Bakersfield…



It felt like an eternity to Sam as he saw the first outlines of his city and the large lonesome tower of the old office building near its center as he stopped the truck and gave his eyes a moment to look over his home.
Truth was, that it had been just a few days since the lone urley had attacked him and upon which, he had been saved by Vareva and Catherine.
Both had saved him in the nick of time and after his first meeting with the giant alien and a load of questions and answers which Cathy had taken care of, not to mention the little party that Vareva’s old team mates had given shortly after, was he finally back home.

So much had happened in such a short time and he himself was still unsure if he could believe it all.
Atlantis...humans who worked and lived together with urley, these giants...an entire base hidden under the thick ice of the North Pole.
It still sounded like a dream and while a part of him still screamed ‘Trap!’, was another part of him eager to get there and meet those people.
Cedia was his home but the old bunker had its limits and those limits or better, its age was already showing with its first cracks and leaks. His home wouldn't last forever and Atlantis...seemed good.

He was still in his thoughts as Vareva’s shadow fell over the drivers window and her right knee buried into the soft snow next to his door.

“Are you okay?” Her worried tone still surprised him as she looked though the small window of the truck as she placed both of the large bags on each side of the vehicle.
“You should have slept a bit. You know I could have pulled your little car easily.”
Her statement did not surprise him in the least. She was much stronger than her look would tell but she was already carrying two large (for her) bags and one large backpack all stuffed to the limit with food rations, medical supplies, and other goods that she and Cathy had salvaged over the years, and recently.
Also, didn’t he wanted he to be chained up to her should another, unfriendlier, urley show up. She was their only effective protection against them for the moment since the power suit had suffered way too much damage in the fight.

“I’m fine...I...I just haven't seen the city like that. It's so calm and looks so peacefully. As if,”

“...It would sleep.” Finished Cathy as she climbed over the passenger's seat and gave Sam a wide smile.
The young woman had slept most of the time since they had started their way from the base to the city since she too had to recover from a deep wound on her shoulder.
She pushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear as she made herself comfortable in the passenger's seat.

“Slept well?” Came Sam’s question as she yawned but grimaced as she lifted her right, injured arm, a little too much in the process.
Vareva too chimed in the conversation as she saw her adopted daughter through the windows and smiled genuinely to see her kid back up.

“So and so. But I’m good.” Replied the brunette woman with a grin as she spoke into her headset to get into contact with the giant.


Sam nodded before he asked Vareva if she was good to go again on what they continued their trip towards the snowy hills of Mount Nisir which grew proudly behind the city.
Another hour passed until the group arrived at the mountain's foot and Sam stopped the large truck before a incredibly large rocky wall.
It easily dwarfed even the urley as she placed her bags down and took a look around while Sam stepped out of the car with his thick jacket pulled tightly to shield himself from the chilly weather while Vareva seemed to have no problem at all despite her, to his look, thin combat overall.

“You should have taken one of the thermogarments, Sam.” Remarked Vareva as she saw him shivering under the cold winds and blowing warm air into his hands as he rummaged at a piece of the stone.

“I- I am fine. It’s not that c-cold.” Came his reply as he opened a small console which was hidden under some artificial rock. The system acknowledged his code and activated the mechanisms to open the huge, hidden, entry doors.

“Stubborn as always.” Whispered Vareva with a smirk under her breath and a shake of her head as the mountain wall before her began to split.


“Home, sweet home.” Sam couldn't hide his joy as he walked towards the huge entrance which was a t least as tall as Vareva. At least she wouldn't have to duck down all the time, thought he when he saw her surprised expression.
But why did he care she had to duck down or not?

“Well, time to meet the rest of your bunch.” Began Vareva and shouldered her bags again. She was already a step before the dim lighted entrance when Sam told her to stop.

“Okay.” Said Sam as he walked back towards the driver's door of their truck and got in again.
“They will know that the doors have opened…” Continued he with a scratch on his neck.
“And hopefully won't activate the bombs.”

“Bombs? What bombs.”  Escaped it Vareva who halted her movement as soon as she heard it over the com.

“The ones placed to seal the entire tunnel. Just in case any of you had ever found it.” Answered Sam flat as he looked over towards Catherine.
“You should stay in here. Its freezing out there and…” There was more that he wanted to say, more that he wanted to tell her as they both looked at each other. But they had to get inside and close the entrance again before any not so friendly urley could notice it.
“Make sure that you are ready to drive this thing inside when I give you the signal.”

“S- Sam,” But the door was already closed and he on his way. She would have to talk to him later as she watched him from the driver's seat.
The winds began to pick up as the light of the day, began to fade already. It wouldn’t be long now. And when everything would be set out at the end of this day, would she ask him the one question that was burning inside of her for so long now.


Even with the scarf shielding his mouth and nose was the cold wind hurting his face as he left the truck and put on his slim gloves. Behind the truck knelt Vareva and dropped the heavy bags filled with supplies for the base and her backpack on the ground.
He tipped the communicator two times and told her to give him a moment and to get comfortable.
She didn't seemed uncomfortable at all even with only the, for his understanding, thin combat suit. But he had given up to understand how those multi layered urley suits worked which she had tried to explain him a few times on their way home.
She wasn't freezing for all he knew and wouldn't even if she would have to wait here for hours or even days.
On his way towards the rocky wall, wondered Sam why he even cared if she would freeze.


It took him a bit to disarm the first lines, and to place the mines to the sides but it was done.
He told them to come but to be careful...just in case.


Cathy was the first to enter and drove slowly inside. The dim lights mounted on the roof of the tunnel worked sparsely and since most were broken turned Catherine the lights on the truck on to get a better view.
Sam was kneeling in some distance and worked on another line of explosives as she stopped and took a look around.
Wires ran along the walls and ended and started anew from small but well placed explosive packs and she noticed carefully placed mines on the sides near the walls.

“Are you okay Sam?” The worries in her tone were quite understandable but instead of giving an answer, held he only his thumb up at her.

Vareva came behind the truck with her bags, slung over her bag. The walls had some cracks here and there and frozen water covered a few places on the walls and the ceiling. She noticed the wires and small boxes on the wall but knew better than to touch anything. The whole stuff had been set here years ago and the gods knew how fragile they were if they would be touched. She was even a bit worried that a too long look at them, might blow them up when the entrance doors began to close behind her.
With a loud clang shut the doors behind the now slightly worried urley as she looked back at the truck, and the human in front of it. There was no going back for them and all she could do, was to trust him that he would get them in, in one piece.


Sam continued his work on one line of explosives after another. The lights from the truck helped him to see as they went deeper and deeper as the lights around him, began to weaken slowly until they died off completely.
“Must have shut them off finally.” Remarked Sam as he blew some warm air into his hand and moved them a bit to get a bit of feeling into them again.
“But don't worry...only two more, and where there.”
Two more. He said it again in his head and was about to think on what then. Sure he could open the inner gate and get them in...but he was pretty sure that every available weapon in Cedia was already waiting for that to happen and he had no way to tell them that it was him.
Well, maybe they would wait just long enough for him to enter….a risky thought.

It took him about fifteen more minutes until he had disabled the last batch and was now standing right before the inner blast doors.

“Okay you two you stay back and wait...eh if..if they decide to shoot first and ask later,” He pondered the words but what else could they do. Sure Vareva could bash forward and maybe….the hell was he thinking?! If they would see her before he could clear the coast, would they fire everything they had on her. Understandable, but not what he had in mind.
“...well, just wait and hope for the best I guess.”

He worked on the control panel and bypassed the system. He told Cathy to stay back a bit more and shut off the engine and turn off the lights while Vee would have to wait a bit further back. He gulped as the heavy blast doors began to part in the middle. The thin layer of frosted water fell of its metallic surface as the mechanics behind the walls moved for the first time since the last two and a half decades. Strangely, he thought, were they still pretty much in a good shape as the massive doors made way into Cedias inner sanctum.


“Alright…here we go.”  Sam breathed out long as he made a long step and steadied himself with raised arms for the first bullet to be fired.
With his eyes shut, waited he several agonizing long seconds but to his surprise, fired nobody.
Hadn’t they noticed that someone was coming? Had the sensors failed to sound an alarm?
He pondered the possibilities as he opened his eyes and looked into a dark nothing before him as the first beam of light, cut through the darkness, and hit him full on.
Sam tried to shield his eyes as several more lights shined right at him and set him perfectly on stage for everyone to see.
A loud voice told him to stay still.”or it will be the last thing that you….Sam?” The male voice asked in a raised voice as silent murmurs began to fill the void around him.
“But...we thought you were dead?”
More voices sprang up on that as he began to lower his arms a bit to shield his eyes from the blinding light.
“Well, not yet.” Came his reply as he lowered his hands a bit more just to be stopped with a silent clicking noise.

“But you should. Or can you somehow explain to us how you survived the attack of an urley?”
The new voice in the round belonged to Castor. A man with a burly figure who was a few years younger than Sam.
“Oh and when you do, tell us how you killed that one because I bet everyone would die to know it.”

Not sooner had Castor finished his little speech when the flash lights were turned off and the normal light began to illuminate the large hangar.
Sam thought that half of Cedias population had gathered to ‘welcome’ the visitor as he looked at the faces before him and on the second floor, above it.
They looked frightened as if they had expected the end itself to enter through that door.
Faces he knew as friends, as family, who now aimed their weapons at him.

“I had help and if you allow me, can I sho…”

“Liar!” Yelled Castor and cut him off as he made his way towards him. “Who would have been able to help you?! You were alone!”

Castor nearly spat into his face as he came closer aiming the end of his pistol straight at his head the entire time.
That was not the welcome home he had hoped for.

“Let me explain Cas, but first put down your gun.”

“Do you need some help?” Asked Cathy over the com as she followed the scene from inside of the truck.

Everyone will put down their guns!”
The powerful voice deep and rough echoed through the room as the sound of a pair of heavy boots made their way towards both men.
Gray, backcombed hair shone under the lights as Richard's eye wandered over the line of his people before they stopped with a stern expression back on Castor and Sam.
The old man stood nearly two heads over both men as he eyed Castor again who lowered his gun finally on what Sam gave out an audible sigh.

“Are you okay, should we come?” Came Varevas concerned voice over his mic a bit too loud on what both men before him gave Sam a surprised look.

“Who’s that?!” Said Castor angrily as he already began to lift his gun.
Richard just held his hand down when he saw it and gave him a long, stern look before he took it and another long moment went by before Richard looked back to Sam.

“Well, let them in.” Came his answer as he signalized everyone to lower their weapons.


Sam signalized Cathy to come on what she started the engine and slowly made er way in under the watchful eyes of cedias population.

Richard had to blink a few times when the old truck came in, thinking that he was seeing a ghost but it surprised him even more when Catherine opened the door and left the vehicle with a wave of her hand and a friendly hello.

“W- where back, Boss.” Was all that she said as she walked over to Sam and him until a slow rumble went through the hall followed by a steady thud of giant boots.

“W...What the hell.” Grumbled Castor when the gargantuan shadow of he urley fell over him and the others.
The hangar went silent as the massive urley came out of the shadows of the corridor and stood upright at its entrance.
Dozens of eyes looked up at her. Most being filled with fear and the first levels of panic as they stood openly in front of one of the very beings that had forced them and many more into hiding many years ago.

Vareva tried her best to look as non threatening as she could as she carefully placed the two bags on the ground and inspected the small beings in front of her.


Sam looked up at her Vareva as she gave him and his little group a look over before her eyes fell back to the people on the other side of the room.

“Like she said, Butch, we’re back.” Began Sam with a grin as he began to walk over towards Varevas boots closely followed by Cathy as they stopped close in front of her.
“...and we have a lot to tell…”