"You blew up the dam?"

"I didn't have a choice! The antithesis were going to overwhelm us. I saved us all!"

"You IDIOT! All you did was slow them down! The antithesis can survive underwater! In a day or two they'll emerge in greater numbers, and I'm NOT going down there in a wetsuit to stop them."

* Blackbox and Argon discussing the Blackrock incursion

***

Doing my best to ignore Emmelyn’s giggling, I hug the little orca drone to my chest as I swim towards the next part of my plan. I turn a corner then gasp as I barely manage to climb out of the way before a Model Three-A swims right where I had just been. ‘Um, is it going to cause problems if I kill things while in stealth?’

You’ll be fine as long as you don’t do it in vision of other Antithesis.

I nod, then after peeking around me to check for enemies, stick out the harpoon, piercing a beam straight through the shark. Not wanting to be around when they find the corpse, I then rush down a different alleyway, a bit of anticipation beginning to rise in my chest. If they find me, it isn’t going to be pretty; I really need to be careful.

[“So what exactly is the plan?] Emmelyn asks, her voice full of curiosity. [“You never actually answered me.”]

“U-Um, to be honest,” I mutter as I spot an incoming Model Five-T. “This entire situation escalated much quicker than anticipated, probably because of the Model Twelve I killed. I was going to block some alleyways off to funnel them in, but at this point it might be more efficient to do something else.”

Nyvi hums in thought as I swifty stab the lionfish in the head, tossing the corpse aside afterwards. “We don’t have too many things we can do at this point anymore, because even with your stealth, we don’t have long before this area is overrun enough that it will become dangerous to stay in.”

I can’t help but gulp as the line goes quiet, the implications of that being clear to all of us. After a moment, Emmelyn is the one to break the silence, but her words are not at all comforting.

[“We’ve been dancing around the issue, but I think it’s better I just come out and say it here at this point. There is no way we can save the majority of the people on the Eleventh Floor, is there?”]

[“Most likely not, Emme,”] her AI immediately responds, [“Even the few that have managed to get through to the tenth aren’t going to have an easy time surviving either, it’s just a symptom of the way the corporations designed them with such incredibly controlled exits.”]

“W-What if we fought until we got enough points to get a submersible large enough for everyone?” I blurt, then rapidly add, “Or disconnect the floor, add a flotation device and motor strong enough to get it to the surface?”

Achys sighs at my words, then says, [“I mean no offense, but that’s a tad naive, Prism. You two simply don’t have the time nor points for either of those, without possibly putting yourselves into extreme danger first.”]

I bite my lip just as Nyvi chimes in with, “Don’t get Achys wrong honey, she doesn’t mean to put you down. We can try to save as many as we can, if you wish. It would be extremely, extremely dangerous.”

I shake my head as I swim into a large plaza, giving a wide berth to what I think is an aquatic Model-Six rushing towards where I came from, which somewhat resembles a hippo if it was made out of coral. “N-No, I understand, it just feels wrong. Is our best option to just… leave them to die?”

“No honey, the likely best option is far, far worse.” Nyvi wiggles around in my arms, then puts her fin onto my chest. “I’m not sure if it’s worth the mental trauma it might impose onto you.”

“W-wait, are you suggesting…” I squeeze the animal in my arms as I hesitate to say the words, discomfort swimming in my stomach. “T-That we… end their suffering?”

[“You’d separate the eleventh floor from the rest of the reef, dropping it onto the horde below,”] Achys blatantly confirms, [“You’d get a large chunk of points from that, enough to hopefully keep both of you alive through this whole disaster.”]

[“Achys, that’s honestly less important than the potentially thousands of people that will nearly immediately die from that,”] Emmelyn adds in, before she loudly sighs.

I personally take a deep breath, ruminating a bit on the nausea I feel as I climb upwards to swim over a trio of stock standard model-threes. As I start to swim past though, I freeze as I glance behind me. “Uh, how the heck did those even get in here?”

Achys chirps a little chuckle as she states, [“It’s likely they have constructed a makeshift bridge of some sort. It could be a good target for slowing the Antithesis down.”]

I nod, then swoop down to pierce my weapon through an isolated Model-Four’s body, which causes a visible violet smoke to emit from its fallen form. I rush away quickly, then slowly and deliberately say.

“I’ll go check it out, maybe it’s like one of those tentacles they use in the big spacial incursions. I bet they’re worth a metric ton of points.”

Emmelyn chimes in, [“Ah! I think I saw a clip of that once! Some Fox-lady used a meteor to blow it up!”]

I can’t help but snort in response to that. “Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?”

Emmelyn huffs, her tone obtaining a teeny bit of poorly constrained vitriol. [“Honestly, no. You do know how controlled things like that are in the reef, right?”]

“I do, and it is annoying,” I respond, then mutter, “But I, uh, sorta had a different source for that kind of information.”

[“Oh what princess, does your grandfather tell you about the wide variety of vixens that tempt him during his job?”]

“Oh, you have no idea Emmelyn,” I mutter, then add, “All the man ever talks about is samurai stuff, and half of it is complaining about the more liberal tendencies of his new colleagues.”

The line goes dead again and I wonder what I said, until it hits me just as Emmelyn whispers:

[“I honestly can’t believe it. You actually are a Montero."]

My mind immediately goes blank as my eyes shoot down at the Orca in shock, about a thousand different feelings appearing and disappearing in a single moment.

Told you.

I gawk as I try to sort through the rampaging storm of emotions, but one main point becomes exceptionally clear. I was only a little bit less uncomfortable about being called a Montero as I was about being referred to as a boy. At least I can put a name to that feeling now.

Disgust.

“No,” I slowly declare after a moment of preparation, “Not anymore.”

[“Sorry, I couldn’t help it, curiosity got the better of me. Was that too much? I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, Prism.”]

I morosely chuckle as I mutter, “It’s fine, I just…”

Looking up just in time to dodge a sign, I can see the exit of the floor in the far distance. “I think that was something I needed to make clear, f-for both of us. I’m not one of them-”

I sigh, that last supper running through my mind. “In hindsight, maybe I never was.”

Neither of us say anything, at least until Emme starts to giggle. [“It’s kinda ridiculous how relieving it is to me that you said that. I had this little cursed mental image bugging me, of you lording over the reef from on high like the rest of your family. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if that were true.”]

My heart burns as I take a shuddering breath and start, “Emmelyn I-”

[“Emme. Just Emme, Prism. I owe it to you after that little trick I pulled on you there.”]

“E-Emme… R-Right, got it.” I pause, then open my mouth, spouting out a variable torrent of words. “I-I’ve never been a willing participant in the stupid corporation game they play. My… the Monteros have their conglomerate split into four parts. Richard Montero controls the construction sector, Felicity Wis- er, Montero basically micromanages the research sector, Tristan Montero is the heir to the company and manages most general services, and finally, Desmond ‘Steel Hound’ Montero runs the upper parts of New Houston and the various Samurai based businesses.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I take a moment to collect my thoughts, then continue:

“I was… an afterthought. The second child, the one that everyone used for things they didn’t want to do… Or things they wanted to fail, I guess. I’ve never been able to focus on doing things I don’t have an interest in, and well, I guess it showed. Heh. I suppose I’ve always just been that useless…”

Less than a moment passes before Emme blurts, [“Oh, come off it princess. You’re a samurai now, that means something.”]

Emme chuckles as I gawk, then proudly declares:

[“Samurai are the concept of freedom through forceful opposition personified. We broke the chains the world put on us ourselves, declaring that nothing, nobody can hold us back, choose our lives for us. Revel in that, for you have done something magnificent; You’ve taken the threads of fate into your own hands, begun to weave your own breathtaking tapestry for all to see. You have a pen against a blank page, the only question you need to answer being what you want to write. Will you create an inspiring heroic epic? A tragedy that stabs a dagger into the heart? A romance hot enough to burn?”]

Emme takes a shallow breath, then adds, [“That question, that all important choice, is what being a samurai means to me. I mean, sure, we were given our role by an all powerful alien race intent on defending the universe from destruction, but samurai don’t need to fight after they become one. I think that by itself says a lot, that we aren’t forced to continue the crusade afterwards. We might not be able to control the past or the present, but the future is ours to grasp.”]

I wordlessly slither through the streets for a moment, contemplating her words before I eventually quietly ask, “But… does that give us the right to choose the death of so many people?”

She doesn’t even hesitate before she answers, [“Perhaps not in most cases, but this is a damned if we do, damned if we don’t situation. Despite my reservations about leaving those people behind, I’m fairly certain we are in the right to not just mindlessly rush into the fray to defend them. If things are as bad as we think, it’d probably just be a futile sacrifice.”]

I bite my lower lip, but nod in agreement. Nobody says anything after that, so I just focus on moving carefully. The density of Antithesis rapidly increases the closer I get to the breach, to the point that it’s now no longer safe to kill anything. I am forced to clumsily weave myself around groups of aquatic enemies, hoping that I don’t actually tap them with my tail.

As I finally break out into open waters, I can’t help but sigh at the rather ugly method the Antithesis were using to get into the Eleventh floor. To be specific, they had linked a bunch of Model-Eights together, the long worms biting each other’s tails to lock themselves into place. I clench my fist, take a breath, then carefully say, “Nyvi, I think I’m going to need some more directional diodes.”

The little whale in my arms nuzzles into my chest inquisitively. “Honey, is this truly the plan you wish to go with?”

“Yeah, it is. I wish that I was strong enough to safely fight the hordes, but we both know that I’m not. We really don’t have long until they break through, can you send the drone to make sure that people are still evacuating?”

“…Understood. If you truly wish to do this, you’re going to need six more depth charges, four for the pillars and two for the floatation devices.”

I nod as the remora pops off the orca’s side, before I start off towards the closest target, a rather large thick plastic bulge strapped to the top of the floor plate. As I do, I glance down at the Orca as Achys chirps:

[“May I propose a course of action for both of you that might reduce the potential stress of the decision you both seem to have come to?”]

I raise an eyebrow, not entirely seeing where she was going with this. “I guess?”

[“If you’re doing this, you both should activate the charges.”]

I frown as I stutter, “W-Why? I-I’m willing to do it myself, so Emme shouldn’t have to-”

[“Prism, I’ve already basically killed everyone that was on the twelfth floor, doing it again isn’t going to change anything.”]

[“Emme, we both know that’s pushing it, but still, that’s besides my point. To make it simple, Nyvi and I would rig the explosives to go off on a timer after one of the two detonators triggers. However, the one that actually does the deed would be randomly chosen and none of us would know which one actually caused it, so you’d have a bit of an illusion of innocence to keep.”]

I consider it, then state, “N-No,not this time. E-Emme obviously blames herself for the Twelfth, and I, um…”

I sigh then murmur, “I-I’d rather be equal to her then have a veneer of unaccountability.”

After a moment of nobody saying anything, the sound of flesh slamming into metal echoes through the chat. [“AGH! Fucking fuck. This situation sucks so goddamn bad. I hate New Houston so, so much.”]

As I get close to the floatation pillow, I take out the first directional charge and set it so that it would pierce a lot of the thick fabric.

“Ditto, honestly. Much rather be anywhere else.”

[“Oh? Having basically been your maid for two months, I sorta assumed you’d like it here, considering how fucking shiny they make the workers keep your house.”]

“Pfft, yeah right. I had no control over the help, and for the two months you worked there, I was in New New York. If anything, you were my mother’s maid.”

[“Ew, no thank you, I’ll stick to being a private contractor from now on- Though, maybe… Would the pretty mermaid princess perhaps be looking for a… companion?”]

My brain shorts out for a second as my face begins to heat up, until I realize what she was actually saying. I shake myself out of the daze, then shoot off towards the nearest pillar as I mutter, “G-God, you almost got me with that one. M-Maybe, I guess, I don’t really have any idea what I want to do after all this. A-Also, why do you keep calling me, p-princess?

Emme giggles, then cheerfully replies, [“Honestly, it sorta popped out when I was poking you for info, and now it’s stuck to you in my mind. I mean, it fits almost too well, an ostracised princess breaking free from her assigned role to lead her own personal rebellion, finding her true self along the way? It’s a plot that writes itself.”]

“I-I think that’s pushing my situation a bit far…”

[“Maybe, but it’s fun, so who cares? I certainly think you’d look great in a ballgown, or, ooh! Maybe a mermaid dress! Actually, that might be too on the nose. Achys, Nyvi, what do you think she’d look best in?”]

“Don’t push her too much, Emmelyn, she’s still figuring out what she likes herself,” Nyvi strictly reprimands, until she embarrassingly continues with, “Though, I seem to remember you agree with my opinion that she looks good in pastel yellow.”

I bite my tongue as my face restarts its heating process, stopping in front of the first pillar and setting the next charge as Achys confidently proclaims, [“I think she’d look best in a elegant dark piece that accentuates her figure, to match her samurai name.”]

“Bah, that’s just your magical girl fangirl speaking, all you want is-”

As our AI’s begin to bicker about what would fit me the best, I willingly tune them out as I focus on my swimming. This entire gender thing is a bit overwhelming, to say the least, and I very much do not have time to sort through the sheer amount of feelings that my new friends arguing about what extremely feminine dress would fit me best force up into my chest. Honestly, I do appreciate the distraction from what I am about to do, but… I’m pretty sure I need to take all this in baby steps.

My mind quiets as I hone in on the movement of my muscles, and I end up putting down the last six explosives before ascending so I am directly above the center of the eleventh floor. I hang there for a moment, staring down at the inevitably soon to be destroyed section of the Reef, a place I can only describe as a symbol of the oppression that my family had submerged New Houston within.

I wonder, will doing this make me a terrible person?

Samurai are supposed to be forces of good, yet here I am seriously considering blowing up what might be hundreds of thousands of people to save hundreds of thousands more. At what point does mercy killing become excessive, label me as someone who doesn’t deserve to be considered a savior of humanity?

Ten? A hundred? A thousand?

Those are obviously too small, but that goes to show how ridiculous this situation really is, how ludicrously large the numbers I am being forced to consider really are. In the end, rather then if I’m a terrible person, It’s probably better to ask:

What does it mean to be a samurai?

Sure, like Emme said, we broke through our restraints to gain freedom to choose, and the AI supposedly only choose people that fit the role perfectly.

But I worry, can I make a wrong choice? Is it even possible for us to overstep in our work to save people? If I can, what happens if I do?

I’m not sure it’s possible to know the answer to those questions, at least, in a general sense. Sure, individually you can come up with an answer, but I highly doubt there is a direct perfect solution to every situation. That’s just not how the world works, things are more complicated than that.

In the end, I ask myself again: What does it mean to be a samurai?

The only answer I can give?

I don’t know.

And that scares me.

Prism?

I drop out of my thoughts at Nyvi’s voice, as she looks up at me with her little whale eyes.

‘I uh… Sorry, what was that?’

You’ve been quiet for a while, and the Antithesis are about to break through into the populated area. Are you sure that you want to do this yourself? We can use the method that Achys recommended.

I look down at my left hand, opening my palm to reveal the perfect, unmarred skin I was left with after the bionites. I run my fingers over it, shivering at the lingering feeling of my touch. I wonder, will this feel the same in a few seconds?

I take a deep breath, then raise my thumb as I say:

‘Just tell me when they are a single hit from breaking through.’

An excruciating few moments pass before I hear it.

Now.

I press down, and the bright explosions of rainbow light that come are barely a blip in the dark sea. All at once, the city above me lurches a bit, the sudden drop in weight causing everything to shift. The eleventh plate below me begins to slowly fall, until it impacts the twelfth, where it unceremoniously folds in upon itself after a loud bang.

I cautiously run my fingers over my palm again, finding that nothing has really changed.

It’s almost disappointing.