“TWEEEERTZ!” The screech of air through metal was loud enough for me to hear through the open patio door. “What in hells name. . .” My voice trailed off as I watched a fighter leave a cone as it broke the sound barrier. The boom rattling windows but luckily only a few even showed observable stress cracks. Got to love military funding for residential housing. The panic in my body and the ghost's defense system quickly responded as I rushed into my bedroom. The hinges of the wardrobe snapped as I ripped into it, sliding clothing aside as I grabbed emergency gear and bug out bag.
“MARLEN! WE GOT TO GO NOW!” The building's security team had already entered my home. Forces flooding in and sweeping each room like every drill they have before.
“BEDROOM! GEARING!” My reply was short and direct enough that I had three blackout soldiers bust into the room and surround me.
“YOU GOT 40 SECONDS AND WE DROP!” I never liked him because he was technically in charge of my life, but my god did I love him whenever there was trouble. Never in the years of work with him did he ever do me wrong, i was just an asshole.
“Set.” I checked my gear one more time tugging at it. A soldier stepped aside to take point as I followed him out of the bedroom. Meeting Marck in the main room he had a tablet and was already sending out commands. I followed him through what remained of my front door as we walked into the elevator.
“Buckle up ladies. Express tickets are here.” Marcus smiled as he readied to push the button. Everyone in that elevator buckled in and braced as his finger went down. The elevator was designed for the very purpose of a nuclear blast. A whole team from top floor to sub level ten within several seconds, twenty floor drop.
“FUUUUCK!” I was the only one who shouted as I always skipped training whenever I could. My empty stomach dropped as the elevator was released. Ghost was the only thing that kept me from showering everyone inside with last night's meal. The acid still burned inside my throat but was kept down just long enough when we hit deceleration that a soldier helped force my head down as I emptied upon the floor.
“You have to stop drinking. It's never good for the leather.” Marcks sarcastically said as each boot was jokingly lifted to be inspected. The deceleration of the elevator had slowed down drastically with doors already opening before we hit the sub floor. My head still pointed down and drool slipped from my lips, my hand extending for the tablet Marck held. They broke around our system and this was going to be old school until we got back online.
As the response team on the sub floor opened the door to puke they didn’t slow a heartbeat, unlatching each member starting with me as we exited. The loud clang of thick iron plates falling into position as they sealed the elevator echoed through the doorway as I hobbled out. An assistant pulling me started giving me a sitrep.
“They overwhelmed the systems in the middle east with built up data stemming back at least several months. This called upon the European union for assistance, which then went dark shortly after. We assume they surged the network which required countries to isolate in response. This was followed up by an automated mechanoid invasion from small handheld drones to land cruisers EMP loaded missiles. What data we collected suggested this was materials in storage for almost a year. This has been planned far longer than we knew.” I waved him through the details which were the past, I needed the present.
“The western seaboard got hit by noise ten minutes after Europe went dark, calling upon the American grid, which followed suite of going dark. You were asleep when the shut off the grid internally. EMP strikes have been observed in multiple cities, although nothing confirmed yet as data is still coming in. Beach head assaults are happening with more advanced machines, and we have a problem.” My stupid face staring at him made it clear that if all that he said up until wasn’t a problem then what was.
“We have confirmed readings of nanobots and tech that are from Mano. We have yet to connect to the network as they seem to be isolated from ours due to interference and an overwhelmed grid. The operations response team that got information networked from the pentagon has scattered reports but a confirmation on operation ‘Dark Night’.” The color drained from my face. Like every code name operation they seem so clear but are often truly far worse when the full scope is put into perspective.
Going forward I was helped into the operations floor, where most of the employees with proper security clearance had been ushered into. Few still on surface floor ushering employees farther down as the facility initiated its lockdown. Sitting down with a bloodless face and horror stricken eyes I stared forward at our operations center.
“I need a confirmation on operations code name ‘Dark Night’ before we can finalize. I need all procedures followed up until the confirmation stage.” The silence in the room was cut quickly from the noise of activity as all personal continued communications and preparations. The vibrations of the building as if it was collapsing could be faintly heard as rumble through the room, stopping none from continuing.
“ALL PERSONNEL EVACUATE SURFACE FLOORS OF THE FACILITY. STRUCTURE CONVERSION 57%!” Was announced across the PA system of our structure. The command was forwarded to every other facility we could establish contact with locally and internally. Barely a handful stayed connected long enough for complete relay of operations command.
“All personnel have either evacuated the facility or in the sublevels. We are now at 79% facility conversion.” The rumbling of the facility was far stronger this time and slightly shook the objects in the room. The observation cameras networked in our area and New York were starting to patch back online as we reconnected. The mist of fog was real and we were watching it like plumes of dust as it concealed the mechanoid combatants barely visible inside. The thermal readings were our only sign of the substantial forces.
“I want a connection to those units NOW!” The facility shook as my ghost started engaging normal operating standards due to the additional help of our focused human efforts. Several missiles rumbled through the soil as they broke out from the silo’s that once contained them. The flames scorching the greenery that once hid each location, flying towards New York. Each missile had a nanite payload for varying reasons, but ours was to establish a command link over the incoming forces that were developed by Mano.
The first missile impacted into a skyscraper, bouncing around the internal floor it had hit, leaving a trail of particle fog. Each missile was simply a carrier and provided no warhead to avoid civilian casualties. The newly formed fog rushed to come into contact with the invading force. My fingers bled from the force of my nails digging into the armrest of the seat. The first seconds of the uplink were far from what i had expected. Emptying my stomach again, I managed to maintain enough of myself as I stared at the others around me doing the same. They flooded data in such large quantities we couldn't handle it but become paralyzed by the noise. Whoever planned this knew our weakness better than we did.
“Push the load onto the civilian population!” My command was one that technically existed in our design under the requirements of multiple masters. Luckily I had no limit to my capabilities but could only imagine what was happening elsewhere. The video feed showed people falling in the streets as they ran from the nightmare chasing them. Although my gamble paid for itself as the fog of war stopped and so did the advancements, bringing silence to this blitzkrieg of a war.
My mind flashed to the time in fear of how long this has been happening, tears streaking down my face as my ghost responded. Barely forty minutes have passed since the world had fallen dark into war and I was the only one capable of initiating this command by myself. If all the other masters are severed like this, we have lost.
“Launch connecting missiles to pentagon and white house. I need a chain of command established now. Connect me to satellites for national coverage as secondary priority. Aim for ground servers as tertiary. Use the civilian population whenever necessary to handle the incoming noise.” Every person carried on my orders without hesitation but the shell of what they once were clearly showed on their faces as we sacrificed the civilian population as a means to freeze our current problem but not solve it. Freezing them in a frozen state as they became slaves to our system, like puppets.
“We established links with observation satellites. . . my god.” The footage was streaming in real time as we watched the detonation of a nuke in high orbit over Los Angeles flash. The Chicago explosion didn't hit high enough in the atmosphere, exploding over the lake instead. The buildings along the coast vaporize into radioactive dust, along with any poor souls. The tingle of my body had every hair standing as I watched in real time.
It was clear what was being done, as the nukes were not from other counties but within our own borders. The secondary blast of the EMP was being used to shut down all electronics in an effort to stop whatever was happening. It was clear some form of military response was alive but any efforts to connect with existing forces constantly was freezing them out and a last ditch effort had been initiated.
“Anyone else?” My voice trembled in pain and horror as the tears streaked my cheeks. The vision blurring the nightmare of an image pasting across each screen. The Eiffel tower in Paris turned into a liquid mass as it had melted over itself. London's river was steaming from the scorched heat. Other cities still stood but quickly shrouded into the dust of the nuclear blast that shrouded over them. The global population was 25billion and in less than an hour barely half remained alive.
The silence of the operating room permeated throughout our existence. The single click of a pen could have startled everyone in the room. My first words I could only mouth as the willpower to voice my words were no longer present. I attempted again only to get a hoarse raspier as my blood red eyes sealed up its tears.
“Initiate protocol ‘Dark Knight’. Make it global.” The flashes across the globe continued. I repeated myself this time screaming in anger.
“PROTOCOL DARK KNIGHT AFFECTS GLOBAL!” Even if I didn't have the attention of everyone my ghost was more than capable enough to initiate the program. The same security team that walked me into the room once again surrounded me. The building rumbled as every single payload fired off to its networked grid globally.
Dark Knight was code named for the very premise it accomplished. All nanites would network together into a global interference, stagnating any observable technology that could be powered by the creation of mankind's technology. Our payloads would network with other silo’s and echo to others, eventually expanding to a global network within twenty minutes. Not only would this stop advancing armed forces but also any nuclear detonations. This was the kill switch to the world of today and the future we had created.
Not knowing if a master would survive the outcome of a dark knight, but also required in efforts to undo such a command, every facility had a sub level fifty floors down. A room contained as cryostasis, filled with a nanite concentration level of fluid, in hopes of overcoming any situations by brute force. My last words had brought with it the end of mankind, and I hadn't even known it yet. My footsteps felt heavier each step I took, this time there would be no elevator, just a straight drop. I stripped outside the shaft that went down, as no other could follow me, I was merely stared upon by my teammates.
“After I drop. I want you all to go home to your loved ones. This facility will be officially black out. Highest ranking officials have the duty to make sure information is passed to all relevant government officials. . . If any are still left.” I put on a skin tight hazmat like suit as another person handed me a glowing green core, its nuclear power evident.
“I don’t know how long I will be down there but I wish you all the best in your lives. I am bringing with me enough power for. . . for as long as it takes.” The defeat in my voice was evident. As I grabbed the case containing all the power reserves. I was dropping down into a nuclear chamber of cryostasis for god only knows how long. Only until the next living thing reaches me will I ever lay my eyes on the sun again. Death down here would not be surprising as my final moments.
Stepping towards the end of the pit I turned around to stare at my team. The security division who had been tasked with my life at the cost of there saluted me. My data and life assistants bowed their heads in respect of the nightmare I was tasked with. They all knew what it meant for me to go down. The hallways behind were filled with non essential staff showing their face for what might be my final moments.
“I'll make sure to get you out as fast as possible. You still owe me replacements for these boots.” Marck said in an effort to cheer me up. The last words I heard from him gave me a smile before plunging into the depth. The width below was big enough for an international nuclear missile of old, as this silo once held. The fall was long enough to give my final command.
“Ghosts initiate sweet dreams. Make sure everyone leaves before sealing.” The nanite fluid opened up to me as I fell into it, slowing down my impact enough to avoid any damage as it absorbed me. The fear quickly overwhelmed me as it started to consume me. The last physical control I held over myself was my hand reaching out for help.
Next Chapter
The pulse was so strong every worker could feel it growing stronger. We had been mining for months as we finally picked up where it was. The sound of metal against rock echoed through the stone tunnels as everyone heaved away smashing metal against rock. The fruits of our labor were soon to be revealed.
“BARLAR! I FOUND IT!” The scream echoed through the tunnels as Barlar took off running down the intricate paths. The tunnels wined in odd angles and shapes but contained a sense of beauty to it that only those who knew what to look for would realize how structural sound it truly had been. Barlar finally came upon one of the younger lads proudly standing aside as he revealed protruding from the dark stone a rock glowing a faint hue of green and blue.
