Williams Residence
Bronx, New York
Larissa stood with her back against the apartment building doors, her chest heaving, tears streaking her cheeks, her eyes closed as she tried to calm herself. The food she had stolen from the hospital was gone, she had barely managed to avoid getting arrested or worse, and she had no idea what she was facing when she went upstairs.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
She yelped, opening her eyes and pressing against the doors even harder as two heavily armed men strode toward her.
Then she caught her breath. “Do you work with Leon?”
One of them smiled. “You must be Larissa. I’m Jagger, this is Casey.” His eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. “My boys, are they okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. Atlas is with them now.”
She sighed in relief as they led her to the elevator. She looked at Jagger. “Atlas?”
He chuckled. “Just a nickname, ma’am.” He took a deep breath, imitating muscles. “You know, strong enough to carry a planet on his shoulders?”
She smiled as they stepped into the elevator, Casey remaining behind. “He is a little ridiculously big, isn’t he?”
Jagger grinned. “You said it, ma’am. Me? I wouldn’t dare!” The doors opened on the twelfth floor and they were greeted by two other soldiers. “Gentlemen, this is Larissa, Atlas’ sister.”
The men smiled and gave her two-fingered salutes. “Ma’am, a pleasure,” said the first, holding out his hand, directing her toward her apartment. “They’re inside.”
She ran down the hallway, catching her breath when she saw the destroyed door. Then she heard laughter.
My babies!
She rushed inside and found them all piled on Leon.
“Mom!” cried Michael as he extricated himself from the tangle of limbs. Suddenly she was surrounded with bundles of energy she had feared she’d never see again.
“Oh, my little darlings, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“We’re fine, Mommy.” Michael pointed. “Look, Mommy, it’s Uncle Leon!”
Leon came over and gave her a hug, his massive arms enveloping her in a cocoon of safety and comfort. She closed her eyes, feeling completely safe for the first time in days. “Thank you, Leon, for helping my boys.”
“Anytime, Sis, anytime.”
She pushed away. “Shannon?”
He shook his head. “She didn’t make it.”
Tears filled her eyes and her heart ached. “Oh no! Who did it?”
“Apparently, her boyfriend.”
She gasped, her hand darting to her mouth. “Levar!” She frowned. “Her mother knew he was no good. She’s going to be devastated.” She looked down the hallway. “Where…?”
Atlas shook his head. “Don’t worry. The Guard already came and took the body.” He pulled out his phone and brought up a photo. “Is this him?”
She stared, not recognizing him at first, the appearance slightly off. “Oh my God, he’s dead!”
“Yes. Is this the Levar you referred to?”
“Yes. What happened?”
“The Guard caught them loading up their car with your supplies out in front of the building. When they tried to arrest them, Levar here pulled a gun. The rest, shall we say, is history.”
She sighed, patting Leon’s chest. Her stomach grumbled and she remembered what this was all about. “Our supplies?”
“Confiscated by the Guard. They didn’t know who it belonged to until we secured the location, so it was already sent for redistribution.”
Her stomach flipped. “What are we going to eat?”
Leon smiled. “Haven’t you heard? It’s over.”
Her eyes widened. “Huh?”
“It’s over. It’s all over the news. They’ve caught those responsible, and there won’t be any more hacks. Once the systems are fixed, everything will be back to normal. Probably a couple of days, though it might take weeks to clear up some of the mess. No nuclear war, no more nutbars trying to take down our cities.”
Larissa’s eyes narrowed. “Nuclear war? What the hell has been going on since I left the hospital?”
Leon laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I think you’re a little bit behind the rest of us.”
She rested her head on his chest and smiled. “You should visit more often.”
He kissed the top of her head. “The next time madmen threaten New York, I’ll be sure to drop by.”
She slapped his chest. “Leon James, I want to see that muscled booty here this Thanksgiving. That’s an order.”
One of the soldiers grinned. “Muscled booty. I’ll have to tell Niner that one.”
Atlas slapped his forehead. “Aww, Sis, now look what you’ve done!”