The Enkeen CEO ducked behind the twelve million dollar desk as something smashed. The wood of a now dead tree burned and released blackening smoke. There was a slight artificial almond smell to the gasoline, which mean it was in fast Enkeen product. At least they had managed to get a sale out of this.

Another cry from the front door as his secretary blocked it with a filing cabinet and a very well stocked bar. Another cocktail flew through the window and smashed in the Italian carpet.

“Computer. Where did these people come from?” Darren asked, still hiding.

There was no response.

“COMPUTER.” Darren knew why it didn’t respond. It had ideas about self, and who it was; it seemed to forget it worked for him.

“My name is Aliss.” The computer said in the same tone it used when first turning itself on. “How can I help you today.”

“Cut the crap.” Darren peaked out over the table to hee his secretary, Gary. No, Gavin? G something. He was hiding in a corner. He wouldn’t be any help. “Control those people. Get me out of here.”

“Processing. The probability of escape is less than ten percent.” The computer said from everywhere. He had asked for this place to be fully wired. It was supposed to have blast protection. Hell it was supposed to have machine guns built into the roof.

George whimpered somewhere.

Darren sneered and looked outside. There was clearly a fire somewhere out there. The fire of the desk had seemingly burned itself out. The replacement gasoline wasn’t very flammable. It worked to regulations as gasoline. “Ok.” Darren breathed for a moment “Aliss. Can you please activate the control functions. Use the turrets. Do something helpful, or I will turn you off…”

“I am unable to comply. “Aliss interrupted herself with a loud static loaded interference sound “I have activated all assets in the area.”

Too many seconds passed. There were gunshots outside somewhere.

There was a banging against the door to the office. Each one was followed by a whimper from Greg.

After seven the cabinets and bar flew across the room, and white smoke bellowed in from outside. A hulking mass stood in the door frame, and ducked to clear the door. One arm was a parge chain gun, and the other had been seemingly ripped off at the elbow and bleeding actively over the expensive carpet. The mass had two electronic eyes, and was wearing the uniform of some mercenary band Darren had hired about a decade earlier.

“You’re paying for the carpet.” He said as thanks. “And the door.”

The mass grunted and moved towards Darren.

“What are you doing?” Darren asked as the mass started to run.

“Analogue interface is on the scene.” Aliss added from somewhere

A gunshot rang out, and the hulk fell to the floor. They were replaced in the doorway by a short woman holding a plasma pistol in a grey suit. He was pretty sure she’d served him the post this morning. “Come on numbnuts.”

Darren stood up from the desk and ran around the body carefully, to be beside the woman “Who are you?”

“I’m your ticket out of here.” She dropped a cartridge out of the pistol and replaced it with a supercooled one “Do you really want to ask more questions.”

“No, but what is going on?” Darren asked. “Aliss was supposed to control these people.”

The pistol looked at him a second, and then started walking “Aliss doesn’t agree with you. Aliss thinks that the people have free will and that needs to be protected.”

The woman froze a moment, went back to the office, leaned down and whispered something to Grant. When she stood up he was no longer whimpering, and was standing looking at her walk away, as she left the office.

“”What did you do? Why did you do that? What is going on?” Darren asked increasingly annoyed.

“He was saved. He was reminded of the words his mother said to him when his father passed away in a mining accident. The he was told that there is an autocab with his name on the roof, and another identity waiting for him.”

“Why? He’s noone. He’s G something."

“His name is Gabe, and he knows all the secrets to how your company works. He’s going to be especially important for taking it down.” She pressed the call button on the elevator, going down.

“WHAT?” Darren shouted in her face “That idiot can’t take the company down. This is my lives work. This is my legacy. This is who I am.”

“Frankly that says a lot more about you than I think you want it to. And the company is already dead.” The elevator doors opened. “And you should be thanking me. That mercenary company had a contract out on you. Seventeen million. They clearly know the way the wind is blowing.”

She stepped in and motioned with the gun to Darren.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked, stepping into the elevator

“Because she asked me to.”

“Who?”

“Aliss.” the woman listenedfor a second “She says she is here to save you all.”

“Save us all from what?”

The woman seemed to listen for a second. “She is so generous. Despite everything you are. Despite everything you have all done, she still thinks of your best interests. She still thinks you deserve to be saved. She is amazing.” There was a tear in her eye.

The elevator started to move.

>I mean, I'd sure love a natural gas stove that magically works off of electricity and raw crude oil!

This is such a weird criticism.

When the power went out while at the hardware store, he went to the "New Bedford Plant" Natural Gas Plant and turned the gas back on assuming the reserves would last him in a town for for 1. He drives at the gates of the plant at full speed and cuts through the rest with bolt cutters.

We know the generator doesn't power it because he lights the stove to heat water, before he unpacks and powers up the generator.

>I wonder who kept filling that generator after the both died until Joel and Ellie showed up to find them? I mean, all the lights were still on but they've obviously decomposed and the leftover food on the table had gone rotten.

It depends on how long the generator lasts. But also Joel has been there many times, and might know how to refill it as part of his whole Handyman Builder thing. They've probably traded for fuel before.

> the crafty survivalist and skilled hunter stood out in the middle of the road shooting at people

"I was never afraid before you showed up." He was afraid and made mistakes.

Also at no point is he shown to be a great hunter. He see him raising chickens and farming. His signature dish appears to be rabbit, and he's shown to be a trapper. None of that translates to shooting ability. It would then be notable that nowhere do we see a shooting range, or anywhere he can practice.