CHAPTER 132: Authority
Colonel Davian waited at the west gate of the obsidian walls that surrounded the three-mile diameter of the main part of their base. The walls rose thirty feet high and were manned by thousands of troops and volunteers. They had people spread out all over the wall, watching the skies and ground in all directions, aware that invaders might show at any time.
The inside of the base was crowded since they had sounded the evacuation when the Sentinel Army had left, bringing in the surrounding people inside the walls. Most non-combat or support people were in the new underground layers that Lashtam and Jordan had added.
It was a measure of how safe everyone had been feeling that only around 54% of the people living in the city had bothered to heed the alarms. The colonel would need to make sure they did more to impress upon the people, and quickly, the importance of withdrawing. Based on the radio messages from the transport team, there was one doozy of a battle happening in the north.
Of course, those who had already encountered the invaders, or who had been brought to Jackson from other places were quick and thorough in their evacuation. They knew the dangers and had already given up their homes and lives to seek safety here.
Alongside Davian stood another 200 soldiers, all US Army. They arrayed themselves to the sides of the base entrance and the roads, ready to follow commands, whether it be to fight or flee. They were all experienced thanks to the invader base raids, familiar with fighting with their skills. Each man and woman were in the second half of Tier 2 with their class evolution.
The colonel himself was a bit lower, but he still had a respectable level 18 in the second tier. He knew he needed to keep his levels rising to maintain a leadership position while also recognizing that the focus of his work was oversight and operations rather than direct combat. His original class had been [Warrior] but upon evolution he had received one called [Unit Commander] that he had taken. It focused on awareness, supporting, and positioning, though he was confident in winning a solo fight against someone comparable to his level.
Exhaust was rising from trucks coming down the main road that led into the base. There were four gates but currently this was the only one they had opened, and even now the gate was only wide enough to allow a single person to walk through at a time. There was also a mechanism in place to drop a slab of the obsidian over the entrance to reinforce it should danger arrive. Davian wouldn’t be caught unprepared if he could help it.
This time he knew the oncoming vehicles belonged to the Sentinel Army. They had radioed ahead with the news while carrying those they had gone to rescue.
The colonel was feeling conflicted as he saw the vehicle coming. He believed in Adam’s mission to save humanity. Rescuing and protecting mattered. However, he also knew how adding more authority figures and forces could destabilize things.
Currently Adam was in charge due to his strength and accomplishments. Everyone in Jackson knew of him and knew what he had done to keep them safe. An external group coming in wouldn’t have the same shared experiences or feelings.
With time, Davian figured things could be worked out, reasoned, and accepted. He just wasn’t sure how much time this new group would allow to be integrated. They had suffered more than the people of Jackson, who had been protected even before the invaders came.
So, the colonel stood and waited. The joy at finding another sizable group of humans that had survived and fought back was held at bay by his concern over how Jackson’s successful dynamics would be affected.
Before the lead truck reached him, it pulled to the side and allowed a military transport that was part of the line of vehicle to come to the front. It was like an armored bus, able to fit around 30 people uncomfortably. It stopped fifty feet from the wall. When the door opened, quite a few people filed out.
He could tell they were soldiers by the way they stood and moved. They searched the surroundings to make sure it was safe, menacing any possible dangers with stained bone weapons. Scraps of clothing and untreated animal skins were wrapped around them. A few had layered bones protecting various areas. These men were all approaching level 30.
Once they had accepted the safety of the area, one called into the transport and Davian watched as several officers came out of the transport. They also looked around, taking in the surroundings. The wall elicited quite a few whispered comments, but they also spent time pointing to the intact buildings and the good conditions of the roads.
By the time the officers were settled, they cleared a path and out came the general. He carried himself tall, also looking around. His hair and beard were trimmed close to his skin, a different hairstyle from the last time Davian had seen him.
However, if Davian hadn’t known he was coming then he would never have recognized the man. He was filthy. Sweat and grime covered his face. Already in his 60s with wrinkles, the man looked even further worn with dark circles under his eyes and weathering on his skin. His clothes seemed crafted from patches of animal skins stitched around his limbs and torso.
Though his skin and face looked even older than his age, the man’s posture and movements would have fitted a much younger person. He had strength and steadiness. His legs carried him effortlessly and moved in a way that would allow him to spring into action when needed.
“Fredericks! So good to see you again,” the general exclaimed, using the colonel’s first name. The voice carried a forced friendliness to it, alertness and curiosity mixed underneath. As he approached, his eyes only briefly touched on Davian, spending more time jumping around to the surroundings. It seemed obvious how on edge the man was. A coiled snake ready to strike.
More soldiers had come out from the gate behind him, and everyone, whether lined along the street, standing next to the colonel, or on the walls, stood at attention and saluted the general.
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The colonel felt another presence step close to his side, and he glanced down to see Elouise with him. Her face was passive and calm, but he could see her hands trembling as they held each other in front of her. Davian swallowed hard, feeling for her.
“Ah, Mrs. Gervin too. Is General Gervin here as well?” asked General Carmichael, the tag of “Uniter [32]” over his head.
General Carmichael had always been a strict and disciplined man who had expected as much from others as he did from himself. Now his face was downright stony. There was a hardness to him, an edge to his voice and a glint to his gaze, ready to tear into anyone who was found lacking.
“Unfortunately, no, Howard,” answered Elouise, her voice struggling to remain steady. “He sent me here for protection before the invasions came. We were hoping that he was leading your group. We didn’t know you were with them.”
“Ah, well, my condolences,” General Carmichael said blandly, sounding like he had already discarded the information. The death of one man wasn’t worth his attention. Then he moved on with a bit more energy in his voice.
“I was hopeful that the forces stationed here still stood, but this is more than I could have ever hoped for. The city still stands, not a bit of damage to it. Soldiers and civilians working together and training to fight this war. And this wall looks durable and reliable. Colonel, you have far exceeded what could have been asked of you.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Davian, a little hesitantly.
“You’ll have to tell me how you managed it after I’ve gotten settled. For now, thank you for your service and I look forward to working together. I will be taking over command of this base. Turn over any necessary operations intel to me and my officers so we can get started with the transition.”
***
Adam had rushed. He was oddly excited. There was little that got him motivated beyond killing invaders and spending time with the girls. Knowing that General Gervin was coming had encouraged him to hurry.
He didn’t think he needed General Gervin, or that he would even get along with the man. However, having more people that could take a guiding hand in the base, bridging the existing gap between those in the military and those in the Sentinel Army would be a blessing. It would allow Adam to focus on the more important areas like slaughtering the invaders and taking more Rifts.
Of course, Adam would never give up control of their bases, but a senior military mind, experienced in the management of people and motivating those working under them, while willing to take Adam seriously despite his age, would really help. Adam kept imagining the possibilities.
The transports were already on their way, but they were slow moving compared to Adam’s bike. He made use of that, practically flying over the ground. Even Brittney, who always loved Adam making the ride feel a bit dangerous, would squeal as he took a sharp turn, or ramped over some debris. Lucas and Tom were lucky if they could keep him in view.
Adam took a different route than the transports. He went straight to the north side of the base. Their original Rift base had merged with a three-mile diameter, now contained within the walls. However, the other bases they had taken had allowed the boundary of their territory to expand. It was now 26 miles wider.
Not bothering to drive to the base, as soon as Adam hit the territory, he opened two portals. One he threw the motorcycle into. The other he walked through, finding himself in an empty room on the first floor of the Sentinel HQ high rise. Brittney had to rush to keep up with him.
From there he went through the crowds of people, some waiting while others moved about with a purpose. No one stood in the roads, allowing him to quickly move towards the west gate.
Adam didn’t run. He moved at a speed that allowed Brittney to follow, which also allowed Lucas and Tom to catch up. This speed would keep non-fighters from getting injured if he clipped them. The portals had been closed by Adam as soon as his Rift map showed that his friends were in the building.
As they approached the outer gate on the west side of the wall, there was a huge crowd. They waited both on top of the wall and inside the gate. The entrance to the base was now about ten people wide, mostly those who had come from the US Army packed around. They were intensely listening to what was happening outside.
It was easy for Adam to push his way through the crowd. Easy for him to move people and create a path. They grunted, sometimes turning towards him angrily, but once they saw who had pushed them, they turned back to the outside. No one even made a sound, not wanting to miss what was said by those talking outside the gates.
When Adam finally made it out of the gate, his friends close behind him, he saw Colonel Davian and Elouise standing together. A gap of twenty feet was between them and another group. At the head of that group was a different man than he expected. That was not General Gervin. He froze.
Then Adam heard what the man said.
“I will be taking over command of this base. Turn over any necessary operations intel to me and my officers so we can get started with the transition.”
The river boiled!
***
Colonel Davian’s mouth went dry and sweat dripped down the back of his neck. He looked into Carmichael’s eyes, hoping his own eyes weren’t showing as many emotions as he was feeling.
“I’m sorry, general,” Davian said slowly, trying to buy time to think up what to say. Before he could get anything else out the general frowned at him.
“Sorry about what?!” snapped Carmichael, his not quite friendly façade immediately falling away to aggression. “You are a subordinate officer. I am ordering you to turn over the base!”
“Yes sir, however the base isn’t under my control,” said Davian, earning a hissing sound from two of the officers standing behind Carmichael.
As concerned as he felt, Davian didn’t lower his eyes from the general. He was a proud military officer in his own right. If he had control of the Rift base then he would have turned it over, but this was Adam’s. General Carmichael was not a very understanding or forgiving man. At least he hadn’t been before the [System], and now it looked like the last few months had made it even worse. Hopefully some rest and safety would at least return him to before the [System] had come.
“Sir, we are working with another group. They control this base and lead our operations.”
“Another military group is here?” asked Carmichael in surprise.
“No, sir. They were…are…civilians. Surely you remember the news from before invasions started in earnest. The Sentinel Army led by The General.”
Carmichael scowled. He bared his teeth, and spittle flew when he spoke.
“That treasonous whelp who claimed to be a warrior?! The brat who sullied our pride and great nation by pretending he was at a level with the top of our military?!” ranted the general. “I ordered you to seize the base from him! I sent men to arrest him! Why is he still controlling this base?!”
Murmurs came out while Carmichael and his officers watched as a teen stepped forward. He was wearing shiny army that glistened in the sunlight. The sword at his belt was ornate and the intricate designs in the armor showed more detail than all the armor and weapons of all those in General Carmichael’s army combined. A predatorial smile spread across his face.
The teen walked slowly, deliberately. All eyes were on him. He carried himself with power and authority, confidence and determination. Even General Carmichael held his tongue, unsure of where this would go. When the teen arrived at Colonel Davian’s position, he slung an arm over the man’s shoulder.
“Having some troubles?” Tom asked Davian. Elouise already had her face covered by her hands. Davian shot Tom a pleading look, desperately hoping Tom would back off. Tom nodded at him knowingly.
“Don’t worry, Freddie. I’ll take care of things from here,” said Tom.