Chapter Sixteen - Life Finds a Way
On average, you can expect to find that 70-80% of all people near ground zero of an incursion will survive past the first 24 hours. Given clear lanes of escape and basic dical aid, as well as tily intervention by military forces and local Samurai, that number stays roughly the sa in the next 24 to 72 hours.*
This rely stresses the need for a rapid intervention plan, ready access to troops and dical professionals capable of acting quickly, and the infrastructure to move all of these people to a safer location.
All this and more is, of course, what we offer.
*All stats verified by Adamstatistics!
--AdamsCorp sales pitch to every major tropolitan city in North Arica.
***
I left the worm alone.
Given a few minutes I might have been able to figure out so way to toss it out the window or sothing, but Myalis was right, I didnt have the ti. Maybe, maybe soon, I would be one of those Samurai able to wipe out anything in my path, but that wasnt the case yet, so I just had to suck up and deal with it.
Returning to the corridor Id passed earlier, I slid through the doorway and walked down yet another drab grey passageway. The few doors opened along its sides revealed little break rooms and janitorial closets where sweeper bots were hanging to charge.
No aliens, no signs that anything really bad had happened other than so things tossed to the floor and abandoned there. I stepped over a discarded purse and fought past the temptation to riffle through it.
Then I found the door leading to the stairwell, red light glowing above it and all.
A peek through the safety glass showed a whole lot of nothing.
So, I asked the empty air. Uh, that Samurai, the one we kinda saw deeper in the city. They were flying.
That seed like a Class III Gravitic Negation System coupled with a Class II Ion Thruster System. Im afraid that both are far outside your current ans.
But I could get that, right? I asked.
Of course. Though I should explain how the class and tier system works at so point.
No ti like the present, I said as I pushed the door open and looked around.
As you wish. Most early class--that is, Class I--catalogues offer simple items. Most of these are well within humanities capability of producing, given sufficient incentive and ti. Class II materials and equipnt are beyond humanitys capability to produce, and will remain that way for so ti. Class III and above would require such large ti and research investnts to achieve that they are nearly impossible to achieve by humanity for so millenia.
You have them though, I pointed out.
When humanity was still striking rocks together to start their first fires the Protectors had nominal control over a full two percent of the galaxys star systems. We had made contact with dozens of species and ford an interplanetary compact that has lasted until now.
That was... a lot? Maybe? I was never good with numbers like that. Keep bragging, why dont ya, I said.
I could, for a very long ti even, but my current task is educating you on how I can provide you with equipnt. Class IV and beyond will be difficult for you to obtain for a long ti, I think its safe to ignore those for now. Most second tier classes are rely evolutions of a primary tier. Your Class I dical Utilities could beco a Class II with a single paynt of five hundred points.
Five hundred? I whispered.
Class III tiers require that certain previous tiers be purchased in order to unlock them. For example, if you wish to obtain Class III Electromagnetic Rail Anti-Ship Weaponry then you would need at least three Class II tiers in relevant subjects unlocked.
Youre starting to sound a lot like so sort of gacha, I said. Are you going to tell about dailies and special currencies next?
No. The progression is not linear. Class III Anti-Ship Weaponry could devastated the planets ecology. It is rely sensible that they are priced according to their damage potential.
And class four could blow up the moon? I snarked.
Yes.
I paused halfway down a step. What?
The creak of a door opening below had shifting forwards, Trench Maker rising towards the noise even though I couldnt quite see the door from where I stood.
Bark twice if youre not an alien, soone said from below.
I snorted despite myself. Woof woof, I deadpanned.
Oh, thank fuck. Cmon hurry. Were about to barricade this door, the voice said.
Trusting strange voices wasnt sothing I was usually keen on doing, but it had been working for so far that day. I loosened my hold on my handgun and stomped down the stairs until I ca to the bottom of the stairwell where a twenty-sothing guy was holding the door open.
Youre one of the kids from upstairs? he asked.
Yeah, I guess so, I said. I looked past him and into another drab corridor, though this one seed a lot shorter. There more of you?
He grinned. Theres only one of , he said. Im Brand. And yeah, there are a bunch of us holed up in the parking. Cmon, were going to lock this corridor off before the aliens co around.
You folks have a leader? I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders and pulled the door closed behind as soon as I passed. What do you think we are, so sort of weird kingdom of the parking lot? Nah, weve got people from every floor almost. The vaults were all shit so were gathering here.
I nodded along. It made so sense. A bit of weight was lifted off my back. People ant soone, or soones in charge. I didnt have to carry quite as much responsibility on my back.
Brand led from the corridor and into a two-storey parking garage, hover cars clamped into berths above and below us and the far walls covered in heavy steel shutters. A few hoverbikes were tossed together to form a barricade just inside the room with a few wide-eyed mall cops and older guys hanging behind them.
I saw two more ard groups deeper in, and a whole lot of people gathering around in clumps.
Brand pointed to the far end of the room where there were a bunch of kids. You might want to head over there. And ah, hand over your gun to one of the safety crew. Theyre taking any weapon they can get their hands on for now.
So there is soone in charge? I asked.
He shrugged. Sorta, but not really. Things arent that organized yet.
I frowned, the weight I thought Id gotten rid of resettling comfortably on my shoulders. Great.
***
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