"The Protectors are doing a good thing for humanity and America. I'm a big fan of these guys, always have been. I think aliens are really cool. It goes without saying that with the weapons easily available to these so-called Vanguards, Basically, these aliens can easily wipe out humans. Heroic Past, haha, a must.
Some people yell but they have no evidence that this is what these aliens want to do! This is a lie!
I think we should look at how many people they saved - a lot of people, and it bothers me that we didn't save them ourselves - but we will, because maybe these aliens are our friends. These aliens saved many lives.
With their help, America will become such a wonderful place. "
——Excerpted from a briefing by a former U.S. president, January 2021
***
My shoes sounded loud on the steps. Even my calm, shallow breathing seemed to echo in the stairwell.
So nervous? I looked down between the handles. The door below was closed and there was nothing there.
I was alone, in a building, and surrounded by some aliens who just wanted to eat me, and not in a fun way. ha
The kittens I left behind were waiting near the stairway entrance until I returned or an hour passed. It slowed us down a lot, but it also meant we didn't have to deal with a horde of screaming kids if an alien appeared around the corner.
I licked my lips. "Hey, do you think you could sing something?" I whispered.
I'm afraid not. I guess I can hum? But I was not born with musical talent. Is music something you’re interested in right now?
"No. I mean, I listen to a little bit of everything, but I can't play an instrument and I don't like any bands," I said. I’m not going to discuss teen band obsessions while artificial intelligence rides inside my head. "So, uh, built, eh?"
"Yeah, you live in my head, don't you? You might as well sing."
I reached the bottom of the stairwell and came to the door. Inside there is a small rectangular glass covered with a layer of mesh. I glanced inside and saw a hallway with gray walls, an exposed ceiling, and cheap tiles on the floor. No aliens, no humans, nothing exciting except a few posters on the wall and some hastily discarded trash on the floor.
I just turned into a custom artificial intelligence. It is for the vanguard of humanity to assist you and prepare Earth for a full-scale enemy invasion.
I paused as I reached for the handle. "Full size? They've been beating us since...hell, since before I was born."
Enemies are reconnaissance and exploratory small attacks. They have the ability to become a complete hive, but are still relatively easy to remove.
A single low-yield nuclear weapon could clear up most sores. Humans have done this before. A full-scale invasion will involve a force of opposing organisms that outnumber interstellar satellites.
"They didn't tell us that," I said.
I am not affiliated with any government. What they feel is necessary to censor has nothing to do with me or my AI brothers and sisters.
I took a shallow breath. "Yeah, great," I said. I pulled the door open, held it steady with my foot, and pulled my trench machine out from behind.
Nothing jumped out of the shadows.
I started moving slowly. The building has more or less stairwells behind each elevator bank, which means walking through half a floor to get to the next elevator. Fortunately, the parking lot is located behind this level. If there are no aliens around, then we can go home. A little excited.
I am the creator and protector who can help mankind repel the alien invasion. Although we haven't seen their real gun-wielding warriors yet.
But the cost to our infrastructure will be huge. Therefore; must be promoted.
"You need soldiers," I whispered.
No, the numbers are in our favor. We can and probably will defeat the largest alien fleet. The problem is logistics. If Earth was invaded once a year, stationing a defensive fleet would be necessary. This fleet could also be used elsewhere. If humans learned to protect themselves, fewer resources would be devoted to defense. The policy towards primitive races has always been observation and protection. Alien Attack changes that.
"Aren't you just a group of saints?" I said.
I do not think so. New cultures, ways of thinking, and even species are interesting, but that's about it. It's easier to take some humans and relocate them than to protect an undeveloped world like Earth. But this would go against the moral code that protectors live by. The weak must be protected.
"Weird code," I said, raising my gaze to the ceiling. I don't like those pipes and the shadows behind them, and the dirt❗
It's that code that chooses you. In order to protect others, you put yourself at great risk. You get the chance to become a pioneer warrior. Now you are better equipped to protect more of your fellow humans.
There are some holes in Miyalis's argument. If they could provide me with such good equipment, why not handle the invasion myself? But that's for later. If those weird, omnipotent aliens just want to give us toys so we can solve our problems on our own, that's their prerogative.
Ahead is a four-way intersection. I slowed down and took gentle steps, shifting my weight from side to side to keep my steps quiet. I may look like an idiot, but I am a living idiot now. ha.
I reached the intersection and stared. There are some maintenance yellow signboards in the front corridor. To the left are some smaller, cheaper offices and to the right is the quickest route to the next stairwell. It should also go through a small area with shops, cafes and rubbish. People who work in the building can get something to eat or something there.
I move to the right.
Soon I came to two double doors, one of which was ajar. In fact, it was kicked off by a boot.
"Ah, shit," I muttered.
