There is a distinct lack of model ones in the air, which probably means the incursion didn’t hit the undercity directly. Perhaps the Antithesis are entering the area through the lifts from above. You may see more action by heading that way.
“Yeah, but the streets are crawling.”
Progress had been slow, everywhere I went there were small packs of Antithesis. Nothing the size of what I encountered before, typically no more than half a dozen at a time, but they were everywhere. The bot made a huge difference, usually taking out one or two before I even brought up my rifle. After the first few packs I just stopped trying, Spooky was just too efficient.
I should mention you’re receiving less points by not killing the Antithesis directly. The penalty for Spooky is fairly low, since you’re directing him, it’s just the less you contribute, the less points you’ll receive. If you plan on equipping survivors with rifles you’ll be lucky to recoup the upfront cost.
“We need to find survivors before we can arm them, so far all we’ve found is these fricking plants.” I kicked the nearest corpse as we passed. “You wouldn’t have a way to locate survivors, would you?"
No, my options are as limited as yours are. I may be able to assist you more if you invest in better augs, or other electronic equipment. You can’t think of a single place people could take shelter in?
“The precinct. The place is a fortress, it has to be to protect them from gang retaliation. The cops aren’t popular, they pretty much only come when there’s a murder to investigate, but I doubt they’d turn people away. Plus, that’d be one of the few places where everyone is armed." I paused, thinking.
"The gang strongholds might hold the Antithesis off for a while. Most of them would protect the locals, if only to ensure their profit didn’t drop. I’d check them, but the majority of them would probably shoot me before I got close at this point. ”
I looked up into the gloom, at the underside of the city above, thinking. Something came to mind, something I should have thought of before. Eyes wide, I took off in a sprint “... the Terminal, shit!”
What?
“I should have thought of it earlier. The undercity supposedly had a working train network at one time, way back, before it became the slum that it is now. Supplies came down the main lift and were shipped out on trams to where they were needed.
It was shut down long before I was born, but the central station is still there. It’s a huge concrete block, multiple levels, only ways in are through the tracks, which have heavy duty steel security doors, and heavy security doors on the upper level. The Brokers took it over years ago, it’s sort of a trading hub where people buy topside commodities.”
You think they would have secured it properly?
“The Brokers aren’t pushovers, they bring weapons down from the upper city. Even if they took losses I can only hope there were survivors. They made the place into a massive marketplace for those that have creds in the undercity. I’m talking hundreds of people trading at one time."
And how did you manage to forget about something like that?
“You think I have that kind of money? I was lucky if I managed to eat regularly.”
The buildings blurred by, Spooky’s feet thudded behind me.
I was reckless.
One second I was running, the next moment all I felt was immense pain as my legs were swept out from under me, throwing me face down onto the street. I was vaguely aware of Spooky firing at something, it was hard to tell, darkness crept into the corner of my vision.
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…lyn, Evelyn, listen to me. You need to listen to me, you need to get off the street or you’re not going to survive long enough to treat your injury.
That didn’t make sense, “What injury?”
Model four, you’re lucky it only got you in the leg. Spooky killed it, but the spike is still stuck in your leg. You need to get off the street, the Antithesis will smell the blood.
The weight on the right leg prevented me from flipping over, I had to push myself off the ground and twist at the waist to see the problem. A model four lay at the entrance of the alley I had just tried to pass, a single tentacle extended out into the street. Following the limb I found what could only be described as a barbed bone harpoon. I could see the first three inches of it, unfortunately that meant the remaining nine inches of it went right through my calf and out the other side. The sight made me nauseous, my eyes watered.
Concentrate, time is of the essence. First, I recommend severing that spike and getting you mobile. It could be done with a bonesaw out of the Class I medical utilities, but I wouldn’t recommend it. A faster option would be a thermal blade from the Class I thermal melee weapons that’ll cost you 100 points total.
The pain was excruciating, why was Nyx making me make decisions right now? “Just do it!”
A package appeared in my outstretched hands, longer than expected. Popping off the lid exposed something I hadn’t expected.
“Is this a fucking fire-ax?”
Not fire, Thermal axe, it’ll cut through that spike easily.
“Like hell it will, how am I supposed to swing this from this position?”
You don’t, I’ve got you an assistant.
Before I could react Spooky pulled the axe out of my hands, the blade started to glow a bright red. It took a single step left and in a single motion brought the axe down. There was a brief sizzling noise, then my leg pulled free of the model four that had been anchoring me.
In a single motion the bot stuck its arms under my shoulders, dragged me up the nearby stairs, kicked in the door, and unceremoniously dumped my butt into the landing.
Now, I recommend you unlock the Class I medical utilities for 50 points. Buy a pain blocker for 5 points, a woundstop for 5 points, a Class I nano-regenerative suite for 15 points and, just in case, a wake-up booster for another 5. 80 points total.
“All at once?”
Yes, I hate to tell you this, but I doubt you’re going to be in the right state of mind to do this all by yourself. Time is of the essence.
“Just do it then.” A half dozen packages materialized next to me, set in a neat line.
Take the first package, the pain blocker, and inject it just above the spike.
My hands shook violently as I followed the instructions, almost immediately the pain dulled, though didn’t dissipate entirely.
Now take a deep breath in, try not to scream.
“What do you mean by that?” Spooky put one hand on my shoulder, the other on the tip of the spike emerging from the inner part of my calf, and wrenched the spike pulling it fully through my leg. The pain was excruciating, even with the pain killer.
I may have blacked out for a moment, it was hard to tell, I was faintly aware of Spooky sticking various medical boosters into my wound. The last injector was stabbed into my chest, and I immediately went from semi conscious to fully aware in an instant. The pain in my leg was still there, but dulled somewhat.
Now, all better, ish. I’m glad Spooky was around to be my hands, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have been able to do that yourself.
“That was horrible. Never again.”
Good, we’ll chalk that up to a learning experience. Now back on your feet.
“Seriously?”
The nano-regenerator is fixing the wound right up. You might not be able to run right away, but give it a few minutes.
I stood, unsteady, but the leg held. Hobbling the first dozen steps, walking more confidently with each step. As I scooped up my CAR and the Ax I marveled at how efficient the nanites were, I could really feel them working.
“So, where are my points at? I wasn’t sure I’d even have the points for all that stuff when you started throwing prices at me.”
With all the random packs you encountered you managed to get the total up to 319. The emergency medical care puts you back down to 139.
“Reload Spooky. I want to build up a reserve, maybe 100 points in case something like that happens again, but as soon as I build up enough points get me another bot. Too useful.” I rested my hand on Spooky’s shoulder. “You’re growing on me, thanks bud.”
He did nothing.