Chapter 23 It held for 40 minutes

The rest of the net recapture went quickly once they had full control of the gates and Alex had handed over the task to Uther. The CDC and the government building were sealed off. 

 Despite vehement protests from the Council and the Defense Council, Alex gave Uther command of all troops who wanted to participate in the American campaign. The training program for the new combat suits was also to take place. 

He thought it couldn't be that big a deal. But he was very wrong. It became a hot topic as most of the soldiers were from the States. On the day of realization, he stood there and saw the troops being embarked. Jannet looked at the troops with concern. 

"Do you realize that the states are huge? The rich never... " 

" Yes they do, but from what I've heard from Uther, he wants to use them for prestige stuff and leave the dirty work to his people." 

She looked at him.

"If you say so, but then where are his people? "

Alex rolled his eyes.

" If I knew, some of them are in St. Petersburg because they always get attacked by swarms. The rest I don't know, I'd say in the underground network. "

An SUV stopped in front of the two, Alex recognized Uther's SUV, it had seen better days, but since Tes was driving it, you could tell. Tes got out, straightened his BDU and hurried towards the two.

"Who's that?" came from Jannet, who stared at Tes with a grin.

"His wife." 

Tes looked at both of them.

" So he wasn't lying." 

He groaned. 

" What is it Tes?" 

She smiled brightly.

"Now that my husband's already started, I've taken the data to the troop commanders so they know what's contaminated and overrun with infected."

"And how does he know that?" came from Jannet.

"He uses the satellite network of the States and other exnations, then he's had several reconnaissance flights done. Believe me Alex, his bag list is gigantic." 

Alex grabbed his face.

"So that's what he does for looting?" 

She grinned mischievously. 

"That too, but also to boost the morale of the troops."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Then why didn't he plunder Russia?" 

Tes glanced sideways ignorantly.

" I'll send you the progress!" she rushed to the wagon and ran off.

"Why are you just letting them go like that? " 

"Because of those?" 

He pointed at other off-road vehicles following Tes.

" Their warlord queen clan."

" She's a warlord?"

He nodded.

" Then arrest her ..." 

" You want me to piss on the man who just liberated the United States? "

"Hhmmm..." came her reply.

Gitte and Min were distant when they saw Jannet until she took the lead role and sat down with them and Babsi to discuss what to do next. 

Alex made plans to move the troops to Hawaii, with the network transportation was a breeze. 

In Kiel, he proposed the introduction of civilian security, which was still under his command but would have a more human effect on the population. The council agreed unanimously. Henne and Lingston joined the council. Lingston thrived on finally being able to talk to other scientists. 

Alex was called to the radio center 3 weeks after his return, he came into the radio center yawning, Oleg looked at him.

" We have movement in Berlin."

" Which one? "

" Rebellion."

Alex yawned heartily. 

" Good, I'd say. Let's seize the opportunity and take Berlin. Give marching orders for the mobile teams, the helicopter squadrons."

" Understood."

Two hours later, the northern bloc stormed Berlin. Once from the air and once from underground. To the disappointment of many soldiers, the enemy posed no challenge. Not even when Alex encountered Hansi, who turned out to be a scrawny buffoon.

Alex shot him on the spot without saying a word. He then announced over the city's loudspeakers that it now belonged to the Nordblock. 

He was so angry and saw the discontent of his soldiers that he decided to clean up Germany. This boosted morale, especially among the tank and air force.

In front of the steps of the Bundestag, Alex watched as the crowds were loaded into underground trains. Jannet stood next to him. 

"You're not happy."

"I was expecting more."

" Maybe it would have been at the beginning of your journey, when you only had a few people, Alex. "

" Hmm. "

" Or before you met Uther. "

He had to nod. He saw a familiar face running hastily through the crowd Teressa in a tracksuit, close behind her ran one that looked like her. Both had a look on their faces like they were scared. 

Teressa sees Alex, runs towards him, looks around hastily.

"Wuhh hung up, hey Alex!" 

She hugged him. He didn't know why, she was called a psycho by so many, but he felt more like a grandpa being hugged by his uncle when she did that.

"Do you have a reason why you're here? With?" 

He points to the other, who leans on her knees, gasping for air.

"Um... we did something wrong and the old she-devil caught us."

"Me and old?" came a cold, warm female voice, Teressa flinched as one hand grabbed her head and the other. Alex had to blink. It was a woman wearing an overral, her face covered by a faceless helmet with horns, all he could see was long yellow hair.

"You two, clean up this mess." She pulled them both behind her.

"But I have to help Dad." 

She stopped and looked at Teresa.

"After you and your sister clean up, you can >help< him."

Teresa pouted.

"Ehhh..." came from Alex.

A powdered blonde stormed up to Alex.

"What a cheek! I'm a pureblood!"

Alex looked at her. He heard a hoarse laugh, looked at the woman holding them both. She came closer, still tugging at them both. Looked at them.

"You and pureblood? You're shit at the boot of society" She let go of Teresa, grabbed the powdered one by the throat and lifted her up.

" How long did your immortal realm last? Huh? "

" I want to talk to her superior!" 

She laughed again.

" You don't want to talk to my superior!" She looked at Teresa, who was about to leave, and stopped. 

" I dare you, then you can muck out the stable!" 

Teresa turned pale.

She threw the bloated one in front of Alex.

"Ask him for mercy. Sorry to bother you."

She grabbed Teresa again.

"Um... how did you guys get in here, anyway?" 

"Via the underground network, they've been traveling too much since the damn thing came online. " 

A pickup truck pulled up and she tossed them onto the bed and climbed in herself. She seemed to sense something, reached for a cell phone in her pocket, looked at it. 

"My boss says to let him know when we're moving. " She tapped on the roof and the pickup thundered away. 

Alex looked after the truck, glanced at Jannet, who was still standing there with her mouth open. She pulled herself together, looked at the bloated truck. 

"He's the superior. General Kaiser. He took your supposedly impregnable city in " She looked at her watch. " Forty minutes. "

"You are free to apply for asylum in the new Federal Republic or in Switzerland after your data has been recorded. Until then, follow the instructions of the staff."

"Otherwise what? Will I be put in a camp?"

" No, I will be shot. "

The woman looked at him in shock. 

" There is more than enough testimony that the higher society under the regime of the new empire mistreated minorities. Even dissenters and political dissidents. My patience is at an end. Let them reintegrate or face the consequences. "

She turned away indignantly.

Jannet looked at Alex with concern. 

"What's wrong with you?"

" I don't know, it's ... I feel like I haven't done enough."

The feeling didn't get any better for Alex, after Germany came Japan, then Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria down to Cairo, then India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam whole islands down to Australia.

Russia was finally a challenge and Alex used the robots for the first time. These made the advance much easier, and the soldiers wore the new suits more and more often. 

Alex found out that the Russians also had an underground network. But only after they had conquered everything and put the area under the rule of the northern bloc. Alex wondered more than once how they had managed that. No matter how hard they fought. Uther fought even harder. His troops, if he was honest, did 85% of the work in the recapture.

Alex calmed down a little as he stood at the Chinese border, Min next to him stepping uneasily from one foot to the other, and Lee's convoy finally arrived. For the first time, Alex saw Lee face to face and was not disappointed. He was a mountain. Min ran up to Lee, beaming, to give him a hug. Lee then hugged Alex too. They talked for a while, but then he left, leaving Min alone with his brother. He went back underground.

The preparations for the move to Hawaii were complete. They would be gone by the time civilian security took over. The entrances to the underground would still be guarded, including the airports and military ports.