SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT

[dislinked]

ANNOUNCEMENT
Broadcast over speakers onboard, Doss speaks:

This is a CODE RED ALERT and all hands are required.

Earlier this evening, Bone intercepted a directive from the Architects to initiate a Sterilisation Event in Xitang, China on 01/29/2026 at 1600. There's no information about what is triggering this, but we have a unique chance to save 50,000 souls from eradication.

Evacuation is our primary goal here. We know the blast radius is 15.5 miles (25 km for our non-Americans). We need to get as many people as possible out of the radius as quickly and as efficiently as we can. St James has a suggested approach here. Espionage, consult with your chain of command for assignments.

Ground Forces will be on site getting as many people to safety as possible. Your primary directive is evacuation. Utilize any resources at your disposal.

These people are Veiled. This makes things easier and trickier at the same time. We won't have widespread panic: you're fighting against complacency.

Pilots, your primary directive is drone destruction You're the hail Mary: as long as the drones are targeting you, they can't execute their orders. We need to give people on the ground as much time as we can. You'll be against the big boys, not just the standard drones. They're powerful, but they're slow. Take advantage of your maneuverability.

Strategists, you'll be manning Command with Science. Let them run point on ground communication and stick to what you know best: how to keep our pilots alive.

Remember the mission. Let's go be big damn heroes.

Comments

Cal & Eva

[witlessbay]

Cal watched the last group drive down the street, towards the highway, before turning back to Eva. Sure, it might've been more responsible to head to the rendezvous point immediately, but there was something infinitely more important on Cal's mind than his own safety.

“Did you see the snacks in there?”

“No.” It was both a denial of seeing the alleged snacks and a refusal to go back, but Eva knew better than to look at her partner as she gave a wave to the little boy looking back through the rearview window before checking her watch. “But I know you’ve done an inventory of them.”

“Staff room was full of them,” He continued, immediately proving her point, and taking a few tentative steps back towards the building. “Please? We've got time.”

For a moment, she reconsidered his request.

Transportation: she had that, a car with a tank full of gas, keys safely in her pocket.

Time: she also had that. Forty minutes until they were potentially vaporized in the pursuit of snacks that didn’t come with a lot of imagining they were something better. Was it the best use of their time? Likely not, but if there were stragglers, this gave an opportunity to retrieve them on their way to safety.

Guilt: not currently, but she would if she left him here.

“Dios mio,” she muttered, spinning on her heel and striding past him. “Five minutes only.”

Cal grinned, his long strides catching up to hers quickly.

“Stop smiling.”

“You know I can be quick,” he teased, grabbing the door and holding it open for her. “Second door on the left.”

“I’ve been cursed with you as a partner,” she grumbled, listening for any other footfalls as she located a bag in the corner to use for their absconding of all that was worth taking. “I’m calling dibs on anything resembling a peanut butter cup.”

“I thought we didn't have time,” Cal pointed out, opening the fridge door and letting out a low whistle.

“And we will especially not have time if we’re trying to carry everything out in our hands,” she called back, sweeping the tray of favors indiscriminately into the bag.

“Jackpot,” he declared, removing (most of) a retirement cake.

She glanced up, thumb pressing into her temple. “You can’t be serious. How are we going to transport that?”

“Are you saying you don't want it?” he asked, wiggling the tray towards her.

“You are that boy from that movie,” she sighed, opening a random drawer in search of something that would prevent a loose cake from ending up on the dashboard of the car should they come to an abrupt stop.

She had no luck, but that was not of her concern.

“The one with the mean teacher and the cake she makes him eat.”

Cal watched her as he considered her reference. Eventually, it clicked. “Matilda? That was what you got out of Matilda?”

“We don’t have time to break down a children’s movie,” she pointed out, heaving the bag up onto her shoulder and checking her watch once again. “Are you holding it or not?”

He looked down at the cake, debating how he would not only drive with it, but also explain it away for their lift home. Reluctantly, he grabbed a mug and scooped up as much cake as would fit. “I thought it would be good for Luis to try it.”

“He can’t be denied the chance to,” she agreed. With a sigh, Eva ripped off a bit of a paper towel, covering the mug and using a rubber band to secure it. An elbow jabbed at his side as she freed the keys from her pocket, pointing towards the door with them. “Now vamos.”

“Yes ma'am,” Cal agreed, turning towards her as he walked backwards down the hallway. “Can I drive?”

“I don’t know— can you?” she returned, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

He rolled his eyes, holding his free hand out with a “gimme” gesture. “May I drive, princess?”

“Of course.” The keys arced towards him. “As long as you realize I will be overly critical of your driving later.”

“You'd be overly critical of my sitting in the passenger seat if you could be,” he teased, catching the keys and spinning them around his finger.

“I could figure it out,” she assured, waiting for the tell-tale beep to open her door.

“Let's go, we're gonna be late.”

“Oh, now you listen,” she huffed, buckling her seatbelt for what she hoped wasn’t going to be a bumpy ride. “Ready when you are.”