Chương 123: Book 2 - Chapter 41 - Last Minute Prep

"So you think the entrance will be able to hold if we all enter the mines?" Whisperer asked, as she came and sat down next to me.

"I don't want to leave Tina and Jesse alone, but I'm concerned that if there's a swarm, a squad or two of bears won't be able to handle it," she told me.

"Don't worry about it," I replied with a slight smile.

"I've already arranged for the next wave of reinforcements. They'll be bringing both the self replicating mines and the Aerosolized Sulfuric acid sprayers. Those should be enough to bring down the big models, while the laser grids take care of the small stuff," I explained.

"It won't last forever, but it should last long enough for one of us to come back and help deal with the horde."

"Why didn't you bring all that with you in the first place?" she asked.

"Because I forgot I had it all! I bought most of it to deal with the Shrimp, or Model Twenty-Threes, then never used them again. They've been sitting in the corner of my garage since I got back," I replied defensively.

"You haven't forgotten anything else, have you?" she asked playfully. I flinched.

"The shit coating the tunnels might have Model Seven eggs in it, so we need to make sure that everyone takes their pills before we go in." Whisperer paused when she heard my admission and sighed.

"Why didn't you bring this up at the meeting?"

"Because I forgot, okay? At least I remembered before we went inside," I grumbled.

"That's true," she said, shooting me a disappointed look.

"But considering how dangerous Model Sevens can be, you should have remembered." Whisperer pushed herself to her feet and looked down at me.

"I'll go make sure the kids have pills before we go. I noticed that Jesse finally purchased some equipment, so I think we're pretty much ready. Can you have the last of your defensive prep ready in about half an hour?" I sent a quick query to my bears, making sure that they'd had all the information required to set up the remaining defenses without my direct intervention. An instant later, I was bombarded with status updates.

"No problem," I told her with a smile.

"The bears can handle construction on their own. I'll grab my equipment and meet you at the entrance in half an hour." I quickly made my final checks, and changed into my armor, before meeting everyone by the entrance to the tunnel network. Jesse had indeed bought new gear, but from what I could tell, he didn't buy much more than a light armor vest and a pair of goggles. He still had the rifle he'd brought from Edmonton, and he was wearing his oversized backpack.

"You sure you don't want to purchase anything else? I'm not sure if your setup will do much if we run into a Model Fourteen," I said as I looked him over.

"Mynerva and I spent a lot of time going over my options, and we made plans for all the most common encounters. Once we actually encounter the enemy, I'll purchase something," he replied with a shrug.

"If that's what you want to do… That's fine, I guess," I said.

"We're going to be down there for awhile, so feel free to give your pack to one of the bears. They don't get tired, and it would be better if you weren't encumbered when we get into combat." Jesse nodded and started shucking his pack, so I turned my attention to Tina. Her armor was completely black and had a half dozen mechanical arms mounted to the back. Unlike Sharron's armor, these were mostly ridged, and only one seemed to be weaponized.

Her spiders were running around, apparently exploring but never straying too far from the girl.

"Are you okay in there?" I asked.

"It looked quite heavy earlier."

"I'm fine!" she declared confidently.

"It's a kind of light power armor, so the servo motors are doing most of the work." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Good!" I said, as I stepped back from Tina and addressed the entire group.

"I have an updated map for you all. Unfortunately, my scouts still haven't found any sign of the antithesis, they appear to have retreated further into the mountain. Although walking blindly into the mines might appear foolish, Whisperer and I both have the ability to track antithesis through smell. Thankfully, the polymer doesn't have much of a smell, otherwise, we'd be completely fucked."

"Anyways…" Whisperer said, interrupting me while shooting me a disapproving glance.

"Our job will be to look for antithesis traces, and follow them deeper into the mountain. If we can get a lead, we need to share it with the team in Jasper, so we can coordinate." She paused for a moment.

"I suggest we split into two groups in order to cover more ground. We'll push in for twelve hours, looking for traces, and if we can't find anything, we'll back out and re-assess. If either team locates antithesis, we'll converge on that location." Everyone nodded, so I decided to add a little bit more.

"Each person will have a full squad of bears assigned to them. They should be able to handle most minor threats, but they're there as a backup. You should be prepared to engage the antithesis on your own." I said, trying not to look directly at Jesse.

"Any questions?" Tina's hand shot into the air.

"You don't have to raise your hand," I told her.

"How will the teams be decided? Vote?" she asked excitedly. Whisperer and I exchanged glances.

"I was thinking that since you have a weapon to deal with the heavier models and Whisperer can't use her strongest creatures in such a restricted space, I'd take Jesse," I said. Whisperer nodded in agreement. Jesse's head shot up, and Tina looked over at me, slightly disappointed.

"You want ME to come with you?" Jesse asked.

"I thought you didn't like me."

"Don't get me wrong, you're not one of my favorite people, but I don't hate you. I just have better options for dealing with the big stuff," I replied. I silently prompted one of the bears standing by to hand me one of their railguns, and then slung it over my shoulder to emphasize the point.

"Any other questions?"

"Is this really a good idea?" Jesse asked.

"Excellent question," I replied.

"No, no, it isn't. It would be much safer for us to wait at the entrance of the mines while the squirrels keep scouting, but that's pretty inefficient. Even if the antithesis have been hiding here for months or longer, leaving them alone for even a few extra days is typically a bad idea. They can build armies in hours and monstrosities in days. It may not be a 'good' idea, but it's better than sitting around waiting."

"I guess that makes sense… sort of," Jesse replied. It didn't really look like he fully believed what I was saying was true, but at least he didn't argue. Since neither he nor Tina had any questions, I summoned the escort bears, who crowded around the area.

"Since the goo interferes with ground penetrating radar, it may interfere with communications too. If you need to contact me, just talk to the bears," I informed Whisperer and Tina.

"I don't know exactly what kind of network the bears and I are connected to, but so far the polymer hasn't affected it." I started to turn away, then remembered something, and turned back.

"Oh, and I'll make sure Nyx sends your AIs the location and control codes for the traps, so you can shut them down without me." Whisperer winced.

"Please do. I'd prefer to avoid getting melted on the way back."

"Melted?" Tina asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation.

"My bears are setting up defenses at the exit, which should only activate when they sense antithesis, I'm just being cautious. Don't worry about it," I told her.

"You know what they say, 'If someone tells you not to worry about something, worry,'" Jesse said with a smile.

"That's why I'm sending you the information," I replied with a huff.

"I already forgot important information once today, I wasn't going to do it again."

"Fine, we appreciate it," Whisperer said, in an attempt to placate me.

"You want to take Jesse to the cavern where the model three was spotted, or do you want Tina and I to go?" she asked.

"I think I'll let you head there," I replied.

"I suspect Red is better at tracking, and I suspect we'll be able to find other traces at one of the other caverns." She nodded, then turned towards the tunnel. Her massive wolf quickly ran over from the opposite side of the yard, and fell in behind her.

"Come on, Tina, time to go hunting."

"Right!" she declared. She waved at Jesse and I before turning and chasing Whisperer.

"Stay safe!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"You too!" I replied, as the pair disappeared into the darkness. Once they were gone, I grabbed my helmet from one of the bears, and pulled it on. As visor illuminated the interior of the tunnel, chasing away the gloom, I turned to Jesse.

"Let's get to work."