October 31, 2388 AD
Sol System
Tampa, Florida
Saturday, 7:17 AM, Earth Eastern Standard Time
The marines had formed up around the presidential limo and finally led the First Family to safety out of the madness that had ensued at the Magic Kingdom. Something had taken over all of the AIs within the entirety of the Walt Disney World Orlando property as well as several lakes and businesses surrounding it. But the president had made it to safety.
Several bot-mode FM-12s trotted along beside the limo, while others in fighter mode and eagle mode followed above at treetop level. The marine mecha had led the hovercraft down Interstate 4 at over two hundred kilometers per hour until it met up with a Starhawk that picked them up and then flew them the rest of the way into MacDill Air Force Base and the U.S. Special Operations Command headquarters.
Lieutenant General Howard Brown met the First Family personally as they landed on the lifter pad just outside the main HQ in the center of the USSOCOM pentagon. The joint forces of the special ops squads stood guard in FM-12s, along each apex of the exterior pentagon. The marine squadron of FM-12s that had protected the president stood at attention in bot mode, surrounding the Starhawk in a circle and looking outward from it.
'Mr. President! It is very good to see you in one piece, sir!' The three-star general offered President Moore a hand, then likewise to the First Lady and their daughter. The battered and haggard-looking Secret Service agents took up positions around them as they walked down the rear ramp of the troop carrier.
'General,' Moore nodded. 'What the hell is going on?'
'Let's get you inside, Mr. President.'
'The First Lady and your daughter are getting cleaned up, and we're having a doctor look at Dee's arm. They are just a few doors down if you need them, sir,' Thomas whispered into the president's ear.
'Thank you, Thomas.' Moore nodded. The young marine had been battered to hell and back, and he was still not faltering and not budging from the president's side. Thomas blended into the woodwork and stood at the ready quietly with his back against the wall. Moore sat back in his leather chair in the general's conference room and sipped at the coffee that the Army lieutenant colonel had just brought him. 'Mmmm. Needs sugar, and how about some breakfast in here.'
'Yes, sir. Right away, sir.'
'General, there is a transmission going out over the news services that I think we need to see, sir!' A full-bird Air Force colonel rushed into the conference room and started tapping controls on the projection system.
A wall holoscreen jumped to life with the Earth News Network logo emblazoned across the bottom with the ticker-tape newslines running at a speed reader's pace. The scene playing was from somewhere inside the Disney World Magic Kingdom amusement park that looked like the inside of the White House.
'Been there,' Moore said.
'Uh, yes sir. That is the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World as best we can tell. It gets really interesting in just a minute,' the Air Force colonel replied. The general leaned back as he sipped his coffee and nodded at the colonel approvingly.
Several AI-driven dead presidents walked into the view. Two of them were dragging a woman kicking and screaming at them the whole time. George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt took flanks on either side of her. Each of them was holding a railgun pistol. At that point, several other dead presidents filed in behind. Each set of two presidents were holding a human against their will.
Then another figure walked in behind the crowd. Like a sea parting, the dead presidents pulled their hostages aside to allow Sienna Madira, the one hundred and eleventh president of the United States, to walk through. The AI-driven amusement park robot looked just like the former beloved president. The Madira likeness walked deadpan and expressionless up to the woman in front between George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt. With robotic efficiency and coldness, the Sienna Madira bot pulled up a pistol, held it to the young woman's head, and pulled the trigger.
'Oh shit!' Moore said startled. He sat his cup down and leaned forward.
'Yes, sir,' the general agreed.
Blood splattered out of the back of the woman's head and onto a screaming man behind her. The dead presidents let go of the body, and it fell limp with a thud to the floor behind Madira as she turned around.
'Greetings infidels,' Sienna Madira said. 'The United States of America simply decided to ignore the fact that the Martian underclass has suffered for ages since your so-called great leader President Sienna Madira drove us to the Reservation. We left your space four years ago, but
'We truly believe that the congress and senate and the people of the Sol System wish to leave us alone for the most part. But. But . . .' The Sienna Madira robot shook its head for dramatic effect. 'But your executive leadership has continued to threaten and coerce the peace- desiring members of your government toward military buildup. You still continue to build up your supercarriers and your squadrons of mecha and armored vehicles. I ask you this. If there are no longer any of us Martians, true Americans, left in your system, then what are you building up your military might for?' The robot paused for a brief moment.
'I will tell you. Your President Alexander Moore is preparing to attack the Separatist refugees. We fled your system so that we would no longer have to interact with you. But if you continue to allow this criminal of war to track us across the stars and hunt us down like animals, we
'There are over twenty thousand employees of the Disney World complex that we have taken. We will kill one of them every minute until you hand over this war criminal to us. Hand over President Moore, and the shooting will stop. Until then, the body count will continue to rise. We will wait for the criminal, Moore, to be dropped by himself outside the Hall of Presidents. At that point, all hostages will be freed, and we will then take the criminal with us back to be tried by Her Majesty, Elle Ahmi.' Again, the robot paused for a brief moment as another human was pulled forward.
'There is one more thing. There is a gluonium bomb right here,' the bot pointed at her stomach. 'The bomb is
