by Luigi Robles
“Welcome to Mega Mega Store,” a friendly voice said from the shopping cart, “where we have everything in stock, one hundred percent of the time. Why order online if you can get it done yourself? Here are today’s savings ads.” Products with discount prices began to appear on the shopping cart’s screen.
“I’m not interested,” Larissa said as she pushed the cart into the store.
“Not a problem,” the friendly voice said. “The ads will be right here if you should need them. Is there anything I can help you find today?”
“Do you have flares?” Larissa asked.
“Ah, yes,” the friendly voice said. “There are two possible sections where flares are located. You can find them in the automotive section and in the camping section. Would you like me to direct you there?”
“Yes,” Larissa said. “To whichever one is closer.”
“Please follow the map on the screen,” the friendly voice said.
Larissa walked as quickly and calmly as she could towards the camping section. There, with a little more help from the friendly voice on her shopping cart, she was able to find the flares with ease. She grabbed three boxes.
In that moment, she wished that getting a weapon would be as easy. But only specialized armory stores sold them, and even then, it was by appointment only. She had heard of a time where guns and other weapons were sold in stores just like the one she was in.
“What about the sports section?” Larissa asked the shopping cart.
“Ah, yes. Sporting goods,” the friendly voice said. “The section is located just three aisles down. Please follow the map on the screen.”
Larissa hurried down to the sports section, her heart already beginning to beat faster with every minute that passed. She was beginning to think that she was taking way too long.
“Baseball equipment,” Larissa said.
“We have a great variety of baseball equipment, and great prices,” the friendly voice said as it highlighted the section in the aisle where it was located. “Take a look for yourself.”
Larissa grabbed the first bat that she saw and kept on moving through aisles. She wasn’t sure if it was her nerves or if she had unconsciously spotted one of the strangers, but she knew that time was running out.
“Paper towels,” Larissa said.
“Paper towels are located next to the grocery section of the store,” the friendly voice said. “Please follow the map on the screen.”
She smiled at the “map” the shopping cart produced, as it was just a straight line. But then Larissa remembered just how much trouble she was in, and the smile disappeared.
“Turn off. I’ll take it from here,” Larissa said as she arrived at the paper towels.
“If you should need me, I’ll be right here.” The screen on the shopping cart disappeared as she pushed the cart. “Thank you for shopping at Mega Mega!”
Larissa pretended to look for a specific brand of towels as she waited for the only other person in the aisle to leave. Even though it took less than a minute for the person to make up her mind on quilted or non-quilted, it felt like an eternity to Larissa.
Once there was no sign of the person, Larissa grabbed the three boxes of flares. She placed two of them in the middle shelf and opened the third. She took one of the flares out and expertly lit it up. She placed the live flare back inside the box and quickly walked away with the shopping cart. As she got two aisles down, the fire alarm began to sound, and by the third aisle, she heard a small but rapidly escalating crackle, accompanied by smoke, lots of smoke.
“Please evacuate the building,” the alarm said. “I repeat, please evacuate the building. A fire has been reported in the building. Remain calm, and please make your way out of the building in an orderly fashion through your nearest exit.”
She saw numerous people running towards the exits as she walked calmly, trying to pay attention to her surroundings. She was looking for a place to hide.
“Fire suppressors will be deployed in t-minus 60 seconds,” the alarm said.
This is as good a place as I’m ever going to get, Larissa thought as she hid behind the large bags of dog food, clutching the bat. What are the chances that they will leave with the people getting out of the building? Firefighters will respond within a few minutes if the alarm was able to summon them. But if someone intercepted it, I don’t think they will be leaving the store anytime soon. Fire or no fire. I have to be ready. I just hope this works.
Fire suppressors began to inundate the store, creating a thick mist, making it hard to see any farther than just a few feet. The mist wasn’t harmful to breathe in for a short period of time, although it did cause eye irritation.
The building had gotten quiet, with only the alarm sounding in the background. Larissa had her eyes wide open, searching for any movement.
Then, just behind her, she heard a low buzz. As she turned, she saw a small drone examining her. It was a scout drone. Without wasting any time, she swung the bat as hard as she could at the small drone, pulverizing it in one swift movement. It looked as if the drone didn’t get the chance to complete its scan. But Larissa knew those scout drones all too well. It was old tech, and as far as she knew, there was only one group that still used them to smoke out their victims: mercenaries.
“We know you are here,” a stranger shouted. “It’s only a matter of time before we find you. Why don’t you be a sweetheart and come out all on your own? I promise you, it won’t hurt one bit.”
So, this is a hit? Larissa thought the question. I must have seriously pissed off someone or something. Stay calm, Larissa, just breathe.
Larissa grabbed the shopping cart and pushed it with all her strength. The shopping cart flew down the aisle and came to a violent stop, crashing loudly into one of the center islands. Bat in hand, she ran as quietly as she could towards where she thought she’d heard the voice, parallel to the center aisle. She stopped and turned into an aisle as she saw another drone coming her way.
“Oh, come on, sweetheart,” the stranger said. Yes, by the sound of it, the voice was coming from the center aisle. “Why do you have to go and make this difficult? Just come out, come out, wherever you are, and we’ll call it a day.”
Larissa kept moving towards the center aisle, and when she saw the back of the stranger’s trench coat, she didn’t think twice. She ran towards him and swung the bat, hitting him on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious, she hoped. Although from the looks of it, the injury she caused might be a bit more serious.
She tried to take his assault rifle, but when she saw that a user ID would be required to operate it, she tightened her grip on the bat.
Using the same tactics, creating a bait then a distraction while avoiding the drones, she brought down seven more mercenaries, softening the blow on the last one.
“Hey, wake up, buddy,” Larissa said as she repeatedly slapped the stranger on the cheek. “Don’t go to sleep just yet.”
When the stranger opened his eyes, he tried to get loose. But Larissa had her knee over his chest and the bat on his neck.
“You aren’t going anywhere, so I suggest you start talking,” Larissa said as she pressed her knee into the stranger’s chest.
“I’m not telling you anything,” the mercenary said. “The rest of us will soon be here, and there’s nothing you’ll be able to do then. So, do what you have to do.” He turned his head away from Larissa.
“Tell me,” Larissa said as she pressed the bat into his chin.
“Speaking of…” the mercenary managed.
Larissa looked up and saw that she was completely surrounded. At least twenty-five mercenaries stood around them.
“Hey, pretty lady,” one of the mercenaries in the circle said. “We don’t want to mess up that pretty face of yours, do we?”
Larissa got up and let the man go, and also let her bat fall to the floor.
“By the way,” the mercenary said as the rest began to point their guns at her, “there’s no way this will
have a happy ending. They don’t exist. OK, darling?”
Larissa sighed in resignation.
The building began to rumble, and a loud noise approached. Seconds later, big chunks of the roof came crashing down on each side of the circle of mercenaries.
Two of Sodenia’s drones? Larissa thought as she saw the large drones hovering just a foot above the ground, occupying most of the space. Kya, I really hope some of you is in there.
“Lay down your weapons immediately,” the drones said simultaneously in a loud, raspy robotic voice, “or I will open fire.”
“Nev—” the mercenary managed to yell before he was interrupted by the drone’s firepower.
4
The Council
Cross sat behind his desk inside the council’s bunker near Washington D.C. He was having his third glass of whiskey while trying to patiently wait for the results of the attack he had just launched. The hit was directed at Sodenia’s original flight crew, Colonel Green, and General Nicolas M. Truman. His most trusted assistant Joan was with him in the office, monitoring the situation on a tablet. They both sat quietly, with just the noise of the fire burning and crackling in the fireplace filling the room.
Cross had always felt safe in the council’s bunker. It was large, larger than most facilities that he knew of. Its walls and doors were thick, ten inches of solid steel with six feet of concrete for the walls and fifteen inches of alloy steel for the doors. To the best of his knowledge, the bunker was impenetrable. It was located underground, and it had stockpiles of provisions that would last at least one hundred years. The council had designed the bunker with the end of the world in mind, and it was one of the things that made them feel powerful. They just needed to get their hands on the one thing that could bring the world to its knees.
“Is there any news on the block of iron floating in Earth’s orbit?” Cross asked. “Have we been able to reach them yet?”
“We’ve been sending multiple messages,” Joan said while looking at her tablet. “But so far, the new ship has been unresponsive. We have no way of knowing if they are actually getting our messages or not.”
“Try all bands, all frequencies,” Cross said. “Everything we’ve got. Even if you have to send them a hand-written letter, do it. But we have to be the first ones to make contact with them. Have everyone in communications work double time or whatever it takes. But we must be first this time.”
“I will send a message to the appropriate channels,” Joan said.
Cross took a deep breath and tried to relax as he sipped on his whiskey.
“Give me an update on the other matter at hand,” Cross said.
“All assets have been deployed,” Joan said as she looked at her tablet. “The mercenaries are now en route to the ESAF officials, and they have already begun to follow the flight crew.”
“Good,” Cross said. “And where are the other chairs and senators?”
“They are less than twenty minutes away,” Joan said. “I’ve instructed the guards to get them inside the bunker as soon as they arrive. We have transport waiting for them near the landing pads already.”
“Keep pressing the issue,” Cross said. “We don’t have time to be waiting around for them. Once they get here, have the facility go on full lockdown mode. Nobody enters or leaves.”
“Yes, sir,” Joan said faithfully.
After the demise of the council on board Sodenia during the second Acram attack, Cross and two other council members were the only ones left. And Cross was the head of the organization. They had ascended to power through funding for ESAF and other government organizations, always asking the same thing in return. Control. Although there were three members left including Cross, the roots of their power were buried deep in politics and other worldwide organizations. Power not easily erased. After the recent events, ESAF had finally begun pushing back, trying to dismantle the very thing Cross had worked so hard to create. ESAF wanted to have nothing to do with the council, and this infuriated Cross, but he knew that soon everything would be coming to an end. ESAF would no longer exist. Once he got hold of the ship and somehow managed to control its deranged AI, a new world order would ensue, and Earth would finally be making real progress. Too many minds had set the world backwards. All that the world needed was one great mind, his mind.
But I do wonder, Cross thought, what should I name the new space organization? My new organization. It should be something similar to that repugnant Earth Space Armed Federation. But what? How about Earth Domain Fleet? Yeah, that’s it, we are getting close. But now is no time to be dreaming about a name. Now is the time to focus on the task at hand.
“This will be one clean operation,” Cross said, breaking the silence. “We will wipe the slate clean, and it will be as if they never existed in the first place. Hear me out, Joan. This will be the beginning of a new form of government. A government where only those who are chosen to lead make the decisions. A government that will devote itself to the preservation of the human race, no matter the cost. A strong government that answers to no one. Because that’s the only way that humanity will survive what’s coming. And make no mistake, things are coming.”
Joan nodded.
“You see, power is simple,” Cross continued as he took another sip of his whiskey and leaned back into his chair. “You just have to know how to control it, and never loosen your grip on it. This world has had many empires: Spanish Empire, Roman Empire, Qing Dynasty, Mongol Empire, British Empire, and the Great Ottoman Empire... All with one thing in common: massive power over the world. But all have fallen and have been forgotten by the world. Some turned into pacifists, some were betrayed, some just didn’t have the capacity to rule. But all had one thing in common, and do you know what that is?”
“I’m not entirely sure, sir,” Joan said, looking away from the tablet.
“Take a guess,” Cross said, putting the tips of his fingers together.
“The lack of control over the power they had,” Joan said, not sounding too sure.
“Exactly,” Cross said. “They were too trusting, too loose with their reins. And that made them weak.”
Joan nodded.
“But as long as I am alive,” Cross said as he leaned back and took another sip of whiskey, “that will never happen. Never. The council will be strong, and it will remain standing. And if people in power oppose us, we will just have to take their power away from them. Make it our own, by any means necessary.” Smiling with self-satisfaction, Cross sank back into his chair. “The things we will be able to accomplish will give real meaning to the words ‘new world order.’ Power is a simple thing… Remember that, Joan.”
Joan nodded in agreement.
“And you know what else,” Cross said as he pointed at Joan, using the index figure of the same hand he was using to hold the glass of whiskey. “I like you because you are smart. Smarter than anyone I know, smarter maybe even than me. That is why I have decided.”
“What is it that you’ve decided, sir?”
“I’ve decided that I will make you second-in-command of our new organization.”
Joan nodded, but this time with a visible smile.
Cross thought highly of Joan. For the past ten years, Joan had been serving Cross without complaint. Never requesting time off, never hesitating to get the job done. Cross saw in Joan a younger version of himself. He saw in her strength, conviction, but most of all he saw someone willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. And if Cross was right about Joan, they shared the same ambitions, the same goals. He was aware of what Joan ultimately wanted: she wanted to sit where he sat.
When this operation is finished, Cross thought, ESAF will surely fall. Truman is the only one holding ESAF together. Green, he is small fry, but when Truman falls, he will be second-in-command because of his close ties to Sodenia; I am sure of it. And when there’s no more flight crew left, well then, that wretched AI is going to have to agree to a new one. I’d like to see how she can manipulate the numb
ers on that equation. The real question is, how to get rid of her? That blasted AI is still a big problem. But we’ll get rid of her. I am sure of that, even if she is half-alien or whatever she claims. No one is above the council. Sodenia needs to be a warship, and it needs to be under the council’s command. Then and only then, there will be nothing in the council’s way. There is no wrong in trying to survive, no—
“Sir,” Joan said, interrupting Cross’s train of thought.
“What is it?”
“Two out of the seven attacks have already been foiled by the flight crew,” Joan said. “The other five attacks are still in progress; however, the flight crew seems to be putting up a fight.”
“How many mercenaries did we send to each?” Cross asked, standing up from his chair.
“It depended on the field conditions. Three to seven for the flight crew. And for the heads of ESAF, only two, to their homes.”
“Whose idea was that?” Cross asked, beginning to feel his blood boiling.
“The mercenary group themselves came up with the numbers, sir,” Joan said as she typed away on her tablet. “They seemed pretty confident.”
“Why wasn’t this brought to my attention?”
“It was, sir, but you gave a dismissive wave and said, ‘let them do what they think is best’ and left the room.”
“This is why you can’t trust anyone one,” Cross said, nostrils flaring. “Even me. Request backup. Not one or two more. Get all of them to split up and finish the job. We can’t have this operation ruined; they’ll know it was us. Let’s not give Truman the excuse he needs.”
“I understand, sir,” Joan said, one eyebrow raised. “Already working on it.”
“By the way,” Cross said, slowing down, thinking he had brought the situation under control. “Who were the two that managed to escape?”
“Fain Jegga and Pycca Evans, so far.”
“Send a larger group to those two,” Cross said. “No one escapes tonight.”