.
It was a tall young man with thick, red hair and a slim figure. He wore his combat suit, walking with the refined step of an expert.
"Sorry to bother you," he said, eying Darius. "But a drone has come from Safe Zone 1 with new information."
He handed a white orb to Amelia which looked like a spherical webcam.
Amelia used a cord to plug it into her computer and a certain message was revealed on the screen.
"An expedition huh?" she said with a serious expression...