Chapter Fifty-Five - Low Expectations

    Chapter Fifty-Five - Low Expectations

    Dont fuck with Samurai.

    Its pretty much the most important memo sent out to corporate drones. And yet, every year, there''s a smooth brained idiot that shoves their own foot so deep into their mouth that they tickle their brain stem.

    The problem is that so many Samurai work hard to cultivate a certain image. Theyre nice, or silly, or fun. They do charity streams, volunteer for things, and donate money in their own name to help their community.

    Idiots will think that theyre soft-hearted.

    But as soft as the tiger may be, it still has teeth and claws, and if you fuck with its children, it will mess you up.

    So a mistake happens. Some office drone gets their remains spread across three time zones, and then the entire corporation needs to backpedal.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

    The next week, like clockwork, a new memo goes around.

    Dont fuck with Samurai.

    --Excerpt from a corporate training video, 2041

    ***

    I wasnt fond of those weird platitudes, the half-true words people used to make something awful sound normal. They had plenty of euphemisms for the kittens. Differently abled under privileged children with no solid parental figures, was an entire mouthful, but its what we heard whenever someone came along who was too pussy to call us all crippled orphans.

    I hated that kind of crap. It was fake and it always sounded so damned condescending.

    Its why I knelt before the two kids in the group of seven, the only seven in the entire shelter who had survived and I did my best to meet their eyes.

    You came down here with anyone? I asked.

    They glanced over to the bodies. The soldier Monroe had left with me was covering each one with a blanket he pulled from the emergency supplies. He didnt have to, but I appreciated the gesture.

    Mom, the girl of the pair said. She came with us.

    I nodded, worked my jaw a little, then bit the bullet. Shes dead.

    The girl grabbed onto the boy. They had to be nine-ten years old. Smart enough to understand. Their eyes filled with tears. You couldnt save her? she asked. You, you saved us. I thought you were an angel and... She clutched at her chest, pulling on a necklace.

    Theres no such thing, kid, I said. And Im just a bitch who didnt get here fast enough. But youre alive. So is your brother. Id like to keep it that way.

    I got to my feet and looked at the other survivors. The old woman looked like she could chew nails, the fat guy was teary-eyed, but wasnt meeting my gaze. The others looked a little dazed, but they were healthy enough.

    Were moving in three minutes, I said.

    With that, I moved off towards the shelters entrance.

    I snorted, the bit of humour unexpected. Right, I said. Monroe, Ill be taking the rear for a bit. Dumbass, keep scouting ahead.

    I bought a Resonator grenade while the soldiers and civvies moved past, then started eyeing the sensor... thing on top of it. There were two settings, one had a small icon of a broken line, the other an open eye. In the middle was a sort of lens.

    The primary setting is a laser. Once broken the explosive detonates. The second is a motion detector. It gives you twenty seconds after activation to remove yourself from the area.

    I flicked on the first open, found the big on button behind it, and pressed it.

    A red light flashed out of the grenade, forming a line between me and the floor. One that immediately broke the moment I moved.

    I flung the Resonator away as it started wailing.

    I would say Im impressed, but its very much the opposite.

    Shut up, I grumbled.

    All of my companions were looking over to me, so I stood taller and hoped that they couldnt see the colour of my face in the poor lighting.

    Just covering our rear, I said. Keep moving.

    They kept moving, some of them pressing hands over their ears to block out the racket from the grenade.

    I jogged up to the nearest soldier while muttering to Myalis. By the time I caught up I had a handful of resonators to give him.

    Place these on the ground behind us, laser bit pointing away. Also, activate it after you place it. Not before.

    The soldier cradled the grenades like a live baby. Um. Yes maam, he said as he passed his rifle to his partner.

    I moved back to the front of the group while unslinging Whisper from my back. We should be safe from behind, I said.

    Thank you, he said. Good idea with the lure back there.

    Yeah. Thanks.

    This is just humiliating. I hope I can expunge all evidence of this from any record or the other AI will mock me for eons.

    Our path continued unmolested by any aliens until we reached the stairwell. At some point, the lights had gone out. Worse, the body wed left untouched by the door was long gone.

    I saw Monroe reaching up to touch the side of his helmet. He nodded, and I heard muffled speech coming through before he turned my way. The cars are meeting a lot more resistance now. I think theyve been marked.

    Nodding, I gestured out ahead. Then well get to them in a hurry. I shook off the bad feeling roiling in my stomach. How many shelters had stories just like this one?

    We werent even supposed to come here until I insisted.

    And the orange zone would only grow bigger as time moved on.

    As I stepped into the stairwell and began looking for trouble, a small part of me was hoping that I wasnt the only idiot out there doing her best to keep folk alive.