“What, exactly, did you light that building on fire with?” I asked, while watg the raging inferno that used to be a shoppier and former Antithesis hive.

  “Psma throwers,” Sharron replied, from within her battlesuit. The two of us decided the best solution would be to torch the entire building, given the fact that it was ied with Model Sevens. Sharron even said she had the proper tool for the job. After we’d finished seg the locatiouro her RV, retrieved her battlesuit, aurned armed with a handful of tentacles I’d never seen before. I had to say, the results were impressive. I’d never seen a building burn blue before. “Did the bears find anything else while I was ing up down there?”

  “Not yet, they’re still sweeping the streets with the IFVs and the lures. I’m pretty sure there’s something on the south side, sidering how many Threes there are in that area. Btantly hunting wildlife and digging up pnts,” I replied.

  “Give me the location, and I’ll head over after I finish ing up here.” The big armored suit shifted so she could look at me out of the front s. “Didn’t you e here to collect supplies?”

  “Yeah, well, it seems like no matter where I go there are more fires to put out,” I said, staring at the building. “Pun not intended.”

  Sharron snorted in reply, “Sure, totally unintended.” As we watched one of the walls colpsed, spilling debris into the street. A couple of the tentacles on Sharron’s massive suit just casually swept the area and sprayed it with some sort of foam, preventing the fire from spreading further. “I’ve got this, so you return to salvaging, if you want. I’ll head over to check out that sed location when I’m done.”

  I turowards her suit. It was hard to get a read on Sharron when she was within the massive ten foot tall frame. “You sure?”

  “Absolutely. I came to farm points, you came to farm supplies, we both get what we want. You’re not a member of the Family, but I am, and we’re expected to iigate a suspected hive activity, so everyone wins.” I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear some smugness in her voice, “Now run along and py.”

  I had the urge to kick her, but I was absolutely sure she wouldn’t notice. Besides I’d probably break my foot in the process. “Fine, I’ll have Nyx shoot you the location of the sed squad. They’re all Css II so there should be no problem with the trag signal.”

  As I walked away from the raging inferno Spooky fell into step beside me.

  Evelyn, your biosigns are showing that you’re suffering the effects of extreme stress right now.

  “No shit,” I replied, with slightly more vitriol than I intended. “Every siime I try a something do feels like I just enter two new issues I o fix.” I sighed, “It feels like I haven’t had a break in weeks.”

  You are aware that you don’t o solve EVERY single problem you enter, right?

  “That’s true… but it's better to solve them now, thahem fester and bee worse ter.”

  That might be true, but the world is full of problems and you ’t solve them all. You really o let some of this stuff go, and rex, before you burn out.

  I paused for a moment, then turo look at the bear. “You’re probably right. I’m tired as balls of dealing with this shit. Whe home I’ll take a few days off… uhe cult shows up.”

  Evelyn…

  “Fine, uhe cult, or someone else, is knog on my door, happy?”

  I don’t feel happiness, but I calcute your mental stability and bat efficy will improve expoially once you rex.

  “Wonderful, good pep talk.”

  When I got back to the colle area, the Css I bears started breaking things down again, and I decided to buy a specialized colle truck. It turned out, without a proper ste tainer, atomized materials blew away at the slightest breeze.

  The colle vehicle looked like one of those typical garbage trucks that dropped off random scrap and garbage in the uy, but it was hover-capable, was sealed to prevent the dust from esg, and had ste racks for six colle rigs.

  Since my Css II squad was searg for hives, and the remains of the Css I was breaking shit down, that left my personal squad for security. I decided against sending them away from the colle group this time; It just seemed like a better idea to keep them close than ‘actally’ finding another problem.

  Once everything was set up I hopped up onto my truck’s trailer and sat on the edge, watg everyone work. It was actually rexing to watch the bears slowly vaporize buildings, and dump the collected debris iruck. I’m not sure how long I sat there, just staring at the slowly dissolving streetscape, but it was long enough for Sharron to e back, bears in tow.

  As her massive suit ped right up to the side of my trailer, I could see her through the front viewport. “How’d your hunt go, find anything?” I asked.

  “Just a small hive. sidering the size, it must have sprouted retly. Perhaps, a straggler from the stealth hive got lost aled down.” She shrugged, “either way, it’s destroyed now. What are you doing up there?” Sharron asked, looking up at me.

  “Sitting. Watg the bears,” I replied.

  “Really? That’s it?”

  “Nyx thinks I’m trying to do too much, and stressing out about it, so I’m taking a break,” I replied.

  I could see Sharron smirk, “Well, it’s about time. You’ve turned into quite the little workaholic over the st few weeks. I never expected for you to e home, and immediately find a bunch of gangs to pick a fight with. Most people would have at least taken a few days off before starting the projects first.”

  “A couple weeks ago I couldn’t afford to ever take time off. If one of us got sick, or injured, it meant we couldn’t afford food for everyone for a couple days.” I sighed, “Of course, at that time I only had to worry about junking cars, or buildings, not proteg aire city.”

  Sharron opehe front of her battle suit, got out, then jumped up to the top of the trailer to sit o me. “You ’t protect everyone, all the time. Just do what you ,” she said, while giving me a pat on the head.

  “You sound like Nyx.”

  “Well, they have your best is in mind. If only to keep you alive and fighting aliens.”

  I ughed, in spite of myself. “Yeah, I see that. Nyx isly the cuddliest panion, but they’re keeping me alive.”

  “So… yoing to take it easy for a few days then?” Sharron asked.

  “That’s the pn. I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I’m sure I’ll find something. Hopefully.”

  “Not hopefully. Definitely. I’m going to make it my mission to teach you to rex. Maybe a BBQ, and then crappy movies? Bames? Videogames? I’ll figure something out.”

  “What the hell is a bame?” I asked.

  “You know, it’s like a videogame, but without the eleics.” I just stared at her for a miill not grasping the cept, so she just waved her hand in my dire. “Never mind, I’ll show you. I’m sure the kids’ll love it.” Sharron bounced in pce, a wide smile on her face. “This is going to be so much fun!”

  “If you say so,” I replied with a shrug.

  Sharron just threw an arm around me, as the two of us stared at the street below. “There’s a lot more to life than just living, my friend. I’m going to introduce you to a whole new world.”

  I elbowed her in the side, lightly. “Fine, let's see what you do. Just please, don’t make me regret it.”

  Sharron just looked back at me, a mischievous look on her face. “I’ll try my best, but no promises.”