Stray Cat Strut

Chapter Thirty-Six - A Matter of Trust

“There are people, real weirdos, who are actual fans of the Antithesis. They make costumes and symbols, they argue over facts about them online. They’ve got bug-sonas.

Those really deep in those circles worship the aliens. They see them as a sort of divine punishment, or some sort of underdog alien. It doesn’t usually make sense.

We’re happy to leave them to their own beliefs, most of the time. They’re rather harmless.”

--Sergeant O'malley, New New York NNYPD, a week before the pro-Antithesis bombing campaign that took his life. January 2049

***

“I’m really starting to hate stairs,” I said.

Then kill enough Antithesis and save enough people that you can afford a flight system.

I rolled my eye. “Is that your solution to everything?” I asked.

“Uh-huh,” I said. “What’s the retirement plan for Samurai anyway?”

A Vanguard can stop assisting against the Antithesis at any time, though you’d need to survive with your monthly allowance of points, which is a negligible amount.

I hummed as I started taking the steps two at a time. The faster I could get to the roof, the faster Lucy and the Kittens would be out of here. And then... and then I’d figure something out.

“I’ve got two questions,” I said.

I’m always listening.

“Creepy. First, should I be getting something. I don’t know, armour or better gear. And second, the AA installation, will I need anything for it?”

It’s quite possible that you’ll need some sort of interfacing tool to connect to a Vanguard-designed system. As for your equipment. Yes. Yes you definitely need better equipment. So far every tool you’ve purchased has been, in a word, lacklustre and of low quality. A proper handgun would cost hundreds of points, armour the same. The issue is that your point total is quite low. Spending it all now on mediocre equipment would make obtaining better equipment later difficult.

I scratched at my chin as I reached the top of the stairwell. “I get what you’re saying, yeah. But I don’t mind taking things slow if it means living.” Actually, I did kind of mind. I’d grown to hate the subpar crap we were always given at the orphanage, I wanted some of the nicer things right off the bat, but I also wanted to live.

Setting aside my preferences to not get gored was totally alright in my book.

Then again, not picking a fight was the best way to win a fight, in my experience.

“I need stealth shit,” I said. “And something to compensate for my terrible aim.”

Purchasing stealth equipment is an excellent idea! Although I’m afraid that most of it will be beyond you for the moment. Basic Stealth Systems Class I costs one hundred points. From there you could purchase something like a Stealth Overcoat, which would serve as a decent disguise, for fifty points.

“Alright,” I said. “But that doesn’t help my aim much,” I said.

True. I would then suggest two more utilities. You are in dire need of a better augmentation system, but seeing as how that isn’t available at the moment, not without spending points on things that aren’t immediately useful, perhaps a Basic Targeting System Mark I from you Auxiliary Weapon Utilities Class I for twenty points, then a Hydra Autonomous Targeting Mount for one hundred points.

“What’s that last thing?” I asked.

It’s a mounted mechanical system that, essentially, holds onto a firearm of your choice. It can aim and fire it using either line of sight targeting, or a more complex targeting computer.

“And then I’d need to buy the gun on top of that,” I said.

Indeed.

Maybe I should have retrieved that sparrow I’d tossed earlier. It could be saving me a few points now. “I’m willing to give it a try,” I said as I pushed past the door at the top of the stairwell and slid into a long corridor. I was getting way too used to the damned building. “Let’s start with the additional firepower.”

Being harder to see and hit was nice and all, but I wanted to be able to hit back.

Just to confirm, you want the Basic Targeting System Mark I and the Hydra Autonomous Targeting Mount?

I nodded. “Yeah, they both sound useful. They’ll help, right?”

Most things in the catalogues are meant to help in one way or another. I am merely trying to hint that perhaps you should spend more time perusing your options before accepting the first thing I offer.

I dropped my voice to a low whisper. I didn’t want to alert everything around me that I was there. “Aren’t you supposed to be picking out the best things for me anyway?” I asked.

Always. Your profile didn’t suggest that you were this trusting of authority.

I stopped near an intersection and looked around the corner before answering. That answer came in the form of a shrug. “I dunno. You don’t feel like some corpo drone, or one of the volunteers at the orphanage, you feel... like you?”

Had the AI been doing something to ingratiate herself? Itself. I guessed so. She even said that she was talking and joking with me to get me to lower my guard. I guess it had worked.

I appreciate it. Truly. And yes, while I am trying to guide your development with an eye towards long-term gains, I also want to see you doing well in the short term.

“Very sappy,” I said. “Did my profile tell you how much I hate sappy shit?”

There is a note that your behaviour during the filming of some commercials and PR events centered around the more... disabled members of your orphanage was sub-par. I could infer from there.

I snorted. “Give me my new toys, and let’s keep moving.”

New Purchase: Basic Targeting System Mark I

Points reduced to... 206

New Purchase: Hydra Autonomous Targeting Mount

Points Reduced to... 106

I took in the two boxes below me, one small enough to fit on my palm, the other longer than my arm and nearly a foot thick and tall. I opened the smaller one first to find a small device, L-shaped, with intricate little projectors and some bits that I didn’t recognize.

Press the longer section over your temple, the round ball at the end of the other bar should touch the bridge of your nose.

I caught on soon enough. It was basically a sort of square, half-rim monocle that stuck to my skin as if glued on. The moment it was in place the projectors fired up and I now had a HUD over my HUD. “That’s going to be annoying,” I said.

You’ll get used to it, I suspect. It’s mostly there to track your eye’s motion and its hardware will do a lot of the work that your current gear can’t. It will make more sense once you equip your other new piece of gear.

I shrugged and tried to ignore the impression that I had a lock of hair tickling my nose where the targeting system was pressed.

The second, bigger, box had a much cooler toy.

“Oh,” I said. Then I started grinning.

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