A lot.

Matt turned the letter over in his hands, trying not to panic. Penny put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and they read it together.

"Mr. Norman,

The New Fredericksburg Authority would like to speak with you regarding a hiking accident one of our citizens witnessed. He saw one of the boosted women under your care slip down a trail and break her leg quite severely. In our estimation, she needs emergency medical attention very soon, but you have not taken her to receive it. We are aware that you have neither the training nor the supplies to provide it yourself.

We have left you and your small cadre of boosteds alone in keeping with your wishes. You are always welcome in New Fredericksburg, of course, but we understand that you view us with suspicion and disdain. Please allow us to reiterate that our intentions are pure; we have no desire to **** the anesthesia on anyone. You don't believe us, of course, as is your prerogative.

However, with the medical emergency presented by recent events, we feel we must take action to save your boosted's life. We request that you relinquish your firearm and come with us to New Fredericksburg, where your boosteds will all receive medical checkups. Of course, you will be free to leave anytime, and you can take your boosteds with you provided that they no longer need ongoing medical support."

Penny frowned, her face creased with concern. "Do you think we can trust them?"

"You can drop the act," Matt said bitterly. "I don't need you wasting brainpower pretending you don't like this."

Penny grinned. "Thanks! Of course I'm fine with it. And I really think they're telling the truth. I mean, why would they lie?"

"To assimilate me into their stupid cult," Matt said. He continued reading.

"The difficulty here is that you don't trust us. We only resort to **** when it's absolutely necessary, but we think that this is warranted in your case. At 3p.m. today, if you haven't surrendered willingly, a team will come to your house. They will attempt to retrieve your weapons and your boosteds. If you truly wish to, you can kill as many of them as you'd like. Put simply, we have more people than you have bullets.

We would like to avoid this outcome, but we are willing to allow it. Regardless of the condition of your surrender, we will treat you as an honored guest in our town and give your boosteds the best possible care. You may kill as many of us as you like and still walk away a free man; the outcome will be the same for you. Unlike you, we don't fear ****, we don't get bored or anxious, and most importantly we don't feel guilt. The outcome of this afternoon will be that you and your boosted get exceptional treatment from us; the only question is how much harm you do in the process.

We hope to see you soon.

The New Fredericksburg Authority."

"Looks like we don't have much of a choice," Penny said.

Matt sighed. "If they try to give me a pill or shot they're gonna have a fight on their hands."