Since the old Overseer was defeated, life within the undersea vault had bloomed into something resembling normalcy for the vault dwellers.
As I walked the corridors between Hestia and Hermes, I was now able to truly admire the view.
Vault dwellers came and went now, and I would often engage them in conversation when convenient.
I could tell everyone appreciated that I was willing to hold a conversation with them. Some of them initially acted like they were afraid I'd put them under my boot or something.
But now things are very harmonious... It didn't hurt that I had made several fermenting and brewing stations and opened a bar.
The Last Drop. Named after a bar from another work of fiction I liked in my past life.
Well, the bar became instantly popular, as one might guess. The swill they passed around before I arrived was equal to toilet hooch in my eyes. It may have actually been that.
I walked up the staircase in Hermes until I reached the third level, then walked a short distance and entered through a door.
Inside, the smell of cigarette smoke and the sounds of conversation and laughter saturated the atmosphere. A stark contrast to the way things were before.
Several pool tables lined one side of the room. People surrounded those tables or watched as some drunken "expert" showed them how it was done.
I approached the bar as people made way for me.
"Ayyyy, it's the Overseer!"
"Yayy!"
"Drinks on you again, Boss?"
I just smirked. "You wish. Even I don't drink for free. Why should you?"
Everyone laughed and went back to doing their thing as I sat at the bar. It was a running gag because drinks were, in fact, free for everyone.
The only limit was the rate of supply. But the crops came in regularly and in excess anyway, so there was always more to be brewed. The only rule was that alcohol had to be consumed in the bar and only after work hours.
The ratio of work and play was balanced. As all things should be.
Tap Tap
I tapped the bar twice, and a cold mug of beer was placed in front of me.
"Long day, Bossman?"
I picked up the mug and chugged half of it on the spot. With a satisfied sigh, I set the mug back down. "You could say that."
Alexandria was one of five candidates I had chosen to manage the bar. She beat them all out not only with her skill in making drinks but also because she was the only one who tried to take the initiative when presented with an opportunity.
The other candidates didn't question my choices for how the bar should be run. They only nodded and hoped I'd pick them.
Alexandria, on the other hand, criticized me, explained how she would do things, and told me how she could make it better.
I put her in charge on the spot.
Two of the other four worked for her now, while the others were placed in jobs more suited to them.
"Is it true? You're sending your little army out on a conquest?" the mature redheaded bar boss teased as she asked me.
"It's not a conquest," I answered. "We are retrieving resources we will need before we can begin planning a presence on the mainland."
"Oh, sounds exciting~ Bring me back a souvenir." Her words were spoken playfully.
"Do you want a mutated lizard? Or perhaps you want a decapitated head on a spike? Those are the wasteland specialties, after all," I said, teasing her back. "Take your pick."
Her face paled for a moment. "No. No, I'll pass on all that. Don't you dare bring stuff like that back! That's horrible."
"I agree. And it's exactly those types of things that I am actively trying to change." I chugged the rest of my beer and then smiled.
But Alexandria decided to pivot the conversation to something she deemed juicier.
"Well, I've noticed a change myself lately. It seems our little Lady has bloomed into a woman. She was practically glowing the last time I saw her," she said while wiggling her eyebrows.
I just brought the mug back to my lips and looked off into the distance.
"No kiss and tell?" she teased again.
"You already know since you were the one who pushed her. And gave her those scandalous ideas." I looked at her with judgment.
I spent that night enjoying good company. The Last Drop was a lively place, and it was a great place for me to deepen my bonds with my people.
When I had enjoyed myself enough, I returned to Poseidon. In the morning, I would be taking the bathysphere upstairs and handing out missions to the cadets. Then I would be leaving the island for a bit as well.
And unfortunately... one small child would also be coming along.
I couldn't risk something happening with her when I wasn't around. She hadn't had an outburst since the first, and her conscious use of the power was... lacking.
But the power was definitely in her. Which was why, to prevent a tragedy in case something triggered her, she would be by my side on this trip.
One of the stops was an amusement park for kids anyway where we will meet back up with the cadets. It was going to be a fun trip perfectly suitable for bringing children...
<><><><><><><><>
The bathysphere rose steadily as Elizabeth and I waited to reach the surface.
At the top, we stepped out into the bathysphere chamber, and the vault door opened in front of us.
Elizabeth had been out on Acheron Island before. She had come to love running under the open sky and was excited to be out again.
All the residents were allowed to come up and enjoy the island, but most had lost interest since, currently, there was only the Cerberus headquarters building, where the bathysphere was located, and some training facilities that I had created for the cadets.
As we exited the vault door, Lady was already waiting at attention for me to arrive. Dressed in her bodysuit, she looked amazing as usual.
"Lady!" Elizabeth shouted in excitement and waved.
"Good morning, Elizabeth," Lady stated succinctly. "And good morning, Sir."
I nodded and smiled. "Good morning, Lady."
I began walking down the hall, and Lady and Elizabeth fell into step.
The facility that had once been a decaying research institute for marine life had transformed into a clean, multipurpose facility.
I had repurposed the building and transformed it into a proper headquarters. There were now barracks, an armory, a gym, a shooting range, and everything I could think to build that would be used now or in the future.
We had clean water and working plumbing, as well as a power supply we were currently severely underutilizing.
We approached a door in the hallway and then entered.
As we stepped into the room, a voice yelled out, "Attention!"
This was followed by the stomping of boots in unison.
The one who yelled was Jonny, who stood near the front of the 20 cadets, who were now lined up with their hands behind their backs, standing ramrod straight.
"At ease," I said as I took my place at a podium in the front of the room. Lady and Elizabeth stood to the side and watched.
The cadets relaxed at my words but kept their attention on me.
"Three months you have trained. And each of you has made astonishing progress. You are all still insects... but at least now you are coordinated insects."
I'm running a boot camp, not a daycare, so I don't mince my words with them.
"You still have much to learn, and graduation from insects to something useful is still a ways off for you..."
I paused for a moment, letting the silence catch their attention more than my words could.
"...However, today is a special day. Today, you will begin receiving practical experience."
No one looked surprised, but there was some excitement on their faces.
"Captain of Division One, Jonny Frost, step forward!"
I had been surprised when I learned Jonny's last name. It was one of those coincidences that made me question fate, since the person who had just become my left hand had the last name Frost, while mine was Winter.
If this were Westeros, people might assume he was my bastard.
Jonny stepped forward in front of me, then balled his right fist and brought it up to his chest as if stabbing himself in his own heart. This was our organization's salute.
I pulled a folder out of my inventory and presented it to him.
"Your assignment. Make Cerberus proud and come back safe."
Jonny accepted the folder and bowed his head. "Thanks, Boss."
He flashed a cheeky smile before stepping back and returning to his perpetually serious looking expression.
"Captain of Division Two, Markus Cole, step forward!"
A young black man with a flat-top haircut stepped up to me and stopped. He performed the salute and then waited for me to address him.
"Captain Cole, you will be responsible for the safety of your men on this assignment. Do not fail them, yourself, or Cerberus, and of course, come back safely."
I handed a new folder to him.
He subtly smiled and received the folder. "Thank you, Commander," he said before falling back into his place in front of his division.
Mark showed exceptional talent for hand-to-hand and melee combat, and his athleticism was near the top among his peers.
However, what made him captain material was his easygoing personality, his team-oriented mindset, and his ability to think dynamically on the fly.
He was a talent worth cultivating.
I then shifted my attention to the last remaining division currently established.
"Captain of Division Three, Reina Walker, step forward."
A young woman of Hispanic descent with a lean frame stepped forward and performed the salute. She had caramel-colored skin and dark hair that was pulled back into a tight bun. A pair of round eyeglasses rested comfortably on her nose.
"Captain Walker, your division is counting on you to not only complete this assignment and bring glory to Cerberus, but also to bring them home safely," I said sternly before cracking a comforting smile.
"Here is your assignment."
I handed the folder to her.
"Thank you, Commander!" She flashed a wide, toothy smile before getting back to her place.
Reina was an odd pick for division captain. Her physical scores were among the lowest, and her eyesight was bad, but she was a natural-born tactician.
Not only that, she was technologically literate and very well-read. Well... at least with the limited number of books that were left in the library in Hermes Dome.
I saw the possibility of a Science Division with her. With the hope that I could one day have a team of science-oriented operatives that I could deploy to handle the finer things that required finesse.
And so her division would be special in that I had authorized the use of robotic assets that could be deployed for use in their assignments.
The other divisions would only have robotic assets deployed at Reina's discretion.
In other words, I didn't want to be bothered, so I passed the buck to her.
Heh.
With the assignments passed out, I had only one thing left to say.
"These assignments are important for the rise of Cerberus, but always remember that we are fighting for humanity's future. We are the ones who act because no one else will. We are the architects and masters of our own destiny!
"And when you venture onward and bear witness to the devastation brought about by the greed of men who had too much ambition and not enough compassion for their fellow kin, you will come to truly understand the necessity of our mission."
I raised both arms into the air dramatically and rallied the cadets with my final proclamation.
"FOR HUMANITY! FOR CERBERUS! FOR THE IMPERIUM OF MAN!"
"""Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!"""
The cadets stomped and let out a battle cry, completely fired up for their upcoming mission.
For youths like them, you give them camaraderie, a sense of belonging, and a purpose, and they would gut their own mothers for your cause.
I looked over the excited cadets and thought, 'Nailed it like the fucking Romans.'