Chapter Fourteen - Libre's Office

  "I'm sorry, sir, but you need to prove your age--"

  "I'm fifty four! I've been using your service for... for like twenty years!"

  "Yes, but your age verification didn't pass."

  "Why the hell not? I gave you everything!"

  "Sorry, sir. Let's start over from the start. I need a picture, a retinal scan, blood sample, spit sample, DNA sample, I need your social security number, and credit history, as well as a reference from the last three social media sites you made accounts on."

  --Recording of a Customer Service call, 2029

  ***

  I chewed on my lower lip. I wanted to smack this guy on coming in, and I wasn't sure if I didn't still want to, but, yeah, he was planning shit on a level or two above what I did. Still...

  "You know that there's no planning around the Antithesis, right?" I asked.

  Libre licked his lips. "I think that's a common misconception, and something that a lot of people say. It's politically unpopular to spend billions and put a lot of capital into defences and preparations that may well only lead to any sort of result ten years down the line. You can predict them. What you can't do is underestimate them."

  "Isn't that what you're doing by predicting them?" I asked.

  His eyes twitched, and I felt like I'd just struck a chord with the man. "I am not underestimating them."

  "If you're not underestimating them, then why are they still alive? Why haven't you called for reinforcements?"

  Libre rocked back onto his heels. "You think I didn't? You think I want to be fighting the Antithesis with just this?" He gestured widely at the room and all of the people in it. People not really wearing uniforms beyond 'office chic.' "The soldiers and professionals I've been working with have been dying or burning out. I'm left with scraps, untrained militias, and whatever junk I can scrounge from the city. This isn't a proper, well-funded operation like what you may be used to, Samurai Stray Cat."

  Damn, I felt a little bad for the people in here that had just been cooked by this guy, they didn't look like they deserved to be catching strays like that.

  Gomorrah cleared her throat. "You said that you did call for reinforcements?"

  "Obviously," he said. "Just a day before the Phobos incident, we had an inkling that the Antithesis were going to push harder. We called for reinforcements and received one samurai and a small boost to the local garrison, and that was all. After that, things grew busy, and my second call for assistance went ignored." He worked his jaw. "At least, until now. I can't say that your arrival isn't timely. It's just also disruptive."

  I glanced around, trying to take in the mood from Gomorrah and Hedgehog. Crisis Mode I didn't know well enough to read at a glance. They didn't look super impressed.

  "Yeah, nah, I don't get it," I said. "Myalis, did you see that call for reinforcements?"

  I can see it. It was a rather polite request made some two weeks ago, asking for additional funding, supplies, and forces for the Quebec region, as well as any available samurai in the region.

  "Okay," I said, ignoring Libre's frown. If he didn't like me second-guessing him, then he could stop being so damned suspicious. "And was that it? Nothing after?"

  Not that I can see.

  "I--"

  We all turned towards Crisis Mode, who hesitated under all the scrutiny. Still, she rallied a moment later.

  "I did ask you for more help, Libre," she said. "A few days ago. And some days before that. You said that it wasn't necessary. That we couldn't. And that was before the media blackout."

  I turned back towards Libre. Yeah, that didn't look good. "I had my reasons," he said.

  "And those were?" I asked.

  "I don't owe you a full accounting of my actions," Libre replied tersely. He shifted to the side, trampling over the centre of the Quebec hologram. "I had my reasons."

  "Okay, bub," I said. "First of all, repeating it doesn't make it better, and second, yeah, we kinda can ask for a full accounting. It's a fun bit of being a samurai, you're only accountable to others, and guess what? We're other samurai. If you can't cut it under the pressure, then I guess... well, whatever. Shit happens. People make mistakes, and I guess you did alright, all things considered. You held the city with scraps, like you said, but people probably died because you didn't reach out for help a--"

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "Can you just... shut up," he said.

  I blinked. I hadn't been expecting that strong of a reaction. "What?"

  Libre clenched his fists, then took a deep breath. I think he was aware that a lot of people were staring. "Everyone, out," he said before gesturing. "Come on. Give us the room. Now!"

  People jumped to listen, and there was a sudden exodus out of the room, some people poking at those who had headphones on to alert them. It wasn't a minute before the room was empty except for the samurai and then it felt strangely quiet.

  "Okay, it's just us now," I said. "Care to explain?"

  Libre started to pace. He reached up and touched his mouth, then turned and walked the other way. "I..." he began. Then I noticed that there were tears in his eyes. Wait, was he fucking crying? "I hate them."

  "Them?"

  "The Antithesis!" he barked. "Those... they took everything from me! I was there, you know? Just... not fast enough. But I was there. I saw it kill her."

  He flicked his hand quickly to one side, and the hologram shifted. It was of much lower quality but also a much closer scene than the full-aerial city view. The space was a wooded area, some hills, a few APCs parked nearby and what looked like a small town?

  I wanted to ask what Libre was on about, but the holograph was playing through a scene, and I recognized him in it. It was from high enough above that I almost didn't, but no, that was him, hovering over the ground with a sort of jetpack.

  The APCs had soldiers in them, they were firing at something, and as the view panned over, it became obvious that they were fighting against a heavy front of Antithesis. There were plenty of the smaller dog-like model threes, but I recognized fours and fives and sixes, and swooping above, some elevens and... were those thirteens? They were the weird squid-like models with three bodies. I'd only seen those a couple of times and always near hives.

  There was a second samurai below. It was a little too grainy to make out in any great detail, but it looked like a woman, and she was fighting up close and personal, swinging a mace around that messed up anything it hit.

  The soldiers shooting across the field and forest were getting backed up, but I could see that it wasn't all bad. They were pulling the antithesis around and into a more swampy, open space with less cover, and there were two trucks parked up on a hill nearby with heavy machine guns waiting for the aliens to get into position for them.

  The samurai on the ground were backing up too.

  I could kind of see the plan, such as it was. Clever, I guessed. Simple, but that's all that was needed against the Antithesis sometimes.

  "She was perfect," Libre said.

  His eyes were on the woman.

  It was a split second before everything went to shit down there.

  I grimaced as the ground not too far from the edge of the swamp blew up, and out came a small swarm of model ones. They rushed out and up, and then the soldiers had their attention split.

  And out of that same explosion came something big and fast. I wasn't even sure what it was, except that it was covered in scales and moved across the ground like something out of a fucking nightmare.

  The woman spun, her mace catching fire before she smacked the alien in the face.

  Then she was grabbed, raised off the ground, and slammed back down.

  She was in heavier-looking armour. That might have rung her bell, but I bet she survived it. She deployed something down there, and the area around her burst with a dozen explosions like she'd set off fireworks. From the way the little bits that flew around melted through things, it was probably something like thermite.

  The big one burned, bits of thermit digging into its scales, only it didn't kill it. It raised her up again and smashed her down. Her mace flicked out and bashed it in the head, caving it in, but that didn't stop it either.

  Then the antithesis swelled up, and a torrent of vomit escaped its mouth, covering the samurai. She squirmed, and I couldn't help but feel bad for the woman as she died.

  The tiny Libre came down, shooting like mad into the monster's back and it... left?

  It spun around, smoking from its own acid and the bits of thermit still stuck to it, then darted into an opened hole in the ground, but not before pausing just long enough to look back up and stare at Libre. I swore the damned thing was grinning.

  "I'm going to kill it," Libre muttered. "I'm sorry. But I have to."

  ***