“The antithesis are eating the polar ice caps! They’re turning the walrus gay! We need to send an expeditionary force of samurai, or everyone is going to die!”
* Flori Daman, 2029
***
As we draw closer and closer to sea level, I start getting more and more concerned about the state of the market. If there was something everyone who lived in New Houston knew, it was that the market didn’t close. Between the fishermen in early morning and salvagers in the late evening, there wasn’t really a chance for it to. This, of course, meant constant noise, and I was getting absolutely none of that.
“A-Anyvi, I’m starting to get concerned about the people in the market…”
Your concern is likely valid, considering that you had Model-Sevens in your room. I would prepare yourself for a fight.
I grimly nod, but as I reach the bottom of the ladder chain, I find myself rather nervous. The idea of going into combat with the antithesis truly scared me, despite what I had already achieved. I probably, no definitely wasn’t prepared to do this either, but… I had to try. I couldn’t just leave something like this, not without the guilt that would come with it.
Placing my duffel down onto the grate, I pull the zipper open to recheck what I had actually taken when I was rushing out of my room. Alongside the large tungsten cube and two others like it, specifically a lead and silver one, I had unfortunately apparently only grabbed the uranium glass, alexandrite and black gems other than that, which were all pretty useless here. I suppose I kept them close to my desk because I liked them, but that isn’t exactly helpful in this situation.
Taking the tungsten cube out again, before sighing and throwing my bag back over my shoulder, I open one of the pockets of the belt and place the cube within. I then cautiously begin towards the market, keeping my head down and eyes open. As I first enter the rows of stalls that encompass the place, a deep anxiety falls over me. The entirety of the shopping center was completely, totally empty, and that was a really bad sign. It was eerie, the way everything had been abandoned. People’s hard earned merchandise had just been left alone, entire meals just sat there growing cold.
I have bad news. The local intranet has shut off access to the wider web. I cannot seem to reach a farther connection point with your implants, so unfortunately it is unlikely we will be able to call for reinforcements should the local Vanguard population fail to get whatever is happening under control. Essentially, we’re on our own.
My eyes grow wide, and I hastily stop to think. The intranet was the New Houston commune’s solution to the internet, primarily intended to foster the growth of culture between residents while reducing the impact of foreigners. In practice, all it really did was serve as a way for the ultra rich to gather information about anything that we did, since all traffic was funneled through it.
“S-shit, keep trying whenever you get a chance. E-Everything about this entire situation is strange.”
I agree. The level of preparation for something like this is frankly beyond what I know the Antithesis are typically capable of. It’s unfortunate, but the two most likely options are that either a very high numbered model has somehow gained access to the area, or there has been some kind of human interference.
Feeling a bit pale, I shudder before gripping my belt in my hand and continuing forward. If this was premeditated, I was probably entirely out of my league, but I had to do something, even if that thing is to figure out what happened before I flee. Looking around for any clues, I freeze when I see a child’s legs sticking out from behind one of the stalls, then rush towards the fallen person.
“H-Hey! A-are you okay? I-I’m a samurai I can-”
Before I can finish, I hear Anyvi yell something about an ambush in my head and I react far, far too slowly. I uselessly try to backpedal as I see the legs in front of me physically split off from one another and stretch their bodies out thin, then of course, I slip and fall on my ass as the snake-like antithesis shoots towards me. Whipping out with my belt, I successfully slam the tungsten cube into one and knock it into a wooden sign with a satisfying crunch, but scream as the other constricts around my left leg and squeezes with enough force to cause the telltale crack that accompanies broken bones.
The heel of the leg’s shoe opens up, revealing a row of what seemed like several centimeter long fangs lining the entirety of both sides of its mouth, and my eyes go wide. As it reels back in preparation to go for my throat, it takes everything I have to not pass out as I pull my belt back, catch the cube in my hand and then swing it straight at the alien’s “head”. Several of its teeth shatter, and without hesitation I slam the snake a second, third, fourth time until it finally lets go and falls limp, disgusting plant juice covering me. Doing my best to work through the agony I could feel with every slight movement, I scoot myself a few feet away.
Before I can deal with the mind bogglingly painful way my leg has been crushed, I flinch as I catch movement in the corpses. Slowly digging their way out of each leg’s skin, two dozen model sevens leave a dark hole behind as they plop to the ground everywhere. Remembering the feeling of swallowing one just a bit ago, I panic a bit, and begin flinging my cube at the models whenever they seem close enough. Nothing seems to work, the cube never reaching my intended targets, until I finally hear my AI’s words.
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Don’t just flail, think about your movements! You can do it!
Calmed a bit by Anyvi’s encouragement, I breathe in, then pull the belt in once again. This time I take a bit of time to consider the elasticity of the belt, and slowly, one by one I slingshot the cube into the approaching sevens. I manage to take out around half of them before they almost reach me, but once they are close enough, I catch the cube instead of using the elastic, then pound every single maggot into the earth.
Targets Eliminated!
Model 9-T: 1 Model
Reward: 25 points
Model 7-T: 24 Models
Reward: 120 Points
Total Points Awarded: 145
“I-I think I fucking hate those things.” I growl, a bit miffed.
Definitely a fair opinion. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to go over what exactly just happened. This area doesn’t seem safe, and you are covered in Antithesis pheromones. We need to get you moving fast but you’re not going to be able to walk with your knee shattered like that. On the bright side, we have a lot more points to work with now! May I ask what you would prefer for your leg?
I consider it for a few seconds, then answer.
“S-Something not too expensive, but T-This really hurts… H-Hurry please!”
Perhaps a Mark-I Auto-injector Mobile Brace for ten points?. It will make it rather difficult but possible to walk, and since it automatically injects you with anesthetic whenever you need it, the pain will fly away!
Caught off guard by the silly way Anyvi had decided to sell the brace to me, I chuckle quietly as I give a thumbs up.
New Purchase: Class-I Auto-injector Mobile Brace
Points Reduced to: 154
The brace appears beside me, and I quickly follow my AI’s instructions to put it on, mostly involving tightly strapping what seemed like a bunch of springs to my leg. Once I finish, a small hiss emerges from the brace, and with it all the discomfort I felt just a moment earlier vanishes. With a grunt, I attempt to stand up, but fall onto my side when I don’t put enough strength into my braced leg.
“O-Ow. I-I feel like difficult was an understatement.”
It will take a little practice, but you’ll get used to it. I would like to say, you are desperately in need of a decent weapon. The cube and belt combo seems okay as a weapon, but if we run into any of the combat based models, you’re going to be in danger. I’m a bit worried.
Picking myself back up, I begin to awkwardly stumble back the way I had come from.
“I-I think that's a good idea. D-Do you have any weapons that I could use underwater, i-if I had to?”
If you are looking for subaquatic upgrades, may I recommend the Class-I Axonfin technology catalog for 120 points? The catalog is a wide collection of various things, nearly all specialized for use underwater due to the primarily aquatic nature of the species who made them. It’s a bit expensive, but would eventually provide the means to allow for you to fight effectively permanently underwater. This would include both biological and mechanical upgrades, should you desire one or the other. The weapons selection isn’t great, focusing on kinetic weapons that fire supercavitation projectiles, but it would be a start and provide a wide array of potential paths for you to take.
Hearing the word bullets, I freeze up, then shake my head.
“T-The rest of the catalog sounds great, I-I just really don’t like guns. M-My grandfather tried to teach me how to shoot when I was a kid, and I-I just…”
I understand, dear. No kinetic weapons then. I will mark the catalog down for later consideration, once we have the weapon situation sorted.
“T-thanks Anyvi.”
After taking your requirements into consideration, I would thereby recommend the Class-I Light-Energy Based weapons catalog, which contains weapons that rely upon different forms of highly focused light such as lasers to do damage. It’s rather cheap at 50 points, so you’ll be able to get a rather decent weapon with your remaining points.
“L-Lasers are um… super cool. W-What kind of options would I have?”
There are a few in your price range, but there are two that would likely interest you the most. First of all is the LXIV-Heavy Pulser, a veritable laser cannon that could likely disable tanks with enough time. It has been proven to eliminate most early antithesis in just one direct pulse. The weapon can fire sixteen times before its battery would need to be either replaced or recharged. While it is quite bulky, it would end up being very effective underwater due to its lower wavelength. It retails at 70 points, but makes up for it with cheap batteries that only cost five.
“I-I don’t know, something about that doesn’t sit right with me. W-What is the other one?”
The Omnidirectional Controlled Laser Emitter, or OCLE for short, is a perfect glass sphere that magnetically levitates a bit above a small platform. The sphere can fire in any direction with a extremely powerful laser, which while not nearly as powerful as the LXIV-Heavy’s shot, can easily eliminate the most numerous threats before they are an issue. While the OCLE was originally designed to automatically identify and destroy targets, with my help you will be able to designate priority targets as you wish. In addition, the OCLE is intended to clip onto a belt, so your hands will be free for other things. It has a steep cost of 80 points, and though they do auto recharge its batteries are ten, but it can fire thirty bursts before then and comes with one preinstalled.
“I-I’m sold, I would like that one, please.”
Right away!
Class-I Light-Based Energy Weapons Catalog Unlocked!
Points reduced to: 104
New purchase: Omnidirectional Controlled Laser Emitter
Points reduced to: 24
The weight of my bag increases, and though it's a bit awkward getting my new toy out of the back while I do my best to get to safety, I do eventually manage. Clipping it onto my Hyperelastic belt after taking the tungsten cube out, I stretch it so that one end of the belt is near my left hip, the other wrapped over my right shoulder. I position the OCLE’s Sphere so that it floats just above my shoulder, then watch as a small box pops into view on my HUD, indicating the current lack of a target.
Now that I had a real weapon, surely everything would be fine… Right?