Chapter 576: Stock Car Race (1/2)
Sirens went off and tore Dee'thmo'o out of a solid slumber. He jerked awake in his sleeping sling and immediately fumbled at the latches to free himself.
His brand new hand-dandy Terran datalink was blinking at him.
STATE OF EMERGENCY
He blinked at it and saw it all pop up.
Dwellerspawn and PAWM across the planet, attacking urban and industrial centers. Casualties were high and mounting.
They were in the city that Dee'thmo'o was in!
Blowing hard, Dee'thmo'o grabbed clothing and his ID and stuffed it into a carry-all, hurrying to the elevator. A dozen or so other beings were waiting for it with him, all them sleepy, all of them worried. There were colts and fillies crying, matrons holding tiny calves, and neo-sapients grimly staring at the elevator's display.
Twice the building rocked and the power flickered.
”We should take the stairs,” Dee'thmo'o suggested.
”It's sixty-two flight down,” a matron said. ”My calves would never make it.”
Dee'thmo'o nodded, despite the fact that he still felt it would be safer to the take the stairs he understood her concern.
Finally the door opened up and they all crowded in with other people
YOU BELONG TO US! roared out and Dee'thmo'o flinched from the burning pain.
The elevator slowly moved to the ground floor, stopping on other floors for more and more beings to pack into the small space. At the end the elevator was grinding and squealing and Dee'thmo'o was just glad to get out of the confined space. His datalink was providing him directions to the shelter he was authorized for. He'd paid good money for a private shelter only a little ways away from his luxury skyraker and was suddenly glad he did.
It was less than a mile away, at less than 60% capacity.
”Follow me, there's a shelter ahead,” Dee'thmo'o said, waving at everyone.
Some followed him, mostly the neo-sapients, although a filly with a half-dozen calves were following him. The sky flashed repeatedly off in the distance, like lightning on a dark night, but the flashes were quick, sharp, and white. A rolling set of dull booms echoes through the streets and the sound of creaking metal and cracking macroplas filled the air.
Dee'thmo'o looked upward nervously, seeing the skyrakers slowly shift. A hoverlift in the sky suddenly began tumbling down. Dee'thmo'o watched, his mouth open, as it slammed into the side of a skyraker and exploded.
”Hurry, hurry,” Dee'thmo'o urged, waving them forward. The filly handed him a tiny little calf, less than a year old, and together they all rushed the last two block.
There weren't many people around the shelter entrance, and Dee'thmo'o held the filly's hand as they moved forward. He waved the neo-sapients in front of him, standing at the back of the line. He looked around, wondering why the street the way they had come was empty now.
More flashes, then a dull boom off in the distance followed by a strange sound.
Screaming.
In the distance, there was the sounds of screams that overlapped, melded together, and turned into a roar. Flashes were coming faster and faster and Dee'thmo'o's datalink threw up a notice.
SHELTER AT 154% CAPACITY
SHELTER IN PLACE
He looked forward as the line suddenly stared moving forward. The elevator into the shelter was open and the line moved quickly as the big insect known as a Treana'ad waved everyone forward. Dee'thmo'o got to the front of the line as the elevator was almost completely packed.
”We're over-full!” the Treana'ad said. ”Authorization only.”
The filly next to Dee'thmo'o whinnied nervously, inflating her crests, barely on the thinking edge of panic.
Dee'thmo'o thought fast. He thought about his life before this. An Overseer, wealthy beyond most people's wildest dreams, he was still wealthy and privileged even though the Unified Council had lost the war against the Mad Lemurs of Terra.
He looked at the Treana'ad then waved at the filly.
”She's my wife! Pair bonded by the Breeding Authority yesterday!” Dee'thmo'o shouted. He held his card forward. ”Please, take her and the children.”
The Treana'ad took the card, gave Dee'thmo'o an odd look, and waved the filly and the calves with her into the elevator.
”Everyone get back, get back,” the Treana'ad said.
The filly stared at him, her mind blanked by the screaming that was getting louder.
YOU BELONG TO US!
The others in the elevator picked up the colts and fillies, accepted the little calves into their arms. The Treana'ad pushed himself back in.
”There's no more room,” the Treana'ad said oddly.
Dee'thmo'o just nodded.
”Unlock,” the Treana'ad said. He unholstered the pistol from his waist. The Treana'ad held out one of those brutal looking pistols. Dee'thmo'o took it, looking down at it. The Treana'ad spoke as he hit the close door stud. ”Save a round for yourself.”
Dee'thmo'o nodded slowly as the door shut.
The filly was crying as she stared at him. The neo-sapients were just staring.
A Telkan lifted one fist in a salute to him as the door closed.
Dee'thmo'o watched as the cylinder lowered into the ground.
The screaming was louder and Dee'thmo'o turned to look at the road behind him. Hundreds, thousands of beings were rushing forward, all of them screaming. Some were striking each other, others hitting themselves.
The crowd around Dee'thmo'o broke and ran, screaming.
Dee'thmo'o stood, staring at the oncoming screaming horde.
He looked at the pistol, then lifted it up. He stared at the oncoming crowd with his head held high.
His head suddenly felt hot and tingly, like his brain was full of pins and needles.
I've done a lot of bad things in my life, he thought to himself.
The crowd was less than ten meters from him. He pressed the muzzle of the pistol tight against the side of his head.
But I did one good thing.
Five meters.
Digital Omnimessiah grant me mercy.
He pressed the firing stud.
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SPECIES IDENTIFIER: 68 (LANAKTALLAN)
NAME: DEE'THMO'O
SEX: MALE
AGE: 319.4 TERRAN STANDARD YEARS
CAUSE OF DEATH: SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND
UPLOAD STATUS: COMPLETE/VERIFIED/CRC CHECK PASSED
ENABLING LIMITED INTERACTION WITH SUDS RECORD
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Dee'thmo'o was suspended in blackness. He couldn't hear his heartbeat, couldn't hear his lungs, the space was silent.
A dot appeared.
YOUR LIFE FUNCTIONS TERMINATED. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO A CIVILIAN MASS CASUALTY EVENT DESPITE YOUR SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND.
Dee'thmo'o felt slightly startled at that. If his life functions were terminated, why was he seeing words written in Unified Galactic Standard.
YOU HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY UPLOADED TO THE SENTIENCE UNINTERRUPTED DISASTER STORAGE SYSTEM
Dee'thmo'o frowned slightly.
YOU HAVE FIVE (5) LIVES REMAINING. NO PENALTY IS ASSESSED FOR SELF-TERMINATION DUE TO CONTEXT.
Dee'thmo'o felt as if he leaned his upper torso back in surprise, but realized he couldn't actually feel his body.