"Love you too Kara.  I'll see you in a thousand years.  Sweet dreams babe..."

I knew she couldn't hear me as the armatures lowered her into her cryo unit, but it still made me feel better about all this.  It certainly didn't leave a good feeling in my gut knowing that she was covered in hoses and needles.  Not to mention that was about to happen to myself.  Lost in thought, I watched the armored lid slide into place with a soft hiss and a series of clicks as it locked and begun to lower itself into the floor.

"Fuck it... guess it's time to meet my maker."

It was just a short walk, far to short in my opinion to get to my vault.  All of my gear was neatly stored in hermetically sealed and nitrogen purged safes in the wall.  At least some things will still be around after this.  I tried to ignore the pain as I was suspended in the tender embrace of the AI.

***Commencing stasis program.

***Rest well Sergeant Rodriguez.

Needles and hoses connected through the armored body glove I was wearing, every cold prick and pain a sensation I didn't want.  Slowly my body went numb, my mind slipping away into oblivion, but my last thought was of Kara.  Her soft lips and the sparkle in her eyes graced my mind as it all faded to black.

Hours later, the tomb was silent except the occasional thump of firing weaponry or the whirring of drones maintaining something.  As time passed, even that faded away into the silence of the grave.

"Exterior doors are closed.  All units commence sealing and decon procedures."

"Fuck my head hurts," I muttered to myself as I wheeled a cart next to the three foot thick door.  Despite all the metal protecting me, I could still feel and hear the concussion of weapons firing from the base defenses.  Poor bastards out there didn't want to go down without a fight.  The die is cast and all that though.  That old poet was right though, humanity didn't go out with a bang.

Morbid thoughts and a massive headache aside, I had a job to do.  From within the cart, I pulled an impact gun and a matching black socket.  With a little fiddling and swearing, I slid each of the bolts off the cart into slots lining the armored entrance.  Across the complex, dozens of other engineers were doing the same thing as we secured our new home for a few thousand years.

BRAAAAAAP

"One bolt down, three hundred seventeen to go for this door..."

As I stepped aside to work on the next bolt, Kara stood next to me connecting wiring where I just was.  As time passed, what was once a tangled mess of wires slowly turned into a spider web across the great gateway.  There was nobody else that I would trust more than her to make sure the wiring for the explosive bolts are done properly.  I'd have to make sure to talk to her before final checks.  Even though she was a few doors down from me, this was going to be a long thousand years without her.

"HOLD THE LINE!"

The sounds of chaos filled the air as gunfire, explosions, and screams all blended into one as I kneeled behind a rough concrete barricade.  Constant chipping and squealing assaulted my ears as round after round impacted on the other side.  Damn terrorists and traitors.

###Ten seconds until detonation.  Remain in cover

###Five minutes Ten seconds until defenses are back online.

As I huddled on what used to be a shattered road, my hands deftly worked my rifle.  A slight click dropped the magazine into a waiting hand that carried it into a pouch on my hip.  A moment later, a fresh one replaced the partial in my carbine, my thumb pushing on the assist to ensure a round was seated and ready to go.  

###Five seconds until detonation

With a small gesture, the armored visor slid into place over the thick glass of my helmet and sealed, making my vision flicker for a moment as screens powered up in muted colors.  Exhaling softly, I mentally prepared for what was about to happen.

###Impact in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

Mentally preparing wasn't enough as the sky was torn asunder with the thunder of an enraged god as missile after missile struck little more than a football field away from my cover.  Flame and ash screamed over the concrete, jetting over and around my pitiful cover for a moment, rattling my eyes and knocking out what little breath was still in me.  For just a moment, I crouched there for my mind to readjust, oblivious to the yelling on the radio that snapped me back to reality.

"COVERING FIRE!'

"MOVING!

The moment weaponry behind me barked to life, I tore to my feet, forcing myself to run into the torrent and trust my unit.  Nothing between me and my destination but crushed concrete and blood spattered pavement, I pushed harder.  Nothing mattered but the slap of my armored feet on the ground and getting where I was needed.  Just a little more to the wall of conexes and barriers.  Just a little more until I could get to work.

It wasn't enough as a sharp impact threw me sideways onto the ground, making everything ache and my displays tint red with blood inside my helmet.

***Contact left approx. 43 yards.

***Non critical damage to helmet.

"God damnit..."

Through the smeared displays, I could see two figures in the haze, slowly and carefully heading to the same destination as I was.  Fuck that shit.  Thankfully they were turned slightly away from me as I dragged my carbine to my shoulder and leveled the dot on the first figure.  A moment later with just a press, my weapon roared and sent three rounds into the chest of the soldier.  As his compatriot turned towards me, he disappeared with a pop and a flash as something heavy impacted against armor.

"Fuck my life."

Groaning, I pulled myself to my feet and started limping to cover.  Whoever had just taken that last shot seriously saved my ass.  With a grunt and some scraping noise, I finally slid over the barriers keeping me away from the small firebase.  I was safe...somewhat, and it was time to get to work.  Finally a chance to get this heavy ruck of tools and parts off my back once I found the generators.

"This is Sergeant Rodriguez.  I just reached firebase delta and will start repairs on the defense systems.  ETA 4 minutes before power is restored."

"PFC Rodriguez, you are to report to Sergeant Halverson immediately."

That was the last thing I wanted to hear echoing over the speakers in the barracks.  Despite my nervousness, I pulled myself off the couch and made my way to Sgt. Ream me.  Dull tile and off white paint passed by as I jogged down the hall.  No idea what I did, but this was going to hurt.  Little did I know how much.

A few minutes later...

All of my energy seemed to be sapped away, draining into the floor as reality slammed into me again and again.

"I'm sorry Alex.  There was nothing we could do.  They were too close to the bomb when it went off.  If it is of any consolation, your sister and mother didn't feel a thing.  They were a credit to the Federation."

This had to be a joke.  Some kind of sick joke.  Mom and Christie were just there to help troubleshoot some problems with the Shanghai vault.  There wasn't a bomb.  There couldn't have been a bomb...

"Alex?  Take the rest of the week off, okay.  I wish I could give you more, but orders came down that we are to start training and upgrading security on our facilities next week."

I don't even remember leaving the Sergeant's office or the walk back.  The only thing in the world that seemed to matter was Kara's arms wrapped around me as my world fell apart.

"Again, Congratulations Graduates!  Please take some time to meet with the representatives of the services you will be training with for your term of enlistment."

I could have been paying attention to the graduation speech that Principal Lewis was giving, but as my first moments of life after school were concerned, kissing Kara was a higher priority.  Especially when she did that cute little breathy moan into my ear.  Apparently we both scored high enough to be considered for the advanced programs for our enlistment.  So we were both going to train in the same unit.  Score!  I get to learn to blow stuff up, and I get blown by my girlfriend.  This was definitely going to be something to make the next few years memorable.

"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!"

I could just facepalm over the retarded freshmen always getting into fights all the time.  As I shoved through the small crowd, I definitely proved myself wrong.  Wasn't freshmen fighting at all.  The new girl was wailing on one of the hockey players as he was curled into a ball on the floor.  Of course, my mind went blank when she looked up, straight at me, grinning despite the dripping blood from her busted lip.

'I think I'm in love..."

"Alex honey, we need to talk about your father.  He was...in an accident at work today.  I'm sorry Alex, but he's not going to be coming home tonight..."

The little green army man didn't want to sit in the sand no matter how hard I stuck him in there.  I pushed sand against the plastic around his feet and it just wouldn't work.  Stupid army guy.

"Alex, its time to go.  Your mom is waiting for us."

At the deep baritone of my father's voice, I looked up to see his massive outstretched hand that dwarfed mine as he pulled me to my feet.  As I looked back, I realized that the little army man was still in the sand, but it was too late.

"Come on Alex, let's go home."

The little boy and faceless figure walked down the road together as the colors began to swirl together.

"FUCK!"

Well, to say I woke up screaming was an understatement as my eyes snapped open.  The cold air of the vault tickled my sweat covered skin.

On the other side of the wall, a small alicorn princess flinched away from the yelling instinctively.