A recruitment notice was displayed in the shelter's common area, notifying all 200 survivors that the militant alien group sought recruits to bolster their ranks. It promised military training, gear, food, and shelter in their own base, located in Springhead to the north.
The announcement of this opportunity clarified the recruitment's value and nature for the camp, declaring that the shelter would be provided with food production means and would strike an alliance. However, only ten spots were open for the camp's unemployed members.
The survivors conversed about the recruitment all day, sparking a heated debate between the hopeful and the doubtful.
When the meeting time arrived, people started to gather, both those interested and those not interested in the recruitment. Sergeant Elena of the Men-at-Arms began a speech about military discipline, but when faced with questions, she stated that the local representative of their group, Adam Clay, would answer them.
With an air of confidence, Adam stepped forward and spoke in a gentler tone than Sergeant Elena, who was no pep talker. He was met with more questions than he could have prepared for.
What are those people? Are they really human like us? How did they evolve to look like us? Are they to be trusted? Why can they speak our language? Why did you join them? Did they come through the Rifts? Are they here to conquer?
Adam's answers were direct and simple, but they mixed truth with fabrications, enough to conceal the important details he wished to keep hidden.
He called them the Venuxians, claiming it was a word he personally chose from his favorite game (Wartopia) since these people shared similarities with that "fictional" faction, such as their militant society and use of laser weapons. As for the original name, he claimed it sounded like 'Venuxians' but involved phonetics not native to English, so he opted for an easier version.
He confirmed that they came through the Rifts as remnants of a powerful human empire that had been ravaged like Earth, but they were still working to save their own kind from the Rift.
As for the remaining questions, Adam navigated them just as skillfully, giving political answers and assurances while focusing on polishing his faction's image.
His personal image was much different from what it had been a day ago. With his woman back in his life, his looks were reshaped by her meticulous touch: beard trimmed, hair combed, and his charisma polished. He proved to be ruggedly handsome and politically capable, as he had years of RP experience under his belt.
With his confidence bolstered by his renewed appearance, the answers he gave the people were enough to satisfy their basic curiosity, but he abruptly refused to answer more questions, claiming that there was no time left.
Then came the applicants. Adam and Elena used Professor Hendrick's upstairs room to meet with them, one by one.
They were asked similar questions and gave the following answers.
"I'm Daniel Rhodes, 23. I work… used to work in elderly care. I can cook, wash, and do all kinds of chores, but I am really looking forward to military training."
"Name's Steve Collins. I would have turned 54 last month. I drove a taxi and some trucks back in the day. I think I can learn shooting and fighting, but put me behind the wheel, and you'll make real use of me."
"Hey, Sergeant, Mr. Clay. I'm Luke Swanson. I'm 32. Well, I used to be a gym instructor, so I am confident in my physical ability… but… I'm no good with monsters, since… You know. I wish I could change that."
"Hello, I am Yvonne. I'm 19, I'm from the UK. I was stranded here while visiting Brighthaven. I used to do social media, travel vlogs, and that sort of thing. I'm… good with people… and marketing."
Adam received the four applicants graciously and was somewhat nervous, as Sergeant Elena's face was so stiff he felt like he was sitting next to a cold statue. If Megan and Kave hadn't also been present, Adam would have found it hard to react to anything.
Megan stepped out and took a look outside the office before turning to Adam and shaking her head.
"That's it. Only four."
"Four is…" Adam struggled to find a word that would convey his feelings, but he merely looked down and shrugged, "Acceptable, I guess. We haven't made much of a good impression yet."
"No." Finally, Elena spoke, glaring daggers at anything and everything.
"Okay!" Adam meekly looked back at the paper where he had recorded the names, and watched as Elena stood up and stood face-to-face with the unsuspecting Megan.
"Now, it is your turn."
Megan frowned, took a hard, deep look at Elena's face, and smirked.
"You want to evaluate me?" she asked, a rebellious glare sparking in her eyes.
"You are one of the recruits, are you not? Moreover, you are one of only three individuals who know the true nature of this operation," Elena replied sharply. "Now, recruit. Name, age, and civilian specialization."
"You're serious, huh?" Megan's eyes narrowed, locking with Elena's, and the two looked at each other intensely. Megan gave Elena an up-and-down look before snorting, "I am with Adam. Consider me management staff."
"Staff? That's cute," Elena replied, but then her smile was replaced with a fierce glare. "All staff start as auxiliaries. You work your way up."
"Heh! My father is a U.S. Marine Corps Colonel. I've spent twenty-four years working to meet his expectations. You merry band of sci-fi soldiers hardly impresses me, Sergeant." Megan straightened her back, puffed her chest to appear taller, and retaliated with a fierce gaze of her own.
Elena's sadistic smirk returned to her face as she met Megan head-on, her back straightened, her chest puffed as well. "I knew there was a familiar scent about you. Fine, once we get Boot Camp up and running, I'll see what you're made of, Colonel's daughter."
The two women weren't getting along, each with a personality that commanded some level of authority due to their military upbringing, making the two young civilian men watching from the side exchange concerned looks.
"Our girlfriends are going to war. You think our friendship will survive this?" Adam asked, sweating bullets.
"I don't know, but I like looking at their boo… I mean, personalities clashing," Kave said, unable to take his eyes off the scene.
Adam gave him a light tap on the shoulder as he moved outside. "Call me over when it gets steamy."
Adam stepped out, not wanting to involve himself in the femme fatale contest unfolding between Elena and Megan as they bonded, military style. He had certainly seen that movie a few times when there was something called the internet. Wonder if these servers survived! What a trove that would be. Adam thought as he faced the four applicants.
"Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Collins, Mr. Swanson, and Ms. Yvonne. Due to the lack of competition, all four of you were accepted. Assigned as trainee auxiliaries, effective immediately," Adam said, pressing on his words and changing his attitude, giving them a serious stare. "Attention!"
As he spoke loudly, a moment of hesitation was cut by Swanson reacting, followed by Collins and Rhodes, then finally Yvonne, who looked at the men and tried to imitate how they straightened their backs and stood firmly.
That was Adam's first official military command to actual humans. He felt a bit nervous, but he channeled that nervousness into a look of indifference.
"Unlike regular military, there will be no need to sign papers or such. All I did was take your names. There is no court, law, or order except that of the military. The Commander's words are absolute, and there will be no backing down."
He stared intensely at the group. He had high hopes for the gym trainer and the elderly care worker, but the old taxi driver and the British influencer girl only made him worry.
"All other questions will be answered after we reach base. There isn't much there, but we managed to get a couple of buildings up and running in preparation for the arrival of more Venuxian soldiers from the Rift. Weapons and clothes will be given to you in due time, but you'll be put to labor before training, as we need to erect some facilities first. The only upside to this is that Springhead is clear of monsters, so for a while, the place will be safe and easily defended."
Adam debriefed them on the situation as new soldiers enrolling, then looked at them one by one.
"Now, I want you to take the stairs down and meet with Corporal Sharp, who is organizing the other troops. He will give you a pep talk and tell you the details of your military life. If there are any complaints or concerns regarding your Venuxian colleagues, you come directly to me with them."
"Yes, sir." Swanson militarily saluted Adam, followed by the rest, who imitated him. Adam barely smiled, as this salute was different from the one practiced in the Solarium. He dismissed them as they went down the stairway.
On the other side, Professor Hendrick seemed to be having a conversation with two of his students, glancing in Adam's direction. Sensing a wave of tension, Adam approached them with a friendly smile.
As he did so, he recognized the students speaking with the professor as Toby and Qasim, Megan's team members. They all tensed up the moment they saw him, and the two students kept staring at the professor.
"Adam, dear boy. I am sure both you and I agreed that you would not recruit others who aren't part of our active members." The professor faced Adam with a tired face.
"Well, I did no such thing," Adam said, understanding why Qasim and Toby were here. "I assume the two gentlemen here want to join."
"That is true. I keep telling them that we need more hands to keep things in order," the professor said with a disheartened tone.
"Mr. Clay," Qasim explained the situation to Adam. "We were with Megan's team; she was our leader. Without her, we'll have to assimilate into other teams. It would be difficult to establish good dynamics with people we don't know how to get along with out there."
"We won't be useful in other teams since our skills aren't that uncommon, especially since we're younger than most other students," Toby added.
Adam thought, taking a breath and holding it for a while, before sighing and turning to the professor.
"Sir, when we made a deal that you would allow me to recruit Megan and Tommy, I understand well that you did so on the pretense that Megan would probably never make it," Adam said, causing the professor's face to darken, as indeed the terms had been quite in the professor's favor at the time. "Those gentlemen were presumed dead, too."
The professor caught a hint of what Adam was going to say, and deflected immediately: "Adam, I gave you my word of honor to allow you to recruit Megan, Tommy, and any non-active member of the shelter. That's what we agreed on."
"True, but what we left out was those who wished to be recruited by their own volition." Adam shrugged and had an apologetic look in his eyes, looking between the professor and his students. "And the way I see it, the only thing obliging these young men to stay is their bond to you as their professor, which makes them feel unable to leave without your blessing."
The professor couldn't help but frown, knowing exactly that Adam was playing on his style of leadership, which he even denied was leadership. It was true, he couldn't keep anyone from leaving, and those young men were only talking to him because of the bond they shared. So not only was he letting Megan and Tommy go, but now these two young students as well.
The elderly professor took off his glasses that hung around his neck via a string he had clearly made, his neatly trimmed beard trembling a bit as he looked between Toby and Qasim, reaching out and offering each a hug. With a heavy voice, he spoke:
"I taught you to question everything. Now you go where no answer is certain," he said, breathing in and out, his shoulders moving and his face bearing an expression of a parent's sadness, sending his dear ones to the unknown. "Go, then. Carry reason where chaos reigns; let knowledge be the sword where faith alone will not stand."
The two students took their professor's words to heart, exchanged words of thanks, and looked at him the same way he looked at them.
Adam added their names, ages, and specialties to the list. He welcomed them on board, gave them the same talk as before, and right before they joined the others, they nominated one more recruit who wasn't sitting far from them. Adam followed where they pointed, and all he saw was a man almost a year or two older than himself, wearing the vest of the BCPD and looking at the shelter with a solemn expression.
He saw Adam approach and seemed to have deduced the reason why that particular man had come to him.
"Adam Clay," he said, greeting the mysterious man who was in cahoots with the so-called Alien Humans.
"Officer Reeves," Adam extended his hand to the officer, who accepted the handshake firmly. "I haven't thanked you enough for taking care of Megan and her group."
"I was only doing my job."
"Then, after a thanks for your service, allow me to extend a recruitment offer to you," Adam spoke earnestly.
"I knew you would say that. Sadly, I am under oath to protect and serve all the people of Brighthaven. To enforce law and order." The officer's reply was firm, his conviction clear, stemming not only from faith, but from experience, and, more importantly, from trauma.
"I had a feeling you'd say that as well," Adam said, a smile forming on his face as he looked aside; then an idea sparked. "I have an offer, though."
"Out of respect, I would hear it." Officer Reeves smiled, but he knew he wouldn't change allegiance no matter what Adam said, not after finding such a community of survivors who would truly need his help.
"I offer the following:" Adam cleared his voice, straightened his back, and continued in an official tone. "You'd be recruited, but not as a soldier, nor under a military department. You'll be given support, from weapons to all manner of gear you require."
"And the catch?" Officer Reeves asked, not expecting such a too-good-to-be-true offer to come without a price.
"Since the government of the United States and the State of Massachusetts are no longer standing, with no law in this land other than the law of the jungle, we offer you the office of a Lawman."
Adam's words made a squinting expression appear on Officer Reeves' face.
"As in Old West lawmen?" the officer asked.
"The Venuxians call their law enforcement that. More freedom and more toys, though, laser guns, too," Adam said with a wink.
Officer Reeves didn't expect such an offer, especially now that he had lost his stronghold in the church and all his supplies.
"Well, I'll bite."
Officer Reeves seemed amenable as he started asking questions about the position, allowing a lore buff like Adam to show off his deep knowledge of the topic of Lawmen: the space cowboys of the Solarium, the militant arm of the Ordinarium, the administrative branch of government in the Solarium.
Adam's recruitment became more successful than he had thought it would be. Four total newbies to combat, two children of a U.S. military colonel, two hardened survivors with scientific backgrounds (not including Megan), and the last active policeman in the city. A total of nine, a number even he wasn't sure he would achieve.
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