Remember, whenever you’re out harvestin wheat, soybeans during a heat wave, or just any sort of anything when your combine will get hot. You have a tractor with any sort of tillage implement nearby.
Shit saved more lives worldwide than I''d care to admit.
-Uncle Cy to Spark, 2048
Once the Seventeen was dead, everything pretty much sorted itself out from there. All of the remaining Models bull-rushed my position in a complete lack of strategy and were quickly cut down.After that I finished setting up the bores with only the interference from the occasional Model birthed far too early to do anything. Pyri also took the time to go over my points with me.
My funds were sitting just under twelve thousand now, from the sheer volume of zombified pigs they had pulled from the finishing barns and kept from merging into hive materials since I was still around. On top of that, I had received what Pyri called a token for defeating the Seventeen and the rest of forces defending the hive on my own.
At my confusion, she had explained they were basically spendable medals. Gained from various achievements based on her discretion, and then spent to make my catalogues stronger.
Which meant I could zap stuff better soon!
I wasn’t even finished either. After the confirmation from Pyri that all combat units on the farm were eliminated, as far as she was aware, Marian and the unnamed Fox-bots had been sent out on search and destroy orders for Model Sevens. Robin was stationed at the hive to kill off any newly born antithesis. Pyri had then been asked to leave their kills out of any logs she made, the constant blips would get annoying.
What awaited me was the last place antithesis were likely to have a presence that we didn’t have under control.
The manure lagoon was starting to bubble up noxious gas due to the aerating liquids inside the hive structure escaping into it. The Model Eights currently… interacting with the sludge weren’t perturbed hardly at all by the carnage happening nearby. If anything, they were gorging themselves as fast as possible; Most likely to try and escape. What was even worse about the disgusting sight in general, was the ripples in the lagoon that weren’t caused by the Eights.
I wrinkled my nose, very happy at that moment about the filters the helmet had come with. “Pyri, how many Sevens are in this thing?”
A general scan by your drones puts the number for the lagoon, and the barn pits in the hundreds. The Seventeen must have been stuffing itself while commanding the forces around it.
“How many of those grenades will it take to kill them all?”
Eight of them spread out in the pool, followed by one in each barn pit should be enough for the whole entire swarm. Be advised that this will ignite both the gasses in the slurry and those that are being created by the bores.
“Just give me a set of eight remote ones then, might as well blow both targets up at once.” I sighed, then paused as a potential worst case popped up in my mind. “I won’t blow myself up as well, right?”
Yes, the concentration in the air is not high enough for that currently.
Pyri paused before her tone turned a bit teasing..
Unless you miss and hit the slurry directly that is.
Snorting, I walked over towards the worms that looked like they were about to burst, and pulled my Amp-Cannon out of its holster. Finding the gaps in the light armor the worms had wasn’t that hard, and a point blank shot into each was enough to fry their several brains and leave five twitching corpses behind.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 24.7459%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.9596%">Combat Log!</td>
<td style="width: 3.53528%"> </td>
<td style="width: 3.46021%"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.9596%">Model Eight</td>
<td style="width: 3.53528%; text-align: right">x5</td>
<td style="width: 3.46021%; text-align: right">25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.9596%">Jacob''s Ladder Ball</td>
<td style="width: 3.53528%; text-align: right">x8</td>
<td style="width: 3.46021%; text-align: right">40</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.9596%">Total:</td>
<td style="width: 3.53528%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 3.46021%; text-align: right">-15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.9596%">Points Reduced to:</td>
<td style="width: 3.53528%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 3.46021%; text-align: right">11,824</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The point tally being so high gave me a slightly fluttery feeling. I wasn’t that far from being able to buy the equipment needed to fix my… everything with regards to my body. The only thing dampening my mood was the fact that I was only halfway there.Of course, I still had more points to gain from this giant bomb I was creating, and the Sevens left everywhere else still needed to be hunted down. But a gap of almost ten-thousand points was still a large gap, even with all the points I had made here.
And even then the fact that I wasn’t able to fix myself right now, was like a lump of ice weighing down my stomach. A lump I wanted, needed gone now.
I threw the third bomb into the muck and watched it sink before continuing to the next. “There isn’t any way for you to give me a point loan, is there?”
Unfortunately there is not. I assume this is about you coming up short for your transition?
“Yeah, I just want out of this… This thing as fast as possible. The discomfort has been in the background constantly, but it was ignorable with the constant fighting. Now it’s coming back and hurting even more.”
There is another option.
I perked up as another bomb sank down into the lagoon.
If you purchase the machine, two generators, a single battery, dream learning and the basis for controlling your new body. You can use a ‘stepping stone’ to your end goal. It will only be a human form that is equal in capability to what Olympic athletes can accomplish, which isn’t much in the long run, but will still be a large improvement.
I bit my lip, “And the cost for all of it?”
Currently it is at sixteen-thousand-five-hundred-forty-five. Which is more within reach than you believe. While it isn’t everything you want, it is much more achievable short term than the full thing later, and it will decrease what you need to save up later.
I looked down in thought, “A stepping stone huh?”
I ruminated on what Pyri had told me while I quickly went into each barn to drop grenades into each separate pit to ensure everywhere would be hit. The thought of my goal suddenly being right in front of me was both baffling and exhilarating, to the point that time just flew by as I worked.
Once I was done, I only had a short wait left for the bores to finish their job. The Fox-bots had also been doing their work; My point counter had been occasionally ticking up with the sound of electrical blasts close by from Robin or from Marian and her compatriots in the distance. I now had a bit over twelve-thousand points, and I was getting just a bit more hopeful that ignition would rocket me just high enough to reach that magic number Pyri had given me.
Spark? It’s time dear.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
I blinked, “Time for what?”
To light the hive on fire.
“Oh yeah.” I then realized what our big plan actually was. “Wait! Pyri, I’m not gonna flatten the entire farm, right?”
Calm down, the most that will happen is you lighting the surroundings on fire. All of the gasses that would ignite burn fast and hot so you won’t have to worry about them. And the bores will be destroyed by the ignition by design so you don’t have to worry about new flammable gasses while performing fire suppression.
I put my hands on my hips, and was about to ask her how on the goddess’ green earth I would do that, when abruptly, my glasses began to ring with an old song </a>that Evie set her call id to trigger as a joke.
Too bad for her since I didn''t mind the song whatsoever.
“Heya, this is your friendly farming-hood Sparkinator. How may I help you?”
The line was filled with Evie’s groan.
“Spark I can and will make you regret that horrible joke.” She sighed, “Listen, Pyri said it had to be run by you first, but Mom is getting fitfull in her sleep and she needs to be sedated. Pyri said she had a solution if you approved of it.”
“Go for it. I don’t mind.”
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 25.8582%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.5657%">New Purchase!</td>
<td style="width: 9.29289%"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.5657%">Sedative Injector</td>
<td style="width: 9.29289%; text-align: right">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.5657%">Points Reduced To:</td>
<td style="width: 9.29289%; text-align: right">12,513</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Sedative Injector 3 12513
After a moment of neither of us saying anything, I mutter:
“Hey, I don’t suppose-“
“No, this doesn’t excuse you from the regret you will soon feel.”
I slumped, “Dangit.”
Remembering that I was in the middle of discussing something with Pyri, I quickly gave Evie a warning: “Hey by the way, don’t worry if you feel a big boom or something in the very near future. Just, er, running some tests on the local fauna out here.”
“Spark?! What the hell does that even MEAN?! Are you going to murder squirrels?! You know we need them for pest control right?!”
I had to fight from busting out laughing, “They’re very dangerous squirrels though. Seriously though, don’t worry, I’ll be home soonish! Okaybyeeee!”
“Spark you little shit! I swear I-“ I cut Evie off with a click, and after a moment, doubled over laughing.
As humorous as it is to watch the two of you bicker, I do believe you have a hive to destroy, as well as a question to ask me?
Bringing myself back under control, I asked through snickers. “You said I would be acting as fire suppression. I don’t have gear for that other than the C-Foam launcher, and using that seems like a waste.”
It is, which is why I believe a simple firebreak would work best. Most of the area here needs to be deep cleaned regardless, and these buildings in particular need to be condemned now, so burning them down will only mean the wreckage needs to be cleared instead of fully disassembling five entire barns.
I deflated at the news, the last thing I wanted to do was inflict this level of destruction on my home.
I’m sorry Spark, but this one of the things all Vanguard must learn to accept. Even the local Vanguard of your area deal with this.
I hissed as I inhaled deeply through my teeth, only to be interrupted before I could even start my rant.
Now, hold on before you speak, dear. Vanguard, like SkyFire for example, deal with this particular situation a lot, especially out here. While yes it is arguable she should help with replacement, the sites where she has bombed have a near zero rate of antithesis regrowth from left behind material because she bombs them so thoroughly. She has been very public about how she doesn’t truly want to destroy the needed infrastructure of a populace already suffering, but when she and her teammates arrive on scene it’s almost always far too late for her to do anything except for dropping ordinance.
Infact, going over your browsing history, most of the stories you’ve read online are false stories made by a smear campaign against her and her teammates. The only true stories are from instances where the homesteaders were already killed. If anything, the local Vanguard in this area are short-handed. Without any full scale incursions in the area, the Vanguard population has suffered here.
Other means to support them are absent as well. The Family doesn’t have an Indianapolis branch, only Shadowtag is a member, and a low level one at that.
I stood there stunned, Pyri seemed oddly passionate about the subject and dropped a full infodump on me then and there. The information within it however was something I would be chewing on for a while.
“Why haven’t they shut down the campaign?”
Most likely they are unaware. It isn’t hard to keep what’s happening out here quiet for the most part. Combined with their relative experience as Vanguard, and how often antithesis raids out here end in complete death meaning a lack of people to come forward. There isn’t much a malicious party needs to do to entrench this kind of sentiment.
I snorted, “Except for when one of the people out here becomes a Samurai themselves.”
Exactly.
Breathing out, I forced myself back on task. “So what should I get to create this firebrea- Waitaminute! Pyri, how long do I have until the gas dissipates?”
You have plenty of time provided you ignite it within the next few hours.
“That’s more than long enough!”
I quickly rushed towards the rest of the complex, stripping off my backpack and leaning it against the farrowing house as I passed it so I could run faster. This idea I already knew would work so long as nothing went over my firebreak.
I do think it is a poor idea to disarm, even if you’ve mostly cleared Homeplace of direct combat units.
“I’ll pick it back up later!” I took a moment to breathe. “Besides, making the firebreak will take a while, so getting the equipment quickly is important.”
Yes but assuming my prediction is correct that''s a matter of minutes, when you have hours.
“Going fast is fun, Pyri!”
I can not argue with that.
“Exactly!” I slowed down to a walk as I got to my destination. The shop. “Now cross your fingers that they didn’t cut the power while messing everything else up.”
Opening the door, my hand instantly went to the wall and slapped the door controls, followed by the light switch. To my relief, the door began climbing upwards while the overhead lights flickered on, and revealed my fire break maker.
I was looking at one of the articulated tractors we owned, which was attached to a nine shank ripper. It was ready for fall tillage, but I had a more pressing use for it.
Creating my firebreak.
Climbing up the entrance ladder, I leaned over to get a look at the back of the tractor to see if the hydraulics were attached. Everything looked ok, so I got in the cab and turned the key. The wondrous song of the engine roaring to life washed over me, and I cheered a bit. I was the last person to mess with it, and had spent far too long dealing with spark plug issues last night.
I carefully drove out of the shop, and navigated towards the finishing barns while avoiding the antithesis corpses scattered here and there. A quick stop to grab my backpack was made, and before I pushed on, I had one important request to make.
“Pyri, do you know where the firebreak should be?”
While you were placing the bores, I had one of your drones scan the perimeter to detect how far the roots had spread underground. This is the optimal spot for it.
A transparent orange track flickered into existence on my glasses, and I found myself humming in consideration. Two passes around the set of barns wouldn’t take too long, but I also wanted to watch the fireworks as soon as possible.
I can see the look on your face, and unfortunately no Spark, the hive can not be lit on fire after you have made one pass.
Rather than respond vocally, I put the tractor into drive and lowered the shanks the second I was over the path. They cut into the dirt easily, the soft ground parting between the various parts of the implement.
I felt a smile pull itself onto my face before I had even made it ten meters forward.
***
By the time I had made the first pass around, I was fidgeting in my seat. I was absolutely ready for the fireworks to begin, even at the cost of these barns. By the time the second was finished I was ready to go over and ignite it manually.
Robin had already hobbled out and away from the hive, and after I had driven a safe distance away to watch. I then, after a moment of tense preparation, detonated the bombs.
The two sets of barns were enveloped in a bright orange fireball accompanying a loud ‘whoosh’ for a few moments before giving way to… nothing?
Try the ultraviolet settings on your glasses.
What they revealed was downright beautiful. Purple flames were consuming everything flammable in a bewitching display of power. My power.
“Woah.”
Don’t get too comfortable just watching the fire dear. You have a log to peruse.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 40.5038%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.7878%">Targets Eliminated!</td>
<td style="width: 7.67678%"> </td>
<td style="width: 14.0404%"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.7878%">Model Seven</td>
<td style="width: 7.67678%; text-align: right">x879</td>
<td style="width: 14.0404%; text-align: right">4395</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.7878%">Small Hive Destruction</td>
<td style="width: 7.67678%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 14.0404%; text-align: right">500, 1 Token</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.7878%">Reward:</td>
<td style="width: 7.67678%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 14.0404%; text-align: right">4895</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.7878%">Total:</td>
<td style="width: 7.67678%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 14.0404%; text-align: right">17,554, 2 Tokens</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Despite the roar of flames being deafening even through the cab’s windows, I couldn’t hear them over the sound of my cheering.