I left the burrow shortly after lunch. The Antithesis may have beeerminated, but I had plenty of other issues to deal with. After their stuerday the Hell Moths were at the top of my list.

  Unfortunately I had a slight issue with logistics.

  “Nyx, I need more bears. I don’t have enough to both protect everyone here and run down those assholes. I buy one of those maes yet?”

  You could, it would be better if you had a pce to put it first. The Creation engines are big, two feet on each side for the Mark I mae. I would actually reend the Industrial Creation Engine for your bears, which is six feet square, three feet high. It print slightly rger blueprints, and it has a self tained power supply.

  “Fuck… I’m going to have to buy bears ht, aren’t I?”

  Well, I think of a promise to get you started, I’m not sure if yoing to like it or not.

  “Tell me.”

  You could open the Css I Cargo Vehicle Catalog, i in a big rig hover trud trailer, then mount the system in the back

  I narrowed my eyes. “That sounds pletely unnecessary.”

  How were you pnning on colleg materials for building your bears, or transp them if you o leave the area.

  “Ummm…” I said, staring ahead bnkly.

  That’s what I thought.

  “I’ve never even sidered driving a vehicle. Not only was I too poor before, but they tend to get either stolen, or scrapped for parts around here.”

  Well, I don’t think that would happen to you, sidering you’d be printing a security force out of the back. Plus, most vehicles have a built-in autopilot so you wouldn’t o drive it yourself.

  “Fine,” I sighed, “How much?”

  Three hundred for the catalog, ohousand for the trud trailer, seventy five for the creation ealog, and two thousand five hundred for the industrial creation mae. If you wao build more advanced bears you’d he Css II catalog.

  “Look, I’ve only ever learned basic math, and that was to make sure I didn’t get ripped off too hard. Totals please.”

  Three thousa hundred ay five. Then the blueprints are extra.

  “Of course they fug are, how much?”

  Blueprints cost ten times the base cost of an item. I’m assuming you want to replicate everything you’re using, which is bears, basic facades, sensrades, B3s, the Ripper, the RX, the armor and the ECM hardening it’ll be five thousand and fifty more.

  “I’m pretty sure I don’t have that muyx… or do I?”

  You’re at 7028, and ooken.

  I waited a sed. “Sooooo…”

  No you do not

  “I figured,” I huffed. “What if we cut back to the bear basics. Bears, rifles, ECM, and facades.”Was that a bear pun?

  “Shut up and calcute”

  That would cost you six thousand four hundred and twenty five, leaving you six hundred and three. It would be difficult to ie sensors or armor to the created bots iure, without spending points.

  “That’s fine,” I said, nodding my head.

  It is?

  “I wahe mae so I could recycle the lost bears anyways. Less waste overall. If I buy upgrades I just upcycle the older models.”

  That’s morbid.

  “As you said whe Maria, that’s effit”

  So?

  I sighed. “Fine, do it”

  I felt a phantom pain in my wallet as a massive truck appeared before me. It was covered in armour pting, looking more like an APC than a traditional semi. The attached trailer was just as heavily armoured, oire side of the trailer had folded dowing a ramp and exposing the mae within.

  The Creation Engine was a massive block sitting up against the front of the trailer. One side was a massive hopper designed for material ihe side poiowards the back had a massive touch s which dispyed my current blueprints. It seemed simple enough.

  It took me a few seds to realise a crowd was gathering. Including Jane, An and the kids.

  “Teddy, what the fuck is this?” An asked.

  “It’s a portable build-a-bot workshop, I think,”

  “You think?” His brow furrowed.

  “I haven’t tested it yet.” I replied, slightly offended.

  At least the children were impressed, based upon their simultaneous cries of ‘Cool’ and ‘Shiny’

  “I pn to make a bunch of new bots to protect you guys while I go and deal with a few ‘Issues’” I threw up some air quotes.

  “You pn to go beat up some gangs, we know,” Eddie said, trying to get into the y ruck.

  Meanwhile, Isabelle had wandered over to Deadbeat, and was staring at him wide eyed. “What’s this?” she asked.

  I ran over and grabbed Deadbeat’s gun before any acts happened. “A robot. You’ll have oo protect you tomorrow, probably.”

  “Really?” Shit, Issi was really cute when she was happy.

  “Yes, with some minor ges.”

  “ I hug him?”

  I sighed, “Yes.” I could see Jane over Issi’s head, grinning. “You keep him until tomorrow."

  “If you want to see the inside, e on. I have other things to do today.” I opehe driver's side door, sat down, and immediately noticed an issue. The fro was the perfect size, for Bob.

  Do you want a booster seat?

  —

  Now that I had the ability to create new bears, I wao test it. So I took Bob and Heavy over to the Scrapyard. I say I took us, but unfortuhe truck wasn’t built for someone of my stature. While I was sitting in the fros I couldn’t even see over the dash, so Bob o drive.

  The Scrapyard ractically deserted when we arrived, I guess most people were either still too cautious to sge, or must have heard the Antithesis had set up the hive in this area.That was fih me, I really didn’t want gawkers while I was testing the mae.

  I had Bob park in a retively clear area and opehe ramp.

  “So… how does this work?” I asked, poking the dispy.

  Choose what you want to build, then deposit the required materials into the hopper. Excess materials will be pressed and expelled after the requested item has finished printing.

  “Cool,” I added five bots with all the upgrades to the queue while Bob to start colleg random junk.

  This will take some time, several hours per bot.

  “That’s fine, I want to discuss something before we get these boys bae.