I wasn’t stupid enough to go directly to Leah’s pce to expin, I called instead. It wasn't going to prevent me from getting yelled at, but it did prevent me from getting bonked. It wasn’t like she was going to hunt me down or anything, probably.

  [Teddy…] I could hear her grittieeth. Oh, she was mad.

  [M Leah, hope everythi well yesterday after I left.]

  [I have a ic full ees, alien monsters knog on my door st night, and someone who promised me they’d keep in toupletely disappeared. How do you think I’m doing?]

  She was really mad. [I have an excuse! I was super busy! I had to che both the Terminal and the Prect, then I met another Samurai and we shut down the hive together so the Antithesis don’t propagate.]

  [Hmmmm]

  [And I’m not even done. I’m heading out to try and clear up the dregs so people get ba the streets. I wasn’t avoiding you, I swear.]

  [Fine. You’re still doing okay, right?] Her voice went soft, [You’re not injured or anything right?]

  [Perfectly healthy, not a scratch.] I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her that was because of Samurai teology and not because I avoided getting hurt.

  [Good, well, you keep that up. I don’t want to have to patch you up when this is all done.]

  [I promise. I’ll stop by when this is all over so you check me over, I just o take care of this first,] I said.

  [Fine, you better not fet this time, or I’ll make yret it, Samurai or not.]

  I wi the threat, she’d do it. [I promise]

  [Hmmm… ok then.] Her voice softened, [Stay safe out there Teddy]

  “I… she hung up.”

  Leah was scary, it’s true, but she also had one of the biggest hearts iire district. When I got hit by a stray bullet when I was younger she was the ohat patched me up, for free. She even installed the Augs for all the kids. They may be crap Augs, but better than any of us could afford.

  I’m pretty sure the reason Leah put up such a tough front, is everyone would try and take advantage of her if they knew she was such a softy.

  I just shook my head and marched on. I just could see that pile of rubble we called the shelter now, that enormous pile of wasted space where this all started yesterday. I sighed.

  What’s on your mind?

  “I have so much to dht now. First, I have to figure out how to hunt down the remaining Antithesis, then I want to get this shelter built, and find a space where I build more bears.”

  What if I could help alleviate some of your stress and have the Shelter rebuilt by ventional means, maybe add some space for yourself, and have Indico pay for it?

  “And how the hell are you going to vindico to do that?”

  It’s less ving, and more reallocation of the pany’s funds.

  I paused, “You couldn’t even find a door switch yesterday, and now you’re saying you’re capable of industrial espionage. I find that hard to believe.”

  I would need some of the tech from the Css I work Intrusion catalog to make this work, but this wouldn't have been possible with your old Augs. Even an AI like me is limited whehing has to be done over text.

  “Is that really necessary at this point?”

  It looks like some of the Indico executives ihe cost of the project, then embezzled funds.

  “Of fug course they did. You know what, do it, screw them. They could go bankrupt for all I care.” I started pag. Fuck corpos.

  Purchased - Css I work Intrusion Utilities Catalog - 100 points

  Purchased - Mark I Remote System Access Protocols - 50 points

  Points Remaining - 5258

  I’ll arrange someoo up the lot, then we discuss options afterwards.

  “Whatever, let's deal with the Antithesis first. They’re less infuriating and I really want to kill something right now,” I growled.

  Do you have a pn? You want to buy some foxes to clear buildings with?

  “No, I want to avoid buying more bears for now, I’ll just get attached to them too. I’ve never had too much money, so if I purchase something I feel guilty throwing it away. I’m hoping that if the bears are built for free, it’ll be much easier for me to see them as disposable. Hooints do I have anyways?”

  5258 points and two tokens

  I stopped pag, rage suddenly leaving me. “Seriously? How?”

  That twenty six pulled in a ton of sixes and sixteens to protect itself, then there were all the Antithesis iunnels, and the bonus for destroying a hive, even if it wasn’t full grown.

  “Well, that’s great, but what could I do with it all? I don’t have a space to build bears yet…”

  You could go back to the lure idea, it would cost you a token though.

  I thought about it, “What’s the range of one of those?”

  About a six block radius, the lure imitates the pheromones a hive puts out when threatened.

  “I guess I could just relocate it a the process,” I said, sidering.

  The lure is about a foot in diameter and three feet high, it also weighs several hundred pounds.

  “Then Bob relocate it, unless you have a better idea.”

  You could tact Humboldt and ask for support.

  I sidered it, for a moment, then shook my head. “They sent her down here alone, despite it being the epiter of part of the incursion. If they cared, they would have tacted me, or sent an expert already.”

  Fair enough.

  “Just gimme a lure, my mood is bad enough as it is.”

  Purchased Css I Antithesis lure catalog - 500 points, 1 token

  Purchased Large Antithesis lure - 1000 points

  Points Remaining - 3758

  I looked at the block that had appeared in front of me. It looked like an old square air ditioner or something. A simple on/off swit the side.

  You wao warn the locals?

  “Please do, if you . Most of them should be hiding right now, but who the fuows. I’ll setup the bears, then I finally work off some of this frustration”

  *****************

  The lure was huge. It looked like an oversized garbage , but with extra fshy lights and dials on the side. With trepidation I flicked the on switd stepped back, waiting to see what would happen.

  It took a few minutes for the Antithesis to show up, but ohey did it was a stant flow of low numbered Models rushing in for the hour. It was almost enough for me to work out my frustration, almost. Liquifying the bodies afterwards was cathartic.

  Of course, my newly recood mood couldn’t st more than five minutes before I was interrupted.

  It was the shouting that alerted me, followed by the rampant swearing, followed by the shooting. Warning shots I’d guess, either that or they were a worse shot than I was. Seeing the entire group of six people were dressed in deep brown jumpsuits trimmed with red, the gang colors of the Wreckers, I could guess what this was about.

  The fact that the leader had a massive cw prosthetistead of his right hand was also a clue, Ripjack didn’t go out for casual walks, at least as far as I knew.

  Fug gangs, I was never going to get anything done if they kept fighting each other, or decided to be pletely stupid and interrupt me while I was w.

  I stood up, waiting for the gangsters. “Nyx, you record this?”

  Sure.

  It took a minute for the group to get to me, about half hen the shouting started.

  “You! Girl! You’re the ohat sent those bears to mess up my boys. Do you know who you’re messing with? I’m going to kill you and tear your toys apart.”

  Behind Ripjack were five of his gang members, trying to look imposing, and failing. Hard to look imposing when the oldest couldn’t be more than a year older thahey were all holding old pistols, rusty as fuck, I’d be suprised if at least one didn’t misfire. The entire group looked like they were seds away from dropping everything and running away. It didn’t matter, Ripjack had more than enough ce for all of them. Thankfully he stopped a couple steps away from me, I didn’t want this to be too quick.

  “Bitch! You injured a buny boys, and you e east al street.” I could see the veins bulging out of his neck, he robably on something.

  “So, what kind of idiot orders an atta the middle of a fug incursion? You’re lucky your boys were only wounded. You woke me up, asshole.”

  A wave of fusion, and mild fear, went through the Wrecker youths. I doubt they’d ever seen someoand up to their boss like that. He probably failed to mention their friends were injured by fully automatic ons, the same ones spaced loosely around the area.

  “Now, what I want is for the gangs to give me time to clear up the district before you go about killing each other. No fighting. Got it?”

  Ripjack tensed, I knew what was . He was famous for beheading people with that fug cw, a maniao one wao deal with. As soon as he twitched I sent a and to Bob, ‘remove the arm’

  The act was quid painless, at least for me. Less so for him as Bob’s cws ected mid forearm and effortlessly sliced Ripjack’s arm into four equal pieces. He went down screaming, his gang ran off without him.

  “Now,” I tinued, not really g about the screaming man on the floor, “I really don’t care about most of the gangs around here. You fight over territory hter each other, just ter. Until I’m done ing up, fuck off, or I’ll send my big friend to deal with you personally, got it? Good, this is Evelyn Cire, samurai, signing off.” I stared down at Ripjack, “He’s not going to die from that is he?”

  No, the damage was eo his prosthetic, there was some pain from the neural feedback but no real damage.

  “Good”, I turned a Ripjack where he was, no longer my issue. “Bob, pick up the lure. Nyx, send that rec to every gang member you find in the area, they’re not used to people standing up to them but hopefully they’ll get the idea and go fuck themselves.”