Vice Bunker 52 (Patreon)

Vice Bunker

Chapter 52

-VB-

Alan “Yal’Manus” Marris

When Alexandria flies down from the sky out of nowhere, one does not simply ignore her. Even if I could kick her ass to Sunday and then the next month.

“Good morning, Alexandria,” I greeted her as she touched down at the edge of the city. 

“Morning, Yal’Manus,” she greeted me in turn. She looked around. “You have improved the situation.”

“Yes,” I replied. “I have to as its ruler.”

She didn’t contest me regarding that. In fact, she didn’t even look bothered or accepting. She accepted it like a fact.

Because it was a fact. Also, it wasn’t as if this was the first time we’ve talked or about my status.

“You are … using reactors as heat generators?” she asked. 

“I am,” I replied. “Would you like a tour?”

“No, I came for a different purpose other than tourism,” she shook her head. “By the way, thank you for recommending the steam tinker. He has been a boon to New York City.” But we nonetheless stepped into my city. There was no one out and about right now; it was very early in the morning, and temperatures at this hour was punishing even within heated areas. 

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “To be fair, I didn’t need him, so I just pointed you to him. I definitely would have taken him myself if I needed him.”

“Then it is good that you can copy tinkertech, isn’t it?” she asked without even glancing my way. 

I hummed. “It is,” I replied. “But I could do everything he could do and more, so I’m not using his tech.”

“I came to ask you how you were getting enough food for everyone.”

… I supposed she came by to ask because New York City definitely had more people than New Brockton Bay. There had to be hundreds of thousands of people there if Alexandria did her job well.

“Hydroponics. I make dirt by grounding up frozen organics on the surface with rocks underneath for minerals and use that as soil and fertilizer. As for lights for the plants, artificial light is the only way to grow them.”

“You are actually growing your food?” she asked with a lightly surprised tone. “I had expected that you were making nutrient paste or eating fish.”

I shook my head in a negative. “The coastline is too frozen, and not enough of my people know how to fish on a fishing boat. And most of the people are uninterested, apparently. As for nutrient paste…” I paused. “Is that how you are feeding your people?”

She nodded stoically. “There is no other choice, and there are no tinkers or engineers who knows how to make higher grades of the paste for a better taste. People in my city get real food as a reward.”

“That’s … kind of sad.”

“It has been severely affecting morale, so I came over to ask if you had a way to help me.”

“... I never thought I would have Alexandria herself asking for my help twice in a year.”

“Needs must.”

“Yes, needs must,” I agreed with a hum. “How about this? Since I am fairly sure that you have people who can make hydroponic units, I’ll send over truckloads of chernozem that’ll make growing food easy. You have seeds, right?”

“Yes. The temperature and the frozen ground in most places is what kept us from growing. That and the fact that New York City lacks arable soil in general.”

“Cool. Can I assign Armsmaster and the PRT survivors here as errand boys for that?”

“... Yes. They should have the combat capabilities and loyalty to carry out the mission with only few complaints.”

“Wonderful,” I chuckled. “By the way, if it isn’t too much of an issue, then can you talk with the PRT guys here and convince them to acknowledge my authority as legitimate? USA is gone and all.”

She gave me a deadpan stare. “I will tell them to cooperate with you.”

“Thanks.” 

We arrived at the center of the surface city, and Alexandria paused to take in the temperature. She relaxed for the first time.

“It’s warm here.”

I wondered how long it’s been for her to walk outside and feel warmth. Could she even feel warmth with her-? Actually, what am I saying? Of course, she could. While temperature and pressure were detected by different cells, both were crucial to be normal. And if she could pick up a piece of paper without shredding it and could tell the warmth in the air enough to say it, then she could feel. 

I needed to work on my foreknowledge that was full of holes. 

“It’s still a bit early, so there won’t be people out and about. But if you stay for a while, you can see people walk around with only jackets.”

“... I would like to see that, yes.”

Mental health was important, and being able to see people going about their normal lives and not eking out to just survive … it helped. It certainly helped my people when they saw how much better they all did. 

“By the way,” I spoke up when she seemed like she had her fill of atmospheric warmth.

“Yes?”

“Do you mind if I set up a new internet between New Brockton Bay and New York City?”

She gave me another deadpan stare. 

I laughed.

-VB-

A/N: internet may be degen, but you miss wikipedia after a while.