Chapter One Hundred Fourteen - Skitterway

"And what are you idiots doing here?"

"What does it look like, asshole?"

"Being lazy fucks?"

"Nah, bitch. Being on standby. It's a military speciality, fuckwad."

"What, wasting credits sitting around on the tarmac and sunning yourselves, blockhead?"

"Lotsa hurry-up-and-wait in the PMC, birdbrain."

"Well, fucking do something useful instead, grunt!"

"We are, rubberneck. What'cha think would happen if we had to carefully drop tasks first when the sirens go, smartass?"

– Dialogue between the soldiers-at-standby of a Private Military Company and one "concerned citizen" during the Global Invasion of 2057

 

***

 

After Leah's promise, the quality of the battle shifted.

She wasn't taking pleasure in the act of mutilating the Twenty-Eight anymore. Leah just considered what had to be done, and solved the challenges as they arose.

I found myself calmed down and, drained as I felt, I probably would've fallen asleep with my cheek resting atop the redhead's bust while her hands cradled my head and back. But we were in battle, and I did need to pay attention if I wanted to figure out what tools we were lacking.

Each Fourteen she slaughtered was worth several hundred points due to the single-digit models riding within, and between those and the constant shelling of the thousands of smaller units in the rear, our counter very quickly ticked up past five thousand points.

"Hey, Leah," I asked.

"Mhm?" she answered. The spider switched direction again, and I smiled as her soft flesh jiggled beneath my head from the change in momentum. Then, the little hairs across my nape stiffened as the 105mm main gun whipped around, as the esoteric recoil-shunting-thing bit reality with monochrome fangs and forced it to hold still, and finally, shivers ran down my spine as the cannon heralded death with a reverberating gong.

I witnessed a glittering rainbow-mirage version of us be thrown dozens of meters and shatter against the trees behind us. What-Was fled my brain on fraying synapses. But the confusion that should have followed the lost piece of reality was replaced with extrapolation and simulation by the quanta, fed from theoretical knowledge and calculations. New, artificial memories were constructed to stand in for the missing, and my natural brain eagerly absorbed them and fixed the holes within its own patterns.

I remembered experiencing the impossible, and knew that I knew nothing of it at all. But somehow, I did, and that was all my psyche needed to just…shrug and keep on going undisturbed.

The bulk of my attention analyzed the battlefield and saw that—75mm high-explosive fragmentation grenades raining on them or not—Daddy-Long-legs was going to be inundated with single-digit models soonish.

I wanted to be out and able to act before then.

"We've got a lot of points. I'm gonna get those wings growing, alright?"

"Mm!" Leah patted my back and smiled. "I'll try and keep from tossing you about, yeah?"

Giggling, I kissed her collarbone and got up, steadying myself with a hand against the curved dome of the mech's abdomen. She was still strapped into her crash couch with my DIY five-point harness, which would keep her safe. But as long as she kept her prosthetics equipped, she wouldn't be able to close the shell of the pod.

Hmm. That may be a problem if she ever needs to escape from Daddy-Long-Legs… Gonna suggest a new pod later, I guess. A bigger one.

Meanwhile, I'd make absolutely sure that it wouldn't come to that. Good thing I was a Vanguard, too, huh?

"I'm pretty sturdy. Probably sturdier than Daddy-Long-Legs even, considering how little I weigh, and I'll just strap myself down some. I'd rather you didn't even risk putting yourself in a bad position, okay? I'm not even sure I can bruise anymore," I giggled, and Tynea spoke up.

You may bruise, but that would require rather powerful kinetic forces. Higher than you hitting the ground at your terminal velocity, on average. Your Battle Skin, and your bionites, utilize the release of blood and plasma to accelerate localized healing. Your bruises would likely disappear before you noticed them.

"Huh," I said. "Well, Leah, I figure you'll have a hard time hurting me, even if you tried."

She tossed me a thumbs-up with glittering eyes, and it suddenly struck me how relaxed she looked. Not a trace of the previous anger and hurt.

She really, really doesn't waste time acting on new convictions, does she? Guess I shouldn't waste time either.

I looked around myself and decided to just sit on my rump in front of Leah and her pod. A few quick strings of thick silk across my lap served to hold me in place, while my hands remained free.

"Okay, Tynea. What do we need for the whole wings combo?"

The wings themselves are merely a download with which your Iterator may print viral editors. You will require a lot of sustenance along with some specialized organometallics that your body cannot produce. Class II Medical Utilities, and the mobile surgery kit. Jump jets, and potentially, another item to prolong air time, should the jets not suffice. Protection for your sensilla.

I took another moment to regard the battle. The Fourteens that had been chasing us were not only dead, but so shredded by the passage of the gravitic projectiles that they'd mostly ceased to exist. Plenty more were crashing through the distant trees, along with other double-digit models. They'd probably join the battle in the next ten to fifteen minutes.

The Twenty-Eight was hanging on and Leah was having some difficulty getting the esoteric Class I shells to soak up enough mass to go critical during their arc, so they just bounced off of the beast's armor.

Low profile enemies are an issue for the Hatchet's heaviest armament. Noted.

At least the lumbering monster wasn't lumbering anymore, what with having lost two legs.

Time in the air…

"Let's get those wing-roots growing first, Tynea. Get me that download and the surgical kit. How long do I have to wait until I can go mobile?"

A plastic box popped into my lap. It had two dozen transparent lids covering as many compartments within. Each one was filled up with colorful pills, and the lids had a variety of numbers and labels printed on them.

You'll need to consume these pills over the next few weeks, one load per day. They'll provide you with whatever your body requires during the relevant phase of the wings' growth. Please start with the first one, top left.

That one was by far the largest compartment and had about three times the content of any other cell. Makes sense, I supposed, if I'm gonna grow the first bits a lot faster.

I popped its lid, smiling wryly as I was reminded a little of those old Christmas calendars back home. Never did receive one as a child, but I guess it's my turn today, huh? I thought with a quiet chuckle as I swallowed fifteen chunky rainbow-colored balls one by one.

They didn't really taste like anything and dissolved into drinkable fluids within moments, although I'd swear there was more fluid than I'd put solid balls into my mouth.

The autosurgeon will accelerate the growth of the first and second segments of all four wing-limbs, as well as the new brain and inertial sensor at their roots. This will take ten minutes, and most of your body will be numbed during this time.

Like local anesthesia, huh? Probably a smart thing, considering that growing pains were a thing and these growth rates sounded insane.

Most of your bionites and nutrient mix will be used up during this procedure. The rest of the arms and the wing membranes will grow over the next thirty days.

Aw, back to smol jigglies. Oh well.

"Hmm… Am I going to have to practice using these new limb things? And, uh… What will they look like?"

The new brain will manage the new limbs. There will be no need to learn how to…walk, essentially. Your Aerial Maneuvering dream training will help you with their and the jets' practical use.

"Neat."

You'll have the first and second part of each wing arm, from the root to the second joint.

Tynea sent me a video file. I recognized the designs of my new body as Tinea. But the wing membranes were removed and the root arms' lengths were reduced by perhaps two thirds, leaving me with four extra scale-covered arms sticking out of my lower back, just above my tail.

"That looks so weird without the wings…naked, almost. Can we do something about that?"

Certainly. In fact, attaching the jump jets and the reusable, self-stowing parachute, should help.

And it did. They looked less like weird, deformed extra arms, and more like attached robotic limbs, covered with sleeves of webbed tubing, a series of thrust nozzles, and a compact pack strapped between the root joints. The pack appeared to hold the parachute, with strings leading from it to rings attached at the end of each arm.

Steering lines? I assumed.

"Uff, I have no experience parachuting, Tynea, and I don't recall that being part of the aerial maneuvering training."

It was part of the Class I Piloting: Atmospheric Personal Vehicles dream lessons. You'll find usage of the parachute quite natural, once you get to it.

"Oh." I scratched my head. "Okay. I don't remember that, like, at all."

There were thousands of different vehicle types, after all. It won't be an issue.

"I see. Um. Let's get to it, I guess?"

If you recall my earlier comment, one thousand points for the jumpjet will allow me a great deal of modification. What do you want the jump jets' strength to be?

"Right." I fell silent to think for a bit. If I was gonna be Daddy-Long-Legs' support, I'd have to be able to stay up for prolonged periods making sure that nothing got to the Hatchet. Rather than me relying on Leah to have a place to land safely, it'd be her relying on me to keep her path unobstructed.

"Loiter time, I think? I gotta be able to stay aloft for hours and hours, if need be."

That will require additional defenses for you, too.

"Mm. Maneuverability, perhaps? Can you make the parachute one of those square ones? The steerable ones."

It is already. Would you prefer maneuverability or the most efficient descent rate possible?

"Uh… Is that how long it takes before I hit the ground?"

It's how far you can go for every meter you lose in altitude. How long you can stay up depends a lot on the weather conditions.

"Oh. Can I use the jump jets to regain height? And what happens if I have the parachute out and need to move fast?"

The canopy is designed to stow itself during battle. But the larger the canopy, the more efficient it is at conserving energy, the longer it takes to snap shut and fold itself into the pack. The jump jets can be used as motors with the canopy deployed, but this does ultimately reduce maneuverability.

"Okay, fuck it. I have no idea what I'm doing, Tynea. Give me something that allows me to stay up for hours while dodging danger."

Understood. Here's the list of purchases as I would recommend. I'll include the kit of nutrients in your lap:

 

Cost	Tkn	Unlock
300	1	Class II Medical Utilities
300	1	Total
5003		Combined Remaining Points

[Cost Tkn Unlock]
[300p 1Tkn, Class II Medical Utilities]
[300p 1Tkn, Total]
[5003 Combined Remaining Points]

 

Cost	x	Item
2000	1	Class II 'Origami' Saturniidae Moth Wing
120	1	'Foundation' Medical Kit Of Nutrients And Materials For Quickmorphs
700	1	Class II 'Skitterway' Autonomous Mobile Surgeon
1010	1	Class I Moonsinger Technologies Auxiliary Enhancement for 'Origami' Saturniidae Moth Wing: 'Second Wind' Combat Canopy and Jump Jets, modified for power and endurance
200	1	Class I Moonsinger Technologies Auxiliary Enhancement for 'Picket' Plumose Antennae: 'Solids' Kinetic Muffler Mark XIII
4030		Total
973		Combined Remaining Points

[Cost x Item]
[2000p x 1, Class II 'Origami' Saturniidae Moth Wing]
[120p x 1, 'Foundation' Medical Kit Of Nutrients And Materials For Quickmorphs]
[700p x 1, Class II 'Skitterway' Autonomous Mobile Surgeon]
[1010p x 1, Class I Moonsinger Technologies Auxiliary Enhancement for 'Origami' Saturniidae Moth Wing: 'Second Wind' Combat Canopy and Jump Jets, modified for power and endurance]
[200p x 1, Class I Moonsinger Technologies Auxiliary Enhancement for 'Picket' Plumose Antennae: 'Solids' Kinetic Muffler Mark XIII]
[4030 Total]
[973 Combined Points]

"Nine hundred seventy-three points left, huh? Well, plenty of aliens around. Looks good to me. Buy it."

Done. I've already set your Iterator to produce the viruses. Please hold still for the autosurgeon.

Three additional boxes clattered against the floor of Daddy-Long-Legs' living space in front of me, and one immediately came to life. The metal…suitcase of a spider stretched six limbs, popped out what looked like several cameras on a stalk, and turned to look at me.

Leah swerved and the other, smaller, box smacked into its side and sent it scrambling for traction with flailing legs. I snorted as my tail flashed out to stabilize it, and I also grabbed both of the other cases and sat on the pill kit before they went ballistic again.

The Skitterway skittered along my tail and climbed up my back, where four of its legs wrapped around my shoulders from above and below to hold itself steady. I continued observing via my antennae's spatial sense as the remaining two legs stretched some sort of fabric between themselves, laid it against my back, and then inflated it.

"Huh. What's it doing, Tynea?"

It's creating a sterile environment within which to operate on you. You'll momentarily lose control of your legs and tail, Tinea. Your arms, shoulders, and head will be fine, and the autosurgeon will keep you upright.

"Gotcha."

The thing on my back beeped once, and then a hot wave washed through my lower torso and my legs, followed by…nothing. I tried to look over my shoulder, but found I didn't have enough mobility in my torso to do so. The medical suitcase was keeping me still.

"Is it working now?" I asked.

Yes. Ten minutes.

"Okay…"

Well, this was boring. I didn't even get to see my samurai shit doing samurai shit.

Boo.

 

***