38 Overseer (2/2)
Althea chimed, ”Uh, what is that per say?”
The overseer lowered his hand, ”To combine all beings into a single species. He believes that only by making every kind of lifeform join together can he create peace. It's a misguided, foolish, and reckless goal. He will stop at nothing to do it, no matter how many worlds he decimates.”
A long pause ebbed through the room. I sighed as I put my hands on my hips, ”Well fuck man...That's some heavy shit.”
Torix nodded, ”I second your sentiments. That is why we are here to help him stop Yawm.”
I nodded, ”Yo overseer. Would you mind I ask a question?”
The overseer opened a palm towards me, ”What would you like to know?”
”You seem real heated about the whole thing. I was wondering why?”
”Do you remember the bracken? The species that Yawm and his kind enslaved?”
”Well, yeah.”
”I was one of those slaves. This is the first time Schema has let me actively work against Yawm. The other overseers have failed to stop him. I will not.”
I took a step back, stunned at his honesty. Kessiah put her hands on the side of her head as she gasped, ”Oh shit.”
The overseer brushed us off, ”I won't speak of those times, but I will act as the intermediary between you and the legion. I've spent more time than I should here already. Speaking of history catches me at times.”
The overseer stepped forwards and we passed through the warehouse as a group. The overseer pointed a single finger forward at the gated doorway. Several tiny spikes of lightning arced from his finger tip, making the door pop up and open.
We all walked through the doorway before Althea said, ”Overseer, I was wondering why you have emotions. Anytime I've spoken with sentinels, they seemed more...muzzled.”
”Overseers are given full control of their conscious. Schema tried making sentinels and overseers completely driven by AI interfaces before. They were never as successful as a sentient mind. It was mostly due to risk management. The AI's took no risks, meaning they sacrificed many worlds.”
Althea glanced forward, ”Oh...Thanks for answer.”
”And it will be the final one before we meet again.”
We walked in front of the steel legion. The warehouse amped up the security, several turrets installed at the top of the building. Several new guards walked around other warehouses, though not ours. The overseer likely knew their schedules and whatnot. They even installed some barbed wire along the windows of the building, though it wouldn't do them any good.
As we approached, several of the power armor wearing soldiers aimed their rifles at us. Once they identified the levels of our party though, they lowered their aim and threw themselves into a frenzy. Several even ran away when they saw the extra question mark beside the overseer's name.
Before they could get too far, the overseer raised his hand, and everyone stopped in place. As the overseer lowered his hand, the legion was allowed to move again but none of them did. They stayed frozen in place, terrified of the giant walking with a group of high leveled unknowns.
We walked into the building before the overseer faced his hand forward with his fingers pressed together. As he pulled them apart, the walls separating us from the commanding office unfolded like wet tissue paper. The five of us didn't even flinch though. By now, this was the least we expected out of the overseer.
At the end of the newly created hallway, a man specced out in different, blue model of the power armor was leaning over a map of Springfield. He didn't have a helmet on, letting us see his face. With gray hair and a gray beard, he looked like an old sea captain put onto land against his will. Of course that's if you didn't include his blue skin and three black lines under each eye.
Carrying a look of utter confusion, he just stared at the five of us. The overseer reached up to him,
”Hello sergeant Whitley. This group of four unknowns will assist your section of the legion with containing the infected area. They will clear out infected sectors, and your troops will lock in the containment field behind them. Do you understand?”
Sergeant Whitley shot up into a salute before shouting, ”Sir yes Sir.”
”Good.” The overseer turned to us, ”Good luck. You will need it.”
At that instant, the overseer disappeared. It was so sudden, I could hear the air rush past my ears to fill the void he left behind. Everyone stood still like statues as he left, stunned at the suddenness of everything that just happened.
The first to speak was actually me,
”Well uh, sorry about the other day?”
Sergeant Whitley stepped out of his salute and shouted like a drill sergeant,
”You crippled two of my best recruits. One of them dropped out of the legion and the other one needs a whole new suit of armor.”
I frowned as Torix stepped up, ”Excuse me, Whitley was it? Yes, do treat us with more-”
Whitley thundered, ”You want me to treat you better? Tough luck maggot-”
Torix gripped his hand as an invisible force crushed Whitley's neck. The veins on Whitley's neck bulged as his face purpled. His legs flailed against the ground as he tried grabbing his neck. He writhed in the air as Torix seethed,
”I am done with being spoken too in such a manner, by anyone. You will be my example and the corpse I play with.”
Whitley's struggling intensified further before Torix flicked his other hand. Whitley's right arm bent backwards, causing a gasp of agony from Whitley. Torix turned and looked at everyone,
”Do you see your commanding officer?”
Torix flicked another finger, sending his knee bending backwards.
”This is what happens to those who speak that way to me. Allow me to reiterate.”
With another flick, Whitley's other arm and leg twisted like pretzels. The crack of bone and crumpling of steel ebbed through the room. Whitley struggled against the force for air, but Torix didn't seem like he was in a merciful mood.
Torix tapped the edge of his robe, taking one tooth out of the man's mouth at a time. Even Kessiah winced a bit at the sight, a trooper in the back taking of his helmet so he could vomit. Torix lifted his hand before pressing his palm towards the floor.
Whitley pressed into the floor. His broken legs moved out of the way before his hips met the ground. The man squished against the ground as Torix released his throat. His screams echoed throughout the room as Torix glanced around.
Like an execution, all the eyes of the legion watched their commanding officer be crushed against the floor. By the time the screaming stopped, Whitley was a giant pool of liquified mush on the ground. All of the sudden, I understood why Alfred had left his father. In fact, I doubt I couldn't understand why. Torix didn't have much in the way of patience.
It surprised me how little it bothered me. I guess after experiencing so much horror, it left me numb to the whole thing. Torix was well past that point though. He relished in the act of domination. I didn't want to be under his heel forever, though I doubt he enjoys equals.
Speaking of which, Torix boomed his words with charisma, ”This will happen to anyone who thinks I accept insult lightly. It tires me, being spoken down to. I don't like things that tire me.”
Torix turned to me, ”Keep this in mind, apostle.”
I shook my head with great vigor before Torix announced, ”Get me an empty room and the next officer in the chain of command. We will work out a deal while you make sure my compatriots are comfortable.”
The crowd of steel legion members burst into activity, each of them obeying as if their life depended on it. Honestly, it probably did. One trooper walked up, his hands shaking inside his armor. He said through his intercom,
”Uhm...uh...we can get you Corporal Briggs. He's the next highest member, sir.”
”Then let's go meet him.”
Torix walked off with the scared shitless trooper guiding him. The rest of our group just stood in the middle of the room. After another awkward ass pause, Kessiah spread her arms,
”Well that was a gory entrance. You guys got any good food here?”
As she finished her words, an unarmored scientist down the hall vomited his lunch.
All in all, it wasn't the worst introduction I’d ever seen. It was right on up there though.