An Abandoned Military Base

The next day, while doing his routine check on everyone, Goldwin was interrupted by Phoebe, who came up to him with a bright smile and a small box in her hands.

"Mr. Goldwin, I made something for you," she said, her eyes shining with excitement. She handed him the box.

Goldwin raised an eyebrow as he opened it. Inside was a sleek watch—an AI-powered body temperature monitor. His eyes widened in surprise as he pulled the watch out, examining the device. "Phoebe, you made this?"

Phoebe nodded enthusiastically. "You always ignore your health, so I thought you could use a reminder. Now, if you're sick, the watch will tell you, and you *have* to let someone know, okay?"

Goldwin chuckled at her seriousness, but he couldn't hide the warmth he felt at her thoughtfulness. "Well, how can I say no to that? Thank you, Phoebe. I'll wear it every day."

He immediately strapped the watch on, watching as the small screen lit up, displaying his body temperature in Celsius—thankfully, it was in a normal range. He smiled and ruffled Phoebe's hair. "See? I'm fine for now."

But as he turned away, he overheard Phoebe talking to Audrey in hushed tones.

"He really liked it!" Phoebe whispered, her voice full of pride.

Audrey's voice chimed in. "Told you it would work. It took some tweaking, but we got it just right."

Goldwin stood a few steps away, smiling to himself as he realized that Audrey had been the brains behind the technical side of the watch. It warmed his heart knowing that the kids were looking out for him, even if they did it in secret.

The next day, while journeying inland, the Hope's scanners picked up an abandoned military complex. From the outside, the place looked weathered by time and battle—the gate wide open, scorch marks marring the fortified walls.

Goldwin squinted as they neared the entrance. "A military base," he muttered to himself. "Wonder what's still left in there."

Gareth, standing beside him, crossed his arms. "Weapons and ammunition, if we're lucky. And we could use both."

Juan nodded in agreement. "We're running low on rounds, and a couple of the guns are falling apart."

"Alright, then. Go inside, we shall."

The decision was made to enter. Audrey stayed behind with Phoebe and Alan to monitor the team's progress from the Hope, guiding them through the base using a map of the area. Goldwin, Gareth, Juan, and the others ventured into the complex.

Their first stop was a massive warehouse. Inside, rows upon rows of unused drones stood idle, coated in dust but still armed with small weapons. Juan inspected them, shaking his head. "Looks like they were prepping for something big."

"Uh-huh," Goldwin nodded. "But it seems they failed to make use of them. Lucky for us we don't have to deal with them."

Next, they struck gold in the armory. Unused weapons and boxes of ammunition lay stacked and forgotten. There were also crates filled with food rations—Joko and Hana immediately tested them for radiation and found them safe.

Goldwin grinned. "Alright, kids, load up. Get everything back to the Hope carefully."

As the younger members of the team carried the supplies, Goldwin, Gareth, and Juan ventured deeper into the complex, curiosity pulling them toward the heart of the base. They passed a control tower, though there were no aircraft in sight. The entire place seemed eerily abandoned, like the remnants of a battlefield long forgotten.

At the center of the base, they came across an open field. In the middle of it was a massive, reinforced hatch, its edges rusted but still intact.

Goldwin stared at it, his mind working through the possibilities. "This wasn't just a simple military fort," he muttered, his voice low. "No way."

Juan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Goldwin gestured toward the hatch. "This looks like a missile base. From the drones, to the armory, to this giant hatch—it's all too big for just a standard fort. There's more to this place than meets the eye."

Gareth nodded, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the hatch. "So what do we do? Pry it open and see what's underneath?"

Goldwin hesitated, glancing back toward the Hope. "Not yet. We need to get the kids back to safety first. We'll come back once we know we're ready for whatever's down there."

After getting all the supplies safely back into the Hope, Goldwin, Gareth, and Juan, along with some of the older kids, returned to the military base. They split into groups to explore further. Goldwin and Gareth paired off, while Juan led the older kids on their own path. Roy, the ever-reliable robot, stayed close to Goldwin's side.

It wasn't long before Gareth's voice came crackling through Goldwin's PDA. "Goldwin, I think I've found something—there's a passage here, leading underground."

Goldwin motioned for Roy to follow and quickly headed in Gareth's direction. By the time they arrived, Juan and his group had also gathered. Before them lay a narrow staircase spiraling downward, dimly lit by faint emergency lights. They descended carefully, the air growing colder with each step.

At the bottom, a massive blast door stood in their path, sealed shut and seemingly untouched by time.

Juan whistled. "How are we supposed to open that? There's no way we're strong enough to pry that open."

Goldwin chuckled. "Even the strongest man alive couldn't muscle through these doors." He scanned the area and his eyes landed on a control panel nearby—still active, its screen softly glowing. "But I've got a better idea."

He turned to Roy. "Alright, Roy. You know the drill—tap into the system and see if we can open this door."

Roy beeped in acknowledgment and rolled over to the panel. After a few moments of whirring, a series of clicks sounded, and the enormous blast door creaked as it slowly slid open.

"Not bad for an old soldier," Gareth said with a grin. "That tech-savviness from your army days never left you, huh?"

Goldwin laughed. "I'm rusty, to be honest. You were always the faster one."

The group watched in awe as the door finally revealed the space beyond it. Juan, wide-eyed, turned to Goldwin. "Can we come with you? Just me and the kids—we can handle it."

But before Goldwin could answer, Gareth cut in with a firm shake of his head. "No way. You're staying up here. This place is dangerous, and we don't know what's inside."

Juan's face fell, but he turned to Goldwin, hoping for a different response. "Just me, then. The kids can stay behind."

Goldwin's voice hardened. "Juan, no. Go back with the others. You're responsible for them."

Juan stared at him for a moment, clearly disappointed, but he nodded. "Alright, I understand." He gathered the kids and led them back up the staircase. As they disappeared from sight, Gareth sighed.

"Kid's in that rebellious phase, you know," Gareth muttered. "I wouldn't be surprised if he tries something. He's itching to prove himself."

Goldwin shook his head, though his expression softened slightly. "He might be, but there's no way Juan's gonna resort that low. He may be a tough cookie, but holy cow, he's damn afraid of being alone. He knows better than to try something reckless in this world. He'll listen, I'm sure."

Once Juan and the others were gone, Goldwin and Gareth pressed deeper into the facility. They found themselves standing on a narrow catwalk, suspended over a vast chamber. Below them stood dozens of ICBMs—unlaunched, silent reminders of the world before. The sight was both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling.

Gareth's voice was barely above a whisper. "It's crazy, isn't it? All of this… because of these things." He gestured to the missiles below. "More than 70% of the world wiped out in the blink of an eye."

Goldwin nodded, his face somber. "Could be closer to 90% now. The world's changed beyond recognition."

Roy rolled up beside them, beeping softly. Goldwin turned to the robot. "Roy, can you tell me anything about these missiles? When were they supposed to launch?"

Roy's mechanical voice responded. "These ICBMs were scheduled for launch during the early hours of the war. However, the systems were disabled before they could be fired. The exact reasons remain unknown."

Goldwin frowned at that, but before they could delve deeper into Roy's data, a soft chime came from Goldwin's PDA. Audrey's voice crackled through, a note of urgency in her tone. "Goldwin, we've got a problem. I've lost contact with Juan. He's not responding to any of my calls."

Goldwin stiffened, his hand tightening around the PDA. "What do you mean, lost contact?"

Audrey's voice grew more anxious. "One minute he was checking in, and then… nothing. I can't raise him on any of the channels."

Gareth cursed under his breath, already knowing what it meant. "I told you the kid would try something."

Goldwin's expression darkened as he exchanged a look with Gareth. "We need to move—now."

They turned and hurried back toward the surface, fear gnawing at Goldwin's gut. The world they lived in wasn't one to take lightly, and if Juan had gone rogue, it could spell danger not just for him, but for everyone they were trying to protect.