Do we support capitalism? Do you support ants trading sugars? The Protectors don't use money, we use points as a clear indicator of our Vanguard's growth.

  Now, if you are asking for permission to market plushies based on my Vanguard's mech, that is another matter entirely.

  -Vanguard AI Pynathria in an interview with Nimbletainment 2032

  I looked at her with pure confusion.

  “The Incursion alarm that went off wasn't referring to just this hive in the walls. There is an actual Incursion happening, and our dorm is smack in the middle of the projected zone. This tower is on the edge of that zone, but still in it.”

  My thoughts raced, and unlike before, they were concise, clear, and only lasted for a short moment. We cannot leave until I am strong enough to protect the van from any number of Model Ones, maybe a Model Eleven. Might need to clear the hive in this building. If I have to clear the building anyways, I should check on the shelters and see if I can reinforce them. I should also figure out if this hive is connected to others, and how it grew into a megabuilding. This chain of thought took me all of one second to get through.

  “How safe is the garage, Cody? Where is the majority of antithesis grouped, and what are the entry points into the garage? Do you have access to the shelter cameras or can you see their status?”

  Cody took a moment to respond to my rapid fire questions,”Ah, let me see… The garage has four entry points, not including the shuttered entrance for cars. And the majority of the antithesis are on the lower floors, ranging from the thirties to basement level one. I have no camera cover on any of the lower basement levels. There are hundreds on each floor, and I can see root-like structures growing. There are scattered antithesis groups on every other floor, and I do see some more holes in walls and floors with roots sticking out of them. I can see in the system that there are six shelters, all of them closed, but I have no access to any internal cameras, if they have any.”

  “Alright. Jill, Buddy, we are going to the van, but only for a little while. I need to earn some points, then I will get a builder swarm and make a shelter for you guys to be in. Afterwards, I am going to fight my way through the building as low as I can go to earn what I can for my body upgrades and even more swarms. So long as there are no high level antithesis in the building, I should be able to clear it in a few hours, maybe ten or so once I am upgraded. The Incursion outside will be handled by the Samurai in the city by time I clear the building, or at least the area around here will be clear enough for us to evacuate. While I'm gone, please figure out what we are going to do once we leave here.”

  There was a brief pause, then Roger clapped, which was a sound effect he had access to, “Good plan, Vic! One addendum. Please finish the task we came here for, yeah?”

  I shook my head, a smirk forming, then dissipating due to the uncomfortable feeling that brought about, “Right, Jill, can I have the thing?” I ask

  She hands me a chip drive, this super thin piece of plastic and electronics that could be plugged into just about any open jack, and nodded. “Makes sense to finish this bit. The lab is just around the corner.” She tries to look nonchalant about it, but now I can read her better. She's terrified.

  “Let's go together. My Swarm will keep us safe from any Model Threes or Fours.”

  They both nod, and I can see relief flood their postures.

  “Before we go, I need to install this implant.” I say, opening the other box. Inside is a brick of black metal with a button on it maybe four inches long by one inch wide and half an inch deep.

  Please place the device over your neck jack and press the button. You do not need to hold it after you press it.

  Following instructions, I place it on my neck, the brick curving slightly against my skin. I then press the button and feel eight points of pressure insert themselves in the base of my skull. I jump a bit, releasing my hold on the device. Jill gasps, and I feel why. I can feel the device melt into my head.

  A few moments later, the feeling of movement ceases. The Implant is utilizing and replacing the device you have in your head already. This will also remove any spyware that was installed, including the tracking and monitoring device. Once it's done, you will also be able to connect and utilize the other drones you were previously networked to.

  Well, that's just great, I think. Makes sense, after all. We were an investment to the company, after all. But the ability to use more drones was certainly welcome.

  Once the implant was done, I flit through an instruction manual that was downloaded with it. The important information I gleaned was the bandwidth observation menu, which let me know every drone I was connected to and how much they utilized, the various upgrades this implant was receptive to, as well as the maximum range each drone connected to it could be utilized from.

  Currently, the swarms could be manipulated up to two hundred feet away, while the more mundane drones could be used up to six hundred feet away. Past that, the manual said, and swarms would return to me in the most direct way. If they are unable to after five minutes, they group into an inactive state. Normal drones follow their programing.

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  Buddy opens the barricade for us, seeing no antithesis in the hallway. We make our way quickly towards the lab when I remember we have a drone still in the room. I flip up its feed and see the two Model Threes we left there previously were gone. But in their place was a pool of green blood and a trail of it leading into the hole.

  “Good news, guys. The two we left are gone and I don't see any other plants on the way or around the lab. Once we get there, however, I will send in my swarm to cover the hole to make sure there is nothing coming up.”

  Buddy nods his grip on his baton relaxing a bit. Shame I couldn't see his face in that armor, or I might have seen him smile a bit.

  Upon arriving at the lab, I grab the S.R.M drone and send in the Assault Swarm to cover the hole. However, once they enter the room, tentacles launch themselves from the ceiling just beyond the door into it. This was a mistake on its part, as the swarm latched on and tore the Model Four to shreds. This left a mass of goo right in front of the door that none of us wanted to step in.

  So I tried something new. I had the swarm grab ahold of the chip and fly it over to the computer. This was not a complicated process, and the swarm did not eat the chip since I didn't want them to, so they were successful in placing the chip into an open jack on the computer, then retreated back to me. Easy

  We then made our way back to the shutters, which I then sent the swarm back through the now very dented shutter. The data they sent back was translated, pun not intended, into a visual map I could understand. There were a number of antithesis milling around the shutter, twelve Threes and two Fours, as well as a number I could see further down the hall. Before they could react, I sent the swarm to attack. The Fours were melted first, followed by a few Threes that attempted to bite the nano drones, while the others renewed their Assault on the shutter that we were standing right behind. This commotion attracted the others down the hall, which caused me to panic a bit. My one swarm could only deal with ten Model Threes at once, or the two Fours and four Threes. So, once they were dead, I said to Synaptic."One more Assault Swarm, please. Active and no box.” Counting the antithesis approaching and doing some quick math, I added, “and once I have the points, buy another one, then one more after that.”

  Of course, Victor.

  Purchased: Class I Assault Swarm

  The new swarm was dropped on the other side of the shutter, making quick work of those breaking down the shutter, then spreading out a bit to intercept the approaching monsters. This action repeated twice more until there were no more antithesis left in the college.

  All said, I was left with sixty points once the hallways were cleared of all moving plants. It was a mess of goo and chunks and teeth, but hey, not my problem to clean.

  I use the swarm to cut a section of the broken shutter off to allow us through. We then proceed to make our way quickly down the stairs to the garage level, not encountering any more antithesis. Once Jill and Buddy were in the van, I turned to Cody.

  “Need you to act as my eyes for the duration we are here. Guide me to groups of them, watch my back, stay safe. I only need one more Three to get a builder swarm, so I will be back once I get it.”

  Cody nodded and activated the console on the wall of the van. This was his “war chair”, chock full of tools needed to monitor and mark an entire complex full of armed guards, drones, traps and alarms, and it was now being turned towards a megabuilding.

  “Stay safe, come back in one piece, ya’ hear? We want those upgrades,” Roger teased, everyone chuckled, the mood a bit better now.

  Making my way to the door, Cody had an overlay active on my augs, showing a wire frame model of the tower in my vision, marking the various antithesis in my area. It was a bit like those wall hack cheats that FPS streamers use, not that Cody appreciated that comment the first, and many other times, we said it.

  The closest group was one floor up, marked as eight Model Threes. I made my way up, but didn't enter the floor. I sent one of my swarms into the floor to attack the group. It took twenty seven seconds for the swarm to reach the Model Threes, devour them, and return. I smiled to myself, thinking of all the ways this would save me time and safety.

  I made my way back to the van, very excited for my new type of swarm. Knocking on the back, Buddy opened the door and helped me inside, and I set the Assault swarms to patrol around the van, just in case.

  “Synaptic, please purchase a Builder swarm,”

  Purchased: Class I Builder Swarm

  Points reduced to 70

  As opposed to the matte black cube that was the Assault swarm, the builder swarm was a bit larger and cobalt blue. Connecting to it, I kept them in their cube form, but had them hover upward. I flicked through the new menu on my augs, appropriately labeled “Build Menu”, to see how it worked. There was a decent number of preprogrammed structures, walls, doors on hinges, barbed wire, and roofs, a few basic amenities, as well as the ability to customize their appearance, dimensions, and material. There was an overlay behind the menu, showing me how it would look once built, as well as an estimated time to build. Seeing how few things were available, I was disappointed. I did see something marked “free style”, but activating that was actually absurd and unwieldy, so it turned that off for now.

  “Synaptic, why are there so few options for building?”

  That is because those are the most basic prefabrications I provided you with. The Builder Swarm was made with the understanding that the controller would spend time to create their own designs and save them to be used later. This does require knowledge, or programs, of material science, architecture, design, and other numerous professions. There are various Catalogs available to either give you the knowledge to download directly, programs to assist you, or AIs to do it for you.

  I sighed heavily at that. Of course, there were.

  That was fine. More point sinks for later.

  Then I noticed another problem. The resource available menu was empty, with an arrow message saying “Collection Swarm not linked.”

  I scrunched my face, then stopped because Sands that was another level of intense. “Synaptic, please also purchase a Collection Swarm.”

  Of course.

  Purchased: Class I Collection Swarm

  Points reduced to 0

  This time, the cube that appeared was diagonally stripped yellow and grey. That got a chuckle out of Buddy.

  The new menu that appeared was a cross hair that, once I ran it over a hover car, this sleek red sportcar, highlighted it light grey. Activating marker, the grey turned orange and the new swarm quickly made its way over to it and began taking it apart at a visible rate. Over the course of ten minutes, they turned a car into a few piles of base metals and plastics.

  We all stared in awe the entire time.