Stray Cat Strut

Chapter Seventeen - Growth

Chapter Seventeen - Growth

Theres famous samurai, and then theres Famous ones. Im not talking about your average joe with an alien chip in their head and a bit of an attitude problem who likes saving orphans. Im talking about the samurai who leave behind a legacy.

--Three Swipes, Late Night With AI-567 Interview, 2032

***

Now what? Manic asked.

I reached up to rub at the bridge of my nose, then let my hand fall. Well, were kinda fucked, arent we?

Manic shrugged. Honestly, thats nothing new for me.

Yeah, thats fair. Want to go out with a bang? I asked.

She grinned. Always imagined that the best way to go was while blowing something big up. A last, final show, you know?

I nodded along. That was the big dream, wasnt it? Unfortunately, I had responsibilities now, and Lucy would be upset if I died, even if it was in a blaze of glory. So, basically I couldnt strap a nuke to my chest and charge at the aliens.

Besides, I didnt feel like swimming.

Myalis, I need a few more of those cat drones. Can you start mapping out the underground for us? We need to know more or less where theyll be breaking through, I said.

Certainly. Ive already begun, though I dont yet know the extent of the underground hives reach.

That was fine. I let Manic open the boxes that showed up around me. I had to think in the meantime. Downtown was woefully under-defended for the number of aliens we were seeing. Myalis, youre the expert here. When will they attack?

An undisturbed hive will, generally, continue to expand, grow, and harden itself until such a time as it encounters resistance or a threat, at which time it will work to eliminate that threat.

So if I planted bombs down there and set them off, then wed be swarmed within the hour. I started pacing the little room. It seemed as if I had three problems. I opened a text box and typed them up.

1- Fuckloads of aliens were going to mess us up soon

2- Downtown wasnt ready to deal with even a moderate swarm

3- All I had to work with were three noobs and Gomorrah

I hesitated, then added a fourth line.

4- Lucy was going to be annoyed if I wasnt back home for dinner.

Myalis, what could we do to mess the aliens up? I asked. I dont think we can just nuke them to hell.

Nukes are an option? Manic asked.

Always, I said. But they might be a bit rough here. How much of these hives are under the city that the people were supposed to protect are living in? Nah, we cant afford to nuke anything, I dont think. Well have to be more creative.

Myalis brought up a map and superimposed it over a 3d representation of Burlington. It was pretty clear that the hive was stretching around downtown, with a few little tunnels leading inwards. Of course, we hadnt uncovered the entire thing yet. The two cat drones wed sent ahead were still moving along, and the new ones were playing catch-up. It would take... well, I didnt know how long it would take to figure out the size of the hive. The bigger it was, the longer it would take.

I started cycling through options.

Resonators would melt the hive up nicely, especially if they couldnt turn them off in time. Just disconnecting the various root networks would fuck up the antithesis logistics for a minute. But that would be super obvious.

If we did that now, theyd react, and then Downtown--and River Heights--would burn.

Lighting everything on fire was an option too, but I figured wed run into the same problem. Plus, fire would pour out into the city above, and then everything would literally

burn. And the hives were underwater. I was sure Gomorrah had fire that burned underwater, but I imagined that would just make it more dangerous.

So, something more subtle than that.

Fuck, I wasnt too good at subtle.

Myalis, you remember those nano-bombs? The ones that eat antithesis meat?

Of course.

If we set off a number of them in the hive network, would that kill it all without alerting them too quickly?

The nanomachines can be programmed to only eat the antithesis after a certain set time has passed, ensuring a wider distribution.

Oh, that could work, I said. Wed need to insert them all over, then find a good time to set the bots off.... But yeah. Eating the entire hive all at once would be fantastic. Theyre kind of slow-acting, arent they? I asked.

Depending on the mass of the subject being consumed and the number of available nanomachines, the amount of time spent eating will vary greatly. But, generally, they are a little slower.

I could still work with that. Okay. Send everything weve found so far to Gomorrah and Atyacus. Prioritise finding routes in the hive that lead into Downtown. Well use those to pour our nanomachine friends in. I tapped Manic on the shoulder. In the meantime, were getting back to Downtown. Once the swarm starts being eaten, I bet they wont just sit back and enjoy it. We need to defend the city, which means arming up the locals and setting up defences that arent as budget as whats there already.

Im not sure thats my kind of deal, Manic said.

I looked at her. No, I imagined her deal was charging in and making a mess of things, which was usually just fine, but not if she did that now. Can you hold back for like, a couple of hours? Soon well have more aliens breathing down our necks than well know what to do with.

I guess, she said.

Patting her on the shoulder, I gave the hole in the floor one last look before slipping out of the room. At the same time, I called Gomorrah. We have a problem, I said.

Thats a fun way to say hello, she replied. What is it?

The hive heres bigger than I thought. I think its got double-digit models, maybe up to the low twenties, and theyre all snoozing below-ground right now. But hey, Ive got a plan.

Does it involve copious amounts of explosives?

No, actually, I said. I was pretty proud of myself in the moment. Were going to poison the well, or however that expression goes. Basically, I need you back in Downtown ASAP. We need to up the defences until theyll be able to survive the aliens getting all uppity.

There was a long pause before she replied. I dont think the antithesis get uppity, so much as they get murderously angry.

Potato potato, I said. Well be killing them either way. Do you think youd have time to make a quick run from here to New Montreal and back?

What for?

Weve been making turrets at my place. We must have half a hundred of them by now. Theyre pretty cheap shit, but theyll work well against the weaker models, I said.

Id much rather stay here, but I can ask Franny to take the church van and grab them, she said.

I nodded along. Much better idea. Ill send Lucy a text about it. We really need to get things moving, I think that every hour we waste adds a whole shitload of extra aliens were going to have to kill.

I know. Well go over whatever half-baked plan you came up with... want to meet at the mall again? she asked.

Sounds good. Well have to distribute better weapons and coordinate with the general, whatshisname from the militia. We need everyone on their A-game. Talk to you in person in a bit.

Hanging up the call, I continued walking through the museum, Manic a step behind me. So, where to?

The mall, I said.

Fuck me, she replied.

Dont like the place?

Its fine. Its the people I dont like. Theres only one sort of person that hangs out in a place like that, and theyre the worst sort of human around. Hyper-consumerist fuckwits whod sell their own mothers for the latest micro-version of whatevers the status symbol of choice this week. Cant fucking stand the place. And you know it only exists for people to flash their wealth. Otherwise theyd just buy their shit online like the rest of us.

I like malls, I said. Used to go there with my girlfriend and stare at all the shit we couldnt afford, filch half-eaten meals out of the trash too. Great smoothies.

Manic snorted. I guess we have different memories of that sort of place.

Guess so, I said. Anyway, its where everyone decided to gather in Downtown, so thats where well be heading to.

You can blame that Sprout guy, he chose it. I think he used to work there.

Really? I asked as I stepped out into the sunlight. I got my bearings, then started walking towards the bigger skyscrapers.

Yeah. Worked in this little flower shop.

Huh, I said. Then I put that out of my mind because I had bigger concerns to deal with.

***