Rise of the Phoenix - Apocalypse Rebirth

Chapter 49 - Preparing for the Deep Freeze (5)

October, 3031 - Country C

Artemis Base - David Chen

The bus got back to the base at 7:30am and the last group checked in. The 8 members of the Chen family went to their room. Joseph and Melanie decided to keep Melanie's parents in the dark but to let Joseph's parents know about the situation so that they can provide a buffer and make excuses for unexpected guests. Joseph's parents have enough experience of keeping their clients' secrets.

The base was locked down after. Each person was given a badge and sent to their rooms with a message to meet in the 'courtyard' for an announcement from the base management. At 7:45am a reminder announcement sounded in the room again for everyone to get up and gather in the middle courtyard. By 7:55am, all rooms will be locked and those that are left inside would be asked to gather their things to be deported out of the city. Needless to say, even though everyone was unhappy with that announcement, the timer on the large door display was very eye-catching and created a sense of urgency.

The courtyard was divided into two groups. The military personnel obviously stood close and clean together while the civilians gathered around their family and neighbors. A stage was in the front and a large halo screen on the wall from behind. The name and logo of the base in red was largely displayed on it.

The people on the stage were divided in half; there were 5 people from the Mech Division all dressed up in their dress uniform sitting on the left side, and 4 people from the Artemis Base dressed in red and 1 person in white sitting on the right. Melanie stood up and walked to the podium and activated the speakers.

Melanie: "Welcome to the Artemis Base. I am one of many managers of this base. We are the ones who make the rules and deal out punishments inside this base. Outside this base, the Mech Division will be the one to do so be you a military personnel or a civilian.

With the confirmation from hundreds of scientists from around the world, we shall soon be experiencing temperatures well below -15 degrees F. No one knows how long this will last and the government has yet to respond to questions of what they will do to protect its citizens.

Lady Artemis built this personal bunker with her own money, and each of you here were approved by her personally to take shelter in here with her. As such, there are no free rides in this world. Each ticket to enter the bunker is worth $5,000. If you are a civilian and you are here, then someone in your family has agreed to the price and have paid for your ticket already. For military personnel, the Mech Division has paid for your ticket.

Now I will go over a few important things before following up with the rules of the base. Each person should have an Artemis gold badge. This will allow you certain access and will also track your movements within the base. This is for the safety and well being of everyone.

Our rules are harsh but humane. Space and resources are limited. If you do not believe you can follow any of the rules in the next hour, you and your family will be escorted and flown to the nearest airport before noon. There are thousands of names still on the waiting list hoping to find a warm secure place for this coming disaster.

I will now introduce General Zhou to address the rules for his military personnel first."

General Zhou stood up from the chair, his clothes and appearance immaculate.

General Zhou: "While inside the base, the Mech Division will follow all of the Artemis Base's rules. While outside, you will follow your superior's orders. We will be entering an event never experienced before, so we shall set forth with vigilance and caution. Our new home will be here, on Artemis Base, so we will do everything to protect it. If we are attacked, we will attack back.