Then

Eron sighed. “What’s your problem?” He glanced at Demi Lawrence, police officer and nascent field leader of what passed for the community’s defense force.

The tall woman was indeed glaring down at him with undisguised anger. Or was it contempt? Eron decided it was probably both.

“You. What are you even doing here?”

Eron raised a brow at that. He looked at Demi then he looked at the spire and then back and forth a few more times. “Babysitting.”

He had generously agreed to guard some of the participants of the previous night’s raid to the spire located in the middle of the university while they were purchasing stuff with their Universal Point gains. So, yes, he was on an escort quest. And he was doing it out of his volition. The one that was most surprised by this was himself.

“We don’t need you,” Demi said flatly. “No more big monsters to deal with after what we did last night.”

“I remember, I was there. While we did clear the high school, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any more monsters out there. So, maybe you could have less of an attitude. I mean I’m not expecting you to be nice or smiling or anything, but at least be civil. Getting tired of all the dirty looks. Especially after I’ve been putting my life on the line for months for everyone.”

“That rings a little hollow when you remember that you’ve got abilities that make you invincible. We get torn to pieces, while you get a scratches that are gone in a few days,” Demi snapped.

“Not my fault I got these powers,” Eron shrugged. “Would you rather I didn’t help out? Just did my own thing, screw everyone else?”

“My problem is that you refuse to be a part of the chain of command. You’re a civilian. What do you know about combat operations? Learned it from all your games?”

Eron laughed. Loud and mocking.

“There, that right there,” Demi snapped and jabbed a finger in Eron’s face.

“What?” Eron scoffed.

“That arrogance. What’ve you done to earn it?”

“Uh… fight monsters for you people. Haul trailers full of food and supplies from the stores to the people. Shit, I even do construction. Those barricades that kept you all alive,” Eron held up his hands, “they wouldn’t have gotten built with these. So, I’d say I’ve done more than enough. I don’t even get paid.”

“Look, you’re just some kid, who won the lottery, while everyone else’s world turned to shit. You need to start listening to your rightful authorities.”

Again Eron laughed. Demi’s fair skin grew red.

“And what authority figures might you be referring to? It’s been like eight months and we’ve heard nothing from any sort of government. The council? A bunch of self-appointed business people, retired local politicians and a pastor. Why should I obey them? Their experience, education level? Or cause they’ve got more money, well… had more money than me. As far as education goes, I’ve got a masters degree. Where does that put me on the hierarchy?” Eron narrowed his eyes at Demi. “Or maybe you mean I should be following your orders. Since you’re a police officer and I’m, as you said, a simple civilian.”

“I’m just doing my duty and in this uncertain time then—”

Eron held up his hand. “Not listening to that protect and serve bullshit. I read that the police actually doesn’t have a constitutional obligation to actually protect people. Your job is all about control. The maintenance of the proper order as set forth by the one percent.”

“Oh, of course. Some conspiracy theory shit.”

“Look I don’t really care one way or another. It’s just that, well, we already know what it’s like if the police is in charge. Weeks into a crazy apocalypse and the first thing your very police department did was concentrate all the brown, black and yellow people into an outdoor living situation.” Eron chuckled. “Do you remember that? Cause pepperidge farms remembers.” He tapped his temple with a finger.

“That’s not— I was imprisoned too.”

Eron shrugged. “That’s the only reason I’m willing to work with you.”

“So that’s it? Might makes right.”

“Isn’t that how it’s always been. That’s like the founding principle of this entire country. Took the land from the natives cause they couldn’t stop you. Prop up dictators and oppressors all over the world for your own benefit. Anyone threatens your control and wealth, well oops, they just mysteriously shot themselves in the back of the head, twice.”

“You are twisting everything to the negative extreme.”

“It’s like this. You had no problem enforcing what the one percent wanted you to before all this started,” Eron gestured at the gigantic spire and its ever shifting surface a short distance away. “Well, now I’m the one percent. Fortunately for all, I don’t intend to build and hoard wealth on the backs of the ninety-nine percent. Money doesn’t even matter anymore. In fact I’m going to do my best to make sure that this new world is actually fair. Everyone gets enough to eat and a roof over their head. No one gets to buy two mansions, three jets and a couple of yachts, while their employees are working three jobs just to be barely behind on their rent.”

“Power corrupts and you have more than anyone else in history,” Demi said.

Eron shook his head. “Nah, I think my parents did a pretty good job in raising me to be not an asshole. It’s simple. I’ve got a pretty low bar for bad behavior that puts you on my list. Basically, don’t be evil. No rape, no murder, no slavery, official or unofficial. No persecution and definitely no concentrating people in camps.”

Demi took a deep breath and turned her back on Eron.

Eron rolled his eyes and tried not to look at her backside.

Remy listened intently to the discussion around the table. He hated it, but it was necessary for a variety of reasons. They needed a presence at council meetings. Since his pre-apocalypse job had occasionally required it he had decided it naturally fell on his shoulders. The fact that neither of his brothers showed any interest in the job and his wife’s sudden interest in becoming more involved in the community clinched this torment.

It made sense from a utilitarian standpoint. The makeshift council was already suspicious and scared of their power, which he thought was fair. After all, the local police department had rounded some of them up into a prison camp at the orders of an individual with power on a similar level.

And so he sat and listened with a look of interest at the banality on display. His eyelids were heavy and he stifled multiple yawns. The thought of a nice long nap after the meeting was done was the only thing that buoyed his spirits. His entire body was sore.

The previous night’s battle against the gremlin alphas and the secret boss had strained his magnetic powers to limits that he hadn’t dared approach. It was like he had run a marathon, did a spartan run and lifted weights all in a twenty-four hour period without any breaks.

“—thoughts on our proposal?”

The table was quiet. Remy was wondering why. The silence was nice. It was relaxing in its own way. He allowed his thoughts to drift.

Until he was rudely interrupted by an elbow in his ribs.

“Remy,” Megan whispered.

“I’m thinking.” He thought that was a nice save, while he tried to figure out why everyone was looking at him. “Your proposal is a complicated matter. I don’t think I can give you any input without more details.”

“It’s a fairly straightforward flat tax proposal.”

Remy nodded at the smiling councilman, Scott Deakins. The man was in his mid-forties. From what Remy knew about him, Scott had inherited several residential and commercial properties around town from his parents. He even did well enough to add a couple over the years. There was something about the man’s perfect hair and suit that was off-putting during the apocalypse. Or maybe it was the way his constantly happy demeanor seemed fake, salesman-like. If Remy remembered correctly he also owned a car dealership.

“Sure, but how do you collect? And what do you plan to do if people can’t pay? No one is making any money and furthermore the dollar is basically worthless right now,” Remy said.

“Well, we aren’t talking about the dollar. We’re talking about Universal Points.”

Councilwoman Devon Castleton frowned at Remy. At least that’s what he thought. It was hard to tell the way her face was stretched tightly back. Face-lifts and botox weren’t good for natural expressions. Although where the woman was getting botox injections, Remy couldn’t say.

Remy tried to keep the surprise from showing on his face. He merely nodded in manner he thought consistent with understanding, while conveying the idea that he was seriously considering her words.

“My questions still stand,” Remy paused, “although what’s the point of taxing Universal Points?”

“We believe that it’s a good idea to establish a general fund for the community,” Scott said.

“There are those in the community, like the elderly or children that don’t have the ability to gain these, points.”

The way Devon said it made Remy think the she still hadn’t quite bought into the whole concept a hundred percent.

“I still don’t understand why they even need the points. With the stores magically providing supplies that replenish overnight we have plenty for quite some time.”

“Yes, but what if that stops?”

“Well, Scott. If that was a concern then shouldn’t we be talking about farming?”

“I agree and that’s something we’ll be looking into now that we’ve got some breathing room. But for now we should focus on the things in front of us. As to your concerns with the tax,” Scott folded his hands in front of him and placed them on the table, “well, part of it ties into the potential supply issues. As I’m sure you know one can purchase essentials, like food and medicine, directly from the spires as if they were a grocery store. In the unfortunate event that stores suddenly stop providing supplies, then it’s only fair that each member of this community has the ability to purchase items from the spire.”

“It’s unfortunate, but there are members of this community that would be left to starve if such an event were to occur,” Devon said gravely.

Remy looked over at Megan. His wife’s eyes were looking at him with warmth. He smiled at her. He glanced around the table at all of the council members and assorted leadership types. Some he only vaguely knew their names and specific roles.

“Right, so a tax on Universal Points. Obviously these same individuals you are referring to will be exempt.” Remy drummed his fingers on the plastic table. “Why a general fund though? Why not straight dispersal to those that need it?”

Scott and Devon exchanged a look. Whatever the heck they were thinking, Remy didn’t know nor did he care. The other council members were pointedly avoiding his eyes whenever his gaze fell on them.

“Well, we’d need to decide the level of need on a case by case basis.” Devon’s tone implied that Remy was an idiot for not seeing the obvious answer. “It’s important that we get back to normalcy. People shouldn’t get accustomed to just having everything handed to them. They already get food for free, which I wholeheartedly agree with. But we’ve got people living in houses that they simply don’t belong in.”

Scott’s eyes widened. “Um… of course we wouldn’t force people out. It’s just that we think it’ll be best if we get back to how we do things as Americans. Set the proper market levels again. I myself own the building that houses a Safeway. Of course with the current circumstances I’m not even considering asking for reimbursement for all of the supplies we obtain from the store.”

Remy wanted to bang his head on the table. This was exactly why his brothers wanted no part of sitting in on council business. They were conveniently forgetting that there were more than enough vacant homes for everyone. On account of so many people dying to the monsters in the initial days of the apocalypse.

Again it reminded him of his job. Freaking Karens and their nimby-ism still rearing its ugly head. They were bringing the same attitudes that had led them to fight with all their money against public works projects that helped thousands if it meant having to live with construction noise and traffic for a few months or if it ruined the view from their backyards.

Taxes? That’s what you want to focus on now? Housing rights? There are thousands of empty houses cause the monsters killed the owners. You’re worried about business owners’ rights? The stores magically refill every night. You had nothing to do with that. Was what Remy wanted to shout in their smug faces.

Instead he spoke calmly. “Taxing Universal Points is a nonstarter. There is no way you can enforce it. The only people with an appreciable amount of Universal Points are my brothers and myself. And I don’t think I have to tell you what the two of them will say if you tell them they have to pay. Especially if it’s to a general fund with a small group of people in charge of disbursement. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to come up with something better than trickle down economics. It didn’t work before the spires and it definitely won’t work now.” Remy sighed. “You do have a point about the possibility that people might need help. I can assure that if that came to pass I wouldn’t just let people starve. I doubt that my brothers would either. If it comes to it we’ll make sure that everyone that needs help will get it.”

The reactions around the table were varied. There were council members like, Scott and Devon, that didn’t hide their displeasure. The others showed a mix of shame and anger. The retired colonel that was in overall command of their defense force simply looked at him with an unreadable expression. Eron had called the man the epitome of grizzled and Remy had to agree.

Ultimately, Remy didn’t care much about what they all thought. There was only one exception. For the moment he didn’t dare turn his head to look at Megan’s reaction to his words.

Cal was dead to the world. He was flat on his back on Remy’s older couch. Though his body slept, his mind was somehow still conscious.

This is new. Weird. It’s like that sleep paralysis thing, except no scary, shadowy figures lurking around the edges. Hmmm. Is this really happening? Is this conscious thought? Not all hazy like a dream.

Cal couldn’t properly put it into words. He knew that he was sleeping or unconscious. He knew that his body was on the couch. There was a sense of his general surroundings. He could picture the scattered children’s toys on the floor. Smell the ashes in the nearby fireplace. Hear the patter of tiny feet running back and forth from upstairs. Feel… nothing. Not the aches and pains from the cracked bones and numerous contusions. Nor the many cuts and scratches, especially the ugly lines that the gremlin alpha gashed across his face. The lack of head pain was the most noticeable. It was like having a glass of water after days in desert. Not that he had the experience. It was the closest thing he’d use to describe the sublime relief.

Huh? This is good. I wonder if I can stay like this until I recover. Wouldn’t mind not feeling like shit for the next week. My brothers and Nila can handle things without me. Right? Besides, no more spawn point, means no more monsters. Well, at least the bigger ones. People will be safe from the tiny ones and mutant animals. It’s a good thing dogs and cats don’t go mutant. The only big animals around here are coyotes, I think. They might be dangerous if they go mutant. Haven’t seen one yet though, probably should’ve by now. I wonder how the Universal Points split worked out for everyone. Hopefully they got enough to level up or buy spells and skills or whatever. No idea how it works for people with magic or skill-based classes. Or career-based ones for that matter. So much easier having super powers. No leveling decisions, per se. It seems that you get stronger and better abilities through use and experimentation. Like my new ability of…? Being consciously aware of my surrounding, while my physical body is asleep? Man, I need a name for this? Is it astral projection? Astral form? I’ll have to look it up later. I hope the internet is working when I get up and the servers for the site I need are somehow still running or there’s like a cache or something. Is nine months too long to expect servers to be up? I mean electricity should be dead and not intermittently on and off after this much time right? The spires are such bullshit.

Cal’s thoughts were interrupted by hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. He tensed in his mindscape. His first thought was an emergency. A monster attack. Except he knew it was daytime, which ruled out the tiny gremlins. Mutant animals didn’t enter occupied homes for some reason. So, was it something else? The larger gremlins, but they had killed them all last night and they didn’t attack during the day. Did another spawn point appear? A different type of monster?

A small shape moved close to his unconscious body. He couldn’t physically see it, but he could picture it in his mind’s eye and he instantly relaxed. The hazy figure wasn’t giving off any negative emotions. No fear or panic, just something like mischief. He realized that he wasn’t getting any of the usual malice and hunger that accompanied the presence of monsters and mutant animals.

He felt tiny hands and feet scampering up his stomach, to stop at the upper part of his chest, just right below his neck. There was a tickling feeling from something like a soft brush at the bottom of his chin, one of the only places that the bandages covering his face left exposed. Not feet, paws.

Okaayyy. Time to wake up.

Cal willed himself from unconsciousness. He was surprised that it actually worked after a few seconds of intense focus. He instantly regretted it.

“Arrggh! The knives in my brain!”

The was an alarmed squeak as Cal’s body jolted.

There was a loud laugh of pure delight. A child’s laugh.

Cal couldn’t see through the bandages, but he recognized her instantly.

“Tessa? What’re you doing.” Cal’s tongue felt too large, his mouth was dry and tasted terrible. He was surprised by how weak his voice sounded, how garbled the words were.

“Twinkle Star was helping you heal. He has healing powers,” Tessa said brightly.

“Uh… that’s good,” Cal reached out blindly to pat his younger niece on the shoulder. “Just don’t let him pee on me… don’t think that’s healing.”

“Okay, Uncle Cal. I’ll tell him not to. Um…”

“Yes?”

“Are you a mummy now?”

Cal’s weak laughed turned into a groan. His entire torso felt like it was a giant bruise. Laughter was not the best medicine. “Nah. I just got a few cuts. Will be gone in a month or two.” He was pretty sure about that. He knew from past experience that his wounds healed completely with time. No scars at all. Even though the claw swipe to his face left ugly lines across his face, he wasn’t too worried about permanent disfigurement.

“Oh, that’s good.” Tessa almost sounded disappointed. “I thought you’d get cool new mummy powers.”

“Huh? Sorry, but nope still got my mind powers. But mummy powers sound pretty awesome too. I wonder what that would be like?”

Tessa launched into a long explanation on what powers a mummy was likely to have. Cal realized that she must’ve watched The Mummy recently. A classic.

The little girl rambled on and Cal nodded or grunted when it seemed appropriate. Alas, as much as he would’ve enjoyed continuing the theorycrafting session the stabbing knives in his brain weren’t letting up.

“Sorry, Tessa, but my head hurts and I’m going to go back to sleep.”

“Oh, okay. Me and Twinkle Star will keep you company.”

“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

I took a few seconds, but once again Cal willed it and everything went black. This time he was going to go out completely. It occurred to him that using his telepathy while physically unconscious was still a strain on his brain. He needed to shut everything down to get a proper rest.

“C’mon Twinkle Star,” Tessa grabbed the guinea pig off of Cal’s chest and went back up to her room, “you need to go potty before you get back to healing Uncle Cal.”

This time Cal was truly dead to the world. His dreams were filled with gleaming spires that spewed forth all manner of terrors, while at the same time providing a bountiful feast for the strong. An infinite number of worlds cascaded before him. Blending for brief moments with his own. Impossible sights, sounds and smells assaulted him from all directions.

All of this he would forget when he woke much later.

Now

The giant monster appeared three hundred meters away. In the darkness its skin seemed to reflect the lights from the Threnosh team. It moved on eight, four on each side, segmented, insectile legs. Its body was divided into two clear segments. A thick torso connected to a long, bulbous abdomen that the legs connected to. Its head and torso were humanoid with two large arms that ended in blunt, hammer-like hands.

The monster was roughly half again as tall as Primal’s power armor, while it appeared to have fifty percent more mass. It was easily the most imposing monster that the team had faced to date.

Further details were difficult to discern in the darkness. The low-light mode in Caretaker’s helmet wasn’t able to make out facial features nor could it identify the smaller objects that seemed to be wriggling around on the monster’s head.

A loud boom shook the forest. A sleek, giant arrow pierced through the darkness at a speed faster then sound. Small shards of crystal were scattered into the air as Primal’s arrow struck the monster in the center of its massive chest.

The monster reared back on its eight legs and stopped for a moment. Only a moment. It started plodding forward again as if nothing had happened.

“All weapons fire.”

Caretaker’s calm voice was punctuated by the roar of projectiles, a jet of flame and a laser-triggered explosive cloud of ash particles that lit up the dark forest night.

“The monster appears to have a crystalline surface. Kynnro do not use your laser directly on it.”

“Acknowledged.” Kynnro shot another canister filled with ash-like particles from the launcher on their gauntlet. They would need to wait for the cloud to disperse around the slowly approaching monster before triggering another explosion with their laser.

Caretaker bent their predictive algorithm’s focus to the secret boss. It analyzed every bit of movement from the enormous crystalline monster. It took in every reaction or lack thereof from the assorted ranged weapons that their team was pouring into the slow-moving monster.

The flames from Salamander and Kynnro’s cloud of fire appeared to heat up the monster’s surface. Small chips of crystal flew off where the projectiles from their minigun and recoilless rifle projectiles struck. Whether it was just skin or it was crystalline throughout, Caretaker still didn’t have enough information to make the determination.

The secret boss plodded across another thirty yards under heavy fire without outward signs of any concern or pain. It was like it was taking a leisurely walk on an ordinary day. Caretaker’s algorithm finally pinged and fed them information that they could use to create a plan.

“The secret boss monster’s structure is crystalline throughout. There are no vulnerabilities beneath. No flesh or internal organs,” Caretaker said into the team channel.

“That is great news,” Primal growled. “It does not seem to be affected by our attack. I am certain that you already have a solution.” They spoke in between bursts from the minigun mounted on their right shoulder and the grenade launcher on their left shoulder. The monster stepped into the optimum effective range of their mini-missile battery. The missiles arced through the night sky and left swirling trails of smoke as they weaved around the few remaining trees in the field of fire. They struck nearly simultaneously across the monster’s front. The orange-red fireball from the explosions created a temporary miniature sun that lit up the night and temporarily blinded the Threnosh without automatic, protective capabilities in their helmets.

Caretaker ignored Primal’s tone. It was always the same. So long as they listened to orders Caretaker didn’t care about the attitude.

“Shira, you are now on reserve. The monster lacks blood for you to utilize.”

The black-clad Threnosh moved out from the front line and to the back of the formation without a word. They appeared to disappear into the shadows as if they weren’t physical present. Even sensors lost track of them.

“Adjudicator, you are now active.”

The powerful, bulky Threnosh stepped forward. The tendrils in their gauntlets were completely retracted, only their tips were visible from the opening on the underside. They seemed to vibrate with eagerness. It was a contrast to Adjudicator’s silent and stoic demeanor.

Caretaker made a few more quick, calculated decisions based on the information that their predictive algorithm was continuously feeding them.

“Whoosh on reserve. Zabri, active.” The monster was slow. Whoosh was a lot faster, but their high speed wasn’t going to be as useful as Resplendent Zabriium’s combination of speed and brute force durability. “Unseen, reserve. Actryarius active.” Unseen’s adaptive camouflage was useless in this fight. While they already had a good idea on how to utilized the latter’s phasing ability against the monster.

In addition to those three. The rest of the team aside from themselves, were Primal, Kynnro, Frequency, Salamander, Dralig, and Malendrax. It was an adequate combination in Caretaker’s estimation. A mix of those that could take or repair damage dealt by the monster and those that had attacks that were capable of inflicting damage on its crystalline structure.

“Zabri, I need you to insert attackers.”

“I am to be a transport,” Resplendent Zabriium sighed, “as usual. Fortunately, I enjoy running at high speeds.”

“Not too high. The monster is slow. It will not be necessary for you to reach your limit. Prioritize successful insertion, while avoiding getting hit.”

“Can I attack as well?”

“After insertion you may attack the legs as you loop around back to our location,” Caretaker said. “Malendrax?”

There was a short silence. “Yes, subleader.” An electronic-sounding voice responded.

“I calculated that your trueskin’s self-repair capability will be able to handle the secret boss’ attacks. Zabri will deliver you to the monster’s back and you will do damage.”

“Acknowledged.” The Threnosh’s power armor was short and made them appear brutish. They were built thickly and powerfully with an almost hunched over stance.

Malendrax clambered up onto Resplendent Zabriium’s back. They had barely gotten settled in when the latter took off with a cloud of leaves, broken branches and dirt that showered the other Threnosh.

“Cease fire,” Caretaker said. They needed to keep the field of fire clear.

Resplendent Zabriium’s centaur-like power armor’s four legs pounded the ground several times faster than any thoroughbred as they ran straight for the monster.

Malendrax had to hold on to the handles on Resplendent Zabriium’s back with all of the considerable physical strength of their power armor.

They thundered around the monster’s right side. It swung at them with an arm the size of a small tree, but as Caretaker predicted it was much too slow.

Resplendent Zabriium ran close to its legs and Malendrax leapt from their back onto the monster’s. As their rider clambered up the monster, Resplendent Zabriium pulled their two-handed poleaxe from its housing on their side. They turned a tight circle around the monster’s rear then took several whacks at the legs on the left side as they zoomed past. Crystalline chips went flying with each blow. They were forced to veer away to avoid a backhanded swipe.

With Resplendent Zabriium clear and on their way back to their lines, Caretaker focused on the first person view being transmitted by Malendrax as the Threnosh struggled to move up the smooth surface of the monster’s broad, bulbous abdomen.

The Threnosh had joined along with Whoosh and Adjudicator, the third group of special candidates recruited into the project. Their power armor was unique in its own right and not just for its ability to repair itself and the Threnosh inside from damage. Their physical appearance was that of the ancient ancestors, the progenitor species of the present-day Threnosh. They were shorter, yet significantly more robust.

The artificial musculature of the power armor allowed for greater physical strength. Their helmet and face-plate carried the same brutish countenance of their ancestors. A pronounced brow, nose and ears along with a jutting lower jaw and teeth, all metallic. This was topped by a full head of hair, made out of thousands of metallic strands.

Malendrax dug strong metal fingers into the monster’s crystalline surface as they climb towards the juncture where its abdomen met its torso. They held on tightly with one hand, while they punched down directly where the two body parts met.

There was a loud crack as their impact fist struck. Each of their over-sized fists were capable of shooting out a few centimeters with tremendous speed. This created a punch with the force of a small explosive concentrated in a relatively small surface area.

The secret boss immediately took notice as Malendrax started hammering into its back with explosive blows.

Its right arm rotated completely around in its socket and punched Malendrax right in the chest.

The Threnosh had looked up at the last moment and Caretaker was given a first person view as the hammer-like hand of the monster nailed Malendrax in the chest and sent them flying. They flew through the air for a long distance before hitting the ground and rolling for over a dozen meters before coming to a stop, motionless.

The life sign tracker indicated that Malendrax had suffered critical damage. Caretaker watched it intently. He was about to send Resplendent Zabriium to pick them up when the tracker started to show the injured Threnosh begin recovering. In a matter of seconds the power armor and the Threnosh inside were back on their feet, if a bit wobbly.

Caretaker reviewed the footage from Malendrax’s viewpoint. They had created significant cracks across the monster’s back. It was all going according to plan.

“Zabri, Actryarius. Second insertion. Maneuver two-four-six.”

Time to escalate.