Zombies Doomsday

Chapter 6: The Sovereign's Shadow

The smell of burned blood and concrete filled the air. It was a heavy fog that would make most people cough.. Idris Cole was not like most people. He was no longer limited by his body. He stood on top of a dead monster. His chest. Fell slowly. His lungs were able to filter out the air and only take in oxygen.

Idris closed his eyes. He needed a moment to think about the power that was now inside him. It was a lot to take in. He felt like he had swallowed a sun.

He told the system to show him his attributes. A blue holographic screen appeared in front of him. It showed him his stats.

Host: Idris Cole

Personal Level: 5

Experience: 854/1600

Strength: 25

Agility: 25

Endurance: 25

Intelligence: 27

Sensory Perception: 26

Current Core Features Active:

1. Level 3 Critical Rebate Mechanic

2. Territory Declaration Interface

3. Material and Blueprint Rebate Mechanic

4. Spatial Inventory Module

5. Ally Synchronization Link

6. Expanded Biological Rebate Categories

Idris looked at the numbers. He was five times stronger and faster than a person. His muscles were dense and efficient. He could run fast without getting tired. He could punch through walls without hurting himself. His intelligence and perception scores were high. He could. React fast.

Idris opened his eyes. He looked down at the monster. Its bone armor was dull and lifeless. The science division would have paid a lot of money for the monster's armor and acid sacs.. The most valuable thing was inside the monster's skull.

Idris took out his sword. It was a black blade with a red line down the center. He cut into the monster's skull. Pulled out a glowing green crystal. It was a category 5 core. It was very valuable. It could power a city or create a biological bomb.

Idris put the crystal into his inventory. It was a pocket dimension that he could access with his mind. He could store things in it without carrying them. He could even store the monster's corpse.

Idris told the system to store the corpse. A blue grid. Took the corpse away. Idris was left standing in the street. He looked at the vanguard outpost. It was a gray building with purple energy. The plasma-arc cannons were quiet. The common walkers had run away.

Idris focused his mind. He found the link that connected him to his ally, Rhea. He spoke to her through the link.

Rhea, he said.

Rhea heard him clearly. She was surprised and a little scared.

Idris? she said. I hear you. It feels like you are, inside my head.

Yes, Idris said. It is a link. Open the gates. The threat is gone.

The gates opened. Idris walked in. Rhea was waiting for him. She was wearing armor. It was black. Had silver lines. She looked like a phantom of war. She took off her helmet. Her eyes were wide. She stared at Idris like she was seeing him for the first time.

I watched the fight through the armor's sensors Rhea said, her voice totally different from her usual military tone it was like she was in awe. The data my suit collected on your movements was crazy it actually broke the software that analyzes it. You were moving fast it exceeded what a human body can handle. When you hit the behemoth's bone plating it created much heat and energy that it showed up on my seismic monitors. You killed a category 5 mutation in combat in under ten seconds without getting hurt.

I experienced a change during the fight Idris said smoothly walking past her towards the command building. My body and mind have changed a lot. But having power is half of it Rhea we need to have a plan too. A strong person without a plan is a target. We need to set up our base before the sanctuary figures out what happened here tonight.

They walked up the stairs to the command building's office, the room that Idris used as his strategic center. The room was simple with a metal desk, some old filing cabinets and a big cracked window that looked out over the courtyard and the street.

Rhea put her helmet on the metal desk and her expression changed back to her military tone. We have a window of time she said, her military training taking over. Commander Briggs is arrogant. He's not stupid. He just lost a team and three armored carriers to an energy weapon and his satellites detected a big thermal bloom. He'll think that a rival faction, the Crimson Syndicate from sector four has moved into his territory.

He won't send another team Idris said, standing by the window and looking out into the city.

No Rhea agreed firmly. He'll declare a state of emergency. Mobilize his heavy infantry. We're talking about battle tanks with armor, big guns and hundreds of heavily armed soldiers. It'll take them at least twenty-four to thirty-six hours to get ready fuel up and plan a safe route through the city. That gives us about a day and a half before a small army shows up at our door.

The big guns on the walls are powerful Idris said, tapping his fingers on the window frame.. There are only two of them. If Briggs surrounds us and attacks from away with tank artillery the guns will eventually be overwhelmed. The walls can withstand a lot of damage. They're not invincible. We don't have a line of defense we don't have a standing army and most importantly we don't have the resources we need to use my abilities.

Rhea nodded, understanding his logic. Your system works on a principle of exchange you need to give something to get something back. To make this base stronger to get defenses or to arm a potential army we need resources to put into your system.

Exactly Idris said, turning to face her his eyes gleaming with intelligence.. I know where to get them. Tonight before I got my sword and we took this base I met a scavenging crew from the Black Skull gang.

The Black Skulls Rhea said with disgust they're a plague on sector one. They survive by preying on scavengers kidnapping refugees and selling them as slave labor.

They're also hoarders Idris said coldly. I questioned their leader before I killed him. He told me where their main storage vault is. It's in a subway station three blocks north of here. They use the tunnels to avoid the walkers and store all their stolen goods inside a sealed depot.

Rhea's eyes lit up with realization. A raider vault is the perfect target. If we raid their stash we can get resources to trigger your critical rebates. We can stockpile a lot of SSS-tier gear before Briggs even starts his tank engines.

But there's a problem Rhea said, her brow furrowing. Even if we clear the subway station and kill the Black Skull raiders how do we get the loot here? The vault likely has tons of material. We don't have a cargo truck. Carrying it by hand through three blocks of terrain is suicidal.

I've got that covered Idris said, a smile on his lips. My system upgrade gave me an inventory module. I can store up to one thousand meters of non-living material in a pocket dimension. Weight and mass are no longer a problem for us. We can walk into their vault empty the room into my inventory and walk out without carrying anything.

Rhea stared at him shaking her head in disbelief. A pocket dimension, of course. Why would I question logistics when you're rewriting the laws of physics?

There's one more thing we need before we go out Idris said, his tone more solemn. He walked over to the metal desk in front of Rhea.

You're wearing SSS-tier neural-link armor you're almost indestructible to conventional arms and your physical attributes are enhanced. But you're still carrying that iron knife Idris pointed out gesturing to the blade she had sheathed at her waist. A strong fighter needs weapons.

Idris raised his hand and the air above it distorted. The category 5 mutagenic core materialized, dropping into his grip. The glowing green crystal lit up the office and Rhea took a step back her eyes widening.

Is that the core from the behemoth? Rhea asked, her voice trembling. The radiation coming off it is massive holding it without shielding should be hurting you.

My systems serum makes me immune to radioactive pathogens Idris explained calmly. This core is a valuable energy source within a fifty-mile radius. In the hands of the sanctuary, it would power a city.. In our hands its going to be the catalyst for something greater.

He extended the core towards her chest. Take it, Rhea. I'm giving this energy asset to my Vanguard. Let's see what the system thinks it's worth.

Rhea didn't hesitate she reached out. Grasped the glowing green crystal. The moment she took it the world froze. The green glow solidified into a beam of light and the dust motes in the air stopped moving.

The system's voice echoed in Idriss's mind announcing that Rhea had accepted the energy asset. The territory integration and tactical expansion mechanics were. The system triggered a critical rebate.

The category 5 mutagenic core underwent an evolution and Idris received an SSS-tier hyperion-class stealth strike phantom and an integrated omega-tier tactical companion artificial intelligence. The item was too big, for the office so it was deployed directly to the courtyard via drop protocol.

A blinding pillar of light crashed through the ceiling illuminating the courtyard. The light. Rhea gasped, dropping the space where the core had been. What did you just do? she whispered, her voice trembling with adrenaline.

" Let's go find out Idris said, his heart beating faster. They hurried out of the office moving down the stairs and stepping out into the night air. In the center of the courtyard was a machine that didn't belong on this ruined earth.

The Hyperion-class stealth strike phantom was a cool machine. It was big like a transport from before the war but it looked way more deadly. The outside was made of a black material that absorbed all the light so it looked like a shadow on the ground. It had edges that helped it avoid being seen on radar.

There were no wheels or tracks on this thing. It just floated in the air about a foot off the ground because of these four glowing rings in the corners. They were like -gravity thingies. On the front, it had a plasma cannon and on the sides, it had hidden missile pods.

Idris and Rhea walked up to the phantom and the doors on the side opened smoothly like they were hissing at us. Inside it was all fancy with lights and a big screen that showed everything that was going on. It looked like the inside of a spaceship.

Then Idriss mind got flooded with a ton of information. It was like a smart computer was talking to him. The computer said it was an Omega-tier tactical companion AI. It needed a name.

A lady's voice came from the speakers saying hello to Idris. She said the phantom was ready to go with all its weapons and shields working. Idris smiled, which was weird because he does not smile often. He said the AI's name was Valkyrie.

Valkyrie said she was ready to help Idris. Rhea touched the side of the phantom. She said it was so powerful that it could fly over the central sanctuary's walls and drop bombs on them.. Idris said they would deal with that later.

Idris got into the pilot's seat. Rhea got into the other seat. The chairs were really comfortable. The screens in front of them started showing all sorts of information. Idris told Rhea to get in. They were going to go clean out a raider vault. He wanted to test Valkyrie's mode.

Rhea's armor connected to the phantom's computer and she could see all the weapon systems. Idris told Valkyrie to plot a course to the subway station. Valkyrie said she was ready and the doors closed. The anti-gravity rings started glowing. The phantom lifted off the ground.

The outside of the phantom started shimmering like it was invisible. In three seconds it just disappeared. Idris turned on the thrusters and the phantom shot forward invisible. They left the sanctuary behind. Idris was finally taking action. He was going to claim his kingdom, one block at a time.

The Hyperion-class stealth strike phantom, which Idris called Valkyrie was a game changer. With Valkyrie Idris and Rhea were going to be unstoppable. The Hyperion-class stealth strike phantom was the key to their success. Valkyrie, the AI was the brain behind the phantom. The Hyperion-class stealth strike phantom, with Valkyrie was the weapon.