The Industrialist

Thoughts reminisced of a past that was long gone. He remembered when he was still human, these structures were his home. It was where humans could live peacefully and interact with the neighbors.

Now, they were living in pods, in walls, or the ground, or wherever their pod was situated. It was more peaceful and all humanly remorse were gone. The pods, their homes, provided them with greater than peace.

Euphoria.

He had no dreams when he slept. He knew what dreams were. They were not real. What he had during his sleep state were memories. Bitter memories of being human, of being weak.

His thoughts were knocking still to get out from the prison beneath a deeper sense, locked inside his soul.

’Johnny, this is a different group. They have a weapon that I have never faced before,’ Nathan said telepathically.

Their strategy was better than the previous ambush. As their Battalion Overlord, he was responsible for the lives of his subordinates. He knew the ambush was better, the groundlings were more strategic with their attacks, and Rhino was also attacking without being wounded much by the humans’ firepower.

But the blue mist distracted their plans. They should be successful, destroying the collected truckloads of salt, but they managed to tip over only one cargo truck.

He had to retract Rhino’s attack as not to be exposed to the blue mist.

He saw his brethren burned to ash in minutes. He had to pull out his groundlings to dissipate any residue that mists left behind.

’The blue mist. They killed our brethren,’ Johnny responded.

’I know, Johnny. This collection is not sanctioned, this is a different group. Probably expendables. Mercenaries. They are the worst.’

’The three of them are already trapped. Should I lead them to full attack,’ Johnny suggested referring to his handful of groundlings.

Nathan glanced on his Adjutant. He nodded.

’Poison them first,’

Johnny shrugged the thought.

’I will kill them with my own hands. I want them to suffer, prolong their agony. For our brethren they killed.’

Nathan expected Johnny’s request. Johnny needed to feel the death of his opponent on his flaccid arms.

’No survivors, Johnny. Cautious, my brother, they might still have that weapon,’ Nathan said.

Johnny sauntered deeper into the village and into the last establishment on the farthest corner where the survivors were trapped.

The two cargo trucks escaped. The Entity would not be pleased. He knew it. The Entity would control the Queen to punish them with rationalized body supplements. A decreased dosage.

He needed the supplements every time he slept.

It was not a choice. It was a necessity. Not for his pleasure but for his own body. Quenching the hunger that crunching his innards within.

He could not pursue them anymore. The consequence was his only doing and they should not be punished because of his misdirection.

’No. I am responsible for this. Spare them. Provide their full supplement,’ He prayed. Hoping that the Entity would hear him.

Rhino purred as he caressed its horns.

’I know, Rhino. In due time. Let Johnny do his work. If he fails, then let’s bring the building down,’ Nathan responded to Rhino’s non-verbal communication.

It could not talk, but Nathan understood it. Its emotions, its feelings, especially when it’s hungry or needing rest, he could feel them. When it’s happy, he could almost taste it.

He would know every feeling and emotion under his command. The Entity will provide everything, only their generic needs. But the care and the cultivation of every being under him was his direct accountability.

Nathan could not fathom the rationale of the way they communicated with the pack. Their mouths were only used for feeding, but not employing communication.

Except him. Except for the Abominated humans. A special case, Johnny had severed his throat during his transformation and was unable to utter verbal communication—only telepathy.

They were blessed by the Entity, spiritually, and such blessing would be filtered through the queen.

The Instruction was absolute. Even the Queen could not defy the Entity.

Demetrian Season was nearing. He could feel the power that coursed through his blood, regenerating his cells to their ultimate potential. And the Season of winter would provide such power.

It was the time for the birth of a new generation of Abominants. Like him. To expand the Battalions and grow the army.

It was the coldness, the ice beyond the dusty atmosphere, that provided such strength.

His thoughts were startled by the gunshots, looming again as the groundlings started to invade the third floor. He could hear deaths; it was weird though. Even in death, he could hear them.

The cries of their souls, as the last ounce of life left the body, were discernable to him like a call for forgiveness for their failure.

He hated death. It dug a sharp searing pain through his heart every time he felt death of every groundling.

The feeling of death came like tidal waves. He cursed on his thoughts.

’Who are these people? Why can’t they just die!’

Johnny started to invade the building.

He wanted to intervene; however, it was Johnny’s wish to kill them with his bare hands, without even the use of his special abilities.

Nathan could not just wait on the sidelines. He was also curious about the kind of people he faced. They did not bring robots this time, they were all humans.

Which made him curious. The intelligence of these people had somehow outthought his strategy. The weapon was the key to his failure.

The two cargo trucks were a mystery to him to where they would hide. Night had come and he knew that humans feared the night. They hide away from plain sight.

He glanced upon the peaks of the nearest mountain, due north. The Asphodel forest climbed from the foot of the mountain and towards the peaks.

He pointed at the Asphodel mountain’s mid-section. ’There you are,’ He laughed.

After they kill the three human beings, he will then attack the remains of the convoy. He could still deliver victory and the Entity would be happy.

’Don’t worry,’ He convinced himself, ’Johnny will kill them.’

The gunshots were tactical, they were not wasting bullets. He assessed.

They were highly trained to kill Abominants. They were experienced. He could feel the wrath amongst the three survivors.

He felt Johnny had entered the second floor. The groundlings retreated from the flight of stairs. He commanded them.

’Let my Adjutant finish the mission,’ He commanded through his thoughts.

They were all silent. He could feel the groundlings had subsided their hunger to kill. He could feel their fear in his telepathic voice. It was the Entity that bathed him the authority over these Abominants.

Groundlings were easy to breed and not complicated to command. Those were the reasons why Nathan chose the groundlings other than the level 2 Abominants. They were messier. Their thoughts. The more they increased their levels, the more they were resistant to a superior command.

Even though Rhino was a level 3 Abominant, it had peaceful thoughts.

He was curious about the survivors. Hence, he jumped higher than the three-story building, and the wings between his long fingers activated and managed his float.

The establishment had no roof; thus, he could see them. He could witness the fight between the futile strengths of human beings. He was evaluating the cruelty of his Adjutant.

The two men shot at Johnny but he knew he could take the bullets. They did not know where to shoot. Johnny’s internal organs were moved inside his body in very unusual places.

His brain was in his calves, his lungs were placed in his thighs. Johnny just stood there, absorbing the bullets on his chest, even on his head.

From Nathan’s vantage point, the humans were hopeless.

The other one lunched with a knife, trying maybe to cut Johnny’s head. The knife could determine that Johnny was hollow in his upper body. The second one lunged for an attack, too.

Still hopeless.

The humans were skilled with hand-to-hand combats; however, Johnny was strong. He pushed the two combatants further back against the walls.

That would finish them, however, unconscious still.

Surprisingly, the third one, a younger kid threw a brick towards Johnny. Johnny did not even flinch with the kid’s attack. Johnny took gentle strides toward the cowering young human being.

The kid was cornered. A brick was thrown again but Johnny’s strides continued to press on with the same menacing pace.

Nathan was praising from above. He flapped his hands to leverage his elevation to maintain his audience.

In the blink of an eye, the boy darted a messy grapple after he threw another rock. Maybe it was pity that made Johnny slow with his reaction, but eventually, he shoved the kid away.

Helplessly, the kid crawled further back away from Johnny.

Unpredictably, before Johnny could execute the finishing touches, the bluish smoke appeared. Not in any other places but at Johnny’s feet.