Alan noticed he could buy flavoring for 5 credits, but considering that was actually $50 and he was better off spending his credits on things that would improve his combat capability, it seemed a bit extravagant. Alan made sure to step lightly as the others were still asleep.

The cheapest sniper rifle was 2500 credits, which was more than Alan wanted to spend, especially since that didn’t even include ammo costs. Thiago had said the cheapest gun was 300 credits, which, now that Alan was thinking about it, was $3000. These items sold by the Administrators seemed rather overpriced. Alan recalled that there was some sort of trading hub downtown. That also aligned with the quest of investigating San Francisco rather nicely.

Alan grabbed his bag and proceeded to the exit of the bunker. At the foot of the stairs before the exit, he found Thiago, bleary eyed, leaning against a concrete wall. Thiago stood up straight, looking over at Alan. He grinned, clapping Alan on the shoulder.

“Hey, man, nice job with that flying beast, I heard from Kitana you helped her kill it.”

“Oh, um, thanks,” Alan said hesitatingly.

“Look, I know I may have been a bit harsh last time I spoke with you, but I thought you had gotten Kitana killed. I know that you’re unfamiliar with our group, but I was nominated the leader for the expedition, and to lead effectively. To make smart, informed decisions, I need to know what’s going on, and for people to follow directions, you get me?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Okay, so is there anything else you think I should know, like the possibly exploding shield generator? Anything your AI has told you?”

Alan recalled the… abnormalities Eve had detected.

“Actually, it’s probably nothing, but, well, Eve did say something about some of our group members having non-standard human behavior.”

Thiago froze for a second, then grinned weakly. “Non-standard human behavior, like, aliens? I’m pretty sure I’d have noticed something like that. I’ve known most of these guys for months.”

“Um, right,” Alan said.

“Anyway," Thiago continued, "As I'm the leader, that means it’s my job to delegate tasks. We’ve been having a rotating guard stand here, making sure nothing enters the base. Nothing has happened so far, but since you’re up, stand guard for the next few hours. I’ve barely gotten any sleep.

"Stand outside, get a better view of what’s going on out there. There have been flashes of light, intermittent fights throughout the city, and we’re not sure if that’s normal for the Game, or if something special is happening. Just for the next few hours.”

“Okay, but I want—”

“Oh, also, we’ll be deciding what we’re all doing later at 7:30. I'll assign tasks then. Do you have any preferences?”

“Um, as I was saying, I want to go downtown to see if I can purchase some things. There was a mention of a trading hub by someplace called the Metreon.”

“Hmm, alright. The first priority will probably be repairing the shield generator, though. Goodnight. Feel free to take the jacket by the exit.”