Mod Superhero

Chapter 4.37 - Waiting Game

Over the next three days, several things happened simultaneously.

TINA used the new visual filters to gather intel on the new cloaked subspecies of Deep Ones. The Deep Ones hadn't attacked again, and while it was impossible to know for certain, there was a good chance that the current world stalemate was due to this new subspecies.

This new type of Deep Ones continued to work on a secret plot, unaware that humanity had discovered it. Summit patrols and military scouts gave the creatures a wide berth, for now.

Even though TINA kept her distance, her drones were able to discover and verify several things:

First, the new creatures had two distinct life cycle phases. The first was their softer, mobile form. Their skin was translucent like a jellyfish's and covered in finger-long tendrils. During this phase, they acted as caretakers to their older brethren—coating their crystallized brethren in water and feeding them psychic energy.

In their second phase, their softer bodies crystallized, becoming solid and unmoving. Groups coalesced into unified masses. These seemed to grow as they were fed psychic energy, some spreading through entire buildings.

The Menagerie later verified the function and purpose of these second-phase structures: The younger phase creatures were simultaneously feeding the crystals psychic energy and reshaping them, turning them into psychic bombs.

A member of the Binary Brotherhood found patterns, both in the crystal structure and in the layout across cities. They were arranged in a pattern that would amplify the psychic energy, like uranium in a nuclear bomb.

The Menagerie could only estimate the yield, but it would be enough to stretch across the continents. Even if it didn't wipe humanity off the map, the world would never be the same. Humanity might never recover.

At the same time over those three days, Venture and TINA's visual filters were disseminated to superhero organizations and world governments. Planes and drones were updated. Goggles were mass produced and disseminated.

The first step was the easiest. It was relatively simple to update most existing military technology. For most current militaries, a software update was enough. Militaries with older technology needed to retrofit their cameras and rely on the goodwill of their richer neighbors and the Binary Brotherhood.

But even with the might of the world and its superhero organizations, there still wouldn't be enough goggles to go around. Class 4 and 5 heroes, as well as psychics, were prioritized—one psychic with the new goggles could share their vision with surrounding groups, and Class 4 and 5 heroes often worked alone, moving faster than a team could keep up with.

At the same time, world militaries worked on coordinating nuclear strikes against the Deep Ones' enclaves. Fifteen enclaves had been identified, and the Brotherhood was certain that they'd found all of them. The missiles would use the same cloaking technology that proved effective in hiding Venture's drones.

The timing of nuclear strikes would have to be perfect. Any delay would result in one enclave warning others. With the Deep Ones' ability to control water, they wouldn't get the chance for a second strike.

While the nuclear strikes hit the Deep One's enclaves, drones would coordinate strikes on key crystalline structures along the flooded coast. The crystalline bombs were so deadly because of their layout across the city. By taking out key locations, their yield would be drastically reduced.

So far, all the crystalline structures were deep in the flooded sectors of the coast. The plan was for Summit and military forces to mass along the outer edge of the city. This way, they would be safe from psychic detonations and could maintain a dry line of defense.