The Second Archon War: Superbia Hominem 2 (Patreon)

Superbia Hominem 2: A Piece of the Puzzle

To say that the world was in a panic would perhaps have been a broad overstatement. There were no riots in the streets or mass unrest, but nearly every city ended up with large gatherings of concerned citizens, mostly regarding the brief but rather traumatic take down of the global computer networks and telecommunication systems, combined with an announcement of the dreaded fifth attack of the Simurgh. That it was happening in Iraq, a country well known to be ruled by the iron fist of a dictator backed by a murderous parahuman, caused some to see it as karma and others to worry what horrors would shortly be crawling out of Iraq. 

More than a few speculated that the Simurgh was somehow the “FlowerDragon” who had posted on most major news sites and web pages with a short apology.

Dear humanity,

So sorry! My friend was being attacked by the Simurgh, and I panicked. I didn’t mean to crash the internet, but I used to live there and it sort of just happened. Sorry about that! The good news is, Nahida seems to have saved Baghdad, and the Simurgh has retreated! Yay! I’m going to go visit her now and make sure everything’s alright. I promise to only take over your computers again if it’s a real emergency, not just because I’m trying to farm gold to sell in Everquest. 

Sincere regards, 

FlowerDragon

PS: I was kidding about gold selling. Please don’t ban me!

The name of the game that FlowerDragon asked not to be banned from varied, with nearly every popular MMO (and several very obscure ones) being listed, and the message was posted in every language imaginable. 

When Baghdad erupted in riots, it was what the world had expected, and most quietly accepted that another city had been doomed, as the Japanese had failed to mobilize, and the Angel of Munich was currently MIA. 

Then the rioters simply went home, and peace returned to the city. Rumors began to spread: the images and video of the green speck that had arisen to confront the Simurgh, the verdant orb floating in front of the Endbringer for 10 minutes before the Angel of Death departed, and the green orb simply returning to earth. 

A third Archon had arrived. 

For several hours, it was all speculation with little proof aside from the fact that Baghdad, despite the riots, was still largely intact. There were reports coming out that Saddam Hussein’s regime had been overthrown after a visit from Scion, which left people in further confusion. Was the world’s greatest cape taking a more active interest in politics? A few forum trolls claimed to have evidence of WMDs, and that Scion was taking action against a foolish government that had tried to sidestep his nuclear weapons taboo. 

All eyes turned to Los Angeles, where it was announced that the still new Director of the PRT, Hero himself, would be making an announcement. 

The Los Angeles PRT Press Conference room was even more jam packed than usual, with a loud buzz of conversation filling the hall. When Director Baronski (soon to be Costa Brown) stepped out on stage.

“DIRECTOR!” the press called in unison, with dozens of hands raised. 

Dressed in a suit and tie instead of his uniform, Wyatt just chuckled, then pressed a button on his watch. A small drone shot out, and silence fell despite the fact that everyone was still attempting to shout as it emitted a sound dampening field. 

“I’m going to make this quick, so please hold your questions for a moment, alright?” Wyatt said, stepping up to the podium. He took out a clicker, and pressed the button. 

“Approximately 12 hours ago, at 09:36 local time, the Simurgh executed an attack run on the city of Baghdad.”

The press really did settle down, which interestingly caused the volume to rise slightly as Wyatt disabled his drone, causing it to zip back up his cuff and into the watch. The image on screen showed a tracking shot of the Simurgh, followed by an image of her descending from orbit taken by a satellite over Iraq. 

“She arrived in local airspace, where the Endbringer alarms had gone off at 09:08 hours. This was a full twenty-two minutes before the Protectorate detected any motion from the Simurgh.”

Mutters and restless sitting, but Wyatt held his hand up. “I’m not finished yet. Because of the early warning, most of the civilian populace had already evacuated to Baghdad’s Endbringer shelters and hunkered down, meaning there were very few people on the streets. There was one Iraqi cape who rose to meet the Endbringer the very instant she arrived in Iraqi airspace.”

The next image advanced, to show the familiar sight of a green spark rising to meet the Endbringer from multiple angles. “The Protectorate has identified this cape, and briefly met with her. To fully explain what the situation is in detail, I turn this presentation over to Miss Militia, of the Brockton Bay Protectorate.”

All eyes in the room turned as a second cape stepped out, dressed in uniform, though with her American flag bandana pulled down to expose her face. She was in her mid-20s, and a somewhat familiar cape, though Miss Militia didn’t have as much national attention as the Triumvirate. Most of the press had to touch their earpieces to get a quick briefing on what her powers were, and just who she was. 

Miss Militia shook the Director’s hand, then stepped up to the podium as Wyatt stepped to the side, standing to her left and to the rear. 

“Good evening,” Miss Militia said in slightly accented English. “I am Hannah Wesson, cape name Miss Militia. I was head of the Protectorate team sent on a scouting expedition to Baghdad, Iraq, as I am one of our few capes who is fluent in Arabic and Kurdish. Our team was on the ground in Baghdad three hours after the attack, at about 1300 hours local time. We were sent to establish what the situation on the ground was, and to render aid in case of Simurgh induced madness.”

There were mutters again, but Miss Militia continued, ignoring the raised hands. “We quickly established that there had been no sign of the Song, nor any signs of Simurgh Rampages. The populace was in open revolt against the dictatorial regime of the Ba’ath Party president, Saddam Hussein, who had kidnapped the young girl who had repelled the Simurgh with no loss of life.”

“Young girl?!” 

“Impossible!” 

“How was the Simurgh-”

“If you will all kindly remain silent, I think I will answer most of your questions,” Miss Militia barked, and the press quieted. She nodded, then gestured to the screen. “The individual who had repelled the Simurgh was a young woman known by the name Nahida Saeed.”

A picture appeared of a smiling child of no more than six years of age, dressed in a brown hijab and green dress, kneeling beside a garden full of blooming flowers. Notably, her pupils were green and of an odd shape, with a few strands of silver hair slipping out of her hijab.

“Our team quickly ascertained that Nahida Saeed had been injured in an altercation that had taken place after the Simurgh had been repelled by her. Our Thinkers are still evaluating the situation, but our initial impression is that Nahida countered the Simurgh through the usage of broad and very powerful Master, Thinker, and Bio-Tinker abilities. No rating for them has yet been established, but it is fair to say they are some of the most potent on record.”

“Nahida was then taken into custody by the Republican Guard Special Forces Division, also known as the Saddam Hussein’s Palace Guard. Early indicators are that she was taken by Saddam’s human soldiers. Other members of the Special Action Guard, Iraq’s major government sponsored cape group, were injured in the fighting, including Nahida’s father, a prominent Parahuman researcher and Dendro Vision holder, Doctor Bashir Saeed.”

More pictures of the aftermath of a fight flickered through, depicting many unconscious capes laying on the street, which were slick with blood, and soldiers with rifles standing over them. This made no sense. Normal humans, taking out capes? Impossible.

“It seems Nahida prevented the violence from resulting in further death and injury by offering herself as hostage. This information was leaked out to the inhabitants of Baghdad. Including her adoptive mother, the parahuman known as Farasha.”

Sudden intake of breath. Everyone knew who the Butcher of Dasman Palace was, and that she was the Iraqi regime's top enforcer. Things were becoming a lot clearer. 

“Upon hearing their savior had been taken captive by Saddam, the Iraqi populace staged a general uprising. We have indicators that Nahida’s bio-constructs, known as Aranara, aided in the uprising by coordinating it. Of note, they also prevented any looting, arson, or violence. It was an entirely peaceful mass protest. There is no indication of any destruction in the city, save for that done by government soldiers or police.”

Grainy footage shot by cell phones or home cameras was played of the police bringing in tear gas, hoses, and even machine guns and tanks. Every weapon of war was turned to a pile of rust or vine covered sod each time government forces attempted to use it on the clearly unarmed and peaceful protesters. Where the vines and rapid oxidation came from wasn’t obvious, but one thing was clear: For a brutal government crackdown, it was shockingly ineffective and clearly stymied by a very powerful cape with broad powers. 

“Our team met with another foreign cape in Baghdad, code name FlowerDragon. Her real identity is classified at this time, but- PEOPLE! I will conclude my report when you are QUIET.”

The images of the giant plant monster, followed by said monster’s transformation into an alien being with feminine features made of wires and vines had caused an uproar. Especially matched with the now infamous moniker of FlowerDragon. 

“Intel is still being collected on FlowerDragon, but the initial assessment is that she is not actively hostile to the Protectorate or the people of the United States and Canada,” Miss Militia continued when the crowd had quieted. “It seems her takedown of the internet was, in fact, entirely unintentional and largely a byproduct of her Trigger and/or Vision Event. She personally apologized to the Protectorate, multiple times and exhaustively.” 

More pictures of FlowerDragon, this time dressed in mostly human clothes and looking rather remorseful for a plant person. 

“FlowerDragon coordinated with myself and the rest of the Protectorate team to locate Nahida Saeed, who was indeed being held against her will at as-Salam Palace, where most of the protesters were converging. To the best of our knowledge, there were few if any civilian casualties, and only limited military deaths during the entire uprising.”

“The uprising concluded at 16:12 local time, when Farasha returned to Baghdad after being on assignment at the Iranian border. To the best of our knowledge, Nahida has already brokered some kind of deal with President Saddam Hussein as she was released at the same moment. Currently, President Hussein’s whereabouts are unknown, though Nahida states that he is alive and well, despite the fact that the Butcher seemed rather eager for the blood of her former master.” 

That last part earned Miss Militia a frown from Director Wyatt, though she ignored it. Clearly, while she was willing to be the Protectorate’s spokeswoman, she was going to tell it in her own way, and there was no love lost between her and the Iraqis. 

“Based on the analysis of the Thinker contingent of our field team, we have every reason to believe that Nahida Saeed did indeed defeat the Simurgh, then coordinated the peaceful protests against the Iraqi Government. At this time, the Protectorate classifies Nahida as a High Priority Protection Target, and will do our utmost to safeguard her. Should she ever seek sanctuary, there is a standing offer for herself and her family, excluding Farasha, to take refuge in the United States or Canada, or to receive Protectorate assistance to immigrate to the friendly country of her choosing.”

Miss Militia paused, and just before hands went up for questions she added, “Not that I anticipate she’ll need it. Questions?” 

Everyone shouted at once, and Miss Militia nodded to the back row, to the Al Jazeera reporter to the shock of many. That was far from a softball target. 

“What if the reports that these new capes are somehow a Simurgh plot? Both this Nahida and the so-called Flower Dragon?”

“If it’s a Simurgh plot, then it’s too complex for even our best thinkers. But I don’t see how toppling a genocidal regime and stopping a city of innocent civilians from destroying itself could possibly further the goals of the Endbringers, whatever they may be,” Miss Militia said flatly. As she spoke, several reporters were talking on phones, and more began to vibrate and go off, including Director Wyatt’s. An aide came racing from the sides to whisper in his ears, and Wyatt’s eyes went wide in shock. 

Miss Militia nodded to the next questioner even as the CNN reporter had a cell phone to her ear. “What of the reports that the Japanese Bakufan has recognized Nahida Saeed as the rightful ruler of Iraq and the Dendro Archon!?” 

Miss Militia paused, then turned to the director, her expression nonplussed. This was very clearly not in her script. Wyatt stepped towards the microphone, and Miss Militia put a hand over it, whispering something in the Director’s ear as the reporters buzzed excitedly. The director considered for a moment, then shrugged and nodded. 

Miss Militia uncovered the microphone and smiled somewhat smugly. “Speaking as an individual and not as a representative of the Protectorate? I think that little girl would be an improvement over the bloodthirsty bastard they had before. And frankly, if she wanted to be in charge I don’t think anyone could stop her, with or without Farasha’s support. No comment on her Archon status.”

“Thank you for your questions, with this update, I’m afraid our team needs to discuss further implications, such as the fact that Grandmaster Cookie has just announced the Knights of Favonius’ full support of Nahida,” Wyatt stated. “We’ll have another conference in..let’s say three hours. Thank you.”

The reporters all shouted questions regardless, but Director Wyatt and Miss Militia turned and walked off the stage, even as a flunkie came out to try to placate the frothing media mob. 

“Sir, what’s our stance on Archons?” Miss Militia asked as soon as they were off stage and in the briefing room. 

“Just Wyatt when we’re in private, Hannah,” the Director said, taking an electronic pad from one of his aids and scrolling through it. He frowned, then looked up. “Why do you ask?”

“Come off it, Wyatt,” Hannah snorted, deliberately leaning against the wall with one shoulder like a proper American would. “You and I both know you’ve long championed Archon theory. What’s the protectorate’s official status, now that we’ve found Nahida? She’s clearly the Dendro Archon.”

“Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind,” Wyatt mused. He tapped a few things, then handed the pad back to his aid. “Get our people to talk to Cookie’s. We need to know what the Knights are going to do about this. At this point, the Protectorate is taking a wait and see approach to Iraq and Archons in general. But find out where Venti is, and what he’s doing.”

“Sure, but I’m a team player. I’ll keep my opinions to myself if it’s not the official Protectorate line,” Hannah said with a nonchalant shrug as if she had not just been vocal about her distaste for the previous Iraqi regime.

“I do appreciate that about you. Keith always has good things to say about your conduct and professionalism in his reports,” Wyatt said, looking up and nodding at Hannah. 

“Thank you,” Hannah said, standing up straight unconsciously. She meant it too. It was tough being an immigrant sometimes, and Hannah strove to always be the absolute best representative of those like her she could be. It might not be fair, but it was how it was. 

“I’m going to have to give it some thought, but I personally agree with you that we’ve found the Dendro Archon. What that means…” Wyatt hesitated, then shrugged. “It’s interesting. How many of these Archons are there?”

“Good question. Perhaps Nahida would be more open to answering our questions than the Shogun or Venti,” Hannah mused. “We really have no idea how many there are.”

“Well,” Wyatt rubbed his chin, then grinned. “Have you ever heard of Genius Invocation TCG?” 

“What, you mean that children’s card game from Europe?” Hannah scoffed. Then she caught the gleam in Wyatt’s eye. “Surely you can’t be serious.”

“I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley,” Wyatt said with a wink. 

Hannah took a moment to process that while Wyatt turned away and headed out, then let out a snort. “Oh, that’s awful. Sir! Just one more thing…”

“Hmm?” Wyatt glanced behind as Hannah hurried to catch up. 

“In private, please,” she added quietly. “Something to discuss I didn’t want to put in my official report.”

“Ah.” Wyatt nodded, and led Hannah down two halls to his office, the one that had formerly belonged to his girlfriend, Alexandria. She was still around as an official member, though she was putting in more work on the campaign trail than the costume lately. Personally, she had Hannah’s vote. They needed a strong leader, and Alexandria had the courage and personal moral fortitude to do the right thing in Hannah’s estimation. 

Closing the door, Wyatt reached into a minifridge and pulled out a can of iced coffee, gesturing to the drinks. “Anything cold you’d like?”

“You have a beer?” Hannah sighed, sinking into one of the plush executive chairs. “I’ve had a hell of a day.”

Chuckling, Wyatt asked. “Bud, Heineken, Sapporo, or Corona?” 

“Bud,” Hannah said, and caught the bottle. It wasn’t a Lite, thank goodness. She needed the calories after today. Turning her weapon into a bottle opener, Hannah pried the lid off and took a long drink, noting that Wyatt stuck to the canned coffee. Well, she was going to try to sleep after this. Maybe if she asked her power, Armory, nicely, she could have a nice nap for once. How many years had it been since she’d really slept? 

“So, what’s on your mind?” Wyatt asked after giving her a minute to enjoy her beer. 

“Well, I have to ask. Did you know about Doctor Mother and Asset Tyche? The Thinker 12?” Hannah asked slowly. 

“Ah.” Wyatt took a long drink himself to think, then leaned forward in his chair. “Cauldron.”

“Cauldron,” Hannah agreed, fiddling with her bottle and wiping the condensation onto her hands. 

“I suppose we’ll have to read you into all that,” Wyatt agreed. 

“Mmm.” Hannah made a noncommittal grunt, then looked up and met the Director’s eye. “And what about what that fucker Scion did to Nahida?”

Wyatt went still. It was something most people wouldn’t notice, but Hannah had been in enough cape rumbles to know when a fellow parahuman was tapping into their powers and gearing up for something dangerous. 

You there, Armory? 

Here. Ready for combat.

Can you hear his…demon?

They are not on my network. Ready to engage. 

Hannah nodded. She felt a sense of readiness from the bottle opener in her hands, a very deliberate choice on her part; it was a lot less intimidating for her to have a bottle opener in her hand than a pistol, even if they were equally dangerous in her grip. But that drive towards conflict was silent. Had been since she’d met Nahida. That was…interesting. 

“Why do you ask?” Wyatt asked, leaning back and visibly making himself react, though Hannah noted he positioned his watch towards her. He probably had some real nasty tech in there. 

“Because from what I gathered, he tried to rape a little girl,” Hannah said flatly. “And something else Nahida said made me think he’s the source of my power. Of all our powers. And I’ve known for a long time that there was a hell of a lot more to what we can do than just a cosmic coincidence that comes in on the worst day of our lives. There’s something malevolent about them. Nahida calls them demons. It’s a good name for Armory and his kind.”

“Armory?” Wyatt asked, frowning slightly, his body posture altering slightly. 

Hannah held up her bottle opener. “Armory? Say hello to the Director.”

Greetings. I am Armory of the Infinite. You are specimen Wyatt Baronski, experiment of one of the Thinker’s primary Shards. Shall we engage in data collection? 

The director promptly fell out of his chair and landed flat on his ass, his eyes wide. “Holy shit. Did…did your power just…?”

“Nahida did something to him,” Hannah said, holding up Armory and causing him to take the familiar shape of a Colt 1911 made of black and green steel. Now, however, a small icon was embossed on the surface: a crossed rifle, shotgun, sword, and spear over a heater shield. And the words in Kurdish, çekek bêdaw. Or literally, the endless weapon.  

“I can hear him now, and he talks back. I also finally understand what Director Legend meant about being at peace. I’m not weaker. Stronger, if anything, but I don’t feel the need to go out and fight someone. I didn’t even realize it was there until Nahida took it away.” Hannah stood and offered the director a hand. 

Wyatt slowly nodded, swallowing. “Right. This…this changes a few things.” He took Hannah’s hand and got to his feet, still staring at the gun. “It did just talk, right?”

Armory was silent, until Hannah nudged him mentally. Yes. I am capable of communication. 

“And…all…powers…are capable of communicating?” Wyatt asked. 

Hannah just saved time and repeated the question. Armory apparently couldn’t hear Wyatt well, which was interesting. 

No. Specimen Wyatt’s Shard is currently incapable of communication, as its network is offline. 

“I…see.” Wyatt considered that, then nodded to himself. “Well, Hannah. I think we need to contact David, Doctor Mother, Contessa, and especially Alex. I think you’re going to be joining Cauldron one way or another.”

“Oh?” Hannah’s eyebrows rose. 

“Absolutely. Just one question for Armory. Is he on Scion’s side or Bright Trees?” Wyatt asked, his body relaxing so much Hannah knew he was getting ready for a fight.

When Hannah repeated the question, Armory responded, The Warrior should not have attempted to mate with Bright Tree. She is immature. He harms The Cycle. Additionally, Bright Tree’s methods are novel. She perhaps holds the solutions to Limited Resources. I am undecided, but at this time, I will help Bright Tree. 

“Good enough, I guess,” Wyatt said, and sagged slightly. Apparently, that had been the right answer. “And woo boy. You might want to sit down, because I’m afraid I’ve got some doozies to drop while the others are on their way. You haven’t told anyone else about this, right?”

“No one,” Hannah said with a shake of her head. 

“Good, then this doesn’t leave this room, and you’ll have a list of who’s need to know, and who’s not. You already met Contessa and Doctor Mother, but we’ll have to get you read into the entire program.” Wyatt suddenly grinned, flashing that famous boyish smile of his. “And Hannah…I think you just gave us the biggest glimpse of hope we’ve ever seen.”

“Here to serve, sir,” Hannah said, and saluted crisply. She felt Armory humming along in the back of her mind, and mentally grimaced. She would have to figure out what this meant, what her visions from her trigger event meant. Those enormous beings, the scattered seeds of a dying God… 

But it seemed like she’d be getting some answers at last.