Swooping down on a Model Three-O I bisected the beast long before it could get to Skyler. The two of us were stuck in a pitched defense against the antithesis trying to pour through the breach. We’d tried to come up with some ideas on how to plug the leak, but neither of us had access to anything that would do the trick. I didn’t really have the time to go through catalogs either. The antithesis were still pouring through the rift, and if I stopped fighting, there was a chance they’d get through to Skyler.

  So I didn’t stop.

  Skyler had a little more breathing space, so I hoped she had a little time to discuss the options with Athyna.

  {Rei: Arty please tell me reinforcements are on the way, we really need some help here.}

  {Arty: It is, but… it’s not close. About half of the samurai that were trying to deal with the main horde are on their way and chewing up the back of the pack. The other half stayed behind to deal with the hives before they could send reinforcements.}

  {Rei: That’s not what I wanted to hear, Arty!}

  {Arty: Apologies, but I don’t have any good news at this time. I've been sending Cascadia Command constant updates, so they’re aware of the situation, but don’t have any units capable of intervening.}

  {Rei: Fuck!}

  Turning back towards the breach, I quickly evaluated the situation. A trio of Four-Os had managed to sneak through Skyler’s bombardment and were evading the shots from her rifle. The small squad split up, trying to flank my girlfriend from multiple sides.

  I couldn’t have that.

  Shooting forward I rushed the one nearest me. Even though it had been focused on Skyler, it did manage to see me at the last minute. One tentacle shot out, trying to knock me out of my charge, while it used the other to try and evade, shooting to one side.

  I didn’t even try to follow, I didn’t have time for that. Instead, I just adjusted slightly to avoid the swipe and remove the offending limb before rolling over and sticking my dart thrower right into the creature's face. The monowire exploded outwards, completely eviscerating the monster as I turned towards my second target.

  The remaining two Model Fours apparently noticed how easily I’d dealt with their friend because the nearest one turned directly towards me, while the other darted towards Skyler and her drones.

  Rather than evading, the nearest antithesis went on the offensive. It swam towards me like a cuttlefish, tentacles first, and once it was close enough, struck out with every one of its limbs. I pulled up, breaking just short of its assault, and twirled in place. Rending Wave took a couple of tentacles, but not all of them. With my momentum lost, I was easy pickings for a follow-up attack.

  I swung Rending Wave and engaged the thrusters at the same time, sure that I wasn’t going to evade but trying all the same. The water around my forearms frothed and heated up. Suddenly the resistance was gone andy blade intercepted the offending tentacles before slicing straight through the main body.

  I stared at the creature in disbelief as the two halves slowly floated away. It took me a moment to shake off the shock and re-engage the thrusters to head back towards Skyler. She was fine, of course. She was more than a match for a single four, but I still worried.

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  “Everything fine?” Skyler yelled as I coasted towards her.

  “Clear, for now. We’re not going to have reinforcements for a while, though.”

  “Then heads up, another pack got through!”

  Twisting around, I caught sight of a group of Threes arrowing through the breach. With a sigh, I immediately went after them.

  Pushing my pack to its limits, chasing the wayward beasts, I decided to consult Artymis.

  {Rei: Artymis, what the hell was that? I thought I couldn’t slice because of the drag. Shouldn’t I be dead right now?}

  {Arty: Normally that would be true, but if you remember, I suggested you buy the supercavitation armguards.}

  {Rei: And that just lets me fight like I do normally?}

  {Arty: Well, not quite. Supercavitation creates a small bubble barrier between you and the water, which helps cut down on drag, but it does not eliminate it. This makes your slices more reliable, but it’s still not as reliable as usual.}

  {Rei: How did I not know about this until now?}

  {Arty: You never tried. Plus, the combat style that Ghost-Light taught you is far more efficient in this environment. It’s better to stick with it and fall back upon slices in emergencies.}

  {Rei: I guess that’s reasonable.}

  I put the conversation on hold there because that’s when I caught up with the rearmost Three. The creature didn’t even notice me until my blade started cutting up its tail. The creatures jerked and turned to figure out what was happening, which only allowed me to shoot past it, cutting it in half.

  The remaining pair immediately split up, attempting to evade and flank me.

  I just kept on the tail of the left one, following its movements as closely as possible as I closed the gap. The creature must have sensed it couldn’t get away because it turned, nearly folding itself in half as it came around. Instead of closing on my face, it’s gaping maw closed on my sword as I shot past. Ripped open and mortally wounded, the creature sunk into the depths.

  With two down, I immediately searched for the third. I knew which direction it had gone, but it wasn’t there anymore. Twisting in place, I struggled to spot the remaining beast. It came in low, and I only saw it at the very last second.

  It’s jaw closed upon my leg, teeth sinking deep into my flesh through both the suit and under armor. I tried to swipe at it, but the creature didn’t stop swimming. It locked its jaw on my leg and dragged me along. The drag caused my knee to buckle and ‘fell’ backwards, back smashing against the Three’s side.

  I flipped Rending Wave, holding it backhand as I stabbed wildly, blindly, at the beast. It took a couple seconds until the Three finally gave in, releasing my leg. Not willing to lose this chance, I immediately flipped around and engaged the thrusters. I didn’t really need to. The Three had been mortally wounded, but I still finished it just in case.

  With my foes dead, I finally took a rest. The pain in my leg was dull. I reached down to check how badly I was wounded but found the punctures already closing. “Auto injector, right,” I mumbled.

  Sheathing Rending Wave, I took a moment to reload my dart launcher. I was starting to feel worn down. Even though I didn’t have to swim thanks to the aquapack, having to constantly struggle to keep the blade in place, and twist and turn to chase all these loose models was hard work.

  Once the dart launcher was reloaded, I immediately headed back to the breach, ready to intercept the next wave. It looked like Skyler had changed how the drones were firing, staggering their shots to narrow the gaps in which the antithesis could sneak through. Since there wasn’t an immediate threat, I headed back towards her.

  “What happened to your suit? Were you bitten?” she asked worriedly.

  “I’m fine. The suit and under armor protected me from most of the damage, and the auto-injector sealed the wound before I could even check on it,” I explained. I raised up my leg so she could see the undamaged flesh. “Reinforcements are still a ways off. How long can you keep this up?”

  “Now that I’ve got the right rhythm, pretty much forever. My concern is if another one of those things shows up, we’re fucked.”

  “Let’s just hope that doesn't happen, or that Limelight and Phantasmagoriacan intercept before it gets here,” I mumbled.

  As we talked, the antithesis shifted. Most of them backed away from the wall and simultaneously rushed the fissure. So many of the creatures pushed at the gap that a few managed to push through, despite the repeated pounding Skyler’s drones were delivering.

  “They changed strategies,” Skyler grumbled. “Some sort of command model?”

  “Probably. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do about it. We’d probably have to go outside the fence in order to hunt it. Keep an eye out for something unique and snipe it if you can, but if not, just keep up the pressure. I’ll deal with the rest,” I told her.

  Skyler nodded and immediately started scanning the antithesis on the far side of the wall, while I dove down, chasing the closest antithesis. “I guess break time’s over,” I muttered.

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