Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter I: Quiet Life

Dawson

"Daddy, wake up!"

I got up slowly with my daughter jumping on my bed. She started looking around the room in my drawers and the closets.
"Whatcha looking for kiddo?" I asked.
"My presents!" She yelled back.
"What presents are you talking about? We didn't get you any presents. Why would we?"
"Because it's my birthday! I know there's presents! You didn't forget, you're just messing with me like you always do!"
I laughed and got out of bed. For an eight-year old girl, she was insanely smart.
"Alright," I said. "I'll give you your present, but first, where's your mom?"
"She's in the kitchen making breakfast," she said.
"Breakfast huh? She get dressed before getting out of bed?"
"Of course, she's a lady. She's not going to run around in her underwear all day."
"Doesn't sound too bad to me."

I walked out into the kitchen to see my wife trying to feed my son. Of course, baby food isn't really his thing.
I sat on the counter and asked, "How's Skyler doing?"
She sighed and said, "Still won't eat. It'll take a while to get used to this new stuff after sticking to milk for so long."
"I don't blame him."
She laughed and finally put the spoon in his mouth. "About damn time," she said. "Anyways, I gotta go and pick up some stuff for the party."
"Yeah, Mackie told me."
"Oh, that reminds me! Mackie, not our daughter, is coming to the party today."
My face lit up and I pumped my fist once. "Do you realize how hard it is to get her to come to these things?" I asked. "She's continuously busy with freaking military stuff or whatever it is."
"Well, just so you know, it's Delta. She's not exactly allowed to talk to people about everything she does. Alright, I gotta go, honey. Make sure Skyler eats a couple more spoonfuls, and take Mackie downstairs for a few rounds. Just don't break anything and keep an eye on Skyler. Okay? I love you, and I'll see you in a little bit."
"Love ya too."
She kissed me quickly and headed out the door. Mackie came in and grabbed my leg.
"Where's my present?" She asked.
"I said I'd give it to you, but I didn't say when. You can't have it until everybody's here."
She glared at me and said, "Fine."
She went over to her brother and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was talking to him, telling him to eat his food while putting the spoon in his mouth. I leaned against the wall and watched. When they finished, I took Skyler and we all headed down to our basement. I told Mackie to wait for me while I put him in his seat. After a few attempts, I finished up and went over to Mackie.
"Okay kiddo," I said. "Show me what you've got."
She started hitting and kicking me while I blocked her with me forearms and throwing punches of my own. One hit her square in the nose and she laughed. I smiled and threw more punches while she blocked and fought back. We each got a few hits in on each other and dodged most of what we threw. Her being smaller than me, it wasn't easy to hit her. She kept going faster and faster while I avoided her fists. Eventually, I back up against the wall and dodged one of her punches. She put a hole in the concrete and gasped. Skyler just laughed like he always does.
"Sorry," she said. "Is that gonna be expensive?"
I shook my head and said, "Not really. We'll get it fixed and probably cover up that spot with some steel."
"But I can't punch through steel. It takes me several tries."
I laughed and said, "That's the whole point. I don't want you putting holes in the wall."
Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I picked it up. Logan was calling me.
I pressed talk and asked, "What's up, man?"
"Just got back from a joyous little hunting trip," he replied. "Fixing to have another bear skin rug. I think I'll put this one in the guest room."
"What kind of bear was this?"
"Just a grizzly. Stabbed it in the chest then let Bruce have a go at him."
"How are you gonna have a rug if your dog ripped him up?"
"He chewed up the belly. He's not stupid. But that's not what I'm calling about. I called to tell you I may be a little late to McKinley's birthday party. Liz's jet is quick but not quick enough to get down there from Canada in half an hour."
"That's alright. She'll still be just as happy to see you." We'd all grown used to him being late or not showing up. Between wandering out randomly and helping out the military in South Africa. We'd found out that REVO had a few settlements in other countries, South Africa being quite infested.
"By the way," he said. "Kelton said he'd show up as well. He wants to see her but also has things to tell the group. I'm not sure what those things are, but he said they're big news. And apparently, he said that he'd get La Sarah to come over as well. Seeing how your daughter is quite a fan like her amazing uncle."
I laughed and said, "You serious about that?"
"Oh, one hundred percent serious. I may have asked, but that's not important. What's important is that she's coming to see Mackie, and he needs to speak with all of us."
"Alright. I wonder what he plans on saying."
"Yeah, same. But I gotta go now. I need to haul this bear back to the cabin. I'll see ya soon, Dawson."
"You too. Bye."
I hung up and looked over at Mackie.
"What'd Logan say?" She asked.
"He said that Kelton has a surprise for you. A very big surprise."
Her face lit up as she jumped up and down. "He's getting me a car! I hope it's an old Mustang or a truck!"
"That'd be nice but you wouldn't be able to legally drive it until you turn 16."
"Okay. Is it a bigger surprise?"
"I don't know. Maybe it is. From what I hear, we're both in for a surprise."