“Alright Alyrix, how many points do I have?” I asked, enjoying the cool interior air.

  You have 129, not a bad amount. You have enough to fix your medical issues.

  That was music to my ears. I was sick of being in pain.

  “Alright, just buy whatever I need to fix it,” I said.

  Certainly.

  A cheap plastic box appeared in front of me.

  New purchase: Class One Medical Utilities unlocked.

  New purchase: Nano-Regenerative Suite.

  Points reduced to 64.

  I opened the box to reveal a fancy looking inhaler. I picked it up and turned it around, examining it.

  Stick it in your mouth and inhale. The nanites will fix your cracked ribs, as well as solve your appendicitis.

  I frowned. “I don't have appendicitis.”

  Actually, you do. Or at least, you will. It's still developing. You would begin to notice the symptoms within the next day or so.

  “Well, good to know,” I said. I stuck the inhaler in my mouth, and took a deep breath. It tasted like static electricity. There was a pins and needles sensation in my abdomen. I couldn't help it. I giggled.

  “That tickles,” I said, as the pain in my ribs faded into nothing. I breathed deep and stretched. No pain when I did it. That felt amazing.

  “That is sooo much better.”

  Glad to hear it!” Would you like to consider your next purchase options?

  “What do you suggest?” I asked.

  I would suggest one of three options. Option one is to purchase a better weapon from your existing catalogues. Spending your remaining points on better weaponry would dramatically increase the efficiency of your hunting.

  “Okay,” I said, “That sounds like an okay option. What's the second choice?”

  The second would be to unlock a another catalogue. You could, for example, purchase the Tier One Kinetic Handguns catalogue, and increase your firepower. That however, would be less efficient owing to the upfront cost of the catalogue.

  I froze.

  “Alryix…” I said, “Am I an idiot?”

  That would depend on what you are using as a baseline. Why do you ask?

  “I’ve been beating aliens to death with a bat and throwing rocks at them this entire time, when I could I have bought a fucking gun.”

  I was a moron. Why the fuck didn't I stop to think that a gun might be a good idea? Which raised a second question.

  “Why didn't you give me a gun instead of fucking rocks?” I demanded.

  Two reasons. First, you bought both catalogues in a moment of immediate threat. Wasting time debating your options would likely have gotten you killed.

  “I… okay, fair enough. What's the other reason?”

  You looked like you were having fun.

  I paused. Was I having fun?

  …yes, yes I was. There was something just so satisfying about killing aliens the old fashioned way.

  “Alright. You have a point. What was your third suggestion?”

  My third suggestion, and I believe this to be the wiser choice, is to gather another small pile of points, then to purchase a catalogue that contains some sort of protection. The environment is hostile, and your current choice of weaponry would be better served with some level of armour.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I considered her suggestions. As tempting as switching to a gun was, I think she had a point. It was a lot of points to replace something that was already working.

  Which left the other two options. I could see the merits in both. Better weapon would make me safer, and help me gather the points faster. But protection? That sounded amazing. I took a sideways glance at my augs. It was now 41°c. That was fucking unacceptable.

  “Can I get something with air conditioning?” I asked.

  That can definitely be arranged.

  That decided it.

  “Right,” I said, sliding to my feet, “Protection it is. Right after I borrow their bathroom.”

  I found the bathroom, a really nice, modern one, this family had great taste, and did my business. I also took a moment to splash my face with a little water and fix my hair. I looked like shit. My face was red, my hair plastered to my face, and I was on my way to some serious boob rash. Australia was not built for blonde, practically transparent girls like me.

  Having done what I could to be at least a little less dishevelled, I headed out to face the sun once more. I grabbed the box the Nano-Regenerative Suite came in and tossed it out as I left the house, emerging back into the heat.

  “Hey Alyrix?”

  Yes Lena?

  “Can you send my gear without packaging in the future? Or something less wasteful?” Saving the world from aliens meant nothing if I killed it with pollution in the process.

  I can most certainly do that. I will provide packaging that is both biodegradable and good for the soil.

  I headed back out to the street, and began to sneak my way back along once more, keeping my eye out for more Antithesis. It felt a little surreal to be actively hunting for them rather than hiding in a shelter. An hour ago, I would have screamed and ran. Now? Now I was looking forward to finding an evil space monster.

  “Hey Alyrix, this seems a little weird,” I said after a few minutes went by without encountering any.

  What do you mean?

  I gestured at the sky where the occasional pod still fell, and AA fire streaked through the air.

  “Shouldn't there be like, an entire horde?”

  If this was a typical incursion, then yes.

  I frowned. “What do you mean? This isn't an incursion?”

  This incursion lacks the heavier antithesis models, as well as the typical supporting hive elements.

  “Okay… is that good or bad?”

  That depends on context. In your current situation, it is favourable. You are not encountering anything that would be an actual threat. It is the perfect environment for a brand new Vanguard.

  I nodded. That made sense. But, that did raise further questions.

  “What's the bad context?”

  It's a deviation. Deviations in Antithesis behaviour are always concerning.

  I blanched.

  “Oh.”

  Yeah, that sounded bad.

  “Any ideas why it's different?”

  Several, ranging from probable and not particularly concerning to statistically unlikely but potentially apocalyptic.

  “Alright, what's the likely reasons?” I asked. I really hoped it was one of those.

  There are three likely causes. I cannot currently verify which, given the communications situation. The first possible scenario is that this is a probing assault. The Antithesis could be testing multiple landing sites, with the intent to follow up with a full scale incursion.

  “Okay, so what, they’re throwing a bunch of little shit at the wall and seeing if any sticks?” I asked.

  Not quite. It's more like filling a bucket to find a leak. Though I suppose sufficiently liquid feces would serve that purpose.

  I gagged, “Gross. What are the other options?”

  The second is the more immediately concerning of the three. This may be a diversion. It is possible that this assault is intended to draw eyes and resources away from a more serious attempt.

  “I don't like that idea, what’s the third?”

  The third is the least concerning. It is possible that this is the remnants of an incursion that was intercepted before it made planetfall by another Vanguard.

  I spent a few moments mulling this over.

  “So, probe, diversion or someone else's mess? Okay. Let's pretend that it's the worst of the three. What do I do?”

  The best course of action for all three scenarios is the same. Take the opportunity to gather points. If this is part of a greater plan, then you will want to be as prepared as possible. If it is merely a remnant, then it may be some time until you have the opportunity to earn more points, so gathering what you can now is prudent.

  “Okay,” I said, “It doesn't matter what is happening, my job right now is to kill shit?”

  Precisely.

  “Well, I best get to it then.”

  Which was easier said than done. The streets were lifeless. It was honestly unnerving. It was the middle of the day, sure, it was going to be quiet, but this was different. There was no one. A weird silence hung in the air. Okay, not a real silence, concentrated anti aircraft fire was loud as fuck, and the cicadas were doing their best to compete with it. But there were no sounds of movement. No cars, hover or otherwise, no quiet conversation, no pedestrians battling heat stroke. Just cicadas, the distant sound of high calibre weaponry, and my own footsteps. It was its own form of terrifying.

  At least I was confident that most people made it to safety. There were no signs of carnage, no bodies in the street, no pools of blood like you saw in those war holos. Just emptiness, and signs of departure. Doors left open, things knocked over, a hose or a TV left running. I took a slight detour to turn off the hose. Saving water was important, even if Samurai tech meant we weren't desperate, we still had restrictions.

  I debated closing their door while I was at it. It would be a nice thing to do, but what if they didn't have their keys? A look at the door told me it was a fancy Aug controlled one. They would be fine. I closed the door, then moved over to start picking up the neighbours' rubbish. Someone had reversed into the bin from the looks of it.

  Lena, what are you doing?

  “Tidying up, I like to be nice,” I replied as I righted the bin.”

  That is admirable, but I believe you have more pressing priorities.

  I paused. Why the fuck was I tidying up?

  Ah shit.

  I forgot to take my meds.

  It was the middle of an alien invasion and I was stuck on dumbass brain.

  “Right, right. Killing aliens.” I stopped what I was doing. I grabbed my bat, which I left… over there apparently, and tried to pay attention again.

  “Alyrix, any ideas where I should go?”

  From what I can observe, the greater concentration of Antithesis should be North East. Anti Air coverage appears to be thinner in that direction.

  “North east, okay.”

  I knew which way north was so… that way. I would have to go up the street and around the corner. I moved in that direction. It's funny. I had never been on this street before, despite it being so close to the school. It was just a matter of not getting distracted and forgetting what I was doing.

  “Hey Alyrix?” I asked.

  Yes Lena?

  “Could you please tell me when I am getting side tracked?”

  I can do that, yes.

  The next street was nearly identical. Just a long line of houses with well kept yards and the same eerie emptiness.

  Then I heard it. A series of loud pops. They sounded relatively close, if far quieter than the distinct booms of the AA.

  “Is that a gun?” I asked Alyrix. I was already moving in that direction.

  Small arms, yes. Semi automatic, low calibre. Likely multiple handguns.

  Now that I was listening, I could hear another noise. Shouting.

  “Sounds like a fight,” I said, upping my pace. Whoever it was probably needed help, and I needed points. The shouting got louder, more frantic. I broke into a run.

  It was Samurai time.