Arknights: Starsfall I

Chapter 56

"Merry shocks"

[ Day before ]

Pvt. James Ramirez
Baltimore, Maryland

With the help of a small police escort the guests were lead to a motel that was almost entirely empty. Except for some people staying and waiting for something.

They look like they were leaving, with all of their bags and such being around them and the fact they were on the shuttle shelter to leave, it wasn't all far fetched.

When the convoy entered Baltimore, there was only the meager police escort, but it seemed every Baltimore citizen was on guard, observing the convoy driving on in.

The convoy began to enter the Northern Baltimore suburbs, something that isn't really seen on Terra. It was something that Ptilopsis made sure to record from her spot in the MAT-V. The rows of American houses and decorated front yards was an experience.

The festive little lights, cars neatly parked on driveways.

The annoying little voice of Ifrit in Ramirez's ear...

"Please shut up," Ramirez muttered into his tire, Ifrit seem to have taken a liking in annoying the literal hell out of the Latino American. Saria was ready to go discipline her, when Silence beat her to the chase.

Ramirez internally thanked the Owl lady.

His hand went back to Lana, who was sleeping and gently materializing an M5 Rifle in her sleep. Ramirez felt the cold metal, which forced him to look back and snatched the materializing weapon before sighing.

Lord, if the Science folk learn about her...

"Alrighty folks," Foley announced to his passengers, "Welcome to Baltimore, Maryland."

Open the door and the guests stepping out of the vehicles in the Convoy, it was a whole different place compared to New Jersey. Baltimore's skyscraper and business district off in the distance. The city was alive with colors, cars, and Americans walking on through, laughing and having their own mundane conversations.

The skyscrapers seemed to stay strong and up, unimpeded. Their entire figures made of glass, not too dissimilar to Lungmen's buildings.

However, their designed made them seem, significantly tougher, utilitarian.

The forums on Terra were already letting loose their slew of comments and posts about Baltimore.

A few passing citizens noticed the people that were coming on out of the buses and the other vehicles.

Exusiai stepped out and she was greeted with a wave from one of them, and a calm, yet warm "Welcome to Baltimore," from another, before they walked away, going onto their phone and started to talk about some stocks.

Actually, much of them were shocked that they weren't immediately swarmed and harassed with Cameras. Hell, some Americans stuck to staying Cordial and saying a few tidbits of advice to Mudrock, Texas, and a few other Operators.

That behavior was hopefully going to remain.

And it's all thanks to the message sent out by the DHS and FBI.

With that everybody in the selected areas knew in advance who they were.

The message was restricted to North America, and the AI, again, was in full swing making sure anything about them does not leak outside of the Mexican, U.S. and Friendly Canadian borders.

Why did they do this? It was in order to ensure that the guests don't get swamped, that international news outlets don't suddenly notice an influx of Americans towards a single location, and it was to make sure that the Average American knows what would happen if they were to harm them or do anything nefarious.