Chapter Forty - Rooftop

    Chapter Forty - Rooftop

    The Samurai have developed a sort of community among themselves. At a first glance, this seems perfectly reasonable.

    A more experienced Samurai might have a lot to teach to one thats new, and while they are competing for the same resources, those resources are the sorts to get out of hand if not taken care of in a timely manner. Older, more powerful Samurai wont usually begrudge the newer ones taking their share of the workload.

    The truth though, is a lot more complicated than that, and quite a bit darker.

    --Professor Stephenson, Boston University, Late 2039

    ***

    The room with the AA gun was... something else. Id seen some high-tech looking places on my media feeds, of course. Who hadnt? But stepping past the door next to Longbows screen was like walking into another world. The walls were covered in computers and gantries and little machines that were all hovering, literally, around a machine in the centre.

    The thing in the centre had a large glass dome built into its front covering two dozen camera and sensor-looking things. Two long forked cannons pointed ahead next to it. Railguns, if I had to guess. Beneath those were a pair of gatling cannons with barrels as big around as my wrist. There were more guns around it, smaller ones mounted on arms that looked like they could point in any direction.

    It was like looking at the physical manifestation of overkill.

    And it was stuck here, completely useless.

    I wondered how many aliens the thing could have killed if it had been deployed at the start of the incursion.

    When do I get to play with something like that? I asked.

    Most of the loading and repair systems are Class I. The railguns are Class II, the gatling guns are Class I. Longbows assertion that this cost approximately thirty-thousand points wasnt wrong. There are a lot of smaller parts from a variety of catalogues here. I suspect it will take you some weeks to be able to afford something like this if you did nothing but focus on it to the detriment of all else.

    Damn. Right. I can salivate over Longbows toys later.Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    Can I keep a recording of you saying that? Longbows voice said across the room.

    I jumped about a foot in the air.

    And a recording of you jumping just there? he replied with a laugh.

    Fucking hell, I said as I looked around. Where are you?

    California, I have a nice penthouse here. But if you mean where in the room, there are a dozen speakers and some mics here and there.

    The back of the van was filled with discarded toys and the kind of accumulated crap that kids tended to grow around them like some sort of fungal infection. Theres no driving this thing off, I said.

    Do you know how to drive?

    Cant be that complicated, I said. But it doesnt matter. This ones fucked.

    I looked around for an easy way to move the car out of the way, but there wasnt a convenient crane or forklift just sitting there waiting for me.

    Were going to need to get creative. Or explosive.

    A concussion grenade might push the vehicle off the top.

    Hrm. Sounds noisy though, I said.

    I moved to the back of the van. The bumper there was buckled out, and I could see one of the pipes that probably served as a frame or whatever where the plastic body was torn out. That... gave me an idea.

    Can I get some rope? I asked.

    Not with your current catalogues.

    That garrot grenade had some rope though, I said.

    You could buy one and undo the rope quite easily, yes. Its more of a ribbon, but its not special, and the way it''s designed should allow you to unwind it without any danger. What are you thinking?

    Ill need something heavy. I eyeballed the distance between the van and the edge of the roof. Fifteen meters, give or take.

    For five points you could purchase an Artificial Mass Ball. It''s a single use item from your Esoteric Single-Use Explosive Devices catalogue. It makes itself and the things around it extremely heavy for a moment before combusting. Its rather niche.

    How strong is the, uh, strength of the rope bits? You know, when you pull it from both ends?

    Tensile is the word youre looking for. And its a chain of interlocking graphene blades. Its more than strong enough to do what you seem to be thinking.

    Cool. Well, give me one of each, and well try and see how my idea works out.

    Im certain there are better ways of moving the car.

    Yeah, but my way is fun!