A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: 35

A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: 35

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Arksoul

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The Tokyo branch of the Resistance, the guys who tried to intercept me a while back, met me in the middle of a forest. They had one of their own stick around the island, so that we could stay in contact, and they relayed what I told them to their superiors. It probably cost a lot of supplies on their part, but operational security was a priceless asset. Plus, they had the chance to get a powerful ally on their side.

They were taking a risk, but they had a chance to win big, so they took the chance.

Anyway, it was summer, so the cicadas were giving off their usual noise, while I waited alone in the clearing. It was an overgrown clearing, in the middle of an old national park several hours from Tokyo proper on foot. There were some old benches and open-air terraces here and there, but they were almost too dilapidated to use. With the country’s current state, maintaining national parks wasn’t very high on the budget, so I felt like I was standing in the middle of some post-apocalypse playground.

Anyway, Parvati was on standby and ready to charge in to help me.

Her job was to disrupt any attempt to lock me in place, just in case.

Trust, but verify is pretty much standard in my line of work.

There was a brief rustling of leaves and I turned over to the location. Since it was technically a first, official meeting, I dressed up for the occasion. Camouflage coat, bulletproof plates, Kevlar overall, a mask with emergency oxygen canisters and a strong filter, and a few weapons here and there. Didn’t bring along the weapon Parvati made for me, since that would’ve been overkill, along with any tactical gear like night-vision.

Professional and deadly, with just enough weapons to send a message, but not overdressed and gaudy.

Or, so I thought, until the party that rolled up were dressed to the nines.

“What the hell, the guards are all in power armor and the officials are in formal dress.” Japanese formal military dress was designed after western standards, but some changes occurred after the collapse. I was vaguely reminded of the Imperial Japanese era, with the uniforms of the officers being pure white with some gold furnishings. Those guys were sandwiched between two rows of five of samurai-styled power armor with demonic visages, shoulder-mounted heavy weapons, and arms carrying an assembly of automatic cannons and directed-energy-weapons. “I’m underdressed."

“They do look presentable, but keep in mind your position. You’re an asset for hire. Not a representative of a country.” Parvati provided some long range support, while keeping an eye on things from afar. “Stay calm and handle the situation as you usually do. Be straightforward and direct. If needed, you can exfiltrate with my help.”

Nothing boosts confidence like being to just leave a situation whenever.

Running away and coming back better is the best power.

I was sighted the guards were quick to come forward, then a short and low whistle came across the clearing. After counting three seconds, I gave out two whistles in turn.

Archaic in terms of using actual IFF badges, but it worked well enough.

The guards relaxed and spread out to cover the clearing the exit, except for two that followed the three individuals in pure white uniforms.

They were the ones who were going to talk to me… or so I thought, until one of them reached out and swiped at the air with his hand.
It was a small portal, hardly large enough for a dog to fit through, but from it came a small drone with an emitter on its back.

Work with what you’ve got, I suppose.

A gruff old man popped into view with a hunched back, liver spots on his bald head, and eyes squinted behind thick glasses.

I would’ve liked to say that I didn’t recognize him, but…

“Holy shit, you’re still alive, Shin.”

“As crass as ever, Egress.” Shin grumbled and the officers that escorted his projector were taken aback. Probably because he was talking to me in English. The guy was a consummate nationalist and hated speaking anything other than Japanese. Unless, of course, your Japanese was too horrible for him to stomach. “And, you are incorrect. I am no longer alive as a human.”

I put two and two together.

“Ah, congrats. You managed to upload yourself. How’s being dead feel?” There were more than a few superhumans out there that weren’t satisfied with just being a bit better than everyone else on the planet. They wanted supremacy, to be at the absolute top of the food chain, and essentially be untouchable. Technically, I was one of the people at the very top, but that was mainly because I was practically a hermit. Maelstrom, naturally, was at the pinnacle. I trained to be as strong as I am, Walker was just that strong from the start, and Shin and a lot of other people looked for other ways to reach where we stood. His was uploading himself. “How’d you beat the copy issue?”

I expected a long-winded statement regarding his genius as usual… but didn’t get it.

“I didn’t.”

“Oof, so you’re Shin 2. That sucks, buddy.” An ignoble end for one of the very first superhuman scientists, but the fact he was still technically around spoke for itself. “I’d still call it a win, though, and you’re around to kick the ass of the person who did you in, right?”

“Indeed. That person being the Shogun.” I gave a nod and settled in for the explanation by going next to a bench and returning with it. The shoddy thing creaked under my weight, while Shin barely took note of my use of my power. He’s one of the few people in the world who wouldn’t be phased, because he was an egocentric bastard who believed his power was the best. I mean, he turned himself immortal and was effectively hunting his killer down after getting killed. I couldn’t do that. Parvati could, and Shin being equal to a world-conquering AI starting as a normal human was crazy enough. “I have been acting against him. He has destroyed several of my nodes time and time again, but… I’ve been making use of the safehouse that I asked you to send quite far away for a long, long time now.”

“Oh, you cheeky bastard. You’ve been making him play against you, while you’re on a different board altogether.”

“Heh.”

His subordinates seemed off-put by his chuckle, probably because Shin was a bastard through and through who wouldn’t even hesitate to sacrifice his own body for his desires. Practically speaking, he could easily sacrifice other people for what he wanted. Dealing with guys like him required having strength… or lacking any pride and being willing to run away.

Oh, just to be clear.

This guy wasn’t even close to being a hero.

Sure, he had a moral compass and all that, but his means and ends were far from doing the world or Japan any good. His goals were to slingshot Japan into the next technological revolution, to bring down the corporations and the government to start anew, and defeat all the enemies that threatened Japan with literal armies of robots. If the laws he supported passed, and he was allowed to create a corporation before the collapse, I’m sure he’d be the head of some sort of corporate state that ruled over the Asian half of the Pacific.

I couldn’t exactly call him a villain, but he fit the moniker of rebel or radical more than anything else.

Freedom fighter for one person, and insurgent for another, all in a wrinkled up package with too many robots at his back.

Still, I was feeling good about helping the Resistance now.

“Alright, then. You know the drill. I want to know how much firepower you’ve got, what your plan is, and how much you’re willing to pay.” I got up and dusted the rust from my camouflage off, and gave Parvati the signal. The guards all suddenly perked up and looked her way, but she was by my side before they could finish turning their guns. Shin eyed her up with interest. Given his intellect, and all the other sensors he was using besides whatever analogue for eyes he used, I was sure he figured out she wasn’t a superhuman. “I’ve got a few friends I’m willing to bring into the fight, but it’ll cost me, and that’ll be extra for you.”

“As unreasonable as ever, and just as arrogant, but your power makes it acceptable.” Shin grumbled and glanced to one of his attending officers. “Gin, show provide him with the files regarding the forces we’ve assembled for the upcoming operations.”

“Just what you’re willing to spend? I want to know what you have, old man.”

“What I have is none of your business, Egress.”

“Hmph.”

I passed over the drive to Parvati. The gynoid didn’t even hesitate to just pull a cord from the back of her neck and plug it in. I’d worry about that sort of thing compromising all my drives and leaking all my info, but the AI had complete confidence in its ability to process it. Or, maybe, since Parvati had plenty of bodies this one deemed speed more important than its current existence.

It was probably the latter, since Parvati let people repair and reprogram a lot of the bodies it left behind.

Hopefully, it didn’t have the same idea about its human allies (me).

Not even a moment passed, before Parvati replied.

“The distraction assets are several contingents of automated drone platforms. They are designed to release swarms of drones with micro-missiles, and rearm and refuel them after sorties.” Ah, the quantity over quality approach for the distraction. That sounded pretty good. Threatening the surrounding area and key assets all over Japan would greatly reduce the amount of people coming after us. “The strike team for the coup are primarily power-armored elite soldiers armed with specialized weaponry for usage against the Shogun and his inner circle. They will be supplemented by a dozen Superhumans… all of whom are roughly above average in terms of power. They are specialized on sustained assault.”

The ‘average’ for superhumans was the ability to take on a main battle tank and win without getting scratched. You’re below average if you can’t win against them. Past that point, and even below that point, superhuman classification became almost impossible. More esoteric powers could be weak on paper, but have devastating results under certain circumstances. Meanwhile, a person who could bulldoze through an armored division in an hour might not be very useful in some cases.

It was just like Shin to throw numbers at the problem, or rather pick out a team that was ‘average’ even with loads of different powers.

“What’s the plan?” I didn’t have a problem with the assets, so I nodded and moved the conversation along.

“Strikes on military installations all across Japan. Waiting until they’ve dispatched their forces before deploying the main strike team, then your duty to counter the enemy’s own teleporter.” Parvati’s gynoid form continued to list things out, and for a moment I was surprised as her usually placid features sported a furrowed brow. “This can’t be right. This teleporter has the same form of defense as Egress?”

Now that was a surprise.

“The power is similar, but not completely the same. According to my calculations, Crane’s defenses are far weaker, as is his ability to travel.” Shin decided to provide some information on this. He always had a knack for gathering information that he shouldn’t and extrapolate from them. He could be wrong, but generally that was rare. “He is only capable of transporting himself, only for a few hours every day, and if he is struck by energy weapons he’ll retreat rather than endure and strike back.”

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.” I nodded. I’ll review the information on my ‘peer’ later. If possible, I’d like to keep an eye on Crane myself for a good, long while. “How long until kick-off?”

“Three weeks. There is much to do, and many loose ends to tie up, but with your assistance we can achieve all objectives. Depose the Shogun, seize his assets, and unmake his breeding camps and focus on remaking Japan as it should be.” Shin’s megalomania was showing, and the fact that his officers and guards nodded along was a bad sign. People were only that loyal if they had something to gain. The situation wasn’t bad enough that they’d be loyal out of hatred for the Shogun alone. Things were stable. “The conquest of other lands will be done through industry and technology. Not by sacrificing the blood and bodies of the people.”

Well, damn.

The Resistance was going to get rid of the breeding camps, and possibly remove the police state element of the regime, but they were still going to wage war on the surrounding region.

I was tempted to look at Parvati and see the AI’s reaction, but that would be telling our goals.

“Looks good enough, then. I don’t care what you do once you’ve got the country, after I’ve got my pay.” I lied, but Shin would probably buy it. Most of my body was covered up, so he couldn’t read or analyze any facial ticks or subconscious movements. At least, I hoped that was the case. He was also working off the intel that I was willing to do anything for money. Lack of information meant working off of existing information, so I could only hope that those two facts combined in my favor. “And, what’re you offering for my help?”

Shin was a very shrewd man. One of the few superhumans who had a business, too. That meant I could never let my guard down with any of his offers. They were always tempting, always high-risk, and always, seemingly worth it. The old adage of ‘too good to be true’ rang loud and clear in my head whenever I dealt with him. Every job I took for him was a close call, something that risked everything that I had, and if I failed death was coming for me one way or another.

Therefore, his offers were always perfect.

“Kagoshima, its herds and farms, and the only foreigner to have the right to sell Japanese agricultural products across the world. A right that will pass down your bloodline, for so long as it exists.”

Shin glanced over to his officer and the offer came out of a bag in writing.

Goddamn.

Perform a coup, then get lordship over a whole region, and a never-ending fortune for my whole family.

It would’ve been enticing, if I didn’t hate the idea of superhumans being able to do it.