Chapter Fifty-Six - Small and in Charge

Chapter Fifty-Six - Small and in Charge

Chapter Fifty-Six - Small and in Charge

There are all sorts of reactions to someone seeing a Samurai show up, and generally, these reactions will depend on circumstance.Th.ê most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m

Fear and terror are common among those doing things that are morally dubious. Seeing a samurai show up at an underground human auction is never going to please the organizers.

Awe and worship for those who encounter a samurai on the streets. Its a privileged encounter

with a celebrity for most.

And finally, relief, most often felt by those fearing for their lives when a samurai appears and decides that whatever is currently a threat needs to be removed.

--Except from a sociological study on the predictable responses to a samurais appearance, 2028

***

I took a deep breath and tried to look confident. Then I recalled that the folk I was dealing with were little better than corporate goons. Worse, they were corporate cops. That was like dealing with a toddler that had taken one or two concussions too many and whos only skill was to figure out exactly how much of a minority someone was or how poor they were before shooting them. I didnt need confidence to deal with these dipshits, I needed a bigger gun.

Walking over to the barricade theyd made with their cars, I stepped onto a bumper, then the hood before jumping over to the other side. There were eight of them, a couple more than Id counted at first. Mostly men, with navy blue uniforms and bulletproof vests and tacticool handguns and a shotgun or three.

Which one of yous the asshole in charge? I asked.

I am, One of them said. He had a little logo on his shoulder that the others didnt. The police stations symbol, then the logo of the local mining company, then some badge.

Wrong, I am the asshole in charge now, I said. How many cops do we have, minion?

Alright, so it was rude and stupid, but the look on the guys face was worth it, and I needed to cut past the bullshittery as soon as I could.

Um, the captain--I assumed that was his rank--said. We have twenty-four officers in this town, maam. Seventeen of them are here. We have a squad-car down the road with two more on their way in, and four others are at the clinic.

I nodded. Myalis, I need a map of this place, please.

I like the location label, I deadpanned. The huge yellow You Are Here was a bit much. Still, that gave me an idea of what the town looked like. It had a decent footprint, but most of the buildings were on the smaller side.

Maam? the captain asked.

Right. The highschools the new rally point. Is there enough room here for every civilian in town?

The building capacity is just under two-thousand, he said.

Fuck capacity, I mean how many folk can we cram in here so that theyre not in our way while were trying to save them all?

Huh? Nah, everyone. Those who cant walk well carry. Its like.. What, about a kilometer?

Its less than half of that.

Half that, I corrected. Pretty sure even a fatass could run that if you scare them enough. I need... six cops to help me.... I counted those that were left. There were three. Had one of them that I didnt point to run off? Well, whatever. Okay, well need volunteers.

Only certified personnel can ride in our vehicles, Captain minion said.

What? Says who? I asked.

Company policy.

I stared at him. Minion, did you miss the part where Im the asshole in charge now? I pointed to the female cop. You seem less stupid, Im promoting you. Youre now Minion Captain.

Uh, yes maam?! the officer said before snapping a quick salute.

My decision had nothing to do with me liking the look of a girl in uniform.

I nodded and stepped aside, then flicked through my augs until I found Gomorrahs contact info. It didnt even ring once before she answered. Got everything under control? she asked.

Probably, I said. Im moving all these people from the school to the corporate headquarters. They have walls and defences in place already. Im sticking some turrets onto these cop cars too to keep people safe while we move. Howre things on your end?

Fine. Havent made that many more points. One moment.

I heard a distant explosion.

Still making enough to justify the cost of these rockets. You said there was another samurai in town?

Yeah, any sight of them?

Not yet. Ill fly over your group once you get them moving. Try not to get people killed.

Hey now, only people I want to kill tend to die when I try to... Im not actually sure where I was going with that one. Anyway, see you in a bit, just keep the skies clear for us.

I hung up and finally walked into the school, my new minion captain on my heels. The inside looked... like a school in one of those shows. A big open hall with a trophy cabinet on one side, and what was obviously student-made art on the walls. There were pictures of graduates and a few banners hanging from the ceiling.

I could almost imagine all the cookie-cutter characters gossiping and doing rural high school shit. Instead, there were dozens of people, some of them looking terrified, others trying to smile and laugh despite it all, and more of them fiddling with their phones or augs to keep distracted. A group of small kids were playing together to one side, making plenty of noise.

Crap, I said as I took in the number of people Id actually be responsible for.

Nothing was ever simple.

***