“They’re in the fucking water!”
“They’ve been there for a long time. We just didn’t realize how many.”
2056, a conversation between a civilian and a PMC veteran
Like ravenous swarming sharks, the Antithesis surrounded every side of the massive viewing room that was made of crystal clear glass in a lovecraftian mosh pit of teeth, tentacles, fins, and the promise of horrific death. Xenos ranging from tiny aquatically adapted Models to bigger, more dangerous creatures filled the waters around the transparent diving cage that the submarine section was very suited to be.
Of course, I wouldn’t have to deal with those immediately. That would come after the thing that punctured a path through the entirety of the superyacht and down to the bottom to prepare its hive.
That is a Model Twelve, which from my scans, is currently gestating into a hive with the capabilities to spawn a concerning amount of Antithesis. Be extremely careful. It could still be carrying units within itself. Be on alert for Model Nines as well as you have not found any yet on the ship, and the area looks rather sparse for a Model Twelve attempting to start a hive. You are also on a time limit until the other Antithesis outside notice your presence.
Right…the whole situation seemed to be a deathtrap I was walking into.
Shit.
Well, it’s the only way to really clear out this ship to make it marginally safe for people who are holed up in locked rooms, of which I was able to count at least seven on the way down. Couldn’t hurt to take a stab at it. Actually, scratch that. It could hurt a lot. My stomach was churning at the sight of the veritable green swarm surrounding the viewing area, and it wasn’t going to get better from fretting about everything that could go wrong in front of me. Time to make some moves.
I found a place to hide for a moment from a quick glance near a desk next to the stairs. And then had my cover immediately broken by the digital clock on the wall changing into an abomination that rushed towards me. Model Nine. Right. I lept to the side as the desk was rendered into splinters, and then pushed up to stab it twice. The Model Nine, in a last ditch effort, swung a tentacle and raked along my arm, leaving a large gash, before it slumped over to the side with a thump.
Target Eliminated
Model Nine x 1
Reward…25 points
Points gained, good. My breathing caught as I brought my arm up to look at the damage done. New injury. Very bad. Ow. Yep, that’s bleeding a lot.
Would you like a Woundstop now or later?
“Woundstop?” I whispered breathily, but the damage was done from the noise. The Twelve had noticed I was here. A buzz reverberated throughout the room, one that apparently even some Antithesis from outside noticed, eyes narrowing into the room as they passed to see the threat.
Yeah, that was going to be a problem for later Macy. Now Macy had to deal with bumble-bitch here and the many stealth attackers hidden around the room, not to mention what might be within that Model Twelve ready to hop out and fuck me up.
A Woundstop would help keep the bleeding to a minimum. However, I may suggest waiting a teensy bit as you may end up getting more injuries on top of what you already have.
“Yeah, I’ll put a pin in that for now.” I sighed, relaxing for a moment before remembering I was pretty much in a minefield of murderous mimics. Just in time too, because the moment my head perked back up, I heard a thump behind me. I dodged to the side, barely getting nicked by a bladed tendril from a Nine slicing past my body. I twisted my harpoon around and stabbed behind me with the piston function, hearing a squelching hit once or twice, enough to deal lethal damage to the plant bastard. I winced at the new tear in my abdomen, bringing my hand up to my side to press against the wound.
Watch your left!
I jumped back, as a ball of blades flung itself towards where I was. It sailed past, its knives cutting the air in front of my face, before ramming into a small computer setup to the side, which started up the AR feeds around the viewing area, which, due to the damage done to the computers, were glitching mildly.
Now, I am an ocean lover, so this was a painful experience for me, not getting to fully appreciate the beauty of the ocean being overlaid here onto glass. But, it did provide a nice, if mildly unsettling backdrop blocking a bit of my view of the swarming tide of xenos.
So…silver linings.
“Ha…ha…,” I breathed shallowly, understanding that even though I had practiced swimming for a while, my endurance was in need of a lot of work.
Funnily enough though, I did see that the Nine’s leap and cutting rampage also had sashimi’d another Model Nine near the end of its path of murder. A fact which the other Model Nines in the room seemed to notice as five other Nines reverted to a more visible and mobile form as a way to avoid being on the chopping block of their compatriots.
You are in significant danger, but there are paths through this. I believe in you.
I breathed deeply as I recentered myself and prepared for the onslaught. This would hurt a lot, but the rewards from this would be tremendous. I did have one idea though as the Nines began to surround me, a sea of flesh and blades teeming in a barrier that was closing in like a blender.
“Mono Net.” I quickly messaged my augs.
Understood.
A box appeared next to me, which stirred a series of multiple things into action. Two of the Nines, one in front of me and one in my peripherals, rushed towards me in a torrent of visceral slashes while a dark figure glitchily raced out of the background of the AR feeds. Nothing is more terrifying watching a glitching orca eat a moose.
Gonna file that one away for nightmare fuel to share with the world if I made it out alive.
Breaking open the box and quickly twisting my body for momentum, I swung the mono net in a wide arc, grating the charging Nines. It was a good idea after all, using their momentum against themselves.
Hey! That worked out!
I couldn’t feel like I was victorious just yet, though.
There were five more Nines to go. One of which that was behind me grappled me, and tried to stab me through with a swift motion. While I did feel one of its tentacles stab through my torso, it didn’t work as well as it wanted though, and I pulled my combat knife out and stabbed it multiple times until it was for sure dead.
I stood up, and looked at the other four nines, heaving in pain and adrenaline.
“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! COME ON!” I screamed before charging in, dodging a tendril, grabbing it and skewering the Antithesis through, before using it as a body shield to rush another one of the Nines, using the piston harpoon to stab through the body shield Nine and into my target.
Fury coursed through me like a wave. Hate was a tsunami threatening to drown me. Spite was the weapon of choice today.
I threw the body shield I was using at my third assailant who had since closed the gap, before I took my knife and stabbed it several times with a roar of indignant, burning fury. I was in such a battle rage that I didn’t even realize the wound that the Nine had given me while I rent it asunder. I tried to stand back up, but stumbled, my achilles tendon having been cut.
A shadow rose around my crumpled form as the final Nine jumped at me. I screamed in pained anger as I raised my harpoon, letting the Nine skewer itself on the speartip. All of its blades ended up right in front of my face, a centimeter from my eyes, before the body went slack.
I breathed heavily from the exertion, and let my lower body rest for now.
Can’t…Stop…Yet…
I pulled myself forward, using my arms to drag myself forward towards the Twelve’s static body. I used its form to pull myself up, stabbing into it to create a handhold. I then reared back as I leaned against the body and activated the piston function of my harpoon and let it take the wheel on murdering the Twelve.
I heaved, pushing off of the big bee’s corpse before seeing something else fall out of the Twelve’s body as I hit the ground, barely conscious still. A Model Four, albeit a malformed, inactive one.
Two birds, one stone…neat.
Congratulations, Macy, that was a brilliant performance. A very intelligent strategy with the net, I must say.
“You know…I don’t know if you’re teasing me or not, but I’ll take it for now,” I said weakly. “I need…something to help me up.”
Indeed. May I assist in providing you with catalogs and materials to help you?
I moved my head in a minimal way in affirmation.
Understood. Let’s get to work, shall we? I’ll even have them out of the boxes and in a position for minimal movement.
Targets Eliminated!
Model Nines x 7
Reward…25 x 7 = 175 points
Model Four x 1
Reward…15 points
Model Twelve x 1
Reward…100 points
Hive Prevented
Reward…400 points, 1 token
New Total: 742 points, 2 tokens
Unlocked!
Class II Medical Utilities - 400 points, 1 token
New Total: 342 points, 1 token
New Purchases!
Class I Woundstop x 3 = 15 points
Class I HemoRestore x 1 = 5
Class II Nano-Regenerative Suite x 1 = 75 points
Class I Auto-Injector x 1 = 30 points
Total: 125 points
Points reduced to… 217 points, 1 token
You can now get that Stalhas catalog if you would like as well.
“Yeah, I’d like that…very much.” I huffed, bringing my good arm up and pulling off my rebreather mask, as another appeared in its place before I crashed into unconsciousness.
Unlocked!
Class I Stalhas Technologies
Points reduced to…97