The fun never stops in Adam’s town. Ever, from what he actually saw. All manner of fun things to do.

Adam was an amazing worker for the greater good. He was always able to root out corruption wherever it reared its ugly head. Politicians siphoning taxpayer money to their personal accounts? Revealed and put away. The money returned to the city. Corporate interests lobbying government? Sniffed out, boycotted, and their businesses withering on the vine. Activist movements seemingly supporting great causes of progress but intentionally stifling the people? Exposed and shut down.

Adam was great at what he did. Sure, all manners of powerful interests were against him and every time he went out he was at risk. But he saw the greater good and strove towards making it fair for everyone else at his own expense. It was a sacrifice he was willing to undergo.

Truth be told, though, the reason he was so good at laying corruption bare was that he had a fantastic AI companion that gave him everything he needed to carry the day through. Today, however, instead of giving Adam dirt on the latest political scheme to steal money from the people, Max, his butler AI, laid on the table a bullet proof vest and a .45 caliber Glock with thermal clips. Adam was previously sipping on his coffee and eating breakfast.

“It’s that time?”

“Yessir, Adam. It’s that time.”

“They’re coming for me?”

“Yessir. They’re coming for you. All three of the major players.”

“Ah, yes, the People’s Republic of Socialism, the New World Empire, and the Global Economic Conference. All for me?”

“Yessir. They’ll be here within the hour.”

“What do they want?”

“The Republic is angered that you uncovered the real intention behind all of their Autonomous Zones. That their purpose was a place outside the law to centralize their human trafficking and drug smuggling operations. They’re also annoyed that you exposed their money laundering schemes disguised as social programs intending to help the poor but in reality was buying their leaders massive estates.”

“I’d be upset if I was them. What are they bringing?”

“The Republic is sending what amounts to an army of ragtag activist ‘Freedom Fighters’. They’re not ragtag or activists. That’s just what their media retainers call them. They’re closer to trained police thugs. Republic troops have automatic rifles and riot shields. Notably, the automatic capable rifles were outlawed publicly by unanimously and with much fanfare by Republican politicians in the federal government.

“Something like 1000 individual troopers. They will have blocked most avenues of escape with police vehicles and SWAT stakeouts.”

“Yes, they were really gung-ho about banning those guns. Not that regular people use automatic weapons.

“What about the Empire?”

“The Empire is upset that you were the primary hand in cutting down the cost of college, specifically medical college, exposed their schemes in insurance authoritarian, and chopped their monopoly on medical equipment so MRI machines cost 2 million per machine instead of 20 million, or 40 if acquired from overseas. The net result is that the healthcare system is cheap enough for the average person but doesn’t crush the income potential of medical workers so they don’t go to school in the first place.”

“Yes, that seemed to have pissed them off quite a bit. Lots of money they were making for little effort. I got annoyed when Sarah’s bill came out to 5000$ when all that happened was a few short scans and check-ups. What are they doing?”

“Indeed. The Empire is sending a force of mechanized infantry with main battle tank support lagging behind. I count at least 30 infantry fighting vehicles, each with their own squad of soldiers, and some 20 Abrams main battle tanks, outfitted for urban combat with their Tusk kit Mk 5.”

“That’s nasty. But not unexpected. Tell me about the Conference.”

“The Conference is angry that you managed to repeal the anti-Right to Repair bill. Previously, all consumer purchased items were not allowed to be modified or repaired by the consumer nor a neutral mechanic or technician hired by the consumer. The item had to be sent back to the factory, which then they had your data hostage, and forced you to pay full cost of a new item. They additionally made new editions every year with forced obsolescence on all previous versions. This extended from smartphones to college textbooks to the seatbelts in your car.”

“Yes, and they were making a killing off them?”

“Totally. Estimated 15 trillion each year by taking essentially 95% of leftover money post federal, state, and local taxes of every regular person.”

“Yeah, that bill had to go. You can’t expect regular people to be slaves to the corporation, unable to make ends meet.

“What does the Conference have?”

“The Conference is big on drones. They have these Terminator-esque things from T-3 as well as aerial UAV support. It is rumored that the smaller aerial drones are capable of directed energy blasts, although those are little more than a gun and a hover unit. A shot to pretty much anywhere on them would be a confirmed kill. The Conference also have a larger model that is more akin to a helicopter gunship. These guys can also carry the land drones to the frontlines so expect them to have them ready to deploy.”

“Yikes. And here I thought I’d have an easy time.”

“Also, keep in mind, the US government has determined you to be a terrorist so the army is mobilizing. The army won’t be ready by the end of the week, though.

“However, time is of the essence, Adam. You need to start moving.”

“I think the time for moving is long gone, Max. I’ve come to like this planet. Little blue marble in the middle of an empty void. I think it’s time.”

“Oh? Really? It’s time?”

“Yes, Max. It’s time.”

Adam finished his coffee and got up. He walked back to his room, Max following him. Adam pressed a button on the underside of his bed. The wall opposite of it rumbled and opened up. The alcove that it became held weapons and equipment. Adam took stock of it and started putting things together.

He took his suit off and started getting into tactical armor. Leggings that allowed dexterous movement but also able to absorb the kinetic energy of bullets. Ceramic plates that could shatter low caliber weapons and deflect larger rounds. Jump jets on the fanny area for making running jumps and a secondary burst jump. Phased materials that helped blend into the background. Energy shield powered by a micro-nuclear reactor. Helmet with heads up display for equipment health, nearby enemies, and ammunition counts. Interface for breaking into electronics and overriding their controls.

Once done, he looked like a soldier out of a science fiction army.

Adam started to look over and size-up weapons. He pulled out an unusual looking bullpup rifle with a massive curved arc over the barrel with negative space in between. This thing was an advanced piece of technology. It was a micro-particle accelerator that fired small projectiles at extreme velocities for a handheld weapon. It didn’t use magazines or thermal clips but regenerated its ammunition over time. He needed to pace its shots lest he run out. However, 40 rounds was more than enough to do some damage until recharge.

Adam affixed the rifle to the back of his armor, magnetic parts keeping it in place. He pulled out a second weapon. This one was clearly a sniper rifle, although a little short and appeared much lighter than contemporary designs. It was curved and sleek and very much out of science fiction books loved by the youth in this city. The sniper rifle fired a jet of superheated fluid with amazing penetration and dealt serious damage to soft targets. It was capable of penetrating through concrete barriers and then armored vests on the other side. Like the assault rifle, the sniper rifle regenerated its ammunition, though at a slower rate than the former. He would have to lean on the assault rifle for the majority of the time.

Adam contracted the sniper rifle and placed it on his back. He got out the final weapon, the Glock from earlier, and checked it. This thing ran on thermal clips, which fed off ambient thermal energy and could be restocked at heat sources. It only held a limited amount of ammunition but the three clips meant he had a handy backup weapon. Adam holstered it.

Adam pulled out tertiary equipment and attached them to his armor. EMP grenades, stimulant charges, and smoke flares for concealing his movement.

When Adam was done, he stood up. His helmet was not on.

Max started to say something when the apartment rumbled.

“They’re here. A little sooner than expected. Here. Take this.”

Max handed Adam a flare-like object, which Adam immediately pocketed. It wasn’t a flare. It was a beacon. Adam wasn’t an American or even an Earthling, but he was definitely human. He was a member of an interstellar organization called the Order of Light and Fire, which while had their origins on Earth as the government of the Nephilim, had taken to the stars once they were sure that Earth could run on their own.

The Order’s mark was everywhere. The Constitution of the United States was actually an Order document as the majority of the Founding Fathers were Nephilim members. The modern icons of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism were all Order icons.

But alas they were off exploring the stars, Earth was left alone. It was hundreds of years since the Order had any real communication with their home world. Adam was sent as an agent to bring things back on course, but things of course got out of hand.

The beacon would summon an Avatar, a powerful engine of war from the Order. Usage would also send the nearest Order forces into high alert and come investigating. They’d FTL-jump a couple of star cruisers to make sure things were okay down here. Using the beacon was considered a last resort option for Order agents. Adam was no exception.

The building rumbled again.

“Hurry, Max. You need to go. Now.”

“What about you, Max?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll dump my consciousness into the net and get picked up by the nearest cruiser. Really, I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so, Max. If you say so.”

The building rumbled fiercer.

“Time to go.”

Max moved out of the way. He’d go access a terminal and upload himself to the net. The body would crumple and become useless. But Adam needed to go.

Adam rushed to the kitchen, drank a pint of water, and made ready to leave. He had just donned his helmet and activated its HUD when voices outside the apartment went:

“Police, open up! You’re under arrest for suspicion of conspiracy!”

And without pause, the door broke open. Smoke went off concealing his foes. Shots were fired into the living room. Adam slid across perpendicular to the doorway and popped a bunch of Glock shots into the smoke. Groans and yells signified he hit at least one person. A thud rang out. Confirmed one kill, then.

Adam got up and rushed for the window before jumping through it. Police poured into the living room, shots in different directions as Adam blew through the window and down four stories. He landed on his feet, the armor taking the shock of the fall and sprinted off. Over a brick fence and into the property adjacent.

Police from all directions started to converge. Adam had to think fast. He popped a few shots at the police in front of him. They went down. His speed and accuracy shocked the rest of them as his momentum carried him through the trio of police backing his victims up. Adam knocked them down and kept running.

He was now on the sidewalk and ran up it, only slowing down to dash behind cover to break line of sight. Bullets were flying in his direction but the cover blocked them. Up and over a car. Slide behind a trash bin. Use a bench for partial concealment. Adam was on a mission to escape and no basic cop was going to get him.