Shelter 7 might not sound too bad but the fact was it was a refugee gathering area. The American military stationed ten thousand men here plus seventy ancient tanks. There were no jets, no computers or any other mechanical objects.
Zheng followed the colonel and the thousand troops into the base. Xuan had sent him message that he had come in contact with the commander of the base using the identity people from the future.
“People from the future… we came from 2077 through a time machine. This war between Transformers and humans lasted tens of years. Our technology advanced and so did the Transformer’s. The two parties came to a stand off. We are the special soldiers the government sent back in time.” Zheng said what they had planned.
The ten officers in front of him looked shocked. It was clear that they were hesitating and suspicious, yet also excited. One officer said. “The future government only sent the few of you? What result will it achieve? What technologies have you brought back? Weapons? Time machine?”
Another officer asked loudly. “Which country are you from? Why is there only one Russian and so many Asians?”
Zheng looked to his teammates then said. “Uh. Have you watched any sci-fi films on human vs robots in the future? I am referring to regular robots.”
A black officer replied. “I have seen the Terminator, which mentioned people in the future travel to the present to protect an important person who will become a leader. You don’t happen to have the same goal of protecting a future leader?”
Zheng laughed. “How could that be. An individual’s effect in a war that determines the survival of the species is negligible. Our team’s mission is to change the future. The Terminator is similar to our future. Humans reached the brink of extinction but we survived and counterattacked. Our population is very small in the future. The twelve of us are big enough to form a sizable special group. Furthermore, the Earth is riddled with wounds. What do you expect such a future to give you?”
The oldest officer of the group nodded. He was a major. “That is how I see our future. Although not surviving but wiped out by the robots. Seeing you here lets me know that humans have not given up hope… This is great. I just have a few questions. What country are you from? The races in this group seems skewed. And why does the government believe the twelve of you can rival the Transformer army?”
Zheng scratched his head. “There are no countries in the future. All humans band together in order to fight the robots. As to why our races are skewed… I haven’t considered it. We were selected based on our strengths. Perhaps Asians are better suited for time traveling. On the second question, don’t you think humans can evolve after fighting such a long war?”
Zheng looked around and found a tin cup. He grabbed the cup then gave it a light grip. The cup crushed inward. When he opened his hand, what was left of the cup was only powder. It seemed as though a mysterious force corroded the cup. The officers couldn’t utter a word after watching this scene. They didn’t see any trick from Zheng or perhaps this trick was beyond their understanding.
Zheng's story sounded inconceivable. However, if what he said was true, they were the final straw the American government could cling onto. Team China also brought back technologies beyond Earth’s current technological level. The Sky Stick, the Valkyrie, the rapid fire RPG were all evidences that they came from the future. The officers transmitted their information to Shelter 1 as soon as possible. It was the most complete military base of America.
“Your mechanical equipment are future tech but I would still advise you to leave the Sky Stick behind. The AllSpark’s power reaches every place. If the Sky Stick turned into a Transformer in the air, you will have nowhere to run…”
The message regarding team China caused a stir among the higher ups of the American government. They immediately ordered Shelter 7 to escort team China to Shelter 1 with half their troops. Zheng refused this order. That wasn’t to say he refused to head to Shelter 1. Xuan and HongLu both had intentions to meet the government higher ups. It was nearly impossible for them to find the AllSpark in such a world without the aid of the American government and military while being attacked by robots.
What he refused was being escorted by several thousand troops. Their power without jets or tanks was limited. Furthermore, marching with several thousand troops came with a higher risk of being detected by the robots. They would be in danger if the a few hundred robots came at the same time. It was better to just fly over using the Sky Stick. Team China could easily take on robots in groups of less than a hundred.
The American government showcased its bad habit again. A group of so called researchers wanted to inspect the Sky Stick, the Valkyrie, the RPG. They also firmly proclaimed the rest of the team were hiding future techs, one of them being an energy shield. The thousand troops were witnesses to the energy shield. And so came the request for team China to leave the Sky Stick behind given the excuse that they might be affected by the AllSpark. Zheng refused firmly. The higher ups might have given other orders as the researchers left disappointed after seeing Zheng's stand.
“Funny. Taking a bite off everything is probably a trait of the American government. I suspect similar things will happen in Shelter 1.” Zheng found it both funny and irritated.
Kampa laughed. “Every country is the same. They are of course interested after seeing our weapons and equipment. If we seized or destroyed the AllSpark, the country with the biggest power is going to be the boss when humans rebuild their society. The same thing will happen whether we are in the U.S., Russia, or China. Everyone’s going to get their hands on our technology at the first chance. The only thing stopping them now is their need for our powers.”
Kampa was rational with his words. It might be due to him being the only Caucasian in team China. He did not see things with China’s interest in mind. The rest of the members nodded as they listened. Ethics did not apply when things concerned the whole country. A country would do everything for its prosperity, even murders.
Zheng said. “You’re right. The Chinese have a saying of hiding your wealth. We have now showed our wealth under bright daylight. The question becomes when will the American government show their claws to rob us. Haha. We aren’t scared though. Our target is the AllSpark. Their first priority is to destroy the Decepticons. Once we finish our mission and return, they won’t even have the chance to rob us… Let’s go. To Shelter 1.”