“What the opposing sides do with the bodies of those they take away is a hotly debated issue that the few remaining governments have worked hard to suppress.
They're having trouble doing this, which is a good thing, isn't it? "
—Random internet commentator, commenting on live footage of an active antagonist biofactory
***
The nun was the first to react. She fell to her knees and clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Forgive me, saint, I didn't... I'm sorry. Please forgive me," she begged, lowering her neck again and again, like one of those little waterpecker toys.
Awkward. In fact, it's downright weird. "Hey, yeah, no, nothing like that. I'm not a saint."
The nun girl raised her head, her eyes filled with confusion and awe. "Aren't you a member of the Vanguard?" she asked.
I put my hand on my stomach where it hurt. Wou
The dStop was dripping and leaking, the rubber material melting away, leaving only cool skin. It looks as strange as it feels. "I guess," I muttered. "Damn, this feels so gross."
(Nano-regenerative treatments will get you back to a better place, but you should still be careful not to re-injure yourself. Additionally, the likelihood of cancer cells developing in these areas increases by an order of magnitude.)
"What?" I hissed. I raised my hand. “It’s not you,” I said, pointing to the side of my head. "My... voice... you know, pretend I didn't say anything, okay?"
"As you wish," the nun said.
The bald man took a step back, looking ready to run away. I don't know what brought her to her knees, the objects that magically appeared around me or the voice I mentioned in my head. Either way, he's trying to do the smart thing.
The nun girl stood up much faster and grabbed the bald man's arm. "You're going to stay here until the saint fires you," she said.
The bald guy didn't seem to like this, but I had more important things to worry about.
"What's going on with the cancer?" I asked Mialis.
Worry is unnecessary. When enough cancer cells grow to become a problem, you either die or accumulate enough points that the problem becomes trivial.
"cat?"
I froze, then raised my head and met Lucy's bright blue eyes. Some of them were in tears, and her hands were clasped against her chest, as if she might be hit at any moment. I imagined what she would look like. I was gone for a while, and when I came back, I was...well, I was still me, but I was also supposed to be one percent of the one percent. "Lucy," I said.
"Are you dying?" she asked.
It felt like a balloon had exploded in my chest. There was no finger-pointing, no accusations, no feeling of betrayal. She was just worried. "I'm fine now," I said. "I, ah, got stabbed a little bit."
"But are you okay now?" she asked.
"It's like rain," I said. "Except for cancer, but that's a side effect."
"Cancer?" she hissed.
I waved. "It's all good. I have magical powers and can solve any problem with money. Ha." I jumped up with a smile and quickly hugged her. I stopped next to her head. "I can fix yours too," I whispered.
Lucy pushed me away angrily. "Not now," yes, you must control your desires, ha, now your movements are flowing up and down! she says. "We have a lot to worry about besides me. The kittens..."
"Yeah," I said.
I looked at the group responsible for solving all this trouble. They looked at me the same way. Damn it. "What do we do?" the teacher-type woman asked.
I licked my lips. Even Bald Man is waiting for me to come up with something. I didn't ask for anything. Nor would I ask for stupid power. "Yes yes. We can't stay here. I don't think. Well. God, Mialis, can we stay here?"
I'm afraid I can't observe anything beyond what your own body and your equipment is picking up. On the other hand, I can model and simulate the possible movements of opposing groups. This looks so blurry.
This won't always be the case. If you're close to the center of the landing site, your position will be occupied before nightfall as opponents begin to search for creatures. By this time tomorrow, this part of the city may no longer be habitable.
"Damn. Well, we can't stay here. We need to get out. This building is connected to a few other buildings. Maybe there's a way to run."
"Madam," said the nun. "I checked in on the church bus. There are twenty seats and we can probably fit more."
"Where is the car parked?" I asked. "external?"
She shook her head. "Ma'am, it's three floors down."
I suppressed a shiver in my back. This girl was probably my age, maybe a little older. She was acting dismissive a minute ago, and frankly, I prefer it when she looks at me in awe, like I'm about to unleash a bouquet of flowers and world-saving elixir at the same time.
"Okay, okay, yeah," I said. "this is a good idea."
"Will you kill every alien we encounter?" Baldy asked.
I swallowed. Can I do this? "I'll definitely try it," I said. I turned the hummingbird over, held it by the barrel, and thrust it into the hands of the sportsman who rushed to my side. "Can you figure out how to attach this to your rig?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah, sure," he said.
"Okay. Okay. I'm just a girl," I said.
"But you are a saint," the nun said.
"But I'm still the only one. There are a lot of people you need to take care of." They nodded, as if I was spouting nonsense.
I just want to keep my friends and kittens safe. Beyond that, it's hard to say anything else. "I'll get the kitten ready to go," Lucy said. She squeezed my hand twice and walked away, the cane clicking.
"By the way, okay, the team is ready to go. Nun, please stay with me for a while, okay?"
Then I did as I said. The nun girl came closer. "Yes, saint...please forgive me, I don't know your name."
"I'm Katherine. No saint shit. I'd appreciate your help" I said.
She nodded. "You were chosen, you are the most important."
I blinked. In fact, this girl was... probably pretty normal for someone like her. "Hmm. Look, I need to know where that bus of yours is. Directions to get there and stuff."
“We took the elevator up from the parking lot,” she said.
I frowned. The power has begun to flicker. "Is it big enough for all of us?"
"Elevator? No, I don't think so."
"No, car!" I said. "We're taking the stairs. Can some of you help those who are injured?"
"It would be an honor for us," she said.
"Cool, cool. Let's move out as soon as possible," I said.
"Where's the body?" she asked.
I stopped. "What about them?"
"If we don't burn them..."
Then aliens will use these corpses. on the other hand. "There's two, maybe three aliens around, not ten minutes wasted. No, we're going to move on."
"As you wish, saint." She bowed lightly and turned to leave.
"Hey, by the way, what's your name?" I asked.
"It's Mary," she said.
"Thanks, Mary," I said. "Then let go of the saint thing."
That girl is very nice. But it still creeps me out.
