POV: The Old Man
No sooner had I arrived at the station than my ears were filled with frantic alarms.
The security gates had closed behind the last convoys, while the grey uniforms busied themselves around the checkpoints.
– what is the current situation.
I didn't know where to look, what was all this mess?
I approached the nearest observation post, my cane regularly striking the ground.
– Who commands the ALERTs here? I want to know the extent of the damage and why the communications were cut.
A man in a grey uniform turned towards me. Fatigue marked his face, but he straightened up as soon as he recognized my identity.
– Sir, our superior is stuck on the footbridge, the inhabitants of the Fosse have started to come back towards us.
Her voice trembled, and her hands trembled above her mouth.
– The first groups reached the station entrances a few minutes ago, but we have lost contact with our leader.
I banged my cane on the ground
– CALM DOWN
– The inhabitants of the Fosse cannot simply cross the protections.
– What went wrong? What did you do?
The man hesitated before displaying the images from an external camera on the control panel. The footage was shaky, disrupted by the vibrations shaking the installation, but it allowed a crowd to be seen moving through the spacecraft passage.
However, they are covered with high voltage.
Individuals at the front collided with the safety barriers, while those behind them continued to advance without regard for what was happening in front of them.
Are they really alive?
I leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the image.
– how…
At first glance, I thought I saw a particularly robust man trying to force his way through, but his next movement made me change my mind: his body contorted into a succession of abnormal filaments, before a dark mass spread across the screen and he struck the barrier head-on.
"That's not possible," I murmured.
– We have confirmed several changes, sir.
– they evolve into Transemotional individuals during their progression. Field teams have been unable to determine what triggers these changes, and the transformed subjects are much more aggressive than normal trans individuals.
I looked away from the screen to look at the officer.
– Immediately increase the electrical density of the protective devices. I want all barriers that are still operational to be powered at maximum capacity, without exception.
– it grills them, not even a trance can survive.
The man turned to his colleague, who checked the network settings before shaking his head.
– Sir, we are already at the maximum allowed.
– Then redistribute the load from the sectors that are no longer accessible and concentrate it on the passage points that are still defensible.
Silence
– What are you waiting for?
They looked at each other like beaten dogs
– We've already tried that. The circuits are saturated and the system is refusing any further increase. If we force the power supply any further, we risk causing a complete failure.
I gripped the handle of my cane.
What a bunch of useless, brainless mortals.
They're all robots at heart.
– How long before the external protections fail?
The officer consulted the most recent data, but his expression deteriorated as the estimates appeared on the screen.
– We cannot give a reliable timeframe. The barriers are still holding in some areas, but the attackers have already damaged several junction points.
– we are in quarantine, if other groups gain the same access, we risk losing the entire front line.
Right when they are inactive.
I ran a hand all over my face and pinched my right earlobe.
What to do…
The crowd's movement didn't resemble an organized attack; they're too stupid for that, they're not going to revolt now.
The inhabitants of the Pit knew the risks of ascending to the upper levels. Even those with exceptional abilities could not ignore the defensive systems installed around the stations. If they had decided to cross these access points despite the foreseeable losses, they must have had a compelling enough reason to accept such a danger.
So what's really going on?
I did not have time to delve deeper into this thought, because a new officer came running up from the side corridor.
– Sir! The higher-level security units have been ordered to assemble in the defense zones. The Pre-EMOTIONAL units are also being mobilized.
I turned my head towards him.
– Who authorized their deployment?
– they don't even know what their uniform looks like.
– It's only in an emergency, if the Trans-Emotionals cross the station's thresholds. For now, they are gathered behind the interior entrances, awaiting instructions from command.
I let out a sigh.
They may be expendable, but not for such trivial matters.
– Give them a clear instruction: they are not to cross the gates without authorization. I don't want to see an entire unit rush through a narrow passage simply because a group of Trans-Emotionals managed to get through a security checkpoint.
– that they do nothing
The officer nodded before leaving.
Around us, the commotion continued to grow. Grey uniforms moved teams towards the still accessible checkpoints, while technicians tried to restore some order.
And those white tin cans just stopped working.
Useless, as always.