“The differences between land and sea combat is vast. With three-dimensional space to take into account as well as water resistance, water combat is more closely related to combat in space, and even then, there’s more than enough differences to make specialists in both have a niche. Honestly, land-based Samurai have it easier for the most part. Unless you start needing to dig.”
2049, Aquarius, Class IV Greek Underwater Specialist
“Kyos, can you give me a marker of where Nate’s call came from?”
Glad you asked.
A purple marker appeared in the HUD of my goggles that wavered as I moved and turned my head naturally.
“Thanks,” I nodded before attempting to break out into a sprint. I barely kept myself from falling over, thanks to my own reflexes, as well as the tail of the Bloodchaser helping me keep my balance. “Legs, why you do this?”
You have been underwater for a significant portion of time. You need a little bit of time to get your “land legs” back under you. A minute or so to get your balance back to normal.
So there I was, grumbling over a minute’s worth of lost time.
While you wait, you have around 9548 points and three tokens to your name. While you can’t immediately buy up to a Class III catalog, due to both catalog restrictions and not enough points yet, there are still many Class II catalogs you can look into. Would you like to work on upgrading the ones you have?
“Sure. I’ll bite. Let’s start with the basics. Stalhas Nanotech and Translocation Technologies?”
Those would work. I would also include Class II Stalhas Adaptable Equipment in that. This would allow for even greater adaptations for your gear and a wider range of usability for everything you have.
“Ok, let’s do this,” I grinned.
You got it.
Unlocked!
Class II Stalhas Nanotechnology - 500 points, 1 token
Class II Translocation Technologies - 1000 points, 1 token
Class II Stalhas Adaptable Equipment - 400 points, 1 token
Total: 1900 points, 2 tokens
Points reduced to…7648 points, 1 token
“Ok. That’s a bit of work that is taken off my shoulders for the future. We can talk about further stuff once we get into the brass tacks of further improvements to me.” I jumped up and down lightly, trying to see if I had my balance back.
“Alright, I think I should be good now.”
Would you like to use the Bloodchaser to help propel you forward? You can go much faster on land than you could underwater, but you’d have to be careful not to put your feet down. It’s more of a hover movement on land.
“Yes, please, and gotcha. I’ll be careful,” I nodded, preparing myself.
Give a little hop, and then activate the propulsion system.
Sure enough, as I gave a little hop and let my muscle memory activate the Bloodchaser, I shot forward, about two inches off of the ground, zipping through the backstreets of the harbor. There were a few Antithesis along the way…I think. It’s hard to remember something I accidentally clotheslined with my harpoon while moving at least a hundred kilometers per hour. So glad I had the spinal reinforcement of the Bloodchaser. Otherwise, whiplash and impacts would be lethal at the speed I was going.
For those who do not know, Seattle is a city of hills. A lot of hills. Break your shins amounts of hills. It’s a layered city in more ways than one, though I have never had the chance to go to Seattle’s Undercity. However, moving upwards on those slopes felt like shooting into the sky, giving me a feeling of being genuinely free. Also terrified. I realized right then and there that I may have a slight fear of heights and/or falling.
The shelter, or the ruins of what was once a shelter, that Nate was apparently in sat at the base of a once-two-story building about ten blocks in from the shore. The rubble surrounding the building made my heart quiver in fear.
Was I too late? Was I too…weak?
No. I know Nate better than that. He’s still alive. He has to be still alive. I know it.
I’m picking up a distress signal from an AI within the building. A curiously powerful AI, though not of a Samurai.
“So people were in there and this happened? Who made the shelter?”
…Unfortunately, the records are locked to me for the moment. I would take the time to scan the area. Maybe place down a resonator to cover your tracks.
“Right, Kyos, can you-” I stopped mid-sentence as I heard a loud smash break through the air. Shards of glass and concrete rained down from above as something big decided it would smash a full-on skyscraper somewhere in the city and make it my problem.
Macy. Let’s just forget that happened for now. You are…not ready for that.
“I know. My preferred fighting area is the water. It would be a bit difficult to fight something that big and dangerous outside of my optimal conditions at the moment. Though, I guess that I could make use of its size possibly being a weakness-”
Macy.
Right. I was rambling.
“Sorry. Let’s get a Mark II Sonar Resonator and head on into the building,” I gave a sheepish half-laugh.
Understood.
New Purchase!
Mark II Sonar Resonator x 1 - 500 points
Points Reduced to…7538
A new and improved, larger Sonar Resonator dropped in front of me, clicking on and beginning to create its trademark keening noise. First of all, ow, right next to my ear. Secondly…
I know what you’re thinking, Macy. Your Sharks have been at work while you’ve been moving. They may be partially broken the next time you see them, but they are providing you with some points to work with passively.
“Bruce and Jeff, you beautiful sharky friends,” I muttered with a smile.
As I walked closer to look at the shelter and find a way in, I remembered a fun fact from around an hour ago. The Sonar Resonators were originally made to reach the resonant frequency of debris for mining purposes. So, if I asked Kyos-
“Kyos, can you give me a smaller Resonator that is set to the frequency of this rubble?”
That I can. Very good thinking.
A new, smaller, and more compact Sonar Resonator, a Mark I, appeared in a box next to me. Once I got it out, I clicked it on and watched as the rubble began to shake and crumble, as well as pieces of the building itself, the front wall beginning to shake a little and crack. I turned off the Resonator before I took down the building myself.
“Kyos, can I key this Resonator to me? It’ll be my third item, but I think it will be useful. Especially in search and rescue scenarios like this,” I said, looking over my wristlets.
Yes, you can.
I kept my head on the swivel as I entered the broken-down shelter, afraid of what I might see. And I was right to be afraid.
The shelter was in ruins. Pieces of beams that supported the ground had warped and crumbled, floors had cracked, and pipes were leaking. It was a horrible sight, and worst of all, my best friend was somewhere in here.
Whoever made the shelter was going to pay.
Oh hey, look, a metal placard with a company name on it. The one that made the shelter, perhaps?
“Montero Construction…,” I mumbled.
Montero…oh dear. A first-generation Earth-based Samurai’s company. Curious indeed.
“Fuck. Kyos, can you get me a fixed-point marker for here? I’d like to be able to teleport here later if I get the ability to teleport myself in order to make sure that I can investigate this further. Also, can you add something with Cyberwarfare Utilities to that marker that can let me know if another Samurai comes by here?”
Yes to all of those.
New Purchase!
Fixed-Point Teleportation Marker w/Identification Module - 100 points
Points reduced to…7654
A little laser-tag-like dot appeared on the wall and clung to it with supporting scaffolding.
There. Insurance for the future.
I nodded and kept heading further in. It didn’t take long traversing the shelter before I found my first person…and the first body of many. People had died here in the time it took me to get to shore. I was too late for a lot of people.
I hoped whatever was out there didn’t include Nate.
I was able to find identification for many of the dead, whether through combing their augs or finding ID cards from businesses on them. Maybe I would be able to tell their families. Give them some closure. But the unrecognizably destroyed faces, crumpled bodies, crushed limbs, and the stench of blood…it infuriated me. It didn’t drive me into my depression like it did in the past. I had power now. I didn’t need to despair about my inability to help others because I had the strength to actually do something. So, I had the damn right to be angry.
And I had a lead. A lead on who would do something like this.
Compartmentalize, Macy. Whoever did this would pay later.
I reached the end of a hall, where a portion of the ceiling had collapsed in. I began to hear, albeit barely, a sound of movement.
I’m getting a ping from the AI I mentioned before beneath that rubble. It’s not a Protector AI, but it bears a signature of something created by one.
Immediately, I moved to begin to pull the rubble off of the pile. Whoever it was…maybe it was Nate. Maybe it was someone else who could help me.
Or maybe it was just the AI left to rot in a person’s head. A bit of bile came up my throat at that thought.
I stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, closing my eyes and praying to whatever was out there that it was one of the two former. I then activated the Teleportation Wristlets, bringing the smaller resonator next to me. I activated it and began to ring, causing the rubble to begin to shudder and crumble to dust, revealing the crumpled, barely breathing, but still alive form of Nate.
“Kyos, Nano-Regenerative Suite, something for blood loss, and a goddamn juice box. NOW,” I sharply spoke, not giving myself a chance to be beside myself at the horrible state that Nate was in.
You got it.
New Purchases:
Class II Nano-Regenerative Suite - 75 points
Class II Hemo Restore - 50 points
Nutripack - 1 point
Total: 126
Point total: 7777
Hopefully, that point total meant I was going to be lucky in this situation.
The items appeared next to me, allowing me to snap up the rebreather mask of the Nano-Regenerative Suite and place it over Nate’s mouth. The light began to slowly return to his half-lidded eyes before I looked over to the Hemo Restore, saw the instructive arrows on the side, pulled the cap off of it, and stabbed it into Nate’s thigh, which promptly woke him fully up.
“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR- Oh hi, Macy.”