It looked like the ‘Rain’ had stopped while I was ihe sludge was no longer running down the middle of the streets, but that didn’t mean it had pletely cleared out. The uy had a series of als, ten that ran north-south, ahat ra-west which we used to deliween districts. First district was the farthest north west, and I was in the eleventh, the furthest north east.

  The problem is that the prect was ienth, and the als were currently filled to the brink with the chemical slurry which had been running through the streets an hour earlier.

  “Eveithesis aren’t stupid enough to try and cross that shit directly,” I muttered as I watched the bridge a couple hundred feet away. The Antithesis were swarming across it in both dires, it looked like an alien superhighway. I probably would have walked directly into the swarms crossing it, if the fox hadn’t stopped me. Instead of crossing I found a small prefab apartment that had its front door caved in, and a det view of the bridge. Ohere camped out ohird floor, watg the Antithesis.

  There’s a third one. Nyx muttered, as a Model Twelve crossed the bridge.

  “And another pair of Sixes, what’s that thirteen?”

  Fourteen

  “Shit, we’ve only been here five minutes,” I said cheg my augs. ”I’d suggest blowing it up, but the prect is oher side, and there’s half a dozen other bridges in the district, we’d only be slowing ourselves down.”

  We do have the XR-42

  “You mean the single shot rifle that took over a mio cool down,” I asked as I subsciously rubbed my shoulder. “I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest on fhting on the move.”

  It did e from the on empt catalog

  “I know,” I replied. “I’m not pining. It made short work of that Twelve when I .” I watched the Antithesis outside pushing bad forth across the bridge, anised chaos at work. “There’s a lot of points avaible out there, I’m just afraid if this turns into a fight we’re just going to get tied down here for a while,” I expined.

  And you’re worried about the prect.

  I shrugged. “Sort of.” I admitted. “It’s supposed to be the most secure building in the area, but if the Terminal’s defenses failed, then the prects too. I think it’s at least worth a look.”

  Well, I’m not sure if you were serious about your inal pn, sidering your purchases so far it seems like you’re heading that way, and if so I have a suggestion. The Css I Area denial catalog which tains Razor Wire, tank traps, and, most importantly, assorted mines.

  “Useful,” I grunted, “but I don’t think I’ll have the time to set that shit up in the middle of a firefight.”

  You don’t o, I deploy the mines automatically as long as they’re within a short distance of yourself.

  “That doesn’t help me deal with the Antithesis ing from the other side of the bridge,” I reminded my AI.

  True.

  My eyes went from the ing mass below to the far side of the bridge.

  “How far away you deploy something?” I asked, an idea f in my head.

  ***************************

  A Model Six colpsed, holes in the side of its head, the Threes and Fours surrounding it were caught in a hail of lead a sed ter. A momentary opening, that’s all I o reach the bridge.

  “Nyx!” I yelled, as the bears and I ran for it.

  Deploying ventional AP mines, I’ll tio deploy them behind you as you advance.

  As the bots pushed forward, trying to clear my way across the bridge a series of explosions started going off behi had takeithesis loo realize what was going on than I expected, but now they were swarming towards us from every dire.

  “Nyx, I hate to rush you…” I muttered as the aliens flooded onto the far side of the bridge.

  There was a deep whine from the top of the small shopping plex ahead of me, followed by a long burst of gunfire which cut through the Antithesis rushing towards the bridge, severely depleting their numbers.

  Good call on deploying a bear with the M-93 Ripper to cover your advance.

  With the heavy mae gun c our advance from in front, and the mass assault rifle fire from my bots, we mao clear the far side of the bridge and slip into district ten.

  “I hate that I had to waste so many points to get across,” I grumbled, “but I doubt I would have ma any other way.”

  Actually, even with the mines, which cost three points each, you’re in the bck right now.

  I spared a quice back at the bridge. The Antithesis had made it about half way across, but they’d taken heavy losses doing it. The eher side was littered with dozens of Antithesis corpses, most heavily dismembered by the minefield I’d left behind me.

  “ we destroy the bridge to prevent them from using it?” I asked.

  Not with what you have now, Area denial not demolitions.

  “Fuck it then,” I mumbled before turning away from the bridge and sprinting into a nearby alley, my little squad only a few steps behind.

  I spared o g the shopping plex, and the single bear sitting there c my escape. I hated to leave the little guy behind, but he was buyiime to get through. “Give the Ripper a few extra reloads,” I said, throwing the brave bear a salute before slipping into the alley.

  That went surprisingly smooth.

  “Yeah well, we got lucky that no Model Twelves showed up as we crossed,” I told my AI. ”Lets hope our luck holds out.”