NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 116: Day 8
The next morning Atlas and the rest of the Portal Crushers headed to the meeting point, leaving Amber and John to settle the newcomers in for breakfast. The supplies were running low—the majority of the coins had been spent on defences, and the stash of Ultra-Manly Buff Bars was dwindling fast. Everyone ended up with a bowl of Soylent: Green, the greenish, porridge-like substitute.
“What is this shit?” one of the newcomers asked, staring at the unappetizing slurry in his bowl.
“It’s Soylent Green,” one of the ex-Earth’s children replied with a shrug. “It’s pretty good, vegetarian, and we eat it almost all the time.”
The Soylent: Green machine happily played the theme song while bowls popped out.
Soylent: Green
It’s delicious
You know what we mean
Soy!Soy!
Joy! Joy!
Tastes great!
Don’t hate!
Remember it one hundred percent doesn’t contain peeple
Soylent: Green
It’s delicious
You know what we mean
Soy!Soy!
Joy! Joy!
Tastes great!
Don’t hate!
Remember it one hundred percent doesn’t contain peeple
https://suno.com/song/10b9ae22-1d07-4b36-980a-69f291ede9b2
***
The newcomer took a cautious bite, grimacing as the bland taste coated his mouth. ‘If this is what they consider pretty good, he thought, life in the wasteland is going to be hell.‘
As they ate, the newcomers began to chat among themselves, their voices low and uncertain.
“This is crazy,” one muttered, his eyes wide with fear. “I just want to go home.”
“Honestly, I’m kind of excited,” another said with a nervous smile. “It’s like being in one of those survival games, you know?”
“I don’t get it,” a third chimed in, stirring his bowl absently. “How is this even real? We were just… there. And now we’re here?”
One of the newcomers, a fat man with a confident stride, got up and walked over to where Atlas was sitting. Atlas looked up from his meal, locking eyes with the man.
“Can I help you?” Atlas asked, his tone neutral.
The man smiled, his expression a mix of pride and familiarity. “Ah, you might not recognize me, Atlas, but I’m Mohammed. I owned the Sword and Iron franchises. I also owned the Sword and Iron team.”
Atlas tilted his head slightly, searching his memory. “Oh, I guess I kind of recognize you.”
‘Alicia would definitely know you, Atlas thought to himself, but me? I spent most of my time thinking about training and portals, even when we were in the SFB league. Weird. What a small world.‘
Mohammed continued, his tone confident. “Well, now that I’m here, I bet you’re glad. I can help with the leadership.”
Atlas gave him a polite smile. “We’re definitely glad to have you here, but I don’t think we’re going to need to change leadership anytime soon.”
“Are you sure?” Mohammed pressed, leaning in slightly. “You probably don’t want to have to think about all of this type of thing.”
‘He really thinks he’s something special, doesn’t he?‘ Atlas mused internally.
“You’re right,” Atlas replied, his voice steady. “I don’t want to deal with it, but I need to. And John is a lot of help.”
John looked up from his bowl of Soylent Green, nodding silently in agreement.
‘No way, I’m letting this fat fuck, with no experience in the wasteland, waltz in and make changes‘. Atlas thought. ‘I wonder how many other settlements will be dealing with these pretentious Johnny come latelies.‘
Mohammed smiled and thanked Atlas for his time, then headed back to where he had been previously eating.
‘I’ve run a national franchise with hundreds of employees,‘ Mohammed thought smugly. ‘Handling this little group will be a piece of cake.‘
After Mohammed left, John leaned in towards Atlas. “This new group definitely isn’t quite as panicked as we were.”
“That’s probably because of the show and because the government has probably told them what’s happening. Or at least I hope so,” Atlas said.
‘And even if the people on earth don’t fully believe it’s coming, at least they’re somewhat mentally prepared. Looks like my first year was a success.‘
“And have you noticed that none of them are naked?” John pointed out.
“You’re right. We don’t have a new Tighty-Whitey,” Atlas chuckled.
John continued with a smile, “And have you also noticed some of them are wearing pyjamas that are Team Portal Crusher themed?”
“What?” Atlas looked around, noticing the pyjamas for the first time. “You’re right. They are wearing our pyjamas. That’s hilarious.”
“I bet after our first portaling, and if Hong Sha continued the stories, most people would grab a pair of pyjamas to wear, just in case all of this was real,” John speculated.
Good job, Hong Sha, Atlas thought, amused by the idea.
As the last remnants of Soylent Green disappeared from their bowls, Atlas stood at the front, ready to address the group. “Well, everybody, today is day eight of our vacation in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.”
Isabella, standing by Atlas, then stepped forward. "Atlas, should we collect the coins the fairy gave them last night?"
Atlas nodded. "Good idea. Isabella, go ahead and collect the coins and governance tokens."
‘There’s no way I’m letting these governance tokens float around. Each one is a vote for the leadership of who runs the settlement. And with fifty tokens the newbies could overrun an established settlement. Hmmmn, this gives me an idea.‘
Isabella moved through the group of newbies, gathering their coins and tokens with efficient speed. "Here you go," she said, returning to Atlas with a small pile. "Ninety eight coins and fifty governance tokens."
"Ninety eight coins?" Atlas questioned, a slight frown creasing his brow. "We should have one hundred."
Isabella pointed to Mohammed, who was standing off to the side, looking a bit wary. "He's already spent his two coins."
Atlas’s eyes narrowed as he took in Mohammed’s appearance—a club in one hand and a pack of cigarettes tucked into his shirt pocket. "Well, at least you’ve got yourself a club. Good thinking."
“The first thing any thinking man should do in this situation is to arm himself.” Said Mohammed.
Inwardly, Atlas noted, ‘That guy’s smart. Gotta keep an eye on him.‘
Atlas then headed up to their improvised speech platform.
“Good morning everyone, are you ready for the day? Noi, come on up here.” He indicated the raised speaking platform that they had created for this kind of thing.
Noi, still visibly nervous, approached the front. “Good morning, everyone. Um, er… well, uh, we got our houses.” Her words were hesitant, and she fumbled through the announcement. The Portal Crushers exchanged curious glances, surprised by her lack of enthusiasm.
Atlas quickly stepped in to relieve her, noticing her obvious discomfort speaking to the new larger group. “Thanks, Noi, I'll take over. Yes, everyone look over here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out two large tokens, activating them with a swift motion. The ground shimmered as brand-new bunkhouses materialised, each large enough to accommodate ten people in individual rooms. The structures gleamed in the morning light, a stark contrast to the barren wasteland around them. Near them were four little houses.
He then turned back to the group. "As you can see, we’ve got two brand new, shiny bunkhouses. Each one can sleep ten people in their own private room. The wasteland isn’t ALL horrible.”
The Portal Crushers chuckled at the dry humour, but the new arrivals simply stared back, their expressions serious and uncertain.
The housing zone had now officially been set up. The bunkhouses and private residences had been set up a bit farther away from the previous PlastiTarp castle ruins and the newbie open enclave.
“Hurray!” the Portal Crushers cheered, already imagining the comfort these new accommodations would bring.
“And P.S.,” Atlas added with a grin, “there are bathrooms in each one.”
“Hurray!” they cheered again, even louder this time.
Snedlie was happy about the two bunk houses with private bathrooms. He was less happy when he looked at the fresh group of fifty poop producing newbie’s.