Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 138 STEVE ROGERS BS

I had planned to attack if they tried to split us up, but they kept us together. Men in black military grade armor came into the elevator and dragged us out. I was one of the first. Watching through my peripherals we were definitely in the final boss zone. 

More large metal doors held monsters. I could tell this because they had small video screens next to the doors showing inside them. There were more zomays. But also different zombies. One with big heads. Others with big ears. Some with no eyes, just a blank slate where their eyes should have been. We were going to need more letters of the alphabet to name all the different types. 

The guards didn’t say anything as they dragged us. Walking through the halls they twisted and turned until we came to a larger room. Setting us up in metal chairs they clamped us with heavy iron chains like some dungeon. Taking our weapons they headed out and left us there. 

My team was pretty out of it, but I wanted to get this going. “Hey!” I yelled. “You guys okay?!” I asked. Pretending to be worried. I could see a camera in the corner of the room so I knew they could see me. “Let me out! I’m not interested in your weird sex dungeon thing! My friends and I were just looking for supplies. If you want to have sex with the undead, good for you. This is Amer-Japan, do whatever you want. They won’t judge you. I’m sure there is some hentai out there for this exact kink. I thought I saw a tentacle zombie! Is that what you do here? Have sex with it? Or let it have sex with you?” 

I tried not to laugh. I hoped the people listening in were. To my surprise it wasn’t long until someone walked in our large cell. He wore a white lab coat of course. With a shaved head he appeared rather muscular. Japanese, the man acted bored as he walked over. Grabbing a chair that was free he turned it around to sit on it backwards.

“I know you,” he said. I started to deny it, but as I studied him I realized I knew him too. His face was tired, bags under his eyes, but it was someone I knew. I just couldn’t place him. “Weston Watanabe,” he said. “I worked with your dad a few years back.” 

“Right,” I said. “George Takei?” I asked. 

“George Taki,” he corrected. 

“Right, right,” I said. “So what? You run this evil organization? My dad still work with you?”

George chuckled. “He does, but he’s not here,” George said. My gut clenched, worried my dad had helped end the world. “I don’t run this place either. I just work here. But I am the head honcho around here.” 

George studied me. Frowning as he looked me up and down. “What are you doing here?” 

“Me? I was looking for somewhere to take a piss,” I said. “You mind loosening these? I really gotta go.” 

He chuckled. “We saw you make that jump from the other building. Quite impressive,” George said. “Now, what are you really doing here?” 

I shrugged. “Heard a rumor that the apocalypse started here. Came to check it out. Egg your house, throw some TP around. You know, get some revenge.” He didn’t like that answer. 

“We didn’t start the apocalypse,” George spat. “We are a pharmaceutical company. No one could have known this shit would happen.” 

“What shit? Walk me through it,” I said. “A nice long villain dialogue.” He leaned forward, slapping my face. I gave him a shocked look. “I knew you were shooting porn down here, but the rough stuff?” 

“Wow, you are very different from what I remember,” George said. Leaning forward in his chair he considered it for a bit. Eventually he answered. “You heard of the Murder Virus?” 

“That stupid name they’re calling the zombies?” I asked. 

George nodded. “They’re not far off,” he admitted. “We called it the MIRDIR. Maximum Ideal Regenerative Direct Remedy.” 

“Another fucking acronym?” I mumbled. What was with bad guys and acronyms. 

George continued on. “The US wanted it. Something to make their soldiers go longer, fight harder.” George sighed again, studying me. “We found that there were only a few chemicals that your body actually needs to keep going indefinitely. We focused on these chemicals. These chemicals are made in the brain and spinal cord. Through a drug we developed we were able to hyper activate these chemical productions. Any idea what happens when you take the drug?” 

“You turn into a zombie?” 

“Close, you become invincible,” George said. “Imagine it. You no longer need food, water, air. Just like these zombies. You keep going. Stabbed anywhere in your body but the brain, and you can go on. We had cheated death. The military was more than pleased. We had their super soldier serum.” 

“Fucking Steve Rogers bullshit,” I mumbled. George chuckled. 

“Yep. All for the better soldier. Unfortunately we made too good of a soldier. After tweaking we had our first zombie. Injecting them with too much of the drug made them die, but they kept going. Biting the assistant with him, we had our first incident.”

“And now the world has gone to shit,” I said. 

“No,” George said. “That was years ago. We kept safeguards in place, they were the first 2 deaths. But they were isolated. We learned and didn’t push the dosage…but...”

“But?” 

“But the military heard and got us condemned prisoners to test on,” he said. “They wanted to see what could happen. Imagine it, 1 of these zombies dropped down. It could spread to person after person, destroying enemy camps easily. Allowing them to basically kill each other.” 

“Yeah it worked great you fucking Aliens villain,” I spat. To be honest it was funny how similar zombies were to the aliens from the Alien franchise. George sneered but nodded. “What about the zomays?” He looked at me confused. “The big muscular guys?” 

“Oh, they are mutations. Sometimes when a zombie bites a human they become fused. We haven’t figured that part out yet. They fuse together and make something else. There are the strong ones. Blind ones. Sound ones. And the really bad ones. The Mind ones.” 

“What do they do?” I asked, worried. 

“They are psychic. Can make you turn without being near you. They just have to think it. Like a zombie making bomb,” he said. I shivered.

“Then why aren’t you killing them?” I asked. “Telling people about this?” 

“Because we can’t stop it,” George said. “10 zombies escaped their enclosures 2 weeks ago. Exact same time across the world. Any idea why?” I shook my head. “Because one of our test subjects can control them.”

“Control them?” 

“Control them,” he said. “Worldwide. We overdosed him on the drug, but he mutated. Mutated in a way we couldn’t imagine. He became connected to all the zombies and can control them.” 

I stared at him shocked. My eyes wide I studied him, but he wasn’t lying. “You’re saying that a guy you tried to make into a zombie. Has control over them?” George nodded. “And you were using them like guard dogs upstairs?” 

George laughed. “No, we were trapped in here until you killed all of the ones upstairs. We actually only have this bottom floor locked down. The zombies we have in the rooms here are the only ones that haven’t escaped.” 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I wanted to hold my head to fight the throbbing pain, but I was still chained to the chair. “Why not kill them?” 

“Above my pay grade,” George said. “I-I feel bad, but our testing is going to have to continue with you and your people.” 

“What?”

“I’m hurting for bodies,” George said. “Corporate wants us to keep testing, see if we can make zombies that the bastard who controls them all can’t get to. You are the first people to make it here. I am behind schedule so...”

“You’re joking, right?” I asked. George shook his head. “You Umbrella fuckers end the world and you’re going to keep testing to see if you can fix it?!” He frowned, standing up. I did the same, the weakest chain link broke as I did. I extended my arms out tossing the chains to the ground. George looked at me wide eyed as I pulled out my Jitte. 

“I’m hurting for bodies, George,” I said as I poured chakra into my weapon. “I feel like you need to be turned into one.” 

“Weston,” George said, backing up but I cut him down. I pulled out his key card for access. Scanning near the wall the door opened to reveal a guard. I killed him too, then another, then another. It was a bloody massacre as I moved through the halls. People fired guns but I was throwing knives and killing them all one by one. 

I was angry. All this build up, and it was the stupidity of the capitalists that had ended the world. Billions would be dead when everything was said and done. More evolutions could happen until the zomays were gigantic, or they became the least of our worries. I couldn’t blame this supposed zombie master. A guy who had set the world aflame by releasing zombies, but I would have to go after him next. He was allowing innocents to be killed. Allowing all of this death to happen when he could have ended it.

So I killed. No longer caring about these guys. They allowed it to happen, saw it all from the safety of their little bunker. By the time I was sure I had killed everyone the others started waking up. I was a bloody mess as I started untying them. 

“What happened?” Saeko mumbled.

“They let us go,” I said. Others tried to ask questions but as they started to be able to move again I pulled them out. They found the dead bodies in the halls as we walked. They asked questions but I told them I’d explain later. Angry and bitter about the whole affair I took us out of the hell hole to try to find some help with it all. 

—

It was a day after we got back from the drama at the Ghorent Pharmaceutical building. I had explained to everyone what I learned. Rika was pissed off I had killed everyone, but I brought up it would be easy to find more that could back it up. Besides, it sounded like the military knew about it. 

The canon for High School of the Dead had finished without an ending. I knew it now, but in the story I couldn’t help but be disappointed. I guessed it was better than a space virus from an asteroid like another comic I knew of. I received new challenger slots, and High School of the Dead was removed from my list of worlds. I could come back, but I had a bad taste in my mouth about the whole thing. 

I was in a shitty mood. My dad was involved with the drama that ended the world. Some big bad guy could control all the zombies and was loose somewhere. And the city was still filled with zombies. If I was to finish the story I needed a way to kill hundreds at a time. Not a few with a well placed slash. 

I did have some nice reward though. Condoms were surprisingly a great item for me. I really needed to stop risking that I could have kids in these worlds. I hadn’t been too inquisitive on if girls had protection. Also I liked Doorway IDs. I wasn’t sure why the quest didn’t offer these items to start, but maybe I had done so well it had rewarded me extra nicely. Either way I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

“You ready to go?” Saeko asked, walking into the room. Staring out the window I kept my bad mood for a little bit then turned to her. Putting a smile on, I studied her. 

“I love you in your school uniform,” I said. She blushed, allowing the skirt to swish as she swayed. 

“Why do you think I wear it?” 

“Because it’s comfortable?”

“That and I always catch you checking out my ass,” she said. I laughed loudly grabbing said ass. She kissed my cheek. “Are you sure about this?” 

I nodded. “I need a vacation.”

“Where are we going to go?” She asked. 

“I’m thinking an island off the coast. There are a bunch. Clear it of zombies. I teach you real skills with chakra, and we just have sex everyday.” She nodded, pursing her lips. 

“I’d like that,” she admitted. 

“Good.” Saya soon walked in. 

“We ready?” I nodded and headed out with them in tow. We walked through the halls. People nodding or waving to us. Little kids excitedly ran up to us, wanting to play or this and that. We dodged them and kept on going. Outside we were met with the others in our team. I had taken my Gantz suits from them all so I knew what they wanted. 

“Where are we going?” Shizuoka asked. 

“An island,” I said. “Only bathing suits or skinny dipping is allowed.” 

“Sign me up,” Shizuoka laughed. She pulled her pack out from behind her back.

“What?” Saeko asked angrily. 

“What? We are a team,” Shizuoka said. “Gotta stick together.” I hid my smile. Saeko looked at me angrily. 

“She’s got a point there,” I said. “Emi, you coming too?” She blushed but nodded. 

“Rika, Khota, hold down the fort for us,” I said. The 2 looked at all of us confused, but didn’t follow as we walked out of the Takagi estate. Saeko and Saya weren’t happy about the additions, but I didn’t much mind. I planned to make them all realize that I could handle much more if I wanted. 

We stepped out onto the dock. Someone had found a nice speed boat for me. Jumping on it the girls stowed their gear and sat around the boat. “Ready girls?” I asked. They cheered. I looked around to them. They were all beauties in their own ways. I had set up the perfect vacation this time, but for now I couldn’t enjoy it. I needed to get stronger to progress in the story how I wanted. There were dark times ahead in my other worlds. I would use this as a save point. When I really needed a break it would be here waiting for me. 

“World Escape,” I said. Everything turned black.