“Why are they doing this to us?” Donna exclaimed and rubbed her temples as loud music blared over the holo-chat feed.
“Because Jessica stopped them from using rockets and artillery last night,” Peter reminded her and handed her a cup of coffee. “The FBI did the same thing to that group in Waco.”
“The credit should go to Apache tribal leadership,” Jessica disagreed. “They were the ones that went on TV.”
Peter shook his head in disbelief. “I have to admit, complaining about bombs starting forest fires was a pretty good tactic. Although, I think I preferred them to this racket.”
“Hey, this music’s fire!” Oliver bobbed along with the beat.
“It IS peak fire season,” Jessica pointed out, ignoring Oliver. “And it hasn’t rained for weeks. The risk is real, monsoon season can’t come soon enough. ”
“Fires are actually going to be a problem after Invasion day,” Blake cut in, snuggled within his sleeping bag for the nightly meeting. “Without electricity, more people are going to start them, and there won’t be any firemen to put them out when they get out of control.”
“Should we form a fire brigade for the town?” Donna loudly asked her son over the heavy metal.
“The town itself is fine,” Blake replied. “Nano infusion makes buildings resistant to fire, and the higher level they are, the more resistant. The real problem is the non-Collective buildings, and the dry brush around them. I don’t see how we can put out large fires until we have some mana users willing to learn water or earth spells, which are less useful in combat.”
“I’ll put it on the list for later,” Donna sighed as she added a line to her notebook. She had switched to paper records a few weeks prior, since Invasion day rapidly approached. There was no point in relying on a laptop. “Now that we have a steady source of nano, we can begin to upgrade bunk houses to level three again.”
“Good,” Jordan growled. “I need something to distract me. I’ve been sitting here all day, twiddling my thumbs, listening to that crap. Give me some good ole country music, please.”
“You and Brent have been working hard the last few weeks,” Donna said. “You both needed a break.”
Jordan disagreed. “What I need is a good night’s sleep, and I don’t think that’s going to happen now.”
“If it’s bad enough, we can always bring mattresses down to the basement,” Donna suggested. “I’m sure it’ll be quieter down there.”
“Most of the cells are filled with food,” Peter reminded her.
“There’s just five of us,” his mother argued. “We can squeeze in together for a little while. Speaking of squeezing in together, how are things going over in Payson, Jessica?”
“We had to pay off one of the locals to stay off the forest road and keep quiet, but so far we’re under the radar. The constructors just upgraded another bunkhouse to level two, so people have more room. In another few days, we should have plenty of space, then they can switch back to upgrading the prerequisite buildings for a level four faction hall, and completing the wall. ”
“How long will that take?” Blake asked.
“Before the faction hall is upgraded to level four?” Jessica clarified.
He nodded.
“If we focus entirely upon it, I estimate it could be completed the day before Invasion day.”
“How close are you to finishing your wall?” Blake asked.
“The level one wall should be completed within two days, sooner if we prioritize it,” the Vietnamese woman answered. “So far, it is the structure that has taken the longest to complete.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Your wall is twice the size of ours.”
Unlike Pinetop, Jessica’s town was not constrained by property lines. The Payson expansion was hidden in the forest near the Mogollon Rim, a half hour away from civilization. This meant that the walls could circle the town at the maximum range a level three faction hall allowed.
At level one, structures could not exist more than four hundred feet from the faction hall. This provided the town with eleven and a half acres of use. At level two, that doubled to eight hundred feet, and quadrupled the usable area.
Jessica’s town was level three, and she built her wall at the maximum distance allowed. The fortification circled the faction hall, twelve hundred feet away, on all sides. This barrier protected over one hundred acres of land, twice as much as Donna’s town.
Eventually, Blake had plans to expand their own wall, but that would have to wait until after Invasion day. For now, they would make due with their limited space.
“If I were you, I’d ignore all other buildings and focus entirely on the wall,” Blake advised. “Twenty feet of stone will keep almost every monster out.”
“And humans,” Oliver added helpfully as he continued to bob to the beat.
“Exactly,” Blake agreed.
Jessica sighed. “You make a good point. I had hoped to upgrade the bunkhouses to level three by Invasion day, to provide relief from the heat. However, our safety is paramount.” She smirked. “Montgomery will not be happy.”
“Isn’t he running scenarios during the day?” Blake asked.
“That does not prevent him from complaining,” she responded dryly.
Blake chuckled.
----------------------------------------
Blake stalked the Ursa at a distance of fifty feet, his bow at the ready. It would be his first kill of the day, and he was eager to earn more nano. Just as he began to charge his arrow with chi, he received a notification. Since he remained hidden, he decided to release the built-up energy and quickly checked his interface.
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Jessica Nguyen: Blake, I know you are busy, but we have an emergency on our hands. Are you able to meet with everyone over holo-chat in five minutes?
That’s not good.
Lord Blake Summers, Scion of Humanity: Sure.
Blake’s first instinct was to race back to the portal, but he had yet to even begin the level three scenario. If he rushed, it would take him an hour to complete it and be allowed back through the portal to Earth. Once he was back in Pinetop, he could be home within minutes.
Of course, that assumes the military doesn’t ambush me.
Surprisingly, he had not been fired upon even once since he knocked down the tower two days before. Each time he exited and reentered, he had just enough time to see what progress the military camp made. The tower was now completely disassembled, and they had moved their temporary structures to allow access for large vehicles.
Blake considered quickly taking out the Ursa in the distance, but decided to wait until he heard the news before he proceeded. With Adjustable Dampen Sound still active, he retreated from the Ursa and placed a large, stocky tree between himself and his target. Not long after, he received a holo-chat request from Jessica.
He accepted the call and the Vietnamese woman appeared before him in her office. Her frown concerned him, as she was usually upbeat. Almost immediately after, his family and friends appeared within the cookhouse. They sat around the table, but food had yet to be served.
Oliver yawned loudly and commented, “It’s too early.”
The music. It’s gone!
With a smile, Blake said, “I see they decided to stop playing music non-stop.”
For some reason, Jordan seemed embarrassed by the statement. Oliver on the other hand snorted. “Oh, they didn’t decide shit. It played all night long, and we got, like, no sleep. Finally, my man Jordan here,” he hooked his thumb to his left. “took matters into his own hands. He got that fifty cal sniper rifle, climbed up on the wall, and shot out every speaker. It was badass!”
Not a bad idea. I should’ve thought of that.
“Jordan, you didn’t by chance hit anyone with a stray bullet, did you?” Jessica asked warily.
The man in question shook his head and answered in his southern drawl, “No, ma'am. It was dark, but I lined my shots up right.”
Jessica closed her eyes and sighed. “Well, whether you hit anyone or not, the National Guard is claiming that we opened fire on them and one of their soldiers died as a result.”
“That’s bullshit!” Oliver blurted while Jordan frowned.
“They have a body,” Jessica informed him solemnly. “Whether that was a result of shrapnel from Jordan’s shots, or some accident of their own making, is irrelevant. They are claiming we are responsible, and no one is doubting them.”
Blake cursed.
“The President is capitalizing on this,” she continued. “He just released a statement which declared you as an ‘insurgent force’ within the United States, which must be dealt with immediately. He said the Insurrection Act of 1807 allows him to deploy the military on US soil to suppress insurrection and rebellion.”
“Uh, the military isn’t exactly subtle,” Peter noted. “Won’t people get hurt if they start bombing us?”
Jessica scrunched her nose. “Governor Willis has already declared martial law within the Pinetop area, and has begun to evacuate citizens. I don’t know what action the President will take, but he promised a ‘swift end to the crisis’.”
Blake groaned. “Looks like I’m coming back early.”
“Are you sure?” His mother asked. “Not that I don’t want you here, but what can you do against a fighter jet?”
“Bomber,” Brent corrected. “They’d send a B-52 and bomb us from fifty thousand feet.”
“Precisely my point,” Donna replied in annoyance.
“Nothing,” Blake admitted. “But, I doubt they’ll start with that. I can keep them from attacking on the ground, and if nothing else, I can kidnap some soldiers and hold them hostage. That might keep them from bombing the place.”
Peter shook his head. “I can’t believe it’s come to this.”
“I’m sorry,” Jordan apologized. “I just wanted some peace and quiet. I didn’t mean for anyone to die.”
Donna laid a hand on the somber man’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. We don’t even know if his death was your doing, we only have their word.”
“And we know that’s shit,” Oliver added.
Donna then turned to Jessica. “It's so frustrating being in the dark here. What is the media saying about all of this?”
“Most are reporting exactly what the government tells them to,” she replied.
Brent snorted. “No surprise there.”
“But some independent journalists are questioning why the government has such a distorted response,” Jessica continued, ignoring Brent. “Interesting enough, Jennifer Taylor has become one of your most ardent defenders. The ‘Domers’ have rallied around her. She questioned why you would go through so much trouble to save or spare their lives, to suddenly shoot a soldier dead.”
“I told you she was amazing,” Oliver beamed.
Blake rolled his eyes. “At least that’s something.”
“Unfortunately, she is in the minority,” Jessica replied. “Most are calling for the President to end the standoff.”
The room went quiet as they processed what that could mean. Finally, Blake broke the silence, “Give me an hour or two to finish this scenario. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Be safe,” his father told him.
Blake acknowledged his concern with a nod, and disconnected from holo-chat.
In the end, it took him just under an hour to eliminate every level three Ursa within the boundary. He forwent a reward, quickly left the portal, and braced himself for combat. To his surprise, when he exited the void, his feet landed upon the basket of an industrial boom lift.
That was fast.
Blake immediately leapt from the construction equipment and kept an eye on the soldiers below. Like before, they watched him warily, but refrained from opening fire.
Whatever. You don’t bother me, I won’t bother you.
Just before he hit the ground, he used a teleport charge to arrest his fall, and sprinted through the forest, down the large hill. A few minutes later, he emerged at the vacant grocery store parking lot.
They’re moving fast.
On his way to the portal, the lot had been packed, as it was the best view of the tower. Now, it was empty, and every store within eyesight was closed. For the first time since Blake went back in time, there were no moving vehicles on the highway.
Is it wrong that I kind of prefer it this way?
Blake ignored the sense of déjà vu, and continued his journey to his faction. Five minutes later, he jumped over a privacy fence, crossed another field, and arrived at the back side of the town wall. With the aid of a teleport, he landed atop a merlon, stepped off it, and raced along the battlement. When he finally reached the entrance to their town, he leapt atop another merlon and observed the land below.
Where did they all go?
There was no longer an encampment before him. The national guard was nowhere to be seen, the FBI was gone, as were the people in the field beyond. Off in the distance, he heard a distant blast, but saw no sign of military equipment. A few minutes later, he heard a whistling sound. It grew progressively louder, and Blake craned his neck to locate the source.
There!
Above him, a pinpoint grew larger until it finally revealed itself as a rocket just as it impacted the shield above. A large explosion temporarily blocked his view, yet the shockwave did not reach him.
Blake smirked.
Gonna have to do better than that.
Suddenly, he heard multiple soft blasts, from what must have been miles away. Again, a few minutes later, he heard whistling. Shortly thereafter, at least fifteen rockets impacted the barrier simultaneously.
Again, the shield easily rebuffed the attack.
I bet they’re watching through a satellite.
Blake waved cheekily to the sky.
The next salvo was different. This time, the familiar distant blasts repeated every few seconds for almost a minute straight. Blake expected the rockets to land in staggered intervals, but was taken by surprise.
Holy shit!
Over two hundred rockets converged from different angles, which would impact the shield simultaneously. At the sight, Blake swallowed and reflexively braced himself for impact. A moment later, the entire shield lit up, blindly bright.