See what I mean? We heard the sound of approaching sirens over the thrumming of the helicopters. Several squad cars pulled up, lights and sirens pulsing. The officers got out but didn’t draw weapons. They remained near their cars, nervously eyeing the attack helicopters and the agents milling around talking with Mr. T.
Then, seconds later, three large black SUVs came in fast and braked hard. Probably Department of Defense. Another 15 men, all armed, joined the mix. Those did draw their weapons. Sure enough, Department of Defense (DoD). But the power behind the attack helicopter appearance was not to be outdone.
Two Medium Tactical Vehicles pulled up. At least 30 troops jumped out with SW-6.8s (Squad Weapon 6.8 caliber) and SARs (Squad Automatic Rifles). They deployed with impressive military precision, weapons down but in the ready position. They must have come from Fort Lewis, not too far down the road, but they must have been moving fast to get here so quickly. This was really starting to get exciting.
With the arrival of the ground troops, the Apaches spun off to go about some other business. At least it would be easier to talk.
The head guy from the DoD walked up to Mr. T and grabbed him forcibly by the arm, evidently intending to drag him over to one of the SUVs. He was a big guy and must have been surprised when Mr. T adjusted his footing and didn’t budge an inch.
There was a pronounced clacking sound as 30 rifle charging handles slid, all at exactly the same time. Oh my. Locked and loaded. The troops raised their weapons to cover the field agents.
The police officers wisely kept their hands away from their holstered weapons. But they stayed on to witness the outcome. Now it was starting to get ... awkward. And confusing. I was aware the DoD was technically in charge of all U.S. military branches. But it was obvious the military presence here was representing Mr. T and not the DoD.
Mr. T knocked the DoD agent’s arm away and gave him a one-armed shove. The agent looked a little surprised as he stumbled back a couple of steps. Mr. T cupped a hand over his ear. He was receiving information through his ear bud.
He pointed a finger at the aggressive agent. “Look ... Bradford ... this situation is clearly out of your control. By the time you get back to your office a full explanation will be waiting for you.”
Bradford was fuming, red faced. He raised his voice so all could hear. “No. What’s going to happen are a whole lot of court-martials. Unless all of you men stand down. Now! And you, sir, will be spending a very long time in a super-max prison.
I could tell Mr. T was getting a little perturbed, and it looked as though he was about to get confrontational. Then a nondescript late model sedan pulled up. The horn blared and the general, our general, got out and quick stepped over to the DoD agent in charge.
The agent seemed to recognize the general, who took him aside for a brief chat. The DoD fellow listened carefully as he glared at the general. He finally nodded, waved his arm at his crew, and moved off to one of the black SUVs. All of his guys followed.
The other agents, those involved in the initial attack on the compound, looked at Mr. T and pointed to their guns lying on the ground. Mr. T nodded. They grabbed their guns, made a point of holstering them right away, and they also moved off.
Our general nodded to the captain in charge of the soldiers. The captain gave a quick command. The troops loaded up, and were gone in seconds.
Then the police officers got into their cars and left. They hadn’t said a single word throughout the entire episode.
I have to admit, as all of this unfolded, I kept looking to the skies, waiting for the flies to show up. They really were finished. After we destroyed the hive ships, the bug flier pilots that remained, just landed. The flies remained on the ground, in their rendition of squadrons. The militaries of the world surrounded them, but waited. Eventually, I suppose after the drugs and pheromones weakened, the bug pilots climbed out and surrendered. Just like that.
Mr. T smiled at the general. “Thank you general. Let’s go inside and see what all the fuss is about.”
Communal unlocked the door as Mr. T and the general approached. The rest of us uncloaked and followed them in. Roll made a point of scanning the area. He figured the DoD guys probably left some VS-snoopers lying around.
We tend to wear disguises in public. Well, not disguises exactly. Our IVs, when opaque, make for a good mask. They’re quite comfy and have all kinds of high-tech features.
Rock, are you straight-up looking for trouble today? It’s not my fault if a pair of Ivees make me look too-cool. And I for-sure use the IVs tech features, all the time. Here, let’s scan your brain to see if it’s about to explode from too much math. Oh no! Log out of that quantum mechanics site right now, or I’m going to run for cover!
Rock is right about one thing. I should qualify the part about Ivees and comfort. The external IVs goggles are comfy, not the DARPA Rollout Lens. Those are terrible.
Anyway, we wear our Ivees whenever we show up as Shockwave, operation or public event. Hey, we might have to go to a public event as Shockwave. Won’t that be fun? Yeah, that was tongue-in-cheek. Actually, Para doesn’t seem to mind the spotlight.
Even the general hasn’t seen our faces, though I’m sure he knows exactly who we are. It would probably be obvious to anyone conducting even a cursory investigation. I’m surprised the media hasn’t blabbed. Likely a gag order from the general.
First impression of the
