I leaned back against the wall, fatigue settling in as I stared down at the Parademon's corpse, a flash of something streaking through my mind.
...Should I eat it?
The thought came to me like a phantom in the night, a line of thinking that vanished as soon as it appeared.
No—what the... of course not!
Even if I was hungry and on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, I shouldn't resort to such a desperate measure.
The act of eating such a corpse wasn't alien to me. My digestive system was strong, much stronger that most lesser races. Warriors of the Empire usually ate our opponents after a victorious battle, but...
The way it fought, the way it moved. It was so much like a trained Viltrumite warrior, I just knew. The muscle memory must have carried over when they became a Parademon.
I couldn't possibly eat the flesh of my own kind. Corrupted as the Parademons were, it'd probably still count as cannibalism if they were made from Viltrumite remains.
Memoried flowed back to me, of when I first heard how the the troops of Apokalips were created. The process was hardly a secret, more like common knowledge, yet it remained as one of the Universe's most heinous war crimes.
Not that such things would matter to a genocidal despot hungering for the Anti-Life Equation.
After a planet has been annexed by Darkseid, the fate of most of its citizens was to be thrown inside a biovat and remade into a snarling Parademon. Even then, that was just for those who were included amongst the strong. But for those lowly in power? They are to be split apart and mixed with Argall-knows what to create Paradrones.
The thought of it sent a disgusting churn crawling down my back. For a proud Warrior of the Empire to be so violated, so desecrated as if they were a lesser creature...
That would happen to me if I lose.
And that's why couldn't afford to lose. No matter what, I had to survive, I had to resist, I had to...
My eyes drifted up from the deceased Parademon and narrowed with heavy scrutiny.
"Care to explain you took so long to open the hatch...?" I asked with a deep frustration in my voice. "Do you think I'm some kind of trash that you can just leave at the doormat!?"
It was unlike me to argue with mere artificial intelligence, but the audacity of this Iterator was too much and I could barely contain my anger.
Kneeling at the epicentre of the room was a figure slightly smaller than myself. It had scarlet red skin and huge, unblinking yellow eyes, one of which was visibly damaged. It stood there naked with no clothing, exposing the cracks that littered the surface of its skin. Even then there was not much to look at for it was no true living being, but a synthezoid designed for communication.
"Sorry." It responded in a voice that was neither masculine nor feminine. Yet there was a slight hint of seniority laced in each word. "The surveillance and security systems have been severely damaged, I did not know whether you were friend or foe..."
If the entire Superstructure was the Iterator's true body, then the being in front of me was a mere puppet. That fact was further emphasized by the huge robotic arm attached to its back, one that extended down all the way from the ceiling, puppeteering it like a doll.
"Only after hearing your voice did I find a match in the database." The Iterator continued. The mouth opening and closing after each word in the exact same way. A bit uncanny. "...Greetings, Vanguard Lughal."
That greeting got my eyes to widen before I shook my head in dismissal. The name was certainly mine, but the title that preceded it?
I stared into the Iterator's emotionless eyes before I gave a scoff. "Just call me Lugh."
"...And I'm no Vanguard, I didn't have the chance to be." Bitterness oozed out from each word. "Not with what's happened to the Empire."
The Iterator tilted its puppet's head to the side. "Your name is already in the Vanguard Registry..."
"But if you insist, then I will abide." It nodded politely.
I narrowed my eyes but just ended up sighing.
"Which one are you, anyway...? I need to know what I have here, not much use for a Farmer or Miner, unfortunately." I asked a little callously as I waited with hands crossed.
There were hundreds of Iterators on Viltrum. Each of them was designed for a specific purpose, whether that be to maintain nearby industrial work, conduct research on the planet's tectonic plates, or whatever else that would be better done by AI.
Think about it, which self-respecting Viltrumite wants to bother with menial work like harvesting natural resources? Just make the robots do it!
There was a very brief silence, but it soon passed as the Iterator slowly stood up and bowed—as it should.
"...I am the Praetor Model #4, Designation — Added To The Equation." The introduction was brisk and instantaneous, but it then paused before gazing at me with uncertainty.
"Or just... Add."
I blinked at the last part. A nickname?
An eye for an eye, I suppose... wasn't that the saying? Or was it a tongue for a tongue...? Nah, that second one sounds off.
"Okay then, Add." I nodded in confirmation as I paused and coughed into the palm of my hand.
Looking down, a concerning amount of blood stained my fingers. I shook my head and tried my best to ignore it.
My eyes glazed over the interior of the Core Room. This was the most well-defended room that any Iterator would possess. As the Superstructure was their body, the Core Room could be called their heart and brain. Any significant damaged dealt here would almost always be fatal.
Water leaked from the roof, inviting moss and small critters in as they made their home upon the cracks on the walls. The lighting was dim, with the brightest thing in the room not being any actual lights, but the Iterator's main server.
The server looked like a miniaturized version of the Superstructure—its shape was almost identical. A large mass of steel in the form of a cube supported by four pillars connected to the floor. It was roughly about the size of a high-ranking officer's bed.
"Since your surveillance system isn't working, you might not have known this yet, but..." I said wearily as I took a seat on the ground, leaning back against the Iterator's form. It was warm, which I suppose I needed. "The Empire's all dead. I think I'm the last one left, probably..."
The Iterator visibly shook from my words as the puppet somewhat struggled to hold my weight against it. "O-Oh."
"...I've had my suspicions. But to hear the news directly..." The Iterator seemed genuinely distraught even if the emotion couldn't really be conveyed in its autonomous voice.
I stared at it with a complicated expression, wondering whether it felt any amount of actual grief or if it was just trying to show a proper reaction based on its programming.
Though thinking about it, there probably wasn't much of a difference between the two.
"...I'm sorry about that. What would you like me to do, Master Lugh?" Eventually, Add settled back to its neutral state and continued the conversation.
"Master?" I repeated, blinking a few times.
"...It's only right." Add explained as the puppet adjusted to better resist against my weight. "If what you say is true, then my previous Master must be dead."
"In such cases when the appointed successor is... also dead. Protocol dictates that I am to grant Master Authority to the highest ranking Viltrumite in the sector until a new successor is decided." The Iterator continued. "Since everyone above you is also presumably dead, that means you are that highest ranking Viltrumite, Master Lugh."
In any other scenario, I would have been overjoyed by that title.
Highest ranking Viltrumite.
But now? It was damn bitter, that's what it was. Like being forced to swallow shit scrapped off the side of the road.
"...I-In that case, you need to help me." I said as I stumbled back on my feet. The blood still dripping fresh from my wounds as the inside of my head spun dizziyingly like a blender. "I need to... get out of here, Add. Find a new place and..."
"You are on the verge of death, Master." Add informed me of the obvious as he helped me stand. "It is... commendable that you are still composed after all of this, but—"
"No!" I shouted and shook my head rapidly. "...We can't waste time on my recovery. I've already alerted those guys... they'll break through here... eventually."
It was a struggle to even get my words out, but I managed to do so anyway. At least, for the most part.
"Master Lugh, according to my estimations, reaching the nearest uncolonized habitable planet will take approximately 200-400 hours with an average Viltrumite's FTL State speed—"
"I am much faster than the average Viltrumite." My voice rudely interrupted Add's conjecture as I sneered. "Just... come on, I'll take your Neuron Core and get the hell out of here."
The Iterator stayed silent at my words, perhaps in deep computational thought. "Master Lugh..."
"If your plan is to fly off world in your current state, then that is a terrible plan." It bluntly rebuked.
I snorted. "You have a better idea...?"
"Of course, it is my purpose to have better ideas." Add said with an eager nod as it immediately began to explain and wasted no more time. "North of here in the southern sector's Farm Arrays, there should be a shipyard with one or two relatively intact vessels that we can still take..."
"Hold on, hold on..." I interrupted its explanation as I coughed blood into my palm once more. "How do you know all of this this? I thought your surveillance was off? Or are just basing this off of prior knowledge from before the invasion?"
The Iterator paused as it realized the lapse in logic and quickly addressed it. "You are correct, Master Lugh. My surveillance systems are offline, but I can still pick up on stray radio signatured..."
It then pointed to the North with an index finger. "I have found the approximate location and determined the best possible ship for us to take based on the shipyard's database pre-invasion..."
"The best case scenario would be the Frigate-class SP12 stationed there. If it is still in good condition, then we can maximize your survival rate by 72% as it should be installed with a high-functioning Healing Pod and Cloaking Devices." Add explained as throughly as it possibly could. "Although if that isn't possible, then..."
Add began to list a few more possible plans I could undertake as I listened to its ramblings with rapt attention, the metaphorical gears in my kicking into action.
"Alright..." I decided with a hand placed on my chin. "Let's bet on that shipyard you talked about. If it can get me out of here fast without anyone noticing then it really would be the best scenario."
"I'm glad you agreed, Master Lugh." Add nodded with satisfaction.
With the plan set in motion, we immediately moved to the next step as I flew to the top of the room.
"Uh... how should I do this...?" I asked Add as the giant robotic arm attached to its back lifted the Iterator's puppet to be on my level of elevation.
"It's pretty simple, Master Lugh. You just need to grab it." Add reassured me as we stared at the spinning orb hanging down from the ceiling.
This was the 'Core Room', the name wasn't just for show as in front of my hands was Add's Neuron Core.
In simpler terms, Add's brain.
...Well, not really. The main servers were its brain, the part that computed and calculated everything that could be translated into data. The Neuron Core on the other hand is for storing that data.
By taking this Neuron Core and implanting it to another compatible and strong enough computer, I could essentially clone Add and make a new iteration.
...This is also why they are called Iterators, because the AI improves by each iteration of its existence. Which did indeed mean I'll be abandoning this Iteration of Add, unfortunately.
Hopefully, the next Iteration retains most of this guy's polite personality.
"Are you sure...?" I asked again, wary since this was my only chance. A mistake here and I might just be a goner.
"Yes, there is no need to worry." Add reassured.
With a deep, calming breath, I stared at the shiny orb large enough to be held in both hands. It'd be slightly harder to sneak around with this conspicious thing, but I should be able to do it.
"Thank you." I said softly as I yanked the sphere out from its hanging post. "May Argall be with you in the next life."
"You are already holding it."
.
.
.
Author Note
Alright guys, since we reached 50 Power Stones after 2 chaps, we can do 100 with 4.
This shall be your next quest, grant me 100 Power Stones before the turn of the weak, and in exhange, an extra chapter shall be your reward.
Cheers.