As they walked deeper into the fen wetlands, Claire noticed that there was hardly any animal life. Or at least none that they ran across. If there were swamptoads out here, where the hell were they? “Um, so do you know what these swamptoads would look like?” she asked. “I mean, I imagine they kinda
Claire chuckled. “Oh, that’s right,” she said. “That’s what we call the people who just came outta nowhere. They all just popped up in our regen facilities one by one, in the millions.” “From a year or so ago?” said Max. “That makes sense. At the Hegemony, we call ‘em Revisions. Apparently, they’r
Eva quickly drew her Handcannon and aimed it squarely at the swamptoad’s head, specifically right below the armored ridge between its bulbous eyes. She presumed that was roughly where its brain was. “Wait!” cried Amal. “Don’t shoot it!” “What? Why the hell not?” asked Eva. “‘Coz you might end up
Clearly annoyed by the drones, the swamptoad leapt straight upwards and slammed right into them. Luckily, they bounced off just as it struck - their relative size and the soft moss kept them intact. But they were still damaged, and what little armor they had was cracked right at the point of impact
There, among the spines and skin and armor plates was a milky green substance all over its body. It all flowed freely from the swollen poison glands just behind its eyes. It fell back down on all fours and stared at Eva with its bloated body. Then, it released another long, deep, guttural croak.
Back at the settlement, deep inside the clinic, past the foyer, and beyond the welcome desk. Past the general prognosis station, and past the patient recovery rooms. Upstairs, inside of the special care unit, a young man slept on a medical pad. A rebreather was attached to his mouth and nostrils, an
Just off to the side next to the firepit, Eva and Miko talked to a small crowd of colonists, and recounted their epic fight to them. Eva made movements with her arms to illustrate how fast and powerful the toad was, while Miko used her drones to supplement the story with sound effects. Both were ha
He frowned, then slugged down a great deal of his drink. “Mhm, aren’t you so damned sure,” he said. “Well,” Claire replied, “it’s kinda obvious don’t you think? I mean, we’re far enough away from where you were stationed. Literally systems away. You could’ve hopped off at any time to settle down