Chapter Twelve – Almost Cool

Chapter Twelve – Almost Cool

“Omg! When Deus tripped over a pipe and bashed her face against that wall?

How can someone so dangerous be so cute?”

–Chat from Samurai Bloopers.net, 2048

***

“Myalis, got a bead on Manic?”

Her location is known. She’s past the west-side barricade, about three hundred metres out, close to the waterfront. I can guide you there, if you wish.

“That’d be nice,” I said as I stood up. Sprout had run off to check on things already, and Gomorrah and Johnny–who really needed a proper samurai name already–were walking out. She’d pointed to a hive just to the south, which was close enough to both Downtown and River Heights that taking it out would help both.

By the looks of it, Manic was faffing about some ways from the place everyone else was working to protect.

I couldn’t blame her though, she was killing aliens and that’s all that mattered. There was a suspected hive a few blocks over from where she was, so we would hit that after saying our hellos.

“I feel a little under-dressed for alien hunting,” I said with a tap against my chestplate. The gear I had was probably more than enough to tango with some single-digit plants, but if we were going to hit a hive, then I’d want something a little tougher.

Besides, I wasn’t properly armed.

I nipped into a washroom, because while I didn’t mind eyes on me, the body suit I was wearing under my coat was so tight in some places it looked painted on, and I didn’t need Lucy seeing images of my ass across her media feeds. Scoring higher on the popularity boards wasn’t worth it.

“You remember that armour you showed me in the Mesh?” I asked Myalis.

I don’t forget much. Is that what you want now?

“Yeah,” I said. “But make sure it’s heat-proof. Good cooling and stuff. We’re working with Gomorrah often enough that not having something fire-proof is just asking for trouble.”

That’s understandable. Do you want the usual otherwise? Thagomizer tail, finger-mounted blades,shoulder-mounted guns?

I nodded along. “Sounds perfect, yeah. Oh, and those jumpjets from last time.”

Those will be difficult to fit in… I can add smaller ones, but their range will be somewhat limited unless you want to purchase a whole new catalogue specifically for that kind of technology.

“How limited?”

You won’t be jumping any higher than five metres vertically.

“That’s more than enough, I think. Make sure it’s got the usual stealth stuff.” I said. There were a few gizmos I didn’t use much. The claws were something I’d never messed with, and the tail was almost more for show than anything else. Still, it kind of fit the image. The stealth stuff was a must-have though, I was getting used to going invisible. “I think… the usual colour scheme? Oh, and I’ll need a scarf too.”

I’m on it.

A box appeared next to me with a dull thump. The top unfolded and a metallic figure unfurled itself until it was standing as tall as I was. The sides of the box slid to the ground, and I was able to shuck my coat and just walk into the armour, hands fitting into the glove-like spaces for them and chest pressing up against the front of the suit.

It closed around me, and for a split second I felt claustrophobic before it passed, like a wave of vertigo.

Shifting my shoulders then my hips, I made sure I had full control of the suit even as the space before my eyes flicked on and ran through a diagnostic so fast it was more of an after image.

I was left looking at the inside of the unisex bathroom through a screen with better resolution and frames than my own flesh and blood eye. The HUD was small and out of the way, easy to forget. The way I liked it.

“Sometimes I think you’re too good at this,” I said to Myalis.

I am.

I walked over to the mirror after picking my coat up and slipping into it. The person looking back at me in the mirror was armoured from head to toe in sleek black power armour with a few dark sections over the more armoured parts and some glowing pink highlights along the edges. I had a scarf around my neck, bunched up nice and neat under my coat. The trailing edge had that cat-head logo, with the grenade pin in its mouth.

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“That’ll do,” I said.

I could pick up a weapon later, when I needed it. And I had my Trenchmaker for those ‘oh shit’ moments.