During the chaos, a moment of clarity appeared. The trapped people used their cell phones to check on their families and friends who were separated from them in the mall. In every store, staff rapidly reacted and covered the clear glass with hurricane protectors to hide from the attackers. Their parents and grandparents had taught them this skill when they described how they had protected themselves from invaders thirty years ago. Civilians tried to call their families on the mainland, but calls were unable to go through. They attempted to use their Wi-Fi, but it was not working.
"How will we do that when calls aren't going through?" Philip asked everyone in the restaurant.
A dark-haired woman in her forties announced in the middle of the restaurant, "I am Wendy Mesahai, a journalist for Owl Media. People on the mainland will hear about the bomb, but we need to tell them that we are safe." The journalist waved her cell phone. "I have a satellite phone, but I am afraid the battery will run out, and I did not bring my charger." Wendy trembled.
"Call them once, and text them every half an hour," a woman suggested.
Wendy agreed and called her coworkers on the Owl Media television channel. She promised updates by text every half hour. After ending the call, the journalist suggested that everyone in the restaurant text their family and friends in the mall to let them know what was happening. Many people outside had run to different stores and were separated from their families.
The people were startled by the pounding on the mall's wall and the hurricane protectors covering the windows. People peeked out from behind the hurricane protectors covering the windows, and they saw gang members outside destroying chairs, trash cans, and Peacetime decorations with swords, baseball bats, and knives. They tried to smash the restaurant's windows, but the hurricane protector foiled their plan. Peeking customers said to the other, "I don't see any guns."
"Payara always attacks with cold weapons," Derek mentioned. The Payara was a hate group that made many recent attacks,
destroying many Blue City businesses by burning cars and vandalizing the street.
A woman asked Derek, "What does 'cold weapons' mean?" "Cold weapons mean swords, baseball bats, and knives. Any
weapon that is not a gun," Derek explained.
"The Payara are teenagers," said an old man sitting in the restaurant's corner.
"Imagine if they had guns," the woman said. "We would have been killed by now."
"Gun laws help in this situation," another woman said.
The old man shook his head and said, "I remember being a young lad. I learned to shoot guns when I was ten years old. I never thought to use that gun to kill someone."
A group of seniors had been sitting in a private room when the attack happened, but now they were sitting in the middle of the restaurant. One of them said, "Do you think laws help?"
"Laws are made to convict you, not protect you," one of the seniors told the people who answered yes.
Wendy Mesahai was trying her luck by calling the police on the satellite phone. The officer on the phone said, "We learned that the bridge connecting the mall to the mainland had been destroyed. We will not reach the mesa without the bridge, and we must wait until the navy arrives. The mall's security guards are not answering our calls."
Wendy repeated this information to the others in the restaurant. She began texting people hiding in other stores.
"I've got more bad news," Derek declared. "My father is Army General Level 2. Our navy and White City's navy are battling pirates in the north. We can't expect help from them."
Steven shouted, "Why are we the UC's dogs?"
Steven was a Token video content creator. Token was a social media website that allowed video streaming, chatting with friends, and business advertisements. Steven was a small shop owner selling cameras, mixers, and similar devices. He used his platform to promote the latest gadgets and techniques in video editing and promote his business.
"We are part of the UC," Derek informed. "Our navy's job is to protect the UC's cities from pirates and sea attacks."