Stray Cat Strut Chapter Twelve - Almost Cool

Chapter Twelve - Almost Cool

Omg! When Deus tripped over a pipe and bashed her face against that wall?

That bit after, where she stomps her feet, its already a .

How can soone so dangerous be so cute?

--Chat from Samurai Bloopers, 2048

***

Myalis, got a bead on Manic?

Her location is known. Shes past the west-side barricade, about three hundred tres out, close to the waterfront. I can guide you there, if you wish.

Thatd be nice, I said as I stood up. Sprout had run off to check on things already, and Gomorrah and Johnny--who really needed a proper samurai na already--were walking out. Shed pointed to a hive just to the south, which was close enough to both Downtown and River Heights that taking it out would help both.

By the looks of it, Manic was faffing about so ways from the place everyone else was working to protect.

I couldnt bla her though, she was killing aliens and thats all that mattered. There was a suspected hive a few blocks over from where she was, so we would hit that after saying our hellos.

I feel a little under-dressed for alien hunting, I said with a tap against my chestplate. The gear I had was probably more than enough to tango with so single-digit plants, but if we were going to hit a hive, then Id want sothing a little tougher.

Besides, I wasnt properly ard.

I nipped into a washroom, because while I didnt mind eyes on , the body suit I was wearing under my coat was so tight in so places it looked painted on, and I didnt need Lucy seeing images of my ass across her dia feeds. Scoring higher on the popularity boards wasnt worth it.

You rember that armour you showed in the sh? I asked Myalis.

I dont forget much. Is that what you want now?

Yeah, I said. But make sure its heat-proof. Good cooling and stuff. Were working with Gomorrah often enough that not having sothing fire-proof is just asking for trouble.

Thats understandable. Do you want the usual otherwise? Thagomizer tail, finger-mounted blades,shoulder-mounted guns?

I nodded along. Sounds perfect, yeah. Oh, and those jumpjets from last ti.

Those will be difficult to fit in... I can add smaller ones, but their range will be sowhat limited unless you want to purchase a whole new catalogue specifically for that kind of technology.

How limited?

You wont be jumping any higher than five tres vertically.

Thats more than enough, I think. Make sure its got the usual stealth stuff. I said. There were a few gizmos I didnt use much. The claws were sothing Id never ssed with, and the tail was almost more for show than anything else. Still, it kind of fit the image. The stealth stuff was a must-have though, I was getting used to going invisible. I think... the usual colour sche? Oh, and Ill need a scarf too.

Im on it.

A box appeared next to with a dull thump. The top unfolded and a tallic figure unfurled itself until it was standing as tall as I was. The sides of the box slid to the ground, and I was able to shuck my coat and just walk into the armour, hands fitting into the glove-like spaces for them and chest pressing up against the front of the suit.

It closed around , and for a split second I felt claustrophobic before it passed, like a wave of vertigo.

Shifting my shoulders then my hips, I made sure I had full control of the suit even as the space before my eyes flicked on and ran through a diagnostic so fast it was more of an after image.

I was left looking at the inside of the unisex bathroom through a screen with better resolution and fras than my own flesh and blood eye. The HUD was small and out of the way, easy to forget. The way I liked it.

Sotis I think youre too good at this, I said to Myalis.

I am.

I walked over to the mirror after picking my coat up and slipping into it. The person looking back at in the mirror was armoured from head to toe in sleek black power armour with a few dark sections over the more armoured parts and so glowing pink highlights along the edges. I had a scarf around my neck, bunched up nice and neat under my coat. The trailing edge had that cat-head logo, with the grenade pin in its mouth.

Thatll do, I said.

I could pick up a weapon later, when I needed it. And I had my Trenchmaker for those oh shit monts.

I left the box behind--it wasnt littering if the stuff you left behind was worth a lot--and headed out of the washroom and through the malls cafeteria.

It was interesting to note how much more attention I was getting now compared to before. I guess my more casual outfit didnt scream samurai as much, and even Gomorrahs gear looked very nun-like. This was different.

Once I was outside, I checked a map, found Manics location, my own, and the simple route Id need to take to get there. It wasnt all that far.

I could have gotten a car, or hitched a ride with soone, or even just splurged so points on a scooter or sothing, but I didnt mind a short jog. It was only a couple of kilotres.

I regretted my decision about six hundred tres later. The power armour was great, it took out a lot of the effort I had to put into moving, without that, I wasnt sure Id be able to move at all with its added weight. Still, moving was moving, and I wasnt in the most perfect of shape.

You might want to consider either more cybernetic enhancents or, seeing as how youre wary of those, perhaps supplents to help your body grow more comfortable with this degree of exercise.

Like steroids? I asked.

Yes.

Well, I dont have a dick to shrink, I guess, I said.

Id hardly give you sothing with negative side-effects.

I an, fair, but isnt that cheating?

You could argue that everything a Vanguard does is cheating.

I laughed until I had to stop to focus on my breathing. Soon enough, I was by the barricade and I stopped my run to a slow jog and finally a normal walk.

The barricade wasnt much to look at, but it was still impressive in its own... mishy-mashy way. A group with brown bands around their arms were off to one side, grinders screaming as they cut through so tal plates. Others were behind a small partition, the actinic spark of welders going off brightening up the entire street.

The wall itself was made of cars turned on their sides, with tal braces bolted in place to keep them there. There were enough of them stacked up that they rose a good five or six tres up. Theyd built catwalks behind the cars just high enough that soone could stand up and see over the edge of the wall. A few guns were mounted up there too.

Hey, I called out to a militia guy who jumped to attention. How do you get to the other side? I asked.

He looked at the wall, then back at . Theres a tunnel, under the street, he said. We use it to get to the other side when we need to burn the corpses. Um, you can get around through that building too, but its locked up to hell, maam. He gestured to one of the buildings next to the barricade.

Ah, thats alright then, I said.

I walked up to the wall, bunched my legs up under , then jumped.

And then I landed about a foot ahead.

Myalis, I growled.

Yes, Catherine?

Was it not obvious what I was trying to do? I asked.

It was. But now I have a video of you doing a bunny hop while thinking youd look very cool.

Dont you dare, I said.

Sent to Lucy already. I apologise, Catherine. She asked nicely.

I grumbled. Well, Lucy would enjoy it, and I was pretty much immune to embarrassnt at this point. Just turn on the jumpjets this ti? People are watching.

Certainly.

I jumped again, and this ti the jets near my ankles fired with a nearly-quiet hiss that propelled up and to the side of the catwalk. I latched on and used the montum to swing myself over, then I planted a foot on a small ledge and basically stepped over the top of the barricade and leapt off the other side, coat flapping with a snap behind .

I landed with a grunt, knees bending so much that I almost hit myself in the chest before I stood and continued to walk. I was vaguely aware of people over the wall staring.

Thats more like it, I muttered. Now, wheres Manic?

***