To gain strength, enough to break your chains.
To fight the world, just to protect a stranger.
To step up, when nobody else will.
That’s what it means to be a Samurai.
That’s what it means to be a Hero.
* Anonymous, 2030
***
Free-floating a bit away from the Ninth, I watch nervously as my partner brawls against the horde just a hundred or so feet below me, every swing of her crowbar sending multiple aliens spiraling through the salty depths. Emme’s dogs fight just as fiercely as she does, now having grown to a much larger, wolf-like form. The gigantic cannon she bought fires every few seconds, the explosive shells she’s using causing ripples that I can feel from here.
As I consider getting something to let me help from here, my heart skips a beat as Nyvi’s voice flows into my head, her Orca body floating down into my view.
I’m done, Prism. The final count is Eight-hundred seventeen, the highest concentration is upon the Fourth floor.
I bite my lower lip, doing the gruesome math in my head.
‘I guess… we only need a submarine capable of carrying a thousand then. That’s… probably going to be substantially cheaper than I thought.’
I glance at the wall of the Ninth, where a SAD remora sits, then up towards the First, once again noting the location of the similarly glowing drone I had put upon each floor.
‘Nyvi, what is the best way to make a big showy alert to get people’s attention and let them know what I need them to do?’
Well, you could do just that, an alert similar to the one usually sent out by the local government upon an incursion beginning.
I consider for a moment, then shake my head.
‘No, that’s not going to work. There’s a catch twenty-two, Nyvi.’
I’m guessing you mean some wouldn’t trust it if it’s from you, but if you tried to disguise it as from an authority figure they would trust it’d alienate others?
I sigh and nod.
Taking that into consideration restricts your options here by a lot. Unfortunately, the best option I can see isn’t one you’re going to like very much.
I pale a bit. ‘You’re not saying…’
The most efficient option is likely the Class-I Basic Cyberwarfare Utilities catalog, which will allow us to break into computer systems spread through the city. From there, I can direct them to where they need to go, and start a one-way call where someone can convince them to listen to us.
Anxiety begins to swirl around my chest as I fidget with my hands. ‘Nyvi, I’m not really…’
Prism honey, I don’t think you’re giving yourself the credit you deserve. The amount of growth you’ve shown since your initialization is quite impressive. This will be nowhere near as difficult as you think it will be.
Yeah fucking right. Public speaking has never really been something I’m good at. Even becoming the center of attention of more than two, maybe three people makes me want to puke, and now I might have to talk to eight hundred people all at once?
But…
But if doing so means I can save even one more person’s life…
Shutting my eyes, I take a deep breath.
‘Okay. I’ll do it’
Are you sure?
I hesitantly nod, muttering, “‘Yeah. If there’s anything I’ve learned tonight, biting the bullet and just doing what’s needed is far more effective than…’
I chuckle ruefully to myself.
‘Just sitting around on my ass, letting the world bully me into submission.’
That seems rather harsh on yourself. You have tools now that you didn’t then.
‘Maybe…’ I sigh, then say, ‘We can mull over hindsight later. Let's also get the sub set-up first, then we can make the call.’
Any preferences on the Vehicle catalog for the submarine?
I run my tongue over the top of my mouth as I think. ‘Needs to contain stuff sturdy enough to take some hits, fast enough to escape as well though. It’d also be nice to get one that has combat vehicles too, in case we wanted to go that route.’
Mayhaps the Class-I Metalorganic Composite Armored Vehicles Catalog? The items contained within tend to be less heavy and more agile than their purely metallic counterparts, with only slightly reduced durability.
‘Yeah, sure, that seems fine.’ I mutter, anxiously rubbing my arm. ‘I trust you on the choice of which one from that catalog to buy. You’re way better at math than me.’
To be fair, that is what I’m here for.
Catalogs Unlocked!
Class-I Basic Cyberwarfare Utilities: 100 Points
Class-I Metalorganic Composite Armored Vehicles: 200 Points
New Purchase!
Mark I Decryption Protocol: 20 Points
OC Subaquatic Shelter Submersible: 2500 Points
Total Cost:
2820 Points
Final Total:
4052 Points
Before I can even really react to the absurd amount of points we somehow had, the submarine appears in front of me. And wow. It’s one of the most breathtakingly crafted machines I’ve ever had the pleasure of laying eyes upon. The entire vehicle is created from a beautiful mix of what seems like pearlescent wood with silver metallic accents around its edges, shaped like an upside-down heart with an engine of some sort upon its rear. The gigantic thing is almost elvish in appearance, and for a moment I wonder if Nyvi bought the wrong thing before it floats down to click into one of the Dredge Bell Stations on the Ninth.
It’s all set to go. Whenever you’re ready to start the call, tap your wrist three times.
Without thinking, I immediately reach down and tap twice, but as my finger moves for the third, an abrupt lump of nervousness flipping over in my stomach causes me to freeze.
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What if I fail to get the point across well? If more people die because I fucked up and couldn’t speak? What if this is entirely pointless, and the stubborn idiots who believe everything Grandfather ever said end up sticking their heads into the dirt?
‘Nyvi…’ I mutter, my finger hovering above my arm. ‘Do you have anything I can get that will make me drunk?’
Nyvi turns to look at me, an unimpressed look on her face.
I do, but that’s incredibly foolhardy in this situation, so I’d veto anything of that nature you’d try to buy.
I blink. ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’
Technically I’m not really supposed to, but when I’m the one actually making the purchase… Still, would you want something to reduce anxiety? It’d achieve the same thing alcohol would in this situation.
I giggle, shaking my head. ‘I don’t want it now, the question was for future reference.
Ah. Probably should have realized that.
I can’t help but smile as I tap my wrist for the third and final time. As my glasses flash and the city-wide call begins, I of course, immediately stutter.
“A-Attention, all survivors in the New Houston Reef. I-I repeat, Attention, all survivors in New Houston Reef.”
I take a deep breath, doing my best to calm myself down. It’ll be fine. I got this.
“This is Samurai Ghost-Light. I apologize for forcing this call through, but I have an important announcement.”
I pause, considering how to word this next part, then declare:
“New Houston is doomed.”
“A monster is coming. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but it’s strong enough that I have no chance of defeating it. It cracked the seafloor for god's sake, I’m terrified of what it could do to someone as unprepared as me. As unprepared as you. That’s why we're going to run. Together.”
I place a hand on my heart, feeling it thump as I continue:
“I know that sounds ridiculous. It’s almost inconceivable that the city would fall in just one night, not when its guardians have managed to keep it safe for almost thirty years. Just… before you consider me an outsider who doesn’t know what she’s talking about, listen to what I have to say.”
I close my eyes, letting my heart take control of my words.
----------------------------------------
Emme, focus!
Knocked out of the momentary daze brought on by Prism’s speech, I shake myself a bit, then glance around. The encroaching Antithesis waves have been getting denser the longer we fight, to the point it’s almost overwhelming at this point. I glance off to the side, then slam the sharp tip of the bar into a Model-One on course to ram me.
I chuckle to myself, intoning, ‘Sorry, she just has a nice voice.’
The cannon behind me fires, causing three more huge explosions to rock the seafloor.
She won’t for long if you don’t keep fighting!
Gritting my teeth, I rush forward. ‘I know that!’
[“Once again, hello, I’m Ghost-light. You might be thinking, I don’t recognize that name. You’d be right. I’m new. Very new.“]
Flinching as one of my dogs suddenly bites to my immediate left, sinking its fangs into a nearly invisible octopus-like model, I shift to the right as I swing my crowbar to knock away a Model-Three shark. The chaos surrounding me is becoming enough that a stray Antithesis model gets close enough to bite at my leg. Thankfully, the virus takes exception to that, stopping the blow long enough for me to crush it with my weapon.
[“I’m a native of New Houston that only initialized just hours ago, when I woke up in my bed after a terrible family dinner to find myself in Gehenna.”]
As a distinct bad feeling arises in my gut, I push myself backwards just as a large squid’s barbed tentacles pierces where I had just been. Achys shoots out and pierces another one of the sneaky bastards, then returns to my shoulder.
I highly recommend spending more of your points.
I reach out to grab a random Model-One with my hand, then crush it between my fingers before I throw it away behind me. ‘Why the hell not at this point?! Seven more dogs, two more cannons!’
New Purchase!
Custom HUND config and upgrades x7: 2100 Points
Naval Guns and Platforms x2: 1200 Points
Total Cost:
3300 Points
Final Total:
1252 Points
[“It’s still sort of surreal, to be honest, that I’m now among the ranks of the most important people on the planet.”]
As Prism continues her speech, a wide variety of dogs pop into existence in front of me, each of which immediately sets off to rip and tear their way through the army of fish. The two new cannons thump as they wipe away a huge swath of our opposition, but still, the horde only seems to thicken.
[“I went looking for the end of a rainbow assuming it would be impossible, somehow found it anyways, then walked away with a pot of gold in my arms and a leprechaun in my head knowing less than I did when I arrived.”]
I blink, taking a moment to catch my breath. ‘What is she even talking about?’
Appealing to Pathos, I’m assuming.
[“I’m just me, a girl doing her best to survive in the same mess you are. I wish this was just a bad dream, that I’d wake up to find that this entire disaster was solved before it happened by the people that were supposed to protect us.”]
Despite my wanting to just sit around and keep listening to Prism as the dogs do the work for me, I’m forced back into the fight as a huge manta ray starts flying towards me. Small fish swarm out from beneath its wings, a huge chunk of which charge straight towards me.
[“It’s vexing that I don’t know where Steel Hound or Haifisch are. Maybe if they were here, all of this could have been avoided, maybe we could have saved far more people.”]
Working in unison with Achys bird body, I meet them blow for blow. With every swing of my arm, another Model-One is crushed. Achys flashes forward, piercing as many as possible as she gracefully maneuvers around the battlefield.
["In the end, we’re left with the cold hard truth; They weren’t here when it mattered most. The Antithesis got into the city, wreaked havoc, and now are on course to obliterate the little that remains."]
As we approach the carrier model, its barbed tail curves down and splits into multiple parts before it stabs down towards me. I raise my hand, sending multiple virus tendrils out to match it blow for blow. Seeing an opening, Achys pops up in front of the ray, then after a moment of prep, she spins, drilling a hole straight through its center of mass.
[“I do have a plan for getting everyone out, but it isn’t foolproof. We’ll be sending a submarine to each floor’s dredge station to extract everyone we can, but there are a lot of issues that I simply cannot solve. Not alone.”]
I glance up behind me, only to find Prism staring down at me. A fire burning in my heart, I know I can’t just sit around. I swim downwards once again, back into the thick of it all.
[“I-I need your help.”]
----------------------------------------
Lissa, are you sure waiting is the right play here?
I roll my eyes and nod.
‘I have a good feeling about this. This entire situation is already sketchy for them.’
[“I can’t go inside, can’t assist the injured in getting to the exit, nor keep the antithesis from attacking the weak. But you can.”]
I cross my fingers, watching the guards below nervously get closer to each other, cautiously keeping their eyes on my Avatar.
[“This isn’t the time to be stubborn and stay in place, everyone. All battling against the current will do now is block the way for everyone else. Every action you take from now on matters not only to you, but to the survival of all the people around you. Despite who we are, our beliefs, our differences, at this moment we all have something in common. We all want to live through this hell to see the morning sun, to see the light that signals that tomorrow is here."]
I get goosebumps as the girl’s voice trembles, her voice gaining in both volume and power.
[“So move, survivors! Move, New Houston! Even if only in this moment, this infinitesimally small fraction of our lives, fight for the greater good! Rise up, New Houston, and prove to the world that we are not just a fleeting blip in history!”]
Her passion peaking, she screams:
[“RISE UP, NEW HOUSTON, AND BECOME THE HEROES WE NEED!”]
For a moment, the world is utterly silent, beyond the sound of the samurai catching her breath.
[“T-Thank you for listening. My AI will assist in the evacuation as much as possible. This has been Ghost-Light, signing off.”]
The call clicks off before I even realize, being replaced with a thirty minute timer. I watch nervously at the people below, watching for any sign of hostility. Thankfully, after a tense few seconds, one of the guards steps closer, yelling:
“We’ve got new orders, Miss Samurai! We’re moving to assist the evacuation and all previous orders are to be abandoned! Give us a minute to clear out, to avoid hostility!”
Sighing in relief, I slump against the wall.
I don’t think she could have had better timing.
I chuckle, hearing the sound of a lot of people moving in the distance. “You can say that again. Any chance you can connect us to them?”
That’s trivial, but I can’t guarantee they will even accept the call.
I shrug. “I suppose that’s the burning question then. Let’s try it anyway.”
Initiating the ping.
Despite what Raya said, they immediately pick up, and I’m greeted by the voice of the Samurai that just gave the speech.
[“H-Hi? Who is this?”]
I clear my throat, then respond: “I’m a new samurai on the fourth floor, didn’t realize anyone else was around.”
A voice with a smooth southern drawl, who I assume is Ghost-light’s AI, speaks up.
[“Ghost-light, she’s on the fourth floor, which explains-”]
Before she can finish, an absurdly loud yet incredibly beautiful voice interrupts her.
[“EXCUSE ME?! LISSA, IS THAT YOU?!”]
Disbelief fills me and tears begin to form in my eyes as I whisper:
“Emme? You’re alive?”