One of the main dangers with the antithesis is that it costs an exorbitant amount of resources to make sure they are actually gone after an incursion. The first wave is usually dealt with by samurai coming in and killing all of the big plants, but what about afterwards? When clean-up starts, it is generally by burning all the bodies, making sure nothing remains depending on the area of the incursion. Such things are possible, but in so areas, the blood of the Xenos will seep into the ground, fertilising and implanting it with the seed of the antithesis, slowly growing a new hive underground that can burst at any mont. Cleaning up that kind of antithesis is almost impossible.
--web lecture on the value of different types of lands
I lay in bed, thinking back on the events of today, with a happy feeling in my stomach. lody was sothing else, that I knew for damn sure: she was both weirdly funny in that crazy kind of way, and extrely aggressive and excited during sex. As I lay there ,still thinking about the woman, I am reminded of the other thing she did. She had walked into the living room naked to collect her clothes, and probably spotted one or both of the twins and in her haste, she had turned her bracelet into a mask and put it on, making a purple hoody with paint stains and a weird logo on the back appear around her covering her up.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t know all that much about technology and how far it has co in recent years, but still, that felt too advanced. This nagging feeling of doubt started to set in as I rember a report of so of the military guys that went on expeditions. They had picked up a woman who had two super advanced tech swords, so advanced even that they still had not fully figured out how to operate them. The woman had long blond hair and a golden eye. I pause. lody has golden eyes, but she does not have blond hair, and I don’t think her hair is all that long, either.
I an, eye colour changes are rare but not that strange, and colour contacts exist, too. However, sothing about lody's eyes was different. They looked real, unaltered, like you can always tell that hair is painted even if it is done well. It is the sa with eyes, and with that, I had to admit sothing to myself.
lody was a Samurai, a fact that usually would not be that upsetting. I an, as an ex-joy-toy, I know how much people enjoy just the idea of sleeping with a Samurai, let alone sleeping with an actual one. No, that was not the problem. No, the problem was that lody had not told that she was a Samurai, even though I had told her that I was one, even if it was rather obvious.
“Freayer, do you know if lody is a samurai?” I ask my AI companion.
Staying in line with the privacy rules, I can not tell you whether she is a Samurai or not.
“Well, that is not helpful at all.”
Why don’t you just ask?
“I don’t know. I feel like that is sothing you should just tell your partner… if that is what we are? Are we partners?”
That I can’t answer, but lody seems rather busy with her own ntal problems, and it might have just slipped her mind.
I sigh, considering the point. “You are right. I guess we just have to sit down and talk properly next ti we et,” I say already getting a bit giddy at the thought.
The other lody had said that she would co back, but she wanted to make sure the kids were okay first. She had said that she would co back once she was sure there were no problems there, so all I could really do was wait.
“Ugh, I hate how much I like her already. It is unfair. How can soone be that good-looking and that good in bed? It is like the ultimate combo,” I complain to the ceiling
The ceiling, as unhelpful as ever, does not reply back. My AI does, however.
I would like to advise caution not to get too attached to her face. She has already been seen throwing up holograms, and the chance that she is hiding behind another is not unlikely.
I consider it for a second. I guess that does make sense. Then again, lody had also admitted to having the sa face as her at so point. Even though so of the comparisons might be gone now, so of the basics still remained, so it was hard to say. Sothing else I have to ask. Let's hope she does not feel like this will beco too much of an interrogation next ti we et.
A sudden loud alarm brings out of my musings, and I curse. I quickly open up the local network to investigate. There is a wall breach on the east side. The side I was supposed to guard this morning before I got distracted. Fuck, this is bad! I quickly put on my pilot suit before I run out of my room. The twins are already running around, preparing several drones, as they make themselves ready.
I quickly run to the hangar where my ch is, or at least part of it. My actual ch is way too big to bring inside of the city proper, so I opted for a detachable cockpit that serves as a smaller ch that I could use for so fast mobility inside the city.
I quickly strap in, doing a quick check that everything is full and loaded before I activate the jump boosters and jump down from the hangar and onto the streets, quickly running east as I remotely prepare my big ch for war.
The hamring in my heart gets less angry the closer I get to the wall. Sure, people are still running away, but as far as I can see, there are no Xenos in the streets giving chase, aning that the breach is a problem, but only a minor one. Once I exit the inner ring of buildings entering the military barracks that are built all along the wall, I let out a sigh. There are no plants still, which is good.
I quickly run to the hangar that holds the rest of my ch. Lucky for , the outbreak was in the east, and my ch was already here. I quickly attach the cockpit to the rest of my ch, a massive thing with eight arms carrying a variety of arms, including lee guns and a rocket launcher, all on top of a gleaming snake body. My treasure and nasake. The big pink and orange snake ch slowly hums to life as the last couplings are connected, and I can slither off.
Once I am out, I check my map overlay to see where the breach is and start heading in that direction. Once I reach the indicated spot, I shiver. Okay, that is a big one. The best way of describing it would be a big sauropod, with massive spikes and stuff on its back, glowing in an ominous blue colour as so kind of liquid washes off from it. Its head is all kinds of wrong. Instead of one, it has seven, all with incredibly large necks that snap out and try to bite at the people running around on the ground.
There are still guards on the wall, not shooting at the creature, but rather the stuff still beyond it, and if I had to guess, that was the only reason why this place was not overrun with more antithesis. Good, so only the big fucker to deal with, then.
Once I made sure that no one was in my direct line of fire I unleashed the ch, firing both my Gatling gun and my lasers as I slowly move closer. The bullets seem to do so damage, but not a lot, which is always a sha. Recently, the Xenos had gotten more armour, and it pisses off to no end. I really have to upgrade my weapons at so point. Then again, keeping the walls stocked with weapons and ammo costs most of my points already, and the return on them is less than ideal.
The creature, now seeing as the biggest threat of this conflict, starts to co at slowly at first, but gradually picking up speed as it charges at , pulverising anything that steps in its way. My ch is technically taller than this creature, but it is a lot less bulky, so I do not really trust it in a direct engagent. So instead of that, I wait for the right mont to doge, using my chs snake-like body to wrap around the beast, trying my best to keep it in place.
Warnings pop up, informing that the spikes on its back have pierced my ch's armour plating. Even as I slash down both of my lee weapons, the plasma edge cuts in deep. Fuck, that is going to be expensive to fix. Especially since that did not kill it. So of its heads snapped back at and locked several of my arms in place as they crunched down.
With a loud groan of tal, 3 of the limbs got severely damaged, reducing to 5 remaining, which was not great since the constant lack of points ant that I did not have enough points yet to equip all the arms, leaving two empty. In short, the current weapons I still have left are my laser gun, a rocket launcher, and a flathrower. The latter of which I aim at the back side and turn on full blast.
Sadly, it does not slow the creature down as more of its heads snap back, hounding from every side, quickly overwhelming my defences. I sigh. I did not want to use this at all, especially not inside the city. I quickly aim my rocket launcher, pointing it at the base of the creature's necks far enough away to not deal as much splash damage to my ch.
I fire. The shock of the blast shakes my ch as even more warning signs pop up in my vision, telling that so systems have taken so serious damage. On the more positive end of the spectrum, the alien finally took so aningful damage, if the cracked armour dripping the green blood substance is any indication, at least.
I aim the fla thrower at the exposed weak spot, and the creature starts to writhe even more. I quickly load in a new rocket and shoot at the sa spot. Pieces of burning plant flesh fly everywhere as the creature bucks and slumps down. I keep dousing it with flas, making sure it is truly dead before I detach my cockpit to assess the damage.
I groan, looking at the state of my ch. It’s broken beyond belief, with most of the parts likely needing to be replaced instead of repaired.
“Freayer, what am I in for?” I ask, honestly not wanting to know the answer.
Most of the internals could be fixed. All the damaged armour plating has to be replaced, but I would recomnd upgrading all the armour now that the antithesis has found a way through. Then, the servos in the torn-off arm need to be replaced so that they can be reattached, and it will be as good as new.
“How much would it cost to upgrade it and put it back in working order?”
5320 points total.
I am about to tell him to do it when I get a call from the twins. I open the call, and Justin's face pops into view while I see Jojo in the background, still working on the computer. Both of them have panicked looks about them.
“What is up?” I ask, my concern growing.
“We have so trouble looking over the wall!” Justin says, using his “I am trying my best not to freak out” voice.
I do my best to stay composed. Most likely, a lot of antithesis are gathering in front of the breach, and the guards need so help. Too bad my ch is wrecked. “I will take a look.” I say, sending the small cockpit scuttling up the wall.
As soon as I reach the top I pale, as it becos hard to breathe. Five, there are five more of the fuckers that totalled my ch. Fuck, we need to do sothing. Maybe I could install so cannon on the wall quickly or sothing.
My thought process is suddenly interrupted by loud manic laughter. I look around, getting ready to tell off one of the guards next to , but they also seem to be confused.
A figure dashes past , cackling even louder as it jumps past the wall into the swarm of Xenos. Purple hoody and a white mask. I feel my blood run cold. No, not her. I like her. Sure, our relationship is not really confird, but still, I don’t want her to die. Why is she jumping in anyway?
As lody gets closer to the ground, sothing weird happens to her hands; they distort for a second before a long halberd appears in her hands, and she uses it to slash down one of the big plants below. She cuts clean through, cutting the creature in half. The pieces of the creature lt away as they hit the ground, the other plants actually backing up a bit.
You have an incoming ssage from Vanguard Maniac. Freayer says, taking out of my staring.
“What does it say?” I ask, smiling at myself and at her na.
I will handle the big ones and make sure none of the smaller ones make it through the hole.
I blink a few tis in incomprehension: she wants to fight all five of them alone. As if she could feel my worry, Maniac uses one of the antitheses to jump into the air, pulling her arm back as a silver spear appears in it. She throws it at one of them as sparks of electricity turn the spear into a massive fireball that pumls into the big alien, pushing it over.
“Freayer, tell her that she is hot… FUCK! No, I an, tell her that we are on it.”
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