*rumble….*

Kiefer looked up into the distant sky. Thick clouds were curdling over from the open sea, the sky gradually turning grey and wind speeds picking up. The group was standing on the island made of building debris deciding what their next step was. They had found civilisation quickly, or at least what used to be a civilisation.

With the storm rolling in rapidly, Kiefer decided that their immediate next step would be to find shelter first. While he could easily outrun the storm while carrying the 3 titans, he still needed a destination plan which he did not have. Meeting more mutated predators while on the run from the storm might prove to be a challenge, so he decided to wait the storm out.

There were many iconic buildings on the island, but the most prominent one other than the statue of Liberty was the Empire state building, which had its top sticking out of the rubble similar to Lady Liberty. Kiefer easily found a broken window and descended into the surprisingly steady building. The majority of the building was buried underground, but had yet to collapse from the apparent years of wear and tear. The tilted angle did make things uncomfortable for Kiefer to adapt to but it was not that big an issue.

Kiefer carried the 3 titans from the surface after a brief scouting trip down the building and proceeded to climb down the emergency stairs that ran through the entire length of the building. Most of the surface was rusty, crumbling or mossy. The salty sea air and water had made quick work of anything iron or steel, with the exception of the reinforcement bars buried in the concrete walls. Door knobs, handles, railings and support beams alike were on the verge of structural failure, with flakes of rust gathering on the slanted floor.

However, as luck would have it, Kiefer found a locked air tight security room and opened it with ease. Most of the items were strewn over the floor, with the chairs and tables leaning against the wall that was slanted. There was however, an almost completely bare skeleton in a ripped uniform lying in the midst of the furniture.

“Well, that must be where the smell is coming from.” Rashael joked as he prodded the skull with the tip of his foot.

“Hey. Show the dead some respect.” Kiefer scolded Rashael, as he picked up the skeleton and laid it several rooms over. It was pitch black within the building with the exception of the 3 small orbs of light floating around Kiefer. Thunder was cracking on the surface as winds howled and rain smashed against the glass roof. It was cold outside but deep underground where the titans were, it was plenty warm.

“Master, I found the thing that you showed us back at home!” Sher exclaimed, staring into a grill door of a cabinet.

Kiefer walked briskly over to where Sher was and carefully observed the cabinet. The gun cabinet was mounted onto the wall while the rifles were clipped onto the back of the cabinet. With a quick tug using his mana rope, the door flew open easily, revealing an airtight glass door that separated the rifles from Kiefer. Kiefer smiled and smashed the tough glass easily. Even though spider webs formed on the surface of the glass, it remained intact, bt instead dislodged from the edges, coming off as an entire pane of shattered glass.

“Wow. It would seem they increased the gun regulation controls after I left. Something drastic must have happened for the government to increase security measures to this extent. I never thought the empire state building would host a security detail armed with assault rifles.” Kiefer spoke absent-mindedly, forgetting that the Titans knew nothing of what was unusual or normal on earth.

As Kiefer flipped a switch on the inner wall of the metal cabinet, the LED lamps lit up on the top, and an interface came to life on the blank screen next to the cabinet.

[….]

[….]

[memory corrupted. Unable to initiate start up procedure]

[System reboot initiated. Please begin registration process. Input Rank and full name, followed by desired password.]

“Haha, it seems so much time has passed the computer’s memory data was gradually corrupted and wiped. Let me see… Captain Kiefer Trishen… password… let’s put it as [email protected]” Kiefer chuckled, as he registered himself as a captain into the surprisingly still functional computer system. It all seemed like second nature to Kiefer while the Titans were all staring intently at the screen, impressed by what was happening.

“Kiefer what are you doing? Why did it suddenly light up?” Isana asked, as if reading Rashael’s mind.

“Oh this is called a computer. It runs on electricity and is able to perform multiple tasks and functions at really fast speeds. The back-up power supply must have kicked in, in case of emergency, when I flipped the switch, turning the computer on. I’m just registering myself with the computer so that I will be given access to the weapons.” Kiefer explained as he tapped away with his fingers on the touch screen panel.

After a few moments, the first rifle lock dislodged and the light above the released rifle lit up while the others dimmed. With a loud monotonous voice, the speakers next to the touch screen began vibrating.

“Captain Kiefer, please pick up the rifle as indicated by the light to register your palm print.” The AI spoke emotionlessly.

Kiefer picked up the hefty Rifle and held it in his right hand, with his left supporting the bottom of the body casing that enveloped the barrel. It was not a model he had seen before so Kiefer was unsure if he even knew how to operate the weapon. But figuring it out would not be a problem. The hand grip had a thin blue line along the edges glowing and felt warm to touch, but instantly cooled down again.

“Palm print registered. Next squad member, Sargent Isana please step up and grab your rifle” The Ai spoke once again, releasing the lock on the next rifle and lighting it up from above. However, Isana had not understood what the computer had said, only hearing a jumbled language she had no knowledge of. However she did understand that the wall mentioned her name. She looked at Kiefer nervously but calmed down once she saw Kiefer’s warm smile and instruction to follow his actions.

She held the rifle in her arms similar to Kiefer and it registered her palm print the same way it did with Kiefer. The process repeated for Rashael as well. With the rifle looking too big for Sher to carry, Kiefer registered a small side arm for Sher and the same process was repeated.

Next in line was to equip themselves fully, so Kiefer procured a few load bearing vests and handed them out to Rashael and Isana, while he modified a clip belt to hand around Sher’s waist where she could attach her side arm and spare magazines. By the time Kiefer had organised everybody and loaded the clips with the spare rounds within the cabinet, the storm outside had passed and it was quiet once more.

“Looks like the storm’s over up top. Why don’t we head back up and learn how to use these weapons?” Kiefer suggested, opening the door and staring up towards the faint light streaming in through the windows above ground. There was a straight hole through the upper floors where the structural integrity of the floors had failed and crumbled, leaving a gaping 2m hole down to the current level. Kiefer would have gone straight down that hole if he was not carrying 3 titans with him.

As they climbed the stairs and eventually made it to the top, a cooling breeze lapped their cheeks as Kiefer saw the storm clouds rolling away over the main landmass. Kiefer scavenged some bricks lying around and held them up 30m away. Then he imitated what he had seen in movies, and documentaries, placing the stock against his shoulder and trying his best to line up the holographic scope sights with the target brick. Flipping the switch from safety to semi, Kiefer squeezed the trigger slowly until he felt it stop. However no rounds were fired. He kept squeezing harder and the trigger gave way, depressing a little more, but this time with a deafening bang as the rifle jerked upwards.

The titans studied Kiefer’s movements carefully, watching him load the magazine, aim and fire, only to see him completely miss the target. Kiefer kept trying, and eventually, on his fourth shot, the brick held 30m away shattered and crumbled into dust. Soon, loud bangs were sounding through the small island as Isana and Rashael began their target practice session. They used stationary bricks placed on top of ledges and walls as their targets while Kiefer helped Sher with her side arm.

2 hours of slow firing and 3 magazines of 30 rounds later, the group was rather proficient with aiming and hitting a slow moving target from up to 50m away. The sky was turning dark as the sun turned big and red, setting over the horizon. Kiefer pulled out some cooking tools and ingredients from his PD and laid them on the ground, starting a camp fire going with firewood he had packed from Aioa.

While Isana and Sher prepared dinner, Kiefer returned to the depths of the Empire state building once more, surfacing again an hour later. He had swapped out the cotton clothing from Aioa for a set of navy blue uniforms that happened to fit his size. As he sat down next to the blazing fire, Kiefer began laying out more magazines filled with the same rounds for the assault rifles. They were all looted from several security rooms and stored within his PD.

Pulling out thick blankets after dinner, Kiefer laid them out on the stairwell after he did some quick cleaning up. The empire state building was to be their home for that night. Isana, Sher and Rashael all fell asleep quickly, tired from the day on unexpected events and firearms practice. Kiefer tucked Sher away last and watched her doze off before he joined in next to Isana and fell asleep quickly. This was his first rest ever since returning to Earth.

Kiefer was rudely awakened by the loud annoying caws of seagulls above ground. As he stretched out, he looked around and saw that the titans also starting to wake. Taking this opportunity, Kiefer folded his blanket neatly and trudged up the stairs slowly, allowing the first rays of sun to hit his face as he opened the emergency exit door on the upper levels.

“Might as well try out these new rounds that I got last night. I wonder what these blue and orange tipped rounds do.” Kiefer thought, as he clicked the magazine loaded with blue tipped rounds into his rifle. He stared intently at the seagulls picking off the moss and seaweed that coated the edges of the island. They seemed to have evolved as well. While they were only a little larger, no more than twice the size of what Kiefer remembered, the most distinguishing change would be the 2m wing span. Only one of the seagull/albatross things had landed and was awkwardly waddling about with its huge folded wings. The other 7 or 8 were circling above, just beyond the reach of any natural predators that might swipe them from mid-air.

Kiefer stealthily locked his holo-sights on the bird that had landed. He steadied his breath and squeezed the trigger until the first stop, where he took the time to adjust his aim again. Then, with one swift squeeze, the rifle rang out, scattering the flying birds in all directions. Kiefer had expected the bird to explode or at least die instantly, but instead, it was rolling on the ground struggling against something. As Kiefer went forwards to look at his target, he found that the bird had been encased in a web of hard gel that expanded from the impact point.

He quickly broke the neck of the seagull and with a quick freezing spell, hardened the gel and shattered it. Isana had fully awoken by now, thanks partially to the gunshot and happily received the bird from Kiefer. She quickly began stripping the feathers and preparing breakfast. Kiefer took out a few more magazines of the blue tipped restraining rounds and placed them inside the pouches on his Load Bearing Vest (LBV).

After a quick breakfast, Kiefer packed up everything into his PD and departed from the debris island, together with 2 Titans in tow and one on his back. With the titans armed and capable of defending themselves, Kiefer could now venture towards the middle of the mainland with ease. They set foot once more onto the sandy beach and double checked their gear.

“Hold on for a minute. I can’t believe I forgot to test this out.” Kiefer halted the group as he took up the rifle and aimed it at a distance. The titans were not sure what his plans were and simply watched him with a hint of slight curiosity. At this point, they couldn’t be bothered to be surprised or shocked at every single one of Kiefer’s actions.

Kiefer fired a normal round, aiming at the top of a dome shield he put up a distance away. The bullet ricocheted off the surface, making a ‘ping’ as it flew high into the air and landed in the water seconds later. Knowing that his dome could withstand the shot, Kiefer fire another round, this time straight into the side of the dome. Instead of ricocheting off, the bullet embedded itself halfway into the dome, and fell to the sand when Kiefer undid the dome.

Satisfied, Kiefer mentally noted that he would have to increase the thickness of his dome, considering that the bullet managed to penetrate halfway. With that, Kiefer slung the rifle back over his back and reloaded his magazine with more rounds he pulled out from his PD.

“Master! I think I found an entrance to something!” Sher yelled in excitement just as Kiefer finished adjusting his LBV. The group turned to see Sher poking her head into a pipe about 1m high. There was water leaking out of the pipe into the sea, which was indication that this was a wastes disposal pipe. Kiefer smiled at Sher’s discovery, knowing that this would be the key to finding actual functional civilisation.

“Good job Sher” Kiefer praised her, rubbing her head.

“Kiefer, I’m not even going to ask you what that is. We are never going to make it back to Aioa if we keep asking you what everything is each time we see something new.” Rashael spoke, examining the large pipe that was spewing some kind of clear liquid out.

“Let’s go shall we?” Kiefer asked as he picked up Sher onto his back. “I’ve got our next destination in mind.”

The titans nodded in symphony and Kiefer picked them up, following the pipe from the air deep into the jungle. Eventually, they arrived at a tall sturdy metal fence that ran across a wide clearing within the jungle. Kiefer spied a gate with some security measures not too far away but instead chose to fly over the 5m fence anyway, being careful not to touch the electrified fence.

There were warning signs for high voltage pinned up along the fence at fixed intervals and burnt corpses of various giant insects to prove it. Kiefer scanned the wide compound briefly and finally realised what this was. It was about the size of an airport, with numerous tall glass buildings lined in neat rows. Within the glass buildings were stacks upon stacks of metal racks with saplings and plants in them. While about 60% of the buildings were collapsed and non-functional, 30% were running smoothly with sprinklers setting off and a generator humming softly next to each building. The others seemed fine, but were still in the process of being repaired or maintained.

Kiefer landed within the compound of automated hydroponics farms and looked around curiously. This was the first time he was seeing such advanced technology, with solar panels for roads and reverse osmosis desalination plants that drew water in from the sea to feed the plants. There was a main road leading out the compound which Kiefer presumed would lead to a city.

However, even though it seemed like people had been here to fix and repair broken machinery, not a single live person could be seen. Kiefer managed to pick up an ID badge of a skeleton lying under the rubble of a collapsed farm. With that, he gained access into one of the functioning farms and led the titans inside.

“Wow. This is an interesting way to farm. To think your world was so advanced. They don’t need farmers to grow crops at all, and to make use of space so efficiently. I need to find a way to design this when we return to Mutatis.” Rashael uttered, his jaw still slack and open from the marvel that he was seeing.

Suddenly, they heard a loud rumble coming from outside the building. When the group focused their attention to the source of the noise, they saw the ground just outside the farm opening up and collecting the dead corpses as they fell into the ground. A grinding noise could be heard and within minutes, a robotic dispenser was rolling down each rack on every level and injecting a fixed amount of fertiliser onto each crop.

“We should stock up on our food while we still can.” Kiefer said as he moved to another farm building where the machines were harvesting fully grown potatoes, turnips and carrots. After the respective plants were pulled out, the soil was churned with some fertiliser and recycled, dumped into a reserve tank while new fresh soil was filled in their place. The produce that were picked were oddly identical to other samples of the same type and they were being transported via a conveyor belt into a grinder that was located in a central building.

Kiefer watched the grinder chew up and mash the different vegetables and compress them into pellets that are then baked and then frozen before being packaged, all within the automated farm compound. Not wanting to eat the processed pellets, Kiefer quickly picked off the vegetables while they were still on the conveyor belt. The titans followed suit and soon, nothing was arriving at the processing building even though the conveyor belt was still running.

After the sensor reported the lack of produce entering the processing unit, alarms began ringing and sirens blaring. The 4 thieves immediately packed all the food away within Kiefer’s PD and took to the skies just as small drones came out of the back of the building to scan the area.

[[Elsewhere in the sea]]

“Ma’m! The sirens just went off in one of our farms. I think some bugs managed to get in. Should we change our course and head for New Manhattan now?” A panicked sailor asked. The ship was swaying slowly in the waters as a mature woman in her late 40s looked at the report on the screen.

“Yes. We cannot afford to lose our food supply. If we lose this too, our rations will be cut by 20%. Stop all fishing expeditions and recall all ships at once. Change course and set sail for New Manhattan. How fast can the fleet arrive at our new location?” The woman asked her navigator.

“We can arrive in under a week. At full throttle, this ship will be able to arrive alone within 3 days, but the rest of the fleet will arrive only in 5.” The navigator replied, staring at the screen and plotting various paths to the farm, making use of tidal currents.

“Fine we shall do that then. Send a message to the captains of the destroyers. They are to remain fully armed in combat mode and protect the civilian ships while on this trip. We will not be able to support them. This Flag ship will depart first and make haste alone. Load all missiles and ready the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC). I want to be fully prepared to engage any possible pirates. Those that attacked our farm might be pirates and not bugs.” The woman barked out orders.

“Yes commander! Right away!” The entire crew yelled back in a stoic and firm reply before scrambling to their respective posts.