Chapter 18 - The Military

Day 11

Morning

Erin couldn't believe her eyes. A modern-looking military tank, albeit a little worse for wear, drove past her. Flanked by several soldiers carrying rifles, some of them nodded at her as they passed. There was a mix of young men and women, but it was mostly the men who gave her leering gazes, though one of the women looked her up and down appreciatively as well before winking at her. She didn't know whether to be irritated or blush. She chose the former.

Following their path with her eyes as they drove on, she noticed the street they turned down was the same street the Police Station resided on. Deciding she wanted to be present for, if not at least part of, whatever conversation was about to be had, Erin activated DKW and lept in the direction of the police station.

The General, marching at the front of the line like any officer worth his salt should, glanced up at the flash of something in his peripheral vision. He couldn't see exactly what flew past in the sky, but he could see it was damn fast. "More than just rumors, I'd say." He neither put stock in, nor dismissed outright, information from the rumor mill. It could be a great source of intel, or a superstitious and conspiratorial pain in the ass.

When his unit entered the edge of town, there was talk of a dangerous woman who had taken out the leader of a local gang. Lots of hearsay on how she did it, but not much on concrete detail. If even half the rumors were true, his inner warrior stirred at the possibility of meeting her.

As his small, beleaguered force pulled up in front of their destination, his inner warrior cheered with absolute delight.

Erin beat the soldiers to the police station by at most two minutes. She had a short window to inform Logan and Sydney of their imminent arrival, garnering very different reactions. Logan had the look of concern that any small town police experienced when the Feds come to town. Sydney looked hopeful, like the cavalry had finally arrived. Erin, for her part, wasn't sure what to expect. She didn't have the experience of either deputies.

When the tank pulled to a stop, two men came up to meet Erin, Logan, and Sydney at the front of the station. One had the look and bearing of an older man, experienced, battle-hardened, wise, almost fatherly or grandfatherly, but with a youthful vigor she was seeing more and more since the System came.

The other man was young, somewhere between Sydney's 22 and Logan's 25 years of age if Erin had to guess. He was thin, wiry, and screamed officious bureaucrat to Erin. She could almost imagine his face morphing into an anthropomorphised rat, if such a thing were possible in this new world.

The older man stepped forward for handshakes. "I'm Lieutenant General George Anderson," he greeted Logan first, then Sydney, and lastly Erin. Lingering his handshake with her, slowly increasing his grip as if to test her, the General stared her straight in the eyes the whole time. Erin decided to match him strength for strength, but when he stopped increasing his strength, she went one step further.

"Okay, okay, I surrender." The General said with a laugh. "You're an incredibly strong young lady."

"I am." Was all Erin said.

"And fast, it would seem." The other man said with a sneer.

Erin looked at him, squinted her eyes, and with an intentional tone of disdain to match his sneer repeated, "I am." Whether or not she meant that as a threat, the man's eyes widened as he took a step back. The message was clear. Don't. Fuck. With. Me.

Before things could escalate or get more awkward, Logan said, "General, please come in so we can talk."

"You're civilians, George is perfectly fine, and I would be delighted." Logan and Sydney entered the station first, followed by the unnamed rat-faced man. The General, George, attempted the chivalrous route by waving Erin in first, but she wasn't yet sure she wanted this man at her back.

"You first, George, as our guest I insist on being courteous." Erin inwardly cringed, as he wasn't her guest by any stretch, but Logan and Sydney didn't show any outward sign of caring.

George stepped forward as he said, "Age before beauty it is, then." Just before passing through the doorway, he turned briefly to tell his soldiers, "Remain with the tank, and behave yourselves." There was some light snickering, but they all replied with "Yes, Sir."

Grabbing seats in the main office area and grouping them around a desk, George spoke up first. "Apologies for my manners, this is First Lieutenant Sterling Hawthorne." Everyone except Erin gave him a polite nod. The Lieutenant just glared at her for a second, and she returned it in kind.

Well this is certainly off to an interesting start. "And what brings the military to Middletown? We're not even a popular tourist spot, let alone a strategic location for, well, anything." Erin allowed her irritation at this Lieutenant Hawthorne supersede her courtesy to allow Logan and Sydney to lead in their own house.

The General sighed, "That, Ms. Moon is a very loaded question."

"I'm too young for Ms. Moon, Erin is will do."

"Alright, Erin it is." George accepted a coffee from Sydney, who offered one to Lieutenant Hawthorne and Logan as well. Keeping one coffee for herself, she handed Erin a tea instead. "The long and short of it is we're ranging west to recon and gather intel."

"Pardon me General Anderson, but why is the military even operating on home soil? That's supposed to be outside your purview." That question from Sydney, who seemed unwilling to refer to the man by his first name.

George chuckled, "I thought I read a military background in your bearing. I appreciate your respect for the rank, but George really is just fine." Taking a sip of the coffee and nodding appreciatively he continued, "A lot has happened that you couldn't possibly know. A large amount of the government is in shambles, many having died during Phase 1, including the leader of our country."

That got a gasp from Logan and Sydney, but only a wide-eyed stare from Erin. While the others recovered, she asked, "How did it happen?"

"Another long story, but suffice to say if your brain couldn't accept what was happening during Phase 1, it was a fatal event." That brought a memory of her first conversation with Noah, and how both his mother and her own received headaches when they tried to deny the system.

"One could almost consider it a culling of weak minds incapable of adapting to the future." The Lieutenant said in a grating, sniveling voice that matched his appearance quite well.

That comment garnered a disapproving look from George though, and Lieutenant Hawthorne had the good sense to look chastised.

"Most of the military leadership made it through alive, perks of an organization that had plans in place in the event of an alien invasion. Not that anyone thought it would look like this." George shook his head, "When the first message hit, I gathered up everyone on base. No stragglers allowed. I gave strict orders to accommodate the first message, and when Phase 2 started, I reinforced those orders by having everyone exercise any and all skills they had."

Logan spoke up for the first time, "You saw the writing on the wall, and acted to prepare for the next step."

"Something like that," George nodded, "With civilian leadership in tatters, military leadership signed off on a temporary wartime footing shift. Sending out messengers to every base inside our borders and our allies on the continent. As I had the foresight to get my people ready for what might come, I was tasked with putting together units for recon."

"And what is it you're looking for?" Straight to the heart of things, Erin, don't pull your punches.

Lieutenant Hawthorne tensed at that question, but George didn't miss a beat. "We're looking to gauge the state of the country, see where we can help, but it's been a rough road for such a short distance."

Sydney's brow creased, "What do you mean sir? Were you attacked by militia groups on the way here?"

George chuckled, but there was no humor in it, "Militia groups aren't even a blip on the RADAR right now, Deputy. It's not just humans that are changing. There are animals out there gaining abilities…, just look at the armour on our tank sometime."

"Speaking of the tank," Logan jumped in, "How is it working? Did someone receive that in a reward box?"

"Receive a tank in a reward box, what nonsense are you prattling about, Deputy Alvarez?" Lieutenant Hawthorne, continuing his audition for Asshole of the Year Award, turned his sneer in Logan's direction.

"Uhh…well…" Logan didn't seem fazed by the attitude, but he did seem a bit chagrined to admit this next part. "I was given an upgraded SUV from a reward box."

"Now this I have to see, son." George grinned widely, "What kind of a reward box gives an SUV as a prize?"

"Oh…uhh…ya know…" Logan flashed the briefest of looks at Erin, then turned his gaze down at the table, "A pretty good one, I guess."

That was where the current conversation stalled out as George asked Logan to show him the new SUV. It wasn't long before all of the soldiers, including the tank crew, were checking it out while looking to the sky and promising their first born if they could get one. All except Lieutenant Hawthorne, of course, who stood off to the side with that persistent sneer on his face. Logan made a point of stating more than once and loud enough for the Lieutenant to hear, that the SUV didn't work without him activating it first. There would be no federal requisitioning of his precious toy.

While everyone else fawned over the SUV, Erin stepped up beside Lieutenant Hawthorne.

"You're a sneaky little girl, aren't you?"

"You're what? 3…4 years older than me? I don't need someone who was barely out of diapers before me, talking down to me."

He turned his head the barest amount in her direction, then said, "While you were hoping little Billy would kiss you behind the bleachers during a football game, I was in ROTC learning how to be a leader of men. I'll talk to you however I like. Girl."

"Wow, did they surgically implant that arrogant stick up your ass in your fancy military school, or did the boys just bend you over the bed and shove it up without lube?" Erin snickered for effect, "I'm guessing the latter, given your disposition."

"Don't pretend to know me or anything about my life, girl. Underestimate me at your own peril."

Erin started to walk towards the soldiers, intentionally putting a swagger in her step, as she looked back and said, "Pretty sure that's my line, Level 22. Oh, yeah, I can read character sheets." That was only partially true. She tested the same method for reading the automaton's stats and found it gave cursory information about a person, but Lieutenant Hawthorne didn't need to know that, and giving his level was still a flex. Flashing her DKW on and off repeatedly for effect, Erin kept walking away, not bothering to look back.

Had she checked over her shoulder, Erin would have seen the Lieutenant reach under his armoured vest and grip something. She would have seen the debate in his eyes about whether to withdraw the item and use it on her right there. Instead, she remained oblivious to his dilemma, and Lieutenant Hawthorne won the hard fought battle against his anger, releasing the item and pulling his hand away empty.