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CHAPTER START---
"Honestly I was expecting him to hit Beijing," Horizon says as he watches the screen, showing the fallout of an annihilated London after having three nukes launched into it.
He was sitting in the Pentagon's war room with the President, Generals, and other advisors, but his feet were up on the table as he wrote something on paper.
"I would have just flattened Beijing, Paris, Moscow, and London, all at once," Horizon says. "But I suppose he didn't want to be too heavy-handed."
As he's speaking rather casually about over 15 million people dying, due to a plan he made, to sacrifice those people at that.
Everyone else is staring at the screen, horrified, as a small timer at the bottom of the screen counts down to the next meeting.
"I…I honestly don't know who's worse," One of the advisors mutters as he glances between the screen and the seemingly relaxed Horizon.
"I'm worse," Horizon clarifies. "And now we also know that our enemy, is better at controlling technology than he is at understanding people. He hit one city while having the entire world held hostage, if anything that will cause silent plans for rebellion.And if the entire world rebels, he's forced to either drop more bombs, which will only compound the effect and destroy the world he wants to control, or give in to some demands which would show weakness and also compound the effect."
"You told us he wouldn't do this," President Skyline says. "You said the intel you had showed that he'd bluff."
"I lied," Horizon says. "You're a former Pro Hero, you'd never sacrifice people to collect information or add hours to the clock."
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" President Skyline slams his fist on the table, breaking the surface.
"It's called, cold logic," Horizon says as he continues writing. "Governments often elect retired Pro Heroes, like you because politics is a circus and a popularity contest, not an arena of competency, no offense.
And because for centuries there has rarely ever been anything as bad as even a small border conflict, the military and government forces are almost entirely focused on internal stability.
Because of that, you're all a bit too…nice. And maybe you haven't noticed, but our enemy is not nice," he points to the screen, causing all of them to frown. "Nobody wants to be the person who potentially pushes his buttons and kicks off the nuclear apocalypse, so everyone is playing it safe with super conservative plans."
"Except you," one of the generals says.
"Except me," Horizon says. "I have always been, and will always be, held apart from humanity. It makes this type of decision easy. 20 million versus 10 billion, hardly a thought before I shove those 20 million off the table."
"Are you really human?" The United Nations Secretary-General asks. "I mean, what did we even gain from this, another day?"
"And all the information I need," Horizon says. "Now I know everything I need to know about Tech. He's incompetent and soft, too much so for their ambition and desires.
The Prime Minister spoke up so he destroyed London, to make an example of a city. But the fact that there were discussions in the first place was a sign of weakness. Never negotiate when you hold all the cards, that proves that we have something he values, which means he has a gap in the armor.
If it were me, I'd consider the most rapid and logical option and pursue it ruthlessly. Crater major cities, leave the world confused, let armies and Pro Heroes gear up for a third world war, then crater the military bases everyone uses to prepare.
After that, you crush the breadbasket nations and states, use hunger as your messenger to lord your absolute power over the world. Let it break the people for you, and show them that it is only by their will that you allow them to eat, to exist. 𝙧
This would cost, what, half a billion lives? A small cost for holding the entire world in your hand and being the only thing supporting the logistical chains needed to keep billions alive."
They all look more and more horrified as he speaks, casually, while still writing his reports.
"After that, you re-establish logistical supply chains by smashing them all together, negating the preconceived borders and territories of the past, further solidifying the idea that this is a new world, and untangling the web you've made will take decades of bureaucratic nonsense.
A complete takeover that would only take a few months to have the world at your feet groveling for a few grains of rice, and yet, with all that power, he's so concerned with ruling the current state of the world that he can't truly commit to burning it all down and restructuring the board."
"Because he's still human," President Skyline mutters, deep in thought.
"Which is why he's weak," Horizon says. "Don't worry about the few million that died today, I'll easily save a thousand times that amount with my Panacea, now, I need to get back to work. The next meeting should be fine just stick to this if I can't make it."
With that, he slides some of the papers over to President Skyline before warping away with the others.
The moment he leaves they all breathe a sigh of relief, no longer feeling a blade to their hearts as President Skyline reads the new plan.
"He lied to us," one of the generals says. "He lied to us and led us to sacrifice 20 million people, are we seriously going to trust him after that?"
Hearing this President Skyline slides one of the pages to the Secretary General, causing the woman to look at it in surprise.
"He's allowing me to speak in the next meeting?" she asks.
"You'll be taking the lead," President Skyline says while reading his own script. "And as for trusting him, unfortunately, we aren't in a position to stop. 20 million people died according to his predictions, if we break away from his plan now and begin our own, we may have to sacrifice even more."
"I can't do this," the woman says as she reads her script. "He wants me to begin negotiations for logistics by…if I divert these resources, I'll never be able to live with myself."
"We can pray for forgiveness together, when all is done," President Skyline says, frowning at his own script. "Besides, it will be over in another day or two so there won't even be time to get anything into position, just another empty stalling tactic."
"Do we still intend to move him to America after he graduates from UA?" one of the advisors asks. "This changes our relationship with him drastically."
"Sadly, his plan, as cold and logical as it may be," President Skyline puts down his papers and leans back, closing his eyes. "Has the best plan of working, especially since we're already this committed. And after this is done, and all the details are revealed, the American people will still want him here, so we won't have much of a choice unless we want riots."
"May god forgive us all…"
—Minutes Later…
Hovering high above Manhattan Horizon waits patiently above the clouds, sword floating beside him as he waits for the inevitable confrontation to begin.
As he stands in the air, Horizon hears a pop in the distance, and senses her rapidly approaching him.
Like a missile Star and Stripe rockets over to him and comes to a stop directly in front of him, causing the clouds around them to scatter and Horizon to be pushed back by the air for a few dozen meters.
"So, I'm guessing you just came from The Pentagon?" Horizon asks, looking at the fuming woman who's glaring at him, a bulging vein on her forehead just showing how pissed off she is.
"You lied to us!" she yells while rushing forward, only for him to warp away before her punch can connect.
More clouds burst apart from the air pressure of her fist.
"Because Heroes are no good at choosing who to sacrifice," Horizon says as he avoids another punch.
"Hold still!"
"No," he says while warping away to avoid her third hit. "Just listen, and if I'm wrong you can break my jaw after."
Star' moves to punch him again, but this time she stops before launching her attack, staring into his visor with tears in her eyes.
"You weren't there, you didn't see what I saw," she says, sadness in her voice. "I couldn't save anyone…"
"I know, and I won't try to tell you what I did was the right thing to do," Horizon says. "Maybe history will name me a Villain, maybe not, but regardless, the world will be alive to decide that."
"You lied," She says.
"Because you're all so…heroic. It was the only path I saw going forward, even Nezu and David Shield don't know what happened, and they won't until it's all over," Horizon says.
Star and Stripe looks disgusted at that, "There are people in the think tank from that country, their families are gone, and you won't even tell them?"
"They need to focus on their work, and believe that everything they're doing is to save their family," Horizon says. "Telling them the truth will only distract them, and we need them to be efficient."
Star' floats closer to him, close enough that her chest is almost touching his as she stares into his visor, as if trying to find a drop of humanity behind it.
"Be honest with me, are you human?" she asks. "Because this, this is beyond evil, having people work after you sacrificed everything they love for your plan, sacrificing 20 million people, and expecting it to be a dozen times that number.
All so you can collect information on our enemy…that's…I don't even have words for it."
"Because you're a True Hero, and I'm just someone who always wins," Horizon says. "No matter the cost."
"I actually thought you were my friend," Star' admits, looking away from him. She then sighs and turns away, "Be honest with me, is there any humanity left in you?"
"I haven't considered myself even once this past decade," Horizon admits. "Even before I became…this."
"Then, what are you?"
Horizon thinks about it for a moment, about everything his parents taught him, after everything he's accomplished, and the impossible decisions he's made.
He can only come to one conclusion.
"Better…"
END CHAPTER---