Haze Gray 111
"I'm just saying, Awkward is a little old for her, she's nine, right? Bet version or not, and how did she get the production rights?"
Leslie piped up "The most nine that ever nined Taylor. I mean those scenes from South Pacific? Ooh la la, she had to fade to black to keep to a PG rating. Plus, who is going to say no?"
Taylor sighed and watched herself, as the lead character of the new teen comedy from Ziz productions, do a vlog to narrate the show. She had never vlogged in her life.
Haze Gray
Simmie, for her part, was enjoying the rave reviews her real-life comedy drama was getting. And she had only had to adjust a few directly after she started it. Along with her other shows. The dramas got the adult women, those and the Soaps. The action films, anything two liked really, got the boys. Television was a wonderful medium and she could reach so many. Now brother would need to do something about this typhoon. She wanted to see her friends sooner rather than later and it was not going to make trouble! Both brothers even. Big brother could suck the energy right out of the thing. Though she might have to figure out these video games for him then. She sighed, she so did not get the attraction to the games.
Haze Gray
The meteorologist on shift in the national sever weather center looked at the drone data, first drones, which had more and better sensors than their remaining satellites, and second drones, multiple. This had to be costing the government billions. The things were great though, if they wanted they could plow the atmosphere from the surface of the sea to where there was no more atmosphere. Over and above the resolution of the things that was spectacular, Real time data. Multiple sets. Forecasting was a science rather than an art again. How did the things fly that high? They must be using a fuel that contained its own oxygen. Hmm what was that doing to the atmosphere at that level? Adding water vapor probably. Carbon monoxide as well. Heat certainly. Say, these new rain patterns, maybe? Well this girl ship, ship girl, whatever spraying fresh water was doing a lot of that rain pattern changing but these thigs were out where she wasn't spraying.
Back on task. The drones had gone haywire or something though. The violent typhoon he had been watching and being scared of losing drones in had…died? Like someone had sucked the energy out of the whole basin. This data couldn't be right either. First the sea had stopped moving for more than three seconds. The entire north Pacific basin. Frozen. The it had started again but now it was the normal, two-to-four-meter swell. The surfers would be disappointed this week.
Haze Gray
Jack looked at Maggie. "Typhoons don't do that."
Maggie pointed at 'Awkward Bet', from Ziz productions running on the monitor "Endbringers don't have play dates. Have you noticed she is Taylors size and down to wings on her back, her ankles and her wrist." Jack frowned. Maggie chuckled "Taylor might have overdone the gifting." Jack gaped at her. Admiral Painter shook his head at the pair of them.
Jack had a thought "How do the clothes still fit her if she is shrinking?" The room froze for a minute then video came up on monitors of Simmie from first try ons to every day after. Admiral Painter dialed his phone to get some clothing experts in on this.
Haze Gray
Vladimir looked at the roomful of people "So an analyst took us to the cleaners, at least on the personal side. And she made it exceedingly difficult to replenish our funds from state accounts. Then she ran away and joined the Kanmusu. Whose people have been having fun humiliating ours.
"Not only that, but the Vory offended her, and she decided to take them out. While she was at it, she rolled up every organization they had touched in any way, good or bad.
"Then the Chinese suffer a humiliating defeat removing their blue water ocean threat along with their parahumans and their Emperor is in an expansive mood.
"We were never really a blue water threat, but we could at least defend ourselves from the capitalist aggressors, probably. Before her tussle with Leviathan, and him mauling our subsurface forces at any rate.
"Our glorious land armies are intact, though trapped between the Sleeper and the Chinese along with our former brothers in socialism, who hate us with an undying passion, that will not be the case for long and we can no longer trade space for time
"So, brothers, what are your suggestions?"
Vladimir waited and nodded. There were several particularly good pitches made. When they wound down, he asked "No one thought of seeking statehood in the USH?" He snorted at the donkey looks he got back. Then the clamor rose. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Haze Gray
The psychologist looked at the psychiatrist who laughed "Nope, not in the book."
The nurse sighed. Apparently normal girl behavior was unclassifiable to modern mental health professionals. Dressing like another girl, studying her mannerisms, adopting some, it was all part of growing up. Like boys didn't do the same thing. Maybe it was that no one had been observed twenty-four seven by rotating teams of egg heads. That didn't seem reasonable, but it could have happened? At least she wasn't wearing the sheets as a cape anymore. Cute but more than a little dangerous.
And the eggheads were females. How was growing up this different for them? Other than neither of this pair being from the Bay. Which was a psychotic break all of its own really. Though it was better now. If you couldn't get a good job with lots of promotion opportunity here now you were just a shithead.
Oh! Hmm, the America effect had finally worn off. She made a note in her iPad. She was after all working on her doctorate.
She went back to contemplating environmental factors while waiting on the 'discussion' the eggheads were having to produce another 'novel therapy'. Yep jobs, starting at minimum wage but no one worth their salt stayed there. Demonstrate ability and you were moved up as fast as they could train and test you. By the end of high school, if you weren't completely tied to your mother's apron strings, you were moved to somewhere where you got more training, moved again to somewhere else and from the plans she had seen were supposed to end up a manager in some part of the operation. Or a senior NCO or Officer if you fell in with the recruiters from every branch of the military running around here now, and could pass the mental, moral, and physical checks. The other Federal law enforcement agencies too. Chuck had just been complaining about the poaching of police officers going on. And the BBPD was short officers after the purge. Damn gangs.
Last but certainly not least the PRT and Protectorate. Amazing how many parahumans with lower level but surprisingly useful powers were turning up. All male. She snickered. All the female parahumans were marinating in the dock. The PRT was taking some kids who were pretty rough. Not until after high school and they were shipped off to boot camp immediately though. If they made it through the background checks.
Come to think of it those parahumans got shipped out too. Hardly any of them stayed in the Bay. The Wards team was growing at about one a month but not the Protectorate. What was going on there?
Haze Gray
Emily looked over the reports and nodded. That satellite office plan was working. Now that they had enough PRT and Protectorate personnel to flesh out those offices. It was a big region. Not like a metro region. Whoever had put the headquarters in Brockton was drinking the PR cool aid. Some place like Lebanon would have been much better. More centered on the region. Showing the flag In Brockton Bay hadn't really gotten them anywhere and had left the rest of the region shorthanded. A squad in every town with a population of twenty thousand or more was negligence. She had pointed it out at every meeting of the board for years! Well, now they had the recruits flowing in the pipeline, more importantly they had them flowing out. A rotation through Brockton Bay to get evaluated, then a posting where they were from and knew the ground and this would all get a lot easier.
So a year and the region would resemble something useful. Armsmaster was going to have to build a flying bike though. A supersonic flying bike. He just couldn't leave it at reading the reports and video conferences. What the hell was it with Parahumans in this region, they all wouldn't leave.
Well the women, but they only went as far as the dock, mostly. Not that she blamed them. A swim in the morning and a girl was pretty much good for the day. Of course, of those a percentage went on to the fleet. They home ported in Brockton Bay so they were around a lot.
Now this tender class. Intel said they were mostly original members of this Dog Pound website that had been Hellhound's fan club before she shipped. The membership had exploded after she shipped and started responding to the members, or one of her crew did. The site had over a million followers world wide now.
All the ships had their own web sites and all had like numbers of followers. Hmm maybe they were the same followers? Emily sent a note to intel to get them looking at that. Then laughed to herself, Juggernaut punching above her class of course had nearly as many followers as Brockton Bay. More than Fleet Idol Antietam. She chuckled a bit, though Noelle would probably be glad. Maybe? She hadn't let that gig go though so maybe not.
Chaos looked over her shoulder "Huh. Got to get the Corps PAO talking to them again. Not sure though, maybe we could do unit web sites, I mean public ones. The units already have sites of course but they are a little salty for civilians I think."
Emily blinked "How do you keep them hidden?"
Chaos shrugged "Have to be a member of the unit to be allowed on. Private sites."
Emily nodded "So, actionable intelligence tapering off. A day and this will be back to normal operations, barring anything unforeseen of course. You headed back to Alaska?"
Chaos nodded "Get the ground forces ready as the fleet does the exercises out to Bikini and then on to Alaskan waters. I expect they will be in good fighting trim by the time they arrive. Certainly no one will want to challenge them."
Emily nodded "So what, it's the cold war all over again?"
"Your lips to Gods ears. Hot wars cost lives. If we can impress our enemies enough that they sit on their hands its better for us."
"Us, not the world."
"I am paid to worry about us. Essentially, we have no strategic interest on the Asian land mass. Not in the current state of the world and with the Kanmusu ensuring the sea is safe." Chaos shrugged.
Emily sighed "You know the politicians won't leave it alone once the first shots are fired in anger."
Chaos nodded "More a problem for the Army. I can secure a beachhead anywhere right now."
Emily nodded "And we can defend against their parahumans, especially now as the gloves have come off the leadership."
Chaos nodded "Almost as if there is a new leader."
"Or one that got fed up getting beaten up by her boss. Verbally anyway." Emily offered.
"Or that. Nicely proactive though. Although there were a few skeletons that escaped."
"Not jail." Emily grinned.
Chaos laughed "Or other means of not becoming a problem."
Emily sighed "One time. Who knew he would shoot himself?"
"No one, maybe not even he knew. He was being targeted by the Simurgh after all." Chaos offered.
"Faff, you had to come up with that didn't you. Something else for the thinkers to look at. No way to prove or deny it without a post cog probably." Emily typed another email.
"So how is my friend Tagg taking all this?" Chaos asked.
"In a straight jacket from what I heard. Can't prove he isn't a Simurgh bomb and pissed Costa Brown off being obstructionist, or something, what do you call being a combative asshole when you are trying to be polite? Anyway, she plays hard, and dirty. While Tagg had a lot of friends, it turns out they are to busy burning political capitol trying to save themselves." Emily grinned.
Chaos nodded "Trying being the operative word. Hard to save yourself from a no-knock warrant. Fortunately, it's been about equal numbers from both parties, though the democrats are edging slightly ahead on the smaller scale graft and corruption now that law enforcement has cracked the party machines in the metropolitan areas. The republicans seem to be sticking to their platform and getting their corruption from big business interest."
Emily shook her head "OK, so back to work, you go plan something suitably impressive for Alaska and I'll work the last of this actionable intelligence on parahumans, and hand the rest off to the law enforcement cell Mulder is running. Brockton is packing up her movable feast so will be back here shortly. Her fishing boats are on the ways now. The Blue Water clubs long liner is a couple days out on a semi submersible they built. Thing can carry... a lot."
"One thing before I go, did you know the Kanmusu chartered all the largest container ships idled in San Diego and put their own crews on them?" Chaos asked.
Emily grinned "You mean the Chinese and Russian Battle groups don't you?"
Chaos blinked "Where are they putting all those people?"
Emily laughed "Have you ever seen the mountains of Hispaniola and Cuba? Those miners and builders haven't stopped working. I suspect they could put all of the population of both countries somewhere without even touching the 'layer cakes' under the stores here in the US.
"She is busy stuffing orphans, homeless, anyone else disenfranchised or abandoned that she can find, into those and charging the states and US government for their medial treatment and upkeep. While doing her sorting and community building thing of course."
"More effectively than the government has ever done no doubt. I thought all these people this campaign found were filling the hive cities on Hispaniola?" Chaos enquired.
"One of them. By the time they get treated, sorted, put in an educational program, they want work. They get moved to the layer cake where the work is.
"She doesn't like people calling them hives. She has read, played, whatever, she knows about Warhammer and thinks the hive cities were an abomination.
"Of course, the children become the keepers, or join the land and water keepers, their choice, wherever they end up. Then the trash disappears and little crafty things that can get done twenty-three hours a week appear for sale. Or not so crafty depending on the number of children she has available. Those operations only run eight hours a day though and can't be too dangerous. Throwing pottery or making it from slip and then adults firing it at night seems to be popular.
"Of course, if they agree they can be adopted, then they move out to her farms or wherever their parents work. So far all in her organization. No outside adoptions yet but that program is building momentum. Plus, its easy for couples looking to adopt to get work in her organization.
"Medical treatment, food, a job, amazing how many problems those three things cure among the homeless and poor population."
Chaos nodded "A job at a livable wage and training for advancement. What's going to happen when her organization is full though."
"Once she runs out of North, South, and Central, America in a few hundred years you mean?" Emily arched a brow.
"A hundred at the speed she is moving."
Emily shrugged "I probably won't care as I am likely to be dead. There are other continents however. She already has a toe hold on one. The UN gave it to her using our superfund cleanup contracts as a template to get her to clean up Antarctica.
"Not only that but we aren't out of the woods yet. Behemoth is next up, and we haven't seen what level of lunacy he is going to get up to or how she does fighting him."
"They are being different though, wildly in the case of the Simurgh." Chaos tossed in.
"Different doesn't mean good." Emily closed the conversation.
Haze Gray
Taylor looked at the report and whistled through her teeth "We are seriously sequestering some carbon now. The carbon cycle is what makes plants grow and the more we can sequester in the ground the better the plants grow?"
Connie nodded while smiling ruefully. "A little over simplified but yes. Plant matter in the ground makes the plants you are growing grow better and helps the soil. Its mostly carbon. So yes we are sequestering a lot of carbon because we are growing a lot of crops. Along with the nitrogen cycle but the way we farm nitrogen is close to free. Cover crops, legumes, that fix nitrogen do that for us. Any nitrogen we need to add, usually when we are first starting on a place, we make as byproducts of other processes so." She shrugged. "Potassium we get desalinating. The rings do it, it's a byproduct, same with phosphate.
"The miners sucking up plastic and other stuff from the river mouths give us tons of it, sediment, you name it really. Farm after farm worth of topsoil really. More people need to figure out cover crops and soil health and get their dirt have better absorption rates. Then anything over a half an inch an hour of rain wouldn't give us a couple tons of their farm every hour.
She pinked "Plus the stuff that was already out there. The Corps of Engineers had a plan to clean that up too. To the two mile limit anyway, We do about a ten mile strip because sucking up ooze lets ooze back flow to fill the hole as well as flow in from the river delta. The Corps is looking at it. They think we can get twenty mils depending on where we set the miners."
Taylor chuckled "So after we desalinate that we got a nonillion acre of topsoil to put somewhere."
Connie nodded "Everywhere and we mix it with manure, sewage plant solids, have to run it through a ring because people dump toxic stuff in the sewers like idiots. Plus medicines. Lots of estrogen like stuff, birth control pills maybe. Anyway we do all that, add some other stuff, nuke it dry and sterile, add beneficial organisms back in and sell it. Organic, non gmo, certified, twenty bucks a bag profit. A twenty-pound bag. The bag is made of PLA plastic, cornstarch, and post-consumer recycled paper. You don't throw it away you just till it in, bag and all. Millions of tons of it, train loads even." Taylor sighed and facepalmed. "Hey! We could include cover crop seeds in the bags! That's a cold process! Do it by region and add five bucks a bag or so, that would cover the process, the seed, and make us-" She worked on a Kpad "another three bucks or so a bag, plus sequester carbon, fix nitrogen, and maybe add a little P and K."
Amy poked Taylor "Jumped the gun on your oh poor rich me groaning." Taylor gave her a glare. She fake shuddered and cowered back. Taylor growled and she rolled her eyes. "Come on poor little rich girl. Let's get packed up and say goodbye to everyone. Plane in two hours. Besides it's like a million bucks a trainload, you will spend it on orphans, dogs, homeless people, erh, we might actually need it, some of those homeless folks need institutionalized. We are going to have to start some. There are nowhere near enough in patient psychiatric facilities here or in the USH. Not enough mental health staff either, we need to endow some scholarships. Like four or five hundred of them."
Taylor pouted "So bossy! That was my money." The ship girls watched the first ship getting girlshipped and giggled. The glare they got got them all moving with alacrity to get packed up and their goodbyes done.