165 Rebuilding

"Rebuild…this city? Haven?" said the ex-policeman. He rubbed his ear. "I think it might be time for a hearing aid. Everyone else heard him, right? He wants to build up Haven again?"

"Yeah, that's what he said," said the younger policeman.

"You have my thanks for saving us and the city," said the retired policeman. "But up there, the reality is that there is no more city. No more Haven."

"There's still enough of it for me to work with," said Aldrich. "You might see nothing but waterlogged rubble and broken streets, but I still see Haven. A place you all can still call home if you're willing to stay here and help me with it."

Silence descended upon the crowd as they looked at each other. Aldrich had just issued a call to action, asking those willing to stay and help rebuild if they wanted. But even if most of the people here had called Haven home for most of their lives, the image of the city above so desolate and destroyed was still seared into their minds.