New eye tech

Kenzie had me bend down. She gave me the eye camera, sliding it smoothly into my skull. I could see from the trace glow that illuminated her gloves and face that it was giving my eye the characteristic golden glow, now. To match the effect on my armor.

*****

It was weird and complicated to see people I might have said were too young. Teenagers. Strange and uneasy to see people who wore shirts beneath unzipped coats that had capes and cape logos depicted on them. There were people who looked like they were despairing before we'd even fought this battle, a far cry from Natalie and the Patrol who seemed so collected in the face of this, and there were those who looked too hopeful, too proud to be here. Like they hadn't realized the risk, or they'd heard people would die and couldn't believe those people might include them.

You're heroes, I thought, looking at the group.

I might have fit something like that into my speech, but it felt self-congratulatory. I hadn't wanted to ruffle feathers.

How many was this? Two, three thousand? People were only trickling in now.

The portals closed. Others opened. Half the number. More Patrol emerged. They were followed by more civilians.

Would this be four thousand? Maybe five?

It felt like not enough, considering the population of the city, it felt like a lot, considering what we were up against. I'd asked them to put their lives on the line with no notice.

I pulled my much-abused phone out from the pocket beneath my armor. That fucking crack from Eric smashing it into the table. I typed one-handed, phone at my side.

I want to remember their faces. Can you save them? These people are stepping up and that shouldn't be forgotten.

I didn't even send the message, and Kenzie's eye camera let me see the response. Gold text that appeared outside my normal field of vision.

WILL DO.

I made sure I scanned the crowd, searching every face there.

- Radiation 18.10