Artifiical Unity: Chapter 2 – Carelessly Facing an Insurmountable Threat

Chapter 2 – Carelessly Facing an Insurmountable Threat

Disappointingly, my guardian angel has led me to a high-rise and stopped me from going to the mechanical planet that floats high above the city. I’ve tried to fly to the planet and have only managed to fall from the building, only to be flown back up to the top of the high-rise by my guardian angel. Well, at least they have beer here and TVs, so I can watch my planet’s many leaders deal with the mechanical threat. The Castigators of the East fight back against them, and the only words spoken to the mechanical men are, “Get off our planet.” The Compassionate of the West are trying to talk to the Ascendant, saying that the people of the two planets can live peacefully and independently from one another, but the Ascendant doesn’t want to listen. They only want submission.

The mechanical man on TV says, “What we offer is freedom from death and suffering. We offer a way for everyone to be united in one mind, to establish everlasting peace. As protectors of the planet, you must understand the value in this. The history of humanity is nothing more than the domination of one belief over others. You are the latest leaders of the world, trying to make everyone serve one God and one truth. We are the same in this aspect, but unlike the Ascendant, you are new to this, children, compared to us elders, and we will win if you choose to go to war.”

It’s a good thing I’m drinking because hearing this back and forth reminds me why I never get into politics, and thank God that the Council of Punishment doesn’t require me to, unlike the Castigators and Compassionate.

“Will you be okay, sir? Should a man like you drink this much?” a waiter asks.

“The name’s Cassiel. You don’t have to call me sir, and I know I’ve drunk eight bottles of beer, but beer to a superhuman like me is like soda with a slight kick. Trust me, I’m fine. Oh! I see that those people have root beer floats and chocolate milkshakes. Could I have one of each?” I ask.

The waiter does what I ask, and I continue to drink while watching TV, and waiting for my guardian angel to…Really? You couldn’t have told me before or after I started drinking my root beer float and milkshake. Fine. I wave my hand around, and the shield of fire is removed from the city. The mechanical men of the Ascendents come down, many of whom come directly for me.

“Cassiel. This is the last time we will offer you an easy way to join us,” the mechanical men say in unison.

“You know the worst thing about being in your condition is that you can’t taste desserts like this,” I say as I try to eat as fast as possible.

“Beyond that, why do you fight against us? Your record shows that you’re a drifter, glutton, and drunkard. Wouldn’t you want to do more with your life?”

“I eat and drink within my limits, and wander the earth according to my guardian angel’s advice. I’m exactly where I need to be, working for a higher purpose, more than you’ll ever know.”

Turning around, I spew flames from my mouth to burn the mechanical men to ashes. On the TV, I overhear things getting heated, so I manifest three flaming versions of myself to defend this area, as I head into the TV and teleport to the courtroom where the Compassionate are talking to the Ascendant. In the courtroom, I make finger guns that shoot fireballs at the mechanical men before they’re able to draw their weapons.

With everyone’s eyes on me, I say, “This is why I don’t get involved in politics. You can’t talk to people who have already made up their mind on the violence they’re going to do to you.”

I walk back through the camera I came out of and am teleported back into the high-rise bar I was in. Going to the patio, I see that more of the Ascendant are attacking the city and its defenders, superhuman and regular people, are fighting back, while the civilians are running for cover.

“The time for talk is over. Soon, all of humanity will be one with the Ascendant, whether you consent to it or not. The future is now, and the salvation of the human race through technology is at hand,” I hear broadcast all over the city.

This is what I was waiting for. More flaming copies of myself are manifested from my body and help the defenders of the city. I jump off the high-rise, and this time, my guardian angel carries me throughout it to save civilians and its defenders by throwing homing fireballs at our attackers. When it seems like the city’s defenders can handle the rest, I turn my attention upward, where another wave of attackers is coming. My guardian angel points me upward and allows me to run at superspeed on thin air, leaving a trail of fire behind me as I run upward into the sky.

Meeting the impending force head-on, my body heats up and lets out an explosion once I get into the middle of the group. I hold out my hands to the side and manifest hundreds of fireballs that fly around me, acting as a shield to counter incoming projectiles and homing in on enemies. Another wave of mechanical men is coming in, but this time, I have flying superhumans backing me up from behind, robots, and people in mechanical suits and flying ships. I manifest multiple copies of myself to help out my allies as I push past my enemies like a speeding bullet and enter space. Huh. I thought it’d be harder to breathe up here. Yes, I know you’d be helping me with that, but I didn’t think it would be this easy.

Now that I’m closer to the mechanical green planet, I see that what I thought were buildings are actually tall servers. I see dozens of huge robotic arms moving things around, and some kind of green electricity flowing from the energy plants on the surface. I see what looks like large eyes and mouths opening all across the planet, surging with green electricity, until it shoots out from the planet. In a split second, my guardian angel manifests a flaming shield to protect me. Turning around in space, I see the green electricity hitting various areas all over the Earth, over and over again. I try to stop the assault by throwing fireballs at the eyes, mouths, and energy plants, but that doesn’t do much to stop it, and only stops the electricity from surging from the places it emanates.

By the time I reach the planet, the assault stops, and I see many of my allies who were fighting with me crash land on the planet. What the hell was that? What did they just do?

An answer to my question quickly broadcasts itself as the Ascendant says, “People of Earth. That electricity was the mechanism that transfers souls into the servers of our planet. You didn’t want our immortality, but we are charitable enough to force it on you. Hear the voices of your loved ones who are now one with us and are happy with their fate.”

I hear these voices broadcast, every one of them saying things such as, “This isn’t as bad as I thought!”

“The pain plaguing my body is gone! I haven’t felt this free and good in years!”

“I know so much more now. What was I afraid of before?”

“Everyone should experience this!”

“Stop fighting the Ascendant and join us!”

“Join us, mommy and daddy! It’s so much fun in here!”

Something about this smells like BS. I don’t think they captured the souls of anyone. The sick bastards have even killed kids and are using the voices of kids to lure parents into giving up.

“To those few stragglers who have landed on our planet, know this. If you do any damage to our servers, you’ll be killing happy civilians, families, children, and your people, who you may know are with us. Give up and embrace paradise in circuitry.”

Like that’s going to happen. I’m going to finish this fight, even if I have to do it by myself. Yes, I know you’ll be with me, my guardian angel. You know what I meant.