Chapter Eight: Reunion

Alec poured the wine for Beckah and Rachel. The three of them shared a long smile. "So. Another year."

Beckah sliced the aged Parmesan cheese and put it out on crackers. Alec had also brought a small platter of grapes from the vineyard. "How many times have we done this little ritual, do you think?"

"Many times." Rachel agreed. "It's strange; but no matter how far we go, no matter what we do, we haven't missed a year for… what? Centuries, at least." She pulled her head in a bit. "Sorry I was late, by the way." She smiled at Alec. "Tell the story."

Alec chuckled. "It was not long after A-Day, and the three of us were on the road, making our way to our new lives. We stopped in a little wine-country bistro; long abandoned, only to discover that they had left a single case of wine behind. We broke open a bottle of the last Bordeaux made before the world collapsed into nothingness; giving well wishes to other people who were making their way across the New World." Alec intoned, like he was telling a folk tale.

"He gets more dramatic every year." Beckah whispered elaborately to Rachel.

"A year later, in preparation for the Now On Earth Conventions, Rachel returned with a wheel of aged, gourmet cheese; big enough to feed two congregations."

"You never did ask me why I had a wheel of cheese the size of a small car." Rachel put to him with a smile, as Beckah handed her a cracker.

"I just assumed it was the usual reason." Alec didn't even blink. "Rachel wanted to stop and salvage some equipment from a dusty, abandoned row of warehouses; so it seemed like a fine time to drink. Stretching out in a tasteful dining area, known as the hood of my car-"

"Ha!" Beckah snorted.

"-we enjoyed the second bottle, vowing only to touch that particular Bordeaux when it was just us." Alec smiled. "We missed a few years as the workload grew. But we found each other again, and we kept the tradition alive. Always the three of us, to catch up on what we'd done with our lives."

"Some of us more than others." Beckah said with a nod to Rachel.

"Somewhere around the ninety year mark we met for a third time; and realized that I didn't know a thing about keeping a bottle of wine; as we all took a big sip of vinegar." Alec said with dignity, and the women laughed. "I believe Rachel, one of the most accomplished and respected thinkers of the time, deemed the bottle to be 'Yucky' as she watered my lawn with it."

"If I'd known the moment would be saved for prosperity, I would have prepared a speech." Rachel drawled. "But I'm glad it became a more regular thing. When I first started bringing Nick to this little ritual, I had no idea that you were tied in so close with his family. I was worried you'd be against me including someone new."

"Back before you brought Nick, we were worried about you still coming." Alec pointed out. "It was always the three of us with this little wine and cheese party, but when Beckah and I got married-"

"Oh please, I knew that was coming before you did." Rachel sniffed her glass of wine.

Beckah finished fussing with the cheese and put the plate between them. "I know I say this every year, but: You know what this little meal would have cost us in the Old Days? A vintage wine, a well aged cheese, even our own vineyard."

"Chateau Ducard." Rachel and Alec chuckled. "It's tradition. It wouldn't be right for you not to point that out every time." Alec agreed, raising his glass a little. "Salut."

~~/*\~~

"Y'know, whenever we do these get togethers, I feel like we're intruding." Megan commented, looking out the window towards the three of them.

"Those three were a family long before any of us were Returned." Hugh shushed her. "Rachel lost most of her kin on A-Day. She and Beckah were in the same Cong then. People have made families out of far less than that."

"We did." Megan smiled. "My friend Biggs was a Trib Survivor too. His sister settled down years ago. He's still looking."

Hugh nodded at his daughter. "It happens. The world's a really big place. It was over a century before I finally got my act together with your mom. I sometimes think that it takes at least a century for people get good at life. People in Bible times lived for a lot longer than our generations did. I wonder if they ever felt like they had it figured out."

"Biggs told me once that he had to figure out how to be alone; since he never got a chance for that in OS." Megan nodded. "When he said it, it suddenly hit me that I've never been on my own either. Not since I was about eight. But the family I had then…" She smiled at her father. "Well, this is better."

~~/*\~~

"Sydney and Allie said their apologies for not being here." Alec said as they sat. "We're getting close to harvest season; and they decided to give us the time with our old friends."

Hugh and Kasumi clocked that. These 'reunions' happened every year, but if two of the family were absent, it was usually cause to reschedule. It's not like they'd never get the chance to have dinner together an infinite number of times. Which meant Alec and Beckah had something to tell them.

The dinner was like one of the community meals, with a long table, covered in a white tablecloth, and all of them gathered around it. The food was on several platters. Everyone had brought one.

"Only among Witnesses can you take a plate of food someplace and come back with more than you gave." Megan observed, not for the first time.

Rachel observed the table silently as Alec led them in prayer. When everyone said 'Amen', she sat with a secretive smile. When I first came to Paradise, it was me, Beckah; and Alec. When Hugh came to Paradise is was him, Alec and Kasumi. Then Nick and Alec brought the two groups together, and then Megan and Sydney and…

"What are you thinking?" Nick said in her ear.

"Nothing very profound." She said with a smile.

The meal continued for a few minutes; with everyone making their selections. Rachel took a sip of her soup. "Mm. This is good." She agreed. "Pho. I haven't had that in years."

"My mother's recipe. Gotta cook the broth very slowly." Kasumi reported. "Having meat again means a lot of the old favorites are back on the menu."

"They had lab-grown meat in OS." Rachel put in. "We didn't make it a priority in the early days, because we were picking up the pieces for a lot of it. Before we got the farming infrastructure back up, we were just a few steps above getting Manna delivered. Not long after that, the Returning started; and if I'm being honest, meat had become a much smaller part of the culture."

"I remember we often went months between meat dishes." Hugh commented.

"Meat was always a small part of human culture." Rachel had her 'schoolteacher' voice. "It was a very expensive foodstuff before the Industrial Age. Farmers who had cattle needed fertilizer and milk far more than they needed hamburgers. The last hundred years of OS, they raised millions of cattle; in a way that would never have worked at any other point in history."

"Yet another reason the world came apart." Nick put in. "Having those Meat Tanks be sized down enough that we can grow our own without having to raise a ranch has changed everything."

"To say nothing of having perfect health." Hugh added. "We could probably eat the last of the plastic before it rots away."

For some reason, Alec and Beckah in particular found this comment to be very funny.

"Next International coming up soon. It's a Centennial." Nick commented. "Anyone planning on attending in person, or are we watching from the Local Centres this year?"

"I was planning to go in person." Megan put in. "There's a Session near one of my kids in Madrid. It's his first Convention, so I agreed to meet with his family during the lunch break."

"I remember my first convention." Hugh reflected. "It was almost immediately after my Returning. That was the year they released the Third Testament in bound format. They say this year they'll release the Fourth Testament. Think there'll be a fifth before the Millennium ends?"

"Hard to tell." Alec commented, with a glance to Rachel and Beckah. Their little Trio had come through the last Great Challenge personally. "I remember before OS came to its crashing end, there was a sudden spike in information about it; coming through our meetings. It was something of a tough line for them to walk, considering we had so few specifics about how it would play out."

Rachel piped up. "The old lessons still work. At the 500 year mark, the call went out for all of us to write down our experiences at A-Day. It's the most dissected Day in human history, with millions of eyewitness testimonies already in the public record; mine included. But as relevant as they are, they don't help with the next problem, because there's never been a band of thousand year old Christians, at the point of near perfection."

Kasumi chuckled. "I know that at the end of the Thousand Year mark, we reach that 'perfect' status that we lost. Which means I'm at least halfway to perfection now-"

"Man, I'll say." Hugh commented of his wife lightly.

She swatted him without even looking. "-but I don't really feel any more perfect than I did two centuries ago. Or one before that."

Megan scoffed. "Mom, what does Jeremiah 51:31 say?"

"One courier runs to meet another courier, and one messenger to meet another messenger, to report to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured on every side." Kasumi said without hesitation. "Why? What does that have to do with this?"

"Nothing at all, but notice how she didn't even blink?" Megan smiled at the table. She lifted her plate. "The garnish here? You made it yourself. Look at this apple scroll. It's cut so thin it's nearly translucent. I saw you make it. You didn't use any special tool. It was a regular kitchen knife. When was the last time you missed?"

Kasumi ducked her head. "Okay, I guess I'm improving."

Rachel chuckled. "We have this conversation all the time at The Expo. Our motto is 'Good Enough is Never Good Enough'. We only notice things when they don't work."

"She speaks the truth on that one." Alec scoffed, taking a deep sip of fruit juice. It took him a moment to notice that everyone was looking at him expectantly. "Yes?"

"Well, we can't help but notice that tonight's dinner is a little out of character." Hugh pushed gently. "Not to imply anything, but… Is something going on?"

Beckah laughed. "I told you they were onto us."

"You did." Alec sighed. "Well, it's nothing really bad. Just the end of an era, really." He gestured back at the house. "We've heard the house creaking and groaning for long enough that we decided to take a closer look. The foundations are wearing through, after centuries of me tinkering with the house design. We've replaced each part of it enough that it's barely the original house anymore; and the… well, the points where we connect the new to the old are coming apart."

"You've rebuilt from worse than that." Hugh said carefully.

"We have." Beckah nodded. "But you remember at the Second Centennial, when they were talking about 'investment' versus 'enjoyment' in all the things we do?"

"I remember."

"Alec spent how many months across how many years tearing apart the house until he was satisfied with it? Well, we figure it could take almost as long just keeping it together. We've invested a lot of time in this, and we only want to spend so much time keeping it all the same as it is right now." Beckah explained. "Tech has evolved somewhat, so has material. We've got something that works for us better than anything else we've ever tried; and we tried a lot of different things. We even had Sydney do the math, and over the course of another three centuries, it'll be a hundred times less involved and expensive, both in materials; and in time, if we just let the thing collapse and build a whole new house to be identical."

Alec bit his lip. "And given how long we've been here… It feels like time to start something new. So, Beckah and I have decided to join the Service Corps. They do anything from the Restoration, to full Construction, to volunteering at Markets. Beckah and I first met when I was working as a Postman; but we fell in love thanks to the Restoration Work. We decided to go back on Rotation for a while."

Beckah took his hand. "We've been off rotation for more than two centuries, and we owe it. The world's been a very kind place to us since A-Day; and we've made our home in it; but it's time to look past our home and help out people we don't know yet."

"The downside of this being, of course, that we don't know where we'll be posted, or doing what." Alec summed up. "It might be something really close, and with flexible hours. It might be something that requires all hands on deck for a long time."

The others all shared a look. The Reunions hadn't included all of them at first, and there had been a lot of delays until the world was settled; but they hadn't missed one in quite a while.

"Old traditions." Hugh commented quietly.

"Old traditions get made new." Megan piped up. She'd been quiet enough that suddenly speaking made her mother jump a bit. "Every kid I've taken in can think of at least one thing that they miss about their old life, if only a favorite food. For most of them, it's a happy memory of a happier time with their family. When I was alive in OS, the only happy memory before Erica was the baseball games on the radio. When Erica took me with her, she got a radio, just so I could keep listening to them. She knew nothing about baseball, but she let me teach her all about them, so that I could share that with her. When I came back, there were no radios… And then Hugh took me to an All-Star Game. First one I'd ever been to in person. The All-Star Games tour every few years. We still go to them." She nodded to her father. "If you had told me as a kid that I'd have that in my future? I would have laughed. We've missed more games than we've seen since we moved to Europe, but I know there will still be another one; and if it takes decades to organize the right day off; I'll see it again."

Hugh smiled warmly. "She's right about that. We haven't missed a Reunion in centuries, and if this new job means we miss a few, it's nothing compared to the infinite number still to come."

"And not for nothing, but the only reason we ever missed a Reunions is because we spread out." Rachel added. "I would have made all of them, if I hadn't gone to California and The Expo. Hugh and Kas wouldn't have missed any if she hadn't gone to the bottom of the ocean." She gestured around. "People have come and gone from all of our lives; but we always come back to this group."

"And we always will." Hugh agreed.

Rachel's eyes flicked to Nick. He wasn't saying anything. And after a moment, Rachel realized she had expected him to share the sentiment with his brother.

"So, if you're moving on, how does that affect the International for you?" Nick asked finally. "New Assignments are often opened up for people to request after a Convention. Global projects after an International."

"That has actually proven to be difficult." Alec admitted. "The Restoration is pretty much finished up here. We started with a larger workforce than most Regions, and more raw material to salvage. So once trees get established, they start spreading on their own. It's hundreds of years later now. The Restoration Teams are all looking for something to do, so the international slots are already full up."

"Not in Europe." Kasumi offered. "If you're looking for a place to land, I mean. The Centennial is on the same date around the world."

Hugh made a sound of agreement. "We could put you up at our place for a week or two. Come to our International Convention, head off on your assignment from there."

"You wouldn't mind?" Alec made sure. It was mostly to be polite on his part. The world operated in this manner now; doors opening when needed, and everyone helping each other out. It was simply how things worked; but it was improper to impose a request.

"Well, on the subject of our assignments, and things passing into time…" Kasumi took a serving plate from Beckah. "I got a call last week. The Nemo is being decommissioned."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Nick said with sympathy. "She was a good ship."

"She was. I was lucky to be on board for her first tour." Kasumi put a serving of fruit salad on her plate. "I know why they're shutting her down. She's been in service way longer than most submarines. After a dozen refits, there's only so many times you can readjust her specs without a complete rebuild."

"Seems to be the theme of this century." Alec said dryly.

"So they've asked the original crew if they want to come back for her final voyage." Kasumi finished. "Gotta say, I'm thinking about it. I haven't seen some of those people in years and years. And if I'm honest, I want to see the Nemo, too."

~~/*\~~

"Oddly emotional moment, given that there's no such thing as a goodbye anymore." Rachel commented quietly to Alec that night. The meal had finished, and everyone had split into smaller groups, playing music, chatting about things; and helping with cleanup. Alec was washing some dishes; and Rachel slipped into the kitchen to dry, and have a word with him.

"Emotional, but not bad." Alec agreed. "People move on."

"They do, but there's… something I've been working on." Rachel said, taking another plate.

"You should put that on a T-Shirt and wear it always." Alec laughed. "You'd save some time." He handed her a wet plate. "Tell me about your latest invention."

"Well, it's not ready yet, but it needs field testing on something big." Rachel explained. "Something that's 'rotting away' and bigger than a window or a book. Since you've already decided that the house will be unoccupied after the Convention..."

Alec shrugged. "I'll talk about it with Beckah, but I can't imagine she'd have a problem with turning our home of so many years over to a pair of mad scientists."

"I'm so glad hear it." Rachel demurred.

~~/*\~~

The Centennial International Convention was the only Convention that was simulcast around the world. The Teaching Committees scheduled lessons to be as conveniently timed as possible for everyone; but once a century, a convention lasted a full 24 hours. The Centennial was where the whole human race sat down and took stock of itself. The program covered the achievements that the world had reached; as well as outlining the things that they hoped to do by the next century, and why they mattered.

The program was full of experiences, everyone sharing stories. There were also videos; as the world turned, each timezone took the time to showcase itself to anyone who hadn't been there, or at least hadn't seen it in a while. The world was constantly evolving.

And there was Bible education, as always.

"During our first day in Paradise, there was a message delivered to the whole global brotherhood, by direct Angelic messenger." The Speaker made the introductions. "That speech was recorded and shared with the world; as the opening passage of what would later become the Third Testament. At the subsequent First Year Convention, there was a new book of law. Fairly dry reading, I grant you, though it defined what humans did for the first century; or at least how they went about doing it. What followed was teaching and inspiration that guided the Returning."

There was a rumble of agreement from the Audience.

"With every passing century, the Centennial set the agenda, preparing the world for what was to come next. At first, the most important lessons were how to respond when faced with the heroes and villains of our own stories. As Paradise settled, and a majority of people came to live for centuries, we had to learn how to balance our personal dreams with our responsibilities to the common good of the World we live in. And through it all, we welcomed people back. While the Returning may be the defining part of being a believer in this Kingdom, remember: As with the preaching campaign of OS, there will come a time when it ends."

Another reaction from the audience, this one stronger. Jehovah's Witnesses in OS had defined their beliefs by their ministry; and now by a similar teaching work; this one devoted to those coming back to life. What would come after that, they had no idea.

"This year, we will be exploring something that our experienced brothers know intimately, and our newcomers may not yet realize: Sometimes, just sometimes, the truth is the harder thing. Back in OS, we had hard truths surrounded by bad news. And the further the world got from the Truth, the more unacceptable it was to try and speak it to others."

"That we can vouch for." Alec commented to his wife, who shushed him lightly.

"But here in Paradise, we have hard truths surrounded by joyful news. Permanence has made some things harder to live with than at any other time in history. But this world is made of joy and love; so what difficulties remain are just the last things left to restore. Remember, the whole point of the Thousand Years is not to grant everyone what they want, but to heal the pain and suffering that was never meant to be. What this world offers isn't always easy, but it's always loving. The world around us is full of Good, and that sees you through the Bad."

Hugh blinked. "What Bad?" He asked Kasumi quietly.

"Guess that's what this convention is about." She returned.

"With that in mind, we're going to be discussing how to hold on to The Good News, in the face of what few challenges are exclusive to Paradise. As the blessings are permanent, so are some difficulties. Always remember, that the world reflects the leadership of its King, Jesus Christ; and his father, Jehovah God. What is hardship will always be wildly outweighed by the blessings that our King is eager to pour out on us all."

~~/*\~~

Alec insisted on treating the Almans to dinner; in return for letting he and Beckah stay over until their Assignments began. Public transport was fast and far reaching now; so they had plenty of options; almost across whole countries. The place Alec picked was wild. A whole community, high in the treetops of a redwood forest. After hundreds of years, the human race had hugely diversified their living spaces. Communities were set up in elaborate caves, convoys of mobile homes, domiciles set into cliffs and canyons; ice domes at the north pole; and there was some talk of setting up permanent colonies at the bottom of the ocean.

"My first time in a treetop village." Megan admitted. "Y'know, it just occurred to me that I never climbed trees as a kid."

Beckah chuckled. "Well, these ones have staircases. Even a few block-and-pulley elevators. I have a penpal who lives in a jungle. She showed me pictures of some trees where the leaves are so huge and strong that some people use them as hammocks, just taking a nap in the trees." She squeezed her husband's fingers. "We haven't been back here in years, but this place is always special to me and Alec."

"Why?" Megan asked.

"Welcome to Treetown Cafe." A young man said, coming to their table before Beckah could answer. "I'm Mark, I'll be your waiter this evening." He passed out some menus. "I can see you looking out over our little community; most of our guests do. You'll find a history of the forest with your menus."

Alec smothered a smile as he took their orders and went back to the treetrunk, where the kitchen was. "Ugh, we got old." He said to Beckah. "The story of our how we spent our free time before we got married is in the history books now."

"History menus." Beckah grinned. "You're not wrong though."

"What do you mean?" Hugh asked.

"Beckah and I planted these trees. Probably the one we're sitting in right now." Alec laughed. "Six months into Paradise, Beckah and I were part of a group that wasn't organized enough to call themselves the 'Restoration' yet. We found a grove of sequoia saplings, and decided to plant them before they withered. We knew it was going to be done sooner or later, so we found a patch of open space and started making a forest."

"The weather was different this far north." Beckah put in. "At least, is was back then. These trees were meant for a different climate, but that meant nothing around A-Day. We wondered if they'd thrive, how long they'd live, how big they'd get." She couldn't help the giggle. "Funny thing, but back then the idea of having dinner in a restaurant made from those saplings, hundreds of feet in the air, just never occurred to us."

From their seat on the balcony, the Alman family got a look out over the treetops. Most of these immense redwoods were far enough across to give floorspace for a house. Some of them were sliced flat across the top with a home carved into them, and branches and vibrant leaves extending outward from the trunks beneath. Some of the trees seemed perfectly normal, but if you looked closely, you could see windows carved out from within. A few had left the trees intact, building elaborate multi-room treehouses into the branches.

"How many people can remember what this was like seven hundred years ago? Or for that matter, how many Returnees can tell you what life was like seven hundred years before they were around?" Alec commented nostalgically.

"These trees live for centuries. You carve your way in right, it even keeps growing." Beckah told them, observing their interest in the 'skyline'. "Ours is the first generation to plant an 'old growth' forest and outlive the trees."

"Dad had a sculpted chair in our front yard, back at the old place." Megan commented. "Never thought you could do a whole house like that."

"Let alone a restaurant." The waiter commented, coming back. "Can I take your orders?"

~~/*\~~

"What did you think about the keynote talk?" Megan asked.

"It's good advice, but I have to admit I'm not sure how practical it is." Hugh commented to his daughter. "That line about how Paradise Problems can be permanent. I don't get that."

"Yeah, you do." Megan said quietly. "Or did you forget Erica's Anniversary?"

Hugh lowered his voice a bit. "Megan, I don't want to minimise what you lost that day; but I don't see why that's a Keynote Talk. Why now? Reunions with sad endings have been a minority issue for people since the Returning began. Keynote Talks are usually the 'central theme' of the Centennial. Is there a sudden increase in this problem that I don't know about?"

"You don't see it because you're from the 1940's." His daughter said wisely. "There's a Memorial Day coming up next month. You going to go?"

At that moment, Mark returned with some plates. "Moroccan Honey Glazed Eggplant." He recited, placing the plate in front of Hugh. "And Roasted Olive, Tomato, & Feta Couscous." He placed the next in front of Kasumi. "Be right back with the rest."

Hugh answered his daughter. "Well, the faces don't really change from one year to the next. My whole squadron came back early; so-"

"You should go." Megan cut him off. "Meet some of the new Returnees. You'll figure it out."

Mark returned with more plates. "Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Cream Pasta. Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant with Tahini Sauce, and Grilled Eggplant Baba Ganoush."

"A Mediterranean Feast, to be sure." Alec smiled at Mark. "And thank you for having us here. Would you extend our thanks to the rest of the staff for staying open during the Centennial?"

"Our busiest time." Mark nodded with a smile. "We were able to follow it from here, but even with the program going to everyone's homes; a lot of people want to be in the stadium; surrounded by a huge crowd of brothers. I'll let the kitchen know."

"Memorial Day?" Beckah repeated, returning them to the subject as the waiter left them. "I haven't heard anything about that."

"It's not an 'official' day." Hugh explained. "You guys were all civilians, I died in the Second World War. You know how they turned the armies into a Peace Corps? Well, a lot of the old regiments and squadrons are finding each other again. But they've all moved on with their lives; and spread across the world. As a result, Reunions are hard to predict."

Alec winced. "My dad went to one of those Reunions. He never went to another."

Megan reached across the table and squeezed his hand. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but Hugh didn't.

Hugh sent his wife a look. Centuries of marriage had given them near telepathy. What am I missing? What's the problem that the oldest and youngest people at our table seem to get, when the rest of us do not?

Kasumi returned the look. Not sure, but it's clear they don't want to talk about it. Go to the Memorial Day and find out.

~~/*\~~

A few weeks later, Hugh attended the Reunion Day Party for the first time in many years. Many millions of people had died in wars; and almost every peer group throughout history had sought each other out again in Paradise at least once. School friends, war buddies, old neighbors… In a way, the defining part of the latter half of the Millennium was the way people found each other again.

Like all Reunions, the crowds just kept getting bigger. The huge Centres that were used for Conventions were used for all manner of gatherings. Today, a Reunion for fallen soldiers. In the centre of the Stadium was an Art Exhibit; made up of hundreds of images. Mostly group shots of whole Units. The largest was one of a whole WW1 Regiment. One of the newest photos was of a commando team.

And despite himself, Hugh went looking through the exhibition. He'd been invited to these sorts of Reunions before, but he never went to them. He had wanted to see his old crew again, but one-on-one. One of his flight team had been among the very first people he'd met when he first Returned. It had turned into an overnight stay before he'd ever found a home for himself…

"See anyone you recognize?" His brother asked, suddenly materializing beside him.

"Nick!" Hugh blurted. "You're here too?"

"Never miss one." Nick said seriously. "You were Air Force. The real soldiers were down on the ground, keeping each other alive."

Hugh rolled his eyes. It had been seven hundred years since anyone was in any kind of military, but it had been an old rivalry that both of them had made jokes about since they were both in the wars.

For a while, they just watched the crowd, wandering through the pictures. There were hundreds of screens, showing the images in a montage. One after another. Hugh watched the montages for a while. Row after row of people in uniforms. Some women, mostly men. The photos progressed; and Hugh realized they were before and after shots. Before and After the battles they fought in, chairs in the group shots suddenly empty. At the end of each montage, a much newer, sharper image would appear. The same men, some of them much older; then the next shot, as they grew young; the empty chairs filling in with familiar faces again.

Hugh looked from the photos to the reunions. Everyone finding each other. He knew instantly what the images showed. The soldiers coming back from the dead, reunited with their teams. He was watching another hundred reunions play out around him, people being organized into groups for new photos.

"I heard they were planning to leave Arlington intact." Nick told him. "A reminder, until the Thousand Years were ended. Rolling hills of tombstones."

"We're more than halfway. I wondered why they hadn't taken it down yet."

"They will, when all the names are crossed off." A voice said behind them. The brothers turned to see a young woman with olive skin come over. She had a professional-level camera in her hands. "May I?"

The brothers posed quickly, and she snapped a picture. "My name's Tia. My company is running the exhibition."

"It's an impressive show." Nick nodded. "Is this part of the Returning?"

"Officially, yes. Everyone finds ways to help people find each other, or ways to compare this world to the last one. The show does both."

"Where were you?" Hugh asked automatically. It was almost the first question you asked a new person on meeting them.

"Oh, I was born here." Tia told them. "My parents were both from the Exploration Era."

"A time before cameras became mainstream." Nick guessed. "What made you pick photography?"

"My folks recreated their wedding pictures when I was about forty years old." Tia said with a smile. "You're right; they both came from an era long before cameras were invented, so they wanted to make an event of it. None of our faces ever change anymore, so every few decades they recreate the moment."

"And now you do the same, recreating all the war photos."

"It's part of a show we're putting together. Me and some friends went into business together when my dad realised I would never be a sailor like him."

"Your father here?" Nick asked.

"For the show? No, he wasn't navy. He was a… well, a Pirate, to he honest. My mom was a Temple Priestess in her old life; so when they arrived here, they were both trying to redefine their whole lives. They adopted each other; and I came along a while later." Tia smiled, and handed them each a card. "My contact details, should you ever need a moment saved for eternity."

The two brothers chuckled. "What's the show you're putting together?"

"It's called 'The End of War', after a quotation from Plato." Tia explained. "Plato once said 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.'"

"I remember MacArthur saying the same thing." Nick put in.

"Well, almost every soldier in the history of the human race who ever saw combat is represented in the exhibit. Or will be, once I'm done." Tia explained. "And most of them, because they died. The ones who died in Combat arrived young; and the ones that retired and went home to face old age came here with grey hair and wrinkles, only to grow younger. Cameras were a common thing just before A-Day. Everyone wanted to record the events just after. And of course, most cultures during the Last Days wanted to honor their soldiers, so there were plenty of reunions, national Marches…"

"In other words, plenty of photos." Hugh finished for her.

"Right. So we've got an exhibition of military units that came out of training together, young and full of energy, and then we contrast that with the post-combat photos. Missing faces, battle-scars… And then we follow some of those Units through history, at all the parades as they get older; time thinning out the numbers…" Tia flipped her device around to show them. "And then you've got the Post-A-Day pics, where they all start coming back. The chairs filling up, the old soldiers growing young again…"

Hugh shook his head. "Dear lord…"

"I know." Nick said, feeling it too. "Now you know why I keep coming to these 'Memorial' reunions."

Tia snapped a quick shot of them both. "Sorry. Candid moment. Two brothers from the same war? Worth adding. If you don't want me to, I can delete it right now."

Neither of them had a problem with it. Tia made her goodbyes and moved on, leaving the Almans alone with their thoughts.

Hugh looked to his younger brother, who seemed to be waiting for him to say something. "It was less than two weeks." Hugh said finally. "I got the telegram saying you had been killed in action. Two weeks later, mom got another one about me."

Nick bit his lip. "I was feelin' it when I first got here. We weren't bad people back then, were we? I mean, we weren't Believers, but we weren't bad people?"

"I dropped bombs on people for a living." Hugh said softly. "Not for my entire career as a pilot, obviously, but it was how I contributed to the War."

"A war the whole world was focused on. Everyone you dropped those bombs on is back now." Nick offered. "Is that what this is? A reminder that everything we did in OS was just… zero sum?"

"We already thought that about War when we were soldiers." Hugh counselled. "Of all the follies mankind has ever spat out; we paid the ultimate price for our part in it… And any damage any of us did has been reversed. Not just stopped. Undone. Look around. She's not wrong. War has been around almost as long as humanity."

Nick rubbed his eyes. "It makes me wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"My work at The Expo? It's exactly what I wanted to do in OS, back before the war heated up. But I can't help but wonder, if I'd become a 'mad scientist' back then, what would I have really achieved? All the billionaires, all the world powers… Mount Rushmore and the Pyramids alike… All gone."

They were both silent for a long moment.

"I came looking for some answers of my own." Hugh confessed finally. "Megan asked me about the Keynote talk at the convention. I told her that I didn't see the practicality of it. She told me to come here." He shook his head. "I admit, I had no idea what I was missing. I thought it was a reunion for all the war buddies who lost track of each other. I had all mine back centuries ago, most of them were waiting for me. I didn't expect… this."

"But no grand revelations?" Nick guessed.

"Alec mentioned that his father came to one of these things, and then vowed never to come back…" Hugh reasoned. "The way he said it, and more importantly, the way my daughter reacted to it…"

"You think maybe Alec's father understood whatever it was that you didn't during that Keynote?" Nick guessed. "And it had something to do with why he's never come back for another Reunion?"

"That's my hunch."

"Well, if you won't find him here, you know who your best bet is?"

"Tia's notes?" Hugh nodded. "I should have asked while she was here. Think she'd mind if I asked? I mean, she may not remember him, but based on our conversation, she seems the type to snap a photo of anything interesting, even mid-conversation."

"Go." Nick agreed.

Hugh departed, and Nick drifted over to some of the pictures. They weren't just images taken in Paradise. There were plenty of older images from before A-Day. There was one picture of a soldier marching in a parade. An old man, with medals on his chest and tears in his eyes. The caption read that he was the last surviving member of his Unit, marching alone. Below it was a much more recent image of the same man, surrounded by Returnees. He looked awed by the company in this image.

"When I reflected on all the works that my own hands had done and on all the hard work that I had toiled to accomplish, I saw that everything was futile, a chasing after the wind; there was nothing of real value under the sun." A voice quoted.

Nick turned. A man with red hair was standing beside him, looking at the images. His accent was impossible to place, and his clothes were immaculate, but generic white. "I'm sorry?"

"Jesus never prayed for Caesar." The man said. "Nor did he pray for the Pharisees. It wasn't because they were his enemy. He prayed for the enemies that nailed him to the stake. But he never prayed for the hypocrites, even among the spiritual leaders. He could have. He could have asked his father that their eyes be opened to the truth of what was standing with them. But he never did. Why not?"

"Because they were part of the problem." Nick nodded.

"By your century, the Churches were in the same state, ignoring their responsibilities as the Spiritual heads of whole nations. What did they pray for?"

Offhand, Nick could think of a hundred answers. But the conversation was leading him somewhere, and he knew it. "They prayed 'God Save The King.' They wrote hymns to that prayer."

"Yes." The man agreed. "You're surrounded by people who fought in the name of a King, or a country, or a god. Look around. The weapons weren't brought back. Nobody was Returned in their armor, or carrying their flags. What has Jehovah decided to Return to life?"

"The people." Nick said quietly.

"The gods they fought for, the kings who commanded them to their death…" The man listed the things that were long gone." He leaned a little closer. "There was a time when you weren't sure that was a good thing; wondering if humanity had anything left to reach for. Do you still feel that way?"

"No." Nick said honestly.

"So?"

Nick thought for a moment. "All is vanity." He said finally.

"You took the wrong lesson from the folly of man." The stranger said. "You took the vanity to mean that nothing you achieved was worthy. But that's true of your sins as well. All the evil, all the pain caused by Satan; reversed. We're scrubbing clean every bad thing that has ever happened. All those follies, all the 'striving after the wind' has been shown for what they are now. No human errors will ever cause lasting harm in a world ruled by Jehovah God. Somewhere in here is the Commander who sent you on the mission that ended your life. He will have no need to shed tears over your loss. Somewhere in here is the General who made a mistake in his strategy, and lost two thousand men; alongside the opposing General who saw the flaw and used it to kill two thousand men. Imagine how they must feel, knowing that all the soldiers they lost, all the enemies they killed; now get to live forever as family."

"Is this world any better, in that regard? I know it's far better than it used to be, certainly it's happier, and more... holy. But is it any less futile? Build a tower, and eventually it will have to be taken down for something new. Plant a garden, and eventually it will need to be uprooted and replaced."

"And Rachel?" The man countered. "What list is she on? The folly, or the eternal?"

Nick froze, not surprised that this stranger knew her name. "I'm ashamed to say that I don't know for sure anymore."

"God could have created things so that they never decay. He could have created a system where rock doesn't wear from erosion, or where the tides never come in or out. So far, he's only created a few specific things, of all He has made, that were meant to last forever and ever. What are they, Nick?"

"Angels, humans… and I guess that's all." Nick admitted.

"Jehovah is Creative. He even created a canvass for humans to be creative on. It's called 'everything'. It was built with an understanding that things would fade away, and be replaced with something new. You are alive, and what lives is Dynamic; always becoming something more. And where would you, or the world be, if your first attempt was what you kept forever?"

Nick pulled his head in. "I know, it's a crazy thing to think about. I've been feeling it the last few years. That feeling that…" Nick gave a self deprecating laugh. "Ecclesiastes. I'm feeling what Solomon felt. The passing of seasons are starting to wear."

"Why do they wear?"

Nick bit his lip. "Some things never change. Some chances I missed won't come back. And I have to believe that's true of everyone."

"Nick, I say this to you with love." The man counselled. "You don't know what the human race is yet. You don't know what humans will accomplish, and what bearing it will have on the world, or the universe in general. You don't know what you will be, or what opportunities are ahead." He paused. "And don't assume you've missed all those chances."

Nick chuckled. "I know what you are. I've heard enough stories, a lot of them from my own family. Though I notice those stories are… less frequent now."

"You're growing up. We're needed elsewhere." The visitor smiled. "Y'know, humans consider themselves 'adults' by their twentieth year, even a little younger. None of you ask when your Maker considers you 'all grown up'."

"He made us to live forever." Nick countered. "As 'grown' as I feel, I'm not even a toddler yet; next to My Maker."

"Jehovah God predates the universe. He hasn't once been bored with His creations." The visitor smiled. "Because God still has that canvass too. His creations are constantly being remade. The only thing that He wanted to keep in His creation forever?"

"Us." Nick agreed. So that's my answer. What's Hugh's?

~~/*\~~

"Yeah, I remember Lieutenant Ducard." Tia nodded. "He was one of my…" Her smile faltered. "My portraits."

Hugh blinked, and scanned the room. Around the hall there were hundreds of photos. Almost all of them were group shots. Only a relatively few portraits. Very few. "Oh." He said finally, understanding. "Oh. Ohno."

Tia nodded. "Lieutenant Ducard. Killed in Action, less than a generation before A-Day. War changed between WW2 and then. The war he fought in? It was about attrition. He was the only fatality from his Unit… And the only one Returned."

"That's why he never comes back to the 'Reunions'." Hugh realized. "Because he's the only one in those photos that's still here."

Tia nodded. "I've met Tribulation Survivors. They're tighter knit than any army."

Hugh shut his eyes. "I'm such a blind fool." He spun away from Tia. "Excuse me, sister; but I have to make a phonecall."

~~/*\~~

"Morning, Megan."

Megan stepped into the public tram and laughed at what she found. "Biggs! I didn't know you were on the Trams now."

"I take a shift in the kiosk now and then. You're up early."

"Mm, I like the early morning run. Some of the younger kids are up with the dawn, but breakfast is taken care of by some friends, so this is more or less my only regular 'off-duty' time." She gestured. "You set up shop in tramcars now?"

"I started here, when I first moved to the area." Biggs explained. "I told the Database that I had experience as a barista, and it told me this car had an opening. I rode the tram routes every day, serving the passengers. I must have gone through each tramline a thousand times, before setting up the cafe."

"You were getting to know the region." Megan nodded. "You still take shifts here?"

"I like the early morning, too." He offered. "The loop from the middle of town to the residential areas takes half an hour. I get to see the whole area wake up. I wouldn't be the only one to have my best day's work on the Commuter Lines."

This was true. Public transport ran smoothly enough over the rails to be safe to work in, and it wasn't uncommon for the rear section of public transport to be used for something other than passengers. Usually food and drink kiosks for busy travellers; but there were often small bookshares, or information booths to tell visitors about the area. The tram itself had room for people to sit facing each other, like booths in a train dining car; and another level above, like a wider version of the old double-decker buses, with rows of seats for overflow.

The trams were rarely standing room only. Public transport had variety, and the work hours were varied by workplace so that there was no 'rush hour' causing gridlock.

In this tram, there was a small coffee kiosk at the back, where Biggs was stationed. Megan found she was smiling at him as they had the place to themselves. "Speaking of having Breakfast sorted…" He offered. "I hope I can tempt you with pastry? Still warm? Wait till the end of your run, and it'll be cold."

Megan was about to say yes when her device chimed. She saw the name on her screen and she faltered a little.

"Bad news?" Biggs saw her smile turn sad.

"Let's find out." Megan pulled away from Biggs and moved to one of the booths in the Tramcar, sliding into the more secluded space as she answered the call. "Hey, dad. So, you understand the keynote now?"

"I've spoken with people who were there at the end." Hugh said to her quietly. "So has the photographer here. She says that they're close, the way we were with our old War Buddies. I finally get why. It's because one day After, they were all that were left. The Survivors rebuilt enough of the world that the graveyards of the world could open up and…"

"I know. Fifteen billion and counting." Megan said quietly. "But you weren't there at the end."

"Neither were you. But you got the point of that last talk when I didn't. Even after… I thought I understood the point. That the things we lost in the 'Old Days' weren't really gone. After Erica, I knew how tragic it was, because there was no coming back a second time. But I didn't see what that meant for the Trib Survivors." Hugh pointed out. "You did. How many of the kids you're fostering will never see their parents again, even in Paradise?"

"Too many." Megan agreed. "Uncle Alec got his father back, his mother survived with him; Beckah and Rachel weren't so lucky, neither was Biggs or his sister-"

"I'm sorry, who's that?" Hugh put in.

Megan flushed. "Oh, right. You haven't met him yet." She got back on topic. "After that talk, I just… I asked a friend who was there. He said that to brothers in the Last Days, it was a little like climbing Everest. If you want to stand at the top of the world, you gotta earn the view. And there wasn't one of them who wanted things to keep going as they were for much longer."

Hugh shivered. "The Trib Survivors are the most… revered group in the world today. They were faithful when the whole world tried to kill them for it. I wonder if they ever… God forgive me for this… If they ever resent all the Reunions we get."

"That you get." Megan reminded him. "I wasn't so very far off A-Day myself, remember. I likely wouldn't have made it, given where I started. I very nearly didn't make it in Paradise. If I hadn't found you and mom waiting for me when I was brought back..." She lowered her voice. "I consider myself doubly lucky. I don't have a lot of people to weep for. Almost all the people I knew back then, I'm glad to never see again. Here in this world, I've got a family, I've got a great group of friends, and hundreds of families that have taken in the hundreds of kids I've taken care of over the years."

"I'd glad for you, Megan." Hugh said emotionally. "And I'm so happy to be near the top of that list for you. There was a time I was terrified you'd withdraw completely. It's a minor miracle that you grew into a woman so eager to give love and affection to a bunch of withdrawn orphans. And I say 'minor' only because things like Resurrection from the dead has become commonplace."

Megan chuckled. "Love you too, dad. We'll talk more tonight?"

Hugh made his goodbyes, and Megan hung up, returning her gaze to the window beside her booth. Megan didn't own a vehicle of her own. Most people didn't, taking the Trams or Trains; all of which were automated. Those that did take private vehicles usually summoned them when needed, or even booked them on a routine schedule, so that one would always be there when needed. The world was decentralized enough that most people could get the necessities of life on foot; and other transport made itself available.

It gave Megan time to see her community. Gardens and homes, streets and paths; animals and people… There was music being played in public areas, games in others. Every home had a garden; several trees bore fruit, despite the time of year; and Megan wasn't sure if it was a miracle, or something The Expo had cooked up. There wasn't a single person looking stressed, or rushing themselves to get somewhere. Megan's job at the Orphanage wasn't easy, and it wasn't always gentle. But just being out in the world had the effect of relaxing her. Before arriving in paradise, she'd been a street kid, breathing the grit and dodging the gangs. You kept your ears listening for trouble in your sleep.

But in this place, there was harmony. Nobody was scared to go without, and nobody was desperate for more. Nobody was concerned for the future, or worried about their families; or getting news of terrible things happening in the world.

Jehovah God, Megan prayed. We still don't know for sure who gets Returned and who doesn't. I lost a family twice, and you gave me another before I even knew to ask. My dad has just gotten a reminder of how lucky he is to have so many people given back. Her eyes flicked to her company. Father… Biggs is a Tribulation survivor. I know enough of his life before to be sure that he was glad to escape most of the people he knew. Like me. Even so… I pray that he finds whatever would make this world an answer to his own personal dream of Paradise. Give him all the love he could ever ask for; and then a little more, because I don't think he realizes just how much there is to go around these days.

She had just finished praying as Biggs placed her 'usual' on the small booth table in front of her, and slid into the opposite seat. At this hour, they had the moving transport to themselves as it made its first run of the day. A warm pastry was placed beside it, and she noted he had a cup of his own. "Good timing." She told him. "It's definitely a 'pastry' kind of morning."

"I promise I wasn't listening in. But it seemed a fairly intense conversation. I've been doing this for a while now, and I've learned how to spot the perfect moment for coffee and croissants."

Megan chuckled. "You've never been wrong yet. At least, not with me."

She wasn't just speaking of that morning. During the weekdays; he helped out at the Halfway House, on the weekends, she came to his Cafe. Neither of them had made mention the fact that they saw each other nearly every day; but they were both aware of it.

And then, quite suddenly, one of them mentioned it.

"So, you know what today is?" Biggs smiled. "Today is officially the longest I have stayed in one place since Paradise began."

Megan's heart did a flip. "Really? I mean, I knew the Cafe had been there for a good while before I came in, but…"

"Took me a while to notice the date was coming up." Biggs admitted. "Straight after A-Day, I rarely stayed in one place for longer than a year. Eighteen months at the most." He actually looked embarrassed by it. "Reaction to my OS life. I remember thinking I wasn't anything like a normal person. I went walkabout for a long time."

"Lots of Returned people have travel as one of their first priorities." Megan offered. "In fact, now that I think of it, I was Returned at a very young age; and my first thought was to run away from Hugh and Kasumi. It wasn't just that I didn't trust adults, though at the time I didn't. It was…" She tried to put it into words. "If Paradise was a con, then surely not everyone could be in on it. Sooner or later, I'd find where Paradise stopped."

"Mm." Biggs agreed. "I can see that. My problem was that I was looking for something, and I was running from something. Except I couldn't for the life of me think what either of those things were."

Megan was suddenly holding his hand. She seemed as surprised by it as he was. "And now?"

"Don't know when it happened; but I was hanging around Shanghai, and I noticed I'd been there longer than anywhere else I'd stayed. Including my prison term. Felt like a good number, so I moved on. Then I noticed I was staying in New Roma longer than I had stayed in Shanghai…"

"You just broke the record here, huh?" Megan licked her lips. "So… You're planning to move on, then?"

Just for a moment, he could see the 'street kid' in her. Even after so many years, part of her still reacted like she would have in OS, reminding herself that people wouldn't stay, keeping some part of her heart guarded; in preparation for the inevitable.

Aloud, he smiled easily. "Nah. I like it here. Who knows, maybe I'll finally find what I was looking for." He topped off her coffee. "Once I figure out for sure what it is." He let it drop there, changing the subject as the Tram approached her usual stop. "What did you think of the Convention?"

"For older people." Megan admitted. "Not older like you. People who were 'further back' in OS." She sipped. "I know people who fit that list. My dad is one of them. There are others." She hesitated. "The scars of the Old Days are healing, but every now and then we all get a Reunion that tears them open again, and that could well continue until the end of the Thousand Years."

Biggs hid behind his coffee cup for a moment before he spoke again. "Meg?" He said quietly. "I haven't taken a shift on the Tram since I opened the Cafe. I did work the kiosk when I first moved here, but… I was here today because I knew you took the Trams early in the morning. I… I wanted to have coffee with you. Not just serve it. And I wanted you to have coffee with me, not just chat while keeping both eyes on 'your kids'."

Megan gazed at him for the longest five seconds he'd experienced for a while, before she picked up her cup and sipped again. "You could have just asked."

"Yeah?"

"I would have offered." She continued, looking happier as they went. "But I can't imagine enjoying anyone else's coffee enough to share it with you. Given all the time we spend at the cafe..."

Biggs laughed, relaxing. "Well, this is true."

"So if coffee is out, we should do something else." Megan suggested brightly. She looked out the window as the view passed by. "Oh look, my stop is coming up." She said, as though just noticing. "If you want to ask me out, you better move fast."

"Have coffee with me?"

"No." Megan said. "I was quite serious when I said that yours is the only coffee I'll bother with. But I'll meet you for dinner."

~~/*\~~

Vano had plenty of old friends among the Caravan. Some of them had died of old age when he was still a child, some of them were children when he had died, and now had grandchildren of their own. Vano was still putting the story together. Not about Jehovah, but about the people he'd lost. He'd died in the Camps. It was a long list.

"Sometimes I wonder if Jehovah picks the order of the Returnees by Recovery time." Isobel commented quietly, observing him from a discreet distance. "When we get to the end of the Thousand Years, the last traces of the Old Days will be swept away. Part of me wonders if the people who get Returned late in the Kingdom are left until later because it'll be easy for them to shed their old lives."

"Interesting thought." Her mother mused. "What brought that on?"

"Some things might take another few hundred years to get over." Isobel sighed. "I haven't told Vano. About his son."

Moira winced. "The longer you put it off…"

"I know." Isobel looked to her mother, suddenly sounding very young. "Mom, why does it feel the same? I saw him again and it suddenly felt like a day ago. I know I've changed; and certainly the world has, but when I saw Vano's name on the Blue Letter; I suddenly… reverted. It was like the centuries in between never happened."

"I know a few ladies who call it the 'school friend syndrome'." Moira offered. "Vano wasn't there for any of the centuries in between. You revert, because the only way you know to be with him is how you have been in the past. You didn't change yourself, you just fell back into the pattern he was a part of."

"I guess that makes sense." Isobel sighed. "We've built a nice little bubble for ourselves here in the Caravan. I never had to say goodbye to any of my childhood friends."

"Of course, it could be a lot simpler than that." Her mother smiled. "Could be you're just still in love with him."

Isobel flushed. "You knew about that."

"It wasn't hard to notice, dear." Moira smirked. "You haven't told him about his son. What about his ex-wife?"

"Yvette is… not answering my calls." Isobel confirmed. "But that's a conversation to be had, too."

~~/*\~~

"Now that I see it, I can't stop seeing it." Hugh commented to his wife as they strolled through the marketplace. "All over the place, things are passing into time. Things that wait forever aren't waiting, things that last a lifetime are disappearing… We're rebuilding houses we've lived in for centuries and changing careers that we loved utterly. It's not just us. It's happening all over the place."

Kasumi nodded. "I came back before you did; I'm seeing the progression play out. It's a fact of age. People who first come back take a while to get settled. They start by figuring out where they fit with themselves and God. Then they have to figure out how they fit with the rest of the world, because a lot of it is hard to recognize. It's why I travelled for so long."

"You figure we've hit that magic spot where the majority of people are trying to figure out where they fit with eternity?"

"It's never been an option before." Kasumi nodded. "People who lived in early Bible times could live for centuries. But that's not 'eternity' either. Forever is such a long time; and the idea of living in a castle, or mastering a skill… Back in OS, people lived a short time, but they still learned instruments, or built their own homes. Back there and back then, not everyone had the time, but the ones that really wanted something could get there."

Hugh nodded. "I remember talking to Alec about this once, he said that all the people expecting this world had a 'one day' list of things they wanted to do. But everything they could think of back then has been achieved, at least in some way. The things that people in OS could imagine… and what people who are actually here can imagine; are very different things."

"People from ancient cultures would never have considered any of this." Kasumi gestured around the Marketplace. "Certainly wouldn't have imagined spending their lives doing it."

Hugh sighed. "The numbers are… Less intimidating than they were. I remember a point, back when I was getting near a century old, where the idea of 'forever' started to intimidate me, because even after a century, I couldn't imagine it at all. And when it finally sank in, I couldn't see myself in that huge 'undiscovered country'."

Kasumi nodded. "I was one of the relatively early Blue Letters. When the Returning accelerated and the world started to fill up, it felt like the mood of the world was suddenly shifting. So many people, starting to suddenly realize what God was, that He was real at all… Now it seems to be happening again. We're shifting from 'childhood dreams' to actually seeing what Eternity might be like. Just a glimpse of it. But we're getting there."

~~/*\~~

Vano was finally figuring out the 28th Century, and was at work on the Terminal. Isobel found him there, and came closer. "Vano…"

"I know." Vano admitted, tapping awkwardly at the screen. "I don't know how this thing does the things it does; but I can't seem to make it work. I know you can."

"What are you looking for?" She asked him, knowing the answer.

"Some clue as to Greigor. I know you don't understand the order of people being Returned. I also know that if he was back already, he'd be here with the rest of the Family. I want to be the first face he sees when he comes back. He's going to love this world so much. If there's any way to know when he'll be... here…" He broke off when he saw her face.

Isobel had started to cry. No sobbing. No change in her expression. Just tears rolling down her face.

Vano saw it. "What? What have I said?"

"He's not coming." Isobel said softly. "I'm sorry, Vano. I'm really sorry, but Greigor won't be back-"

Vano turned to stone. "You said everyone who died-"

"He made it out." Isobel croaked. "Elaine lied, because the guards were..." Isobel wiped her face. "The guards are here too. The war went bad for their side, and they fled, or fought and lost… The ones that surrendered aged out. They're here too. Some of them have spent centuries making apologies for…" She took a shuddering breath. "Elaine told me in the Camp. She lied; and the guard that caught her covered for it. If he reported that Greigor lived, he would have had to face punishment for the stowaway. So he told his superiors that he fired at Elaine, and hit her duffel bag… She agreed to the lie, so she could leave Greigor with the doctor like she planned."

Vano stared at her, processing this.

"She told me, in the Camp. I tried to tell you, but we didn't see each other again until..." Isobel said softly. "After the war, there were a lot of displaced people; trying to find family again. Your son-"

"He didn't 'Age Out', did he?" Vano interrupted, voice flat. Still new, Vano was still learning the terminology of the new century, not really comfortable with it. "My son never made it here."

"It was close." Isobel said quietly. "Our generation was right on the edge of… He was so young when the War broke out. I didn't live to see the end of it, but Pitor found him at an Orphanage and took him in..."

"Pitor's here too?"

"Pitor aged out before A-Day. He lived to old age.... He raised your boy as his own; and…" Her voice hitched. "A-Day came more than seventy years after the War ended. Your son lived his whole life. He… he was an old man in a retirement home; when the time ran out for that world."

Vano said nothing, processing this.

"I spoke to some of the Witnesses who were in the Camps. Remember? We saw them too. After the War, some of the Witnesses who survived the Camps came and spoke with our people. Including your son. They tried to teach him about how this world was coming, but he was apparently really antagonistic; nearly violent about it. A lot of the people who survived that horror show blamed God for… Pitor says Greigor despised God for what happened to you." Isobel trailed off. The details weren't going to help.

"I was just getting used to the idea of outliving my son." Vano said softly. "Now I find out we could have lived forever, but didn't. He died an old man, full of resentment of what-" He shuddered hard and looked at Isobel. "I've been reading about the things that happened after we 'checked out'. There was a surrender and a General Amnesty."

"Hundreds of millions across the world fought in that war. If they had tried to sort out one shooter from another, it never would have ended." Isobel excused.

"And now all the shooters are back, and so are their victims, and so are, and so are, and so are." Vano sighed. "How are we meant to look to an Eternal future when the worst parts of the Past are all here in our faces?"

"The best parts too." Isobel said reflexively.

"Not for me." Vano countered.

Isobel threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. "You were one of the best parts, Vano."

Vano was silent for a long time, emotions getting the better of him. Isobel said nothing, just holding him tightly.

~~/*\~~

The rest of the Caravan had already known. But they left it for his 'guide' to tell him. They heard that Vano was informed, and closed ranks around him. He was brought food and drink, though his appetite was low. He was given all the support a person could need; and the people involved knew him personally from long experience, knowing when to make themselves scarce and give him privacy.

Isobel stayed. She kept herself at a respectful distance. She didn't want him to be alone; but he wouldn't want any platitudes from her.

"Oh." Vano said suddenly. "What about Yvette?"

"I looked her up when we got the notice about you." Isobel reported, not smiling. "She went from our Caravan to France, and did not survive the war. She has been Returned. I sent her a notice about your arrival; but she..."

"Didn't want to come back to see us." He glowered at nothing. "She knew about Griegor, and didn't want to tell me."

Isobel nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Vano said quietly. "Can't have been an easy thing to tell me; and you got left holding the bag."

"I should have let it come from a family member, but… I shouldn't have waited as long as I did. The Truth isn't always an easy thing to hear; and sometimes people deserve something happier than the facts. But I promise, everything I've said to you since you came back has been true."

Vano was clearly thinking about something he wasn't saying, but after several moments, he finally said it out loud. "What about things said before I came back?"

Isobel's stomach did a flip. "What do you mean?"

"What I said to you in the Camp." Vano turned his full attention to Isobel. "Life is short. And that makes it more valuable."

"It's not short anym-"

"I know you were waiting for me." Vano cut her off. "I heard what you said. You thought I was already gone, but I was still 'there' enough to hear you as you sobbed over my 'lifeless body'."

Isobel froze, eyes going wide. "Oh."

"You were right. I gave up when Greigor died. It wasn't just… being broken. It was a conscious choice. We all picked something to stay alive for. I lost my reason; and I didn't want to be in the world anymore. But you've had centuries since; and I apparently will never see my boy again."

Isobel was frozen, staring at him, trying madly to think of some words to say.

"I think we have some things to talk about, Isobel." Vano said quietly. "And I think we should be honest with each other while we do. Because time is still something we can't turn back; even if you plan to live forever." He took both her hands. "And I'm glad to be out of a world running on its hate, and now in a world running on love."

~~/*\~~

The picnic had gone well, so she'd invited him over for dinner. Hugh was still on his way back from the Reunion, and Kasumi was preparing to go back on the Nemo; so they had the house to themselves. Nobody was left 'unchaperoned' in a world protected by Angels, and neither of them had used the word 'date' yet, so the fact that they were setting out the dining table went unmentioned.

While Megan laid the plates, Biggs noticed her guitar. "Y'know, I've seen you play this for the kids; but I've never gotten a good look at it." He commented, turning the polished wood over in his hands. "It looks brand new, but I'm betting you've had it a while."

"Since I was a little girl." Megan nodded. "You ever see 'The Denouement'?"

"The Concert? Yeah, once. I'm on the waiting list to see it again; but it's a long wait."

"I was there for the Premiere." Megan smiled a bit at the memory. "My ticket was a gift from my uncle. The Guitar was given to me after the show."

Biggs looked closer at the neck of the guitar. "No brand or maker's mark. Made just for you; I'm guessing." He set it down carefully. "Whoever the craftsman was, he knew his stuff."

"You have no idea." Megan laid out the food. "So, you were saying it was your sister that got you into the Truth?"

Biggs nodded. "We didn't have the best life growing up. My sister was looking for a holy cause, and I was just looking to keep my head down and not starve." He helped set the table. "She got through to me just in time."

"That close?" Megan observed. "My 'semi-aunt' Rachel? She calls herself the 'Eleventh Hour Witness' because she was only a Witness for a few months before Tribulation."

"Got her beat. It was a few days for me." Biggs commented.

"Days?!" Megan was stunned.

Biggs took a breath. "Confession time. I was in prison. My folks were pretty rotten people; and they did a real number on us. My sister went looking for God, trying to 'understand what she did wrong' and I turned to crime. It paid better than trying to get a real job."

"And she found the JW's."

"Actually, she joined a cult." Biggs grinned. "Once they cleaned out her bank accounts, she joined a 'better' one, and once she realized what they wanted, she wound up in a halfway home. Not so very different from what you're running now; only for adults."

Megan shivered. "If you were worried about telling me all that, believe me: That's what my life would have been, back in OS; if I'd lived a little longer."

"I believe it. So, when my sister came by during visiting hours and told me she'd found a new religion, I wasn't surprised. For a long time, I thought that the Witnesses were just another Cult treating my sister for a sap."

"What changed your mind?"

"She kept coming back, and she quit drugs." Biggs said simply. "The first place she joined was where she got hooked on 'mind-expanders' as part of their rituals. The second place didn't care, as long as she kept in line with their 'holy writ'. She tried quitting cold turkey. Never made it. She tried rehab, but she could never afford it. She actually asked me what I thought about her getting herself arrested. Figured she'd have an easier time drying out in a prison cell… And that was the last time I saw her for four years. I got postcards here and there… When you're a prisoner, letters from outside are worth gold. I hadn't heard from my sister in years, our folks had written us both off for good… Then one day she showed up again."

Megan grinned. "And told you she was with a new religion. One with an even weirder reputation."

"Oh, I knew the Witnesses. Or at least, I knew of them. They did some of their best work in Prisons." Biggs nodded. "The JW's helped her get clean, but… They weren't running a clinic. They sat with her, prayed with her; and forgave her when she relapsed. But she got the rest of the way, without having to pay a fortune, or sign over anything. Not that either of us had much, at that point..." He paused. "Is this conversation too heavy, for a date?"

"Is this a date now?"

"Well, I thought so, until I realized I was telling this story…"

She grinned. "Biggs, this is the Paradise version of an embarrassing childhood anecdote. It was centuries ago."

"It was, but it still matters." Biggs admitted.

"It does. More than most people seem to think." Megan agreed. "What did you mean 'she kept coming back'?"

"Well, I figured it was another fad, or another con. And suddenly there she was, every single visitor day. She never missed a week. I saw her in snapshots, and every week she was just getting more and more… stable. Enough that I finally started to listen."

"And here you are."

"I was baptised in a Prison Ceremony when I couldn't get to a convention; and a day after my parole, Tribulation broke out." Biggs excused. "Now you. What did you mean 'more than most people think'?"

"Almost every adult I know is eager to forget the old days. I work with Returned kids. Asking them to think about the future is hard enough. Almost all of them were living one day at a time." She poured some wine to go with dinner. "My dad, he was killed in WW2. I meet kids from that era; and I meet people who lived to adulthood… A lot of them were nostalgic about the war. The 'spirit of the blitz' and the 'greatest generation'."

"You're worried that people will think of OS with nostalgia, more than relief at escaping it."

"It's a worry that actually keeps me awake some nights." Megan nodded. "One day, someone's going to ask why we serve Jehovah. They're going to look at a world in peace; full of technological wonders; and creative artworks that can make a whole city into something beautiful… And they're going to assume it's what things would be like if we ruled the world ourselves."

"When that day comes, it'll be up to people like us." Biggs agreed. "You asked me once why I hang around your Halfway Home so much; it's because my earliest memory was needing someone like you and never finding one." He smirked. "Prison was the fairest I'd ever been treated until this place. I figure if God Himself is going to put me into a world like this, I have to pay it forward to people who were like me; at the very least."

"You weren't wrong, though." Megan admitted. "Time's going to come when the work is finished, and I have to figure out what to do with myself after that."

"So, turning from the past a moment, do you have plans? About what to do next?" He asked quietly. "I mean; there's a long way to go, but you're not wrong. Time's going to come when there's no such thing as a kid without a family."

"I know." Megan admitted. "You've been helping me out of the melancholy whenever I've finished my part with one of those kids, but I have no idea what to do after all of them are gone. My mom calls it 'empty nest syndrome', and I run an actual orphanage. When the work is done, I'll still have eternity ahead."

"So do I." Biggs admitted. "If you think of anything good, let me know?"

Megan smiled. "I will if you will."

~~/*\~~

The Expo was based out of what used to be known as California. But some projects were big enough that they needed to be put together somewhere else. Nick had spent a week looking for a suitable place to begin construction on the Project he'd been dreaming of his entire life.

The site he'd picked was close enough to visit Hugh and Kasumi before he went back to The Expo. Most work weeks were four days long now. Time enough to visit with family. Nick had brought over the designs to show off; as well as some pictures of the facility he'd settled on, construction just getting underway.

Hugh spared a glance at his brother, trying not to be noticed looking. Nick rarely came in person. There was something on his mind; but neither of them wanted to come out and say so. "So, this is the Enterprise, huh?" Hugh commented, looking over the blueprint.

"I asked, but apparently the Powers That Be are divided on whether or not we can call it that." Nick admitted. "Since everyone from Carl Sagan to Jules Verne, to the Apollo One Crew have been Returned, there's a lot of discussion. Either way, we won't launch for another few centuries."

"You can launch, you just can't make it a permanent state. We launch satellites all the time. Commercial Orbital Flights were a thing in OS…"

"True, but we weren't game to push the envelope." Nick admitted. "The Law says we are to concern ourselves with Earth until the Thousand Years are ended, we accept that. But did Apollo walking on the moon disobey that? If we went to Mars and built a colony, would that be too far? If we built this thing and flew to the other end of the Galaxy and Back, would that be breaking the Rules, technically? As long as we were all back on Earth by the Thousand Year Deadline?"

"I don't know, but if you have to use the word 'technically' in your reasoning, then you're not on as solid ground as you think." Hugh pointed out. "Besides, what's the rush?"

"There isn't one, I know. It just… frustrates. When Armstrong walked on the moon, all the technology in the world combined had less processing power than what's in your oven timer. We could do it so easily now."

Hugh was about to respond, when his Holo chimed. He checked the readout. "It's Isobel. Do you mind?"

Nick shook his head. "By all means."

Hugh accepted the call, and Isobel was suddenly right there, projected into Hugh's study next to them. "Hey there!" She beamed at them both. "Hugh, is Kasumi around?"

"She's out at the momen-"

"No, I can't wait!" Isobel burst out. "I'm getting married!"

"What?!" Hugh was suddenly all smiles. "That's wonderful! Who's the lucky guy?"

"You haven't met him yet. Someone I knew back in the Old Days. We haven't set a date yet, but there's not a lot to organize, given that most of the people we'd invite come with us wherever we go. You and Kasumi will come?"

"Wouldn't miss it. I'm assuming Nick and Rachel-" Hugh stopped short as Isobel's projection turned and made the invitation to him. Nick was all smiles as she did so. But Hugh had seen the moment before she turned to face him. Nick looked… sad.

"You'll come to the wedding? You and Rachel?"

"I'll tell Rachel as soon as she gets back." Nick promised. "I wouldn't miss it."

There was nothing in his voice. But Hugh had been alive for centuries, and so had his brother. He could tell these things now. "Nick." He said, as soon as the call was over. "Did something happen with you and Rachel?"

"Nothing." Nick said honestly. "Nothing at all."

~~/*\~~

"Well, the old house is still standing." Sydney commented. "I lived in that house for the first third of my life; and now it's falling down."

Rachel studied it with an unsettling smile. "Yeah. Let's see if we can do something about that."

Sydney followed her in. "Tell me how this works."

"If you want to seal a gap in a wall somewhere, you use sealant." Rachel explained. "But that wouldn't work on glass, or on porcelain. We've got buildings that have been around for a thousand years; made with materials that we just don't use anymore. So The Expo posed the idea: What if we could invent something that would seal up the cracks in everything?"

Sydney nodded. "Okay."

"What we came up with was this." Rachel reported. She produced what looked like a large glass bottle, with a strange silvery goo inside it. "It looks like mercury, but it's actually trillions of machines, small enough to make a molecule look big."

"Nano-Tech. I've read about it; but I thought that it only worked in a Laboratory setting."

"Right. These things never worked out in the world… I'm hoping, until now. The ultimate flaw of micro-machines has always been their size. It lets them do stuff that a surgeon couldn't do, but it also means they get blown about on a gentle breeze; and more importantly; it means they couldn't function. A computer brain smart enough to receive complex orders is too big to fit in a nano-machine."

"But you think you've fixed that?"

"By examining the way insects swarm, we've come up with something that might overcome the communications lag." Rachel explained. "Your old house is going to be our first Real World test."

"How'd you settle on our place?" Sydney asked.

"The hotline. Your father told his friend Hugh, Hugh told his brother Nick; Nick told me." Rachel grinned. "Same way I found out about everything involving your life."

"I expected someone to snap the place up. The house may be a few centuries old, but I thought the place was in a pretty good position." Sydney sighed. "But times have changed. This area was close to all sorts of amenities and commercial options two hundred years ago; but now it's a 'suburb'. Out of the way."

"Which makes it perfect for me. Anyway, we've got a pretty good look at the house, and we know what it's made of. The foundations are breaking apart; but nano-tech can go one better; assembling matter down at the size of individual cells. If the concrete is cracking, or if the metal is rusting out, these things could actually bond the molecules together; and make it like new."

"So why is this better than just replacing the part?"

"For one thing, your father deemed this house to be too far gone to just swap out the bad bits. For another thing, that won't work with everything, like some treasured memento. The house is made of timber, glass, concrete, and metal. I have metal and wood here, and if this works; the Nano-Tech should be able to go to the frayed edges of all these parts, and put it back together, molecule by molecule." Rachel bit her lip. "If the bots are able to tell where to go. I can't dismantle the house and program in what all its molecules should look like."

"So if this works, you'll effectively be turning an old house into a new one." Sydney nodded.

"And if it fails, the bots will blow away in the first gentle breeze; and I'll never find one again, let alone be sure what went wrong." Rachel nodded, eyes rolling. "I've never prayed for experimental technology to work; and I won't start now, but still..."

Sydney laughed. "Would this come under 'all things made new'?"

~~/*\~~

"The wedding is set; and it's the day I get back." Kasumi reminded Hugh as she walked the length of the train station. "The return dates haven't been delayed since the maiden voyage. I know, because I was on it. I won't be able to take an airship, but I'll make it."

Hugh nodded. "I'll have Megan meet you; with an Auto waiting." He kissed his wife warmly. "Have fun. Say hi to everyone for me."

"I will." She promised. "Pick out something nice for a wedding gift, but don't be extravagant. Remember, they're both staying with their Caravan."

***

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