Chapter 19

  "Quite a lot of people do end up shooting at Samurai and surviving. This usually happens when they appear in Incursion areas right after some Antithesis. These accidental shootings are the most survivable one. Of course this really depends on the Samurai in question.” - Samurai The Starlit watcher. In an interview on how to survive an incursion.

  -2055

  My ears flicked again as we started walking down the cracked and trash littered street. Piles of bags and half rotted planks lining the walls. As we got closer to where the voices could be heard we stopped. “FUCK THIS! We manage to get in get an actual foothold and then some fucking dog monster plants comes and ruins it all?!” One person shouted then an other gun shot could be heard. ”Hey! Didn't we need that one a live?!” An other voice shouted. Then a bit calmer. ”We did need one of them alive yes. But we can't make it back with Jerrold all wounded like that.” The first voice said.

  I looked over towards Kevin and spoke with through our call. ”Sounds like a bit of trouble. Gangs and maybe someone else?” I asked and he nodded. ”Your armor doesn't cover everything right?” He asked as his bike came down further, he then motioned to it. ”Get on it will take you up on the roofs. There you can provide support.” He said then laughed. ”Not that I will need it. But use that invisibility thing you got and shoot at them in case something happens when I step around the corner. It will scare them a bit I'd say.” He said as I moved to hop up on to the bike. I motioned and my drones came with me as the bike did bring me up to the roof.

  Activating the cloak before moving quickly over the rooftops towards the open area. Getting to the edge I looked over towards a open area I could see five rough looking individuals. Wearing soot black clothes with simple plates attached to it and two of them had vests. One leaning against a wall holding his side. One of his friends messing around with a bag as one of the remaining ones standing guard as the other two the ones that had been yelling, were going through the pockets of dead locals and a dead Coyote pack member as well as keeping an eye one some dead antithesis. The five of them had a red outlined scorpion on their chests or arms.

  Settling down along the edge of the roof rifle held ready just in case something happened. As I sent my drones around to move along the roof to the other side. Just as Kevin quite casually walked out from the street. The one standing guard called ”OI! You picked a bad time be exploring down. Mr.Fancy!” The others looked over and the one going through the pockets of the dead one eyed Kevin up and down once. ”That indeed is fancy clothes and armor.” He said narrowing his eyes. ”You a samurai. Not that I believe that they are as strong as the corpos say. So how about you Just hand over your gun and armor” He said as the man leaning against the wall shook his head ”That's a bad Idea.. Those aren't just marketing.. The-...” He got cut off ”Oh don't you start I know you did live up there for sometime. But Really things appearing out of nowhere. Gear that is stronger then anything humans can make. Besides! What if this is just some corpo down here playing at it all.” He said and Kevin just shook his head. ”I can assure you that, it is all very much real” He said only for the man to roll his eyes as he drew his gun. ”Really now cut out the crap and strip.” He said only for Kevin to sigh and in one impossibly quick motion pulling his gun and shooting the guy.

  I blinked and the others just stared for a moment as a large hole appeared in the mans chest. At the sametime as something struck the wall behind him. The others quickly aiming and starting to shoot at Kevin. My drones quickly darting over the open area burning against the two that was at the wall. I quickly lean over the edge and start shooting down at the group most shots missing adding to the chaos down below. ”I really didn't come down here to deal with this” Kevin said as he quickly shot three more. The last one collapsing to the ground quickly tapping his burning bag. ”I surrender!” he shouted. Seeming to have trouble moving about Kevin slowly walked over to him. ”And now why should I let you live after that clear ambush and all?” He asked in a conversational manner the man begun to stutter. ”I-I! Yes yo-you want to know more about the weeds! They came from the West!” he said and Kevin nodded then made a shooing motion. ”Leave then.” He said.

  I watched as the man quickly limped away in to the building at the back. Shaking my head a bit ”So decided whom of them is Texas Red then?” I asked as I looked around the rooftop to find a simple way down. Seeing that there was a lower roof to the right with a ladder I went over and jumped down. And as I was climbing down I get the reply. ”How did you know that reference? Its fucking ancient” Kevin asked. ”Oh I did like some older games and such and it might have come up there” I said before walking over stopping in front of him. ”So we heading west?” I asked as he just sighed and nodded. The bike coming in to land. I looked around us and took a deep breath. ”This will be a small panic attack once my brain catches up. This energy drink is quite effective at keeping me awake. But I don't really feel like myself” I said as I climbed on to the bike. Kevin then nodded. ”It is a lower Class energy drink. It likely keeping you a wake but dulling everything” He said as we headed up.

  A got a ping in my augs and Fen spoke up.

  The Arizona Ranger wants to share the screen of his bikes scans of the area. Will you agree to see it?

  I gave the smallest of nods, then a screen filled my view it was of a camera view from under the bike. A line quickly moved across the screen and behind it red dots appeared in clumps here and there a larger concentration around the warehouses. And an other one around the Factory that was up against the massive pillar. ”I think we will start by the warehouses” Kevin said before angling us towards them and speeding off.

  The warehouses were as one would expect short long buildings with huge gates at the front. In this area it seemed to be quite a few of them as I could see row after row of streets going between the buildings behind a sturdy wall. Inside of the area antithesis were moving around dragging things along with them. Or trying to head in to the different buildings. The logo of Future tech and health was plastered on every second building. ”Well.. Guess its a good thing that I don't even look close to how I use too” I said with a sigh as we landed outside the guard post. Or what remained of it. The thing having been smashed up pretty badly.

  ”Oh? Ahh right family company. Guess you are worried about the cameras and such?” He asked and I nodded. ”Well I can have T?v blur you out if you want me too.” He said and then he nodded slowly. ”Actually with that cloak of yours you only show up as a shadow on those cameras. If even that.” He added and I nodded slowly before Fen spoke up.

  Yes that is one of the good things about the Phantom Garments they are made to imitate ghosts originally made for entertainment. Movie sets and theater really. But it was quickly adapted in to military use. And made a lot stronger in its effect. Of course it isn't stealth so when pure invisibility came around it fell out of favor. But to current tech earth made cameras you will at best be a blur.

  I nod a bit as my drones fly in to the complex. The one with the active camera feed heads in to the gaurd booth. As it passes the door way I can see that its as thick as a bunker. Inside is an abounded desk with a computer and a wall of camera feeds from side the warehouses and from the walk way between them. I can see that some of them are crawling with antithesis others empty. I could see that one of the warehouses had been broken in to and the containers within broken and torn a part.

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  ”Well looks like they will be paying quite a bit to restore this place” I said before grinning under my mask. ”Heey Fen how big of a boom can we make?” I asked in a sweet voice. ”Oh NO you don't even think about doing that. You already did damage to one city plate. Even if its minor that will still take time to fix. Besides.. I got an apartment up above here.” Kevin almost shouted. ”Fine a small boom” I said.

  Oh! You want to know those great not at all secret secrets! Well at class one you can unlock a few things to get you really big booms. But with what you already have then you can mix a few things with the micro-nova's as a base. Then have them pull in and compress different kinds of explosive materials. We could get something at least twice as powerful as the one that took out the model 7's and the building they were in. But for a smaller explosion you also got quite a few choices.

  I sigh a bit as I start walking in to the walled of district. The first thing that of note once past the gate was how much cleaner it actually was. Yes the streets were still dirty and the walls stained with years of traffic but not trash or other derbies littered the streets within the walls. We moved quickly down the first street towards the third row of warehouses. Coming around a corner we spotted our first antithesis a pair of model 4's dragging a bag out the broken wall of the back of a building. My drones went in and quickly took care of them. One of them then flying in to the warehouse they had come from finding it mostly empty. Only thing left twisted containers and tracks leading outside.

  ”Well I guess that they were making something that produces or uses some kind of biomass..” I said as I walked over and look a look at the bag in question pushing it over with a foot. ”Fertilizer..” I said then looked up at the warehouse. ”That I didn't expect. Must be used for something on the medical side?” I asked and got a shrug in return as Kevin walked up to me and pointed towards an opening between two of the buildings tracks clearly visible of others having dragged things that way. ”Not hard to follow their movement at the moment.” He said as we turned down the tight walkway.

  Once we got half way down I could hear the clicking of claws against stone in front of us and a lot of them. ”We got something coming” I said Kevin having already drawn his revolver and aiming a head, firing the same moment a model 3 came around the corner. The now headless model 3 kept moving slamming in to the wall as an other four of them rounded the corner. I opened fire managing to down one and wound the others with a few shots. Kevin fired again as the first model 5's started showing up. With each shot he kept moving forwards forcing me to walk besides him as not to shoot him in the back. Soon enough we found ourselves at the end of the tight walkway and out on an other street. A few model 8's moving towards a large opening in the wall leading towards the factory. To the other side a warehouse with its doors broken and twisted.

  Enemies eliminated

  5 x model 3 = 50 points

  4 x model 5 = 80 points

  New total = 4324 points, 1 token.

  I looked over towards the dark interior of the warehouse and then to Kevin ”We have to check it” He said and I sighed my drone moving in to the building only for me to lose control over it as it passed through the doorway. ”That's strange I just lost contact with a drone and I can still see it flying” I said and Kevin just smiled as he pulled his shotgun instead. ”Oh that's because it got to close to some model 9's” He said as he started shooting up at something along the ceiling just as he stepped inside. Soon enough a few dead hairy messes with blade like claws fell down from the ceiling.

  The inside of the warehouse was a large open room with cranes going along the ceiling neat rows of now broken containers lining the inside with the company logo on the side. A plane that few over a futuristic looking city and in the middle of the image a green cross. The words Future Tech and Health written around the logo. Rifle raised as I walked towards one of the open containers quickly stepping to the side to get few within, I saw a few things flickering inside so I fired a few times one of things turning out to be a box of cosmetics. One of the other thing collapsed in to a dead model 9 as the other two started moving. My drones keeping away as I kept firing until all of them were dead. Slowly stepping back I looked around.

  Kevin shock his head slowly. ”I can tell you that there are four more model 9's in this room” He said as he lowered his shotgun and pulled his revolver before shooting four random spots then nodded ”And now there are zero of them.” He said before shaking his head. ”That sounded better in my head.” He then took a few steps inside and turned around to face the door. ”Oh and we have incoming a large group of model 3 and model 4's supported by a few model 5's. ”It does seem we managed to get the attention of most of the models around these warehouses.” He said before grinning. ”But it does also seem that they don't have a hive here.” I quickly moved to find some kind of cover. Pulling the door of a container open I then went to a knee behind it aiming towards the open door. I saw Kevin's bike come down before flying in and turning around to face the door.

  At first nothing happened then my ears twitched a bit at the sounds of foot steps hitting the ground. A lot of claws clicking against the ground. Then the first model 6 came around the corner only to get blasted back by a shot from Kevin's shotgun. Then what I could only call a swarm came around the corner I started firing in to the large group as did my drones and Kevin's bike. I slowly started doing my best to pick off model 5's when they showed up and I noticed that Kevin only really shot anything that got to close or any armored models that came around. ”Now little spooky cat. When faced with these kinds of situations you really should be pulling back. Leave a few turrets and find a good defensible position to hide in. Or find a way around the horde of enemies. Unless you are powerful enough to just” he then nodded towards the incoming group that was being destroyed in front of us.

  “But once you are here. There are always things that will cause you trouble anyways. Higher model numbers.. Ambushes and so on.” He said before shrugging. ”Or a large enough horde of these could overwhelm someone like myself if I was caught unaware. That's the next lesson! Make sure you can't get caught unaware! Get better augs, hearing and any other extra sense that you might need to make sure you don't walk around the corner in to a barrage of some model 5's or 15's. Oh And those are artillery models. The 15's shoots a or throws away a ball that contains the same spikes as the model 5's toss” He said as he kept shooting every now and then. ”So you are saying that I should get something like radar if I can?” I asked

  Oh! That is possible! Could get a small radar installed in your tail. It might require you to get some Class II catalogs but it is possible. Should I ear mark it for later?

  I blinked a few times then went back to shooting. ”Really Fen? Radar in my tail? How lets talk about that later” I said as the horde started to look more like a large group then slowly became a trickle then nothing. Slowly I stood up ”I need quite a few flesh melters for that” I said Kevin shock his head as he begun tossing out a few ball shaped grenades ”Already taking care of that. But that is a good thing to keep in mind. Cleaning up large groups like this is considered a polite thing to do.” He said as I walked over to him he then motioned to a door to the side ”T?v just told me there is a shelter in the warehouse behind us. We should go and check that out before moving on” He said and started walking. I took a look at the slowly melting pile of dead antithesis then quickly followed him as Fen spoke.

  Enemies eliminated

  24 x Model 3's = 240 points

  17 x Model 4's = 255 points

  15 x Model 5's = 300 points

  6 x Model 6's = 180 points

  New total:5299 points, 1 token.

  Now that I got a moment yes radar is possible so is a form of echo location. But we need to focus a bit more on survivability. Stronger bones skin and muscles. I suggest going for bionics for the muscles and bones. With some select cybernetic points along your tail for such upgrades in the future. Then genetics upgrades for your skin. Genetics will need a trigger. That trigger luckily for you can be a point in the bionic upgrade process. Oh and want claws? It would suit you. Also from the genetics catalog you should get reflexes just like the skin the bone and muscle bionics will trigger its start once its at a point were it can support itself. This will take a few days to kick in fully same with the skin.

  I nod as I follow behind Kevin as we walk down the now empty street. No broken street lights even if some of the doors are bent open at this point. We come around the corner of the third warehouse on to an empty access road that leads to an other warehouse this one larger. Its doors not broken even if they look a bit battered. I tilt my head a bit. ”That one is armored I'm quite sure” I said and Kevin nodded. ”It is. But I'm already in the system and unlocking the side door” He said as he walked over and pulled the door open. He then stepped inside as I peeked around the corner. Inside this building I could see a few trucks and some heavy turrets along the ceiling ignoring us. With a sigh I stepped inside to the right were a small building clearly some kind of office and living quarters. At the other side of the room I could see a huge door leading in to mix of concrete and metal slab. ”Well I can't blame the company when it comes to shelter construction.” I grumbled as I stopped by one of the trucks to lean against it. Kevin looked over towards me. ”Not joining in for the conversation?” He asked and I shock my head.