Chapter Eighty-Five - M.E.O.W, That's Right!

Chapter Eighty-Five - M.E.O.W, That's Right!

Chapter Eighty-Five - M.E.O.W, That's Right!

"There's no such thing as cyberpsychosis. That's an urban legend started from the prevalence of certain pieces of literature and video game media.

There is, however, cyber-dysmorphia, the discomfort brought about by having a limb or body part replaced by a synthetic.

Strangely enough, some people are more comfortable when their synthetic replacement has less in common with their organic parts. The separating being clearer and more obvious makes it far more comfortable to handle than if the replacement prosthetic is poorly designed to look like the part it's meant to simulate."

--Lecture by Professor Wells, 2046

***

There's actually another option as far as mechanized units go.

"Oh?" I asked. I was still looking at the smaller, lighter mecha that was apparently within my now very much reduced price range. "What's that?"

Since you want to prioritize protection, what about a heavier, more armoured frame? It wouldn't have the stealth capabilities of your previous machines, but it would make up for that by being significantly harder to damage.

"Throw it up on the projector," I said with a gesture to the spinning image of the fast scout mech.

It flicked away, and was replaced by a whole new cat-shaped mech.

This one looked... fat? Like an overfed house cat. It was one chonky boy, with relatively short legs. The legs looked like they were mounted on pistons thicker than my thighs that could shift the entire thing upwards.

This motherfucker was armoured though. Big plates of curved armour, looking like something off of a world war two tank. The fuck-off large gun on its back reinforced that image some. It was mounted in the centre-rear of the mech, in a large, boulbous turret.

"How big is that gun?" I asked.

155 milimetres.

I nodded, then looked over the rest of the cat. The 'paws' were massive things, with fat wheels beneath them, those sorts of not-quite-ball wheels that some robots used, only they looked reinforced. They'd have to be to support all that weight on them.

This unit, the Mechanized Exploration and Operations Walker Mk IV is designed to endure maximal amounts of damage, both kinetic and explosive, as well as from acidic attacks. The cockpit has a self-regulating environment, capable of being closed off from the outside world for years at a time.

"Damn," I said. "What about other guns? I mean, that big one's... big, but I wouldn't wanna use that on a model one. Bit of overkill, you know?"

Of course.

The model shifted, and some of the armoured panels slid open to reveal spaces where gimbal-arms could move out of the mech. Two at the front, two at the rear. They held small machine-pistol looking things.

Again with the low-calibre guns, but... yeah, they'd work against anything below the twenties.

Another pair of sections at the front moved back, revealing two holes by the front 'shoulders' of the mech, on either side of its head.

These are a pair of 75 millimetre cannons. Small, but respectable. Their traversal is extremely limited, however. The mech has a self-detonating ERA system. Explosives that you can detonate the moment an enemy nears without damaging the mech itself.

Holy shit... that was kinda rad.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I worked my jaw, then narrowed my eyes. "Wait, what was its name again?"

"I thought this shit would be lightweight?" I asked.

Catherine, lightweight isn't weightless.

"How much?" I asked. I was ready to flinch at the answer already.

Seven hundred and fifty-six points.

That was... not that bad, actually. "Cheap," I said.

That's assuming you don't mind taking something that will require some time to install itself. It's nowhere near the cutting edge of what you could have, but I believe that it's your best current option before moving into the full-body-replacement territory, in which case saving a few points may well be worth it.

Yeah, that made sense. "Okay... yeah, let's do it."

New Purchase: Graphene-magnesium bone sheathing

Points Reduced to: 24,561

New Purchase: Nano-regenerative surgical suite

Points Reduced to: 24,261

A decently large box appeared before me, about as big around as a basketball, though it was a little flatter.

I opened it, and discovered a sort of plastic... bin thing, with a large strap running around it. "Is this... a fucked up fanny pack?" I asked as I lifted it. The plastic shell was hard-ish, with some squishy padding on the interior.

Place it around your lower waist, beneath your clothes. I'll alert you once it's ready to be disposed of.

I frowned, but did as she said, tugging up my shirt to expose my stomach and back, then biting the hem to hold it in place while I fit the pack on. The belt was wide but just large enough that I could buckle it on the front.

"Feels weird," I said. It wasn't that heavy, but it was certainly obvious that it was there.

You'll only need to wear this for a few days. It's hygienic enough, and you can shower with it on. Tense up for a moment.

"Huh?" I asked, then I tensed up as several pin-like things poked me in the back. "Ouch, fuck!" I snapped.

There, incisions complete! Congratulations on your ongoing bone improvement procedure!

"Thanks," I said flatly.

Have you come to a decision with regards to the mechs?

"Hmm... not yet. Lemme ask Lucy what she thinks. Plus she's gonna wanna have a look at the Bastion too. It's kind of a big thing, right?"

Lucy would help, because she was the best, even if she didn't know jack or shit about this kind of thing.

She'd probably pick the one that she felt was cutest, or the one that would keep me safer. Eh, either way was fine by me.

***