Mod Superhero

Chapter 7.69 - Battle in the Atlantic

Mod flew over the Atlantic Ocean at four times the speed of sound.

His destination was one of TINA's decoy antimatter generators, and it was roughly in the middle of that vast expanse of blue. The water was calm, with waves barely three feet high. That was good because most of Mod's enemies would be spending a considerable amount of time in the surf.

There was little more to do than fly, so he passed the time watching data feeds of his teammates. He quietly cheered on every member of the Resistance, but especially relished watching everyone he'd grown close to over the last few years: His best friends breaking into and out of Aquarius, as well as holding the other decoy generator outside of Belport. Two of the most powerful supers in the world as one battled through the air in a new exosuit and the other phased through defenses like they were nothing. And he'd gotten to witness Clara truly coming into her own after years of tiptoeing around her powers.

Mod couldn't have asked for a better team or better friends. He just wished he were there with each of them, fighting beside each of them.

But he had his own part to play.

Mod wasn't bothering to hide his power signature as he flew. By now, the entire world knew about the reactor in the Atlantic, and the entire world knew that he was flying there. Every super that showed up to fight him was one less super that would be attacking his friends.

The Brotherhood and the Summit would be there, and who knew how many other supers. But he wasn't planning on fighting the entire world. Most super groups, mages guilds, and world governments saw this as a war between the Brotherhood and the Resistance. They didn't realize the larger plan and didn't know what would happen when antimatter reactors came online across the globe. Therefore, most factions were sitting the war out.

A few seconds later, Mod's destination rose over the horizon. The reactor itself was hidden underwater, but there was a flurry of activity at the water's surface. Dozens of supers and four heavy drone squadrons.

Mod reviewed the latest sensor data.

Ocean Guardian and several other water-powered supers had been trying to get to the reactor. But TINA had several nanite swarms in the area. The nanites formed a protective cocoon around the reactor. It wasn't a foolproof defense, but it was enough to repel the capes that were present.

They'd switched tactics in the last few minutes. Now, Ocean Guardian and the multitude of other supers were setting up an ambush.

It wouldn't work. Mod saw everything they were doing through sensors and spy satellites. He could feel the powers of each super churning across the water, and he could read the mixes of fear and determination written across their faces. And he could hear everything they were saying because TINA had hacked their comms.

Heavy drones fired. The shots from their main guns echoed across the open water and shells screamed through the air. Every other time Emmett had fought heavy drones, TINA had helped him—whether mucking up their targeting, forcing them low in the air, or sabotaging the fuses in the shells of the main guns. This time, he was on his own.

Emmett slowed, but didn't change course.

Nanites along his shoulders reconfigured, and a quick scan showed that no supers were within range. His point-defense system fired, intercepting the artillery shells. The first volley detonated harmlessly in mid-air, safely out of range of both Mod and the enemy capes. Still, the detonations were powerful enough that shockwaves churned the water below.

The churning didn't stop—

It increased.

Waves billowed, and the ocean bulged until it looked like a hill rising out of the ocean. Ocean Guardian's group was in the center of the mass, while water mages were inside one of the heavy drones. They were working in tandem to raise a mass of water, like raindrops becoming a flood. In seconds, Mod was staring at a mountain of churning water.