"You don't get it, do you Dumbass, that's not how this works. If I could control when I had flashbacks I wouldn't have them at all, let alone in a fucking board meeting. The next person who asks me such an offensive question will be receiving PTSD themselves."

  — Hugo "Bossman" Fetterman, CEO of Doctors without Borders USA, in response to a paparazzi question

  Quinn regarded the display in front of her, Cassie standing as the centerpiece of a squad of bipedal combat bots. She glanced towards where her hands were holding the half metal half hard-light sword she'd been carrying around. Something in her mind clicked into place.

  Faint screams could be heard in the distance. Quinn huddled with her knees pulled up to her chest, feeling her back pressed against the counter. Her eyes were watching her bodyguard, she didn't remember his name, crouched a little further on watching the door. He was angrily whispering something, but she couldn't make it out. Her heart felt like it was attempting to leap out of her chest. She felt something wet trickle down her back, and she was gasping for air. Her head was fuzzy, a mental buzzing making it hard to think. There was a strange smell in the air, one she would later understand was blood.

  There was a crash, her bodyguard used a bad word and stood up. Her ears screamed at her as there was a bang, the loudest sound she'd ever heard, and she whimpered and clamped her hands over her ears in pain. Another loud bang, and another. She glanced up at her bodyguard just to see something green fly into him, knocking him over. The gun he'd been holding clattered to the floor in front of her, and within moments he stopped flailing, crimson staining the carpet around him. It turned towards her, and the blood stained maw opened up.

  Something from the video games she'd played bubbled to the surface, and she lunged for the gun as it leapt at her. The two tumbled together before she hit the back of her head hard, causing the buzzing to reach a volume where it drowned nearly everything out. It snapped at her, scrabbling against her arms and sides and leaving deep gashes as it tried to envelop her face in its jaws. There was something between its body and hers, pressed painfully into , keeping it just far enough away to keep her alive right now.

  She saw the trigger, its curves calling to her through the fuzz, and she reached for it. Another bang, and everything hurt, more than anything had ever hurt before. Something fell onto her chest and she screamed as the pressure threw a lance of pain throughout her entire chest. The scream came out muted as something pressed into her face, bombarding her with the stink of mold and sharp copper. She took a shuddering breath and shrieked again as merely breathing hurt. With a whimper, she shifted her head to get away from the thing laying on it.

  She didn't know how long she lay there, desperately trying to stay quiet as every breath sent new agony searing through her, while fluids from the thing on top of her dripped down and her wounds throbbed. At some point the sounds of people from outside ceased, and she was left along with the pain and the fear.

  She started hearing the faint sound of voices, slowly getting closer. They were calling… her name? That didn't seem right.

  Quinn's eyes snapped into focus, finding Elliot's face inches from hers, eyes brimming with worry. Her mind started to slip back to the clothing store, but she fought it, repeating the mantra her therapist had taught her all those years ago "I am safe, I am okay."

  "Irys, can you let us both down? walking around will help her." Elliot murmured. "Come on, lets go for a walk." Irys? Why was that name familiar. Oh, right, she was a Samurai now, and Irys was her AI. She vaguely remember Irys saying things to her while she was in the Mall.

  Her hair was stuck to her head with sweat, and she nearly lost her balance as the giant hand gently picked her up and deposited her on the hard earth. Elliot swept in and caught her as she nearly collapsed, but after a moment she regained her footing, murmuring a "Thank you". Something warm filled her hand, and it took her a moment to realize it was Elliot's hand. He guided her forwards, and they walked around as she continued her mantra. "Deep breaths, in, and out" Elliot gently commanded, and she complied, In for three, out for three.

  Her heart rate slowly lowered, and the fuzziness that was invading her brain left until it was little more than a distant buzz. She continued to walk for a little longer, enjoying the feeling of Elliot's hand in hers as she mentally flew away from the Mall, back to the wasteland of Wisconsin.

  She took an even deeper breath before letting it out in a sigh.

  "Are you feeling better?" Elliot asked, concern still in his voice. She nodded, and he moved to look at her head on. "Do you want a hug?". She nodded again, and then she was enveloped in his arms, face gentle pressed against his chest. She caught sight of Hayden, standing a little off to the side, watching her with distress on his face. She gave him a slight smile, he returned the gesture and relaxed a little.

  Quinn eventually pulled back from the hug. wiping at her eyes. "I don't know why you're so good at helping me through these things, but thank you."

  Elliot shrugged slightly. "I've helped enough people through PTSD attacks, and been helped through them myself. That was what that was, right?"

  She nodded. "Yeah, I hadn't had one for a while now. Something about." her mind shut down that thought. "I'm not sure what I can do now."

  Elliot took the jump in stride. "We don't have to keep going, we've done enough to keep people safe, and there are other Samurai who can take over."

  She shook her head. "No, I want to keep going. I need to, I need to get over this."

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  Elliot frowned slightly, but Irys took this moment to speak up. "I would highly advise against powering through, your mental state is delicate right now. If you insist on continuing however, I can suggest some solutions that are less likely to cause you continued distress."

  Quinn glanced around, before pulling Elliot gently back towards Cassie. "Okay, what are they."

  "We could fully automate Cassie, allowing her to fight without direct input and allowing you to merely direct her. We'd make changes to the cerebral link simulation to abstract things away from it feeling like you doing anything. Alternatively, I could go a little further and simulate Cassie's controls as if you were playing a game, allowing direct control while still maintaining cognitive distance. In either case I'd recommend a basic combat drug designed to dampen certain brain functions which will help avoid another flashback."

  Elliot hissed through his teeth. "I really don't like that plan, will it actually keep her from having another attack?"

  "With the drug I calculate a 98.45% chance of no further issues, without it drops to 62.4%. Either way, this isn't a long term solution, and I'm reaching out to book you a therapist as we speak."

  Quinn pondered the options. "Is there no drug that just removes the issue entirely for a bit?"

  "Yes, but I didn't suggest it because its likely to cause longer term psychological consequences. If you really wish for that option, I will provide it for you, but I highly advise against it."

  She nodded mutely. "Okay. I guess I'd prefer the video game like option, it might actually help me relax a bit?"

  Elliot let out a sigh. "I still don't think its a great idea, but you're an adult, you can make your own decisions."

  She glanced at him, studying his face for anger or annoyance, but still finding nothing but concern. She considered listening to him, retreating for the day and letting him and Hayden destroy the hive. But she was a Samurai now. She had the ability to overcome the weakness she'd previously been stuck with. She made her decision.

  "Yes, give me the video game option."

  She caught Elliot give her a sad smile, but then step in and hug her again. "Okay, I'll keep you safe."

  Irys gave them a moment, then as Quinn stepped back she found a box landing in her hand.

  New Purchase: Class 1 Combat Stimulants

  Cost: 50. Points reduced to... 4315

  New Purchase: Class 1 Combat Focus Enhancer

  Cost: 50. Points reduced to... 4305

  She opened it up, finding a small injector. Elliot quirked an eyebrow, and she nodded and handed it to him before baring her shoulder. A short prick later and she squeezed his hand once more before signaling Cassie to pick her back up, settling back into the seat as a mellowing wave washed through her mind.

  She re-engaged the link, finding herself sitting in a bean bag in a room that reminded her of a bigger version of her amazon apartment. A view of Cassie's front was pulled up on her 'Augs', with separate views on different monitors to her sides. She had a controller like her old Xbox 15-X in hand, and she somehow instinctively knew what buttons would do what, like this was a game she'd played hundreds of times.

  She saw Elliot walking back towards dancer, turning back towards her. She tried to give him a thumbs up, and found that while the controls didn't quite work Cassie still responded to her intent.

  "Well, to somewhat continue the conversation from earlier, did you have thoughts between the Nanite defenses and the flying drones?"

  Quinn tried to remember the mentioned suggestions from before.

  "I think I remember thinking the drones sounded better? Can we go with those?"

  "Of course, Darling."

  New Purchase: Class 1 Handheld Electrical Weaponry

  Cost: 25. Points reduced to... 4290

  New Purchase: Class 1 Autonomous Drone Chassis

  Cost: 15. Points reduced to... 4275

  New Purchase: Class 1 'Thunder Stone' Autonomous Crowd Control Drone x6

  Cost: 300. Points reduced to... 3975

  A set of six, tall diamond shaped drones appeared. They were a dark blue, with etchings of gold that looked like circuits across their faces. The points on the top and bottom were also capped with a golden metal, and from the four middle points protruded small turrets with a coil on the end. They began a lazy orbit around Cassie, slightly elevated as if tracing a very large halo.

  "Wait, I thought I needed some catalogs from Hayden?" Quinn asked.

  "You did Darling, I already coordinated that with him. It helped calm him down to talk about something else. He seems to be somewhat fond of you, he was quite distressed by your condition."

  "I see." That was probably good, though she felt bad she'd caused him and Elliot distress over things. She knew that it wasn't her fault, but it didn't stop her feeling guilty about it anyway.

  "By the way, you mentioned you… booked a therapist for me?"

  "Yes, I did. Psyche is a samurai based out of Indy, and has a significant amount of experience in the sorts of therapy I'll expect you'll need. We can discuss the details later, however."

  "Okay." she turned back to other two. "I'm doing okay, I think. Do we want to go deal with this hive."

  "If you think you're up for it?" Hayden replied, a waver of uncertainty in his voice.

  She was starting to get a little bit annoyed with the insistence on her fragility, she'd had an episode, she'd dealt with it and now it was time to move on. She directed Cassie to grab the sword from where it had fallen and began to move forward once again.

  "Irys, could I get some sort of sheath for this?"

  "Of course, maybe a magnetic holding strip on your back? Also, you appear to be going the wrong way, you want to go this way, Darling." An arrow appeared on her screen, indicating a direction about 120 degrees to her right. She felt embarrassment rise up and stomped round to the right direction.

  "Yeah, sure."

  New Purchase: Magnetic Blade Holder, Vehicle Grade

  Cost: 12. Points reduced to... 3963

  A strip of metal with two struts on either side dropped to the ground. The repair bots jumped out of their shunts and quickly picked it up before placing it on Cassie's back, where some judicious arc welder and nanite application had it seated promptly. Quinn pressed the button to sheath the sword, and Cassie rotated the arm round in a range of motion that would not work on a human and pressed the sword between the two struts. There was a slight hum before Cassie let go, leaving the sword to stay in place on her left shoulder, mirroring the cannon on her right.

  They walked for another five minutes or so, encountering a number of larger patrols that were quickly dealt with, but nothing close to the attack with the 18s. A few Model-1s swooped down at Quinn and the new drones showed their worth, blasting the birds out of the sky with a couple of arcing bolts before they even got close.

  As they drew close to where the hive was meant to be, Elliot stopped them and within a few moments, was extracting a small flying drone from a box. He threw it into the air, where it quickly found its metaphorical wings and zipped into the sky. Elliot threw the feed over to the other two, and they watched as the drone zipped upwards and onwards before coming into view of the hive.

  A massive crevice, tearing down the landscape like a wound, revealed itself, hundreds of feet long and maybe 60 feet wide. Roots and vines snaked up from within onto the surface, and countless models crawled in and out at various points up and down the length.

  Elliot spoke first. "Huh, that's going to be an interesting time."