Chapter Ten - Marketing Your Way Home

Chapter Ten - Marketing Your Way Home

Chapter Ten - Marketing Your Way Home

Work sucks.

A lot of people say it, but its not true. Work itself isnt awful. It can be satisfying; it can be something you look forward to. Working with others you enjoy, creating something that will go down in history, becoming better and earning enough to live a comfortable life. There are a lot of reasons why work can be an enjoyable, fulfilling activity.

The problem is that in order to create work like that the entire system needs to be willing to take big steps and make big sacrifices. Those cut into a companys profits, and a company only exists to generate profits.

So yeah, work doesnt suck, but yours probably does.

--Precision Headhunter Co. CEO, teleconference on the joys of work, 2024

***

I crashed into Lucy and pulled her to me.

My worries crashed into her too, like a freight-train barrelling down a slope at full speed, then meeting the face of a mountain.

She grabbed me closer, returning the hug even as I buried my face in the big mess that was her poofy hair. I love you too, she said. As far as greetings went, it was just about perfect.

Mhmm, I agreed. I pulled back enough to press my lips to hers. It wasnt a sexy kind of kiss though, just contact, a reply, I guess.

Look, I was never good with the romance stuff.

So, uh, I said. The museums a house now.

Lucy laughed. Is it? You picked the giant cat shape, right?

Its kind of iconic, I said.

Ironic, more like, she shot back before spinning out of my grasp. A few of the kittens were milling around. The Twins were in the kitchen space, barely visible over the island, and a few others were in the living room, a movie blaring on the big screen.

Do you have a lot of things to pack away? I asked. The kittens?

A few things, she said. You want to move us over?

Right away, I confirmed.

Her eyebrows shot up. Really?

Yeah. Theres aliens on the edge of the city already. I dont know if there are enough soldiers between them and us for me to be comfortable. The museum... ex-museums probably safer than the hotel. Or it will be soon enough.

Lucy nodded. Ill wrangle the kittens. It shouldnt be too hard, you know how kittens are when you show them a new box. We didnt come here with much.

You're saying we wont strip the entire place for everything its got? I asked.

Lucy tapped her lower lip. Do you think we can leave with the bed? And should I tell the kittens to leave anything thats nailed down?

Ill probably be working with Gomorrah, I said. Maybe some of the other samurai I met today. Well watch over each others backs.

Alright, Lucy said.

I didnt tell her that I didnt even have an inkling of what the long-term plan was. The way things had been laid out had been almost entirely responsive, relying on defending the city instead of attacking the root of the problem.

That didnt bode well, but then, I probably didnt have the rank or power or whatever to casually fly around and take out entire hives.

I pecked Lucy on the cheek real fast. Ill head out again, alright? Ill be back in a couple of hours. Text me if anything comes up. Anything at all. And feel free to remind people that if I have to fly back here, that means removing a samurai from an active battlefront thats literally on their front door, and that Ill probably not be in the best of moods.

Oh, you can come in, all pissed off and covered in alien gore, then be all sexy at them, Lucy said.

Uh, was my reply.

Lucy nodded. You know that righteous fury is kind of hot, right?

I cleared my throat, pretended not to feel the warmth of my cheeks, and slapped my helmet back on. Anyway, I need to head out, I said.

She grinned, because of course she did. We hugged again, then Lucy gave me a farewell smack as I walked towards the door. Be safe, alright? Lucy asked.

I nodded. I promise, Ill be as safe as I can be.

Youd better, Lucy said. I have an in with Gomorrah, shell tattle on you if you do anything too stupid.

Hey! I never do anything stupid, I said.

Lucy smiled. I love you, even if youre a bit stupid sometimes.

I left with a grin that wouldnt leave and a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest.

Myalis, can you bring up that map? I asked.

My vision split, part of it turning into the overhead colour map of the region. More and more yellow stains were appearing around the city, mostly deep into the countryside. A few notes were already pinned on the map. Requests for people to guard convoys of evacuees or supplies being pulled out of distant warehouses.

That one section that had gone red was back to being just yellow. I guessed that Grasshopper had arrived a while back and was taking care of things.

That still left a whole lot of work available.

I dialled up Gomorrah and she answered before the first ring. Hey, I said.

Hey, she replied. Done taking care of your girlfriend and many children?

Theyll manage without me for a few hours, I said. So, want to burn up some xenos?

I thought youd never ask.

***