“A Samurai is usually named by other Samurai. It’s a known tradition; it’s a known fact. However, there are sometimes those Samurai that made a name for themselves that gained ground. And sometimes that name is shared around enough that people think the Samurai already has a name. It’s times like these where I think: "What did I do to get myself the name I got?!””
2047, Whiplash
The surface of the water was right there. Just needed to make it…
There!
Emerging from the water within my unconscious state, I jolted awake, my body flailing a little as the surface of the water in my dreams became the inside of the Anemone in reality. Also, a bit of discomfort on my back that I tried to adjust before lifting my torso off the bottom of the Anemone and finding a fin on my back.
Well, side sleeping for the rest of time, I guess.
Good afternoon, Macy.
“Good…,” I began to speak before realizing I had a different mouth configuration.
“Ah, eee, ooo, eh, ohh, wow, dash weird. Shill hab lipsh, jush need ooo adjust,” I played around with my new mouth for a bit before finally settling on how to move it in just the right way to get all the usual sounds that normal people make.
“New teeth…I’ve got new teeth.” I brushed my now-longer hair down in front of my face. “Same color. I like it. Opposite of ginger.”
Waking up a new person, and you are already making Doctor Who references. We are off to a great start today.
“As much as I’d like to banter all day long, and believe me, I’d like to with all this new energy and power in my body,” I flexed my arms, looking at my new muscles for a moment before staring back at the ceiling of the pod, “it’s a bit cramped in here. We’ll have to invest in some bigger on-the-inside tech for the next one. You’ve got me with Doctor Who on the brain.”
I shall note that for later. For now, I would like to tell you that you made 9573 points from your evac point assistance. Bruce and Jeff have been decommissioned, sadly. However, due to what you have provided, you helped others save a lot of people. So, you will have some people outside waiting to talk to you. Specifically, some Vanguard who have arrived today to assist. A few are still in the city dealing with the major portions of the incursion still, but there are many working on evacuations.
Cracking my neck, I focused in on my electrical sense, like closing your eyes to improve your hearing, and sure enough, I sensed someone with a lot of gear on them and a lot of electrical signals going on in their body right outside the pod.
“Well, let’s see what kind of welcome we get,” I sighed.
The Anemone slowly opened up, disabling its defensive protocols, letting the late afternoon light stream into the pod. I slowly drew my senses back to semi-normal, a limited focus on my electro and sonar senses at all times learned through the dream training kicking in to ensure that I was ready for anything. I sat up fully, which was…enlightening, to say the least. The Bloodchaser had adapted to my new body, becoming much more compact and focused on my spine. There were also additional thrusters on the fin that had grown on my back to possibly reinforce and assist with quicker turning and movement.
I tapped my tail (I had an actual tail!) against the bottom of the Anemone as I began to ponder everything about my new body. Everything was more vibrant about it, though that could have been the new eyes influencing my thoughts on that. I examined my arms again to find the new wristlets, tabbing through my augs quickly to find that I had three new slots for items to be teleported. Score!
As I sat there examining myself in the open air, I did notice several of the people around the evac area take notice. The one who I sensed earlier with a lot of gear began to make a beeline toward me.
“Well, it took you long enough to wake up,” the person, female? (I didn’t know or want to assume), deadpanned. She wore what could only be described as the intersection between cyberwear and pajamas, had two gauntlets on, and wore the face of someone who either just got the best sleep of their life or someone who had been awake for a week yet still had the worst case of bedhead. Knowing Samurai, it could very well be both. Short, mildly swaying from drowsiness, and with grey hair that seemed less old and more stress-induced. “So, you’re Mako? That’s the name the PMC you apparently saved was spreading. They also said something about a Macy? Would that be you?”
Uh…
Did- did I get named while I was asleep? And it’s my nickname I made up that Nate stuck with.
…Roll with it.
“Yes, I’m Mako. My real name’s Macy. Nice to meet you…”
“Geryon. Though you can call me Delta. Don’t confuse me with the rest of the system,” she tiredly droned.
“Right…so…why are you here? Admittedly, I’m pretty fresh,” I embarrassedly admitted.
“I’m here because the central effort is currently sending more qualified logistics handlers to the evac points around. You seem more the…fighter type, aquatic-based? Am I right?”
“Kinda? I can help with the evac, but I’m more comfortable underwater, yeah.”
“‘K. I’ve already sent out requests to the appropriate parties. Expect either a call or a bit of a splash soon.” She hadn’t even looked away from me or stopped the conversation. What?
“Splash? Wait, you’ve already talked to people about me?” I nervously asked, pulling myself to a standing position finally. I was taller than before. Instinctively, I called to the Requiem Piercer, and it appeared in my hand. A little smaller now that I was bigger, but it would do the job. At least until I could get a better one. Then, I’d upscale.
“Oh. Yeah. I have a lot of parallel processes going on at the same time. As for the splash, you’ll know what I mean when you see it,” she said without a hint of emotion.
“Gotcha. Yeah, I don’t really get what you mean, but I’m sure I’ll get it soon.” Huh. Samurai brains can be really crazy, can’t they? I mean, I already had the Huntress’ Eye augments…but that level of parallel processing seemed insane.
“You probably will. Anyways, do I need to make sure you’re pointed in the right direction, or will you wait here for your ride? I’ve got the logistics of the whole of Seattle to work with right now. Lost one Samurai with a huge mech, got an army of robotic animals purging Antis left and right; it’s been a long day so far. Said army is controlled by a person who a few minutes ago almost dropped half the city with the cannon of said huge mech, so I’ve got my work cut out for me. Cascadian Government better fucking pay up, swear to whatever being is fucking with me…” She continued to ramble on as she walked away, completely forgetting what she originally asked me as she ranted and raved about the shitshow that was Seattle right now and that we were lucky to have them come in to help.
Not gonna lie, I don’t entirely blame her. Shit did suck. Looking across the Seattle skyline from the bridge, I could see pretty damn clearly the amount of damage done. I’m glad as many people survived all of this as they did, but the amount of people that died? I was afraid to see the death totals after all of this. For most people, the idea of that would break them.
For me? I just needed to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Save the survivor’s guilt for a time when I could deal with it professionally. Protector therapy is the best therapy.
I started to stretch out as I turned around, returning my attention back to the evac point. It had significantly evolved from the rinky-dink tent setup that the PMC had before. This had full medical facilities, a line to help people get back to the mainland, a small armory that a few actual soldiers were guarding, and…
My stomach grumbled as my eyes traced over the last place: a small soup stall.
Food sounded phenomenal right now.
“Hey Kyos, what’s the best food I can eat with my hands right now that won’t be too messy? I don’t want to take food from the food stall,” I thought towards Kyos.
Hmm…do you want Earth-based cuisine that would be tasteful to you or something from the Protectors?
“You have me intrigued on the latter, but I think trying something new in the field isn’t the best. You know, just in case I have a bad reaction to it.”
You wouldn’t, but I understand the concern. Let’s try…
New Purchase!
Class 0 Karaage Wrap - 1 point
Points Reduced to…10,563
A small parcel of tinfoil dropped into my awaiting hands. Unwrapping it, a burst of fried, yet not heavy, aroma reached my newly minted nostrils, and I couldn’t help but drool just a little.
“Hehehe…,” I giggled before ripping into it with incredible ease, my new teeth meeting near-zero resistance as I gobbled down the absolutely delicious wrap. After a moment of eating like a normal person, I realized that I had a shark mouth and started tearing huge chunks of wrap off and eating them whole.
Neato.
In a few seconds, the foil was empty, and the experience passed me like a speeding train. I sighed, the melancholy of the good food being gone rushing through me. I was still hungry. It was so good. I needed more.
“Can I get, like, two more of these, please?” I pleaded with puppy-dogshark eyes.
Yes, yes, you can, you feral Mako.
As I began to wolf down the two wraps, savoring them as much as I could, I started to sense something.
The rippling of water below. Just a bare hint.
And then another. And then a wave. From…north?
“Oh,” I realized in deep awe.
“Yup,” Delta said from behind me, not surprising me on her approach.
Coming down the canal was a massive ship, bigger than most warships that I had ever seen in the harbor. And it was…drifting?
Ah, that’s what Delta meant.
“I have a forcefield around the evac site that repels weaker Antithesis and natural phenomenon. We, however, are in the splash zone,” Delta deadpanned, and then began to run off a few meters to the side, back into the evac site, grumbling as she did so about ‘forgot my chair, my boots, bluhhhh…’.
Splash zone. Well. Shit.
SPLOOSH!
The ship parks perfectly to send a massive wave up onto the bridge. It’s partially blocked by the shield left by Geryon? I could at least see the shield deflecting some of the water but didn’t know the full extent of the effectiveness that the shield had. What I did know is that I needed to hold on tight. I stabbed the tip of the Requiem Piercer into the ground and held on for dear life until the water subsided, my tail and Bloodchaser providing me balance and counterforce to hold myself steady through the insane force of the wave.
Well, if my knife wasn’t looted by someone by now, it probably just followed the wave off the bridge. Shit. I forgot to grab that when I woke up. Oh well, I could always buy a new one.
As I stopped being buffeted by water, I could finally get a close look at the ship that had parked itself up close to the shore.
“So that’s…” I thought toward Delta, connecting with her comms through the ECHO.
“Warspite, yes.”
“Ah,” I said, letting the immensity of the person I was about to meet set in.
“Now please get off my comm channel.”