Doomsday

22. Stepping-Stone

It was evening, but the only way to tell was by a clock since the sky was always gray. A brisk wind from the northwest rustled the trees in the Home.

Kurt Carpenter and Professor Diana Trevor were taking a stroll along the moat, Carpenter with his hands clasped behind his back.

“What did you make of Slayne’s report?” Carpenter asked.

“They did well, your Warriors.”

“Our Warriors, you mean. They protect the entire Family, not just me.”

“Thor did outstanding. But he troubles me some, Kurt. He actually believes that Odin and his namesake are real.”

“His religion is beside the point. That man is just what we need. He’s devoted to the Family and the Home, a perfect role model for the others. Have you seen how they look up to him?”

“They look up to all the Warriors. They’ve even taken to calling them by their code names.”

“We all might have new names soon.”

“How’s that again?”

“I’ll tell you about it later. For now, the important thing is that Alpha Triad made it back with the SEAL.”

“You sure put a lot of stock in that thing.”

“It’s our gift to the future.” Carpenter stopped and gazed about the compound. “I want the Home to endure, Diana. I don’t want all my effort to have been in vain. I’d give anything to have a time machine so I could travel fifty or a hundred years into the future and see if the Family and the Home are still here.”

“We can only hope.”