I winced as I examined Spooky’s face. A rogue Model Four managed to get a lucky strike with one of its tentacles before it was taken down. The spike had struck Spooky in one of his visual sensors, destroying it and caving in part of the faceplate.

  “You sure there’s nothing I can do to fix Spooky?” I asked, poking my finger into the hole in the bot's head, “He’s been a lifesaver so far.”

  Unfortunately, yes. You could unlock some catalogs for replacement parts, but you’re not equipped to do repairs out here. The other option would be to install an auto repair function, you’ll need a Class II catalog for that.

  I winced, I didn’t exactly know what was required to unlock a Class II catalog, but since I was struggling to just get more bots up and running, it was probably a long way off. “Sorry bud, guess the new guy gets to scout for now,” I said as I pat Spooky on the shoulder

  A few feet away stood another bot, the exact same design, this one in pristine condition.

  “This is going to get confusing pretty quick if I keep investing in bots," I mumbled.

  There are a few catalogs which allow you to customize your bots. Robotic Facades would only cost you 50 points, and 5 points per unit for a covering. You have 209 points, so it wouldn’t even put you below your reserve.

  “Later,” I replied, hefting my rifle again. “I want to get out of this area as soon as possible, and we’re almost to the terminal, I think.”

  You are.

  “Good,” I said, with a quick nod, “Let’s take a look.”

  I slipped through the last few, slowly widening streets, until I hit a wide open space with a titanic concrete structure in the middle. The Terminal. Unfortunately for me, the space between me and it was not empty.

  The area was completely full of people, shuffling around randomly, staring vacantly into the air. Although the crowd was still a decent distance away, and I couldn’t make out many details, I did spot one thing that gave me pause. There were a couple shapes sitting in the middle of the crowd, their long necks towering above the people around them. Model Sixes.

  Get down, you idiot. Nyx hissed.

  It took me a few seconds to register what they said, at which time I dove behind a nearby crate. “What the hell is going on?” I asked quietly, peeking around the wall to watch the crowd.

  Those people have been infected by Model sevens, they would have to be for the Antithesis to leave them alone like this.

  “What the fuck are you talking about, what are Model Sevens?” I hissed quietly

  Model Seven are among the smallest of the Antithesis models, they’re no bigger than a worm. At the start of an incursion they’ll infiltrate an area, and using extendable tendrils they force their way into nearby mammalian lifeforms. Once inside they slowly make their way into the host’s nervous system, doing irreversible damage, before taking control of the host's body.

  Model Sevens are terrible in combat, even after taking over a host, and prioritize proliferation instead of just combat. That explains why there was a lack of bodies in The Stacks, they must have run rampant there. They usually take much longer to take over hosts… There's something strange about this incursion, it’s progressing much faster than usual.

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  “Could it be because of the surplus of easily accessible… ‘Biomass’.” Saying that word made me nauseous, we were talking about people after all.

  Maybe, I doubt that’s it.

  “So, how do I save those people?" I asked, but my AI didn’t reply. “Nyx?”

  I’m sorry, you can’t. If you get to the victims early enough, before the model seven fully merges with the host it may be possible, but once they’re up and mobile there’s no way to separate them.

  “Fuck me,” I whispered as I watched the crowd milled about. After a couple seconds I caught sight of something huge at the edge of the crowd. An Antithesis the size of a bus came charging out of a side street. I thought it would continue right through the mob, but it skidded to a halt right at the edge of the crowd. Several zombified people clamored over and started hanging from its body, when it couldn’t carry anymore it ran off again.

  A model twelve, it looks like they’re using it to ferry their spoils away to a new lair site.

  “You think there could be anyone left alive inside the Terminal?” I asked, chewing on my lip.

  Unlikely, but possible. Time is of the essence if there are.

  “Right.” I eyed up the crowd, judging my odds. “How fast are these infected?”

  Depends on how far along the model sevens are in their integration. Early on they should only be able to shuffle, once they have full control the model sevens can cause the host to use their full athletic abilities.

  “So, assuming they’re progressing faster than usual, we’ll say a fast walk at most,” I guessed.

  We can hope.

  “Alright,” I said after several seconds. “Get me another bot, even though it’ll put me below my reserve.”

  Purchased - Class I modular autonomous combat unit - 150 points

  Purchased - T-22A Blackpaw assault rifle - 10 points

  Points remaining - 64

  A moment later a pair of plastic boxes appeared next to me. It only took a few seconds for the new bot to unpack itself, and grab its rifle. That made three.

  “You three, setup where you have a good line of sight on that mob,” I instructed quietly. The bots instantly started climbing up the nearby houses, and debris, looking for the best vantage point.

  “Nyx, make sure everyone has a reload ready for them at all times,” I told my AI quietly.

  I brought up my rifle and carefully aimed it at the head of the nearest Six. I was probably off, but with a little luck the auto targeting would help me find my mark.

  “When I open fire, start cutting down everything out there,” I said, raising my voice so all the bots could hear me. “We don’t stop firing until it’s done.”

  Across the lot I saw the model six turned its head, looking in my general direction. I pulled the trigger. The horde shuffled about, taking several seconds before they identified where the shot came from. By the time they did, the bots had already opened up.

  The model sevens were still at the shambling stage, that didn’t stop them from trying to get to me. They were directed by the model sixes, at least at first. I picked the bigger aliens off within the first minute of battle, leaving the infected to rush forward on their own. Without leadership the infected rushed blindly on my position only to be quickly cut down by precision rifle fire from my bots.

  It took less than five minutes to slaughter the entire group. When I looked out across that blood splattered plaza, I felt sick. The entire place was splattered with blood and viscera, human blood and viscera. Even though I understood all those people had already been lost to the monster in their heads, it didn’t mean I felt good doing it.

  It’s unfortunate that this will barely slow the Antithesis down, they’ll just recollect all this mass and re-use it somewhere else.

  “Just shut up for a minute,” I snapped before taking a deep breath. “I know this was necessary, but please, give me a minute to process.”

  I kept my head up as I passed through the carnage. I just knew that if I looked down, and saw one of their faces I’d never forget it. Even though I probably saved a lot of people by killing this horde, it wasn’t something I was proud of, and I was sure as fuck going to try to prevent it from happening again.

  When I finally reached the Terminal I had to skirt the outer wall to get to the main entrance on the east side of the building. When I turned the corner I found the massive security shutters wide open. They didn’t look blocked, or damaged, just left open. That meant either the mechanism was damaged, or they just didn’t get a chance to close it. It was a bad sign either way.

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