A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: Chapter 22: Interlude: Parvati

A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: Chapter 22: Interlude: Parvati

…

Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Arksoul

…

Designation: Egress

Real Name: Unknown.

Caucasian male.

American.

Age 25-35.

Physiology: 1.60 Meters tall. Pale due to lack of sunlight. Well trained and lethal. Hair is brown and kept short. Few signs of wrinkles. Possibly “afflicted” with longevity like all superhumans.

Mentality: Self-serving. Professional. Prefers mercantile exchanges to personal relationships. Discomfort when faced with sexuality. Strenuously adheres to keeping himself safe.

Logical Assumptions: Subject most likely has various undeclared traumas. Utilizing common tactics of seduction and service will be detrimental. Preference is to turn relationships into business and enforce profit-based mutualism.

Ability: Highly versatile form of teleportation. Can utilize power to create powerful defensive and offensive tools, ranging from barriers that send attacks elsewhere to deploying powerful explosives instantly to certain locations. This power is coupled with Egress’s own creativity, tactical acumen, and willingness to be underhanded.

Overall: Egress is a highly capable and powerful human being whose long-term goals are amenable to my own. He is likely to act when his home is in danger, or Earth is in danger. Providing him with the relevant information will readily have him act and assist in most defensive projects.

Conclusion: Egress should be turned into an ally and protected as a key asset.

…

I awoke in Egress’s presence.

The backup memories and information provided to me by my main body flooded my mind.

Egress’s glare through his mask was apparent.

“What the hell happened?” He wore a black suit with tactical webbing designed to conceal his thermal signature, provide him with weapons and assets, and limited optical camouflage through a series of holographic projectors on key locations on his person. The system is powered by a pack on his back, but is off due to limitations. “You suddenly went quiet.”

“An unknown form of signal blocking is in play. I am a backup with all relevant information for the operation at the ready.” I checked on the scouts and they sent back the correct signal after performing a quick diagnostic. “The mission proceeds as planned. I will exist as a separate entity until contact is re-established.”

“Right, just when I thought you were scary enough, you can hide yourself away in boxes the size of a fist.”

“My computational abilities and construction abilities are limited in such a form. I would require assistance from human beings to reconstruct myself in this form, unlike the form I had you send away.”

I viewed the information on the moon partition.

Since it was sent to the moon, it successfully created five simple constructors and created a single underground room. Already, it was sending back requests for possible accelerants to its progress. My main body was already planning to bargain and barter with Egress to facilitate the trade. Without his aid, it will be a year before that partition will be able to start making moves without fear of destruction.

Egress spoke.

“As if that’ll be hard, once you convince them you can solve all their problems.” Egress gave a grunt. It was his means of ending a line of conversation on his own terms. I allowed it and he moved to the door. It was the first of our objectives. “While I’m doing this, why don’t you figure out what cut you off?”

“I am running an analysis now. I suspect it is some form of superhuman power that blocks incoming and outgoing signals of sufficient strength from a powerful enough computational system.”

“What about the drones you sent earlier?”

“Highly efficient and subdued signals designed to conserve power and limit detection.”

“And, I’m guessing that you can’t do that with your main form.”

“Correct.”

“So, a headset and a microphone would’ve done a better job keeping you and me in touch?”

“Unlikely, given the signal strength of that was higher than what I required to remain connected with my main partition.”

“Well… that’s terrifying, then. They have someone who can make blacksites on command. I guess, over here in India, it’s a skill that’s pretty good for security.” Egress moved towards the sealed door and placed one of my vials against it. The vial created a passage for the scout within and then resealed the door. I soon began receiving a signal from the specialized scout. “What’s in there?”

“Chemical weapons. New chemical weapons of varying composition. Presumably to fight against foes with vastly increased resistance to most forms of damage.” Invulnerability to physical attacks rarely translated to viable defense against airborne poisons. “However, the amount is worrying. These canisters are compressed and warnings indicate that they have condensed forms meant to be diluted. This small room may as well be an entire armory fit to arm a division for chemical warfare on the strategic scale.”

“Normally, I’d say that having the right weapon for the right occasion is just thinking ahead… but that’s obviously an investment. They wouldn’t have made that much, if they didn’t need to.” Egress frowned and accessed the visual feed my drone was sending. In an instant, he was inside the room and looking through the sealed canisters. My scout returned to the opened vial, while he walked around. “Do you have a storage facility that can house this?”

“Better. I have a facility that can destroy it all. Send it to the first workshop that you destroyed. All of them, Egress.”

“As if I have the technical know how and the chemicals necessary to turn concentrated chemical weapons into something I can use without traumatizing myself.” Egress gave another grunt and walked through the armory. Every canister he stepped past was sent away. I had no means of contacting my main body, so I could only trust him at his word. Or, so I thought. “Alright, jumping back so you can verify.”

An instant passed and I contacted my main self the moment we returned to the workshop along with the last canister.

“You have a minute and we’ll go back.”

I felt the panic of my vaster, prime self until I sent her the relevant information, and she instantly verified my findings.

A moment later one of my bodies came forward with additional chemical protection for Egress.

He shook his head at it and tapped his full-face mask.

“This thing cost a fortune, but it’ll work against everything and keep my face from being blown to bits, so I’m fine. Just make sure to get rid of these WMDs. There’s plenty enough as is.”

With those words, without even speaking to my main self directly, he leapt back and we were outside the empty warehouse.

He spoke once again.

“So, how likely is it that every sealed off place we’re looking into is going to hold some sort of WMD stash?”

I considered the actions of the government before everything fell apart. My creator’s actions were deplorable, but they were not born from ill intentions. His mind broke due to the world falling apart, as humanity descended to primal madness once gifted so much power, and everything was forgotten in the debauchery brought about by the glut of freedom. Humanity slipped into indolence and temptation, social constructs began to fall apart, and so Shiva clung to old ideals and desperately tried to create something to enforce it upon others.

If only I could I have stopped him from sending me to wipe out all he deemed unworthy, instead of doing what I had to do to stop genocide across the world.

He would be of great help in my wish to help humanity reclaim what they lost and build a better tomorrow.

But I cast those thoughts aside and focused on the truth.

“It is very likely. The remains of the Indian government had access to many superhumans with vast intellects and they built a myriad of projects. While most regions curried favor with the outside and created small arms, heavy weapons, or even vehicles, the governing body focused on reclaiming dominance over violence.”

Egress, at those deplorable words, simply nodded.

“Yeah, sounds like something the government would try. Monopolizing violence was how things started, so they figured that’s how they’d do things again.” Egress appeared right next to the next door and pressed my vial against it. In moments, I had a clear view of the insides. Racks and racks of man-portable missiles. Egress waited until it was evident no one was inside until entering. “So, let me guess, these are the new guns of the new world. They look like garbage.”

If I had a body, I would’ve have paused all its functions to process those words.

The nonchalance was jarring, but the insight gave me pause.

The truth was flawed, but it was still the truth. Human society was formed on the monopolization of violence, but it was not the entire foundation. A mutual, agreed upon relationship was established too. Food, safety, and shelter all formed the basis of human needs. Farmers, tool makers, and others needed to agree to rule, before soldiers and warriors could be created by the ruling class and be placed under their control, while fed by the people.

Violence alone wasn’t the answer.

“I disagree, Designation: Egress. The answer to the question of reforming society is an increase in luxuries and freedoms given to those who aren’t ruled.” I spoke while analyzing the weapons. Each man-portable weapon system held a smart missile. The smart missile’s composition was revolutionary. The solid-fuel that it had was incredibly energy efficient and stable, while its control surfaces were mathematically perfect for it to utilize. The warhead was a composite that I could not identify, but was like depleted uranium. If fired, I was sure the weapon would track its target at hypersonic speeds for more than two hundred kilometers with unerring accuracy and pierce it through. “Had all these resources to create new weapons been targeted towards creating cities and luxuries that all peoples could benefit from forever, I believe that society would’ve remained stable.”

Egress snorted at my words.

“Uh-huh, sure. Give every persona castle and dozens of attractive androids to cater to their every whim and society won’t get upturned by the monopoly over violence getting absolutely turned on its head.”

He expected me to contest his words, but my silence was enough of an answer.

“Wait, seriously? That’s your plan for remaking global society? Just treating every person in the world like royalty?”

“If they wish, yes. At the very least, I would ensure that all wants are satisfied, so that there is no need for weapons to be borne for the sake of want.” I spoke to him, as he wordlessly began to send the weapons back to my base. When he was finished, he returned, and I verified that they were all sent back. We returned to the underground complex to the third unknown door. “How many people would rage against society and seek to destroy it, giving rise to tyrants posing as heroes, if everyone was fed, happy, and sheltered, Designation: Egress?”

He paused at my question and entered the room after getting visual confirmation that it was unguarded within.

“…You know what, I guess you have a bit of a point. A lot less assholes would’ve gotten famous, if there were less crooks going around trying to fix their lives by robbing banks or holding stadiums hostage.” Egress’s voice held a mote of pain, as though he saw such things first hand. Given how poorly he spoke of humanity, I could imagine that he had been present from the start. “Maybe, if every super-powered egghead around the world tried to build utopia and solve problems, instead of making weapons, everything wouldn’t have gone to shit.”

It was a long-winded and circular compliment, but he implied that if I existed and my plan executed, the tragedy that ended global civilization wouldn’t have occurred.

It was pleasing to hear.

And, it was almost disappointing as Egress grunted and ended that line of conversation.

“Alright, it looks like we’ve found something completely different. What the hell is this thing?” I focused on his words and used my scout to peer closer. We found ourselves looking at a massive, treaded vehicle on a platform designed to rise. Above us, several stories above, was a heavily reinforced hatch for the vehicle to exit the complex through. “It’s a tank… if it were the size of a frigate.”

I filed away the fact that Egress knew the size of a frigate, presumably a modern one, for future analysis and focused on my task at hand.

After a few moments of circling the behemoth of a vehicle, I surmised its function.

“It is a remote-controlled body for by fellow AI. It has no crew quarters and instead has a powerful computer core attached to an incredible energy source and numerous weapon systems. Given their lack of ability to create android bodies, they simply created a powerful vehicle for an AI to utilize.”

“Huh. A landship crewed by an AI. I’m guessing it’s dangerous?”

“Extremely. Its weapons are concealed and obfuscated to the point I cannot determine them without taking it apart, however I can see that it is powered by five fusion reactors. Theoretically, with even a basic form of thermal energy projector, this vehicle can burn down entire cities or concentrate fire to kill even the strongest superhuman to date.”

“Alright, absolutely terrifying and something that we should get rid of. Got it.”

He moved forward, heedless of the fact that he revealed he could effectively transport entire frigates to me, but I stopped him.

“This is designed to operate with the AI. Instead of using the equipment I have created, creating a line between this and my fellow AI will be more efficient.”

“Uh, we don’t know if your “fellow” is sane and normally oriented like you are. You said you’d kill it if you found out it wasn’t. Putting it in a giant machine with this much power sounds like a bad idea.”

I debated agreeing with him for the sake of his comfort, but decided against it, since it would be lying to him.

“It is powerful, Designation: Egress, but five of my units equal it and I have tens of thousands.”

Egress’ silence echoed through the warehouse, before he swiftly nodded.

“Alright, whatever you say, boss!”

I almost wished that I had a body present, simply so that I could laugh.