"Dad, who is it?"
The daughter turned toward the door, asking curiously.
Lorraine didn't answer.
Given that it was curfew hours, anyone moving around in the stairwell and knocking on their door was most likely an official of the so-called Human Empire.
Knock-knock.
The steady rhythm of the knocking came again. Lorraine stopped hesitating, crossed the living room, and unlocked the door.
But the moment he opened the door and saw who was outside, his eyes widened in shock, his face betraying an unfiltered expression of astonishment.
Standing at his doorstep was not only a "woman" dressed in the black uniform of the Empire's officials but also two skeletal, metallic T-800 Terminators.
The two T-800s were carrying large black equipment cases, resembling couriers of some "critical" cargo.
Moreover, the female official's eyes emitted a faint blue glow, indicating that she was not human in the traditional sense but a synthetic created by Atlas.
At that moment, noticing Lorraine's stunned expression, the female synthetic gave him a warm, seemingly genuine smile and spoke:
"Good evening, sir. I'm here to record your household's information.
Also, I've brought supper for your family. May I come in?"
She glanced briefly at the boy and girl standing in the living room before turning her gaze back to Lorraine, awaiting his response.
Hearing this, Lorraine forced himself to regain composure and nodded. "Of course, please come in."
"Thank you for your understanding."
The synthetic woman smiled again before stepping into the living room, followed by the two T-800s with their equipment cases.
One T-800 opened a large insulated container from the other's case and began removing six white biodegradable plastic food boxes, neatly arranging them on the old dining table.
It also pulled out three cans of carbonated beverages, marked with Atlas's iconic red "Λ" logo, and placed them on the table.
Once their task was complete, the two T-800s silently left the living room, stepping back into the stairwell to wait.
The synthetic woman, still standing in the room, asked Lorraine, "Sir, may I have your and your children's names and ages?"
"I'm Christopher Lorraine, and I'm 44 years old." Glancing at his son and daughter, who were eyeing the food boxes and drinks with curiosity, he added, "My son is Clonto Lorraine, age 8, and my daughter is Carrie Lorraine, age 6."
"Understood."
The synthetic's eyes glowed brighter, indicating that she had uploaded the family's information directly to the front-line base system.
Then she raised her left hand.
What happened next was startling. Her hand "opened" and "extended" with the sound of subtle electronic effects, transforming into a metallic instrument equipped with a needle.
Lorraine's face reflected his inner turmoil, a mix of fear and disbelief.
"Wow!"
The children's reactions were different.
Carrie was amazed, marveling at the synthetic's "transforming" hand as if it were some wondrous trick.
Clonto, on the other hand, seemed deeply contemplative, as if trying to understand the mechanics behind the transformation.
Perhaps it was their youthful adaptability or the lingering psychic effects they had been exposed to earlier, but neither child was frightened by the synthetic woman's unusual abilities or the T-800s' intimidating skeletal forms.
"I apologize," said the synthetic woman with a note of regret upon noticing Lorraine's fear. "I should have informed you beforehand. I am not a traditional human but a synthetic equipped with cybernetic limbs. Once the town's infrastructure is completed and connected to the Empire's network, you'll gradually get used to the Human Empire's way of life.
The reason for this transformation is to collect blood samples from you and your family."
She then took out a disinfectant spray to sanitize her blood-drawing tool, even though the instrument had already undergone disinfection in its cybernetic state. Further sterilization after each sample was a standard procedure, designed to reassure residents about hygiene and safety.
Understanding the explanation, though unfamiliar with terms like "cybernetic" and "synthetic," Lorraine realized she simply intended to draw blood.
"Alright." He extended his left arm.
"Thank you for cooperating."
The synthetic expertly drew blood, the entire process taking less than three seconds. She then sanitized the tool again before crouching to Carrie's level.
"Carrie, sweetheart, could you give me your hand?" she asked gently.
"Okay!"
Trusting her father's lead, Carrie complied without hesitation.
Soon, blood samples from all three family members were collected. The synthetic retreated to the stairwell with the T-800s, thanking Lorraine and his family for their understanding:
"Thank you for your cooperation. I apologize for disturbing you. Oh, by the way," she added with an expression of sudden recall, "the Human Empire will provide free meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—to all town residents for the next four weeks.
Tonight's supper was a special provision, arranged by Goddess Pallas Athena herself, considering that the recent battle may have drained your strength and energy.
Please enjoy the food to your heart's content. Should there be any leftovers, our staff will collect them for centralized processing every morning.
Have a good night!"
With that, the synthetic gently closed the door and moved on to the next household in the building.
Lorraine locked the door, listening to the footsteps fade before exhaling in relief.
It wasn't that Lorraine was weak-minded, but in just a few hours, he had experienced "gods descending," "flying steel battleships," and "towering black giants." These surreal phenomena shattered his worldview.
He shook his head, dismissing thoughts of how others might be coping, and turned to his children.
"Alright, let's open the boxes," he said.
"Yes!"
"Okay!"
The children eagerly opened their food boxes, their eyes lighting up with amazement and curiosity.
Inside were a variety of dishes provided by the front-line base cafeteria: tomato and egg stir-fry, potato and beef stew, fresh salad, boneless fried chicken with various sauces, fried rice, and spaghetti Bolognese.
Clonto, unable to resist, stared at the beef stew and swallowed hard.
"Dad, that's meat, right?"
"Yeah... I think so," Lorraine said, though uncertain. It had been so long since he'd seen real meat.
Carrie, meanwhile, popped open a can of soda, took a swig, and immediately choked on the fizz.
"Wow!" she exclaimed after recovering. "This stuff is amazing! You have to try it!"
Lorraine and Clonto followed her lead, sipping carefully at first before the carbonation hit them too.
The living room soon echoed with loud burps and laughter as the family devoured their meal.
For Lorraine, it was the first genuinely delicious supper of his life. Tears welled up as he ate, overwhelmed by the richness of the meal.
No matter how surreal his day had been, he couldn't deny this: the Human Empire had won his trust, if only through his stomach.
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