EMERGENCY ALERT!
EMERGENCY ALERT!
GATE ACTIVITY DETECTED IN YOUR PROXIMITY.
ETA: ~37 minutes
Noble read the words just like everyone else in the room. The clamor of the students immediately started.
Were the Sleepers expected to help? They had not been in this situation before.
Noble clicked on the notification, and the map came up on the screen. Then she selected the option for more information.
ATTENTION ALL AWAKENED
REQUEST IMMEDIATE ACTION
Gate Category: 2 (61% probability), 3 (34% probability), HIGHER (undefined).
Strike Force ETA: 14 minutes, 44 seconds
Noble held up her hand. "Everyone, please calm down. No one is asking you to fight. The distance is too far for any of you to reasonably travel before the strike force arrives. Your turn to defend our streets will come, but it is not today."
The students' communicators all buzzed again. Noble knew without looking what they said.
"Those will be the instructions on where to head as you wait out the disaster. While I doubt that anything from the gate will reach this far, having everyone in a centralized area will allow instructions to be disseminated if an evacuation is needed. Please head to your designated area. Class is dismissed."
Noble had not gotten the second message. Which meant she was not on the list to direct students at the present time.
'The students may not be able to get there before the strike team, but I can.'
Even though it had been years, Noble still remembered her last gate experience vividly. The Antarctic Campaign had been in full swing. As a result, the strike team had not been enough to stand against the tide of creatures that spilled into the NQSC.
While that shouldn't be the case today, Noble still felt uneasy about leaving the heavy lifting to others without at least checking out the lay of the land.
'At the very least, I can aid with evacuation.'
Though not ideal, forty minutes was plenty of time to clear out the area nearest to the gate. There were usually stragglers and older people who would need some assistance. If nothing else, Noble would be happy to make sure they reached safety.
"Professor?" Bee Two must have noted the change in Noble's demeanor.
"Make sure everyone gets out of here safely. We will do Memory analysis another time. I'll be back."
The professor floated over the heads of her students and found a break to exit through the doorway. Soon she was out of the building and into the open air.
"Follow the instructions on your communicator!" She called to the people in the square who were still trying to decide how to react.
The urgency in her voice, along with the jolt of emotion she sent their way, motivated the Sleepers not to remain idle.
A moment later, Noble was over the top of the city and heading for the site of the incoming gate. Thankfully, Noble didn't need to guess which way to go. Her communicator directed her.
'Technology certainly has its advantages.' Noble noted.
Without the Obel Scale and Communicators, the people of the waking world would be like Syrce's Realm, having no warning of when or where a gate would appear.
That was far more terrifying than the alert she had received which disrupted her class.
This way, she had over half an hour to prepare her mind for what was coming.
At least she hoped she did.
As she got closer to the predicted epicenter, people were already beginning to evacuate in earnest. Drills like this were held occasionally, so people generally knew how to exit an area to head to safety.
That didn't mean there weren't hiccups.
Two PTVs were clogging a road, having gotten tangled up and gridlocked. Noble lifted the accident to the side of the intersection so that traffic could resume.
If the drivers wanted to argue about who was at fault while a possibly apocalyptic event was on the horizon, that was their business. Noble wasn't about to let them put other people's lives in danger.
Drawing even closer, Noble could tell when she crossed the line of the highest predicted impact zone. Most of the buildings were empty or becoming empty, and restaurants and businesses were closed or would be very soon.
'Keep going!' Noble wanted to encourage them as she passed overhead. But she kept quiet, unwilling to distract them from the goal. Noble had a goal of her own.
'Find the stragglers…'
The most likely candidates were those too young or too old to successfully flee. The floating Saint felt for any emotional signatures that felt particularly distressed. It didn't take long for her to find her first customer.
An old lady was staring out the window from her chair.
If she had a caretaker, that person was not present. The professor took a deep breath and diverted her course.
She knocked lightly on the window, startling the old woman to the point that Noble had to send her some calm.
"Monster!"
"I'm no monster," the Saint assured her as she gently tugged open the window. "There is a gate opening nearby, and you need to evacuate."
"I can't!" The lady pointed to her chair with wheels.
Noble frowned, doing some quick math as she calculated how wide the window was in relation to the chair.
"Ma'am, just relax. I've got you."
The lady lifted from the chair, and her muscles tensed.
"What the blazes?!"
"Just relax. I've got you." Noble took her hand as she gently floated out of the window, followed by her motorized chair.
Lowering the chair to the ground, Noble replaced the woman in her seat.
"I can take it from here, little missy. Thank you." The grandmother smiled.
"Make sure she gets out of here," Noble told another of the evacuees. He took his place behind the chair with a nod. "If you need help getting back to your room, ask any Awakened to help once the gate is dealt with. I'll try to come back personally if I can."
With the work done, Noble headed on to the next set of buildings and swept them as well. A few more air lifts, and the area felt clear of people in distress.
'Good job, everyone.' Noble was glad that so many people seemed practiced enough to move to safety.
The panic was minimal, probably because the strike team was scheduled to arrive far before the gate was going to open.
Only one building wasn't being evacuated. It was covered in heavy materials from the Dream Realm as those inside were being ushered to a safe place underground.
'A very elite establishment,' Noble nodded.
Just then, she felt the first ripple of reality shifting. The professor knew she had dillydallied long enough. It was time to get the lay of the land.
'I am sure everything is fine, and the team will have things well in hand.'
Noble noted how nice it felt not to be running point on the gate. If it were a low enough gate, she might not have to fight at all.
How strange and wonderful would that be!
'I wonder if I know anyone who is there already?'
Noble released her focus from searching for people in distress and directed it toward the location of the incoming gate.
As she drew nearer, her eyes confirmed what her senses had already told her.
'What in two worlds?!'