(Rewritten) Ch. 3 – Gun Shop

"Samurai flicks always make a real spectacle of the first gun the freshling buys.

Really, the first weapon you pick up doesn't feel special. You're too busy staying alive, too occupied with your injuries and how everything went to shit. Your mind's still working through the fact that you're a samurai now, and maybe you're scared for whoever you were protecting.

Also, a weapon's not the first thing you buy anyway. That's usually medical stuff to survive what got you initialized."

– Road Rash, during an interview with Samulyfe, January 2049

***

I was still lying on the ground, and not in any shape to do something about it. I could move my arms and my head. I could shoot. That was it. I'd tried getting up, but Tynea had quickly told me to stay still, or I'd risk killing myself.

Sighing with punishing impatience, I glanced at the Sleeve slowly continuing its job of wrapping me up. I chewed my lip and figured I needed to somehow get doing. Another quick look around told me that there still weren't any Antithesis nearby. The stinky, moldy, cut-grass smell of the nearby corpses itched in my nose, though.

Enough reacting. Get acting, Aden. If you can't move physically, move mentally.

Recognizing that, somehow, the universe was giving me time to adjust to things instead of throwing more green monsters at me, I once again spoke to Tynea.

"Alright, let's talk. I need to move, and I need a way to stay safe. How well protected is Master Vibroblades?"

The exoskeleton is strong enough to turn away a casual swipe at best. It offers no meaningful resistance against stabbing attacks or the teeth in a bite. I think you'd be better served with a cheap armored full-body suit for protection. Something that you can discard along with the Sleeve when you've healed and may afford fitted armor.

Class I Basic Combat Garments for an unusually cheap twenty points, and from that catalog, the Mark II Armored Overall at seventy points offers reliable defense against violence from most single digit models and common small-arms calibers. Usefully, the combination of the Sleeve's external musculature and this set of Overalls' toughness would also allow you to overpower and escape Antithesis grappling attacks once you've healed.

My index finger's tip slotted itself into the divot again. I nodded.

"Let's go with that, that sounds great."

Would you prefer any specific designs?

"Uh, just a plain black. I'll want a bunch of useful pockets for magazines and stuff, but other than utility, I don't care."

Very well.

Class I Basic Combat Garments unlocked!Points reduced to... 360New Purchase: Mark II Armored OverallPoints reduced to... 289

Another box in reach, once again with those red circles I'd need to touch.

"I noticed that I've lost an additional point."

Yes, I determined that in your current situation, you'd not be able to handle these large boxes normally. I invested the additional point to redesign the packaging for ease of use. If you prefer I did not, I will stop doing so.

"No, that's fine. You said your role is to assist me?"

Mister Knives finally finished unclothing me and turning me into a mummy. I ended up wrapped from toe to neck, including my arms. There was a tiny sting just below my shoulders and suddenly I could feel myself lying on the ground. Sort of. The sensations from where the Sleeve covered me were rather dull and artificial, but it was something. My legs existed again.

Unfortunately, the thing really left nothing to imagination, after essentially sculpting my entire lower body. Urgh. I needed something to cover myself with, Sleeve or no Sleeve.

Please try moving. You should be able to exert yourself as usual.

Fucking finally!

I carefully bent at the hip to sit up. I still couldn't feel my lower body, but the feedback from the Sleeve let me move naturally enough and I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't a sitting duck anymore.

I took a few careful and luckily entirely painless steps, and kept an eye out for threats. I chuckled at the thought of basically just having died, and yet being on my feet only minutes later. Amazing. Even during my childhood, I never managed that. It actually really helped with shoving the entire painful episode further into the back of my mind, where it left me free to think.

Then, Tynea continued speaking.

Yes, I am to assist you. You were chosen to become a Vanguard for your willingness to protect those unable to protect themselves, even at great cost to your own safety. The profile I have on you, certainly incomplete as yet, states that you can be trusted with the power potential of a Vanguard, and I will provide the required access to advanced technologies to help you reach that potential.

Huh. I tilted my head. That was a topic nobody had good answers for, so far. The AI weren't very forthcoming, and neither were the samurai.

"What do you mean with 'I can be trusted with the power potential of a Vanguard'?"

I reached over and touched an exo-toe to one of the red circles to open the box, and the promised overall popped up on a cheap plastic frame, like a jack-in-the-box. All I'd need to do was step into it and zip it up. Nice. Totally worth the extra point if I don't have to risk more internal injury for no reason.

It really was very simple. Just straight black all around, with an assortment of pockets where a belt would usually go and a deep hood to protect the head. I could feel soft padding on the inside and loads of little hard hexagons woven into the fabric beneath the outside.

A weak punch in a random spot caused that entire area to harden up and disperse the force like a shell.

You are incredibly unlikely to become corrupt. If you are to eventually wield the kind of power that could level a nation—accidentally, even—then we must be sure that you would not fall into behavior that promotes that likelihood.

The Protectors want to be certain that your behavior and thought would not change for the worse by the power given to you. Not even if we dole out access to such powers slowly, incrementally, via the point-token system.

"That sounds a lot like you're speaking from experience? Have you had people misuse these powers?"

I carefully balanced myself on one leg and stepped into the overall, before pulling it tight around my shoulders. Victory! Basic mobility achieved! I snorted, buoyed a little by the hilarity.

The overall automatically molded itself to me once I'd stored all my bits inside of it, but not quite so obviously as the Sleeve. I couldn't see the lattice of the exoskeleton through the padding of the overall. It really was remarkably comfortable.

Not I personally, but the Protectors have been around for millions and millions of years. They have become very good at settling the balance, and I draw on their data. There are records of entire species going extinct because one of their members was not given the time to…mature into that level of power in an organic manner.

"I see. I think I can get behind that idea. Say, I've got armor, I need stopping power. I've got a rifle, but my cartridges are all basic, and very tossed around. Also, tokens?"

I moved around some as I picked up more rounds to shove in my new pockets, getting used to the slightly off sensations Dr. Knifemurder fed me. It was kind of strange to have my full range of motion despite being so horribly broken. The Sleeve just clamped down on my body and carried me from under my arms if I made any disadvantageous movements.

Tokens are milestones. You have saved forty-six civilians so far, including Missus Wight and her children.—"Oh so that's their name!"—On your one hundred and first, you will gain a token, Tynea continued, chuckling in the back of my brain. Tokens are typically earned for meaningful actions that have potential to snowball into many more lives saved.

As for your offensive needs, how dear is the rifle to you? How long do you intend to keep it?

I stroked gloved fingers over its barrel.

"I'm…not not attached. It doesn't have any particularly worthwhile memories attached or anything, but I'm extremely proficient with it. It's been with me almost my entire life. I'd like to use it until it's done. If it breaks, it breaks, but…"

Understood. You currently have two hundred eighty-nine points. You would be able to purchase two or three specialty ammunition catalogs to supply the rifle, but these wouldn't offer you any weapons should it break. Additionally, the low rate of fire of the bolt-action hampers your survival in close quarters. Thus I would suggest that you buy one ammunition catalog, and one sidearms catalog along with one such sidearm.

"Okay, so two things. I'd want the ammunition to be able to autocorrect trajectory, at least. If I'm firing one round per second or so, then I'd want every single round to hit, even if this Sleeve's strange sense of touch fouled my aim. But let's do the sidearm first, I already have bullets for—"

My heart beat hard as I noticed a trio of model Threes coming around the corner about a hundred meters away. They sighted me, froze for a moment, and then dashed at me.

Well, shit, I thought, sweating. Probably should've practiced shooting with Darth Stabbington first.

I carefully took my stance to shoot the first one, and breathed out. Legs apart, like an A, like I'd done a hundred thousand times before. Dig the non-existent toes in against the recoil. Eh. Wasn't gonna have the right level of stability today, huh?

The hood of the overall clamped down on the sides of my head. My eyes widened. Ear protection?! Right. I'd failed to realize at the time for obvious reasons, but the nano-regenerative stuff had actually fixed the ringing in my ears. That would've been painful all over again.

With a small smile, I pulled the trigger and flinched. The ear protection was…not really adequate. Better than nothing, but it still twinged. More problematically, the stock had scraped against the Sleeve's hard exoskeleton.

I frowned. That was no good while shooting. It ruined the next shot.

The recoil had displaced the gun in an unnatural way, so I tried to adjust to Sir Pokey's inability to brace correctly with my next shot. It went wide anyway, but after working the action again, I finally got the hang of it and killed the three Threes.

Target Eliminated x3!Reward... 30 PointsTotal Points… 319

"Uff." I shook my right arm against the weird feedback. "This Sleeve is gonna take some getting used to."

Yes, but that will improve. It is still learning you, too.

Aden, I'd like to present you with a good choice of sidearms before the next Antithesis show up. I'd also still like to know what kind of ammunition catalog you would prefer to choose, and which way you'd prefer to specialize.

"Specialize?"

Specialization of caliber would restrict you to weapons of the same caliber, unless you unlocked additional catalogs in different calibers. But that limitation would gain you comparatively cheap esoteric capabilities. Traditionally, such specialized catalogs maintain effectiveness against tougher Antithesis, and the purchase of expensive catalog upgrades may be delayed. You would often require different catalogs for different weapons.

More generalized ammunition catalogs reliably supply a variety of calibers, and thus, a variety of weapons. The free choice of weapon platforms would allow overt adaptation to any challenge, unlike the caliber-specialization, which must rely on warhead types instead. But esoteric items would be rare and costly. Generalized catalogs are often favored for their lack of complexity in fast combat, where there is little time to plan. They make great stepping stones and test beds.

That was a lot of explanation. At least, her—her? It? No, she was a she. Definitely not an it. Way too…intelligent?—her voice was really pleasant to listen to with that gentle timbre and the professionalism she had going on.

"And I guess the Antithesis are an endless source of points," I replied, studying my surroundings. No enemies seemed to be following the three aliens.

That probably wouldn't last much longer.

Yes. Though there is a lot of time between these incursions, you could go looking for hives in the wild to continue gaining points during down times. After all, a single Antithesis corpse left to rot will spawn a new hive, and there are enough sneaky models slipping past every blockade to make that a certainty.

"Hmm… Let's go with the generalized catalog for now. I don't know nearly enough about being a samurai to see what I'll end up doing, yet."

Understood. The catalog I'd suggest has rounds that can be controlled by parties other than the weapon that fired it. I'd like to take advantage by giving you a sidearm that also enhances your primary weapon, to save on auxiliary catalogs for scopes and such. The Mark VII Adapting Sentinel, for eighty points in the Class I Kinetic Handgun catalog, was designed specifically to attach to and support a primary weapon, and will let you control smart bullets fired by the rifle.

The very cheap Foxteeth Model D, for five points, will give you a second—and independent—sidearm in the form of a semi-automatic handgun that can kill smaller Antithesis reliably.

That leaves you with more than enough points for ammunition and additional medical supplies, which your Sleeve tells me you will need soon.

Wordy. Good plan, though.

"Okay, let me get equipped while you talk me through the medical stuff. I'll also want, let's say, two magazines of guided ammo for all three weapons."

Class I Small Arms Ammunition unlocked!Points reduced to... 269Class I Kinetic Handguns unlocked!Points reduced to... 219New Purchase: Mark VII Adapting SentinelPoints reduced to... 139New Purchase: Foxteeth Model DPoints reduced to... 134New Purchase: 7.62x39mm Guided FMJ, 4x Magazine of 30Points reduced to... 130New Purchase: 9x19mm Guided Parabellum, 2x Magazine of 33Points reduced to... 128

More boxes. I was retrieving the first one when Tynea asked, Aden, shall I try customizing the style of these lists?

"Uh…", I opened up the first box to find a small blocky pistol in black, two switches on the side.

Safety and…holographic sights? It was pretty unobtrusive and made aiming easy. It already came with a magazine, but when I removed it, I noticed that these were just normal Parabellum, not the guided variant. As far as I could see, at least.

"Yeah," I continued, "that is a bit much to read. I don't need the individual point totals there, for example."

We can also modify your HUD in general, if you'll let me control your aug-gear.

"Sure? So far I've been fine, but I was actually worried about getting blinded by random ads every time I look through the scope and happen to pan across a barcode or something. Can you take care of stuff like that?"

Absolutely. I'll replace the onboard software with something personalized as well. It'll protect your privacy against firmware-embedded trackers and other things.

Hmm. Guided bullets.

I found another two magazines in the same box and realized the weapon came with a bonus magazine loaded. A check showed one in the chamber, too. Good to know. I tucked the gun into a well-placed pocket, which snapped closed around it. Reaching for it caused the fabric to loosen. I placed the two magazines deeper into the same pocket and found it contracted again to hold it all in place.

Nice.

As I reached for the next box, Tynea began to talk again.

You'll be able to keep moving, but your injuries up to and including your lower abdomen are severe. Your body is currently not able to cleanse toxin-buildup naturally, nor are you absorbing nutrition appropriately.

I froze. "That sounds very bad. Aren't the regenerator-nano-things helping?"

Certainly, they are currently keeping you alive. But between the continued motion and half your body being essentially one big internal wound, they're prioritizing more immediately dangerous issues, such as bone shards cutting you up from the inside, or the blood cells that need to be continuously transported away from sites of internal bleeding to healthier parts of your body in need.

I would like to order another two Class I Nano-Regenerative Suites, as well as a set of internal medical barriers that will vastly reduce the amount of transportation of material the nanites have to do. The set goes for fifteen points.

"Yeah, do that, definitely."

2x Class I Nano-Regenerative Suite, 40 pts total1x Class I Internist's Selectively Permeable Barriers, 15 ptsPoints left: 73

Another two boxes showed up and I picked those immediately. After huffing mist twice, I opened the next box and found a small light ball of metal.

Those are the barriers. Swallow it, please.

So I did. The ball was about the size of my pinkie fingernail and I could feel it go down all the way. A shiver traveled up my back.

"I'd have been kind of fucked without the hundreds of points I made already, huh?"

No. They just mean that you have an opportunity to make thousands now, instead of being bed-bound for the foreseeable future. You would've probably been confined to a cheap robotic gurney, or the like, for quite a while.

Self-sacrificial people are those most likely to become Vanguards, and thus they frequently begin their career with lethal injuries. But it is very rare for any to match the extent of yours. Most often they only require ten to thirty points to heal the likes of deep lacerations.

I returned to the previous purchases while I digested that. I guessed not a lot of people jumped to their death to save somebody.

Also—it was weirdly quiet, wasn't it? Where'd all the aliens go?

***