The DOOM Chronicles

Epilogue

Jack laced up his boots as quietly as he could in the soft light offered by distant stars.

It was dark and quiet in their temporary quarters. He finished up and gently patted his pocket, confirming his cigarettes were there, then began making for the door.

"You going to see your favorite redhead?" Jennifer murmured.

Jack froze. He hadn't realized she'd been up. "I can't sleep. I didn't wanna bug you two with the tossing and turning...and yeah. Among others. I wanna see if he's okay."

Jennifer yawned. He thought they might wake Diaz, but she was out cold. She had shown up, unannounced, three days ago at their quarters and they'd happily let her in. After everything they'd been through, and all that was left to go, they were all in the mood to celebrate.

And he imagined that none of them were sleeping by themselves if they could help it. Sex aside, there was a primal comfort in communal sleeping.

"All right. Don't be gone too long," she said with a yawn.

"I won't." He began to turn away again.

"Hey." He paused and looked back. She was staring at him in the dim light, blanket pulled up around herself, freshly cut brunette hair wild and messy. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jennifer," he replied.

She smiled and settled back down beside Diaz.

Jack slipped out quickly. He'd said those words in past relationships, not often, but he had never meant them as strongly as he did with Jennifer. He didn't really believe in soul mates, but...he knew he wasn't ever leaving her. They were truly 'til death do us part', married or not. Their union had been forged in hellfire, stronger than diamonds.

The corridors of Armstrong Station were brightly lit and clean.

It was officially against regs, but Jack lit up one of his Yeheyuans as he moved through the station. Everyone knew who he was at this point, and being a living legend had its perks. After the shit he'd gone through, he was happy to use at least a few of them.

It had been about a week since the death of the Icon of Sin.

Although they had lost Cortez and Linaweaver during that final battle, Carpenter had been beaten black and blue and knocked unconscious, and Hollenshead had lost an arm, but they had survived. More than that, they'd managed to get the two men out of Hell. The way back had proven to be not nearly as arduous as Jack had feared it might. Diaz had taken an alternate route, and the teleport she'd gone through led, after a few more jumps, to an alternate UAC outpost, one that had survived a bit more intact than the others.

Although it had taken some time, they had finally managed to repair a teleporter that brought them back to a UAC facility in Nevada. It had taken more time to clear out the demons and call for a ride, but they'd done it.

Hollenshead and Carpenter had been shipped off immediately to space, while the rest of them were given twenty four hours of rest, (after a lengthy mandatory debriefing), and then asked to help with the evacuation efforts for at least a few more days.

They'd done it, though finally had put their foot down and gotten shipped up into orbit. They were currently residing aboard Space Station Armstrong for some proper R and R.

It had worked. The theory that killing the Icon would disrupt the forces of Hell had proven extremely true. Worldwide the demons lost their coordination, in most cases devolving into killing each other as much as humans. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was a much-needed break in the bloody slaughter to establish some safe zones, extract crucial supplies and key personnel, and for the most part get people into space as much as they could.