“The last federal police force collapsed weeks before the government itself. Instead, individual states, new state-national alliances, and city-states hired private companies to take charge of law enforcement. The incidence, professionalism, and level of corruption in these cases All are different.
"They are still the better option. Others disagree and want to restore government control over law enforcement. But with much of the budgets of most new North American countries being devoted to reconstruction and rearmament efforts, this is unlikely to happen. "
——"The Rise of the Mall Cop", published in late 2037
***
I don't know what to do with myself, unfortunately this is very common.
There are so many things to do and you don’t know which one to focus on. I have to figure out what all these people are planning to do, and then I have to check on the kids upstairs and escort them down, and then...then we'll see.
There must have been two or three hundred people in the parking lot. Most of them gathered in small groups near pillars and parked cars. Mostly office workers, with a few kids mixed in, and a few robots who seemed overwhelmed. I even saw drone robots circling near the far end. It's amazing that anyone bothered to keep this robot active for so long.
The group next to them looked important, a man in a security uniform with knee pads and a vest talking to several other people who looked like teachers. He barked his orders, his growling voice heard from where I was.
I was about to walk over, but was stopped by three or two people. Sue me, the orphanage only plays uncopyrighted movies and shows.
"Hey, miss," said the fatter of the two. "That's a good gun, but I'm afraid you need to hand it over."
I looked him up and down, from his confident, shit-eating smile to the ruffled jumpsuit with the logo on his shoulders. Mall police, only the best. He had a gun strapped to his hip, a weird thing with a light that looked like a laser pointer with a tiny scope on it, all matte black. It matches his tactical bulletproof vest.
His partner was taller, slimmer, and similarly dressed, but his tank top failed to hide his paunch.
"I don't think so," I said.
"This is for your safety and the safety of others," he said. His smile turned ugly. "Don't want us to confiscate it."
"Look, asshole," I whispered. I made sure not to reach for the gun, I wasn't bulletproof yet. "I need to talk to your boss over there to coordinate things, and then I'm leaving."
"After you give us your gun and we search you, you can leave. Don't make our lives difficult."
I licked my lips and cursed the little guy in my mind. "Myalis, is there any way to announce who I am?" I asked.
"My name is not Maya, kid," the man said.
certainly. Do you want me to hack the local server and announce your presence? I'm afraid it's irreversible, but it might help. Most human interest groups understand the value of the vanguard.
"Go ahead," I said.
The man in front tilted his head and looked into my ear. "You were talking to someone-"
Everyone in the room paused, and the discussion ceased for the time being. I see old school phones vibrating and eyes go glazed over as people look at screens I can't see.
Then every eye in the room turned to me.
The puppets in front all took a few steps back, their faces a little pale.
"Mialis, what did you send them?" I hissed.
Your current profile and personality.
"Can I watch it?" I asked. It looks disturbing.
System-wide warning
Pioneer Cat is here to save the world!
"Why pink?!" I asked. Then I stared at my picture, grinned, and gave the audience a thumbs up. It’s not even an official photo, but a gif that plays on a loop. "When did you get it?"
I created a simulation of your appearance based on observed reflections, public profile images, and local camera images. Getting your model to pose the way you want is easy. ha.
"This is so embarrassing," I said. The gaze took on a whole new meaning. I think half of them thought it was some kind of prank.
"Please change it."
very good. I would try to create something more serious and appropriate for your site.
Everyone frowned again.
"For fuck's sake," I whispered. "Show me first next time."
oh. You just have to ask!
System-wide warning
All operations within 2517 Trudeau Avenue -2 to 12 are now controlled by this stray cat. Follow her instructions or risk losing your stamina or money!
Current Pioneer Profile:
Alias: cat
Age: Restricted
Combat readiness status: high
Number of kills: Category
major:
-Kinetic firearms
- Medical utilities
"Are you just going to embarrass me like this?" I wanted to know.
Yes!
I felt my eyes twitching.
The guy who looked like the security chief stomped his foot at me and saluted me. "Are you a cat?" he asked.
"You guess so," I said. Now is not the time for fooling around. "Are you the person in charge here?"
"As much as I can," he said. "Do you have any orders?"
"Honestly, no. Tell me what you need and I'll try to provide it. Can't stay here forever. There's a big group of people two floors up. I'm going to escort them here. We think we can fly away on a hover bus here."
"Well..." He paused and licked his lips, not seeming to like the idea. "Our agreement is to stay and protect this building, its residents and workers until we can breathe a sigh of relief."
I snorted. "Have you seen this city? The only relief you can find is in the tomb. If you can reach the tomb instead of the alien's stomach." I shook my head. "There's no way to live here anymore."
He frowned. "If you say so, ma'am."
"Ma'am?" I asked.
He shrugged. "All samurai are granted the rank of captain by default. Technically, you rank higher than me."
I blinked. "Well, damn, that's convenient. Do you need a gun or something?"
"We have quarantine zones set up for crowd control. Rubber bullets don't do much against aliens. We do have some real guns, but not enough for my guys here, and even less for those who volunteer to help. Less. We plan to clear the building soon and get everyone on this floor, but I can’t do that with a peashooter. Huh!”
I bit my lip and thought about it. "Can your rubber bullet gun shoot ordinary bullets?" I asked. I wish I knew more about guns so I could know without asking. "Also, do you have a name?"
"Simmons, and... yes, we should be able to." He pulled the gun from his holster, yanked the magazine out, and pulled the bullets out of the gun. He showed it to me, a copper casing with a black tip. "These things are designed to hurt, not kill. The charge per bullet is lower, but it's a standard nine millimeter round. We can fire regular bullets, but our slides can explode. Our guns suck, I Don’t want to approach those beasts with a baton, no matter how much they pay me.”
"Okay," I said, taking his gun and twisting it around. "Myalis, is there any ammo available? Or would it be better to just give them new guns?"
A box of standard ninemm bullets, if the charge is slightly reduced, you'll lose a point.
I raised an eyebrow. "How many bullets are there?"
five hundred. Their lethality will be reduced, but they will be effective against lower-ranked exotics.
"Shit," I said. "At that price, uh, I'm twenty-seven?"
Who are you.
"Give me two boxes, uh, three fox fang guns."
New Purchase: Foxteeth Model D x 3
Points reduced to... 12
New Purchase: 9mm Reduced Load Ammo - 500 x2 Box
Score reduced to... 10
Boxes started to appear around my feet and I saw Simon's eyes sparkle with pure joy. I don't like giving up that many points, but it's probably worth it to make a good impression.
