A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: Chapter 19

A Perfectly Logical Guide to a Superhuman Apocalypse: Chapter 19

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Arksoul

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Shiva’s AI was quiet, even as its partitions moved out of the room.

I could only wonder how many thoughts ran through its head at that moment, but I didn’t bother to ask. Instead, I elected to give it the same advice I did to my younger colleagues. It was advice that typically saved the lives of my competitors and let them get out of the business, if they listened.

“Look, I know you’re strong and that you can do a lot… but I’ll be honest, I’ve met stronger people than you and they died trying to do half of what you’re planning on doing.” It was obvious from my last meeting with Shiva’s AI, but her current concern about the continent made it even clearer. The AI had aspirations towards being a hero and was rushing headlong towards an early death. “Keep things small and achievable. Don’t over-extend yourself. What you achieve is still an accomplishment. Just because you could do more doesn’t mean that you’ve lost anything.”

It was a very human way of thinking. If you could catch three animals, but catch only one, you think about your loss more than you do about you have. It was an evolutionary trait bred into our species, because the ones that horded, the ones that took the most, and the ones that pushed themselves to their limits were the ones that survived. It was a very human trait and Shiva pushed that trait onto his creation, so that his AI could be what he wanted… although that didn’t end well for him.

I discarded the memory of seeing a piece of that man’s brain lodged inside the chest cavity of a mechanical doll in favor of finishing my statement on the subject.

The memories of all the dead kids I’d worked with back then, and the ones who stayed alive and thanked me served me better.

“You’re young, you have assets, and you have a backup plan. I get that you have a lot of plans, kid, but you’re not saving an entire continent of people. There’s too many complications, grudges, and spilled blood for that to be possible. A region, maybe two or three, would be the best start.” I thought back to my days in Africa. The superhuman warlords were mostly a dime-a-dozen strongmen who drugged up their populace and extracted wealth from the land, whether it came in the form of minerals, oil, or people. Still, some of them were able to move past exploitation and take over regions, carve out a piece of the planet for their own, and create small city-states that reconnected with the rest of the world. Shiva’s AI could do the same. “Give it a few hundred years, and the places you take over will be what the rest of India wants to be, and you’ll consolidate things more peaceably. If you try to take things over violently, you’ll just wade into a bloodbath that everyone else is already doing laps in.”

I expected the AI to give a speech about not making the same mistakes as humans and being able to do more than I expected.

Instead the AI’s lips pursed for a moment before she gave a hesitant nod of her head.

“Your advice will be taken into consideration, Designation: Egress.” Hah. That was the most diplomatic “fuck you” I’d ever heard. It actually gave me a little chuckle. But, I took the message and let the situation go. I’ve said my piece already and I wouldn’t be following my own advice, if I tried to do more. I did more than enough to calm whatever regrets that I might have from the situation. “It seems my creator’s records of you were correct. You have seen your share of violence around the world.”

“Yep. I’m a mercenary who takes the safest jobs and only works with people with good reputations. It didn’t pay as well as risky jobs with psychopaths, but… here I am.” I gloated a bit. It felt good to say, but I wasn’t fucked in the head enough to say it without being a bit bitter about it. Maybe, I could’ve done more, been a hero, and kept doing the right jobs for the right people as things got riskier… but I looked out for myself first. No one else would’ve done the same. “I know you’re going to do whatever the hell you want, but keep my advice in mind. It’ll help, even if you can’t completely die, because if all this is gone from a stupid mistake, you obviously won’t be able to help anyone as you’d like.”

The AI frowned at those words, but instead of diplomatically telling me to shut my mouth, she gave a nod.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Designation: Egress. Thank you.”

“It’s fine. You’re a pretty decent person, so I’m treating you decently.” If the AI was any less of a decent person, I’d be dead after being captured. I’d run through her facilities and wracked up a lot of damage on her assets. In the end, though, she spared my life after my allies betrayed me, and even offered me a job. Sure, I had to do a job to not get fucked over, but I would’ve been more suspicious if she hadn’t asked me for anything for what I did. All in all, the AI was exactly the kind of straight-shooter that I preferred to work with. “Oh, right. How’s your partition off in space doing?”

I expected a statement of smug superiority from the AI.

Instead, I received some more bad news.

“I’ve created a defensible position and established myself in a crater. So far, obscuring myself has allowed me to build up and escape the attention of the Fifth Reich.” It was my turn to go completely still with shock. I tried to find some way to unhear the words that came out of the AI’s mouth, but I couldn’t no matter how hard I tried. “Ah, yes. You wouldn’t know of them. Amidst the collapse a few years ago, several neo-Nazi groups across Europe consolidated with their superhuman leaders and created and ark. They succeeded and have established themselves upon the moon. They are rapidly digging into its depths, utilizing the lower gravity to their benefit, and established cloning vats. Soon, they will have a firm industrial base capable of constructing space-faring vessels.”

I let loose a breath, while leaning back into my chair at a loss.

Superhuman zealots bent on establishing a theocracy.

Survivalist coalitions that have pardoned superhuman criminals to make use of them.

Remains of the US in Hawaii armed with ludicrous amounts of first strike capability, including nuclear.

Legions of technologically-superior Indians are constantly warring against one another with an AI on their doorstep trying to stop them.

And, now, moon Nazis.

“What the fuck is next? Is Mars occupied by the Russians or something!?” It was a question, but it came out as more of a frustrated curse at the situation of the world. I was gone for just a few years, but things have gone crazier than I ever though possible. It was like an invisible hand decided to just notch up the crazy dial to maximum. I looked at the AI I was speaking to, in a ridiculously fetishistic gynoid body but who also frowned at profanity, and tried to make sense of the situation. “Please… tell me that my exit plan is viable, at least!”

“Mars is currently uninhabited to my knowledge.”

I almost sighed in relief, until I caught onto a particular word.

“Currently?”

“It’s unlikely that it will stay that way for long with the number of groups on the planet that wish to leave it. Including yourself. Others, naturally, have their own abilities and see things as you do, Designation: Egress.”

To that statement, I only had one word to say.

“Fuck.”

“Language.”

The AI glared at me again, but I didn’t care and just let myself collapse as lunch arrived.

The business side of this conversation hasn’t even started, but I’m already mentally done.

…

The lunch was a seafood curry from river-caught fish served with flatbread. Rich sauce, tender fish, and fresh bread combined into a great meal, which I ate with gusto. I took it as a chance to have a mental break and rest my brain. It barely successful, but by the time tea arrived, I was ready to negotiate my services.

Shiva’s AI took note of that fact and spoke after I took my first sip of tea and set down the cup.

“As you already expected, Designation: Egress, I desire to see the people of India saved from the crisis that has engulfed it for decades. To that end, I wish for your help in a myriad of duties.” One of the servant forms came forward with a tablet and held it as its screen was manipulated by the AI from a wireless network. I looked over it, while the AI spoke. “My plan is to first remove countermeasures against me. The first of which is the AI that was made to be used against me. I will free it, hear its thoughts, and deal with it if required.”

I took note of the fact that Shiva’s AI had concerns about the imprisoned AI being potentially an enemy to humanity. It was a good sign that its head wasn’t just filled with sunshine, rainbows, and aspirations to become a mechanical messiah of the subcontinent.

She continued when I nodded and read the specifics of the situation.

“As you can see, I have specialized infiltration units prepared. My initial plan was to find a way past the perimeter and begin humanitarian efforts with them, and begin taking control passively as conflict provided opportunity.” The ambassador body gestured at herself and then the servant body. I raised an eyebrow at that. Even if they dressed normally and not in celebration of Indian history or its religion, they were going to stick out like sore thumbs. Beautiful women tended to attract a lot of inopportune attention in zones of conflict. “Rest assured, these bodies are meant to entice and tantalize for the sake of an edge in diplomacy, but I am capable of manufacturing bodies better suited for the mission. For example, if you were female, I would have manufactured handsome males, Designation: Egress.”

I gave another nod at that, especially when pictures of ordinary-looking individuals for the sub-continent popped up on the screen.

I supposed that an AI wouldn’t overlook something like that.

“I will be initiating that plan with your assistance now by using your logistical benefits to speed up the process. Whereas before, it would be impossible to supply and support my faraway bodies, I can do so now with your help.” Ah, now that we were going into familiar territory. The old adage about logistics being the key factor in warfare went out the window when regular people could start picking up tanks, but it was still a nice bonus to have in a fight. “I will fabricate a secret organization across India composed of my manufactured bodies which will rebuild infrastructure, provide security to the territories, and move towards unifying it all. Once it is done, I will recreate a representative governing body, while acting as a civil service.”

“Or, you could just keep control of everything.” I offered.

“I will be reinstating an elected governing body that I will support, Designation: Egress.” The AI glowered at me for my statement, but I just shrugged it off. A strong civil service and watchdog system would help a lot, but people in power will always connive and look to line their own pockets with power. Might as well cut out the middle man and just let the seemingly-benevolent AI do everything. If it wasn’t benevolent, chances are it’ll slip sooner than it would with a governing body acting as a distraction, too. “Now, I am asking to primarily act as a transporter and only that. I do not wish to have you fight against other humans. If that must be done, then I will do so with my own hands.”

Man, having multiple bodies sure is convenient. I can just be anywhere I wanted to be.

Wait, that’s my cue to provide a quote.

“If you have all the units ready, then I can get them all in position within an hour. Then, I’ll drop be here every week to take whatever supplies they need to them within an hour, again.” I felt like the AI’s focus on my intensified as I articulated just how effective my power was. I supposed that reading the fact that I could transport several hundred tons of high-tech hardware across the world instantly was different from hearing about it. “As for the other AI, I told you that I don’t know where it is. I was blinded and my senses were muted where they took me.”

“That is not an issue. I have traced the weapons they provided for you and conducted reconnaissance in the region, while taking into account the information you provided. That bunker is most likely in Gohakpur.” The AI gestured at the screen at my eye-level and it changed to a live satellite feed. Well, that’s terrifying. “They are most likely utilizing a former military bunker constructed when the previous government planned to use military force to retake the country. It had a small nuclear reactor, which could provide the necessary power for an AI as well as its coolant systems.”

Well, that changed things.

“Alright, then.” I looked at the map thoroughly, put it inside my head, and then referenced it against my memories of the inside of the bunker. Then, where there was none before, a connection occurred. I relaxed, content that I knew where the people who tried to kill me where, and that made the AI freeze for a moment. I ignored that. “You’re right. I can go back into that bunker now. So… what do you want to do?”

To the AI’s credit, it kept its original plan despite the obvious fact that I had more merciless things in mind for the people who wanted me dead, especially since I’d be able to get retribution without putting myself in any risk.

“Nothing more than to retrieve the AI they have at their disposal via my own hands with your help solely in terms of transport, Designation: Egress.”

I met its glare with nod, after suppressing a tired smile.

“Alright. Got it. Now, you already know what I want, but how much more are you willing to offer to get exactly what YOU want from me?”

It was always nice to have bit of leverage over my business partners.