"Boone was supposed to be the corporate jewel of the Appalachians. They were going to build a concrete jungle, vacuum up all the populations of small towns in the mountains, and cram them all into a valley where the walls would be just as much to keep them in as to keep the Antithesis out. Everyone knew we were never going to clear the Appalachians of Antithesis any time soon, and the constant state of siege would have been a perfect excuse to provide minimal amenities for maximum work.
They made just one mistake: they didn't build the walls first."
-A History of Boone, 2051
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"There are many options for both, but the most efficient use of points would be to buy Class I Esoteric Explosives for fifty points, then buy a smoke grenade for five points and a mine of some sort using the rest. For an additional point I can modify the smoke grenade to produce the scent of dead Antithesis in order to draw in more."
"That leaves 41 points. What can I buy with that to really ruin their day? Something they can't break before it goes off."
"I would propose the Mk I Rift Bomb. It can disguise itself to match the surrounding ground, and after a preset count down, it will launch a shaped charge directly up to clear the air, then bounce a meter off the ground and release an infinitesimally thin rift that will separate anything it intersects with in a ten meter radius circle."
"Anything? That sounds way too powerful for Class I. Is there a catch?"
"The weapon itself costs 40 points. Additionally, the charge will not be effective against double digit Antithesis, so the weapon will not detonate at the correct height and cause minimal damage. The rift is also unstable, leading to unpredictable results if the bomb is damaged. Finally, the bomb must activate on a timer no shorter than ten minutes, as it begins to charge when activated using an internal generator and cannot store that power once the charging is completed. No other triggers are usable. Many of these flaws are corrected in later versions available in Class II or higher."
I shrugged. That seemed fair enough. First I replaced my spent magazine, then I purchased the bombs.
New Purchase: 9mm SMG magazine
Points reduced to...96
Class I Esoteric Explosives unlocked!
Points reduced to... 45
New Purchase: Mk I Rift Bomb
Points reduced to...5
New Purchase: Smoke Grenade - Antithesis Scented
Points reduced to...0
That was painful, but hopefully the bomb would do enough damage to make up for it. It resembled something from World War II that I remember reading about...a mine called a "Bouncing Betty" used in a sci fi series from the early 00's. Apparently some mechanisms were just universal.
"How long will it take the smoke to disperse?" I asked as I set down the mine and prepared to set the timer.
"About thirty minutes based on current weather conditions, but it will gradually lose potency after about twenty!"
I set the timer for eighteen, just in case, then jogged back into the alley. I climbed on the dumpster near the wall and lobbed the grenade back towards the street, where it began to emit a thick green smoke. As soon as I saw that it was active, I turned and vaulted over the wall. I realized my mistakes the instant I crested the wall, but it was too late to stop.
First, I didn't account for the possibility the drop from the wall would be higher on this side if there was no dumpster...which there wasn't.
Second was the Model Three already running down the alley, probably chasing the smell of dead Antithesis.
I hit the ground hard, my knees absorbing the impact but screaming in protest, and the Model Three hit me a second later. I was able to bring an arm up to stop its hideous maw from closing around my head, and the world went red as it clamped down on my forearm with its bizarrely hinged jaw and shook like a dog that caught the rabbit.
My not-armor crumpled under the force and its teeth rent my flesh as if they were sharpened steel, but I managed to keep my grip on the SMG in my other hand. Gritting my teeth in an attempt to stop myself from crying out, I struggled against the alien's pull and brought the weapon to bear, pulling down on the trigger at the same time. In my pained fugue, trigger discipline failed me, and the first few rounds struck nothing but pavement, but then the muzzle rose and a line of bullets stitched its way up the creatures side from its leg to its head, narrowly missing my own hand in the process. With the gun half empty, the Model Three lost its grip and collapsed dead.
Target Eliminated!
Reward... 10 Points
New total: 10 Points
Thanks Juny, I can in fact manage 10+0 on my own. I cursed as I broke into a jog, knowing I didn't have enough points to treat my injuries and reloading would delay my treatment further. I needed more kills, and I needed them now. I broke out of the alley and darted across the street, glancing both ways quickly, and pressed myself across the empty store front on the other side. With my trap in place, I wanted to be in the last place Antithesis would look if they rushed towards it.
I heard footsteps coming from the next intersection and dropped to the ground, bracing my SMG with my ruined left arm as I waited. When the Antithesis emerged from around the corner I opened fire, killing a trio of Model Threes before they could react.
That's when the Model Four appeared.
I saw its tentacles before I saw the rest of its grotesque body, biting back a comment that would have absolutely been tempting fate. I realized I had enough points to heal myself now, but couldn't use them until this thing was dead, and couldn't reload until I was healed. I rolled over and kicked my legs, hopping to my feet just as a tentacle lashed out, striking the ground where I had just been. The second one didn't miss. It struck me in the shoulder and sent me tumbling, but I was able to use the momentum to escape its range. I dropped my gun to free my hand.
"Grenade please!"
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Do you have any preferences?"
"Anything that can kill that fucker fast!"
New Purchase: Spacial Inverter
Points reduced to...36
A...stick appeared in my hand, with a button on the top. Not the safest grenade I had ever laid eyes on, but it's not like I was planning to store it. I smashed the button with my thumb and tossed the stick over my shoulder with a brief glance to aim, and then the world went weird. For a moment I felt like I could see light as waves passing me in a technicolor kaleidoscope, and the ground vibrated like an unstable washing machine. The only thing I could hear was an odd whub-whub-whub.
Target Eliminated!
Reward... 15 Points
New total: 51 Points
I turned to find the Model Four dead, looking as if something had turned it inside out. Along with the ground around it, and the wall of the building it had been hugging, both of which were less damaged, but had clearly been pulled towards the epicenter. Disgusting alien goop sloughed off of it slowly, pooling around what I could only assume were its organs, which were probably also inside out.
Trying not to throw up, I picked up my SMG, which had been just a few feet outside of the blast radius, then stumbled through the new hole in the nearby building. I was starting to feel woozy from blood loss as I hid behind a counter that was built into the floor.
"Healing stuff. Please." My pointed dropped from 51 to 26 with little fanfare as an inhaler and an injector appeared. I applied both and staggered to my feet, not wanting to waste time here knowing my distraction would only last for so long. I'd had two encounters since planting it, but they were both heading in the direction of the smoke- which meant the Antithesis in every other direction were not heading towards me.
On my way out of the building, I spent one more point one reloading, thankful to have two working arms again. I stopped to look both ways before stepping outside, then, content the way was clear, jogged across the street, moving ever closer to civilization. I was happy to find that the next alleyway stretched all the way to the end of the next block of buildings and slipped inside, preferring to fight the Antithesis' numbers at a chokepoint if at all possible.
As I approached the other end, though, I slowed to a halt. A droning sound was coming from around the corner, and I peeked out, seeing a large pack of Model Threes, and a couple Fours, surrounding a mountain of natural plating with a box for a head. I backed into the alley, only speaking once I had the safety of distance.
"Hey, Juny, why are they just standing there?"
"The one in the center is a Model Six, a commander-type Antithesis that can control the less intelligent models. It may have figured out the trap and decided to cut you off, or it may simply be standing guard for something more important, like a hive."
That thing was going to be a problem, for sure. It had at least a dozen faster Models surrounding it, and if it was as smart as Juny suggested, it may be able to direct them to flank me, even in an alley. It was definitely too bright out to sneak by, and going another way would cost valuable time without guaranteeing I wouldn't simply run into another checkpoint.
I glanced at the Handy Helper that had been following behind me. It had mostly fallen out of my mind after I learned how little utility it really had, but it could grasp things...
"Can that thing hold and activate a grenade?"
"Yes! Are you planning to make it sacrifice itself for the cause?" I sideyed the drone as if I were looking at Juny. That phrasing, combined with her usual tone, made the query sound almost judgmental.
"No, but I do have an idea. Are there any grenades that can stick to a target, so they go off at point blank range? I feel like I'll need that to get through so much armor."
"Your catalog includes several such options, but I would suggest the Instant Star anti-tank grenade for five points."
I accepted that suggestion and the grenade fell into my hand. It was blue and red, and blatantly familiar.
"Are you mocking me? I feel attacked."
"I am only trying to accommodate your established aesthetic!" said the inscrutable AI as I gazed at what was clearly a Covenant plasma grenade. I wondered how much control Juny had over the appearance of the items she gave me, and whether the catalog items actually existed or if she made them up as she went along.
But this was hardly the time for such thoughts.
I handed it to the drone and Juny helpfully provided a link to its view as it climbed up to five stories before turning the corner and drifting over the gathered Antithesis. The medical robot was apparently extremely nearsighted, as the image was blurry as hell, but I was able to tell exactly when it activated and dropped the grenade. I watched with baited breath as it fell, ready to spin out from cover the instant it landed.
The Model Six let out an alarmed-sounding warble when the grenade struck it, landing on its upper right back. The Antithesis around it all spun to look as one, and a particularly unlucky Model Three leapt up to pry the grenade off, only to find its mouth trapped in place instead.
My SMG roared just before the grenade exploded, ripping into the nearest Model Four from the side and punching a cluster of holes in its stubby head. Then the grenade flashed and I was forced to shield my eyes for a moment as it lived up to its name. Even with my eyes recovering, I found I could still vaguely tell where the survivors were through the drone footage still being sent over my augs, though, and I sprayed some wildly in their general direction, managing a few lucky hits.
I reloaded as quickly as possible, but as soon as I could see again, I realized the Antithesis were already dead. All but one, that is.
The massive hulk of the Model Six was lumbering towards me, a melted crater burned into its back. The grenade had forced it to its knees, which exposed the others long enough for me to gun them down, but it had stood back up while I was reloading. It was faster than anything that size had any right to me, like a six legged iceberg charging with all the speed of a raging bull.
I scrambled out the way as it came charging in, ramming into the wall behind me with thunderclap of shattering stone. It spun instantly, entirely unharmed by the experience, and I fired a burst into its face, only for the rounds to ping off to no effect.
Still, it had a pretty obvious weak point. I feinted to the right, then darted left trying to bring its injured flank into my line of sight, but it was too fast at turning and matched my movements with ease that made its grievous injuries seem like a lie. One option left.
I booked it.
I darted into the next alleyway I had been aiming for, hoping to lose it in the narrow space, but it accelerated like a sports car and came after me. I ran for an entire block and glanced over my shoulder, only to find that I was just barely gaining distance. I was never going to escape before I exhausted myself.
I turned at the next intersection made for the road, stopping myself as quickly as possible and flattening myself against the wall to the right of the alleyway. If I was right, I had had just enough distance that I should have made it out of the alley before it could turn…
The Model Six came charging down the alley, its footsteps echoing off the narrow walls. I readied myself, hoping it didn’t know which way I had gone. It skidded to a halt at the sidewalk and glanced back and forth looking for me, but by the time it spotted me, I was already moving.
Before it could spin around I charged, grabbing onto the peak of its armored back with one hand while my feet braced against the bottom of the gaping hole in its body. With my free hand, I raised my SMG.
This close, with no armor remaining, there was nothing to stop me as I unloaded the weapon into its innards. Some of the bullets ricocheted off the inner side of its own armor, causing even further devastation. My magazine clicked empty and the Model Six stood for a moment before falling to the ground at last, finally dead.
Targets Eliminated!
Reward... 400 Points
New total: 424 Points
"An excellent job! I do recommend eye protection if you intend on staring at explosions in the future, though!" Sarcasm, or genuine encouragement? It was a mystery.
"Oh, can it.” Wait. What? It took me a moment to realize why the reward was so high- my trap must have activated. That was one nasty combination…too bad it was also too dangerous to use most of the time. I wouldn’t have used it if I had even suspected any people could be nearby, given the lack of conditional activations.
Also, now I no longer had a distraction. I could set another one, but only at the cost of initially drawing them all towards myself, and I was no longer on the outskirts of town where they would take longer to arrive. From here on, I was not going to have the advantage of a diversion at my back.