November 5th.

  Sitting on the tailboard of our rescue engine at the firehouse, I found myself flipping through this massive booklet from the Agency for Emergency Management Response (AEMR). It’s all about how to respond to a nuclear attack, and let me tell you, it’s not light reading. This thing covers everything from small 10-ton to massive 100-megaton detonations, whether they’re surface or airburst, and all the horrifying details in between. We're talking about burns, fireball radius, blast damage, thermal radiation radius, estimated fatalities, casualties, and ionizing radiation. It's pretty disturbing stuff.

  AEMR really went all out with this guide. They didn’t just skim the surface; they dove deep into every possible scenario. They explained how, in the event of a nuclear or thermonuclear war, we’d have to rely on local resources first. It’s sobering to read that local first responders would be on their own for hours before any outside help could arrive. The booklet even breaks down statistics for different parts of the city, showing just how varied the impact could be depending on where the bomb hits.

  It’s a lot to take in, but it’s crucial information. Knowing that we’d have to depend on the military and government for support, and that help might not come immediately, really drives home the importance of being prepared.

  To me, it’s terrifying because the booklet doesn’t hold back on the harsh realities. It emphasizes how each emergency service has finite resources and specific roles:

  

  
• Firefighters: Fighting fires, performing search and rescue, and providing EMT-level care.


  
• Police: Restoring law and order, and maintaining peace.


  
• Medical Personnel: Stabilizing injured individuals and transporting them to hospitals.


  
• Technical Teams: Restoring power and providing technical relief. And if the bridges and tunnels are out they would build a pontoon bridges


  

  The booklet states that the Fire Department City of Empire would run out of medical supplies within an hour or two, even with rationing. This is because the department only responds to EMS calls if they’re close to the firehouse or if an ambulance will take over five minutes to arrive. Out of 2,147 personnel, only 136 are trained as Firefighter/Paramedics, 2,000 as Emergency Medical Technicians, and just ten, including myself, as Certified First Responders. Additionally, 119 of us wouldn’t be available due to the concentration of resources in Downtown and Uptown, where high-rises demand more manpower for emergencies.

  The booklet also details how many roads would be blocked by rubble, and the various challenges each civil service department would face. For the fire department, it’s a lack of water; for the police, it’s the shortage of detention facilities. Hospitals and clinics in the danger zone would be taken out or overwhelmed, forcing doctors and surgeons to perform surgeries on the streets due to the lack of space. Air ambulances would be stretched thin, with nearby towns lacking the resources to handle the influx, and distant cities being too far for effective medical transport.

  Weather conditions, like rain, are also considered, adding another layer of complexity to the response efforts.

  Reading this booklet is a stark reminder of the grim realities we could face. My coworkers, who grew up during the last twenty or thirty years of the Cold War, lived with the constant fear of nuclear annihilation, never knowing when or who would launch the first strike.

  The booklet even mentioned that the city has an Army-Marine-Air Base on the outskirts, housing the 3rd Marine Division and the 21st Airborne Division. However, it pointed out that mobilizing 20,000 Marines and 20,000 Paratroopers isn’t as simple as a family packing for vacation. It would take hours before the first combat troops hit the ground, suited up in their NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) gear. My cousins in the military have told me that, during training, they wear these suits under their combat fatigues to protect them with body armor. But in reality, they probably wouldn’t do that.

  The booklet also explained that the Fire Department would be responsible for setting up an Incident Command Post (ICP) in a safe area. Once established, this ICP would centralize all resources and serve as a staging area until an AEMR team arrives. They would likely move the ICP from a small building to a larger one, like a train station, to accommodate more people and effectively command additional resources. The airport would probably be taken over to receive government planes bringing in extra manpower, supplies, and equipment. Meanwhile, the military base on the outskirts would be turned into a mass casualty center, as it’s far enough from the city to avoid the immediate path of nuclear fallout, unless the wind shifts.

  Reading all this, it’s clear that the booklet doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges we’d face. It’s a sobering reminder of the complexities and the critical roles we’d play in such a dire situation.

  The booklet also highlighted that outside assistance could be delayed for various reasons, such as weather grounding planes until the skies clear or waiting for enough personnel to be ready before taking off. AEMR operates similarly to volunteer firefighters here in Little Bird. They work regular jobs until they get called into action, then drop everything to rush to their designated locations, grab their gear, and head out. This adds a significant time factor because, while AEMR is a federal agency, its workers are just regular people from all walks of life. They could be anyone from a butcher to a school teacher, a dentist, a doctor, an office worker, a secretary, or even a gas station attendant.

  It’s a lot like the Little Bird Civil Defense Administration, which also relies on everyday citizens to respond to emergencies. The main difference is that AEMR responds to a wider range of incidents. This similarity underscores the importance of community involvement and the reality that, in a crisis, we all have a role to play.

  The booklet even mentioned how we can speed up search and rescue operations by marking buildings that have already been searched. This way, when another team arrives, they’ll see the mark and know to move on to the next building. The markings are color-coded by occupation: the Fire Department uses red, the Police Department uses blue, Medical services use orange, and technical services use a shade of dark blue or purple.

  Interestingly, the booklet felt a bit dated. It included a line that read, “You are part of a team. So are your parents. Every fireman, policeman, doctor, nurse, lineman, switchboard operator, every Civil Defense worker, and every AEMR worker is on that team.” It sounded like something straight out of a ‘50s civil defense film. But the sentiment is true—everyone is part of the team, contributing in their own way and area of expertise.

  Many people, like those here in the Eastside district, work in occupations that keep the water flowing or the power running, so they can help out with technical services.

  So it’s fun to catch up on knowledge and as they say knowledge is power and that rather being caught off guard and as well some family members of mine say, “Forgetting is better than not knowing.”

  The last two times I remember a massive influx of outside resources being brought in were back in 2007, when the city of Empire was hit by a major earthquake and in 2003 during a massive search and rescue (S&R) operation. The 2003 event saw a huge response from local emergency and rescue personnel to assist in the evacuation of a major emergency, which resulted in a significant loss of emergency personnel. In the aftermath, all civil services received grants to acquire additional equipment and new radios. On that day in 2003, radio communication issues caused commanders to lose contact with many firefighters who entered the buildings.

  There were countless civilian volunteers involved, including ironworkers, structural engineers, heavy machinery operators, asbestos workers, boilermakers, carpenters, cement masons, construction managers, electricians, insulators, machinists, plumbers and pipefitters, riggers, sheet metal workers, steelworkers, truckers, and teamsters. Due to the high number of civil servant casualties, their ranks were temporarily filled by outside members of the Fire, Police, Medical, and Technical services until new recruits could be trained.

  While it wasn’t a nuclear attack, it was a peaceful day that turned chaotic. We had to hold the line to keep the chaos at bay, hoping it wouldn’t overwhelm us. On that fateful day, many crossed that line and never came back. It’s a stark reminder of the sacrifices made.

  I remember seeing it on the news of the aftermath of the recovery efforts of how there was a huge strain and how many were walking around in a daze like zombies because they still had no idea what happened.They had to make a list of every company that was there of adding those who were on duty and those who reported in because they were called in while off duty. Many ignored checking in at the command post and just went in so one problem was seeing who was on duty and not knowing if those off duty came on duty but didn't know who checked in or not. By 10 PM they had a full list of names of missing members and that list had almost three thousand names. Many of the firefighters that I saw on the news said that their turnout gear had their cities' names emblazoned on the top back of their turnout jackets.

  Of course nobody knew what was going to happen but that just changed the government role and expanded the role of AEMR.

  After reading the booklet I put it back because I wasn't in the mood of reading any more nightmare fuel that one day it could be a reality.

  As I strolled through our quirky firehouse, I couldn't help but think about trust funds. Some folks are born into wealth, with trust funds waiting for them. They often attract friends who are just there for the parties and free drinks. But not everyone dips into their trust fund. Many have conditions attached, like getting a job first.

  Take my granduncle, Jimmy "James" Richard Waterson I. He was the kind of guy who warned you about quick money schemes. He always said they'd be the end of whoever tries to get quick money, and he wasn't wrong. Of course, he means it figuratively not literally. Back in the '50s, he opened a few casinos in Ft. Flurry in Little Bird. He did it legally, changing the laws to legalize gambling. This move revived Ft. Flurry, which had been struggling since World War II. People flocked back for jobs in commercial work and casinos, though it also brought crime. Some of the new residents even became cops.

  Jimmy became a local legend. His mafia family, established in 1945, was ahead of its time—modern, diverse, and inclusive of women. Unlike the typical Irish, Italian, and Russian mafias, he was a mix of different backgrounds. When the Italian Mafia tried to muscle in, they quickly backed off after losing heavily. Jimmy's businesses were legal and community-focused, and he only resorted to violence as a last resort. He was a hero in Ft. Flurry, using his influence for good and keeping the peace.

  Don't even get me started on 1968. Jimmy's eldest daughter, Cadenza Christina Waterson, was set to marry the love of her life. But the son of the Falcon Mafia don was infatuated with her too. When she chose her true love, the Falcon Don's son attacked him, leaving him critically injured. This sparked a brutal war.

  Jimmy's sons, fresh from Vietnam and trained in psychological warfare, were ready. Jimmy used their skills to strike fear into the Falcon Mafia. From 1968 to 1972, the city of Empire was a battleground. The Falcons were reckless, but Jimmy's meticulous planning minimized civilian casualties and kept the police at bay. The Falcons couldn't fight an enemy they couldn't find, making their reckless tactics useless. Jimmy's strategic brilliance shone through, solidifying his legacy.

  Not to mention, the Falcon Mafia were outgunned, relying on outdated weapons while Jimmy's sons wielded the latest Little Birden versions of the M14 Battle Rifle and M14E2 rifles. Jimmy believed in precision over recklessness, strategically targeting key locations one by one.

  In 1987, Jimmy's grandson interviewed him about the war for a book. Jimmy explained that he never attacked without provocation. The conflict began when his son-in-law was assassinated on his wedding day in 1968, simply because his daughter chose love over another suitor. Jimmy's careful planning ensured that only Falcon Mafia members were targeted, avoiding harm to bystanders and keeping the police off their backs.

  According to Jimmy, the Falcon Mafia was involved in various illegal activities: blackmailing city officials, bribing politicians, running protection rackets, dealing in moonshine, garbage rackets, gun running, phony construction permits, auto theft, smuggling, and the black market. Jimmy used his resources to gather inside information on these operations, offering the Falcons a choice: join his family or face the consequences. Many chose to join, preferring to live another day.

  Jimmy's grandson, who interviewed him for the book, was the son of the man killed in 1968. Growing up without a father, he looked to his uncles as father figures. Whenever he asked about his dad, his family would dodge the question, not wanting to tell a child that his father was assassinated on his wedding day. It wasn't until he turned seventeen, considered an adult in the Commonwealth of Starfish, that his mother finally told him the truth. The revelation was a shock. He had always imagined his father might have left or divorced his mother or his father was an anonymous sperm donor, but never that he had been murdered.

  This truth inspired him to write a book. He began typing on a typewriter, using it as a form of creative expression. After reading about historical writing, he realized the importance of gathering firsthand accounts. He interviewed those who were there, capturing their perspectives to tell the full story. This approach not only honored his father's memory but also shed light on the turbulent history of the Waterson and Falcon Mafia families.

  It's crazy to see how Ft. Flurry changed. I've seen old photos from before 1955 - the place looked like a rough, early level in a video game. Rundown buildings, beat-up cars, and a dangerous vibe, especially at night. But after September 10th, 1955, everything seemed to level up. The city got way nicer, with better cars and a safer atmosphere. It's like Ft. Flurry unlocked a whole new, improved area.

  Ugh, Dad's already texting about Thanksgiving and Christmas plans? It's just the first week of November! I told him I'm all set for Thanksgiving - requested time off for the day before, during, and after, even booked my plane ticket two weeks in advance. Christmas is a whole other story. I might head back to the States to be with family, or maybe just stay here with my girlfriend and her kids. We'll see. I told Dad that the fire department tries to give members with families the holidays off. Those of us without kids or close family usually end up working, so we're often teamed up with firefighters from other shifts and companies to keep the city fully staffed. I also said how each department is different, that each one is different from the last so the department varies from department to department because each one is different.

  Dad also filled me in on some local gossip. Apparently, the parents of some of my disowned friends are still playing the victim card, even after a year or two. But it's not really working. People know they have a paid-off house and some have savings, so their complaints aren't very convincing. Plus, word gets around - a lot of people heard both sides of the story. Some folks just stay out of it, but others are definitely whispering about how those parents aren't fooling anyone. He even mentioned that some of these parents have no savings at all, but they still own their homes outright. They're basically begging for sympathy, but it's falling on deaf ears. People know what they did, and they're not getting any sympathy or benefit of the doubt.

  I texted my dad back, saying those parents have no one to blame but themselves. They believed lies and disowned their own kids without even bothering to hear their side of the story. My friends' parents just swallowed the lies their younger siblings fed them, no questions asked. But when their older kids tried to tell them the truth, they demanded evidence. It's crazy how people will believe a lie over the truth, and then when someone actually has the truth, no one believes them unless they have proof.

  I also told Dad that now those families want back in because their disowned kids have money and successful careers. They're pulling out all the stops, even using those classic gaslighting lines like "we're family" and "family helps family." It's laughable how they only care about "family" when it benefits them. When they were kicking their own kids out over a lie, they weren’t too concerned about family then.

  My disowned friends really appreciate how my extended family took them in and helped them get on the right track. They always pushed them to never give up, and taught them that success takes time and effort. They reminded them that even big companies often start small – maybe in a garage or a spare room. It's a good reminder that hard work and determination are key to overcoming challenges and achieving success.

  A lot of people give up when things get tough, but others keep pushing through, even when it seems easier to quit. History is full of examples of businesses that started from practically nothing and grew into something huge. That just shows that with hard work and determination, you can overcome anything.

  My extended family really instilled a can-do attitude in my disowned friends. They'd quote Walt Disney, saying, "Keep moving forward, opening up new doors and new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." They also taught them that failure is just a chance to learn and correct mistakes, and that there's real value in reflecting on what went wrong.

  My family always encouraged my friends to identify their own mistakes rather than having them pointed out. They believed that self-discovery was far more empowering. Whenever my friends experienced failure or disappointment, my family reminded them that everyone, even the most successful people, make mistakes. They taught them to view these setbacks as a normal part of life and as opportunities for growth. While it can be tough to try again after facing a hurdle, perseverance is a challenge we all must face.

  My profession demands a high level of accuracy, as mistakes can have severe consequences meaning people’s lives and property. The stakes are high, and there's little room for error.

  In contrast, some of my friends who were disowned come from families that were constantly critical and discouraging. Their families' negativity eroded their self-esteem and made them afraid to try new things. Fortunately, my extended family welcomed them with open arms. They offered a supportive environment that encouraged exploration and personal growth, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of their previous homes.

  I vividly recall the time when my friends were still in contact with their parents, who held impossibly high expectations for their academic performance. In their eyes, anything less than an A was simply unacceptable, a standard set so rigidly that even an A- could lead to severe punishments. My friends found themselves trapped under this pressure, effectively desensitized to their worth beyond numerical grades. They never really aimed for perfection; deep down, they understood that achieving straight A's was almost a fantasy. Despite their relentless efforts, their parents viewed them more like machines programmed for success rather than individuals with their own thoughts and emotions.

  Once my friends were disowned, a new layer of anxiety crept into their academic lives. They believed that receiving anything below a C would result in dire consequences, a mindset formed in the shadows of their former homes. However, my family welcomed them with open arms, offering comforting words. “As long as you’re trying, that’s what truly matters.” This compassionate perspective was a refreshing relief for my friends, who had been weighed down by the burden of expectations.

  I often think my disowned friends would find solace in the culture of this country, where the foundation is built on a strong sense of structure, purpose, and an earnest appreciation of its history. Here, a common saying circulates among the people, “Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it.” The citizens of Little Bird passionately detest individuals who wield symbols without a genuine understanding of their significance. They disdain those who adopt flags and historical emblems from bygone eras without grasping the profound messages they represent. There’s a collective irritation towards those who attempt to import outdated ideas from the Old World into contemporary society, ideas that are wholly irrelevant in the present day.

  The people of Little Bird are acutely aware of the cyclical nature of nations, often remarking that “countries rise and fall.” They reference the legendary empires of history—the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the British Empire, and the Japanese Empire—as examples of this inevitable truth. They understand that nations are not static; they are dynamic entities that evolve over time. Even countries that have endured for centuries were forged after individuals departed from their ancestral lands, building anew with their own visions and aspirations. In this way, the people of Little Bird embody a wisdom shaped by history, recognizing the constant ebb and flow of civilization and culture.

  Little Bird has undergone several distinct phases throughout its history. Initially, it was largely undeveloped land inhabited by native tribes. This was followed by a period of settlement, during which a basic regional government struggled to govern effectively. The third phase included the colonial era and extended into World War I, marked by financial instability leading up to the First World War, which roughly coincided with the American Civil War. Lastly, we have the present-day version of the country. The present-day version of the country didn’t come until the 1920s when the government started to hire financial experts to help stabilize the country financially and how the country from the early 1860s to the early 1930s the country was in a very long recession that was only temporarily halted during the First World War but came back hard at the end of the First World War because many people weren’t buying war bonds and their money had no war to fund and how it wasn’t until the second female president that was elected that she made several acts and protections in place to get the country out of a recession and created millions of public projects to keep people employed and other stuff to bring the country out of a recession because before her that many government officials had no idea how to manage money.

  Additionally, my girlfriend has mentioned that people from her former district often warned about the dangers of unchecked greed. They emphasized the importance of choosing your battles wisely and knowing when to back down to avoid potentially fatal consequences.

  I've been thinking about how my friends would absolutely hate it here in Little Bird. If they ever wanted to move, they'd be in for a rude awakening. Forget about shopping online to find homes for sale or rent. Here, you have to physically look for "for sale," "for rent," or "for lease" signs. It's a real hassle. The rental companies have strict office hours, and you can't just show up for a tour at 6 PM on a Saturday because they're closed on weekends. Sundays are even worse due to the Blue Laws, which shut down most non-essential businesses. Many residents are religious and only relax on Sundays, so offices only operate during typical 9-to-5 hours. You have to plan property tours around these limited hours.

  Even if you're considering a place owned by a friend or family member, you still need to coordinate with landlords for tours. Private rentals follow a similar process where you need to find a time to meet with the landlord, tour the property, and then pay the first month's rent and often a security deposit. Some landlords might even ask for both the first month's rent and a security deposit or the first and next month's rent upfront.

  Affordable housing here is another story. The average rent in Little Bird is around $71, while in the United States, it's approximately $523.04. What we consider affordable housing here is just the median in relation to the country.

  Honestly, my friends would laugh at my salary. I earn $120 bi-weekly, while they make what I earn in a month in just one week! They have the luxury of working eight to ten hours a day, while I work 96 hours every other week. My schedule consists of working on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday during the first and third weeks of the month. I have the second and fourth weeks off because my fire department uses the California roll schedule.

  My friends have typical white-collar or blue-collar jobs that follow the usual 9 to 5 or at least ten-hour workdays. When they say my salary isn’t enough, I remind them that my rent is only $71 a month, and my utilities add another $35. That totals $106 a month, not including groceries, which cost about $80 a month, or $20 a week. So I spend $186/month out of $240.

  In the firehouse where I work, there’s a culture where each member chips in for grocery runs. I contribute $10, and since there are seven of us in my company, the weekly grocery run usually costs around $70. I explain to my friends that even a single dollar can go a long way. For instance, you can buy twenty bottles of soda at $0.50 each, or ten bottles for a dollar if you find some that cost $0.10. In a movie theater, a dollar could cover the price of a movie ticket, popcorn, soda, ice cream, and candy, with a quarter left over as change. So I actually spend $206 a month not adding for car maintenance or doing anything for fun.

  I believe my disowned friends appreciated the lessons taught by my extended family, which include:

  

  
• - Obsession is like a cage; let go and embrace new beginnings.


  
• - Family always forgives, as long as you acknowledge when you've gone astray. (In the case of my friends, this means their families must recognize their mistakes.)


  
• - Don’t cling to the past; instead, look to the future—not just for something better, but to actively make it better.


  
• - One careless action by a single person can leave unimaginable scars without them even realizing it.


  

  My disowned friends' families refuse to acknowledge their mistakes. They see apologizing as a sign of weakness and believe themselves superior. Their lack of empathy extends to those in need; they dismiss charities as scams and the impoverished as lazy.

  In stark contrast, their disowned children actively support charitable causes, recognizing the importance of helping others without personal gain. Their actions demonstrate that compassion and generosity still exist, even in a world that can often seem cynical and selfish.

  After carefully putting the detailed response guide for the aftermath of a nuclear attack back on the shelf, I am left with a heavy sense of unease. The depth of information it contains is overwhelming, and I know that I won’t be able to close my eyes for a long time. Each section of the guide dives into harrowing scenarios and grim realities, providing a chilling reminder of the chaos that would ensue. The sheer thought of its meticulous analysis—and the vivid, nightmarish images it conjures—keeps my mind racing. It feels like a dark cloud hanging over me, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve peaked too far into a terrifying possibility.

  I am genuinely pleased that my disowned friends have found refuge in my extensive family. They escaped toxic environments and joined a supportive group that encourages exploration and offers them the necessary space to readjust. My family prioritizes open communication, ensuring these friends have a safe space to express themselves and be truly heard—something they were denied in their previous situations.

  Furthermore, some of my disowned friends are now dating or engaged to family members, allowing them to remain within this nurturing environment. For others, their connections feel more like biological family bonds, and they consciously choose to maintain that dynamic. Each situation is unique, and it's empowering to see my friends thrive in a healthier context.

  I've been thinking that this job's physical and mental demands would be tough for some of my friends. Luckily, they're smart enough to know better than to judge a job they haven't tried. They understand that working conditions vary a lot.

  My friends have typical 8-hour workdays, which adds up to about 160 hours a month. My schedule, on the other hand, is 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on,168 hours off. so I end up working 192 hours a month.

  At least my friends appreciate that all jobs have their challenges. My mom and stepmom? Not so much. They tend to think any job is easy until they've actually done it. I've even had to explain to my stepmom that a fire hose isn't just a bigger garden hose. The pressure we use for firefighting and crowd control is way higher - around 240 PSI, after accounting for friction loss and hose length. The first time I used one, I wasn't prepared for the force and it knocked me over. Hence why there’s two people on the hose team of one being on the nozzle while the other one being the backup to more or less keep the nozzleman from being knocked on his or her back.

  I have been contemplating my future as an officer and how my service uniform will display stripes on the lower sleeves. A single gold stripe will indicate the rank of Captain, two stripes will represent Lieutenant, three for Battalion Chief, four for Divisional Chief, and five for Assistant Chief to the Commissioner. That’s according to Lusty and Dave. However, I won’t be able to wear these gold stripes on my service dress uniform jacket until 2014. The department has a policy that requires candidates to wait four years before they can take the exam to become an officer. If a candidate fails that examination, they must wait an additional four years to retake it due to the limited number of available positions.

  For instance, there are 540 firefighters per shift out of a total of 2,160. Across all firehouses, there are 111 captains, but only 37 lieutenants. This demonstrates that as one moves up the ranks, fewer positions become available. Consequently, this creates intense competition for a limited number of promotion spots, making it challenging to advance in rank because you’ll have thirty people wanting to get to that rank.

  I know three people who are officers, two of whom are family members and one who achieved her position through hard work and dedication. The first two are my cousin Dave and his wife, Linda, who both became officers by following in the footsteps of family members who were also in the profession.

  The third person is my girlfriend, Lusty, who is notable for being the youngest officer during peacetime. During wartime, many firefighters are drafted, leading to a need for additional manpower to fill the gaps. Lusty is only 21 years old and, as part of her journey, was expected to receive a traditional promotion, which would involve getting a new helmet and being reassigned to another firehouse.

  However, she became the sole survivor of her company, and her chief—who had once been her lieutenant—decided to give her a field promotion from Firefighter to Captain. Although Lusty didn’t feel comfortable with this unexpected promotion, she later worked hard to achieve her goals. By the age of 25, she became a Lieutenant, as she wanted her promotion to be earned on her own terms rather than through circumstances she didn’t agree with.

  Lusty was promoted to Captain after passing her test, but her promotion came about under extraordinary circumstances. The company she was part of was called to an abandoned warehouse for a search and rescue operation. All seven team members entered the warehouse, but a fire soon cut off their exit, trapping them inside.

  Lusty, having a more slender build due to her impoverished upbringing and lack of food in her youth, was able to squeeze through an opening in the floor. Unfortunately, her crew, who were of average build, couldn't fit through. Despite her Lieutenant urging her to leave and save herself, Lusty attempted to rescue her teammates first. Ultimately, she managed to escape, but the other six did not survive.

  Although she was originally scheduled to receive a traditional promotion to Captain, the circumstances of the incident led to a military-style field promotion instead. This rapid ascent did not sit well with her, as she felt the weight of the loss on her conscience. Which is still a heavy weight on her conscience.

  Since that incident, firefighting operations in abandoned buildings have changed significantly. Now, the first-due company must wait outside for the second-due companies to arrive. This protocol ensures that if the first-due company gets cut off, the second alarm company can assist them in safely exiting the building. Instead of them running throughout the building trying to find their own way out and either getting lost or trapped.

  Although I wasn’t going to mention it, today was slow. Some days are just slower than others, while other days pass by quickly.

  When I became a citizen of Little Bird, I had to take some steps regarding my driver's license. Although I already had a license issued by the MVA in the US, I was required to retake both the written and driving exams. I found the written exam to be somewhat easier than the one I had in the State of Alabama, where there were only thirty questions. Here, there are 100 questions, and while many might think that sounds difficult, the first fifty are relatively straightforward, containing questions that anyone should know. The remaining fifty questions, however, are tricky because they are phrased in a way designed to confuse you.

  In addition, the instructions here include specific guidelines about car lengths. It's not just about the overall length of a vehicle but rather the necessary distance you should maintain from the car in front of you. The average car is about fifteen feet long, so it's essential to keep that in mind. We are taught to stay three car lengths away, but we also need to adjust that distance for larger vehicles, such as limousines.

  Unless you are referring to fire apparatus, which are treated as trucks with blind zones, this is true because they do not have rearview mirrors. The driver must rely on the side mirrors to back up. Therefore, being behind a fire engine or fire truck while it is reversing can be extremely dangerous. A 23-ton fire engine or a 47-ton fire truck does not have the same stopping power as a 2,000-pound car, making it potentially deadly in such situations.

  I believe my friends back in America would appreciate the country of Little Bird. Yes, it has its problems, like any other nation, and it openly acknowledges its flaws. However, many people here are taught to embody the all-loving, heroic ideal, going out of their way to help even the most flawed individuals and see the good in them when no one else does.

  While there are certainly jerks here, as in every place, many residents are hardworking and genuinely good individuals. They would give the shirt off their backs to help others, even if it doesn't benefit them directly, because they understand that you never know who you might help, and many people here have long memories. Supporting someone can lead to them returning the favor down the line.

  For example, when I was at Arcane University, I arrived 45 minutes late to class because I stopped to help someone who was lost. He was trying to find his son, who turned out to be my professor for the very class I was late to.

  That guy was lost because he had never been to the city before. I chose to help him, partly due to the experiences of my cousins who are veterans of the Vietnam War, as they faced stigma for participating in an unwinnable conflict. My family, like countless others, recognizes that most anti-war protesters at the time sympathized with the soldiers sent to fight in Vietnam. They understood that the majority of returning soldiers were draftees with no choice in the matter. It’s also notable that many of these soldiers eventually became anti-war advocates themselves.

  In my family, some cousins completed their service and went on to lead peaceful lives, while others made the decision to reenlist once their time was up. Many lived with their parents until they were able to get back on their feet. Some encountered difficulties in finding steady work, resorting to seasonal jobs such as groundskeeper at golf courses in the spring and summer, bartending during the fall and winter, or even parking cars when needed. Meanwhile, others chose to remain in the military, having grown accustomed to that way of life.

  My friends and family back in America, even those I’ve disowned, would thrive in this country. It actively encourages large families while simultaneously promoting the freedom to live life on one's own terms.

  Take my cousin Dave, for instance. His first Captain shattered family expectations by becoming a captain in the Fire Department. Coming from a family dominated by business people and lawyers, she faced immense pressure to conform—get married, have children. But she defied those stereotypes and joined the Fire Department to prove them wrong. Despite being told that it was a male-dominated field and that she would be a burden, she didn’t just survive; she excelled. After six years, she became a captain and later transitioned to Arson Investigation.

  In this profession, your reputation is non-negotiable. It takes time to build a solid one, yet it can be destroyed in an instant. Leaning on family or friends can lead to the perception that you’re incapable and looking for handouts. My cousin Dave, his wife Linda, and his sister-in-law Chloe have built their own respectable reputations through sheer determination and hard work. They chose to rise on their merits rather than ride the coattails of their connections. Linda and Chloe had every opportunity to hide behind their father, a highly decorated Battalion Chief, and their seven brothers, four of whom are officers. Instead, they forged their own paths and earned their success.

  Unless you’re referring to Linda and Chloe’s middle sister, Sarah, a probationary firefighter whose career was as brief as it was tumultuous. Sarah was known for her defiance; she rarely took advice from others and often boasted about her family's legacy in firefighting, particularly highlighting her father and brothers. Despite her strong belief in her own expertise, she frequently ignored the insights and experiences of seasoned firefighters, which created friction within the firehouse.

  Her time at Firehouse Sixteen was particularly challenging. Dave, her captain for a month, faced the daunting task of trying to guide her. In response to her stubbornness and reckless attitude, the other officers at the firehouse began to engage in a betting pool. They wagered on how long Sarah would remain on the job before someone lost patience or felt compelled to inform her family about her dangerous behavior. Many could see that she was testing the limits of her luck.

  Tragically, fate had a different plan. In 2001, during a critical emergency involving a malfunctioning window washer platform, Sarah made a disastrous decision. Instead of waiting for the team to stabilize the platform properly, she impulsively chose to venture out onto it. Ignoring the protocols designed to keep firefighters safe, she believed her bravado would see her through. However, the situation quickly escalated. The platform was not secure, and it gave way beneath her. In a horrifying moment, she fell fifteen stories, a sobering reminder of the consequences of negligence and the importance of heeding experienced voices in high-stakes environments.

  Dave firmly believed that out of all the probies he encountered in his nine years as an officer, Sarah was the least competent. She frequently proclaimed her expertise in firefighting, yet whenever he instructed her to fetch the hydraulic rescue tool or any other equipment from the fire truck, she had no idea which compartment housed it. It was unacceptable, especially given that she was assigned to a critical team responsible for forcible entry, search and rescue, ventilation, and ladder-pipe operations at fire scenes. They use a variety of forcible entry tools, ventilation equipment, and rescue tools to tackle fires, technical rescues, and other emergencies, including motor vehicle accidents.

  Sarah wrongly believed that her family connections—her father being a battalion chief and her siblings holding positions as officers and members of a rescue company—automatically qualified her as an expert. As Dave stated emphatically, “Just because your dad is a battalion chief and you have siblings in high-ranking positions does not mean you are on their level. They earned their roles through dedication and hard work, learning from senior members while they were probies, and proving themselves by doing their jobs and following what their officers told them to do.”

  My cousin Dave built his reputation as an officer by pushing his team to their limits but knowing when to stop before they became stressed, as that’s when mistakes happen. He regularly reads the newspaper not to check on sales, but to stay informed about road construction, route closures, and local happenings.

  Dave's father and uncle were both firefighters and officers who advocated for better gear and advanced training to prepare for any situation where extra skills could be beneficial. For instance, they insisted that firefighters receive medical training so they could assist medical services or respond to emergencies alongside the fire department. Both men had a deep love for their work and were driven to explore innovations within their field, which led to many changes in fire protection laws, better technology, improved training, upgraded equipment, and enhanced response capabilities.

  Their generation made significant advancements that eased the work for those in the modern age. When Dave's father and uncle joined the force in 1966, many of the technologies we have today, like thermal cameras and very expensive SCBA masks with built-in thermal imaging and augmented reality, were not available until 1996 for the former and not until the early 2000s for the latter.

  Although Dave always claims he never wanted to be a firefighter, it seems he simply fell into the role after growing up in a firehouse. For him, it became second nature. He often says that he would have loved to be an engineer or a mechanic, but his father assured him he would be proud of him no matter what career he chose. Dave believes he became a firefighter mainly because he was raised in a firehouse; the profession is in his blood as his father and uncle were both firemen, following in the footsteps of their father, Dave's grandfather, who was also a firefighter.

  The difference is that when Dave's grandfather joined the department, many of the men were veterans of the First World War. After World War II, many of the new recruits were veterans of that conflict. When the Korean war ended, many of his colleagues were veterans of both World War II and Korea. Similarly, when his father and uncle first joined as volunteers, many of the men on the job were veterans of both the Korean War and World War II, whereas later, most new recruits were Vietnam veterans.

  Dave points out that when his grandfather, father, and uncle were on the job, mental health issues were not fully understood until after the Vietnam War in 1980 and that Dave’s father and uncles were born in a time when it was called Combat Fatigue which before that it was called Shell Shock.

  Every generation before ours and our generation has its own challenges. You think living in the Digital age would have mostly smarter people not morons but no. Some people think it’s smart enough to stockpile twenty fifty-five gallon drum barrels full of gasoline in their garage then believe it’s wise to sit a lit cigarette on one that’s fully not closed. The fire hits the fuel vapors or ash from said cigarette falls into the gas then boom! An entire house leveled with tons of fire everywhere because some nutcase thinks it’s funny to stockpile 20 55-gallon barrels full of gas.

  I often think about how my friends back in America would react to the quirky charm of Little Bird. They would likely find fault with the country’s cartoons, which are steeped in an old-school style of humor that doesn’t fit their modern sensibilities. The slapstick and exaggerated antics that define these animations might come off as outdated to them.

  Yet, I can’t help but imagine that they would chuckle at one particular aspect of the government films here. These films are produced in a peculiar way. Whenever someone speaks, the presenter echoes their words and continues the conversation, almost as if the creators had a crystal ball to predict what viewers might think or say. Like if someone says “Unbelievable” then the person on the film will say “Unbelievable you may say” like if they had a crystal ball to know what someone is going to say.

  When it comes to cartoons, the artists in Little Bird predominantly favor hand-drawn animations. There's a certain pride in this traditional art form, with many believing that relying on computer-generated graphics is somewhat of a shortcut. They seem to view it as a creative compromise, resorting to digital methods only when life gets too busy to focus on the delicate intricacies of hand drawing.

  I've made a strong decision to put aside the memories of how my disowned friends were treated by their parents, who labeled them as worthless. Now, eleven years later, those same parents are trying to reconnect because their disowned children are achieving financial stability, building relationships, or preparing to become parents. It’s evident that their motivations for wanting back in are tied to money and the need to project a public image of a happy, healthy nuclear family.

  I also see how some of my female family members are dating my disowned male friends. In an ironic twist, their biological families have attempted to engage with them, even wanting to meet at OB/GYN appointments. Fortunately, my friends have clarity and recognize this charade for what it is: a superficial attempt to reconnect driven by self-interest. Those who have fallen for it have deeply regretted their choice and now find themselves wishing they had never engaged in the first place. They’re taking back control by going no contact and blocking their numbers, ensuring they won't be contacted again.

  Honestly, I'm reflecting on how tough it is to work in emergency services, especially as a doctor. Instructors taught us the hard way that as emergency responders, we need to focus on the task at hand and do everything we can to help our victims, even if it comes at a personal cost.

  My cousin Dave had to manage regular emergencies in the city of Empire while dealing with the heartbreaking loss of his father and uncle, who died in the line of duty. He could only reach the scene the following day at 7 PM after finishing his shift and starting his drive at 7 AM. He would only stop for gas when his fuel tank was almost empty, and during those stops, he would grab a convenience store sandwich to eat on the road. Instead of taking a moment to sit in the parking lot or stay at the gas station to eat, he chose to eat while driving, even though he knew it was distracted driving. The entire time, he was worried about the safety of his father and uncle, who unfortunately did not make it.

  I cannot help but feel a deep sense of sympathy for Dave. His childhood was predominantly spent with just his father and uncle, a stark contrast to what most would consider a typical family environment. This is largely because he suffered devastating losses—his mother, stepmother, and six brothers were all taken from him far too soon. As the third child in a family of seven, Dave now stands alone, haunted by the tragic specter of arson murder that claimed the lives of his loved ones.

  At just five years old, he lost his mother in a horrific fire, a loss that forever altered his realization of family. By the time he turned eleven, tragedy struck again when he lost his stepmother, leaving him without the nurturing figures that many children take for granted. The painful reality set in, compounded by the fact that his six brothers perished around the same time, leaving him the sole survivor in a catastrophic blaze that devastated their lives.

  Dave’s father has been married three times, each marriage marking another chapter of complexity in their family narrative. His first wife, a kind-hearted and gentle country woman, embodied the ideal of caring motherhood. Tragically, she fell victim to an arson fire, a senseless act that extinguished her warm spirit. She was a protector in every sense, a woman who would never harm a soul unless pushed to extremes.

  Dave's father's second wife was none other than Dave’s mother, who was also his father’s sister-in-law during his first marriage. In a curious twist of fate, she embraced the role with an expectation that might seem unusual today. Before her own untimely death, her sister—the first wife—had implored her to consider a relationship with Bobby if anything ever happened to her. While this may have sounded supportive, the two women were polar opposites in demeanor and approach to life. Bobby’s first wife was the type to avoid confrontation, who would only turn to violence as a last resort. In stark contrast, her sister had a fiery temperament and was ready to engage in conflict at the slightest provocation, believing that peace was often out of reach.

  But now I’m just remembering how when I came here to Little Bird it was like if I actually did go back in time.

  ___________

  City of Empire, August 2003

  As I stepped off the plane at Empire International Airport, I felt a mix of excitement and curiosity. After clearing customs, I boarded a bus heading to the Riverview district. I paid the fare with a quarter and settled into my seat, closing my eyes for a quick nap during the ride.

  When I got off the bus, I initially thought I had disembarked at the wrong stop. But after checking my surroundings, I realized I was in the right place. Across the street, I saw a gas station with a team of four uniformed men servicing cars. They were filling tanks, checking oil, monitoring tire pressure, and wiping windshields. It felt like a scene straight out of the past.

  As I looked around, I noticed cars driving by that were definitely from the late 1960s. The people walking around wore short-sleeved shirts with blue jeans or red plaid short-sleeved shirts paired with brown pants. I couldn't help but wonder, “Did that plane take me to the past?” The scene before me resembled the 1960s as my family had described, but without the social tensions of that era.

  I began to walk north and passed a beat cop. I had thought foot patrols had become extinct around the 1950s, replaced by cars for quicker emergency responses. Still, I found it hard to believe that someone could wear a dark blue long-sleeve uniform in the summer heat.

  While waiting at Arcane University for orientation, I overheard a woman next to me talking about her family having only one TV. I shouldn't have said anything, but I mentioned that my family had three: one in the living room, one in my room, and one in my parents' room. She laughed, thinking I was joking, as it was common knowledge that most families had only one TV with another one as a spare.

  I momentarily forgot that in this country, a television set costs as much as a used car, and many households don’t own multiple sets. When they do, it’s typically the case that the first TV is in the living room for family use, while an older set is kept as a spare in another room or put in storage when a new one is bought. That’s this country in a nutshell.

  But if that’s their society, I can’t say anything about it because I cannot choose how another culture lives their life. Of course, the people I know are very materialistic, spending money and throwing out things when they break instead of trying to fix them. While this culture may have materialistic people, it’s not the view that I know. I guess many people here probably just try to fix objects rather than throwing them out and buying new things unless they have to.

  The same woman next to me asked if I had ever had a hot dog with macaroni and cheese on it. I told her no in a New York second and added that it sounded disgusting. She quickly retorted, saying I shouldn't knock it until I tried it. She even mentioned that she likes hers covered in syrup, which to me sounded even more revolting.

  She went on to describe how the combination of the creamy macaroni and cheese with the savory hot dog, all topped with a drizzle of sweet syrup, created a unique and delightful taste experience. I couldn't help but cringe at the thought, but she was adamant that it was a local favorite and something I had to try at least once.

  As we continued to chat, she shared more about the local food culture. Apparently, people here loved experimenting with unusual food combinations. She mentioned other odd pairings like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, and even spaghetti topped with chili. It was clear that the locals had a penchant for mixing flavors in ways that seemed bizarre to me.

  Despite my initial disgust, her enthusiasm was infectious. I started to wonder if maybe there was something to these strange culinary creations. After all, food is a big part of experiencing a new place, and who knows? Maybe I'd end up liking some of these odd combinations.

  As we waited for orientation to start, I decided to keep an open mind. Maybe I'd give that hot dog with macaroni and cheese a try, but I’m saving syrup for waffles, pancakes and scrambled eggs. After all, you never know what you might end up enjoying until you take a bite.

  _______________________

  Present Day

  Honestly, that’s true because when I finally tried a hot dog with macaroni and cheese, it was actually good. At the time, it sounded disgusting, but hey, I’m the type of person who covers my scrambled eggs in syrup or ketchup—mostly the former. I was a weird child who loved to cover my scrambled eggs in either syrup or ketchup and drench my bacon or sausage in syrup. My dad always said, “Mackenzie! Syrup doesn’t grow on trees!” and I would always retort, “Yeah it does!” Of course, what he meant was the phrase "doesn't grow on trees" the idiom that means something is not abundant or available freely, cheaply, or without effort. We must’ve gone through three bottles of syrup a week, and during the holidays, that number jumped up to five or ten bottles. We actually went most of 2001 without syrup because my dad got tired of it being wasted in three days and he was getting very tired of stopping at the store every other day to get a bottle.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Looking back, I realize how much my dad’s words stuck with me. He was always trying to teach me the value of things, even if it was just syrup. His lessons were about more than just food; they were about appreciating what you have and understanding that not everything comes easily.

  As I grew older, I started to see the wisdom in his words. Life isn’t always about getting what you want when you want it. Sometimes, you have to work hard and be patient. Sometimes, you have to try things that seem strange or unappealing at first, like a hot dog with macaroni and cheese, to discover something new and enjoyable.

  Honestly, to me, hot dogs with mac and cheese are good. And no, that’s not how I got my nickname. I got it because when I was younger, I used to make macaroni and cheese all the time. It was quick and easy to cook. To me, "Cheeseburger" doesn’t have the same ring to it for a nickname, even though I prefer cheeseburgers over macaroni and cheese. "Macaroni" just sounds better. Mackenzie Nova “Cheeseburger” Waterson doesn’t have the same ring to it as Mackenzie Nova “Macaroni” Waterson.

  Now that I think about it, neither of them have a great ring to it. Many of the other Mackenzies in my family have nicknames that match them based on their jobs or something unique about them. Like my cousin once removed, Mackenzie “Sturmgewehr” Waterson, got her nickname because she loves to use the obsolete and outdated Little Bird Assault Rifle Model 1943, which is nothing but captured and converted StG44s rechambered from 7.92×33mm to .220 rounds.

  But we all have our own nicknames and our own things to do. My nickname, "Macaroni," stuck because it was a part of my daily life growing up. I remember coming home from school, throwing my backpack on the floor, and heading straight to the kitchen to make a bowl of macaroni and cheese. It was my comfort food, my go-to meal when I needed something quick and satisfying.

  My family found it amusing and endearing, and the nickname just stuck. Even now, when I visit home, my dad will sometimes call me "Macaroni" with a smile on his face. It’s a reminder of simpler times and the little quirks that make us who we are.

  Nicknames have a way of capturing a piece of our identity, even if they seem silly or insignificant. They tell a story about us, about our habits, our preferences, and our personalities. In a family with fourteen other Mackenzies, having a unique nickname helps us stand out and be remembered.

  So, while "Macaroni" might not be the most glamorous nickname, it’s mine. It’s a part of my story, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll find a new nickname that fits me just as well. But for now, I’m happy being Mackenzie Nova “Macaroni” Waterson. Even though my deceased teammates gave me a new nickname of “Frost” but I’m sticking with Macaroni.

  Now, as an adult, I still carry those lessons with me. I try to approach life with an open mind and a willingness to try new things, even if they seem odd or out of place. I always remember to appreciate the little things, like a bottle of syrup, that make life a bit sweeter.

  But I think Cadenza should get herself registered as a weapon because she is trained to be deadlier than a sword. Wait, that doesn’t make sense. But Cadenza Amore, if someone asks her if she carries a weapon I have a feeling her boyfriend and half brother have to say “She is a weapon”. I have a feeling she’s the type when she drives she’s probably doing 80 in a 40 or if you have a smug smile on your face she'd smack the living shit out of you to wipe that smug smile off of your face. I have a feeling that if someone punches Cadenza in the stomach then they’ll break their hand.

  But I have an idea that she probably loves motocross. But now I’m thinking about how that Project Phoenix supersoldier weighs about 1,000 pounds. So if they jump on someone’s back it’s probably essentially dropping a shipping container on someone's head.

  __________

  Clearlake

  "Welcome to Motocross Macaroni," Mitchell said with a grin. "This is fun stuff!"

  I shook my head, feeling a mix of dread and disbelief. "Fun? This is every mother's worst nightmare."

  Just then, I watched in horror as a couple of motocross bikes soared over a dirt ramp. One rider, a woman, lost control and crashed hard. My heart skipped a beat, but she didn't even flinch. She dropped to one knee, her right foot still planted firmly on the ground. With a swift motion the woman got up, she grabbed her left arm, cracked it back into its socket, then gpt onto her left knee and did the same with her right leg and knee. Before I could even process what I'd seen, she was back on her bike, riding like nothing had happened.

  "That's Cadenza right there," Mitchell said, pointing to the fearless rider. "My half twin sister is a nut. She takes 'No pain, no gain' to a whole new level. Back in high school, they taught us self-defense, and she went through all the girls in our grade, except Cadence, who was a pacifist. Cadenza wanted to fight the guys, but when they said she couldn't, a few guys volunteered. It didn't end well for them—they needed crutches or wheelchairs afterward."

  I couldn't help but chuckle. "Your half twin sister is a nut."

  "But she's a tough cookie," Mitchell continued. "She's a local legend here in Clearlake and in Little Bird. People see her as a warrior. If our military ever threw her to the wolves, the people would be furious. When Cadenza does something wrong, it's because she uses her initiative, not because she blindly follows orders. Many wouldn't believe it if the Little Bird military claimed one of their top supersoldiers messed up. Once, when Cadenza went rogue, a group hunted her down. One guy said everyone in the Little Bird Military and across Little Bird would hate them because she's a highly trained, biologically enhanced supersoldier with immense combat skills and selfless courage. She's had advanced surgery so she can keep fighting through pain or injuries that would cripple or kill a normal human. She's trained to draw blood if she draws a weapon, and she has scars and wounds to prove she's been in fights and got badly injured."

  I cut Mitchell off. "Mitchell, I know about Little Bird's culture. Drawing weapons without drawing blood is frowned upon, and having scars and wounds is proof you've been in fights. Getting those wounds treated means you can't handle fighting."

  Just then, the same woman who crashed her motocross bike walked over to us and took off her helmet. It was Cadenza.

  "Wasn't expecting you here in Clearlake," Cadenza said, taking off her helmet.

  "Not my first time here, though," I replied.

  "Yeah, I know," she said with a smirk.

  "So, Mitchell told me you went rogue," I said, raising an eyebrow.

  "Not just me," Cadenza replied. "Him, Jack, Sam, Mackenzie Rose, and a few others went rogue too."

  "Care to elaborate?" I asked, curious.

  "Sorry, that information is classified," Cadenza shot back, her tone making it clear she wasn't going to discuss it further.

  Mitchell summarized it for me later, saying they were somewhere they shouldn't have been, without authorization. I mentioned how Special Forces often operate with plausible deniability, entering countries without the knowledge or approval of their governments. Mitchell suggested I save that speech for a class of recruit spies, hinting that their mission was "sanctioned" but not officially approved by the military.

  Cadenza then revved up her motocross bike, did a swift 180 turn, and sped off to continue her race.

  As Mitchell and I started to walk away, I asked, "So, what was the mission?"

  Mitchell glanced at me. "Do you remember the two women who helped us find Cadence? Sonata and Julia?"

  "Yeah, I remember," I replied.

  "Well, Julia was captured in some country, and the military never authorized a rescue mission. They just assumed she was dead. Sonata asked if I was interested in a search and rescue mission, and I agreed after talking to my wife," Mitchell explained.

  "In that country, Cadenza got into a fight with her father. He ordered us to return home, but she stood her ground. He warned us that if we continued, we were on our own. No military support, no extraction," Mitchell continued.

  "So, how did you make it back?" I asked, intrigued.

  Mitchell sighed. "It was the military who bailed us out, thanks to my father, who was President of Little Bird at the time. He ordered the soldiers to get Julia out and to rescue us as well."

  "You can't be serious," I said, astonished. "The military wouldn't send a search team, so Sonata had to ask a friend, who then asked his friends for help. They did what the military wouldn't do until the president intervened."

  Mitchell nodded. "Yeah, and the country we were in was perfect for using dirt bikes. It was like motocross heaven."

  Mitchell also mentioned that Cadenza confronted her father about how the military violated its number one rule: never leave a man behind. Even though Julia is a woman, the principle still applies—nobody gets left behind. They weren't tried for disobeying orders because of a congressional hearing. Mitchell's father justified his actions by saying he lit a fire under the military to do their job. The military presumed Julia and her team were dead without proof, while Mitchell's father believed they were still alive. This disagreement left them at an impasse.

  Curious, I asked Mitchell to describe Cadenza. He said she can be strangely heartwarming, always reminding people that life goes on despite tragedies. She's the type to cheerfully say, "Hey, we started a whole new week! It's Monday!" But when it comes to the harsh realities of war, she tells officers, "It's just war," in a deadpan manner with a hint of friendliness. I joked that she sounded like the military's female version of Joe Friday from "Dragnet," and had to explain the old show to him.

  Mitchell suggested that if I wanted a history lesson on the Little Bird military, I should ask Cadenza. She's an encyclopedia of military knowledge. For example, she could explain why, in the early 1940s, 98% of Little Bird soldiers and rangers wore shorts in the desert—besides the obvious reasons related to tropical weather. In winter, their military had advanced uniforms that looked modern, with all-white attire, balaclava masks, and special goggles to prevent snow glare. These uniforms were padded to keep soldiers warm. In 1944, the Little Bird military introduced motocross bikes for scouts to travel across terrain, avoiding predictable roadways where enemies could set up ambushes. This innovation saved time and reduced the risk of ambushes by allowing scouts to travel through unpredictable paths like woods.

  Mitchell also mentioned that Cadenza is multilingual, fluent in both French and Italian. When I remarked that she must be Italian, Mitchell clarified that Cadenza is a mix of Italian, German, American, and Little Birden. Despite being born in the South Bronx, New York City, she and Mitchell were raised in Little Bird, making her a Little Birden citizen. He shared how Cadenza called him "Chasseurs-Para" and "Folgore," which means paratrooper in French and Italian, respectively, with "Folgore" translating to "Lightning." I told Mitchell it was fitting, given that Little Bird's Army Airborne and Marine Commandos are known for their commando-style raids, fast strikes, and mastery of concealment and ambushes.

  Mitchell described Cadenza as someone who, if she were in a high position in the War Office, would take risks and embrace danger. She's the type to say, "Do not tell me it cannot be done," and would readily cite historical examples of seemingly impossible feats, like the Doolittle Raid, to boost morale.

  He also explained that while Cadenza is a fighter, she agrees with the Little Bird government's stance on avoiding unnecessary conflicts. He recounted how, in the 1930s, the second female president of Little Bird expressed the country's reluctance to join the war. By 1940, she questioned how long they could pretend the world wasn't at war and emphasized the need for military preparedness. She urged their allies to pay attention to global events beyond Europe.

  Mitchell noted that Cadenza often switches from American English to Italian, especially when she's angry or frustrated. She has a reputation for calling out people who only show up when it's convenient for them. For instance, her boyfriend Francis's extended family never considered him family until he started dating Cadenza, who is financially well-off. They expected handouts, but Cadenza advised Francis to remember how they treated him and not to let them take advantage of him.

  Mitchell described Cadenza as tough on others but soft around those she cares about, like her boyfriend and his adoptive parents. Francis struggled to connect with people who didn't see him as family, but his adoptive parents loved him as their own. Now that he's dating Cadenza, his extended family wants to be involved because it's convenient for them, despite their previous indifference.

  "So, I guess she's more or less a modern version of a Spartan," I mused.

  Mitchell nodded. "Project Phoenix is pretty much that. It started in World War II, aiming to create soldiers who could fight stronger, harder, and faster than regular infantry. Their training was brutal, designed to break you. Back in 1945, the Little Bird Military wanted quality over quantity. These soldiers could carry a .50 Cal HMG without a tripod or bipod, just using a handle on the barrel. They wore gas masks not just for protection but to look more intimidating. By the time they were ready for war, it was too late—the Second World War had ended a month earlier. But the training continued for future conflicts. Cadenza is a Third Generation Project Phoenix soldier, bio-augmented and standing seven feet tall in powered armor made from reverse-engineered alien tech."

  I chuckled. "Cadenza sounds like the type who lives on a farm but still goes to the store for groceries."

  "That's about right," Mitchell said. "She grows her own food but buys meat from the store. She has livestock but won't waste expensive ammo on them. A box of twelve gauge buckshot costs $9.89 for twenty-three shells, or $0.43 per shell and that adds up. Her favorite farm animals are pigs because they're omnivores, just like her. Once, while feeding them, one tried to eat her toes because she was wearing open-toed shoes."

  I laughed. "Cadenza would make a great medical examiner. She loves being around the dead, motocross, and tuning up her classic muscle car with a supercharged engine. She's a gearhead who loves driving fast."

  Mitchell smiled. "She and our cousin Midnight are friends. Cadenza loves Midnight's story about retaking a prison. Here in Little Bird, law enforcement has a limited time to regain control before the military steps in. the government will step in and end it for the warden. Forcibly. The military doesn't negotiate—they retake with force."

  As we continued talking, I couldn't help but admire Cadenza's versatility. She truly embodied the spirit of a modern warrior, balancing her tough exterior with a deep sense of loyalty and practicality.

  Mitchell even told me that once, in high school, Cadenza had a part-time job with an entitled boss. This boss learned the hard way that employers need employees and that belittling and picking on them will make them quit. It took every fiber of Cadenza's being not to fight her boss.

  Mitchell also shared a story about Cadenza and her fireteam rescuing friendly soldiers behind enemy lines. You'd think of them being surrounded, outnumbered, outgunned, and sounding strung-out, and fighting for their lives, but they actually sounded bored and uninterested, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate. Cadenza is the type who laments that humanity will never be rid of war and believes the only thing keeping us from killing each other is uniting against a common foe. Cadenza is the type who doesn't fight fair, be it kicks to the groin or beating you to death with your own skull.

  Mitchell explained that in Little Bird, the military encourages soldiers to accept the reality of death. Instead of fearing it, they should embrace the fact that if they don't fight, they will die, and if they do fight, there's a chance they might live. I asked if he was referring to the fierce and determined Japanese soldiers from World War II who preferred death over capture. Mitchell acknowledged the similarity but emphasized that Little Bird's military also teaches higher-up officers the importance of choosing battles wisely. They even train for counter-bayonet charges, which sounds counterintuitive, but it's part of their warrior culture.

  Mitchell also mentioned that Cadenza has some extraordinary abilities compared to a normal human. She can jump high enough to reach the roof of a single-story building, recover from injuries faster thanks to her adaptive bone marrow, and her hyper-reactive pupils allow her to scan for targets more quickly.

  He explained that the primary directive for Cadenza and other Phoenix soldiers is to protect Little Bird and its citizens. However, if they have to fight on their own homeland, their directive to preserve all human life in Little Bird is rescinded. This means that if there are insurrectionists within Little Bird, Phoenix supersoldiers and other Special Forces are deployed domestically to eliminate them. Mitchell noted that Phoenix soldiers aren't typically deployed domestically because seeing powered armored soldiers running down the street with heavy weapons would be terrifying. These soldiers can carry weapons like miniguns or anti-armor launchers single-handedly, without being affected by recoil.

  According to Cadenza, each fireteam consists of 4-5 men and women, with the leader holding a high-ranking officer position, like her rank of Lieutenant Commander. Project Phoenix soldiers are so powerful that one can carry the firepower of an infantry company, while five can carry the firepower of an infantry battalion. Despite their immense strength, they are trained to fight smarter, not harder.

  Mitchell also said that he and his half-sister spend their free time together shooting weapons. Whenever Cadenza’s firearm malfunctions, she openly says, “Tap Rack Bang,” unless it’s a bent shell or casing. In that case, she either bangs the side of the gun until the shell or casing comes out or uses a weapon with an automatic extractor that ejects the casing with the press of a button. Mitchell mentioned that Cadenza can cycle a pump-action shotgun one-handed by holding it by the pump and shaking it. When using a sniper rifle or DMR, if she’s prone with the bipod out, she adopts the "wrap-around" posture. Mitchell said that if it helps Cadenza fight the way she wants to fight, she’ll do it.

  I asked Mitchell what Cadenza excels in, and he just shrugged. "What weapon and vehicle isn’t she trained in?" he said. He went on to explain that only those with the highest wills are accepted into Project Phoenix. The military monitors the willpower of its soldiers, weeding out those who break easily and selecting those who will keep fighting no matter the odds, even if outnumbered a million to one.

  Mitchell also mentioned that Cadenza believes some humans have "The Gift." When I asked what he meant, he explained that Cadenza thinks some people have psionic or psychic abilities, like mind control or mind frying someone. I told Mitchell that sounded like something out of a science fiction film, but acknowledged that Cadenza has the right to believe what she wants, even if it seems like nonsense to others.

  Mitchell also mentioned that Cadenza believes humans evolved from ancient, highly advanced beings. When I pointed out that we evolved from Neanderthals, Mitchell explained that Cadenza thinks humans once had energy weapons, faster-than-light spaceships, and the ability to hot drop soldiers and supplies onto planets. She believes there was a massive empire spanning the Milky Way galaxy, maintaining peace through technological superiority. According to her, humans aren't native to Earth but came from another planet, losing all their advanced technology and having to start over as hunter-gatherers before relearning agriculture, farming, and civilization.

  I scratched my head at this, thinking it sounded like something out of a science fiction book or film. The idea of ancient humans being technologically advanced but somehow losing all that tech and becoming Neanderthals was a bit far-fetched. However, I told Mitchell that Cadenza has the right to believe what she wants. In a way, it made a little sense to me. After all, humanity has a history of defying odds, taking risks, and enduring challenges to achieve greatness. Our imagination knows no bounds, and who knows what secrets the past might hold?

  I told Mitchell that I believe in aliens and suggested that Cadenza might think aliens are part of human evolution. She could believe that humans on other planets were once advanced, which explains her theory about ancient human technology. While there's no concrete proof to back up Cadenza's claims, she does believe that aliens have visited Earth. She points to events like the 1942 Battle of Los Angeles and the 1947 UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, as evidence.

  Mitchell mentioned that there have been UFO crashes in Little Bird as well, but the government neither confirms nor denies these incidents, often tiptoeing around the questions. I asked if Little Bird has a secret agency that investigates alien activity, like the Men in Black or XCOM. Mitchell said he doesn't know, and it seems far-fetched. Even if such an agency existed, there would be a paper trail because building bases costs money and they don't just appear overnight like crop circles.

  I asked Mitchell if he believes in aliens, and he replied, "They're living among us. Average citizens, average people, quietly and anonymously making the world a better place." He was probably referring to Visula, an alien who lives on Earth and uses her powers to blend into human society. Without her, Project Phoenix wouldn't have the abilities they do, like hyper-reactive pupils, better depth perception, stronger bones, faster healing, and the ability to jump onto the roof of a single-story industrial building. They also wear powered exoskeletons with deflector shields that recharge after taking damage, allowing them to continue fighting.

  Mitchell explained that these enhancements solve the problem of soldier fatigue. Instead of relying on a single A-team throughout a campaign, they mix up a massive roster of soldiers. Generation Three Project Phoenix soldiers have armor that gives them an energy boost, making them feel fully rested and ready to keep fighting. While this is dangerous, these soldiers aren't regular infantry.

  Mitchell also told me about the Sniper Rifle-Model 1950-Anti-Material rifle, which was definitely made for Project Phoenix supersoldiers. The recoil is so powerful that it would either knock a normal human onto their back or send the scope flying into their eye. The earlier Anti-Material/Anti-Tank Rifle Models 1937 and 1941 were six feet long, weighed forty-five pounds, and required a team of two to operate due to their weight and recoil. The Model 1937 was infamous for its recoil, which could dislocate the operator's shoulder even when fired from a prone position with a bipod. The Model 1941 was designed to address this issue.

  The Model 1950 is a dual-purpose sniper/anti-material rifle, shorter at 5.45 feet compared to its predecessors, but with the furthest effective range of 6,600 feet. Mitchell mentioned that the Model 1950 is still in service, and you have to make every shot count. There are two variants: the .50 Cal with eight rounds and the .57 Cal with four rounds. High-velocity full metal jacket rounds are very expensive. However, the recoil is manageable for Project Phoenix soldiers due to their stronger muscle fibers, allowing them to keep the weapon steady.

  Mitchell explained that Project Phoenix soldiers are never deployed where their expertise would be wasted, such as defending civilian evacuation sites. The first generation of Project Phoenix soldiers, chosen in 1945, were selected for their quality over quantity. The military painstakingly chose the most battle-hardened Marines, Rangers, Army, and Airborne soldiers, ultimately selecting one hundred of the best.

  So I just said, “So These guys are the best of the best, they're better than the rest?” in which Mitchell more or less said yes.

  I asked Mitchell if Cadenza believes that transhumanism is the future. He seemed unsure, asking what it meant. I explained that it involves being artificially enhanced with mental and/or physical abilities beyond what is considered normal. He shrugged and said, "Sure. Why not," indicating he wasn't certain about his half-sister's mindset on the topic.

  I mentioned that I had seen Cadenza rip a car door off and throw it like it was nothing. Mitchell wasn't surprised. He explained that Cadenza loves to fight and sees everyday objects as potential weapons. Ripping a car door off its hinges is just her making use of her environment. Car doors aren't supposed to come off easily; if they did, the fire department wouldn't need hydraulic rescue tools, and it would put people in vehicles at greater risk. Cadenza's increased muscle fiber gives her the strength to carry or move objects three times her size. She could flip over a turned pickup truck with her bare hands if needed.

  Mitchell described Cadenza as quick, masterful, decisive, and in full control of her movements. He emphasized that fighting her is a bad idea because the longer the fight goes on, the more she learns about how to defeat her opponent. She has been trained since she was four years old to study her opponents and find their weaknesses. Mitchell put it succinctly, "Every moment you spend fighting Cadenza only increases her knowledge of how to beat you."

  I understood what Mitchell was saying. Soldiers like Cadenza fight smarter, not harder. They know to conserve their energy, throwing light punches until their opponent tires out, then delivering the hard blows. They also use their environment to their advantage. I joked that I was surprised Cadenza hadn't ripped a fire hydrant out of the ground to use as a weapon. Mitchell told me not to hold my breath because that could very well happen one day.

  Speak of the devil, soon Cadenza came riding up on her motocross bike. She took off her helmet and said, "I'm done with motocross for now. I've got boxing and MMA training to get to."

  Curious, I asked, "Cadenza, how can five supersoldiers fight even if the odds are stacked against them a million to one?"

  She looked at me with a determined gaze and replied, "Where you see five soldiers, Mackenzie, I see family, courage. Five heroes who swore to fight their way through hell before they'd ever... EVER turn their backs and run."

  Soon, a man approached us, wanting to fight Mitchell. Cadenza stepped in, initially saying she would fight him in retaliation, but then she changed her mind. She called the guy "Buck" and said she’d fight him because she hadn’t fought anyone in a few days, and it was driving her crazy.

  I was about to say something, but Mitchell told me to stay quiet and just watch. So, I did.

  Cadenza moved with lightning speed. She uppercut Buck in the stomach, and when he threw a punch, she sidestepped and used the back of her left arm to hit him in the eye, breaking his sunglasses. She followed up with a reverse roundhouse kick to the back of his head and another roundhouse kick to his face. Whenever Buck tried to hit her, she either jumped over him or moved to his side, dodging his attacks with front or backflips. Her movements were superhuman, almost unnatural, but it was clear that her training had made fighting second nature to her.

  I couldn’t help but think about the contrast between Mitchell’s wife, Cadence, and his half-sister, Cadenza. Cadence, a pacifist, and Cadenza, a fierce fighter whose name means "Cadence" in Italian. It was an interesting juxtaposition.

  I commented that Cadenza seemed to favor roundhouse kicks. Mitchell explained that her titanium armor, which weighs about half a ton, makes her kicks much more powerful than a normal person’s. He guessed that the armor is made of titanium because it’s used in military vehicles, but he wasn’t entirely sure. He hadn’t asked Cadenza, and she didn’t know either, despite wearing it when deployed.

  Buck then pulled out a knife but Cadenza just grabbed Buck’s shoulder and dislocated his shoulder as if she was opening a bag of chips and she just used her right hand and did it in a way that it’s just another day at the office to her. In which it’s true though.

  Of course, I told Mitchell that Cadenza kinda looks like an angelic beauty. But that’s probably because I’m bi and tend to favor women over men. To me, Cadenza is the type who doesn’t follow bureaucracy and won’t go down quietly into the night. I asked Mitchell who the last person was that Cadenza fought, and he told me it was an egotistical, self-righteous, misogynistic jerk.

  Mitchell explained that Cadenza uses her brain in fights. She won’t attack a heavily fortified place or concentrate all her forces in one location. The people she fights often have one fatal flaw: arrogance. They have massive egos, entitlement, and believe they can act without consequence. They never expect to fight someone who constantly thinks of ways to defeat them. The longer a fight goes on, the more Cadenza learns about her opponent. Mitchell summed it up. "Every moment you spend fighting Cadenza only increases her knowledge of how to beat you."

  However, Mitchell also pointed out Cadenza’s flaws: bloodlust, extraordinary pride, and wrath. She views wars as "extermination," but she’s grounded in reality. Unlike her opponents, who think they’re infallible, Cadenza owns up to her actions, mistakes, and responsibilities while her opponents are the type who says “I never made a mistake in my fucking life.”

  As we watched Cadenza fight Buck, Mitchell mentioned that one of her favorite foods is ribs. I wanted to make a religious joke about how God took one of Adam’s ribs to make Eve, but then Mitchell told me that Cadenza is a Satanist. She has a reversed pentagram, which fits the image of Project Phoenix supersoldiers being viewed as devils. Mitchell said she had the reversed pentagram before joining the military.

  I also noted that Cadenza’s hair is slightly longer than mine, cut in a neat, practical style. To me, it symbolizes that she’s a tomboy, which she definitely is.

  Soon, more people showed up, and Mitchell called the fourteen newcomers "Buck's lackeys." He remarked, "Then it's an even fight." I was skeptical about how "even" it really was, but I decided to watch and observe rather than question it. When one of Buck's lackeys pulled out a handgun, Cadenza swiftly disarmed him, taking the pistol slide off and rendering it useless. She then threw the pistol like an improvised weapon at another lackey.

  I told Mitchell that was the first time I'd seen someone use a firearm as a throwable weapon instead of firing it. One of Buck's lackeys also got drop kicked by Cadenza, and it looked a lot more painful than it should.

  The fourteenth member of Buck's crew ran off, and Cadenza chased after him. I followed, watching as the guy got into a car and started it up. As he drove, Cadenza used her denser muscle fibers to stop the car, sliding back several feet but ultimately halting it. She then pushed the car up onto its back two tires and kicked it, sending it flying backward several feet.

  If that's what she can do out of armor, I don't want to imagine how much worse she could be in armor.

  I asked Mitchell if Cadenza ever has good days. He replied, "Yeah, she does—eighty-four days of the year or seven days per beginning of the month.”

  "They're unlucky that Cadenza didn't go easy on them," Mitchell said with a grin of satisfaction.

  Cadenza handed me her handgun. It was 10.7 inches long, weighed 7 pounds, and was all black with green luminous iron sights for better accuracy. She pressed the magazine release, and I caught the magazine. Curious, I asked what kind of bullets it used.

  "12.7×33mm Armor Piercing Hollow Point rounds," Cadenza replied. "The first two bullets are armor-piercing because I face enemies with ballistic vests. AP ammo is used for that because they're useless against the body. The hollow point rounds are for follow-up shots since they expand after hitting a target."

  She called it the "Viperstrike .50." When I asked why it was named that, she said, "It strikes like a viper." I understood the ".50" part because of its caliber, but I didn't press further about the snake reference. Cadenza explained that the Viperstrike .50/SOCOM variant has a flash suppressor and silencer and is used by Little Birden Special Forces. "Whisper-quiet with armor-piercing hollow-point rounds. Enemies might see us coming, but the only thing they'll hear is their asses hitting the ground," she said. The SOCOM variant can be turned into a DMR with a 2x scope, allowing skilled marksmen to snipe with it in a medium range area. However, Cadenza's wasn't the SOCOM variant.

  After thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that names like "Cobrastrike" or "Anacondastrike" just didn't have the same ring to them.

  I asked Cadenza how she feels about the Specialized Troopers, originally formed in 1914 for trench assaults and infiltration tactics before World War I. She explained that they were renamed the Silent Serpents in the 1920s, and their role evolved from assault troops to specialists in direct action, unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, counter-contraband operations, personnel and special equipment recovery, deep ground surveillance (DGS), and long-range reconnaissance. In contrast, Project Phoenix supersoldiers are primarily trained for direct actions.

  Cadenza described the advanced battle fatigues worn by the Silent Serpents. The inner layer of their black-gray undersuit is made of Kevlar, providing protection from small arms fire. This layer also contains a heating and cooling system that regulates temperature to keep the wearer comfortable in various weather conditions. The system can match infrared signatures to help the Silent Serpents remain undetected in hostile environments. Their battle fatigues include a chest plate made of titanium and ceramic materials, covering from the clavicle to the rib cage, with an additional segment protecting the abdomen. An armored collar protects the neck, and wide, low-profile shoulder pauldrons, as well as shin and knee guards, are made of titanium-ceramic materials, providing comprehensive protection.

  Cadenza mentioned that the Silent Serpents have a tougher time than Project Phoenix soldiers due to their diverse and demanding roles. Despite the challenges, both groups are highly skilled and dedicated to their missions, showcasing the strength and versatility of Little Bird's military forces.

  I then asked Mitchell and Cadenza if either of them had read Dante’s Inferno. Cadenza said she would be in the Seventh Circle, while Mitchell wasn’t sure which circle he’d end up in. He explained that he isn’t gluttonous, greedy, lustful, or wrathful, abhors fraud, hates treachery, and isn’t as violent as Cadenza because he has restraint. Being religious, he wouldn’t be in Limbo either.

  Cadenza shared that back in late 1944 into early 1945, the Little Bird War Department considered several other "bellicose" names before choosing Phoenix. Names like Praetorians, Landsknecht, Immortals, Minutemen, Titans, Argonauts, Odysseus, Olympians, Zulu, Kronos, Promethean, Nemesis, Daedalus, and Hercules were all on the table. Each fireteam, consisting of 4-5 members, is called a Striketeam. Many are equipped with dual submachine guns, while others carry heavier weapons like miniguns, .50 Cal HMGs, or the Falcon’s Fury, a man-portable shoulder-fired direct energy weapon used in an anti-vehicle role. Some, like Cadenza, use the LB01 Individual Combat Weapon, DMRs, sniper rifles, and shotguns. Just like normal infantry, there are riflemen, grenadiers, CQB experts, snipers, and missile units. Cadenza explained that the maximum number of soldiers in a fireteam is five because "a few are harder to track, and anything over five is considered big." Given that these soldiers are almost seven feet tall and wear advanced armor, five is indeed a formidable number.

  Cadenza also mentioned rumors of a Generation 4 of Project Phoenix soldiers. Unlike the III’s, the IV’s are supposed to be cheaper and can be mass-trained from volunteers instead of selecting the best of the best with the highest wills. They are intended to be produced more quickly, at a lower cost, and with a lower life expectancy than the III’s. The IV’s are supposed to be more numerous, better trained, cheaper, and, if necessary, more expendable. This shift represents a move towards quantity over quality, whereas Generations I, II, and III were chosen for their quality over quantity. Cadenza likened the Gen I, II, and III’s to the 20th-21st century version of Spartans from Sparta, as they were put through hellish training similar to the Ancient Spartans, but with already trained soldiers.

  I asked Cadenza about her boyfriend. She said he’s fine and mentioned that she doesn’t care about his career in politics. If Francis wants to pursue it, she supports him. Cadenza shared how one group of his adoptive extended family had the nerve to ask him to give their daughter a job because she has a degree in political science. Francis refused, explaining that his position requires experience and that he doesn’t have the authority to hire or fire anyone. If he did, he would be fired for overstepping his bounds.

  I was about to commend Francis for standing up for himself, but Cadenza continued. She explained that the woman in question is also adopted, but unlike Francis, she is loved by the entire family, except for his adoptive parents. Francis’s adoptive parents love him as their own, while the rest of the family resents him for not being biologically related. The woman was adopted by family members who did so to boost their own egos, not out of genuine love. Cadenza said that some of Francis’s extended adoptive family have a savior complex, while others are just jerks.

  Cadenza also mentioned that Francis’s extended adoptive family demanded that they take in their adult children for Project Phoenix. Both Cadenza and Francis refused because they want people with the highest wills who aren’t afraid of getting hurt. Many of Francis’s extended adoptive family members would tarnish the Phoenix’s image. They are the type of adults who cry over spilled milk and minor injuries, unlike his adoptive parents, who, despite being in their late 40s, are resilient and don’t complain about trivial matters.

  Cadenza also mentioned that Francis's extensive adoptive family wouldn't fit the Phoenix's unofficial motto of wanting to fight. While an average soldier might say, "We need to run away" when facing a threat, the Phoenix's response would be, "We need to fight" or "We need a weapon." They're hardwired to fight, not flee. According to Cadenza, Phoenix soldiers always say, "The missions change, they always do."

  She also shared that Francis's adoptive father is a Gen 2 Phoenix, from the 70s to early 90s. Unlike their predecessors, Gen 2 Phoenix soldiers were given normal battle fatigues with tactical vests, elbow pads, and knee pads. This was a step up from just wearing gas masks, which were used for both intimidation and practical protection from the backblast of bazookas. During World War II, Little Bird soldiers armed with bazookas wore gas masks to protect their faces from the hot exhaust, while Project Phoenix soldiers wore them primarily for intimidation.

  I remarked that it was impressive to have both a Gen 2 and a Gen 3 Phoenix in the same family. Cadenza agreed, noting that Phoenix soldiers aren't the type to be redeployed for tasks like civilian evacuation sites, which would be a waste of their resources and expertise.

  I then asked Mitchell about his half-sister. He said that Cadenza is more male than female in her interests and demeanor. According to Mitchell, Cadenza prefers traditionally masculine pursuits and tends to look down on those who don't share her interests. People often remind her that she's a girl, but she either denies it or considers herself an "honorary dude" because she sees herself as "better" than other girls. However, Mitchell also acknowledged that Cadenza understands everyone is different, like his wife Cadence. Mitchell and Cadence followed social norms by getting married at eighteen and starting a family by twenty-two, while Cadenza and her boyfriend Francis are still dating. Cadenza values her independence and isn't keen on being tied down by marriage, even though she and Francis live together. They have different tastes in music, with Cadenza enjoying College Radio (Indie, Garage, and Noise Rock) and Francis preferring emo, pop punk, and post-punk revival.

  Cadenza mentioned that Francis is the type who doesn't care about anyone's opinion except for hers, his friends, and his adoptive parents. She said, "Francis is nice and sweet, but he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about him other than me, his closest friends, and his adoptive parents." This means Francis only listens to and cares about a select few people. If his parents want to come over, he asks Cadenza for her approval first. He wouldn't invite his whole family to live with them without her consent because the house is hers, even though he lives there too. Cadenza also asks for Francis's permission before inviting her family over to ensure they don't bother him. Not everyone in Cadenza's family supports their relationship, but as long as they are happy, that's what matters. Open communication is key to their relationship, just like in mine with Lusty. On our first date, Lusty was honest about having kids and needing to get home early, which set the foundation for a healthy relationship.

  Cadenza said that some of her family members don't approve of their relationship for various reasons, like her having a firing range at home to practice her marksmanship. Despite these differences, Cadenza and Francis prioritize their happiness and open communication.

  Cadenza mentioned that some of her family members want her to help them become Project Phoenix soldiers, but she refuses for several reasons. First, Project Phoenix requires soldiers who think strategically about defeating their enemies, not those who rush in without a plan. Second, the project demands soldiers with the highest wills, capable of surviving grueling training designed to break all but the toughest.

  Cadenza also shared that some family members try to give her advice on how to do her job. She tells them to save their advice because she doesn’t need it. As a Lieutenant Commander, she’s an expert in her field. Interestingly, Project Phoenix uses both Army and Navy ranks even though it falls under the jurisdiction of Little Bird Special Operations Warfare, not the Army or Navy. Cadenza often has to remind her family that she’s not a newbie and doesn’t need their advice, which is like a novice boxing fan trying to tell a professional wrestler how to fight.

  The only family member whose advice she values is her father, the General of Special Operations in the Little Bird War Department Special Operations Warfare branch. Like Cadenza, her father began his military training as a child, pushed to his limits by his own father. While he started as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant at a medical base, Cadenza is an officer who goes out into the field.

  Cadenza described their training to me, and it sounded like a nightmare. Imagine Boot Camp, Advanced Individual Training, Airborne School, Ranger School, and Advanced Training all rolled into one. That's Project Phoenix training for you. It takes two grueling years before you even get your number and armor. The First Generation had it even tougher—they went through eight months of intense training for “Operation: Downfall” before the war ended. From October 1945 to July 1950, they continued to train before being officially deployed in Korea. All three generations faced training that was nearly impossible to endure.

  Cadenza explained that during the first years of training, the Phoenix recruits are put through situations and drills that push their abilities to the absolute limit and beyond. This brutal training is paired with high-level education, covering mathematics, science, history, reading, writing, and military tactics. They even developed a unique system of signals for use among themselves. When I asked Cadenza how many Phoenix members there are, she said it’s classified but hinted that the number is between 110 and 170. That means there are about twenty-two to thirty-four fireteams, assuming each team has five members. Some teams are smaller by being a team of four, but I’m guessing there are around twenty-two teams in total.

  Cadenza also shared a bit about her family. She said they couldn’t handle the training because they lack the willpower. She mentioned a cousin-in-law who was married for about an hour before her cousin poked his new wife in the chest and told her she’d do as he said, whether she liked it or not.

  Cadenza believes their training is designed to break you, and her family would have crumbled within seconds. She described her family as the type who claim to be happily married but cheat on their significant others, then gaslight them into thinking they’re delusional until they finally leave. Cadenza and her father are the exceptions—they haven’t cheated. Cadenza is in a happy relationship with Francis, and her father is divorced because his ex-wife was caught selling military secrets and tried for treason.

  Many of Cadenza’s family members live in a fantasy world, like those romance novels where a bored spouse finds excitement with a mysterious stranger. Cadenza, however, lives in reality and knows that cheating in real life is different from the happy endings in books. In reality, cheating hurts and breaks relationships. She pointed out that in some romance novels, the husband or wife is oblivious, but in real life, people are more perceptive. They notice when their partner starts staying out late or doing things they wouldn’t normally do, like going out dancing or partying without them.

  Cadenza said that her family couldn’t be in Project Phoenix because they’re the type to cry over spilled milk. The training is designed to test your strength, and her family would fail. They also tend to listen to bad advice, like having open relationships even if their partner disagrees. Cadenza’s advice to them is simple; if you don’t want to be in a committed relationship, just break up or get a divorce instead of going behind your partner’s back.

  Cadenza even said that their basic training makes other special forces candidates' training look like a playground for elementary school students, and regular army basic training looks like a playground for preschoolers. That should tell you something about the intensity of Project Phoenix training.

  She mentioned the Little Bird's most elite special forces unit, the Silent Serpents, which consists of only two battalions—the 8th and 11th. There are only sixteen hundred of them overall, and their training is so rigorous that only 1% make it through. Out of 1000 recruits, 990 drop out. For Project Phoenix, the selection process culminates in a week-long exercise where the surviving applicants are given basic survival equipment and a movement-restricting greatcoat. They are then told to evade capture from trained special forces teams. These teams could be anything from foreign forces accompanying the Army on training exercises, to Marine Commandos, a platoon from the Paratroopers, or a company of Silent Serpents who have been promised extra leave and rations for every trainee they catch. This is where many people get kicked out because if you’re caught, you’re out.

  Cadenza even said some recruits die during the training, and this is considered normal. Project Phoenix only wants the best; if you died in training, you would have just weakened the team and died in combat anyway. She also mentioned that during their training, they are never given proper equipment. If you need to climb a mountain or scale a wall, you have to find other ways to do it without the equipment. She’s not talking about rugged ridges and rounded, weathered peaks kind of mountains, but fold mountains like the Alps or the Rockies.

  Cadenza even said that if a Phoenix does die in combat, they’re not labeled as KIA. In her own words, they don’t want to tell the public that a soldier in armor costing the same as two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can be killed. I had to do the math—in Little Bird, that’s $1,319,440,924.53. So, yeah, I can see why it’s a closely guarded secret if one does die in combat. That armor costs a literal ton of money and can’t be mass-produced on a regiment scale.

  Cadenza said they can do things no normal human can. What they do looks like child’s play compared to their capabilities. For instance, they can carry weapons that are usually crew-served with ease. Take her boyfriend, for example—he uses a tribarrel minigun. A normal person can’t carry it due to the weight and the need for a power source. But Project Phoenix found a fix by creating a backpack to hold the battery and an additional 5000 rounds, connected to the minigun via a belt. Their armor can handle the recoil and act as a counterbalance, allowing them to dual-wield weapons like assault rifles without being affected by the recoil. However, they usually dual-wield SMGs because they’re more combat-efficient and easier to reload. While reloading one, they can fire the other and use their leg to reload the empty one.

  I asked about their training uniform, and Cadenza said she’s wearing it—a white muscle shirt, track pants, and athletic shoes. She mentioned that their training uniform is made of expensive, high-quality materials because generic clothing would wear out and tear apart after a while. The military uses high-quality, long-lasting materials for their clothing. Cadenza said the athletic shoes, track pants, and muscle shirt she’s wearing cost $200 per piece. To me, that’s expensive for training uniforms, but it makes sense given the rigorous training they endure.

  I asked Cadenza about the shotguns they use, and she said they use either automatic or semi-automatic shotguns, while the regular military uses semi-automatic and pump-action. The regular military sticks to twelve gauge, but the Phoenixes use both twelve gauge and eight gauge.

  Cadenza also mentioned that she and the others in Project Phoenix don’t say sorry unless they truly feel it. Given what I’ve seen of Cadenza’s fighting skills and her personality, she’s not the type to apologize easily. Just moments ago, she fought off fifteen people like it was nothing—just another day at the office for her, minus the insurrectionists or insurgents. In Little Bird, there are people who try to undermine and overthrow the government. These insurrectionists label the Phoenixes as demons because fighting someone in advanced armor who can pick you up and throw you like a Hail Mary in football is terrifying. Especially when they can survive things that would wipe out an infantry regiment.

  Cadenza said that if they have to fight insurgents in an urban area after citizens have evacuated, both the Phoenixes and Silent Serpents can access the city or town’s metropolitan systems. They can get navigation data on the fly and instant intel in the field. This level of advancement makes them incredibly effective in urban combat situations.

  Cadenza finally said that the Silent Serpents are the silent type, while the Phoenixes are the loud type. She didn’t need to explain because it’s clear—the Silent Serpents excel in stealth, engaging from the shadows to maintain the element of surprise. On the other hand, Phoenixes are deployed in situations where stealth isn’t an option. It makes sense, considering a person in full armor, including their body weight, totals around 1000 pounds. Sneaking around isn’t exactly feasible.

  Since 1914, the Silent Serpents have been trained in infiltration, stealth, and striking from the shadows. They are the living embodiment of the phrase, “We have to keep making the enemy afraid of the shadows and darkness,” striking like the boogeyman. Their training and tactics are designed to instill fear and uncertainty in their enemies, making them wary of every shadow and dark corner.

  To me Cadenza doesn’t feel like she should belong in Clearlake because Clearlake is like one of those ‘50s towns that you see in sitcoms where nobody swears, everybody smiles and waves to each other and says howdy to each other and everybody drives with two hands at the ten and two position on the steering wheel and feels like unlawful acts are impossible. Of course I’m living in a country that the 1950s is a lot different from the 1950s back in America.

  I said what Buckminster Fuller said of “Those who play with the devil’s toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword,” because of how Project Phoenix well with Generation 3 of having thinks that is alien because of them being physical altered from alien material and having sets of armor that’s only possible via reversed engineered alien tech that if it without it well said armor would be not in the twenty-first century but like several hundred if not several thousand years from now. With that alien material more or less makes Cadenza and the other Gen 3 Phoenix’s to be alien than human as well because it’s not normal for a human to jump as high as a single story industrial building or to throw someone like a quarterback throws a football or able to stop a car that would’ve normally ran someone over and recover from wounds that would’ve either killed or permanently disable a normal human or recover from injuries that’s literally superhuman because it takes a normal human six to eight weeks for a deep cut wound to fully heal but for Project Phoenix supersoldiers can have deep cut wounds within sixteen hours.

  Cadenza also said that the Phoenix’s and the Little Bird military overall is embracing the future of using drones and other unmanned vehicles but is doing it in a way that someone can’t just come and take it. The military has different drones besides your normal UAV used for recon or an assault drone which is nothing but a small two tracked drones with a machine gun or a minigun.

  Cadenza even said that if Phoenix’s are deployed for domestic policing, well long story short that’s a terrible idea because Phoenix’s are trained for fighting and killing the enemy not capturing HVTs or pacifying the population.

  Mitchell asked me if it bothers my father to know that his only child is a firefighter in which I told him that I told him like any parent there is worry but from other family members that ask my dad the same question he says that he’s not fully scared of losing his only child because he knows that I’m in safe hands of having a team that I’m in of making sure we’re all safe but my dad just tired of being asked the same question and started to tell other people including other family members that he’s not worrying about my safety and how that the company I’m on while yes it’s staffed with more seasoned and more experienced guys and how that I got out of my probationary period last month. But the guys that I work with have ten-twenty years of experience because the emergencies we go on require specialized tools but go to emergencies either as a Engine or Ladder Company or go to emergencies that need specialized tools. But not the services of a Rescue Squad and if we go to fires assigned as a ladder company then well the closest thing we do of fighting a fire is that the company engineer would hook up a supply line to a hydrant and connect another supply line from our rescue engine to another engine company to supply them with additional water.

  I even told Mitchell that while not related to my job but many of the dates I went on because my mother forced me to go on the guys that the ones who couldn’t take no for an answer well many of them said “You brought your D game”referring to my breast size of being D sized well technically an DD/E. Cadenza said that her’s is a B but honestly I don’t care because we’re all different. Cadenza said that she had been on a date where a guy said the same but said B game instead in which Cadenza said how she just excused herself to use the bathroom and climbed out the bathroom window by squeezing through it and never looked back.

  Cadenza also said how she’s the type who wouldn’t ever ever help her family no matter what because they’re the type who always want a safety net and take others' help for granted and never repay them.

  Cadenza gets it. She knows exactly why the rest of her family can't be part of Project Phoenix. They have this maddening cycle: go into debt, make one of the kids pay it off, get another loan, and repeat. It's like they expect a never-ending lifeline.

  But Cadenza? She’s smart. She won't play into their game. She refuses to sacrifice her own stability and dreams to bail them out, just for them to fall right back into debt. She's 20 years old, yet she's already thinking ahead—saving for emergencies and retirement. She's carved out a life for herself that's independent and secure. She’s not going to jeopardize her well-being for anyone who doesn’t respect her sacrifices.

  It's wild to think a 20-year-old has a better grasp on financial security than adults who burn through money faster than they can earn it. Cadenza's message is clear: she's not going to put herself through hell to help others if it means suppressing her own happiness. She’s pragmatic and determined. If she needs to move, she’ll do it—maybe buy a farmhouse, bring her animals, or let her dad take the house instead of selling it.

  At the end of the day, Cadenza's already a Lieutenant Commander at 20, showing she's got what it takes to be a leader. Project Phoenix chose her for a reason, putting her through leadership training to find the best in combat and command. She's a force to be reckoned with, and she knows exactly what she wants.

  I told Cadenza that I’m the same as not helping out family or friends monetarily because many of them are the type that if you loan them money or help them out monetary they’ll take that for granted. I told Cadenza that the best way to help people is to stay on the sidelines and let them figure it out themselves because many people are the type who if you keep bailing out they will keep getting into trouble not caring because they know there’s people there who’ll bail them out time and time again.

  I shared with Mitchell and Cadenza about our cousin Dave's firehouse in Empire. The area he serves, honestly, makes newborns seem like rocket scientists. The fires they respond to are often due to pure stupidity—like people leaving a lit cigarette on an open can of paint or falling asleep with a cigarette in their mouth that then sets the bed on fire. They even do things like putting coins in a fuse box to save on electricity or running electric cords under rugs where they get worn out by foot traffic and vacuums, exposing live wires.

  When these folks leave their houses in such a state, it means that if a fire breaks out, the fire department can’t fight it aggressively. Instead, they have to go defensive—surrounding and drowning the fire with tons of water from every possible angle, using 1? and 2? inch hoses, the deluge gun from the engine company, and a 100ft ladder company for aerial support. It’s chaotic.

  In the district of Emerald Pastures, people just don't learn. They keep making the same mistakes. Dave often feels like he's about to snap and refuses to respond to fires there—but he can’t do that, of course. It's illegal, and the fire department has to respond, no matter how reckless the residents are. It's like these people never heard the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." They seem to have it ingrained in their heads that whenever there's trouble, they should just call for help instead of learning from their mistakes.

  Mitchell and Cadenza found it ironic too. Cadenza even asked if the district I work in is stereotypically dangerous, to which I admitted, yeah, it is. It's part of the inner city, but our calls are mostly for fires and medical runs. Many of the fires we handle are just unavoidable, no matter the precautions.

  As for medical runs, 99% of them aren't crime-related. They’re the everyday things—broken bones, childbirths, and other natural incidents. Our rig is unique, not just because it's a Rescue Engine, but because if you broke the City of Empire up, it’d be like six different fire departments rolled into one.

  Empire's inner city streets are tight, unlike Riverview, Emerald Pastors, and Highwood, where streets are wider. Uptown and Downtown are all highrises and skyscrapers, while Eastside and Westside have tenement buildings. The Factory District is industrial, with huge factories, and Anderson is filled with wooden houses for factory workers. Riverview and Emerald Pastors have mid-rise apartments, low-rise commercial buildings, and many prefabricated houses. Tallwood is full of mansions, and Highwood has mid-rise commercial and residential buildings.

  So, our fire department is really six in one. The district I’m stationed in has tenement and apartment buildings, each with its own challenges. Fires could be on any floor, and we often share stairwells with evacuees. Sometimes, faulty fire alarm boxes send out wrong codes, saying different floors are on fire. Response times vary—from 90 seconds to over five minutes—depending on weather and traffic.

  Our company, besides having specialized tools for emergencies beyond a normal Engine and Ladder Company's scope, has tools specifically for highrises with a few for non high-rise emergencies. My girlfriend's company is similar, but they focus on single-family houses and non-high rise emergencies, with a few tools for highrises.

  Cadenza said that her family would think what I do is easy—but they wouldn’t dare try it. They have no idea what it really takes.

  Yeah I told them that for the inner city for the City of Empire that the fire apparatus are more more compact primarily because of the narrower streets and tighter urban environment while in the other districts meaning the districts of Emerald Pastors, Riverview, Highwood, Tallwood, and the Factory District don’t have narrower streets because of the inner city part of the city of Empire that all of the firehouses of the city of being in the inner city are tractor drawn fire trucks while in the districts that aren’t part of the inner city have rear mount trucks that don’t have the mobility as a tiller ladder.

  Cadenza went on to express her frustration with her family. She feels like they’re completely unfair and play blatant favorites. Her family in a nutshell showers their golden child with every luxury imaginable, while the rest of the kids are left out in the cold. If their favorite gets into trouble, they’re ready to go into debt to rent the most extravagant wedding venue, throw a five-course meal, put on a costly fireworks display, hire a live band, and spoil the groomsmen with golf outings and country club dinners that require months of advanced reservations. Meanwhile, the bridesmaids and maid of honor get whisked away to a fancy spa.

  But if any of the other kids get into trouble, they’re left to fend for themselves. Their parents won’t even spare a penny for a lawyer. All they get is a lukewarm "congrats" or skepticism about their relationships. If their golden child decides to marry someone they’ve only known for a few months, their parents immediately start planning the wedding and spare no expense. They hire the best lawyer they can afford if their golden child gets into legal trouble.

  Cadenza’s resentment is clear. She despises this blatant favoritism and the sacrifices her parents are willing to make for one child while neglecting the others. She values fairness and self-reliance, qualities that have shaped her into the strong, independent leader she is today. Despite her family's flaws, she’s determined to carve out her own path and make decisions that prioritize her well-being and future.

  Cadenza mentioned how fortunate she feels to be an only child raised by her father. Her extended family—uncles, aunts, and their golden children—are a different story. When the favored kids get into legal trouble, even with the best lawyer at their side, they often make things worse by throwing temper tantrums and refusing to keep their mouths shut, making the lawyer’s job infinitely harder. In Little Bird, if you ask for a lawyer, you get a public defender. But if you can't stay quiet and let your lawyer do the talking, you're only making things more difficult for yourself.

  Cadenza recounted how her aunts and uncles would pay bail for their favorite kids and tell them to appear in court on a specific date. However, the golden children treat bail like a free pass. When they skip court and get mad when police kick down their door to arrest them for failure to appear, they don't understand that bail jumping is a crime on its own. In Little Bird, the judge will make sure they’re held in jail until their court date.

  Mitchell chimed in about how the Police Department can issue an I-Bond for certain misdemeanors. If any criteria are broken, a misdemeanor can quickly escalate to a felony charge. People often view bonds as freedom, but violating them or not showing up to court will result in arrest.

  Cadenza also shared her traditional values of respecting marriage and love. She’s disgusted by those who cheat on their significant other, and I couldn’t agree more. She’s glad her family doesn’t live in a small town like Clearlake, where word travels fast. In a town of 5,500, people who change partners frequently would be looked down upon. Clearlake folks gossip, and cheaters find it hard to get another partner quickly. In contrast, Empire’s 1.5 million residents mean that reputation isn’t as easily tarnished, and not everyone cares about infidelity or quick turnarounds in relationships.

  Cadenza shared more about her chaotic family. During the holidays, her cousins often have a revolving door of boyfriends or girlfriends. By Christmas, they’ve moved on to someone new. By New Year’s Eve or Day, there’s another new face, and by Little Bird Unification Day in March (similar to the Fourth of July in America), there’s yet another new partner. This pattern continues year after year, showing their inability to commit to a single person for long.

  Curious, I asked Cadenza how long she and Francis had been dating. They met back in ‘02 in 7th grade and started dating in 9th grade in ‘04, meaning they’ve been together for six years and have known each other for eight.

  Cadenza also mentioned how her entire family charges their kids rent. While it’s normal for many parents to charge their kids 15-25% of their paychecks, Cadenza's family does things differently. Typically, a part-time job wage of $176/month would mean kids paying $26.40 or $44 a month for rent, which is reasonable. Many parents even put this rent aside to give back to their kids when they move out. However, in Cadenza's family, the golden child doesn’t pay rent. The other kids, meanwhile, are charged $51 or $88 a month. If it’s $88, they could rent a place for $71 and save money, but her family charges them twice to make up for the golden child not working. They tell the golden child they don’t need to work at all.

  Cadenza also talked about some cousins who tried to sell her on business ideas, hoping she'd invest. But when she asked about their experience in the field, they got cold feet. Some had college degrees in the field, but to Cadenza, a degree doesn’t make someone an expert. I told her I have a degree in fire science, which is practical because I’m a firefighter. But Cadenza pointed out that her family members might have a degree in business, yet they don’t know how to run one. Some try to start businesses catering to different backgrounds but end up offending the very people they want to serve because they lack understanding.

  Cadenza highlighted that many in her family try to act like another race without knowing their background, which can be offensive. She’s third-generation Italian-Little Birden and part Australian through Mitchell’s mother, who’s first-generation Australian-American. Despite their shared mother, Cadenza feels more connected to her Italian heritage. She respects her father and birth mother’s heritage and doesn’t want to offend her mother’s side of the family. Mitchell’s mother is Cadenza’s mother too, even though she’s her birth mother, because she took time to check on Cadenza during her youth, unlike Cadenza’s father’s wife who walked out when she was just two weeks old and never looked back.

  I told Cadenza that it’s smart to acknowledge her birth mother’s heritage but to avoid doing anything that she doesn't fully understand or that might offend an entire country. She sticks to her Italian roots because of her father, knowing mostly Italian traditions, as her great-grandparents left Italy when Mussolini came to power. When I asked if any of her family members stayed behind during Mussolini's reign, Cadenza shared that her great-great-grandparents stayed because of their age. A few great-granduncles and great-grandaunts stayed too, with their sons dying in the North African or Italian campaigns during the war.

  Cadenza also expressed distrust for her family, who gossip behind friends' backs and spread harmful rumors—rumors that can ruin lives and relationships because people often believe them without questioning. She echoed Mitchell’s sentiment, "So much for ‘love thy neighbor’." I agreed with her stance on not pretending to know a culture she’s unfamiliar with, emphasizing that it’s better to ask questions than to pretend and risk offending others.

  As the saying goes, "If you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to ask," or, "Just because you’ve seen a glimpse of someone’s culture, don’t act like an expert." Acting without understanding can cause significant offense.

  Cadenza’s approach is wise and respectful, ensuring she honors her heritage without overstepping bounds. Her awareness and cautious respect for her mother's side of the family demonstrate her maturity and sensitivity towards cultural nuances. Despite the complexities of her family dynamics, she navigates them with a clear sense of who she is and what she values.

  Of course, Cadenza always feels like her back is against the wall but just inches away from the finish line, so she keeps pushing forward. She mentioned she could never be a lawyer because her family would constantly want her services pro bono. Her family, in a nutshell, has a history of violent outbursts that ruin their cases or make the opposing side’s job easier, essentially handing the other side their closing argument on a silver platter. Sometimes, people can be their own worst enemies.

  Cadenza also shared how some family members file workers' comp claims for injuries they faked, only to get caught on CCTV hurting themselves. When the footage surfaces, it becomes an open-and-shut case, and their attempt to defraud their employer backfires.

  Her family is also the type that will sign a contract without reading the fine print, while Cadenza and her father meticulously go over every detail. They ensure what they're told is clearly written in black and white. Despite this, her family has sued companies over contracts they didn’t thoroughly read. They think they can outsmart the system by only reading the “Sign here” part, but it doesn’t work that way.

  Cadenza shared that her family sues companies because they weren’t smart enough to read the fine print, acting as if they’ve outwitted the system. Cadenza, on the other hand, will gladly read a contract in detail before signing. She understands that many people sue companies or employers by signing contracts they don’t fully understand or refusing to sign until bullied into it for a payout. However, legal gamesmanship only goes so far before it backfires.

  Cadenza even said how she had family members who were contractors but were fired because their work either badly harmed someone or caused a place of residence or business to be shut down and condemned for health reasons. In which some of them were insured and their insurance defended them saying how their house or business was always like that or other ways of not paying out the claim even hire an outsider paid contractor who would say what the insurance company was saying. But the thing is Cadenza said how that benefits the insurance company and their defense of hiring someone who will agree with who’s paying them but her family who were contractors lost their license once the party that’s suing was able to break their defense.

  ___________________________

  Back home.

  I got a text message from my dad about Thanksgiving plans in which he said that he’s going to be hosting so other family members are going to come over to my dad’s house. In which I told him that I’ll bring Macaroni and Cheese or in other terms I mean I’ll make it at his house before the guests arrive and I’m going to be leaving the day before to go to my dad’s house and stay for the two days and leave the following day because I decided to do that so I can spend some time with my dad catching up face to face.