No way, said Serenity, glancing about rapidly if about to cross a busy street, then striding right up to him. No way am I going to let you go in there alone.
Youre out of ammo.
So lets resupply. Jas, if youre going in, theres no need to do it this second. Think, yeah? All those Nesis 2s will be there in half an hours ti.
But I want to go now, he almost said.
Jas, theres another angle to this, said Bjrn, moving up to the front of the protective circle. What if our ka-tet bond doesnt extend that far? Youd be depriving all of us of the incredibly amount of experience youre about to accrue.
Yeah, for real, said Denzel. And co on man. Are we in this together or not? Was all that talk about being a team just hot air?
Jas sucked on his teeth. Another Nesis 2 ashed against his back, causing everybody to flinch.
Bjrn raised his arm and turned to the others. Show of hands who wants to resupply and go in with Jas.
Serenity, Becca, and Denzel imdiately raised their arms. Joanna hesitated then nodded, did the sa. Jason rubbed at this jaw, sighted up and down the street, then grimaced and raised his arm too.
Yadriel? Sarah? Bjrns tone was gentle. You in?
Yadriel scowled, averted his eyes, then shrugged. Whatever, fine. Im down from so free XP.
Sarahs face could have been carved from driftwood. I didnt make this far by taking unnecessary risks. My circle wont last long in there.
Serenity whipped her bullpup up and shot a Nesis 3 that was coming at them from the side, blasting its porcelain mask aside.
Jas knew he could apply pressure either way, convince her to co, convince her to leave. But he felt frozen, torn by his own desire to go alone and his loyalty to his crew.
Bjrn picked up the slack for him. As you are, sure. But if you keep raising your Arete as we level, your circle will grow proportionately powerful. Thats the entire point. Were about to earn more power through Jass aura than we can imagine.
Sarah wavered, her frown deepening.
Bjrn turned and pointed at Jas as if he were on the witness stand and Bjrn the prosecutor. Jas said we have to take risks if were to stay ahead. Thats my language. My entire career was based on intuiting which were the right risks to take, which would pay off the most. Ive a sense for this. And Im telling you now, Sarah, that I have no desire to throw my life away needlessly, and that Im confident that well co out of this slling like roses. Bjrn smiled, the expression impossibly charismatic and wolfish on his shaggy face. Dont you want to find out what cos after Supplicant?
Sarahs eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Becca and Serenity shot down three more Nesis 2s.
You using your power on ? asked the holess lady.
Scouts honor Im not. Bjrn raised his hand. What do you say? Ready to make the smart bet?
You must have made a lot of money, said Joanna, tone admiring.
Lady, youve no idea.
Fine. Sarah drew herself up. But its not because of your fancy words. Its because Im willing to trust Jas to see us through.
Everyone turned to stare at him.
Ill do my best. You know that.
Then lets get more ammo, said Serenity, her mag dropping out of her bullpup. Im almost out. Yadriel, help collect my mags.
Why ? protested the kid.
Itll help you build character. Now hurry.
A few minutes later they moved back down the avenue, Golem and the other two Hydra teams following after. With ammo almost out they mostly just hoofed it, Jas running intercept as best he could but ordering everybody to form a column so that theyd attract as little attention as possible.
And just as before, the Nesis 2s ignored them and stread toward the hive.
Jas radioed in for more ammo, and Richard told them theyd have to wait, as Jessicas negotiations to acquire more 556 NATO rounds had stalled out. Red tape was holding things up, and the military was wisening up to the fact that ammo was becoming a precious resource.
After an hour of waiting inside an abandoned and mostly picked clean Duane Reade, Jas lost his patience. This is going to take all night. Lets run an experint. You stay here, and Ill move toward the hive. Lets see how far we can go before we lose our connection.
No, said Serenity with a saccharine smile.
Yo, this is just like the zombie movies, said Yadriel, who was trying to figure out a way to roll up the security barrier that soone had locked down over the pharmacy counter. Or like Covid. Rember how all the toilet paper disappeared?
Denzel had requisitioned a pack of Oreos. How long you all figure the powers going to stay on?
Awhile yet, said Becca, tone cool from the doorway where she was watching the street. The grids delicate. The governnt and military know that. Theyll make sure a crew remains on site at key locations no matter what happens. Sa with the water supply.
Jas took a steadying breath. Well, the powers on now, so you guys can hang tight and enjoy the break. Im going in.
Jas, wait. Serenity stepped up and grabbed his arm. Co here. She pulled him aside, further into the Duane Reade, down the aisle where toothpaste and deodorant were stocked. Whats going on with you? Why you needing to throw yourself into this suicide run?
Why? Jas wrestled with his own impatience with the question itself. For all the right reasons, Serenity. There are people in there right now getting fed into that cocoon. I could make a difference. I have the power now.
There are way too many people out there for you to save, Serenity said quietly, running a hand down his chest, straightening out the lapels of his black and gray ice jacket. But theres only one of you. Weve agreed youre going in. We just need more ammo. Wait for us.
Jas grimaced and turned away.
Jas. Her voice was insistent. This isnt like you. Youre calm and steady. But now youre like a junky being told to wait before his next fix. Whats going on? You know the right move is for us to go in together.
Jas bit his lower lip, glared out over the aisles, then sighed. Look. But he didnt know what he wanted to say. Why did he need to get in there so badly. He stared down at the gray carpeting. The need was real, an imperative, but he didnt understand it. Serenity was right. An extra few hours to ensure his survival and the leveling up of his new crew was worth it. Yes, people were being hurt, but there were thirty-one other symbols out there. He couldnt save them all.
But wasnt it worth rushing in if he could save an extra handful, even?
Jass frown deepened. No, he realized. This war was a marathon, not a sprint. If he tore around trying to do his reckless utmost forever, hed get himself killed. And much as he didnt feel special, he couldnt deny the role hed taken on. The calamitous effect itd have on the new DRC.
Look, said Serenity softly. I think I understand. Its a chance to help. A chance you didnt have, years ago.
Jass skin goose pimpled, and a wash of rage flooded through him. A week ago hed have - what? Rejected anybody who thought they knew that part of him, knew what he felt, why he did what he did. But now? He felt the great weight of the Arete on his soul, the enforced clarity it gave him. How it didnt mitigate the pain, the fury, but how it made him aware of his reflexive response, and in noticing it, disard its control over him.
And Im hardly one to preach good behavior, continued Serenity, pausing only to laugh bitterly at herself. But cmon. Bonnie and Clyde, right? Nothing good will co from your breaking this partnership. Give us a few more hours. Just wait a bit more. I promise itll be worth it. Trust ?
Jas sighed and hung his head. Yeah. All right. I trust you.
Good. Her relief was obvious to him, but neatly hidden under her smile. Cause that ans I get to do so quick shopping. A girls got to take care of herself, and hygienes the first thing to go when the apocalypse hits.
Knock yourself out.
Oh, dont get high and mighty. You need so deodorant, too. Here, Ill grab you so stuff.
She headed to the front of the shop, grabbed a basket, and then disappeared down an aisle.
Jas wandered up front. Sarah was grabbing bags of peanuts and Reeses Pieces and shoving them inside her voluminous denim jacket. Joanna was working her way through so track and field stretches, while Jason was seated cross legged, hands on his knees, eyes closed.
Smart kid, said Bjrn, moving over to join Jas. Says hes taken up ditation because of his heart. I think we should all do the sa.
Jas considered the other man. He was perhaps just a little younger than him, later 30s, but his self-possession, the now wrinkled but expensive suit, and his rugged, handso looks made him feel the sa age. Youre probably used to stress from your old job.
Different kind of stress. Bjrn leaned on the cashier counter. Theres a difference between watching a run on a stock and watching a run on your Circle of Protection. Still. Bjrn considered. So overlap, I suppose. Either you have the ntal fortitude to handle the stress, or you dont.
And you do?
So far. Bjrn considered him with renewed interest. Whats your story, Jas? You ca out of nowhere to lead this movent, whereas the angel investors and start-up gurus and visionary CEOs and all the other leadership types I know have fallen into hysterical obscurity. Youre educated. You speak well, though Ive noticed you fall into a street accent at tis, which is fascinating.
Jass face flushed. I do?
Sure. Maybe its a defensive thing. It probably doesnt help to sound educated on the street.
Im not educated. Not like you an.
Bjrns smile was vulpine. But you know what I an.
Yeah. Jas exhaled, crossed his arms, looked away. Guess I do. Im just a guy, Bjrn. Not a big hot shot like you. Used to be an EMT, back in the day, but a family tragedy I dont want to talk about ended things as I knew em, and for a while I just drifted.
Bjrn nodded, his gaze piercing. Coth the hour, coth the man. Ive hired hundreds of people over the course of my forr career, Jas. I like to think Ive an instinct for talent, for that intangible spark that differentiates one promising candidate from a hundred others. Im not blowing smoke up your ass when I say youve got it.
Jas snorted. Maybe youre not as good a judge as you think, Bjrn. Id have made a terrible investnt banker.
Oh, I know. Youd never have made it past the preliminaries at my firm. But thats not what Im talking about. Anyways, this is just a long-winded way of saying Im glad were on the sa team.
What about yourself? Jas looked Bjrn up and down. Cant be too many guys like you on Wall Street. Why the rough beard? You can afford a razor, cant you?
Sure. Bjrn smiled his wolfish smile. Its branding. I had sothing of a notorious start to the business. After the big crash of 2008 I was let go from my firm and started ConvenantWealth. Ive since grown it to be one of the largest private equity firms in the country, with a portfolio in the hundreds of billions. He paused, considered. Well, it was as of a week ago.
Impressive, said Jas, not really caring.
I rember you. Becca rolled around on her shoulder to stare at Bjrn. You were featured in GQ, right? The Bear of Wall Street?
I might have done a fashion shoot with them, yes, allowed Bjrn.
Beccas dark blue eyes glittered. Wasnt your firm behind the gutting of Leapfrog Shoes? And Play It Again Toys. And -
Private equity is a dangerous business, laughed Bjrn. The rise of e-comrce giants like Amazon created a challenging retail environnt for smaller businesses. ConvenantWealth and our partners rely tried to help.
Sure, said Becca, eyes narrowing. Im not judging. Its a jungle out there. The world needs predators to keep things in check.
Well. Bjrn smoothed down his suit. I suppose that is especially true now.
Becca grinned and raised her rifle. Isnt that the truth.
The pair of them held each others gaze, and even Jas noticed the sudden tension in the air between them. He stepped away, and neither seed to notice.
Wanting solitude, Jas moved out into the street. Occasionally a Nesis 2 passed by, and hed ash it, but their concentration had vastly diminished.
Finally, an hour or so later, a new hatchback pulled up before their location and one of Jessicas new assistants hopped out. Crimson Hydra stepped out onto the street, and Denzel and Jason helped the lady pull out six army green ammo cans out of the trunk along with a bunch of magazines and two large exterior fra hiking backpacks.
Thats almost 5,000 rounds, said the assistant, whod introduced herself as Maliya. Were getting them shipped in from Jersey, but logistics are collapsing, and Jessica said Major Hackworth isnt able to give or sell ammo to us.
Well make do, said Serenity, sitting cross-legged beside a can and grabbing so mags. Give a mont while I load these up.
Everybody pitched in, and soon both Becca and Serenity had ten loaded magazines which they placed in their vests pockets or dumped into backpacks along with another three ammo cans each.
Gotta love this increased Strength, said Becca with a wry smile, slinging her heavy backpack over her shoulders. Ready when you are, boss.
Sa, said Serenity, shrugging her backpack on, checking her vest, then bringing her Tavor up. And now weve got enough ammo to have a real party.
Best of luck, said Maliya. Star Boy asked that you radio in just before you hit the periter.
His na is Richard Stokes, said Serenity. Cmon.
Maliya laughed nervously. Hes pretty insistent.
Its never going to happen, said Serenity, turning to Jas. Right?
In this world we live in? Jas took up his axe. I guess anything is possible. Everybody ready?
Yadriel took a big bite from his king-sized candy bar. Ready.
There were murmurs of assent all round.
Almost Jas considered trying to warn them off again, but he saw resolve in everybodys faces. All right. Then it looks like were all going in. Lets go.
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