Chapter 49 – Wheeler Tells us Everything.
Wheeler's Office, Vertigo Town
Arlington County, VA
Thursday, May 7, 2076
10:15 EST GMT-5
I knew something was up. I needed more information about how this all started. So, I woke up and woke up Aurora too. I needed to get to the bottom of all this. The three of us, including Ranger went to Wheeler's office first thing after lunch. We arrived to talk to him, and turned-out Sheriff Ross was with him too.
"I think you want to keep something from us, Wheeler. I'm sure there's more to this story than what we know so far!" I asserted that. "You've lived your life normally and didn't go in hibernation as we did. Who, or what started all this? How is the entire United States of America suddenly a dictatorship, and when did it cease to be a democracy?"
"You ask too many questions, but yeah, you've done a lot for us, I guess I owe you!" said Wheeler. "It all started about twenty-two years ago! I just finished college, graduated in Criminal Justice from George Mason University. Yes, I was born and lived here all my life. I survived the meteor, when I was two, my family went into protection, but not all of them survived. My parents were also survivors, until they passed away five years ago. That is around the time, the State of Virginia faced threats from acceleration in artificial intelligence and robots, along with mutated creatures who didn't exactly survive Mithra's landing. I joined the Vertigo Town Police Department, and ranked up until I was a captain. The year I joined was the same time the year this city was built, I was one of the first police officers."
"It seems like we're about to hear a story!" said I.V.A.N.A.
"Damn right, and this is no bedtime story!" said Wheeler. "It was the year 2054, the year Vertigo Town was founded."
Mutant Invasion, Vertigo Town
Arlington County, VA
Wednesday, May 13, 2054
14:23 EST GMT-5
Now this is my story, I'm Jack Wheeler, new officer in the Vertigo Town Police Department, and it was my fifth month with the force, and I already was promoted to senior officer after writing citations and arresting people on illegal substances. I saw them right in front of me. The monsters, along with the humanoid robots carrying guns, fighting them off. Those were police androids, programmed to work for us. They fired at the mutants, but the latter didn't concede at all.
"Four-six-seven!" I shouted on the radio. "Officer Wheeler to squad! Do you copy!"
"Roger that, Wheeler!" said the voice of my fellow officer and boss, Sgt. Derrick Ross. "I got you covered!"
"There's too many of 'em!" I shouted. "How the hell did they even breach the city defenses?"
"Stay strong, Wheeler!" said Ross. "You're doing good, son!"
"Yes, sir!" I shouted. "Let's take 'em together!"
"Alert!" shouted a third voice on the radio! "This is Officer Jordan Langley! Backup won't be here for another ten minutes!"
"Don't worry, we got it!" said Ross. "Hold your position at HQ!"
"I'm coming down to help!" said Langley. "I can't stand here!"
"You have orders! Five more minutes!" said Ross. "Five minutes!"
"Five minutes are too late!" said Langley. "I'm coming down now!"