Chapter Thirty-Six – Catmodore Lucy

Chapter Thirty-Six – Catmodore Lucy

“A Vanguard’s equipment purchasing choices need to take into account the possibility of returns on investment.

Nonetheless, some chose to outfit others, even if it means a smaller return, because it ensures the safety of those people, regardless of potential losses.”

–Vanguard AI Syacus, 2026

***

I returned to the mall to find it a hive of busy activity. Lucy’s kittens were out by the entrance, or a few of them were, at least. They stood out with their cat-eared uniforms. They were keeping an eye on things where the militia seemed to be missing.

I slid past them and into the main corridor of the mall to find it a somewhat changed place. People were lining up to one side where a booth had been set up that was handing people pills in those little paper cups with the nineties-print designs on the sides.

Anti-zombie pills? That would make sense. The place handing them out was being guarded by a couple of Lucy’s kittens in full kit. I wondered why they were going so slow until I noticed that the person handing out the meds was handing them out from a single little crate, and it looked like it was all they had.

Shit, was this whole thing a way to keep the folk in line calm? Give people the impression that there were enough meds to go around? That… would actually track. Lucy and I had done similar before. Handing out all of the food we had, then pretending we had more for the next day and the one after while silently hoping that we’d get more before the kids found out.

Things weren’t looking so good then, on that front.

Otherwise though, the mall seemed like an industrious place. People were sweeping the floors, setting up tents indoors and I idly noted that nearly everyone was up to something. Busywork, maybe, but it would keep them out of trouble and feeling like they were contributing at least a little.

I found the one leading this orchestra on the second floor, in a more open store where people could see her giving out orders and instructing people and receiving reports.

Lucy had found a rather nice coat somewhere, with pips around the sleeves and big squared-off shoulders. She was wearing it like a cape, almost, arms out of the sleeves. And atop her head she had a cap similar to the ones the militia officers wore, but with a pair of fuzzy cat ears sticking out of the sides.

Did it look silly? Yes. Did it look kind of hot as well? Also yes.

“Hey,” I said as I uninvisibled myself while leaning on one of the nearby tables.

A few people jumped, and I was happy to see hands fly towards guns to keep Lucy safe, but her squealed “Cat!” put everyone at ease.

Then I had to grab onto the table as Lucy hugged me, her weight and mine making the table groan. “Whoa, hey,” I said as I patted her back. “Nice to see you too.”

“I hate the position you put me in,” she said with a smile that suggested otherwise. “We have seventeen injured so far. And those uniforms of yours don’t clean up nice. It’s not ideal to hand off new soldiers’ uniforms still covered in blood, you know. Myalis, if you’re listening, take note of that one.”

Noted.

“But things are holding together?” I asked.

“So far,” she said. “We have something of a training system going on in the parking garage. It’s… about the best we can do when the entire training regime lasts just under an hour, but it should prevent people from shooting their own toes off.”

“The guns are smart, they should probably stop that from happening anyway.”

She snorted. “A smart weapon’s intelligence pitted against the average person’s stupidity? I’ll be betting on the stupid, thank-you-very-much.”

I grinned. “That’s fair, actually.”

“I’m fair in everything but skin,” she replied. “Now, I need your help.”

“Alright, you seem to be keeping this city together better than I have.”

She snorted and waved my comment off. “None of that. You’re making people do stuff, which I think is half the solution sometimes. People know you’re acting and they’ve seen you all over the place. It gives them hope, I think.”

“Yeah, hope’s nice and all, but it doesn’t kill aliens well.”

She shrugged. “It’ll keep people fighting, and fighting people do kill aliens pretty well sometimes. Don’t knock it. Now, we can pep talk later. I need more of those standard suits, I need something biohazard-proof for dealing with corpses and zombies, and I need meds. Not just anti-zombie meds–though we need those–we need normal stuff too.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

I nodded along slowly. “Alright, I… give me a sec. Myalis, what’s my point total looking like?”