Chapter 43: Life goes on

  “Can Samurais have a normal life? Well… Yes and no.

  In the end, normal is a relative term. For some, playing video-games every day until they have to blow up hives is normal. Others choose to spend their time working a job of some kind, going to school, being a celebrity or whatever else interests them!

  Their definition of normal tends to deviate from the norm and their power creates an amplification effect to their activities. That means that, no, their lives do not tend towards the average view of ‘normal’.

  If their day to day life is relaxing or fulfilling, if it helps them keep going for as long as possible, that is all that matters in the end.

  I recommend doing everything possible to let them have that normal life. Do you want samurais having psychotic breaks? Let’s endeavour not to have the moon blow up, people.”

  – Dr Frederick Crenshaw, Family psychologist, 2045.

  ***

  I looked at Vincent as he struggled through a corridor drill. The guy fought well, mostly, but PMC training got in the way. He moved and fought a bit too… conventionally? Predictably?

  Not his fault, really. That PMC sucked donkey balls… well, if it still existed after my expression of severe displeasure. He did better than I’d expect, but not by much. Still, the kid trained non-stop. I even had to talk with him about spending more time with his sister!

  Poor guy looked super nervous. Hopefully, I could solve those problems with him! It’s why I got paid the big…

  Wait, did I get paid? Pretty sure all our funds came from me at the moment…

  Maybe points counted? Though this shit wasn’t really samurai work…

  Meh, I’d count ‘good boy’ sex stuff from Robin. Since neither of us needed an excuse, I was basically experimenting with UBI!

  Not sure anyone would be interested in my findings unless we started filming though…

  After pushing interesting thoughts aside, I stopped the simulation and teleported him to the dojo with me. “So, what’s wrong?”

  “What? Uh, nothing boss, I’m fine.” I gave him my best unimpressed stare.

  He squirmed and I decided to fill in some stuff. “Let me guess, you’re frustrated because you’re not improving as much as you’d like?” He looked away and I smiled at him. “Sit down, let’s chat. Figure out how to solve that problem for you.”

  “Huh? Are you sure, boss? Don’t you have more important…”

  “Nop! You’re my enforcer. You’re the guy I might trust with guarding my unconscious body. You’re the guy I want to help protect my children. You are important, Vincent. Get used to it. I’m going to give you special treatment and you’re just going to have to deal, buddy.” My look softened.

  “Also, all the enforcers that died during the incursion? They were my friends. You might be a trainee, still not fully there, but I want to be your friend, and you mine. That includes helping each other. Can you accept that?” Couldn’t read him again, damn!

  “Hum… yes, boss. I can accept that… Thank you.” He said as he sat with me.

  “So, you’re frustrated. You keep fighting but feel like you’re missing something, right?”

  The boy sighed, deep and tired. “I’m… I just know being a PMC, I’m not… enforcer grade if that makes sense?”

  I nodded. “Don’t worry, you’re making sense. Also, hey, every single enforcer starts like that! Before the revolt, our we were prostitutes, thieves or thugs, not commandos. That’s why we train so hard.” My face became pensive for a moment before continuing.

  “Except for Bella. That woman scared the fuck out of me even before she started training.” A little shiver went through me. Didn’t mean I didn’t like her! Just that I really didn’t want to piss her off.

  “I think it comes down more to what you want. You’ve been fighting how you were taught, but how do you actually want to fight? We have bullshit alien tech ready to go, just ask.” He fidgeted a bit.

  “I mean, I have ideas, they don’t fit perfectly and they might be expensive. You already spent points on my sister…”

  “Fuck that, it isn’t an answer. You don’t have a full kit yet, come on! In that corridor drill, what did you want to do? Infinite resources, we’re in the fucking mesh and can try stuff so tell me, what did you want?” I pushed a bit harder and he finally buckled.

  “To blow up the fuckers!” He said, like a dam bursting! “If I just sent some grenades or explosive rounds, none of this shit would be… argh! Just flashbangs would be plenty to get this shit done! Throw them and I got time to get close and finish the fucking job!” He seemed annoyed and strung out, like he’d been agonizing over it for a while!

  “Alright, so that’s what we do.” I said, simply and easily.

  “Carry grenades?”

  “No, not that! Well, actually, lesson number ‘I suck at keeping count’, carrying grenades is always a good idea. For you specifically? We load you up with armor so you can survive the shrapnel and give you a grenade-launcher! Attach it to your shotgun, magazine fed, maybe even aug-linked variable ammo...”

  His interest seemed picked, so I kept going. “Might have to increase your strength in some way, that shit’s going to be heavy. With that, you can blow up enemies while advancing! You know how those PMCs have to put down their gun, pull a pin on a grenade, throw it, wait for a bit for the explosion and go even as they’re a bit rattled? You can just press a trigger in the middle of your advance. That’s it.”

  “We’ll have to give you some sensory upgrades, make sure a flashbang won’t affect you, which’ll give you a massive advantage! You’d be able to shoot one just past their cover and just move forward! What do you think?” He was looking at the ground and nodding now.

  This’d be interesting!

  ***

  I woke up again as Jack felt no need to sleep tonight…

  The medical analysis thingy told me everything was alright, but I had my doubts. Sure, the little bundle of joy often woke up in the middle of the night, but this made, what, four fucking times? Couldn’t remember, brain hurty…

  “Altany… Help?” I asked while moving sleepily towards the crib. Hungry crying? Maybe? “Hey, qu’est ce qu’y a mon beau? / Hey, what’s wrong sweety?” I asked grogily. Little bastard didn’t answer… Could he? Wait…

  Would you like something to help wake you up?

  “No, need sleep, just… I dunno, baby stuff…” I asked real low and quiet while moving towards the fridge, shushing and comforting all the way. Had to get the… the thing…

  Lila was on patrol, Rachael and Alice had a sleepover and Robin went to negotiate some chemical deal. That meant, I’d have to take care of Jack on my own tonight. I didn’t mind but at the moment? I didn’t have enough hands with how clumsily my body swam through air.

  My son rested against my bare chest for skin contact, which helped according to some article somewhere in the virtual ether. The feeling of his little hand against my pectoral made me smile.

  “Wait a minute…” A stupid idea that might be great crystallized stumblingly… I spoke low and soothing through Jack’s calming cries, slowly growing more coherent. “Altany, could you add, like, fur to my tail, make it nice and soft? Oh, oh, and make sure it smells like me? Like, my pheromones and shit or… something like that?”

  Yes. There is also an infant care catalogue if you wish.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  My eyes widened. “Yes.”

  ***

  Robin finally got home! Those corpo fucks were about to make him snap… How much damn negotiations was necessary for an already quoted price!? He’d even agreed on the bribes ahead of time!

  A sigh escaped him after passing through the scanner array protecting their corridor. Louis’d sent him out with a stupidly over the top escort, but still…

  He never felt as safe as when surrounded by all the security measures Lila and Panda implemented to protect their family. Lots of hidden guns, including some who’d been stealth coated recently. They even replaced the door with Mole-Bear alloys!

  They’d have a new apartment soon though. The renovations to make it ‘nuke-proof’, as Panda put it, were ongoing. A sort of neighborhood was in the works, pooling resources to protect the families of both living and dead enforcers. This would do for now. At least his husband was in the apartment, meaning that only a few seconds would be needed before any and all threats would be dealt with.

  Robin had complete confidence in his ability to…

  His thought process paused after noticing a weird device next to the fridge. “Altany, what’s that?” He murmured low to avoid waking the baby. It looked like a… sci-fi toaster for round things?

  It is a baby bottle warmer. It brings them to the perfect temperature in seconds.

  “Hum… Cool. I’m guessing it was convenient?”

  Yes. Jack woke up a few more times than usual. In a sleep deprived state, Louis decided to buy childcare equipment. They are currently asleep in your shared bed.

  Robin headed straight for their room, having noticed the empty crib. After slowly and quietly opening the door, he found Louis…

  With a now much fluffier tail! The thing wrapped gently around Jack, holding their beautiful son forehead to forehead with him. Baby products were piled around the bed. There were boxes of samurai grade formula, diapers, some kind of automated changing station (maybe?) and a bunch of alien-looking ones he couldn’t possibly guess at the contents of. All of it with chibi red panda logos, of course.

  After a few minutes of quiet undressing and some careful dodging around the damn obstacles, Robin laid down next to his love. He put one hand gently on his husband’s ribs before bringing his face close to the back of Jack’s head. Louis’ right cybernetic ear twitched, the other squished with the bed, which just looked amazingly cute.

  As quietly as humanly possible, so low that only his husband would hear, he murmured “Good papa bear…”. Only a slight grunt and some unintelligible fragments of words answered.

  It was Robin’s best night of sleep since the incursion.

  ***

  “We need AP!” I shouted while obliterating enemy after enemy! Armored units were coming, they’d…

  “I got it!” My partner shouted as they took out a fucking rocket launcher!

  “Where’d you get that?” I asked in confusion.

  “Around…” They answered evasively before firing, cutting off any protests.

  The proximity worried me a bit, hence why I grabbed and pulled them down behind cover. Good move apparently, since I could feel the blast from behind the K-rail! “What did I say about explosives?”

  “Never make them yourself, it’s not worth it?” Oh, right, I did say that.

  “The other thing?”

  “Remember that incendiaries eat air?” Huh, apparently my words stuck better than I thought.

  Before the discussion could continue, I got back up and fired into the incoming horde. They used the pause in our fire to get closer than I’d like. Still, those heavies were very, very dead. “The other, other thing?”

  “Always look up the blast radius and shrapnel radius before using it?”

  Finally! “Good girl. Now, let’s shoot these pricks.” I hauled Rachael to her feet and she started laying waste to the wave of cartoony antithesis.

  Mesh gaming had its advantages. I’d count this as bonding time and training time! I didn’t want to train her to be an enforcer, but the girl already played this kind of game all the time without me.

  Plus, the fact that we casually crushed tons of other team’s times boosted her confidence! Nothing in the rules said you couldn’t bring in some badass family and friends.

  “In position! Tell me when!” Lila shouted over comms.

  I didn’t hesitate. “When!” Machinegun fire erupted from the window of a destroyed tower a few hundred meters in. They’d probably try to get in soon, but it divided their attention! Rachael did wonderful, taking quick, impressively accurate shots. Did she successfully beg Bella for lessons again?

  My own automatic shotgun fire made sure they’d be unable to approach as she eliminated more difficult targets. Not enough damage as of yet to get through this wave…

  “Side-objective accomplished, arriving in twenty seconds. Don’t hog all the kills!” Jean-Pierre informed us over comms to collective groaning.

  We forgave his crime against humor as the A-20 Warthog opened fire, letting out an unholy ‘BRRRRRRRRRR’ that covered the ground of the virtual abandoned city in little craters! Despite relentlessly trying to kill the A10, the US army ended up creating a better version after the antithesis started attacking.

  The old GAU-8/A Avenger gun had seven barrels, fired 30mm HE-Incendiary rounds or depleted uranium armor penetrators, among others, at an astounding 3900 rounds per god damn minute! The new model used two 35mm auto-cannons with the same firing rate. It even had flak-rounds for airborne models!

  The plane had to be over twice the size, almost a flying mobile base in need of escort fighters, but the results spoke for themselves. All of us stared in awe for a bit longer than we should, as appropriate.

  It only took a few minutes after that to mop up.

  “Get ready for the next wave, don’t forget to upgrade and load up!” My damn daughter rolled her avatar’s eyes at me! Oh, the insolence!

  “Oui papa…” She said in that way exasperated teenagers did so well.

  I smiled while rubbing her virtual head in revenge, resulting in a murderous look that warmed my heart!

  ***

  I sat in a plush virtual chair. The realism impressed me quite a fucking lot! Thankfully, the VR headsets could give anyone more than sight and sound. The safe environment would help tremendously, and they didn’t need to speak out loud to communicate. Even then, the repurposed super store had been filled with soundproof privacy rooms.

  This session would act as a test-run, just so I could check for any problems. I’d use the mesh in future sessions. A perfectly disarming old man sitting on a comfy chair in front of me noticed my reluctance. “Is this your first time seeking therapy?”

  I liked the environment. Low light, probably for my comfort, with a low-burning fireplace in a room best described as ‘log cabin-like’. Windows displayed a snowy night next to a lake surrounded by forests. The floors were made of slightly uneven stone and the walls of beautifully lacquered wood. There were no distractions outside of a bookshelf and a painting. That last one depicted a hill overlooking a valley with a stream going through it. It felt calming somehow.

  “No. I just… The last ones weren’t great and, well, you should be better and hum…” My babbling didn’t bother our unreal therapist at all. The AI presented itself as a grandfatherly old man, some amalgam of every grandfather in fiction averaged out into a plaid covered avatar. I could also smell his jasmine tea.

  “I… I lost a lot of people recently and I don’t want to think about it even though I know I should and… Yeah, anyway, no, this isn’t my first time but the others weren’t great with autistic people apparently…” I stopped my disorganised rant. It felt stupid, being this hesitant in front of a non-sentient AI, but I couldn’t help it!

  “It’s alright. You don’t have to do or say anything. Simply taking an hour to relax and recharge is good for you. If you want to talk about it, that’s okay too. I’m here to help you and I have no agenda. The information you give me will be deleted outside of my personal encrypted memory so I can help you better in the future. Everything you say will stay between us, but that is unnecessary. However…” A small smile of fatherly kindness graced the avatar’s face.

  “I think you want to talk about it. Take your time, do not rush. Whenever you feel ready, I’ll listen. In the meantime, this is great tea.” His smile widened with a bit of humor and I relaxed.

  In the end, it took twenty minutes for me to open my mouth. “Felix… He’s… he used to be one of my best friends…”

  ***

  It took us over a week to prepare to extract all of the Kais’ sex-slaves. I wanted the HVAC systems repaired and clean water so we wouldn’t poison our new members. The water system wasn’t finished, but we at least had drinkable water available.

  We made sure Rodrick didn’t inform his people about our deal before the moment arrived. They were liable to do something very stupid.

  Also, they might simply cut off all the drugs they’d been forcing on them. The withdrawal could be a lot more than painful. That’s not even counting the fact that those prolapsing porcine assholes might hide a bunch of them.

  I’d hold down the fort while militia and enforcer teams went out to pick them up. The bastards would probably try something, so leaving didn’t sit right. Johnny would help with collecting them.

  Floor twenty-one’s garage had a direct tunnel to the central concourse, so that’s where tents were set up, little gifts from our deceased corpo murder-squads. We had more volunteers than we knew what to do with. Carol and, to my delight, Portia were organizing the whole thing with Altany’s help.

  Many members of our community came from those brothels or knew people that did personally. It had been the catalyst, the step too far that caused the revolt. We also knew how young these people could be. They’d need careful handling and people that shared their experiences would help… probably. Another reason that I didn’t go out?

  I might just murder a lot of assholes, and not to defend Peach-Trees. This whole damn deal came about to prevent a war, so my involvement might make things worse. The enforcers I sent were well armored at least, and the militia should be able to take cover behind them. Each transport squadron had at least two HFUGs to defend them. They’d be alright… I hoped…

  “They’ll be alright, right Altany?”

  I predict a somewhat high likelihood of injuries, but deaths are very unlikely. I’ve been monitoring the Kai systems under my control and while many are enraged, immediate reprisals are not being planned according to the information I have access to.

  I couldn’t help the little laugh that bubbled up. They’d try something stupid, no doubt about that. The ‘how’ and ‘when’ were the only unknowns. I didn’t like it. They now knew what they’d be up against.

  Those pieces of trash would bring anti-armor shit, probably thinking they could take me out and get their slaves back. I paced in circles, waiting for news.

  I’d like to clarify, reprisals are very likely, but not on-site. They seem to understand your expectation of such and have no wish to stare down the barrel of an HFUG.

  The name caught on, fuck yeah!

  The first batch arrived. Would you like to help with unloading and treatment?