Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

If anything, I’d actually find it a little weird if their calls weren’t tapped or being recorded whilst I was talking to the Lieutenant—but then again, he could just be a slick talker and was just trying to avoid speaking the truth through great acting.

Still, it was worth a shot to poke the hornet’s nest—but with the sudden knocks behind my door, I had to end the call and try another time to speak with the Commander later.

[A’ight, see you later, kid.]

“Yeah, yeah— bye.”

Rin’s head suddenly peaked from the door crack as she slightly opened the door, “Vera called me and said someone named Jesus is trying to contact you? She said your line was still busy but the guy insisted on speaking to you since it’s important.”

I nodded a few times, “Okay, I was just done. I’ll call him now, okay?”

“Okay, just call me too, if you need anything!”

“Alright, thanks!”

With that said, I picked up my phone again and tried to contact my friend—not the lord and savior of someone’s religion—and he answered in an instant

[‘Sup, bruh. Phone sex this early, huh?]

“You can continue where they left off?”

[HAH— HckKh— PAHAHAHAHHA!!! DAMMIT! MY COFFEE— You— Jeez, fuck! You got me good, you fuck! I spat on my Woody!]

“You mean OUR Woody?”

[Don’t go communism on me pal— but yeah, it wouldn’t be possible without the blueprints you sent over. Cool shit, not gonna lie— it’s like— it’s like perfectly traced and shit and it’s up to me to make it fucking work, ya know?]

“I’m more surprised you finished it this quick.”

[With Quinn’s production line on hold? I made the executive decision to have the factory run on all cylinders to manufacture the parts. They did the bulk of the work while I work on the minute details. Easy-peasy, I just have to stop nutting for a while and drinking too— I almost thought I achieved enlightenment at that point.]

“And where the hell was Mauro to stop you from making those decisions?”

[He’s been shacking up with Elsa in his building ever since she got there a few days in. He’d just give me the go-ahead for everything so that we wouldn’t disturb them.]

“I hope you didn’t just hole up in your pad to make that? You remember that—”

[Of course, of course! Hey! That’s the reason I called in the first place, ta know? But first off, your girl knows a thing or two about brainwashing, right?]

“Hah?”

[You said many times that she’s psychic! Isn’t that the same thing?!]

“It’s just a running joke of ours but if anything, she’s more in the lines of ‘mind-reading’ not memory erasure. It maybe had something to do with how observant and empathetic she is.”

[Ahh~ But yeah, that seems to be the case from my investigation over there.]

“From where Alexander came from?”

[Isn’t he from Russia?]

“You— The— The place further out! The one near—”

[Ahahaha! I’m on a fucking roll today— I was just messing with you, bro. Chill, chill. But yeah, believe it or not, that place seemed to have this dude or dudette perform some sort of ritual on their captives and they just start doing their bidding after a good while.]

“Hah? Isn’t that more like hypnotism or the power of suggestion? And did you just say captives? Was Alexander their prisoner?”

[I’m not entirely sure but prisoner or not, they needed his skills. They have captives and all but they seemed to have reached their limit in terms of resources available to distribute.]

“Then why did they let him go if they needed him that much?”

[I may have answered that already. They’d breathe a little easier so they probably weighed the pros and cons of having a Russian do their bidding or have several Russians visiting to get their friend back. I don’t know about you but it’s just a matter of time before they go hostile, right?]

“I’m not so sure about that but if push comes to shove, they’ll burn the place down. Bogdan’s pretty open about using napalm lately—I was just happy he didn’t use it over there. Maybe he just found the time to make a couple of batches recently. But if you don’t mind me asking, who’s your source over there? What’s your degree of trust on them? Are you sure they aren’t brainwashed too?”

[That’s the thing, bro. If whatever bullshit their spouting is actually true, I can’t say anything with certainty. I’m just telling you what they said—but if I’m deciding with my gut, there’s a 70% chance that what they’re saying is true.]

“Or they just believe that it’s true because of the brainwashing—”

[Now don’t make things so fucking complicated! But you— FUCK! That’s one thing to consider, no?]

“A little. But with what happened before we got back, we already perceive them as a threat. What if whatever that motherfucker did, he did to one of yours? Get me? I know you’re for peace and all but even if that bitch could brainwash everyone to get along, that’s not how I fucking roll.”

[So, what’s your plan?]

“The end goal is to wipe them off the map but that’s another plan altogether. I have to consult with an expert too—but I do have one important trip I have to get to in a month or so, and I’ll be away for at least twice that same time.”

[Japan?]

“Yep.”

[So, I have time.]

“Time for what?”

[To try and fix things? I can get to the bottom of this, I swear.]

“Uh-huh. Then how can I be sure that you’re not brainwashed as well?”

[Shit doesn’t work on me. Apparently, it just works on a certain type. I’m a skeptic if anything and if you’re the same as me—which is a very high chance, mind you—I believe we do gain some resistance against it.]

“Maybe even more if we know how it works, right?”

[Right. Still, it’s not complete immunity but I think there are some things on their checklist before it works and we just have to avoid it.]

“Hmm…”

[What now?]

“I have to ask everyone else about the time they took back Alexander. It’s been a while but I have to know more details about what was happening: the music playing, the speed they’re going at, the temperature—everything. You said that certain conditions have to be met, right?”

[That’s weirdly specific though.]

“I mean, isn’t it more powerful the more complicated it is?”

[More difficult to pull off too. But yeah, have you successfully talked to the guy yet?]

“You mean Alexander?”

[Who else?]

“Not right now, no.”

[Hah? Why?]

“I’m busy. And he’s in and out most of the time. However, Marisha was speaking to him as much as she could and even though I don’t know the exact details, I trust her with that. I still owe her for doing something in my head.”

[Oh, shit! Marisha, Marisha— Kaley’s Mom?! You mentioned her before, right?!]

“What’s with the excitement?”

[I mean— shouldn’t she know the ins and outs of this thing?! She might be figuring out his triggers at this very moment too! And she might be doing countermeasures against it or even reversing it! The possibilities are limitless, man!]

“I dunno about that but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

[Ask! But yeah, that’s all I could tell you right now since I have to confirm some shit! How about I call you again in a few and I’ll do my best to learn more information! I am trying to avoid meeting their guy intimately since you know, brainwashing, so it’s hard to circle around and ask everyone else.]

“Be careful though.”

[Always am. I only speak to people I’ve seen before—and the reason my info’s not as solid because I’m tryin’ to be slick as fuck. Ain’t no way they’d think I’m digging info and everything I discovered was through gossip or eavesdropping random-ass people. I might ask directly from time to time but it’s only after the subject’s been brought up.

Anyway, it’s not like the person isn’t famous but he definitely looked androgynous when I saw him give his speeches from afar.]

“Are you even sure that’s the person? You said you’re not sure before if it’s a he or she but now you leaned on using male pronouns. What is it exactly?”

[Eh. I was just using something more comfortable for me. If he/she gets mad at me, I’ll just apologize for how my eyes work. It’s not like they could cancel me now.]

“Fair.”

[But yeah, Meg’s been telling me that he’s a she when she caught a glimpse of him before but it’s just maybe that our eyes are different or we see things differently from time to time. It doesn’t help when the dude’s flat as a board and shit.]

“I mean— Have you asked anyone else directly?”

[Huh. No?]