“Anything caught your fancy?”

“Yeah, just got a distress call from out in the wastes, says they saw some Threes running around.”

“We gonna head out and blow em to kingdom come? Or leave em to build something up first?”

“First one, go get Inque. I’m bored and the area is too populated, and too distant for my artillery strikes.”

-Discussion between CryoFlare and SkyFire six hours after Spark Initialized

My weapon was up before Pyri’s dire warning was finished, the inky darkness ahead of me far too quiet for the pigs that were there just a few hours ago to still be alive. The small amount of light shined through the doorway, revealing more twisted metal and blood painting the concrete scarlet.

Spark, your new glasses have night vision.

Pyri flickered a switch in my hud that was a minimalist picture of a crescent moon with sparkles on it. Hitting it brought sight back into the world, and revealed way too many tentacles. Electricity began lashing out at the Fours as they began writhing around in unison trying to close the gap between me and them.

Most of them were hidden among the destroyed pig crates, but a few had also attached themselves to the lower ceiling. Those were moving faster than their floor bound cousins, so taking a risk, I aimed into the ceiling itself and fired into it. All of them began spasming as their feet locked them into the ceiling due to the current, keeping them from advancing any further.

After a few seconds of frying them, I pulled the warming pistol back down towards their floor bound friends, and fired into anything that moved. The junk strewn throughout the room did provide some cover, but most of the time it just coursed through and hit them at a different point of contact, or it hit a completely different Model. Most of the time it hit both.

After the fifth kill, the bodies latched to the ceiling began to fall, sowing even more chaos in the little tussle we were having. It interfered with both sides, the impacts sending metal snapping up to find purchase inside of living antithesis bodies, the shifting metal also unfortunately able to catch my electricity, conducting it away from the living ivy.

“Nade!”

I held my hand out, and after I felt the weight of it settling into it, I threw it towards the back. After it was done expelling energy, I crept forward with my pistol at the ready.

It’s over, there are no living Models capable of harming you in this room.

‘Sevens?’

While you are most likely never going to have to deal with a Model Seven killing you by taking you over, they can still wreck your internals. My analysis included them as well. And finally.

Combat Log! Model Four x29 435 Jacob's Ladder Ball x1 -5 Reward: 430 Total: 1271

Breathing a sigh of relief, I started picking my way through the crumpled mess of thick wires and bands. “You know, I almost prefer this to breeding pigs. I don’t have to deal with those damn semen bottles and insemination rods.” Shaking my head I sighed. “Nothing but a pain in the ass.”

In that case, you will be happy to know that it is impossible to artificially inseminate livestock once the antithesis have harvested it for biomass, or taken it over via Model Seven.

I chuckled to myself as I finally made it to the other side of the barn where the door had been ripped off its hinges.

‘Why didn’t they move on? This set of buildings we’re in would be the first one hit based on where I saw the antithesis raid flooding in. Doesn’t seem like much use leaving behind so many Fours just for an ambush.’

That is correct. I have a few suspicions as to why, but nothing conclusive enough yet.

I mulled over that a bit. ‘Well on the brightside, this was the only other breeding barn we had.’ I tapped a wayward wire with my foot. ‘So no more dealing with such a large amount of fucked up metal.’

I was practically instantly proven wrong when I emerged into what used to be the feed mixing room. The fate of the full grain bins outside was not shared by the feed bins; Dust was practically everywhere, and shredded sheet metal was strewn all over the floor. The mixer had multiple dents in it, as if a Model Four went to town on the thing only to give up.

‘What the actual fuck.’

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

As a word of warning, be careful with your weaponry. Its discharges are more than hot enough to ignite the dust.

I shivered as a memory of the very same kind of dust coating the floor being lit up by an idling semi went through my head. Being in the middle of a fireball like that in an enclosed space did not sound like fun whatsoever.

‘Noted, let's move on to the gestation barn then.’

I walked to the slightly ajar wooden door across from the breeding half of the building as Pyri piped back up.

Judging by the language you’ve used this is the only gestation barn here, while there are also only two breeding barns. I assume that you have further buildings elsewhere meant to make up for the lack of those facilities here?

My mind practically latched onto the question, ‘Yeah, Benson’s down south. It has most of the gestation pens we use, alongside a majority of the farrowing, and all the nursery barns. It's a pain in the ass when the pigs need moved, but that’s how stuff has been as long as I can remember. It-‘ I pouted at nothing in particular, ‘Wouldn’t you know about that already? What with being a Protector AI and all.’

Yes, but it’s refreshing to get a human take on the reasoning. You all sometimes make the most illogical decisions, yet many still bear fruit. For example; this building has three purposes based on what part of it you’re in. The north side is breeding and the south side is gestation, which makes sense to have near each other as one will feed into the other. Feed mixing in the dead center however? That is truly interesting.

I acquiesced to Pyri’s musings and took a few steps backward and pointed my right hand to the west. ‘That right there is the reason why.’ I was pointing at the side of a large dark blue cylinder that took up the entire west wall. ‘That is a harvestore, it’s meant to hold all the corn we set aside for feed. It was put there due to being easier for wagons to empty into it back in the day, so the mixing room was put right next to it.’

That is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Your family came up with a solution to space and convenience concerns by making a decision that isn’t logical at a glance without a bit of background knowledge, but has meaning and shows how it is a proper decision when examined in depth.

I felt a small swelling of pride at her words, ‘It’s not much to be fair. If anything the system is-was-a bit outdated and easily could benefit from some protector tech.’ Melancholy smothered that pride like a bucket of water getting dumped on a candle. ‘Not that there is really any use for it now.’

I disagree, even if it’s not salvageable for its initial purpose, the material can still be repurposed for equipment and armaments that you can use. There are creation engines and printers you can purchase alongside blueprints that can break down and rebuild things on an atomic level. In fact, your transition may likely happen in one of them.

Before I could follow that specific teaser, I heard the sound of claws scrabbling over concrete past the wooden door I was about to go past. Rushing up to the door I kicked it open and leaped away from the dust covered floors and into the slightly mucky concrete, and fired my Amp-Thrower at the source of the sound I heard.

A singular Model Three fell to the floor convulsing as its nervous system was overloaded.

Standing up and swiveling all over, I found… nothing?

‘Pyri…?’

There aren’t really any Models here other than some Sevens in the manure below.

‘Give me some nades then, and maybe a pouch to hold all this stuff in? A holster that can resist the heat the gun is giving off too please.’

I will need to purchase a catalogue for those requests, Class I Auxiliary Weapon Utilities for fifty points to be precise. As for the bag and holster, those will both cost fifteen points each, and will have features meant for ease of use mid combat. I will also be able to load fresh grenade orders directly into the pouch.

With a nod the table I was quickly growing familiar with popped onto my glasses and a box was placed on a nearby dividing wall to keep it away from the muck.

Combat Log! Model Three x1 10 Jacob's Ladder Ball x8 40 Class I Auxiliary Weapon Utilities 50 MK II Grenade Bag x1 15 MK III Specialty Holster x1 15 Reward: -110 Total: 1161

Opening the box I found a black boxy looking holster and a loaded bag attached to each other by a belt strap.

Just put the belt around your waist, and I’ll adjust them as needed.

Following Pyri’s instructions once again, I put the new piece of gear on and adjusted it so it wouldn’t mess with my toolbelt at all. The holster definitely didn’t look like it’d be holding the boxy hand cannon I left sitting on top of the box it came in though.

Before you ask, the holster and bag are both made of nanite plates. They can adjust to hold whatever you want within reason.

With doubt still clear on my face, I pulled a grenade out of the pouch, and sent it down through the small hatch in the corner meant for helping with cleaning the barn out. As the pit was electrified, I felt the bag shift and looked down expecting to need to swat off a Seven. Instead, I saw the pouch shifting to be just a bit smaller.

The pouch will specifically shrink to keep grenades up near the top where they are easily grabbed. As for the holster, I’ll let it do the talking for me. As for your points…

Targets Eliminated! Model Seven x9 45 Total: 1206

As the table flickered off, I pulled the hand cannon off the wall and went through the motions of holstering it. To my shock, it practically expanded around the muzzle allowing it to slide right in.

‘Pyri this is so COOL!’

I could practically feel the smugness in her response.

I take it you’re satisfied with the design?

‘Yeah yeah I get it, I am sorry I ever doubted you.’

Good.

I stretched a bit, and then opened and closed my hands to work the soreness from my fingers. ‘I need a break, and time to plan. So tell me Pyri. What were you saying earlier about my transition?’