Mod Superhero

Chapter 5.24 - Improvise

Mod and Arsenal watched from the parking garage as highlighted enemies converged on highlighted allies. Athena and Lucy were still holding their position in an abandoned office building across the block.

That was worrying enough, but now TINA had gone silent.

Mod would've chalked it up to her lack of processing power compared to before the war, but that was before they had to worry about a technopath like Midas.

Mod tried to keep his voice level. "Should we move to intercept?"

"Do not intercept," TINA finally replied. "There is an uptick in communications activity across the sector. It is likely that other patrols are converging on the block. I'll highlight nearby patrols as they come within range."

"Shit," Arsenal muttered. "How did they find us?"

"Right now it doesn't matter." Mod turned, quickly surveying the surrounding block. So far, Mod could only see the soft glow of trash can fires and the scattered groups of homeless people in the garage. There weren't any more highlighted patrols, which meant they had time to escape. "TINA, do you still have those maps of Belport and the underground tunnels?"

"Yes. There is an access hatch on the first floor of the garage. I am attempting to guide our allies there. However, Lucy is taking some convincing."

"Behind us."

Mod followed Arsenal's gaze to a second group of biomechs approaching from the East, then a third group from the North—

Moving fast.

There was no way Athena and Lucy would reach the parking garage before the biomechs did.

"TINA, the drones are still unarmed, right? How tough are these mechs?"

A flood of specifications scrolled down Mod's HUD, but he didn't have to actively read it. He understood it in an instant, courtesy of his direct connection to TINA.

And he shuddered.

The biomechs were engineered by Ava Savanus, a member of the Binary Brotherhood. There were three styles of biomech, each controlled by a copy of Ava's brain. None of the brains were an exact copy of the original—instead, they were implanted in a biomech. While the brain matured, its growth was directed electrically and surgically until the biomech became an organism all its own.

Part of this maturation was allowing each biomech to pick out its own weaponry. All mechs were governed to have at least one nonlethal weapon, and 98% of mechs only had one nonlethal option.

The smallest biomechs were quadrupedal, dog-sized reconnaissance units. These were lightly armored and outfitted with small caliber weapons. As far as physical threats went, these were a non-issue for Mod and Arsenal. However, the biomechs were all linked and communicating in real-time, so they could still be dangerous if they called for backup.

The second biomechs were human-sized and could alternate between bipedal and quadrupedal as needed. These were generally employed as security units due to their size and adaptability. They sported everything from riot-control armaments to military-grade weapons. Depending on their loadout, they weighed anywhere from 200 to 400 pounds.

The final biomechs were bipedal, heavy units. They stood anywhere from one to almost two stories tall and weighed up to three tons. They carried armor and weapons usually reserved for tanks and aircraft—everything from EMPs to rotary cannons, missile launchers, and high-watt lasers.

TINA had helpfully labeled the reconnaissance, security, and heavy units as rec, sec, and hec units, respectively.

"Ew, I can't believe these things are real," Arsenal muttered to herself.