“All troops are required to wear a Type 70 mask during any combat scenario.
Units not wearing full protective gear will have their pay cut. "
--Page 127, Red Warrior PMC Combat Manual, 4th Edition
***
"Are we ready?" I asked the puppets.
The two men stood near the barricade with new guns in hand. It looks like they recruited some office drones to clear the desks, leaving a slit-like passage that someone could squeeze through with a little effort.
"Yeah, that's about it. Give the accountant three minutes," Storm said. "Is that girl okay?"
"She's going to be fine. Might need some help moving, but I think the others will be there for her. If we're slow, we should make it, no problem."
Storm nodded. "Great, cool. Yeah, great." He moved and motioned to the door. "Do you want to go first?"
I raised an eyebrow at that. "OK?"
Did he want me to be the one to trigger any xeno traps waiting, or was he just worried about being the first one out.
It doesn't matter anyway. I walked to the opening, took out my trench machine, leaned against the wall and looked outside the office.
Aside from a few alien corpses, there's nothing to fuss over. "It's clear," I said over my shoulder. "Start moving people out, but tell them to keep quiet about it. They're adults, they should be able to shut up, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Storm said.
I slipped out and walked into the hallway. If I'm going to wait, I'll at least try to be efficient. "Myalis, what is that?" I asked as I touched the tentacled alien with my toes.
That's Beast No. 4. The more generic Alien One. These can still occur even if the size of the intrusion becomes quite large. They are usually ambush predators and occasionally serve as frontline warriors when the enemy is lightly and armored. Their tentacles are quite thick, and some have sharp ends. However, their more dangerous feature to humans is on the back of their neck.
I walked around the monster and looked behind its head. Not that it had a head to speak of, its upper body curled up, sort of like an ugly little giraffe, but without a head or an extra-long neck. I figured its eyes and mouth were beneath the tentacles.
I'm not going to put my hand in there and check.
It has gills on the back of its torso and where its head is. The small pink skin flaps stand out against the dark green skin. "What's going on with that?" I asked. "Does it breathe from there?"
Not completely. These are connected to the sack on its chest. The gas produced by Behemoth No. 4 smells faintly of flowers. In humans, the gas can cause psychotic episodes, hysteria and paranoia. Although the amount humans need to ingest is quite large.
I stay the fuck away from Beast Four. "Are you serious?" I asked.
I won't lie to my opponents. Your vital signs indicate that you only consumed a small amount, not enough to produce a noticeable effect. It will wear out. The agent is far from perfect at fighting humans.
I frowned when I put two and two together and came up with a number that wasn't four. “So what does it do well?”
——
I frowned, looked around, and shook my head. Mialis made a sound, a sound I couldn't hear, like hers, but sharp and painful, like glass rubbing against chalk. "Hold?"
Forgive me, the species' original name doesn't translate well into any human language. Unfortunately, their name for their species is not descriptive, just like "human" doesn't really describe humans. Other vanguards nicknamed them "Screamers" or "Twask" because of the sound they made while attacking.
"Wait, have the other samurai seen other aliens?"
No, just recording. There is a predator similar to Model Four in the Tvask family's hometown. It is the basis of the model. The Antipodes consume predatory species and repurpose them for their own use. Approximately three hundred years ago, a Protector contingent cored Tvask's home world after evacuating the remaining members of the species.
I swallowed. "So are these models?"
Each model is based on a life form of interest to the opposite. But I can review the opponent’s history another day.
I looked up and saw that some people had gathered in the office. "Yeah. Okay. Hey, that tiger-looking enemy from before is the one we stuck with. What's that?"
A modified Earth version of Monster No. 3? Currently known as Model 3 B. It started appearing in 2035 after the invasion of North China.
"Shit" is all I can say on this topic. "Is there anything I can do to not get screwed by the alien gas?"
Luckily there were no kittens around who would have giggled at my choice of words.
You can purchase disposable masks through the Class I Medical Utility Directory. A box of five units is worth one point. They are not very powerful, but are powerful enough to block most biological agents.
I did a quick count of people leaving the office. "Give me five boxes," I said.
New purchase: disposable masks, five pieces in a box, five units
Points reduced to...190
Five tattered plastic boxes appeared at my feet. Now I just have to convince everyone to wear one.
“We should discuss what to do with my remaining points,” I said. "It's not helpful for them to just sit there."
wonderful! I have a lot of ideas on how to improve yourself with some well-spent points.
I snorted. "When we get back to the parking lot. Who knows, we might accumulate a few more here and there."
