TH - Book 2 - Chapter 50 - Samurai Study Session

I'm back people! Sorry about TH on Friday, but we've entered my most hated part of the year. Migrane season. Hurray...

I've been laid out most of the weekend, and I've already taken the maximum recommend dose of advil for today, so... things are going well. Thankfully my head isn't too bad right now, so I shouldn't have a problem getting TBoB out today.  Thanks for your patience. 

“We really should rouse ourselves, and have that discussion,” I sighed. “If we keep putting it off, we may never get off this couch.”

Skyler pouted, and snuggled deeper into my side. “What’s so bad about that? It’s been so long since we just snuggled.”

“True, but you’re the one that complained that we haven’t planned out our gear, or style. We might have been able to suppress the Antithesis over the last few days, but there’s still quite a few out in the fields. Who knows when we’ll have another chance to discuss it.”

“Ugh… those stupid plants,” Skyler grumbled. “I can’t wait until they’re all dead so we can have more time to ourselves.”

I kissed her softly on the forehead before slowly untangling myself from her and Lala. It wasn’t easy to do, even though our couch was wider than normal, perfect for lounging on, there still wasn’t a lot of space. Once I was clear, I leaned down and helped Skyler to her feet. 

“The living room may be comfortable, but it’s not exactly the best place to have a productive discussion,” Skyler muttered. “Should we move to the dining room?”

“Sure, that works for me,” I replied cheerfully.

I stopped in the kitchen, and poured a couple glasses of water before heading to the dining room. Sklyer had already taken her seat, so I placed a glass in front of her before taking my own seat.

“So, where would you like to start? Fashion?” I asked. “We just upgraded our outfits yesterday, so I doubt you had time to come up with something new.”

Skyler paused, mid sip, and shook her head. “As much as I’d love to go into the itty bitty details about our outfits, what I’d really like to discuss is our goals, and overall plans for the future.”

“Makes sense… We have kinda been running headlong into fights over the last week and, for the most part, upgrading on the fly. We really should try and coordinate more,” I said. “Where would you like to start?”

“Maybe with the current situation in town? We’ll start on the short term, then move to the long term,” Skyler suggested. “Athyna, can you give me a cheap holo projector please? No need to wrap it, just place it in the middle of the table, and then show us the latest satellite feed. Thanks!”

{Athy: No problem.}

A small semi circular glass orb appeared right in the middle of the table, and immediately lit up, displaying a familiar map of Vancouver, and the surrounding area. The number, and density, of antithesis had dropped significantly since we’d last checked. The orbital strike had devastated the horde outside the city, now instead of a sea of antithesis signals there were only two or three pockets of antithesis activity. Ocean side was a similar story, I could only make out a handful of small, isolated groups of antithesis on the map. That didn’t mean there wasn’t more out there, Skyler and I had experienced first hand how the antithesis could dig in and avoid detection.

“The situation almost looks… well, it’s still not great, there are still a lot of antithesis around, but manageable,” I mumbled.

“Well, the city has been under siege for the last week, and a lot of samurai have been working around the clock to get a handle on the situation. I guess we’re just lucky things calmed down as quickly as they did,” Skyler replied quietly.

“Guess that means we’ll be moving away from the siege phase, and onto the cleanup soon,” I muttered.

“Which brings us to the first question, have you thought about what we’ll do after the siege is over?” Skyler asked. 

Reaching over I flipped a switch on the side of the projector, before turning towards Skyler. “I figured I’d go back to work at Synthesis. Why? Were you planning to do something else?”

“No,” she smiled. “I knew that would be your answer, but I still wanted to ask. I’ve heard that a lot of samurai tend to go independent, and make a fortune selling protector tech to whoever’s willing to pay for it. If we end up buying tech in the future, I’d rather offer it to your mother anyways. At least that way we know it’ll be in the hands of someone responsible.”

“I’ll admit, it’ll be strange going back to a desk job when this is all over, but I’d rather do that than sit around and live the life of a spoiled rich girl. If I wanted to do that, I could have stayed with my father,” I grumbled. “With all the tech at our fingertips, I’m sure our jobs will be much easier going forward. Plus, I expect we’ll still have the chance to go out on the occasional adventure together.”

“If by adventure you mean, slaying antithesis, then I can’t wait,” Skyler laughed.

I leaned back in my chair and stretched out my sore shoulders. “Since we’ve established our civilian lives aren’t going to change, perhaps we should discuss something equally as important. How we plan to develop our kits going forward.”

Skyler frowned. “You’re planning on taking more of those gene treatments, aren’t you?” 

“I’m not going to lie, I’m considering them. I’ve always felt a lot more comfortable with a sword in my hand than a bow, and I don’t ever plan to pick up a gun, so I’d like to have the strength, speed and stamina to stand up to the antithesis,” I admitted. “How else am I going to keep you safe?”

“Well that is sweet,” Skyler started, “I’m still concerned that these treatments might have unexpected side effects. I don’t want you to lose yourself in these changes.”

“It’s not like I’m planning to grow out a tail, or scales, or something like that,” I assured her. “Just muscle and brain enhancements so I can keep ahead of the antithesis. How about this, I promise that I’ll discuss each and every enchantment with you prior to purchasing it. That way we can discuss any concerns you have before they become an issue. Deal?”

“Deal,” Skyler agreed with a bright smile. 

“What about you? Have you figured out where you want to go next with your bots?” I asked.

“Not exactly… the mortars work extremely well on the open field, but as we’ve seen multiple times they suffer when we’re stuck in an enclosed space, like buildings or tunnels. The machine guns have definately helped, but they still feel restrictive somehow. I need to think about it more,” Skyler explained. “My biggest weakness right now is definitely my inability to command all the bots on the fly. I think what I really need to invest in is an upgraded control augment, to make it easier to handle all that information.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah, but I want to do more research before I invest, and just like you promised to discuss things with me, I’ll go over all the advantages, and disadvantages, with you before I actually do it.”

“Good! I may not be a firearms expert, but we can also discuss ways to improve your drones, maybe find a setup you feel more comfortable with,” I suggested.

“Works for me,” Skyler agreed, before taking a long sip of water. “Now, for the important bit. Our future style!”

“I’m terrible at staying current, or figuring out trends,” I groaned, “you know that. That’s why I need your help with my wardrobe.”

“I know,” Skyler chuckled, “and we can iron out the details later, but I just want to know… what do you want to look like in the future? Tricked out cyber samurai? Skintight suits and swords? Tell me!”

“I don’t know!” I replied helplessly. “Okay… I don’t particularly want something too ornamental, I feel like even if I’m well protected, something like that has to start restricting my movement at some point. That being said, I don’t want to wear something skintight either.”

My checks heated up. “It’s a little embarrassing to run around with my body out on display.”

“Understandable, for my enjoyment only,” Skyler agreed, a little too seriously.

“So… something inbetween? Honestly, what I’ve been wearing has been good. Not restrictive, comfortable, and provides a moderate amount of protection.”

“So, streetwear,” Skyler sighed. “I should have seen that coming, but… we can work with that. Maybe we can ask the AIs to find some light armor to augment what you already have. It doesn't have to be much, but I worry about you running around with little more than that shield to protect you. I also wouldn’t mind seeing you in a longer coat, maybe one that’s similar to mine, as long as we can find one that doesn’t restrict your movement.”

“Why like yours?” I asked.

“Because we’re a pair, and I want everyone to know it!” Skyler declared. “Since I tend to be out of the action, I don’t mind structuring my armor based upon your preferences; As long as you’re adequately protected. We might want to investigate upgrading our shield generators.”

“I’m afraid, you’ve already lost me,” I mumbled. “I can kind of picture it… but not really.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll work on something and show you a design later,” Skyler said excitedly. “I think that covers most of my concerns. I’d like to talk about more specific upgrades, but I’d like a little time to get our basic design down before we do. Is that alright with you?”

“That’s fine,” I smiled. “I know I’m no fashionista, but would you like some feedback on your designs while you’re working on them?”

“Absolutely! Let me get my tablet. I’ll be right back,” Skyer declared, before bolting towards the bedroom.

I chuckled as I watched her go. Although working together on a design wasn’t quite as relaxing as lounging away on the couch, it was absolutely worth it. My time with Skyler was precious, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world.