by Ivan Shaman
Having come up to the lab’s gate, he looked at the bridge that seemed even more arched now. The current carried the docked ship, and it put pressure on the structure, which was designed for much smaller loads. Sooner or later, if they didn’t remove the ship, the bridge wouldn’t stand and it would break up. Why not help nature right now?
He inspected the ship carefully. Twelve anchors were supposed to firmly hold it in place, but only three chains were strung – the others were either loosely dangling off to the side or missing.
“I need you to get the plan of the cruiser,” he said to Kris, pointing to the superstructure in the center of the ship. “It must be in the wheelhouse. As the majority of their soldiers are now guarding the land and inside the decks, it won’t be difficult for you to get inside and come back.”
“And after that?” The woman asked.
“As soon as you return, I’ll blow up the bridge so that it rams the center of their ship and they won’t be able to swim away.” Demon smiled. “When the evacuation begins, we’ll deliver the decisive blow.”
The woman nodded silently and, having turned on her ‘Invisibility’, ran across the bridge, using ‘Jerk’ immediately after reloading.
Now it was his turn to get ready. Although the bridge couldn’t withstand its current load, it was still well made. It was impossible to blow it up with one charge. Therefore, he needed to prepare properly.
Demon descended to the technical bridge and ran forward, inspecting the individual supports. In the concrete, there were tiny cracks, and the overlaps were bent.
Nevertheless, they weren’t enough to easily destroy the bridge. He needed one or two points for application of force. After inspecting the bridge near the center of the ship several times, he was convinced that there were no such points.
So, he had to either use a lot of explosives or approach the problem from outside the box. Everything was more or less clear with the bridge – iron, concrete, stainless steel, and plastic communication pipes. Everything was ‘normal’. Wait, what did he know about his gun?
His plasma gun was a mixture of flamethrower and a Gauss gun. At first, gas, heated by lasers to ultrahigh temperatures, was placed in a magnetic trap, and then the resulting plasma was ejected from the barrel via magnets. Theoretically, everything was simple, except for how this could be done from inside the organic body. He had no answer to this question.
The main thing was that if he divided the process into stages and used one of the lasers as a cutter, he would be able to do it. Demon opened his gun settings. He had to work hard, but as a result, he was not only able to create an alternate fire mode, but he also set up an intuitive switch between them. The cutter was effective at a range of up to twelve inches from his hand, then the laser beam was scattered. This was more than enough to loosen the piles, though.
Trying not to be noticed, Demon cut through several steel piles carefully, allowing the cutter to cool every ten seconds. Of course, the cutter could also be used as a weapon, but it would be far from effective. In half an hour, he managed to weaken the structure enough that one single volley of plasma would be sufficient to destroy it. Switching to the gun mode, he waited for Kris.
An hour passed, but the girl hadn’t returned. Alarmed, he strained his pumped ‘Perception’. What he heard was clearly bad: there was a fight on the ship. The noise of the battle was approaching, but it was at least one deck lower than necessary, behind the thick metal hull of the ship.
Song! Connection! The Luminary’s song spread to the nearest yard, forcing the low-levelers to raise their heads and the high-levelers to concentrate. Demon felt that he hadn’t managed to awaken every technocrat on the ship. However, hundreds of trapped low-levelers were now under his control, and he used their bodies to the maximum.
No pain! Making them overstrain, he felt the pain of their muscles, the stretching of their limbs, when the unprepared ones were using ‘Jerk’!
No blood! He felt every hit of a bullet or a dirk, but it didn’t matter, because there was a single goal ahead of them all. Not paying attention to the wounds and blood, they fought on.
No darkness! Many of them died, but each of them killed two or even three opponents. As some of them died, the others got more of his attention.
Only the Light! Everyone was under his song. Everyone received strength, vision, and skills that they simply couldn’t or shouldn’t have. They almost won, almost...
He endured more than twenty minutes of the fight. Most of the ship was covered with the blood of people and his brothers. Now it was more like a floating cemetery than a military cruiser. However, it remained just as dangerous. The brothers, who were deprived of the Light, continued to fight, but they couldn’t resist the well-organized defense of the Japanese. The people squeezed them away with heavy fire from their machine guns, not sparing any ammunition in doing so. The Luminary had no strength left to fight.
“How are you?” Kris asked, appearing directly in the air. “You’re looking worse than Caesar after the first battle for the relay station.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” he said, struggling to his feet. “What happened? Why have you been away so long?”
“You haven’t seen?” The woman asked in surprise. “I think you should see with the eyes of everyone you control.”
“Did I take you under my control?” He asked tiredly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay, I survived thanks to you.” Kris smiled, taking his right hand. “I met a small girl. One who almost killed me with her miniature katana.”
“It’s called ‘tanto’. A short samurai blade.” Demon tried to restore the picture of what he had seen during his song but nothing happened. “Long black hair, brown eyes and green combat boots. Is that her?”
“Yes. Don’t they all wear green boots, though?”
“No, only ground troops should wear green. Sea troops wear black ones.” Demon shook his head. “You’ve met Death.”
“Have you seen her before?” Kris was surprised.
“Twice. Every time I’ve miraculously remained alive.” He smiled. “As they say, God loves a trinity, now it is our turn.” He pointed the cannon on the previously altered far column. “As soon as I shoot, we must immediately run to the shore.”
“What about their leaders?”
“Not this time. I think we’ll have a chance in future. Are you ready?” The woman nodded. He leaned over the bridge and fired. There was a loud explosion, and the column cracked. However, nothing else happened – it stood in its place.
After a few seconds, the beams gnashed and finally began to crumble, taking the crossmembers and the stops with them. Unable to withstand one such blow, the column arched and snapped. A piece of the bridge, three hundred yards long, fell into the sea, breaking off a section at a time. The ship tilted under the weight of the bridge wreckage, caught on its side, and then it began to roll over. When they reached the shore, the cruiser had already crashed into the sharp piles, which significantly changed the bottom of the vessel.
“That’s it,” Demon said contentedly. “Now they’re not going anywhere from here.” Given the range of their guns and machine guns – the only thing that they still have after the EMP – they’ll only be dangerous for us if we approach within six miles of the ship.”
“Have we won?” Kris asked in surprise.
“Not the war, but this battle, for sure.” Demon smiled triumphantly. “We can move on. The next stop is the city center.”
Chapter 37. To the Centre
“I’ve made a mistake in my calculations,” Demon muttered, looking at the decent crowd of brothers that currently surrounded him as soon as they got out of the town that the Japanese controlled. “Hi, Marcus. Don’t you want to get up from your knees?”
“I fervently greet you, Blazing.” The Master bowed even more. “Forgive me for doubting your uniqueness. I was stupid and short-sighted to do so.”
“Everyone, stand up,” Demon whispered, open
ing a common channel for the ‘Connection’. The effect wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. Everyone leaped from their knees and stood still – soldier-like. He swore, sending them to hell, but he did so mentally. Who knew what would happen if they took it as an instruction and really went there. “At ease,” he said loudly, so that the hundred technocrats could hear him. They heard, but they didn’t react...
“We have been waiting for you for so long,” the Senior Master continued. “We’re so glad you have returned.”
“Listen, I really don’t like your subservience,” Demon said sharply so that his words couldn’t be interpreted the wrong way. “Where are Jane and Lancelot?”
“They are with the eastern patrol group. They will return soon,” Marcus mumbled, still choosing his words carefully. “I’ll send for them if you wish?”
“No need. I’ll do it myself.” He concentrated, trying to find the necessary signal within the ‘Connection’. Then, recalling the list, he chose Jane and activated the ‘Connection’. “Hello! How are you?”
“Where are you?” The girl exclaimed excitedly. “I’m coming to find you immediately!”
“You don’t need to do it immediately, be careful. You shouldn’t rush over. I’m fine. I’m waiting for you at the gathering point.”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
Demon selected her point on the map and marked it to follow her easily. Then he looked at the disposition of ‘his’ units. He felt extremely uncomfortable and unnatural in the role of a warlord. Until that moment, he had only to think about Jane, but now he had more than a hundred technocrats who were counting on his support and guidance. Unfortunately, Demon wasn’t a good commander. During the battle on the ship, they seemed to have lost all their brothers there. The responsibility for their death pressed painfully on the shoulders of the newly-made Blazing Luminary.
“We need a car,” he said, addressing the Senior Master. “A truck or an all-terrain vehicle, capable of driving at least fifty of us over this snow.”
“This won’t be a problem – we have a tank filled up that can haul a truck and trailer,” the inspired Marcus reported. “We have no shells left for it, but as a towing vehicle it can still serve a purpose.”
“Not bad.” Demon nodded in satisfaction. “As soon as Lancelot and Jane return, we’ll head toward the city center. Prepare everything for departure. If you can figure out how to pick up everyone who has woken up along the way, it’ll be great.”
“I’ll do my best!” Marcus bowed slightly and disappeared behind the ruins of a small house. A few twentieth-levelers quickly went after him.
Demon hadn’t really fully thought through what he was going to do, but the fact that transport would be found and repaired for him was a very pleasant start.
“Alex!” With a joyful cry, Jane rushed over to him. She hung on his neck, and he gladly pulled her into an embrace.
“Nice to see you, too,” he said, smiling with the corners of his lips raised. “Please, never call me Alex, though, okay?”
“But that’s your name.” Jane pulled away, a look of surprise on her face.
“No, not anymore. Alex died long ago.” He stroked her hair. “I am Demon. Well, that or Luminary… or Blazing. But not Alex. I’m no longer a human.”
“Why?” Jane asked uncertainly. “What’s happened to you?”
“Nothing special. I’ve just realized what our place is in this new world. It’s completely different from what Caesar or the Emperor thought.”
“So, we won’t be negotiating with the people, will we?” Lancelot asked carefully, approaching.
“No way.” Demon smiled and patted the Protector on the shoulder. “They’re past that stage. We don’t even need to destroy them all. It’s enough for us to just slightly push them toward the edge of the abyss, which they dug themselves.”
“What will happen after that?”
“They’ll die out. Just like dinosaurs and the dodo.”
“But we can’t breed without them.” With pressure, Jane added, “We’re biologically humans. We still need to conceive a child, give birth to him or her, wait until he or she grows up, and only then insert their implants. All this time they will be human!”
“You’re mistaken, my dear.” Demon laughed. “Your nanomachines will be given to your child through your blood. I’m not sure whether they’ll have implants, but most likely, yes. They might even be of a new type, previously unknown to us. Besides, don’t we have a few hundred children already who have grown up only bodily?” He pointed at the low-levelers. “Everyone has at least ten children, so we definitely won’t perish.”
“Ten children,” the Protector muttered thoughtfully. “I haven’t even considered it from that side. That’s somehow scary for such an amount.”
“We are ten times more than people. Taking into account the beginning of the nuclear winter, in six months we will be twenty times more than them. In a year, a hundred times.”
“However, we’re only the ones who have woken up,” Jane corrected him carefully. “The rest of the technocrats are simply freezing, and the nanomachines in their blood aren’t working.”
“That’s why we need to go to the city center.” Demon nodded confidently. “To wake up as many of our brothers and sisters as possible.”
“If you’re talking about the relay station, then it won’t work. It’s highly unlikely that it’ll ever work – all the wiring and equipment was burned by the multiple EMP.”
“That’s okay. Marcus and the rest of the Masters will no doubt repair it. The main thing is that no one will distract them. If you want to ask about energy, then you don’t need to worry. We don’t need it to work constantly. We just need a few seconds of stable connection to be enough.”
“So, we’re going to wake up all of our brothers and sisters?”
“Yeah.” Demon smiled. Now he didn’t need to close his eyes to see his subordinates through the walls. “The Masters are coming back. They’ll tell us everything.”
“We’ve been able to start one of the snow removal tractors,” Marcus said proudly. “It has a good engine, and the tracks are wide. So, we have two tractors and a bus that they’ll pull.”
“Not bad. What about the pass ability of the bus itself? Won’t it get stuck in the deeper snow?”
“No, not if the tank and tractor go in front of it,” the Master reported. “We can carry everyone at a time.”
“Great news.” Demon smiled, but, remembering how his smile looked, he became serious. “Let’s go. The faster we get going, the more time we will have. I’ll go with the majority in the bus.”
“I can’t be in the bus,” Marcus said, frowning. “I’ll have to drive the tractor. My senior assistant will drive the tank.” He pointed at the twentieth-level Master. “He’s stupid, but he is a technical person, like all Masters.”
“Good. Then we don’t have to stay here anymore.” Demon turned on the ‘Connection’, speaking to the entire district. “Everyone, get on the bus,” he said, and then immediately, recalling his previous experience, he added, “Calmly, without a crush. There is a place for everyone.” The refinement was just in time, so as not to create a crush. Everything went without problems; the long regular bus soon became crowded.
Demon was the last to come in and sit down in his place that had been prepared by Jane. The twentieth-levelers and seniors were located on the adjacent armchairs, and all the juniors moved toward the back. Not bad. He even had a chat with someone. Although it wasn’t proper. Only Jane treated him more or less normally. The rest were either afraid of him or trying to curry favor. Fortunately, he didn’t have to use his ‘Control’. It was enough to just tell everyone that they should sit and calmly waited for their arrival.
“What do you think?” Jane began, “What is going on in the center now?”
“I don’t know,” Demon answered honestly. “Considering the people’s purge, I’m sure that it’s nothing good. Most likely, they’ve set snipers on a
ll the roofs and built new barricades. In any case, in two hours we’ll see for ourselves.”
Even with his perception, it was impossible to see if the relay station remained intact from such a distance. Over the past four days, anything could have happened and he couldn’t guarantee that people hadn’t blown up the station.
“I hope they didn’t demolish the building and destroy the antennas. The wiring can be dragged over, the schemes can be replaced, but we can’t rebuild the entire building,” Demon remarked. “If they destroyed the building... Well, then we’ll have to work out an alternative plan and that will take time.”
At night, when the sun had already set, they drove into the seemingly dead city. Several reconnaissance groups of people hid to note their approach. It was necessary to send out hit teams, but he had too few minions left to do so.
“Marcus, we are heading straight to the relay station,” he commanded through the ‘Connection’. When the Luminary confirmed the order, he began to peer closely through the window. Despite the beginning of the nuclear winter, and the ever-dark sky during the daytime, at night the visibility was even worse. Their eyes were, of course, many times better adapted than humans’, but still…
Chapter 38. Emperor’s Grave
When they arrived at the relay station, which had previously been just a Sakhalin television studio building and the island’s wireless communication center, they saw it was in perfect working order. The antennas had melted in some places, but they looked like they were operational. Although they didn’t doubt that some of the equipment would have burned down.
“Marcus. How long will it take you to power only the antenna from the equipment and repair the circuit?” Demon asked, hoping that his estimate of ten to twelve hours would be redundant.
“If we remove the engines and turn them into generators, so as not to look for a half mile of wire, I think about twenty hours,” he said. “But we’d better use cars and normalize them. Then it’ll take sixteen hours. If no one disturbs us.”