We took a break for a few minutes after my fall. There wasn't enough time for me to fully recover my energy, but traveling a ft path was well within my power. Within a few mihere were signs that we were on the right path. The biggest one, both figuratively and literally, was the model eleven that swooped down into the scrapyard somewhere ahead of us. I prayed it hadn’t spotted us, surprise would go a long way.

  Unfortunately I was not as alert as I should have been, so wheh abruptly ended in a small open clearing, I walked right in. Dozens of eyes instantly so my position, the Eleven, dozens of Sixes and a handful of Sixteens all looked in my dire. Time froze for a moment, then all hell broke loose.

  I brought the CAR up, shooting round after round into the Eleven before it could take off, all the while retreating to a safer position. Humboldt and the bears burst around the er, opening up at the horde. The Sixes charged forward, while the Sixteens started shooting their spines above and through the formation. A single spine caught me in my upper left arm, knog me to the ground, before Bob smmed his shield down to cover me.

  We o discuss either a more tinuous way for you to heal, or stronger armor.

  The sound of spines ricocheting off the shield echoed around me. “Not the time Nyx.”

  I grabbed the spike, gritted my teeth and pulled. Despite my best efforts the spike remained embedded in my arm. Letting my arm drop I reached out with my Augs to the bear. Deadbeat came running over and, without stopping, grabbed the spine and ripped it out.

  “Fuck!” the pain intensified. “Nyx, nanos.”

  Purchased Css I naneive suite - 15 points

  Points remaining - 3103

  I smmed the ior into my wound, grabbed the CAR with my other arm, and peeped around the shield. The battle wasn’t going as well as I would have liked. The Eleven was down, killed by my initial salvo but the bears weren’t faring too well. Heavy, who had walked right into the middle of the clearing to draw fire, looked like a pore. Dozens of spines were embedded in his fad chest. Thankfully the new armor seemed to be holding, although I wasn’t sure for how long. Spooky and Deadbeat were trating fire on the closest Sixes, it was just taking a lot of fire t them down.

  Thankfully Humboldt’s on, and Dusty’s Heavy mae gun were doing work, just cutting through the advang Antithesis.

  I flexed my arm, finally getting feeling ba my left hand, and brought the CAR up. Emptying the magazio the mass had a cathartic effect, unfortunately it did little to clear the mass of bodies swarming out of the hole.

  “Nyx, will AP miop those sixes?”

  They’ll slow them down, but not stop them. May I suggest the Mark 1 Cryo Shard mines instead, slightly more points but effective against heavier Antithesis.

  “Do it, and don’t stop until the Antithesis do.”

  Purchased - Cryo Shard Mines 5 x 15 = 75 points

  Auto redeployment enabled

  Points Remaining = 3328

  The first mi off seds ter. A burst of shards shot up, embedding themselves in a model Six’s legs and stomach, the area around these wounds froze over almost instantly. The Six’s fro leg, which triggered the mine and took the brunt of the shards, cracked and shattered uhe weight of its own charge. The creature vulsed for a moment, then y still.

  I watched the same situation occur over and over, all the way down the line. A few of the Sixteens broke off, and ran down into the hive, but the rest tried to hold the lihe model Sixes tiheir suicidal charge, so I ordered the bears to trate fire on the model Sixteens taking cover behind the line.

  Dusty grabbed the heavy mae gun, sprinted up a nearby pile of junk, a feat of athleticism that I’d never be able to perform even when I was at my best, braced the gun on some loose debris, and opened up on the Model Sixteens from his elevated position. The heavy mae gun rounds ripped through the heavier Antithesis, finally starting to deplete their numbers.

  The assault tinued for long minutes, a huge pile of half frozen, low model Antithesis built up, and I was forced to break out the flesh melters more than once just to make sure we maintained clear lines of fire. Finally, the attack started to peter off, slowing from a torrent to a trickle, giving us time to catch our breath.

  I slumped down behind Bob’s shield, exhausted.

  Sharron walked over, “I assume those mines were you?” I nodded “Good choice, ohose started going off those sixes didn’t know what to do” she bent down “You ok?”

  “I caught a spine, but I’ll live. Heavy took the worst of it.” I gnced over at the bear and grimaced. I could barely make out any of his features behind all the spines embedded in his front, thankfully they didn’t seem to be restrig his movement in any way. Every few seds a spine ushed out by his auto repair funs, but it would still take awhile for him to recover at this rate.

  Sharron patted me on the shoulder, “We’re almost done here, we just o out that bug hole.”

  I struggled to my feet, “No problem.”

  —

  The hive, if this was indeed a hive, was simir to the burrow we found earlier at the apartment building. Uhe previous location, these tunnels had offshoots, side passages, and sixteens capable of leading fnking attacks as.

  “I have a feeling they’re just trying to slow us down” I said, “How smart is this Twenty Six?”

  “Low human level, but with superior pnning and and skills,” came Nyx’s reply from behind me.

  “So, an Alien me in other words.”

  Sharron giggled, "Nyx said Superior pnning skills, not inferior.”

  I huffed, “Rude, my pns haven’t let me down so far.”

  “Because you really haven’t made any."

  I was too tired tue, it wasn’t that she was correct or anything. Pausing, I noticed Bandit was staring at one of the walls further up the tunnel. Sound indicators pinged in my Augs. “Hey, stop for a minute, something weird is going on ahead.”

  Humboldt slowed to a stop, then turo look at me.

  “Lot of sound from the tunnel up on the left, maybe movement?”

  She poi the wall, slowly turning until she finally poi the right pce. I nodded.

  “Right, let's just see how sneaky these things be.”

  She walked up to the wall iion, brought up her on, and that’s wheunnel between us exploded and colpsed.