I winced as I examined Spooky’s face. A rogue Model Four mao 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 g in part of the facepte.

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

  Unfortunately, yes. You could unloe catalogs for rept parts, but you’re not equipped to do repairs out here. The other option would be to install an auto repair fun, you’ll need a Css II catalog for that.

  I winced, I didly know what was required to unlock a Css II catalog, but since I was struggling to just get more bots up and running, it robably 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 dition.

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

  There are a few catalogs which allow you to ize your bots. Robotic Facades would only cost you 50 points, and 5 points per unit for a c. 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 quiod, “Let’s take a look.”

  I slipped through the st few, slowly widening streets, until I hit a wide open space with a titanicrete structure in the middle. The Terminal. Unfortunately for me, the space between me and it was y.

  The area was pletely full of people, shuffling around randomly, staring vatly into the air. Although the crowd was still a det distance away, and I couldn’t make out maails, I did spot ohing that gave me pause. There were a couple shapes sitting in the middle of the crowd, their long necks t above the people around them. Model Sixes.

  Get down, you idiot. Nyx hissed.

  It took me a few seds tister 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 ied 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 usiendable tendrils they force their way into nearby mammalian lifeforms. Onside they slowly make their way into the host’s nervous system, doing irreversible damage, before taking trol of the host's body.

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

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

  “Fuck me,” I whispered as I watched the illed about. After a couple seds 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 tinue right through the mob, but it skidded to a halt right at the edge of the crowd. Several zombified people cmored 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 ir site.

  “You think there could be anyo alive ihe 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 ied?”

  Depends on how far along the model sevens are in their iion. Early on they should only be able to shuffle, ohey have full trol the model sevens 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 hope.

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

  Purchased - Css I modur autonomous bat unit - 150 points

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

  Points remaining - 64

  A moment ter a pair of pstic boxes appeared o me. It only took a few seds 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 Six. I robably off, but with a little luck the auteting would help me find my mark.

  “When I open fire, start cutting dowhing 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 turs head, looking in my general dire. I pulled the trigger. The horde shuffled about, taking several seds 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 fr 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 ied to rush forward on their own. Without leadership the ied rushed blindly on my position only to be quickly cut down by precision rifle fire from my bots.

  It took less than five mio sughter the entire group. When I looked out across that blood spttered pza, I felt sick. The entire pce ttered with blood and viscera, human blood and viscera. Even though I uood all those people had already been lost to the monster in their heads, it didn’t mean I felt good doing it.

  It’s unfortuhat 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 mio process.”

  I kept my head up as I passed through the age. I just khat if I looked down, and saw one of their faces I’d never fet it. Even though I probably saved a lot of people by killing this horde, it wasn’t something I roud 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 mairan the east side of the building. When I turhe er I found the massive security shutters wide open. They didn’t look blocked, or damaged, just left open. That meaher the meism was damaged, or they just didn’t get a ce to close it. It was a bad sigher way.