The house of Congress Washington DC.
The president Howard Cornbread the 55th president of the United states of America, sat at the head of the table, looking at the picture of Kansas City where the unidentified object had shattered through the city, as well as satellite footage of the sun, he took his leather cowboy hat off. "Fuck me, this can't be happening..."
His assistant Andrew rushed up to him. "Mister president, we've sent the convoy of the hazmat team and the unit of soldiers you ordered but, I'm not sure how we can cover this up though sir, news stations have been told to focus on a celebrity breakup. But many videos and pictures have been surfacing. We're deleting the posts but they keep resurfacing."
Howard shook his head. "And... The menu? How the hell are we meant to address that? This mysterious Sol figure has me worried, don't trust it you know?" Howard shook his head, who would press accept on something like that? Not him, that was for damn sure.
He looked over to Andrew. "Boy get me a line to the General Holloway! And make it right quick!" He snapped, remembering he had served with Ezra Holloway in the green berets during the war against China.
The assistant scampered off.
Howard opened an image file on his computer, seeing an image of the sun massive dark spot on it, like someone cut a hole in it with a knife. He shuttered, it looked like a flaming cats eye. He thought for a second, did Sol refer to our sun? "Andrew, get your skinny ass over here! I need something looked up. Figure out if this Sol has anything to do with the sun."
Andrew sighed. "Mister president, we've made that connection thirty five minutes ago and it is a clear connection, that is the name of our star."
Howard looked thoughtful. Then his phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket, seeing general Ezra on the line, video call. Pressed answer and the general's face appeared. "Mister president, I have something you're gonna need to see, I have no idea what it is, but it's spread over the whole city like a fungus."
The general had apparently taken it upon himself to go with his men to scout out Kansas. "General, what the Sam hell are you doing there?"
Ezra looked into the camera. "That's not important. What is important... Is this." The general tapped something on his phone and the view changed to the city, it was covered in... Something, black vines and fungus, even some crystals that were growing from a couple bodies.
Howard felt a deep churning in his stomach. "General, what was your response to Sol's message?"
Ezra shrugged. "I accepted it, my time on the Frontline has taught me to always accept an extra flack vest so I can have but not need it, rather than not have it and end up dying."
Howard could feel a bead of sweat start trickling down his face. "And... Your men?"
Almost on queue one of the hazmat team touched one of the vines and it lashed out, and dug under his skin suit spraying blood, howard could see from the video the black protruding vines snaking and branching under his skin. The man shrieked, attempting to pull away, the vine tore off but it was still growing under his skin, until he stopped moving, one of the hazmat team rushed over to him, and took a pulse. "He's alive!" Then the scientist pounced but couldn't bite through it's visor so it shoved his hand through their stomach, he saw the scientist wearing an unnerving smile, he spotted something wriggling inside of the rubber and the visor was covered in blood spatter. Howard watched in horror as the man tore his hand out vines breaking off of his finger tips. And soon after the man in the other hazmat suit died, he got back up. one of the other men ran over and shot the it under the chin with a pistol he noticed that may vines he walked on seemed to shrivel and die. But the hazmat creature didn't die, he saw him empty a clip into it's head and it got up, and he saw thick vines tear from its suit with a wet ripping sound, and then saw them go rigid and almost spider like and it raised itself on it's spider like legs. Howard nearly dropped the phone, sounds of gunshots and shrieking echoing from it. "Get me to mount weather."
Andrew who had been staring over his shoulder was seemingly dazed. Howard grabbed him by the collar and shook him "get me to the mount weather facility right fucking now!"
The assistant snapped out of it. And nodded. "Sir, I can have a chopper ready in five."
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The president grunted. "Make it three."
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Ezra took out his gun, and shot the hazmat zombies, the machine gun fire from the apc plowing into it with enough force to over turn a truck. He heard a crack and the spider like creatures head exploded in a spray of black and red blood. It's legs spasm'd walking blindly and a second crack sounded and a .50 cal bullet hit it in the chest, basically punching a fist sized hole in it's chest. It fell over it's it's legs spasming wildly and one soldier who was unfortunate enough to have been one of the first shooting at it was skewered on the end of it's pointed limb. Eventually it fell still and they turned their attention to the other scientist who was standing up, and it's arm seemed to grow, until the hazmat tore because of all of the vines that were growing from it's shoulder and down it's arm, eventually melding together and farming a huge blade. It rushed forward aiming for him in particular. He raised his his old mosin and fired, it hit it in the head, and it still came. He wracked the bolt and fired again, it hit again, and he repeated the action, firing again before dropping the rifle and the phone and drawing his huge combat knife and side arm before getting into a stance, it swung and he ducked it causing it to overswing and turn around, he came up behind it and plugged it in the head and cut it's tendons in its legs, except he found out why they were so durable, the legs were protected a thick layer of vines laid beneath the skin. He ducked under it's armpit as it swung again knowing its weapon was all but useless at close range, he saw it's fingers spay out and long claws sprouted from the ends tearing the suits gloves. He shot it in the chest and jumped back. And the crack of another high powered rifle sounded and the shopter got it in the head which promptly exploded all but the bottom jaw, he heard another catch it in the chest right where the heart was and it fell over all but dead. It's vines doing it's death throws and he was sure to stand back.
He crouched down and grabbed the phone, he could see the video was running until he heard chopper blades, eventually he could see the inside of it and then it was still and a slam sounded through the speakers. "Sir? Are you there?" Ezra spoke into phone.
The camera focused on president Howard's face, it was pale and sweaty. "General, find out how many of your men who pressed accept, and turn them into a force, everyone else is to be support, supply managers, ammunition makers, toilet cleaners I don't care. That's a presidential order. Am I clear Ezra."
Ezra blinked, then nodded. "Sir, I was given the option to choose a class, I got a five star class called high general, and one of it's skills allows me to provide an immunity to the corruption to men under my command, but it seems that didn't go for the hazmat team, but I believe I can still use my men to the fullest, all of them."
The president nodded. "Great news, now get your ass back to base soldier, that's another presidential order." With a click the screen sent back to his home screen.
Ezra raised his voice. "Alright men we're retreating back to base! Get your asses back into the cars yesterday!"
He heard something, he looked around seeing a shit ton of people running toward them, all with black veins on their skin. "Now soldiers! Move it!" He grabbed the carbine slung by his arm and started firing into the round all the while backing up.
They all retreated, as soon as they had gotten into their vehicles before he got up hanging from the side of the mcc and pulled a pistol and started firing again.
They all peeled out of the city. A couple miles down the road he smacked the window and the heavy armored vehicle pulled over slowed to a stop, he got into the back seat. He sighed, hitting his head on the back of the seat. "I'll need a headcount. Everyone who has accepted the prompt at base in a neet little row in the courtyard like good ducks by the time we get to base, call it in sergeant." He had a plan for the people who accepted.
He heard gunshots. He looked out his window to see a rancher was shooting at bottles lined up on fence posts, they were exceptional. "Deliver that order. Let's get a move on, it's just a rancher firing some old six shooter that's probably older than I am."
He watched the man as they left, he looked like the type that knew ammo would be a scarce source soon enough, so the fact they were wasting ammo confused the hell out of him.
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David was forking hay into a cow feeding trough. It'd been a couple days since the impact, he'd taken a look at some of his stats, he'd apparently gotten more into his strength score from all the heavy lifting. After his farm work was done he'd started doing some experimentation, reading a copy of the art of war had gotten him wisdom, and he felt his knowledge and understanding of things to expand slightly. He read a few college level science books and he had gotten some intelligence and he saw his mana bar increase. He after the reading book he started doing squats before going for a run. He gained a bit of dexterity and he felt his senses sharpen slightly as well as his stamina increasing. Finally he looked at his skills.
Skill, magi rounds.
so long as you have the casings, each bullet you've fired today will be restored at sunrise tomorrow.
Skill, quick reflexes.
your perception increases with your dexterity score, this also effects your bodies reflexes and your ability to shoot accurately, and your reload speed.
Skill, sixth sense.
your supernatural ability to sense things coming even though science says you shouldn't be able to, has saved you more times than you can count, you instinctually know when you're being watched and seem to know right where they are.
David smirked, this was everything a John Wayne wannabe could ever want. As he came home from his run he looked toward the city, He'd seen a convoy go in earlier and as he jogged he saw it coming back away from the city, a man hanging off the side of an mobile command center, an older man in a green beret uniform, he saw the convoy stop and the man got into his mcc. he finished lining up the bottles he walked back about 60 paces and took aim at the bottles, firing, the rightmost one shattered, then the next as he shot again, and again. He felt his trigger finger was slightly faster than it used to be.
He watched them drive off from his peripheral vision. When he was done shooting he collected any and all discarded shells he fired and set them in the box before heading back home.
He sat back on his porch chair and looked at the massive sword, eventually his neighbor Jona came over and sat on the chair next to his own. David offered him a Beer, and he took it, using his belt buckle to pop the cap off.
"Crazy shit right?" Jona asked, taking a swig of his beer.
David nodded. "Yup, I saw a convoy go into the city and come running out. Green berets at that."
Jona looked surprised. "No shit? What could have green berets running away with their tails between their legs?"
David shook his head. "Hell if I know."
Jona took a deep swig and asked. "Any clue what this corruption nonsense is about?"
David went to take a drink, but stopped, and the bottle had slipped from his hand. A group of black vines were slowly crawling across his yard. "What the Sam hell?"