Chapter 10 : Getting antsy

  “There was a big anti-modding movement when they were first introduced, you know? Some said it wasn’t ‘natural’ which… houses aren’t natural by that definition! Plus there was all this fear mongering about cyberpsychosis, which is just a sign we need more mental health treatments in our society. Add religions, cults, body purists and on and on…

  Me? I say they’re just chicken!”

  –Interview with samurai Mecha-Man on the Oliver Twist show, 2044

  ***

  “Alright, what the fuck should we do now?” I asked, panting a little. I’d found a pretty nice hack! Hacking the fuckers to pieces! Turns out, the Paw did fucking well at slicing everything and, most importantly, didn’t require ammunition.

  The problem? I wasn’t bite-proof. I may have been bleeding more than ideal. Should probably do something about that…

  Current point total:

  2345 points!

  Tokens earned: 2!

  I stared at the notification long enough that one of the little fuckers almost took a bite out of me! Returning to the fight, I asked the burning question on my tongue. “The fuck’s a token and how did I earn two?”

  The tokens came from saving over one hundred people and spending over five hundred points on healing items unnecessary for pure survival. Many of the people you healed were not injured, simply sick.

  “The fuck are you on about? I mean, for example, yeah, Patrick wasn’t going to die right fucking now but he had cancer, how could I not give him a damn cure?” I asked while unloading my revolver angrily.

  That is why. Higher tier catalogues can endanger your entire race in fascinating ways. As an ancient human author said, with great power comes great responsibility. We need to ensure people receiving the power we give them will act responsibly.

  You have shown that you care for the innocent. Hence, you received two tokens. Most of the time they come from saving people, but this is not the only way to receive them.

  I wasn’t used to that. Rewards for doing nice things? I mean, it happened. I believed in being nice, kind and polite. It was a positive sum game in my opinion. You treated someone like shit, they’d treat you like shit. If you’re more powerful than them you may dodge consequences but it’s still a net negative.

  Being nice? That meant a higher chance of the other person doing the same. If they spat on your kindness? You didn’t lose much, hell, you may have gained knowledge on a person’s character. That was important. So, an overall net positive.

  However this? A concrete, insanely valuable reward for doing… what I’d always been doing, sort of? It felt… weird? Maybe I wished it happened more before? Then again, getting chosen as a samurai might as well count in that category so…

  Wait, why the fuck was I complaining? Tokens! Yeah! Thank you aliens! You’re the super duper best!

  If I may make a recommendation? You should really upgrade Mole-Bear technology to the next tier.

  “Why Mole-Bears?” I asked as we kept fighting. The advance almost stalled. We killed an incredible amount of plants but bigger models became more frequent. This felt more like cheesing for points than fighting in earnest.

  According to Altany, I got less points from Lila’s kills. Even though I bought the equipment, if I didn’t use it then it didn’t count as much. However, front-line fighting next to her lessened the penalty.

  It is your most versatile catalogue and the one that can cover the most problems for now. Versatility has drawbacks. The increase in power that comes from higher tiers cannot be overstated. Tokens are a very valuable resource, one that is difficult to obtain. Spreading them out too much means that you will not have the resources necessary for tier 3 or tier 4 catalogues.

  With this choice, we can solve more problems and have more technology to combine with other catalogues in order to do so better and for less points.

  “Hey, you should remember something…” Lila said over comms in between bursts from her 12.7mm beauty. “If you buy upgrades-gimme a sec-” She paused as a model four came around the corner. Concentrated fire took care of it rather well. I stayed forward and to the left to allow her to shoot anything coming around the corner while I went in for melee.

  “Your hand-me-downs can go to the rest of the enforcers. That gun you left behind is still usable, you know?” That… was a damn good point.

  That gun still kicked ass even in someone else’s hands. I never had enough to splurge on… anything before, really. It felt odd. Having more stuff to give away gave me a better excuse to spend though!

  “Alright, sounds good! So, Mole-Bear, but not Large Bore? It’s where my guns come from, no?” I asked while totally not out of breath.

  Large Bore Kinetic Weapon Systems is there mostly to supplement Mole-Bear Technologies, hence it is a lower priority. Using tier two Mole-Bear Technologies and emergency installation nano-technology, we could also install not only full, but upgraded versions of the ‘Roar of the Core’ and ‘Vanadium Vambraces’ in a short amount of time.

  I blinked. Fucking hell, that would change everything. That strength would be a big deal. A really, really big deal. Having the ‘old’ version in full would be a big deal. Now I could get even stronger than the ridiculous strength enhancement promised?

  This would replace your muscle fibers one by one. The installation risks being painful but another combat stim will solve most of the issues caused by the fast installation.

  I thought about it while mowing down the little fucked-up dogs with my shotgun. I liked to multi-task and killing them felt both cathartic and mindless. I had no idea what kind of improvement I was looking at, but I knew I had several issues to address.

  For one, I was still a squishy sack of meat and replacing my largest organ was not something I could handle at the moment. Even if I could, it would be quite a distraction. Even now I would… fuck I was stupid…

  ‘Altany, is the local net good enough to contact David?’

  In short, no. I pity the server engineers who maintained it before the incursion. I can use the wireless hotspot I created with your augs to piggy-back on other wireless devices to mimic a connection. Would you like to call him?

  “Yes please and thank you, Altany. For all you do.” I emptied both magazines from the Bearier to give me some space and time. After making sure I had a few seconds to reload, I continued while doing just that.

  “My family would be dead if you hadn’t shown up. I seriously owe you. I am extremely grateful for your help and your efforts and I want you to know that.” I really wanted Altany to know she was appreciated.

  I sucked at reading emotions so making sure the people around me knew how I felt and how much I appreciated them made me feel better. A much more common communication failure than people thought, in my opinion. Being appreciated mattered damn it!

  “Same!” Shouted Lila over comms while emptying her pistol in a model three that escaped me during that little speech. I could hear the smile in her voice. I’d done the same with her many times.

  I… appreciate being appreciated. Thank you. Connecting you now.

  I could hear in her voice that I’d hit a chord for her. Just acting? Though as to if there was a difference…

  Urgh, whatever. A lot of AIs probably didn’t receive praise often enough, right? It made me smile to know I made her feel good, maybe.

  In my opinion, AI or not, Altany was a person. She outsmarted everyone in the building put together, so why wouldn’t she have emotions? Probably alien incomprehensible AI emotions, but still emotions.

  David picked up on the first ring. “Boss? You guys alright?” He sounded a bit worried. Couldn’t blame him. I’d feel the same in his place! On the other hand, in an incursion, gunshots counted as a sign of life, right?

  “Yeah, we’re alright, just need help, got a samurai grade weapon for you, buddy…” I didn’t even finish my sentence before I heard him starting to sprint over comms.

  “Really boss? You sure? For me? What is it? How much ammo will you give me? Can I keep it after?” The barrage of questions cut off whatever I was about to say.

  It got a chuckle out of me. “In order; Yes really, yes I’m sure, who the fuck else would I be calling about, super shotgun, all the twelve and ten gauge esoteric shells you want, and who the fuck else would I give it to? Get your ass over… oh shit, you ran fast!” I exclaimed as he turned the corner.

  “Where?!” I shot a few hyper-compressed buckshot shells down range then pointed where I’d dropped my Bearier Mark 1. A good choice for him. The man was built like a bull, not to mention his augments. I’d have to upgrade those too…

  I worried a bit that I’d run out of points soon. Only a bit since we kept fighting an endless horde.

  “Altany, put down four turrets!” Each of them popped into existence on solid ground, surrounded by xeno bodies.

  We could hold for a bit. Only twenty meters left before the intersection, roughly. Both of us needed a breather and some fluids. Hell, fucking stims might be nice...

  “Mind holding the line with your new best friend, David? I need to do some samurai stuff, buy things, install shit, yadda yadda. Altany, got some fluids and energy drinks for me and Lila?”

  As we moved back and David moved behind the turrets, a box appeared near us with a brand new chibi red panda on it. Better than the last, but not by much. Altany’s avatar lounged next to me after I sat down on a plump, mostly dry pile of garden hell hounds.

  I should warn you, given the strong point penalty for someone else using your equipment, you may lose points from ammo expenditure. It is less severe when you are fighting alongside them, but for the moment, it will be more punishing.

  Altany had warned me on general comms since all the gunfire wasn’t really conducive to classical conversation.

  “I’m fine with that. Even if I lose points, I prefer having him with that gun.” David was a good shot and with four turrets to help him out, I could finally breathe for a second.

  I opened the box and found two large juice boxes and two cans… with a gif of Altany’s avatar dancing on the label.

  “Urgh, whatever…” I poked the juice box with a straw, thirsty as all hell, and started drinking. The mother fucking nectar of the gods hit my tongue!

  I was one of those weirdos who loved giving oral sex, especially to my husband. No idea if it was a kink but I loved his scent, his taste, the feeling of his sensitive, quivering, pulsating flesh in my mouth…

  That damn juice made me waver on which I’d rather have! I chose my husband in the end, I’d always choose my husband, of course!

  …but it was just one point. I could have my husband for free though!

  …At the same time, it was rather frowned upon in public to have my husband like that.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Meh, no one needed to know. Pretty sure that’s the only reason anyone would still use a table-cloth.

  Unimportant for -Wait, fucking hell, could I get Altany to give me lube that tastes like that?

  Argh! Totally not important! For today at least.

  Before Lila and I knew it, the cartons of pure hydration were empty. Both of us looked at them in baffled amazement. I might have been more hydrated than ever! The energy drinks weren’t nearly as orgasmic, but still good. Peach flavored for me.

  “How the fuck did you know lychee was my favorite?” My best friend asked with a suspicious look at the drone. The avatar looked smug as all hell. After the energy drink kicked in, leaving me fuckloads more awake, I refocused on the task ahead.

  “Alright, Lila, take a break, I’ll upgrade my shit. I might be unable to help if another model six arrives, so be ready to assist David, alright?” The woman gave me a thumb’s up, already relaxing on a corpse that did look quite comfy!

  “So, we upgrade Mole-Bear to tier 2? Could we upgrade to tier 3?” I asked while eyeing the hologram.

  Sadly, no. More tokens are required for tier three, as well as more points than would be wise to spend right now. Do you approve the purchase?

  After a nod, my points took another hit.

  Class 2 Mole-Bear Technology unlocked!

  Points reduced to… 2255!

  Tokens used: 1!

  “Fuck, my points are dropping like a bankrupt CEO…” I complained to no one.

  It is a worthwhile investment, especially with such a massive point source nearby. I imagine that one of your aims will be to equip your enforcers and some of your militia with large amounts of quality equipment. This will help you accomplish this more easily and while spending fewer points for higher quality equipment.

  The comment made me blink. That… That was accurate and should’ve crossed my mind a while ago.

  I’d want to spend a lot of points on my people, buy more meds for those we’d rescue soon, give my enforcers good shit so they could help me save people, fuckloads of esoteric ammo… Fuck a duck, the list’d never end…

  Unlike a lot of vanguards, my points wouldn’t go to me, for the most part. I needed to spend a ridiculous amount of them on a very literal army of normal people.

  Apparently, I’d need to find more hives after this incursion.

  Survival and rescue came first. Best way to do that? Prepare, then overprepare. “Alright, so, I had a thought. The upgraded muscles are great, but a speed augmentation would be much better than a bone strength increase. Don’t get me wrong, I want the bone stuff, but having my brain keep up with situations and my changing strength is more important.”

  “That is very well thought out, good job!” The little panda said.

  After a few seconds, a little piece of paper appeared in front of me. One of those wax paper things. It had a sticker of a cute as hell red panda giving a thumbs up and saying ‘proud of you’. I crumpled it up, but couldn’t hide my blush. Thankfully, Lila missed it.

  ‘Can you really spend points on that without my say so?’

  Actually, you gave permission to your husband and I asked him first for a single point.

  “God fucking dammit…” Yeah, that was exactly the type of stupid shit Robin would enjoy. “Alright, moving the fuck on. Got something for my brain and nerves and shit?” Self-augmentations never creeped me out like so many others, especially not this type of perfect, invisible integration!

  Never understood the reluctance but hey, your meat sack, your choice. A net upgrade to the thing I lived every second of my life in? I’d always answer with fuck yes! Wait… “Do you have any self-installing tattoos and shit?”

  Of course I do, however, we were discussing your nerves. It may not be the time for distractions.

  I felt chastised, but not much. I’d go insane without distractions. Ruminating on the friends I’d lost, how I could have saved them, how Donna had…

  It would fuck me up too… God, what if Anna ha- Fight now, grieve later!

  “So! Options?” I asked as Lila listened. I wanted her opinion on this. David could weigh in but he looked a bit busy.

  There is a system unlocked with tier two Mole-Bear technology. It synergizes very well with the upgraded Roar of the Core. The new nerve fibers will communicate signals faster and with more precision. This should enhance your ability to exert specific amounts of force or utilize precise muscle groups. Expect slightly enhanced proprioception as well.

  The Quicker Copper Coating mark 3 is a substantial change. It will come with brain augmentations that will allow you to process faster and react quicker. This includes a partial enhancement of your ability to react intuitively without having to think about an action in split second situations.

  It will overlay your nerves, wait until symmetrical muscle groups are ready, then replace them. The experience will be unpleasant, but you should stay combat effective during both installations by utilizing a combat stimulant beforehand.

  For your upgraded Roar of the Core, you should remember,strength and speed may be related, but they are not directly linked. A hydraulic press possesses vast strength. A hummingbird is incredibly fast. Your focus is based mostly around strength and the new alloy will be much stronger. However, I ensured that it can also contract much faster than the previous model. It is a difficult balancing act.

  Overall, it should grant you an increase in strength of approximately five-hundred and thirty-five percent over baseline. To make it simpler, you should start beating some world records for unenhanced humans. The increase in speed is harder to quantify, but substantial.

  “Oh! Speaking of, can you get me a combat injector? My old one is probably fucked and I imagine you can do a hell of a lot better. Did the Mole-Bears use those a lot?” Lila gave me a wary look.

  I smiled at her reassuringly. We’d both seen how fucked up combat injectors could be for heavy users. Hell, we’d both known people they’d killed indirectly.

  One of the problems with stims is that they kept you going even if you should very much stop. The right drugs would make you run at the enemy when you should take cover or seek medical attention.

  I was aware and very wary, but having that in my back pocket, or in this case my backside, might be important to keep me alive.

  Yes, and several models would fit your anatomy. The installation should be much faster, I only need to displace some organs slightly and the injector will connect itself to the relevant arteries. Depending on the features you wish for, it should be much less expensive than your other purchases. What would you like to fill the injector with?

  I thought about it for a bit. That KP-Kicking had some kick, pun extremely intended! “The medical nanites.” Lila said, very wisely.

  That can easily be arranged, however it will require some internal compression. They may not be as powerful and you will only be able to store a maximum of three. Injection would be aug-controlled or at my discretion.

  Please remember that the ones you gave yourself were aided by the nanites from your augmentations, hence the result will not be as potent as you experienced before.

  That stung a bit but it made sense. Auto-injectors were pretty small to fit in place. “How about… two of those medical nanite suites and a dose of KP-Kicking?”

  “What’s that?” Asked Lila as I puzzled out loud.

  “It’s the stuff that let me stay calm and sane when that model six had crushed my ribcage and burst a ton of organs…” I said distractedly. Her eyes went wide and locked onto me.

  Oh right, I hadn’t told her. “Fucking metal boss!” David said as he enjoyed himself a bit too much with my old gun.

  “Jesus fucking christ panda, that’s… I’m sorry you had to go through that… Thank you again, Altany. I’m not sure how I’d be able to handle the kids without him…”

  She’d volunteered as godmother of course, and my kids would be in good hands with her but I’d rather protect them myself. She looked troubled. Maybe it didn’t truly sink in until now. I could see deep sympathy, which warmed my heart.

  “Don’t worry aunty Lily, I’m alrighty, better than fucking alright now!” My cheer puzzled her for a second. We both had a habit of fucking around, sometimes literally, to distract us from the memories, the pain, the shit…

  Life at the bottom of mega-towers was horrible, a cesspool of addiction, pain, debt and crime. What we’d built together… We shot way the fuck above our station, as the corpo rats would say.

  We created a better home in a place that no one wanted to end up in. We’d lived in that fucked up mess for a long time. We fought hard to make it a good place, a place our loved ones could be happy in.

  I saw it on her face when she realized. She figured out why I was still somehow in a good mood in this fucked up mess.

  We had a shot. We finally had a real mother fucking shot out of the shit, for all of us! Out of the hell corpos built and trapped us all in! Samurais transcended the whole system and we had one!

  A samurai that wouldn’t get the fuck away as fast as possible. A samurai that cared about our people. It was beyond game-changing. If we… If I survived this, we could remake our home into something solid! Now, to make sure I did actually survive…

  “Alright, I’ll buy it all, how much is it?” My smile stayed wide and stupid. The idea of turning into a super soldier fucking excited the shit out of me! Fucking hell, had I become a samurai only an hour ago? The Cobra-Kais wouldn’t know what the fuck hit them!

  The Roar of the Core mark 10 as well as the Quicker Copper Coating mark 3, I presume modified for the fastest installation possible? Together they come to 1600 points. Adding the auto-injector brings it to 1800. You could get a better model of auto-injector, but that might be unnecessary for your purposes.

  “Fuck me…” Lila said it but I felt the same. That was an insane amount of wealth. So many fucking points! Enough to arm everyone or… well, alright, maybe not arm them well but still!

  However, those upgrades were necessary if I wanted to be a true vanguard, to be at the front, to rescue and protect. I just had to tamp down on my cheapskate instincts. “Jesus, that’s with the massive discount from the already installed hardware, right?”

  Yes. These are powerful augmentations, well worth the price.

  As far as I knew, there weren’t any other samurais in the building. That meant I’d have to handle this building solo unless informed otherwise. To do that, I absolutely needed those upgrades.

  “Oh god okay, okay, just buy it before I change my mind, please, fucking…” Not the time for saving points… right? Right. Fuck maybe…

  New purchase, Roar of The Core Mark 10 - Emergency modified!

  Points reduced to… 1215 points

  New purchase, Quicker Copper Coating Mark 3 - Emergency modified!

  Points reduced to… 620 points

  New purchase, Pyrite Colonic Injector Mark 12!

  Points reduced to… 425 points

  “... hell that hurt!” I exclaimed as my points dropped hard.

  “No shit! Although… why ‘pyrite’?” Lila wondered, having apparently seen the notifications. I appreciated Altany sharing those with her. My best friend’s support really helped me get through this shit.

  Stay still, I am transporting the materials within your body.

  Suddenly, I froze as I felt the same ‘plop’ as the last time something teleported inside my chest. I forgot about that. Might have skipped the augments if I‘d remembered!

  After a full body shiver, I tried to get my shit together but a wave of vertigo hit me out of nowhere!

  “What the shit!?” Lila kept me from crashing to the ground. Staying up against all odds, I slowly stabilized. A box dropped at my feet and my eyes finally focused on it. Not over yet, eh?

  “Altany, please just… I need a minute…” I took my time, leaning on my friend. Shit just felt… weird. Like the difference when some video went from thirty frames per second to sixty, or in this case one hundred and twenty? No, the augs were closer to that description. This shit…

  Movements weren’t as blurry. I shook my hand in front of my face and could see it better than ever. Reflex thing, probably. After taking a few deep breaths, still using Lila as support, I bent down and opened the box. A familiar sight greeted me.

  Two terrifyingly big canisters were there, with a tube connected to a needle. Much bigger than last time. “Hum… you sure you want to do this?” Lila asked with quite a bit of apprehension.

  “Yeah, family needs me. I don’t care how fucked up it is, I have to protect Robin, the kids and you. No middle ground. I’ll do what I have to.” I was mostly reassuring myself, but it brought a smile to her face.

  I apparently dodged a bullet with the insertion last time. Having that damn needle expand within my fucking chest hurt like a mother fucker! The heavy nanite slush filling my abdomen like mud felt fucking fantastic, of course.

  “Fuck that’s weird! God, it’s like having… extremely fine wet sand under my skin! Jesus feline fisting Christ, alright, I can do this, I can do this, for the kids, for Robin, for Lila…”

  I put the second one in and the process repeated. I felt bizarrely heavy, like I had extra weight but inside of my chest and at the wrong spots. My inertia was all wrong…

  All my focus went to not puking. This time, Altany waited for the process to be over and for the nanites to plug the giant holes in my skin. Then the little used plug suckers activated…

  Given the weight of that nano-slush, the infinite tingles that started creeping their way through my body messed with my balance hard. “God I’m glad you’re here…” I told Lila while shuddering and spasming like never before.

  I could feel the fucking nanite housing module’s location. Those little angry ants moved there and back constantly. Pretty goat fucking painful, but less than getting my eyeballs ripped out, so that was something!

  However, the pain kept building by the second, more and more and more and…

  I suggest injecting yourself with the KP Kicking as fast as possible.

  “I uh… wait a sec I’m… fuck…” I was completely out of it. Ants stole all my focus. Suddenly, I fell to the floor after my emotional support redhead let go of me.

  A second later, I recieved a hard smack to the face! The external pain helped me focus on what I was hearing. “Take the mother fucking stim right fucking now!” Lila screamed before turning and firing at something. Emergency, fucking focus fuckity fuck fuck fuck…

  I looked at my HUD and found the auto-injector thing. As always, the option was marked by a chibi red panda, this one bent over a table while another held a giant needle. Whatever. I focused on it and found the KP-Kicking.

  Auto-injectors had a major advantage when it came to the delivery method. They pumped whatever you wanted straight into a major artery. Most drugs took time to take effect, but that stim hit me like a runaway train!

  Suddenly, everything cleared up, the spinning stopped, and I became calm and pain-free.

  The calm part flew out the window when I looked at the front.

  “Oh fuck…”