Pressure

"You were here the whole time, you could have helped us instead you let us die out there while you just sat in your little lab, and what? Did you sick fucks make bets on which of us would get back and who wouldn't? Now what, you want our help to go get something for you? Fuck you!"

Katelyn's voice reached even outside the building, drawing a crowd. Cassius brought Nora to meet Katelyn and discuss arming the Saviors with each other. But after finding out that there had been people in the lab for the entire year and they were aware of her group and what they were doing, for the most part, Katelyn was completely beside herself. She believed if Nora had come out earlier they could have saved more lives. Although Cassius himself thought differently. The problem of the Saviors was in more than just their lack of weapons, their combat experience, goals, and the overall situation were all against them. They progressed amazingly for just a year of work. From the state of the city, it should've been completely overrun. Yet in his time traveling through the city to reach the Savior base, he only encountered one Pandora Beast.

"We knew you were here but you weren't the first to come here. There was another group that brought people in every day for a few months. If not for our self-cleaning technology this lobby wouldn't be white anymore. We had no way of knowing if you were with that group or like them and you've only been here for a few days. It is already inconceivable that I am offering you our armors on just the good word of a single person," Nora patiently explained.

"You should just accept the deal. Your people will be armed, the favor she is asking also benefits me, and your people will likely leave or disregard you soon enough. There is a fortress or city of some kind west of here that has a number of survivors, or so it seems."

"Fine, we'll get you to the Unitech HQ but we'll need these armors now and we need time to get used to them. How many do you have?"

Cassius left as Katelyn and Nora discussed the armors amongst themselves. He made his way back to the lab where he found Michael and the other workers were all working on the new computers. But they quickly jumped up when they noticed Cassius' arrival, even Michael who was known for disregarding everything when he worked.

"Boss, these new computers are amazing we're finishing work several times faster."

"Right, the computer pretty much does all the work all we have to do is give it the problem."

"Only way it could get better is by having voice command or just an artificial intelligence to run it all."

All the scientists and lab technicians were overjoyed with the upgraded lab. They had nearly completed a backlog of work that spanned months in just half an hour. Cassius too found himself somewhat pleased by their work ethic and the passion they poured into their work. He looked around the lab his gaze stopping on Michael who was whispering along with a few others in the back. He could have listened in on the conversation, read their lips, or simply forcefully inserted himself into the conversation but he decide against that. Instead, he walked to an empty computer and was about to begin on his next big project. The world was nice, lush, vital, teeming with life. But for him it was just too small, this world couldn't properly give him all the resources he would need in the future. Even if it could if he attempted to follow all of his plans he would be propelled to the ruler of this world and ruling was not what he wanted. Just as the computer turned on Michael and the other workers approached him. All but Michael had a look of expectation and were antsy.

"Cassius we have a project here in the building that we couldn't complete we'd like for you to take a look. With the technology you have, you can probably get the project running again."

Cassius followed the giddy scientists to a hidden elevator in the lab. It took them to a hangar, though Cassius couldn't tell where it would be from the outside of the building. In the hangar was a plane-like object resembling a B2 Bomber. However, the engine on the craft looked more like a shuttle's main engine. Not that Cassius knew what a shuttle looked like.

"This is the Starhammer. It was meant to give us fast transport to the Sol Orbital Station. If this project was finished we could've gotten off-planet a long time ago, but we haven't received the material needed for obvious reasons and we lack the manpower."

Cassius stared at the Starhammer once again amazed by the technological advances on the planet. He had thought that nanomachinery was the current height of their technology but now they spoke of space travel like it was nothing. Thinking to here he had to ask.

"Even if you could get off-planet how would you survive unless this orbital station has a way to manufacture food, water, and every other means of life support what good would it do you a year later. Either the supplies were used up or whoever is on the station doesn't want any more mouths to feed."

"The Orbital Station is just the midpoint if we can get there, we can hop a ship and get to the Moon. The Lunarians aren't a friendly bunch or all that tolerable but they are still for the most part Earthborn like us. If we could get there we'd at least be able to send rescue and relief back down here."

"There's no way for this to get to the moon, the structure just wouldn't survive. But if we strip it down and rebuild it I may have some means of at least getting us to that station. But I can only get some of us to that station, this is going to be a long project by the time we get this up and running we should both have everything we need here."

Cassius looked back at the Starhammer and thought to himself how convenient it was that just when he decided he needed to leave the planet, he was shown the fastest way off the planet. There was something bigger moving against him, and for the first time, the unknown put almost unbearable pressure on him. Whatever it was making his journey convenient for now and so long as it didn't impede that journey it was fine.