Chapter Thirty-Eight – Fire and Hammer

Chapter Thirty-Eight – Fire and Hammer

Crowds were the weapon of choice in the early 2020s, and for a while they continued to be so.

Most governments were worried about firing into crowds of protestors. Certainly, it had worked at one time, but usually turned against them. Those that died were martyred and it showed the ruthlessness of the government.

As social media progressed and became an ever-bigger part of humanity, the same governments grew increasingly worried that violent action could be turned against them. After all, politicians sleep in very flammable homes, just like the rest of us.

But then some figured that it really didnt matter as long as you controlled the narrative, and by the end of the 2020s, the average response to a crowd of dissidents was lead and gas and prisons from which theyd never leave.

–A History of Protest, Second Edition, 2036

***

I wasnt going to be stupid about this.

Well, not too

stupid. Charging out of some perfectly safe walls to go mess up an antithesis hive basically solo wasnt the epitome of intelligent choices.

Gomorrahs little fire, which was still raging on just outside of the walls, was more or less under control, and had probably worked wonders for stalling the antithesis. They were stupid too, but not so stupid as to just jump into a fire for fun.

So, if I was going to go out there… that would mean that I wasnt in the city if something went… when something went pear-shaped.

Actually, that sounded like a pro, not a con. Myalis, I need to get in touch with a couple of folk. Can you link me up to Intel-chan and Manic?

Certainly. Dialling now.

Intel-chan picked up on the call within a half second, and Manic wasnt too far behind.

What do you want, Stray? Manic asked.

Ohio!

I grinned. Hey, weve got some good news. Reinforcements are coming.

Less points for me, Manic grumbled right away.

In two days, I continued. So between now and then, were all on our own.

Thats not ideal, Intel-chan said. I bet were not getting much help either.

Right on the money. I dont know exactly how much help theyre sending, but Ill bet my left tit it isnt enough. So I figured if no ones going to help us, we can only help ourselves. Ill be setting down some additional defensive shit down here. Gun emplacements, mortars, that kind of thing. Intel, can you get the militia to set them up where theyll be the most useful?

Can do! Youre not going to give them to the kittens?

I shook my head. Nah. These are bigger guns, the militia has more training to use them, and I dont want to make it look like Im playing favourites, even if I am. Just make sure theyre not abusing the privilege, because I can and will take their toys away and give them to people wholl actually use them.

That seems fair, Intel-chan said. Honestly, the boys will just be happy to have cool samurai tech to play with. Itll boost their mood.

Right, thats cool. Im also thinking of giving the militia some meds. Things thatll keep them wide awake for a nice long while. I think I can buy that kind of thing for cheap. It might keep everyone on their feet until the reinforcements arrive.

This is all nice and shit, but why am I on this call? Manic asked.

Because while the nice militia folk keep the city cosy and safe for us, well be heading out to exterminate some hives. I dont mind doing it solo, but having two makes it all a lot safer, and its not like theres a lack of shit to kill.

Manic took a moment to respond, and I had the impression she was chewing over the decision. Why not take one of the others?

Gomorrah needs a break. Arm-a-Geddon is helping in River Heights. Sprouts not equipped for this kind of thing, I said. And… well, what are you doing?

Just killing any of the little shits Im running into. Wouldnt mind going for something a little bigger myself.

Cool. Stick around where you are, Ill be with you in like, half an hour. Intel-chan, you still there? Yeah? Okay, tell the militia that Ill be dumping some tools here before heading out.

Okay! Intel-chan said.

I moved off to one side, where I had a bit of space to work with, then I started buying stuff.

It wasnt anything too complicated, and mostly Myalis picked things out for me that had a nice correlation between usability and cheapness. I didnt pay too much attention, honestly. Sure, the gear was cool. The machine-guns were water-cooled and fired bullets the thickness of my thumb, and the mortars had little screens attached to them tied to a GPS system and they could self-adjust to aim more precisely, but those were all secondary details.

I was spending more brain power wondering how wed hit the hives on the other side of the wall than I did worrying about the cost.

Strange how once I had been a lot more cautious about wasting even a single point when I didnt need to. Maybe Id start spending points on myself too one day.

In the end, I bought ten machine guns and five mortars, along with enough ammunition to keep them all going for a good long while. Theyd supplement the defences the militia had already set down.

I decided to let someone else figure out where to place them. A few trucks rolled in, and I nodded to the militia folk jumping out to check on the gear and pack it up. The last thing I added to the pile was a small case of medication. They were all tablets with an unholy mix of caffeine and other drugs that would keep someone wired and awake for days on end. Itd probably shave a few months off their life too, but it was better than dying right away, I figured.

The fires were still spreading when I crossed the front lines and reached the part nearest to Manic. The noisy samurai was past the wall, holding in place about two blocks down. When I crossed over the wall and started walking, I quickly found the route shed passed through.

Her sound-based gun had a particular impact when it struck, and it was easy to tell where shed passed from all the shattered glass and the particular way the dust covering the roads had moved in great rippling semi-circles.

Hey! Manic called out to me as I came around a corner. She was sitting atop the wreck of an abandoned car, one arm raised in greeting. The area around her was filled with shredded antithesis remains. You showed up.

Yeah, I said. Been getting lots of visitors?

A few. They dont like my taste in noise, she said with a dangerous grin. Bit too metal for their tastes.

I laughed. They dont like my toys either. Strange how picky these aliens are, huh?

Im sure your toys arent to most peoples taste, Manic said.

That… actually hit close to home. Mister Tentacles was a fine gentleman, but I imagined that he was probably a bit much for the average person.

So, whats the plan? Manic asked.

Didnt bother coming up with one, I admitted. I was thinking we ask our AI where the biggest gathering of aliens are, then we blow them up.

Manic jumped off the roof of the car and stood to her full height. Im down for that. Im guessing if we kill them all they wont be a problem anymore.

I doubt well manage to kill that many, I said. But if we kill enough of them, then well be able to hold out. Once the Family sends over someone who can burst the underwater hives, then well just have to mop up the rest and then I can finally get back home.

Manic nodded along. She didnt volunteer to go take a dip in the lake, so I figured she was about as loath to do that as I was.

I noticed that her equipment had changed a little. She was wearing different pants, these with pads on the thighs and over the knees, as well as a new jacket that seemed a little bulkier than her last. More armour? She still wasnt covering all of her head, but I imagined that would come with more points to spend. So, Myalis, wheres the biggest heap of them?

A number of them are on the edge of the fires that Gomorrah started. They arent moving away from the fires, but are congregating on the edges and seem to be looking for a way past them. Fortunately, they havent started looking for a way around the fire yet.

That would stretch the front, which wasnt something we needed or wanted.

Unfortunately, Gomorrahs fires arent great for the delicate electronics in the area, and as it progresses, Im losing access to traffic and security cameras.

Huh… we might be able to play the hammer to the fire’s anvil, I said.

I wouldnt think fire would work well as an anvil, but I get what you mean. Manic checked the charge on her sound blaster and then shouldered it. We heading out, or what?

Yeah, lets go make up some of the points Ive been spending, I said.

***

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