After The End

Africa

A few moments after Jackson leaves the basement I turn to follow. When we get back upstairs Jackson looks down to the ground shaking his head. "Why the hell does she have Mansdale in the basement?"

I sigh and shrug my shoulders, "I don't know, Jackson. But we have to trust that she has a reason."

"Trust. You want to trust her. After everything she did to us?" Jackson looks up to me, in shock and anger. "Kat, we had to leave Africa, our home, because of her book. She sold out!"

"She tried to set the record straight. The Shepherd Hunters would have come after us either way. She tried and she failed, but at least she tried." Jackson just shakes his head before scoffing. "You know it's true, Jackson."

Jackson takes a deep breath and nods his head before turning and heading back downstairs into the lab, "Come on, we have work to do."

As the two of us make our way down the stairs to the lab, we see Mitch. Upon seeing him I call out, the three of us meeting at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, Mitch. Did you know that Jamie is keeping Mansdale prisoner in the bottom of this plane?"

Mitch nods, "Yeah. And, on the one hand, it is dark and horrible. On the other hand, the Shepherds did almost wipe out all of humanity. Oh, and also the whole vigilante thing is kind of working of me."

I shake my head, "Okay... did not need to know that."

Mitch cringes slightly, "Sorry. But you can't tell me that half the things Jackson did when we were trying to stop the shepherds and cure the animals didn't turn you on, just a little bit."

I take a deep breath before nodding as I shrug. Jackson just lets out a loud sigh, "Mitch, this isn't a joke. We have to keep an eye on her."

"Okay." Mitch nods and looks around.

I glance into the lab and clear my throat, "We should be close to New York by now, I don't think we'll get a lot of work done."

Mitch nods, "The lady's right. Plus, I think we could all use a break from volcano erupting, burrowing vultures anyway."

"I think I could go the rest of my life without seeing them again and wouldn't feel bad at all." I smile over to Mitch. Mitch nods and heads back in the direction he came and I wrap my arm through Jacksons, "Come on, let's head back up to the bar and relax for a little while."

"I don't think alcohol is the best idea right now."

"Then we won't drink. But we can still talk and just relax for a few minutes. No vultures. No shepherds. No Jamie. Just you and me."

After a minute or so of thinking, Jackson nods and the two of us head upstairs. Once we get up there Jackson sits on one of the couches and stretches out and I sit next to him, laying my head on his shoulder. "You know I don't think I can remember the last time we sat like this," Jackson comments as he wraps an arm around me.

"I can't either. We haven't done a lot we use to do these past few years."

"We haven't really had the ability to."

I nod and take a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right."

"But we have time now and we stayed together. That's what matters." Jackson looks around the room before standing, "You know what else we haven't done in a while." Jackson doesn't look back to me as he walks across the room to the stereo, "danced." he turns back to me and smiles, the same smile a mischievous child would give before he selects a song. Once Jackson picks the song and presses play, the stereo begins to play.

I hear the drums echoing tonight.
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation.
She's coming in, 12:30 flight.
The moonlit wings reflect the stars the guide me towards salvation.
(Africa by Toto)