Chapter 39: I Am The Fire

June 20th, 2014 - 0800 (8:00 am)

The ship was within distance of home for the first time since starting out six months ago, and the mood aboard the ship was elated.

Almost the entire crew was on the desk, cheering as they drew closer and closer to Baltimore. Already, from this distance, Rachel could see people strolling along the streets, and the city looked very much different than the last time they were here.

When they had been docked here six months ago, the city had been a mess. Trash, bodies, and ruin everywhere. It looked like one would expect a world ravaged by the plague to look. But now, it was clean, and the trees were in full bloom, green and alive.

It looked like the home she'd left so long ago, before any of this had happened.

"It looks like Thorwald did a good job," Tom commented from his spot beside her. She smiled and nodded, unable to speak as she continued to stare through the binoculars. "Cleaned up the city. I'm eager to talk to him, see what his people have been up to."

"Me, too," Rachel whispered, handing the binoculars to Tom. He looked through them for a minute, smiling when he pulled them away.

It only took a few minutes after that for the ship to reach the dock.

"Ready to start our new life?" he asked, and held out a hand to Rachel. She took it, holding on tightly.

"Yes. I'm ready."

They walked off the Nathan James hand in hand.

June 20th, 2014 - 0830 (8:30 am)

"Captain Chandler!"

Their group was met with an enthusiastic greeting party as they approached Avocet. Thorwald walked forward confidently, throwing his arms around Tom and hugging him tightly, slapping him on the back before releasing him.

"We heard great things about your adventures! Around the world in 180 days, huh?"

Tom laughed, smiling as he took in the buildings around them.

"I haven't been the only one who was busy! Baltimore looks completely different!"

Thorwald nodded, gesturing to the surrounding area.

"I have so much to catch you up on. Come, come! Let's take a walk. There are a few things I want to show you."

Tom glanced at Rachel to make sure she was up for it, and she nodded, smiling as she rested a hand on her belly. She was 31 weeks pregnant, and Noah was growing like a weed, but she had been cooped up on the Nathan James for so long that a walk sounded simply wonderful.

"Lead the way, then," Tom said, and quickly gave the rest of his team orders as Thorwald gestured them forward. Tom noted that two guards followed them, and asked about it.

"The city is a pretty safe place, but we have had a few issues. Better safe than sorry."

"Tell me," Rachel said, eyes wide as she took in everything around her. "Everything that you've been doing here."

"Well," Thorwald began. "After you all left, we knew that we had a lot of work ahead of us. But, thanks to you, we had over 300 healthy people. We split them into teams, gave them missions of their own. First we had to figure out how to get power back on, which presented a bit of a problem as we adamantly refused to even think about the methods that they had been using. At first we used the clean up to keep the factory running. Bodies of the deceased, trash, broken cars, destroyed houses, anything that had been destroyed, basically. We used it all to power the plant. Kept the trucks running for months, clearing it all out. Multi-purpose, too; cleaned up the city, and kept the power on."

"Brilliant," Rachel said, nodding in approval. The city was very clean.

"We don't have a regular trash service, of course, so we set up a system to collect and incinerate the trash at the power plant weekly. It's not enough to keep it going all the time, so we have to ration power, but it's enough for our needs. We are looking into alternate methods to keep the power plant online, but we haven't come up with anything concrete yet."

"We may have some people who can help with that," Tom offered. "We plan on staying here in town for a while. Put us to work."

Thorwald nodded. "Appreciated. Anyway, beyond the clean up crew and those assigned to the power plant, we had other groups of people working on other objectives. We have a school up and running. There were tons of school buildings in Baltimore, but we chose the one closest to the Avocet base. We have a teacher for each grade except the little ones, they're all together because there weren't enough of them. We have a portion of the building set aside for daycare, so those with children can still help with keeping the city running. We dedicated several of the parks and recreation areas in the city to growing food, and have a market twice a week where people can trade, barter, or pay for what they need with services for others."

"This is... amazing," Rachel said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We have the Johns Hopkins Research Hospital up and running as well. We moved the lab over there, and it doubles as a medical facility for those who need medical treatment, as well as the place we make and distribute the cure. We have a position waiting for you, Dr. Scott, as head of research and distribution of the cure. Anyone who comes to Baltimore is inoculated and put to work in an area that best fits their specialty pre-pandemic."

"You have done great work here," Tom said, pausing to survey the building they had just walked up to. "What's this place?"

Thorwald's grin grew.

"This is the White House."

Tom paused, confused. It was a large, brick building. It was two stories tall, and had very few windows. It didn't look special, and it certainly wasn't white.

"Come again?"

Thorwald laughed, opened the door, and gestured them inside. Tom noticed immediately that the presence of guards was tenfold here. They were at every door, in full gear and vigilantly watching the goings on inside the building. He was on alert, wondering what in the world Thorwald had created here.

"Come with me. There's someone I want you to meet."

Tom followed him, cautious, a hand on Rachel's back as they were quickly frisked by the guards. Tom was allowed to retain his gun and vest, due to being Captain Tom Chandler of the USS Nathan James, but he noticed that they kept a close eye on him as they walked through the main room of the building and up a set of stairs.

"What's going on?" Rachel whispered, leaning into him as they continued down a long hallway. The doors along this hallway were open, and there were people inside each one, busy at work. Tom didn't understand what any of them were doing, but he assumed that maybe this was sort of like a city hall, where decisions for the city were made and executed.

"I have no idea," he admitted, and then looked up when Thorwald paused outside of a door at the end of the hall. This door was closed, but Thorwald reached out and knocked on it rapidly, three times

"Mr. President?" he asked, and Tom felt his eyes grow wide with shock.

President?

What the fuck was going on here?

He didn't have to wait long to find out. Within a few seconds the door was opened and they were being ushered inside by an older gentleman. He looked to be around Jed's age, and had white-gray hair and a kind smile. He was wearing a simple, plaid button down and jeans, and didn't look like anyone that Tom had ever called Mr. President before.

"Mr. President, this is Captain Tom Chandler and Dr. Rachel Scott, of the Nathan James. Their ship docked about an hour ago; they've completed their mission, and are here to stay for a while."

The man - the president of the United States - reached out to shake their hands. Tom took his hand and shook it on autopilot. Rachel, next to him, wasn't doing much better hiding her surprise.

"Excuse me. I'm confused," Tom finally said. "Mr. President?"

The older man laughed and smiled.

"Yes. My name is Jeffrey Michener. You likely have no idea who I am, and you wouldn't be the only ones! I was the Secretary of Urban Housing and Development, the lone survivor of the Cabinet of the United States. Thirteenth in line for the Presidency. Can't say I ever expected to be in this position, but we're all surviving day by day here! Mr. Thorwald found me a few months ago and had me sworn in by a judge. You're looking at the 47th president of the United States, though I can barely believe it most days."

"Sir," Tom said, and then, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"No, son, the pleasure is all mine. I have heard all about what you and Dr. Scott have done for the world! We wouldn't be here without you, and we are forever in your debt."

Tom nodded, standing taller as he began realizing what this meant.

"We have a President," he said in wonder, and then, "Sir. How is the rest of the country doing?"

"Well," Jeffery said, leading them to a set of couches and encouraging Rachel to sit down first. She gladly accepted, easing down onto the couch and placing a hand on her stomach. "It's not perfect, but many cities are doing what Mr. Thorwald has done here in Baltimore. We're a long way from having a functioning government again, but we have managed to create a fairly comprehensive radio signal, and we can reach most of the states. We address the country daily with updates, locations where they can receive the cure, and instructions on how to get food and goods that they need. We're living off the land mostly, at this point, and people who live in rural areas are still struggling. We've informed the citizens of this great country about your mission and the progress you've made so far; it would be an honor to have you join me tomorrow morning for our address to the country."

Tom nodded, still in shock but feeling hope well up unbidden in his chest. "We would be honored."

"We've been expecting you for a while," Jeffery continued, offering water to each of them as they spoke. Rachel took the glass just to have something to do with her hands. "We were planning on having a celebratory ball once the Nathan James returned. Tomorrow, after we've settled you into your new homes and you've rested, we'll celebrate!"

"That's really not necessary, Mr. President," Rachel said, finally speaking up. "Honestly, we'd like to get right to work."

Jeffery shook his head, grinning. "We have a lot to talk about first, and we do have positions for you if you're planning on staying here, but we will be celebrating. You created the cure! Brought it to the whole world! That deserved a little bubbly and a little dancing, wouldn't you say?"

Rachel smiled, liking this man and his excitable personality. "I suppose so," she admitted. "It does sound nice."

"Lovely. We'll begin planning now. During the ball tomorrow we will have a ceremony to honor those from the Nathan James who selflessly served this country for over a year on perhaps the most dangerous mission known to man. For now, though, you must be tired. We have housing set up for everyone returning. Do you have any questions for me that can't wait until dinner, or would you like to see where you'll be living while you're here? I believe Thorwald's men have already started showing the rest of the crew to their apartments."

Rachel had about a million and one questions, but she was having a hard time vocalizing them.

She had hoped and dreamed about a stable environment to return to, to raise Sam and Ashley and Noah in, but this was far beyond her wildest imagining.

"About a million questions, sir," Tom said, making Rachel smile over at him. "But none that need answered right this second. I am ... in awe of what you have done here. We hoped, but we never imagined that we would come home to this."

"I'll answer all your questions eventually, son," Jeffery said, clapping Tom on the back as he stood up. "But I have a feeling you're overwhelmed and need some time to process. Now, before I send you off with Thorwald. We have set up small apartments for everyone who will be living on their own or with one or two other roommates. I believe I was told you have a family, yes?"

Jeffery shot a look toward Rachel, her stomach specifically, and she blushed.

"Yes, sir. Dr. Scott and I are expecting a third child soon. We have my other two children, Sam and Ashley, who will be living with us as well."

"Congratulations," the President said. "That being the case we will be setting you up in one of the larger, empty houses. You'll need more room for the children."

Tom nodded numbly, and then shook hands with the President of the United States once more before he was being led out of the room and then the building.

It wasn't until they were walking out into the sunshine that he rounded on Thorwald with a frown on his face.

"You couldn't have led with that?" he asked, incredulous, and Thorwald just laughed.

"Shock and awe," he said simply, shrugging. "It's one of those things you have to see to believe. I can barely believe it, and I've been reporting to the President every day for three months."

Rachel chuckled, reaching out to touch Tom's arm as she spoke to Thorwald.

"This is ... much more than we hoped for. You have done an outstanding job restoring this town. We're so happy to be here."

Thorwald grinned, accepting the praise.

"We're happy to have you here. The legendary Captain and Scientist of the Nathan James. Now come on, let's collect your children and show you your new home."

Home.

Rachel smiled.

She liked the sound of that.

June 20th, 2014 - 1020 (10:20 am)

After collecting Sam, Ashley, and Jed off of the ship, they all climbed into a large, black SUV. Thorwald and Jed sat up front, while the rest of their small family climbed into the backseat. Sam crawled into Tom's lap and pressed his entire face to the window, watching the houses and trees and people pass.

"Daddy," he said in wonder. "Daddy, there are so many people. And there are trees! And flowers! And look! They have a dog! DAD, can we get a puppy?"

Rachel chuckled as Sam turned around, hands cupping his father's face as he begged.

"Please, please, please? I want a puppy. I'll name him Bolt, since you said we can't name the baby Bolt."

Tom laughed and patted his son on the head. "Maybe we can get a dog, after we settle in. Maybe."

Sam squealed happily at the 'maybe' and turned back to stare out of the window.

Rachel turned to Ashley, who was sitting quietly beside her in the back of the SUV.

"Are you excited, love?" she asked quietly, and Ashley nodded, staring out the window as they drove.

"Yeah, but I'm also a little sad. This is the first time we'll be living in a house without Mommy."

Rachel made a soft noise and hugged Ashley to her, running a hand through her hair gently. "Yes, it will be different, and probably a little strange. I know that you miss your mother very much. Hmm... how about this. When we move in, we can put up some pictures of you and Sam and your Daddy with her, to help you remember."

Ashley smiled and nodded eagerly. "I'd like that. Can we also have another picture with all of us and you?" she asked, and Rachel nodded, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'd love that."

"We're here," Thorwald said as the SUV came to a stop.

Rachel felt the excitement building as they all clambered out of the car. When they were outside, she saw that they were stopped in the middle of a suburban neighborhood with moderately sized, two-story houses on either side of the street. Each house had been cleaned and the lawns maintained. She could see families inhabited the other houses, as well; some of them were playing in their yards, sitting on their porches, or talking walks since it was such a beautiful day.

Then she turned to face the house they were being given and sucked in a breath.

It was beautiful.

It wasn't huge, and it wasn't super fancy, but it was perfect.

It was two stories, white, and set directly between two mature, towering trees. There was a wrap-around porch with two rocking chairs on it, and she could already see herself and Tom sitting on them, watching the children play in the shade from the trees. There were a few flower beds, empty, framing the porch, and she couldn't wait to plant flowers in them. Maybe start a garden in the backyard, if there was room.

"It's amazing!" Sam yelled, taking off immediately and running up the steps. He stopped in front of the door, bouncing up and down, while he waited for them to follow. Thorwald handed Tom a set of keys and then stood back, watching as Tom opened the door and the children raced in. Rachel followed at a slower pace, not only because her movements were limited by Noah's growing body, but because she was busy taking everything in.

"The houses have all been cleared of personal belongings, unless the original owners were still alive," Thorwald explained as he closed the door behind them. "Clothes, food, toys, that kind of thing. We gathered it all in one area for people to buy or trade what they need, so you'll just have the basics. Couch and coffee table in the living room, table, chairs, and appliances in the kitchen. The master bedroom has a queen size bed, and the two smaller bedrooms have twins. We'll need to get ya'll a crib soon," he said, motioning toward Rachel. "We didn't leave them in the houses 'cause not everyone needs one. We'll show you where the warehouse is so you can get set up with blankets, sheets, and basics."

Tom nodded, only half listening as he took in the lower floor of the house. He could already hear Ashley and Sam thundering up the stairs and knew he would have to follow in a minute, but he was still busy checking out the first floor.

The kitchen and living room were all one large, open space, with the kitchen taking up the right hand side of the house and the living room spanning the entire left side. The two areas were split up by a large kitchen island with four stools at it. Tom could see two doorways along the living room wall, and assumed they were either bedrooms or a bathroom, maybe. It was sparsely furnished, but it was a nice, open space. The large glass windows on the back wall made sure that there was plenty of natural light in the room.

"It's beautiful," Rachel said in wonder, smiling as she looked around.

"Master bedroom's on the main floor," Thorwald explained, leading them to one of the doors that Tom had noticed. He opened it and waved them inside. "It's got an en suite bathroom, large closet. It's a good size, too. You could keep the baby in here a while, so the older ones can have their own rooms."

Rachel nodded, her eyes taking in the large bed in the middle of the room. It was huge compared to what they had been sharing onboard the Nathan James, and she was sure that they were going to thoroughly enjoy breaking it in. To the left of the bed was the door for the bathroom, which contained a large closet, toilet, standing shower, and a clawfoot tub. There were two sinks, a large mirror, and two frosted windows to allow for both light and privacy.

"Kids rooms are upstairs," Thorwald said, leading them back into the main room.

Tom chuckled. "I'm sure they're already fighting over who gets which one."

As it turned out, they had already finished their fight and picked their rooms. At the top of the stairs there was one long hallway, with two doors on either side. The first door on the left was a linen closet, and the first one on the right was a bathroom for Ashley and Sam to share. Beyond those doors they found the doors to Ashley and Sam's rooms, which were identical in size and layout. A single twin bed was in the middle of each room, with a bedside table and a dresser. The rooms were mostly empty, and on the smaller side, but the kids were ecstatic.

"Daddy! I get my own room!" Ashley cried from where she was roaming around a room with light green walls. She was running her hands over each piece of furniture, a smile on her face as she sat on her bed.

"You sure do, baby," he agreed, and then winced when Sam screeched happily from the other room, the excited sound quickly followed by the squeaking of bed springs .

"You had better not be jumping on that bed, Samuel Chandler!" he shouted, and the squeaking stopped immediately.

"Sorry, daddy!" Sam yelled, and then came racing back into the hallway to grab Rachel's hand and tug her toward his room. "Mommy, come see! My room has blue walls and I can see the tree outside my window! I love it!"

Rachel chuckled and followed Sam, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' as Sam showed her everything in the room.

"Can Noah share my room with me?" he asked excitedly, reaching out to touch Rachel's belly. She smiled, putting her hand over his.

"When he's a little bigger, he sure can," she said, and Sam cheered again before making another circle around his new bedroom. Rachel was watching him, smiling, when Tom came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, settling his chin on her shoulder. She turned around, humming happily when he kissed her cheek.

"Welcome home, love," she whispered, and he smiled into her skin.

Welcome home.