A/N… You're getting this a day early, because on Sunday I have some things to do. I'd rather post it early than late. I'll let you get to it. I know everyone is curious about Marcus…

~oOo~

Chapter 20

EDWARD

"You know, for someone who's been 'captured,' that is one chill dude," Emmett muttered as we stood guard at my back door.

We didn't want to risk taking Marcus any farther into Oz, and we weren't sure how many men he had out there, so we'd kept him at my house. However, Emmett was right; Marcus was being held at gunpoint, hands bound, and stripped of his weapons and radio as he sat at my damn kitchen table without a care in the fucking world. In fact, the peaceful and almost kind expression on his face at the sight of my daughter in her mother's arms said more than I could consider at the moment.

"I don't think he poses a threat," I stated softly, glancing up at Emmett and shaking my head. "I think he came here because he saw power…lights. He's already been to the Sound, seen the destruction. He knows his brother is dead."

Emmett's brow furrowed. "So this is the guy from the picture on the wall at Aro's place?" he asked, and I nodded. "And you said he wanted to thank you?"

A laugh escaped me through my nose. "That's what he said. And that he needed our help."

"Mm," he hummed noncommittally.

"She's beautiful," Marcus said softly to Bella, who smiled at Emily and then his way.

"Thank you." Her answer was equally soft.

Emily was trying to study a stuffed orange octopus about the size of my hand. It was her favorite stuffy. She was looking at the room with curious eyes that couldn't quite see everything just yet, keeping a quiet demeanor. Usually, she'd be smiling at Bella, but maybe she was feeding off her mother's stress.

Several guards were in my yard and on the water outside. Every member of the resistance was inside my house, Flash and Nolan included. Even Angela and Ben were in on this situation. My parents stood silently together, leaning on my kitchen counter. Charlie and Garrett were glaring at Marcus, but Sue was studying him. And she was the first to step forward.

"Why are you here?" she asked him, causing whatever conversations were happening in the house to come to a stop.

Marcus smiled a little. "I was hoping to find the people who took down my brother, Aro. We scoped out Seattle…or what you call the Sound. We saw the walls and the destruction; we saw that the city was mostly empty. My brother's building is a burned-out empty shell." He shook his head. "We followed the water, hoping to find more people. We've slowly been trying to recover this country."

"We?" Charlie asked. "You're clearly Army, so how many is 'we'?"

"Not as many as we would like, but we're trying to put things back together."

Sue sighed deeply. "Back together as it once was? Or back together…better?"

Marcus huffed a humorless laugh. "Both." He glanced around the room. "Maybe I should start at the beginning, hmm?"

Before he could start, I stepped forward. "Before you do that… Do you have people who are gonna suddenly rain down on this place if you stay gone too long?"

He shook his head. "No. They'll wait for my signal. If they don't hear from me, they'll send a small team."

My eyes narrowed on him, but I nodded. "Fine. Storytime, then. Let's have it. Just how much government is still functional, Marcus?"

"I promise to tell you," he vowed solemnly. "My brothers and I were very close growing up—"

"Oh, shit! We're going all the way back," Emmett interrupted in a snarky tone, grabbing a dining chair and spinning it around to straddle it. "Please continue." He waved a hand. "In the beginning, God created two assholes and you… Go on."

Rose cracked a smile from her spot next to Bella, and my wife buried her soft snicker into Emily's hair. Charlie and Garrett outright laughed. Jasper, though, was not moving from his post at my front door. His face was fierce because he was pissed off that this guy was able to sneak up on us. And while that was something we'd address, I kind of wanted to know this man's story. So far, he had proved to be nothing but forthcoming.

Marcus grinned, taking years off his face. "Pretty much, yes." The humor died quickly in his expression, though, and he continued. "Our family had money back then. The three of us were raised to be something, be someone. Both my brothers pursued business – Aro in the pharmaceutical industry, and Caius in law and eventually politics. Our father owned several companies all over the country – New York, Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Seattle." He raised an eyebrow at Sue, silently hoping she'd understand that apparently his family had initiated the walled cities from the beginning.

"No, shit?" Emmett whispered. "You mean… All those assholes were business partners of your family?"

"Yes. All of them. Some people accused my father of organized crime, but nothing ever came of it. It seems Aro followed in his footsteps. Caius is just…mean. He was like that as a kid," Marcus muttered that last part, rolling his eyes at it all. "Anyway, I was the black sheep of the family. I enlisted in the Army. Made a career of it. I didn't mess with them, and they left me alone for the most part."

Marcus went quiet, his eyes on Emily, who was slowly drifting off to sleep in Bella's arms. His smile was sad, heartbreaking, really, and with what he said next, I understood why.

"I had a family. A wife, a son, and two little girls – twins."

Had. As in he didn't have them anymore. I closed my eyes at how fucking devastating that would be.

"That virus my brother set loose killed my entire family. They got so sick so fast that I couldn't get to them quickly enough. I was stationed in Florida, and my whole family was gone within a week." He frowned down at his bound hands that he didn't seem to be fighting. "I never even got to see them."

He paused his story for a moment and then shook himself out of his own mind. He glanced up. "My apologies. Where was I? Oh, Aro. He tried to warn me, but I didn't think he'd actually go through with it. I'm sorry to say that I was massively wrong.

"Anyway, he had an associate inside the CIA – Santiago. He's the reason most military bases were eradicated so quickly. He took the virus that Aro had created and pumped it into the ventilation systems of the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon. He targeted high-ranking military personnel and politicians. He shipped it to bases inside their food and water supplies. By the time my brother let his partners know, that virus was already killing people.

"Originally, I was assigned as protection for the remaining man in charge. Most of us only remember the first four people in the line of Presidential Succession – President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, and President Pro Tempore of the Senate. After that, who takes their place is lost in confusion. By the time my company got to DC, we were down to number fourteen – Secretary of Transportation, Gary Chaucer. When we landed Air Force One on a Navy carrier, we were on number fifteen – Secretary of Energy, Adrian Benson."

"Damn," Garrett muttered, shaking his head. "What number are we on now?"

"We've moved beyond the list. The last one – Secretary of Homeland Security – died a few years ago of cancer. Greg Morrison." Marcus shook his head a little. "We spent most of the time out at sea avoiding the virus on land. We also didn't have the resources or enough men to counter walls and riots. We couldn't risk it. However, Morrison started the search for anyone healthy. We avoided the bigger cities, but we needed to start rebuilding."

"You mean you ran out of rations," I pointed out derisively.

He grimaced but nodded. "That, too. We'd find small seaports and settle in for a bit, but it wasn't enough. Morrison wanted to restart the US government on land, rebuild the military, and start reorganizing the country."

"After twenty-four years?" Charlie asked laughingly. "Why bother? As you can see, we don't need you."

Marcus grinned. "Oh, I'm aware. Humans are resilient and tenacious and, for the most part, good. You're not the only well-established community to make it outside of walled-up cities. You're just the first one to take down your oppressor."

That made the whole room puff up in silent pride. We glanced around at each other, but I focused back on Marcus.

"I know you don't need us," Marcus went on. "We need you."

"Who's in charge now?" Emmett asked him.

Marcus huffed a light laugh. "Me." He raised both hands since they were bound together. "I'm the highest-ranking officer we have. I personally guarded every president once they were sworn in until they were no longer alive. I couldn't protect them from illness or disease."

I frowned down at him. "You risked coming to this place…alone? Shouldn't you have a guard?"

"I don't want one."

He said it so simply, like it didn't matter that just his title alone could probably get him killed. Marcus, however, looked like he could handle himself in a fight and behind a weapon, so maybe he just didn't give a shit.

"My title holds no real power anymore, except for those people back on my ship. And honestly, I didn't want it, but it fell to me by default," he explained, shrugging a little. "And I didn't come here to cause trouble or change anything. That's not why I'm here."

"Okay, but you did sneak onto the island carrying a pretty hefty weapon. You had to have seen our patrols," Jasper finally piped up.

Marcus smiled his way. "I am trained for stealth and recon." When that answer caused Jasper to scoff, he went on. "My apologies, truly. This was the first place we'd seen power in a while. I wanted to make sure that this was the group from Seattle. I was here to check a few places and report back. I volunteered for it because I wanted to keep things civil should I run into survivors."

"And what help do you need?" I asked him.

"I need to take my other brother down."

That statement caused the room to freeze, and I sighed deeply. "No offense…Mr. President, but we barely survived Aro. We lost people when we took him down. Never mind the years of twisted shit he put us through prior to his death – slaves and executions and starvation." I leaned on the table in front of him, forcing his gaze to mine. "It was fucking years of planning. We had people working on both sides of the wall. I'm not sure there is a member of the resistance who hasn't been injured in some way over the years. We can't just walk into a walled city all the way on the other side of this country and start another war. There's no fucking way to make that work."

"Totally could drive that train up Caius's ass," Seth muttered to his cousin from their spots on my sofa.

"Top speed," Jake replied through a chuckle. "No foreplay or nothin'."

"Boys!" Sue hissed, trying to sound parental, but honestly, those two idiots had a point.

I met Sam's gaze, and he shrugged. "They're not really wrong," he said seriously.

I shook my head. "No. Not a chance." I faced Marcus again. "Don't you have an aircraft carrier? Just bomb his ass."

Marcus shook his head. "We abandoned the carrier shortly after we lost Benson. We switched over to an amphibious command ship because we were able to fuel it easier. But we have no fuel for helicopters or planes. We also couldn't risk innocent lives."

"You've got a damn warship sitting out there?" Charlie asked him, gritting his teeth in anger.

Marcus sighed. "If I wanted revenge for Aro, this island would be no more. That's not what I'm here for. I swear it."

My nostrils flared with that said, and I almost reached for my weapon.

Marcus saw it too and added, "Aro was wanted for mass genocide. He would've stood in front of a firing squad. My other brother isn't exactly an angel."

"He didn't release a bioweapon," Garrett pointed out.

"Who do you think funded Aro to create one?" Marcus asked rhetorically. "Caius was a board member."

"Fuck." I sighed deeply, glancing over at my wife when Emily started to fuss. I needed to focus on something good, something pure for a moment, so I scooped up my baby girl, stepping away from the table. "Hey, my little sweet potato. No grumbles," I whispered against her forehead.

I sat down next to Jake on the sofa, and he immediately started making silly faces at her.

"You know, she looks just like you when she's pissed," he stated, holding out a finger so Emily would grab it.

Grinning, I shrugged. "Funny… I see Bella's temper."

"Her, too!" Seth and Jake said at the same time.

Bella chuckled, but it ended quickly when she turned to face Marcus. "Let's say we believe you. So far, I'm not sure I trust anyone not on this island. If what you say is true, then you've been hiding for all these years? You've been letting people just suffer and die while your brothers sat in comfort. You let them trade slaves for free labor simply because they were born on the wrong side of a wall they built. And they didn't just destroy the US. They shut down the world."

"How do you know that?" Marcus asked her.

"Because I was a spy," Charlie stated. "I've stolen more intel from Aro than he ever knew. There were satellite images of cities all over the globe. Empty and destroyed cities."

Marcus nodded, letting out a deep sigh. "We've reestablished contact with Europe. We even sailed to the UK. Most of the royal family is gone, along with Parliament. They've started reaching out to other countries, as well. It's slow going. Not everyone still has satellite connectivity, but most still have radio."

"How's their military doing?" Garrett asked wryly.

Marcus didn't even bat an eye. "Better than ours."

"How many on that ship of yours?" I asked him, thinking this was the shit that Alistair was concerned with prior to his death. And as much as I wanted to free Atlanta and maybe LA, I wasn't sure how I felt about Marcus just showing up out of the damn blue.

"Less than two hundred military personnel. And about five hundred civilian survivors that we've picked up throughout the years," he replied, glancing my way when I stood back up from my sofa with Emily still in my arms.

"How are you feeding that many?" I asked him.

"It hasn't been easy, but we have some volunteers who farm. We've built gardens on the deck, raised chickens, and there's been hunting and fishing along the way," he replied easily.

I shook my head, thinking that shit couldn't have been easy. There was a part of me that was willing to send Marcus and his ship on their way. Another part of me wanted to at least get them a few supplies. And despite Alistair's last warning, I knew the right thing was to at least discuss Marcus's plea for help with Atlanta.

However, I turned to Nolan and Flash. "Anything from LA?"

Both shook their heads. "Nothing," Flash answered, glancing from his laptop screen to me and then finally to Marcus. "Did you guys happen to cruise by LA?"

"We did, but we didn't stop. Parts of that city were on fire."

Flash looked to me, and I raised an eyebrow at him, saying, "Well, that may explain the lack of contact."

"Maybe." He sighed, going back to his computer. "Unless James and Victoria attacked their own people."

Bella got up from the table and walked to me, reaching out for Emily. Our eyes met, and she whispered, "We need to talk about it. But we need that ship where we can see it. Have them dock by the ferry. That should give us time to at least discuss it. And Edward Cullen, we aren't doing a thing or going anywhere unless everyone is on the same damn page."

I gave Emily's forehead another kiss and then did the same to Bella's. "Yes, ma'am," I said softly against her skin and then handed Emily over to her. I faced Marcus again, deciding honesty was probably best. "I didn't kill your brother, but I was there when it happened. It took everyone in this room to get where we are today, along with all the people on this island." I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. "I'm not telling you yes or no. Call your ship and have them dock at the port on the southeast side of the island."

I glanced to Emmett. "Give him his radio back, but we'll hold on to his weapon for now. I need someone to escort him down to the docks until we've made a decision."

"Are you—" Marcus started but wisely shut up when I held up my hand.

"I'm not saying shit. I'm not promising anything other than some supplies for you. Right now, everyone in this room needs to have a conversation without you," I told him firmly.

Marcus nodded, stood up from the table, and took his radio from Emmett. "Marcus to the USS Sanctum. Come in."

"Pearson here, Marcus. What's your status?"

"I've made contact with the group from Seattle. They're telling me you can dock at the southeast part of the island. I'll meet you down there," he told him. "Pearson, you'll stand down. No weapons. And gather a small group to load supplies."

"Roger that, Chief."

I snorted. "Commander-in-Chief."

Marcus smirked and shrugged.

Sam, Jake, and Seth stood up, and Sam said, "We'll take him down there. I think you know our vote. We're down for another fight or sending them on their way. Just let us know the outcome."

Patting his shoulder, I nodded once and turned to Flash. "Have your people put together some supplies for them – food, fresh water, and whatever else you think they'll need for a thousand fucking people."

Flash was on his radio instantly, and I left him to it.

Before Marcus left the house, he stopped and faced me. "If you didn't kill Aro, then who did?"

I sighed, turning toward Alice. She'd stayed very quiet during this entire thing, but she nodded. I didn't like outing Alice's time with Aro because I remembered bringing her home to Oz. I remembered blood and bruises and tears. I'd never forget when she told me that hell would be better than staying with Aro, so maybe I protected her a little. I'd come to respect her strength and bravery.

"She did, and she'd earned it. I smuggled Alice out of the Sound after she'd been your brother's slave for years. And you can imagine what he'd put her through, so we gave her the opportunity."

Marcus looked like he'd be sick, but he simply gave a nod. "Very well. Thank you, Alice. I'm sorry for all of my brother's crimes."

Her smile was watery, wavering between a grimace and a grin. "Well, Caius is responsible for sending me to Aro, so I have an opinion on that too."

Marcus chuckled. "I bet you do."

Once the door clicked closed behind them, I faced the room.

My mother pushed off the counter and reached out to Emily. "Let me take this sweet girl. I know you guys have lots to discuss and very little time to do it," she offered, and Bella handed our daughter over after pressing noisy kisses to her chubby cheek.

Mom walked to me, and I ran a hand gently over Emily's head, leaning in to kiss the hair that was slowly turning the same shade as my own. But boy, those eyes were her mother's made over.

"I'm taking her home with me. Just let me know what the decision is," Mom whispered my way.

"Thanks, Mom."

She kissed my cheek. "Never thought I'd meet the President," she stated sarcastically, and I couldn't stop my grin. "I wonder if there's a way to do the right thing without compromising the people of Oz or losing what this country used to be."

That statement made everyone look our way, but no one said a word. I may have left my parents when I was young, but I remembered that tone of hers. She wanted to urge us to do the right thing, but she knew it wasn't the easiest of decisions.

After everyone gave Emily love, my mother left the house.

"I… I'm not…" I sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table with Emmett and Rose. "I really don't know what the right fucking thing is here."

"I think we'd better figure it out. And soon," Emmett stated firmly, shaking his head. "Here's what I know. We started this shit ages ago to free all the walled cities. Not just our own. Or at least give those people a chance to fight."

"And we did," Flash added. "I don't think LA is the bigger problem; I'm pretty sure that Atlanta is, which is why Marcus is here."

Charlie paced a few steps, smoothing his mustache over and over slowly. Garrett's eyes followed him. Sue was the quietest as she stood at my back door staring out over the water. They were our elders, along with my parents. Nolan was up there in age, too. I really needed their knowledge for this situation.

"I didn't catch an evil vibe from Marcus," Bella piped up, taking her seat next to me. "What I mean is…" She pointed toward the back door. "Look at that thing. If he truly meant to hurt us, there wouldn't have been a snowball's chance in hell to stop him."

My eyes shot to the water through the window. "Christ Almighty," I breathed.

Despite the gardens I could see on the deck and the civilian laundry strung from one side to the other, that ship was intimidating as fuck. But then I looked again.

Children were playing on makeshift swings and slides. There were a few older people in wheelchairs at the railing. And yes, there were soldiers who were armed as they paced, but Marcus had essentially built himself an ark. He was sheltering who he could, the best way he could.

Sue faced us, her expression tense and almost sad. "Do you think… Is it possible for us to help him and stay safe doing so? If all the walls come down – every-damn-where – then does this country stand a chance of regrowth?"

"Maybe," Garrett answered softly.

"I don't want to like the guy, but I kinda do," Nolan piped up, grinning when we chuckled. "I mean, we could've killed him first and asked questions later, but he took everything we asked in stride."

"Okay, but is he worth risking the lives of our people again?" Bella asked tentatively, specifically looking at me and then her dad.

"I don't know, love. I think that's what we have to decide."

"Well, let's start like this…" Rose started, glancing around the room. "A show of hands who want to send that ship packing."

Jasper raised his hand, as did Angela and Ben.

"We solved our problem. Let them worry about the rest," Jasper stated harshly, but he sighed when Alice piped up.

"Jasper, Caius stole me from my family," she urged him, and he didn't like it, but he nodded in acceptance. "My family who may still be over there. The reason he's still holding steady behind his walls is because they're all probably fighting each other rather than the real problem."

"There's only one way to get to Caius without having to send spies or bomb the city of Atlanta," Flash said, spinning his laptop around.

Emmett snorted, rolling his eyes, but he gazed up at Charlie. "You think Marcus has anyone on that ridiculously scary boat of his that could drive a train? Because he's right."

"We tell Caius that we're conceding to his trade wishes, and we load one of those up with us and Marcus's soldiers?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, Jake and Seth will be happy," Bella muttered, which made me pull her closer. She faced me, wearing a worried expression. "And we have to consider who we're sending and who we're keeping here for protection."

"I imagine that giant-ass warship is staying here for protection," Rose told her, smirking at our laughter.

Charlie finally stopped pacing and gazed around the room. "He gets nothing from us if we can't narrow down a decent plan. Train or no damn train. No matter how we do it, I want it all on our terms. Is that clear?"

Bella and I locked gazes, and I leaned in to kiss her lips. "I like it. Let's go see if Mr. President wants to do shit our way."

~oOo~

A/N… Marcus had my pre-readers all sorts of curious. So…where do the people of Oz go next? Atlanta? LA? No-damn-where? ;)

Next update should be on time, and like I've said before, there's a bit more to this story before it's done.

Everyone, have a fantastic weekend. See you next week. So until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)