“To say that the world changed after the first invasion…is not a lie, but an exaggeration. The day the first antipodes landed in Ohio, people in Florida were still cursing the sun, and farmers in Europe were complaining about sudden changes in weather. , Asian shares fell again, prompting forecasters to worry that bush fires are starting again in Australia.
"It took over six hours for a real alien invasion to make international news, and even then, people still claimed it was a hoax and moved on with their lives. How should South African store clerks treat aliens in the United States? Haha
"The world changes at its own pace, but it is always changing." - Excerpted from "The Decline and Rise of Mankind" ***
Simmons neglected the distribution of ammunition just as volunteers neglected the distribution of snacks. The metaphor became even more apt when I saw the eager expressions on all the security guards' faces.
It turns out that it does take bullets to get into a man's heart.
"Okay, what can you tell me?" I asked the team leader. "So far, do you have any plans besides holding on here? Are there other shelters as big as the one above?"
Simon snorted. "The building was supposed to be brand new and state-of-the-art, but corners were cut. The shelters were supposed to open months ago but have been stagnant. The money was invested in some fancy features on the roof The AA system is in trouble.”
"Is there a fancy air defense system on the roof?" I asked. I thought I would have heard something similar happen then. "You gotta be because I didn't notice shit."
He nodded, then shook his head. "It's there, just inactive. If I could open it remotely, then I'd get everyone here and get a few buses ready to go. Let it distract the aliens and let us escape."
"I don't like the way you look at me," I told the man.
A cold look flashed in his eyes. "We're stuck here unless you can clear a path from here to where the army's front line is. No offense though, you're looking a little green."
I wrinkled my nose in disgust but had to give it to him. "Okay. So what is the AA system?"
"Look, this is a hunch, an idea. But if you can get to it and turn it on and then come back, we can activate it from here and get out. It's pretty effective, it should be said. Lasers and railguns and all that. By the South Made by some samurai.”
"That's a good choice," I said. I had other ideas in mind, but I wasn't going to go looking for rent-a-cops. "I'm going to get the kids upstairs. We're going to get out of this place anyway, so, you know, get everyone ready for that."
He nodded. "Fair enough. Do you want me to send a few kids with you?"
"No," I said. Seeing the two puppets fawning over the gun just now, I almost trembled with nausea. "I'll take care of it myself. I think most of the aliens are from down there, so we should be fine."
He nodded. "Don't die."
"Same," I said. I rolled my eyes in response to his salute and headed for the door.
A bunch of idiots were busy pushing an overturned hover car towards the door. Not too heavy, I guess, but enough to make walking painful.
"Hey!" I yelled. "I need that door."
Everyone looked at each other, and then selected a leader with their eyes, a familiar leader. Brand stepped forward, smiling as if in victory. "I'm sorry. Are you going out again?" In the end, he didn't hide his nervousness very well.
"There's a group of kids a few floors up. I'm going to get them here before we plot our escape," I said.
"Ah, can't they take care of themselves?" he asked.
I stared at him for a while, wondering if he was an idiot or a heartless bastard. snort
"You keep that door open or I'll open a new door when I come back and no one will be happy."
"Yes, yes," he said. "Do you want someone to go with you?"
"I like company, but not you," I said as I walked past him.
Although all samurai are almost universally worshiped, they are also quite terrifying to ordinary people. There are no laws to bind them, most governments are willing to overlook a few broken skulls of a useful samurai, and most legions, arguably more powerful than some governments, would stoop down to lick a samurai's shoes.
I worked my jaw as I stepped into the stairwell and began to ascend one step at a time.
People are already acting like I'm more than just Katherine, which is kind of exciting, weird, and frankly disturbing.
"Is every samurai like this?" I asked.
Vanguard operates companies that act in the interests of humanity. Once a person becomes a pioneer, our interference is light and no AI will take action to harm their master other than providing information.
As I continued climbing, I moved my shoulders. "I guess that's reassuring."
If that's not enough to help you shake off your blues, I might suggest taking some stimulants.
I laughed. "Get out of here McAllis."
