Chapter Twenty-Five - Trickle Down


    Chapter Twenty-Five - Trickle Down


    While the very concept of trickle down economics was proven to be utter bullshit, we still havent figured out whether the samurais trickle down technology has the same bullshitty smell to it.


    --Edward Denless, political commentator, 2032


    ***


    Things went well for all of thirty seconds after I cut contact with the general. Then, of course, things got complicated.


    Arm-a-Geddon gladly accepted a ride to River Heights onboard a troop-transport loaded up with militia guys. Theyd reinforce the front line over there, which was getting complicated. The militia had cameras lined up so that I could check on things with some ease, and from the looks of it they were getting swarmed mostly by small-fry antithesis, but I didnt think that would last.


    Gomorrah agreed to send some of her drones over, which meant three of them were flying across the gap between River Heights and Downtown already.


    They were going to lay down some literal fire on the antithesis. That would help, but her drones werent the fastest things around, so we had a minute or three to wait before they arrived.


    In the meantime, I had to deal with Manic.


    What do you mean you dont want to? I asked.


    Manic didnt sound impressed over the line. From what I could tell she was sitting by one of the walls on the west end of the city. I mean I dont wanna. Never been told no before?


    Fuck, I said. The people there--


    Are spoiled rich fucks. Theyve decided to hole up in their little mansions. Let them.


    I ground my teeth together. I couldn''t even be angry, her attitude was exactly how I would act and... wait, did that mean that I was a bitch? Shit. It wasnt time for self-reflection.


    Fine, I said. Youre staying by the area youre in?


    If the plant fucks are moving on River Heights, theyll be hitting Downtown soon. Ill break them before they get far.


    Right, I said. You do that.


    I cut the line off and took a deep breath. Now what? Manic would have been useful in River Heights. She had a lot of AOE stuff as far as I could tell, and she was good in a scrap. I placed her higher than Arm-a-Geddon and Sprout as far as combat abilities went, but she wasnt available, so Id have to live with that.


    Your ride is here.


    I glanced up and stared as a massive vehicle lumbered along the road, taking up two of the three lanes that bisected Downtowns centre.


    I added a reminder to myself to worry about that later. Okay, how are things in River Heights?


    Not going so good, the anime girl avatar said. The main screen switched to what was obviously the helmet-cam of someone on the front lines over there. They were manning one of those big chain-fed guns which rattled and barked out lines of fire that ripped apart aliens.


    Theyd gotten to the point where the bodies were starting to stack up and form little barricades of mulched flesh. I could almost smell the scene. Gunpowder and that strange mowed-grass scent the antithesis gave off when they died.


    A glance at the local map suggested they had all of seven guys holding the line, a line which was as wide as a nice upperclass street, the sort with wide sidewalks and houses with yards on the side.


    Shit, I muttered.


    Its not looking so good, the avatar said.


    Myalis, where are my mortars?


    Theyre moving into position. Itll take another three minutes until the first has a clear line of fire. Gomorrahs drones will arrive in four minutes, and the transports with reinforcements and Arm-a-Geddon will be in place in seven.


    I watched as the gunner mowed down another line of antithesis, but one of them, a scrappy little model three, slipped past the fire, jumped onto a sandbag, then latched onto the face of one of the militia men.


    His buddy next to him was quick to turn and punt the alien off, then he fired three rounds centre-of-mass, putting it down while the guy whod been thrown back scrambled to pick up his rifle again.


    Yeah, no, I said.


    We were doing something to help. Many somethings, but I wasnt going to watch as these guys just died because the help Id sent their way was too slow.


    Myalis, I need something that can hit their location now, I said.


    I have a multitude of options!


    Got rockets or something? Just a quick up-down-kaboom?


    Not point-efficient, but I certainly have a few options.


    Lets not fuck around, I said as I started to walk towards the back of the base. Id noticed a ladder leading up to the roof as I did my mini-tour of the vehicle. I grabbed on and climbed up and out the top. I expected it to be windy but... well, we were moving at a walking pace.


    Myalis was quick to give me a crate that had what was obviously a rocket launcher within. I picked it up, aimed high, and let loose, the backsplash scorching the top of the mobile base even as the rocket screamed into the sky.


    Damn it was nice to feel useful sometimes.


    ***