The scariest thing about the antithesis isn’t the ravenous nature, or nearly overwhelming numbers, it’s what comes after the initial encounter. Given enough time the antithesis will literally go to root. Every single antithesis has the ability to become a hive, a living hatchery which takes all the biomass the antithesis has gathered, and uses it to birth a new generation of killing machines. Not only that, but they’re over ninety percent efficient at re-using that mass. If the initial wave isn’t dealt with quickly, local forces may find things becoming much, much worse.

- An introduction to antithesis - Junior High Curriculum

—

I gasped as the security gate exploded inward, disgorging a wave of antithesis upon the concourse, led by the Model Six.

“I don’t think I have the time for options, gimme something to clear the horde now!” I snarled as I sprinted away from the horde as fast as I could.

I can do that, but it’ll probably take most of your points.

“What else is new?” I huffed. I was in reasonable shape, but was quickly reaching my limit; I couldn’t sprint forever. “Whatever it is, give it to me!”

Palms up! Throw one into the front of the approaching wave, then the second two to three seconds after.

I did as I was told, and a moment later I felt two metal cylinders slam into my hands. Grenades perhaps? I couldn’t feel a pin, or arming mechanism, so I pivoted around, sliding to a stop, and chucked the first object.

It was a fairly featureless cylinder, with a rounded top and bottom and when I threw the thing it sailed into the antithesis frontline, then wobbled for a moment, sitting on one of the rounded ends. As soon as it was upright the casing exploded open, exposing the core which was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of needles, which immediately rocketed out in every direction.

The closest antithesis, which were hit multiple times, literally melted mid step while the ones that were only hit once or twice managed to make it a couple more feet before their bodies failed. Overall, about half of the horde collapsed.

Enzyme catalysts. Nasty things that cause the antithesis bodies to break down at a cellular level. Don’t forget to throw the other one. Artymis reminded me.

I tossed the second device directly into the path of the remaining antithesis, watching the process repeat itself, until there were only a handful of Model Threes left. I dispatched those few ‘lucky’ ones with my blade.

As I stood there, breathing hard, I noticed the Model Six was still standing. Its armor was melted in several places, but it was alive, and breathing heavily after chasing me down.

“You can’t even run down a single human before getting winded? No wonder your fucking race is losing the fight,” I yelled at the creature. “Pathetic.”

It’s not breathing hard, it’s calling for reinforcements.

“Oh… shit!” I muttered, as that information seeped into my brain. Despite feeling worn down I sprinted at the oversized antithesis, in a desperate attempt to prevent it from gathering another horde. The creature stared at me for a moment, perhaps trying to evaluate its chances, before it counter charged. With its head down, and neck braced for impact, the Six actually made things easier for me. A quick step to the right, and a single downward strike, were all I needed to remove its head from its body.

I slowly returned my sword to its sheath, before struggling over to a nearby bench and collapsing. “What are the chances that fucking thing actually managed to call in reinforcements?” I asked, still breathing heavily.

I can’t give you a precise answer, you don’t have the proper catalogs, but it WAS pulling in all the local forces to assault the jewelry shop, so there shouldn’t be many independent models running around.

“Fuck you and your ‘Don’t have the right catalog’ BS,” I mumbled under my breath. I took one last deep breath, and felt my heart-rate sink to a more acceptable BPM. “Speaking of catalogs, what the fuck did you buy for me? What the hell were those things?”

I figured you’d want a catalog you could reuse later, so I opened up the Class I Anthesis Biomass Denial Catalog. Most of the items in it are designed to clean-up antithesis remains after a battle is done, but there are some items with combat applications. Although they are at a premium compared to other catalogs.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Well, it worked. That’s the important thing,” I said as I popped back to my feet. “I should probably check on those people outside.”

Before you do I would recommend you spend some of the points you’ve earned. You should pick up some armor, and maybe more reasonable clothing.

“What the fuck is wrong with my clothes?” I asked defensively.

It’s fine, or it would be if you were stepping into a corporate boardroom to make a trillion credit deal. It’s a little more restrictive in a combat situation.

“That’s because I planned to spend the evening visiting that asshole of a father of mine, not running around the streets trimming the killer shrubs,” I replied with a pout.

I looked down at my pantsuit and sighed. I’d been so busy surviving, and saving people, that I’d never even given a single thought about my outfit. It was made of the best synth material on the market and it had been custom designed just for me. A multi-million dollar investment, and it was in tatters. There were strange fluids splashed on it, rips and tears from when the antithesis got too close, or I was crawling along the street. It was probably a complete write off now.

“I’m guessing you already have a couple catalogs in mind,” I grumbled. “Let’s hear them.”

Even though the ‘Blades in The Dark’ have access to several different types of armor, I doubt you’d like any of them. Early designs have freedom of movement, but prioritize defense at the expense of weight.

“Yeah, no. There’s no way I’m going to fat roll everywhere,” I agreed.

Then I would recommend the Class I Lightweight Combat Armor catalog, and a full body armored skinsuit. The material may appear thin but it has the ability to harden when exposed to kinetic damage, lessening the effect of blunt damage, while also providing decent resistance against slashing, and piercing damage. Most early models shouldn’t be able to penetrate.

“When you say skinsuit… you mean like those full body, skin tight latex looking things some samurai strut around in?” I asked skeptically.

This particular model’s outer texture is closer to silk.

“Look, I’m in no way embarrassed by my body, but I don’t particularly want nerds all over the net salivating over my barely covered body. Plus Skyler would kill me if I let someone else see me in an outfit like that, before she did,” I said. “Aren’t there less revealing options?”

Of course. I could send all twenty million options to your augs to look over, it should only take a few weeks. Alternatively, you could just put some clothes on top of the suit. No idea where you’d get those though. Artymis replied.

“Are you giving me sass right now?” I asked in surprise. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

I told you, I did a complete mental profile of you before selecting you as my samurai. I wouldn’t have done it if we weren’t similar, or compatible, in some way.

“Touche,” I muttered. I glanced around the nearest stores, many of them were higher class clothing stores selling outfits similar to my pantsuit. Nothing that would survive more than a single fight. “So Ms almighty AI, if you know my preferences, where would you suggest I look for new clothes?”

At the top of the escalator, on the left side, there’s a synth leather boutique. The style is similar to some of your clubbing clothes, and the material is strong enough not to shred the first time you step outside.

“Alright… now you’re showing off,” I grumbled as I made my way up to the second floor. The leather goods store ‘Ruff and Tuff’ was a typical upper class boutique catering to rich kids. Pretending to be edgy, but only selling corporate designed styles.

I sliced through the security gate, and quickly browsed through the options. It didn’t take me long to find a pair of leather pants, and matching jacket which I could slip over the armor. “What do you think?” I asked my partner.

I don’t understand your obsession with belts. Why do you need one hanging down by your ass?

“It’s a style thing! As long as it doesn’t restrict my movements, who cares?” I laid the two items down on the front counter, then dug a credit chip out of my bag to leave on the counter.

That chip was worth more than twenty times what those clothes are worth. Artymis chided me.

“So? I’m not going to resort to stealing, even if this is an emergency, and that’s the smallest denomination I had on me,” I shot back. “Gimme the suit so I can change already.”

An instant later a box appeared on the counter next to me. I slowly slid the plastic lid off, and took a look at my new armor. It somewhat resembled a wetsuit, in how thick it was and what it covered, but the material felt much softer. I had a hard time believing that this thing would do anything to protect me.

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, this is among the best armor your can afford. You made close to a thousand points from that bloodbath downstairs, and this cost you two hundred of it.

“If you say so…” I said grabbing my purchases, and heading towards the back. The chances of someone being alive around here was next to nil, but I still wasn’t going to change in the middle of an open room. I had to protect my dignity, even if there were people that needed saving.