Imagine if you will, a world where you have the ability to remake the world around yourself. To tear down everything that is and build something new in its place. Now imagine not wanting this gift, imagine it being a curse built into you from a young age, and that you exist as a weapon of destruction. Not to tear down the world and build something new and beautiful for everyone, but to destroy that which your creators want you to. That had been the life of a young boy, bought in secret to be raised by the state in a facility beneath the surface of the earth. Growing into a teenager with no childhood except preparation for what he would become. Finally, a young man who is not like a man but like a machine, a soulless automaton designed to destroy. Being built and trained as a weapon to tear down that which was shunned by his creators, those who claimed to be giving him limitless freedom while making him wear shackles.
Rainfall
2094, Madagascar
A sleek black VTOL Troop Transport skimmed over sea and land with such ease and grace it was hard to believe how heavily armed and loud the combat models could be. Something about intimidation factor of the gunships, the transport ceased its horizontal momentum as Madagascar came into view and hovered near a beach at which point the occupants searched the perimeter of their landing zone while the package was deployed. A figure roughly six feet tall with some sort of full body armor, with an extremely sleek design hundreds of smaller metallic plates that are a reflective silver color along with a gray visor both turn a vanta black, as small red lights come on over the entire suit. The person dropping out of transport makes an audible whoomp sound that doesn’t generate enough noise to travel off the beach itself. the only sounds come from the back of the suit where a round bump protrudes, a light hum can be heard. and from the visor, a light whispering sound can be heard as the final comm checks take place. One of the men watching the beach presses a button on his helmet while looking at the imposing figure. “Final comms check everything good to go?” The figure turns to look at the man and from the soldiers, the headset comes a sound somewhere in between a whisper and a ghostly voice being fed through an artificial filter. “Agent Antimatter reporting final comms check, everything is functioning optimally, permission to proceed to the hostile facility?” With a grim expression, a look that evoked some level of remembrance of something unnerving, the man looked back at the figure. “Affirmative you are clear to proceed to the facility and engage any hostiles. Do not, I repeat do not destroy the facility, and leave any noncombatants temporarily disabled for extraction after the mission understood?” With a glance from the visor lights and a simple affirmative, the figure takes off running into the under brush towards the designated target, a rain begins to fall as the near-silent footfall of the armored figure races off into the night.
“Final comms check everything good to go?” The figure turns to look at the man and from the soldiers, the headset comes a sound somewhere in between a whisper and a ghostly voice being fed through an artificial filter. “Agent Antimatter reporting final comms check, everything is functioning optimally, permission to proceed to the hostile facility?” With a grim expression, a look that evoked some level of remembrance of something unnerving, the man looked back at the figure. “Affirmative you are clear to proceed to the facility and engage any hostiles. Do not, I repeat do not destroy the facility, and leave any noncombatants temporarily disabled for extraction after the mission understood?” With a glance from the visor lights and a simple affirmative, the figure takes off running into the under brush towards the designated target, a rain begins to fall as the near-silent footfall of the armored figure races off into the night.
Under Darkness
Agent Antimatter approached a large boulder formation, through his h.u.d. he can see what it really is. The disguise to an elevator which leads under the surface, down there the objective needs to be realized, and all hostiles need to be non-lethally neutralized. Lifting an arm at the falsified rock structure a cloud of particles ejects from the gauntlet and begins to tear apart the false entry way and leaves an elevator door in view. The cloud then returns to the gauntlet and the agent steps into an elevator, complete with the ding of an elevator button and elevator music. “Agent Antimatter entering the facility, expecting medium level jamming technology to be active, orders?” from the other side of the calm a calmer more eloquent voice responded. “Enter the facility attempt to eliminate hostiles with minimal damage, and disable any anti-communications technology, proceed.” As the elevator slowed and finally halted the doors opened and a hail of gunfire poured onto the agent and the extremely dense cloud around him that seemed to be consuming the bullets.
A booming voice came forth from the humanoid mass of darkness “Lay down your weapons and no one will be injured, resist and I will be forced to make you all noncombatants.” The hail of gunfire ceased temporarily while they spoke to each other, they then finished reloading and continued pouring fire into the void in light before them. With what could be interpreted as an exasperated sigh of disappointment, the cloud broke into portions. One of which zoomed towards the light fixtures and began consuming them, another began materializing into arm mounted weapons of some sort, and another flew at the firearms the guards were holding. And all at once it took the place, the hallway plunged into darkness the weapons disintegrating in the hands of the guards, and small rocket-propelled projectiles shot forth from the arm mounted weapons which vanished as soon as they appeared. The ordinance guided itself towards a guard each slamming into their chest with enough force to visibly shock them. And an electrical discharge took place that left them all motionless on the floor.
half an hour later and every humanoid in the facility had been pegged with one of the recharging taser projectiles, or firmly secured with bindings made of extremely strong tensile cords. The Agent stood in front of a pod with a clear viewing port, inside of it floated a child hooked up to a number of what seemed to be cybernetic ports on their body. “This is what I was sent to retrieve? Pathetic, these savages trying to copy their betters.” With that, he commed the extraction team, who hastily made their way to the facility to locate and properly secure the package for transport. As “the package” was loaded up The agent swept the facility cleaning any evidence or overly advanced technology, and they returned to Jamaica a perfect orderly fortified location where only the most influential and wealthy could enter the island. And this was of course if they are “approved” As soon as they’d returned dozens of field agents rushed forward to move the package deep within the true facility deep under the island. Antimatter was later escorted as usual to the de-arming chamber.
Genesis
As the figure stood in the chamber, it filled with the usual liquid gel solution and the light of scanner washed over the figure, the body armor melted away into swarms of nanites that seemed to darken the tank black. And then it drained and what remained was simply a woman no older than 20-21 to anybody’s guess, she was of course much older than that. Simply very well preserved as her aging cycle had been slowed down drastically long before. She exits the chamber dressing in the standard facility jumpsuit for someone of her rank and goes about her usual day. First training with other agents of lower ranking as required of her, then heading to the cafeteria, and finally back to her personal room for her rest and relaxation time of the cycle. Looking at herself in the mirror she could see the nanites in her veins as always after time out of the base moving to and fro taking care of this and that. She’d gotten used to this routine a simple following pattern of how life would be. She enjoyed this predictable pacing to things and worked hard to preserve it. Over the next few years, things would change in her life things she prided herself on and her eventual fall from grace.
In the coming years “the package” which had been re-designated as an agent under the name of Matter began training the young man excelled and was extremely obedient. Some chalked this up to the methods of his upbringing and his relocation to an even better-equipped facility for such things. He responded rather uniquely to technology being able to interface with it, connect, adapt, improve along with it. A sort of monthly contest was held where other agents in training would attempt to prevent the young agent matter from interfacing with one of the terminals linked to the data storage where he could withdraw his newest updates for various programs he ran. Of course, as these games went on and agent matter began to tinker with constructing his own drones, the competition began to escalate as the two opposing forces improvised and plotted. And so it became a yearly competition held in a sectioned off facility, and it is here that Antimatter meets Matter.
Agent Matter has constructed a veritable small army of drones at this point of various designs. Agent Antimatter had, as usual, fulfilled seek and destroy missions with the utmost success as before. However, a mission that required both of their talents came into play. In South America, multiple cities were experiencing open revolt as the crime syndicates spurred their seemingly endless manpower into action. Assaulting authorities and seizing control of key infrastructure. Though local authorities and military intervention were underway to contain the situation. The intensity and scale of the issues proved to be a truly apocalyptic series of events. And so Agent Matter was sent to a currently secure field base and began assembling a multitude of drones to secure and fortify the location against assault. And Agent Anti-Matter was dispatched to remove members of leadership position in the field to weaken revolution efforts.
Waking up to Ashes
Matter awoke, a thrumming headache pounding away at his senses. All around him shattered drones lay about, along with those less protected than he. They didn’t have a high enough level of environmental emergency protective gear. But of course he did, just like she did, wherever she was. He reached out through his mind to his drones, most were shattered or damaged beyond current operating capabilities. And so he called the few of his fliers that were active around him and decided it best to move on. Basic scans dictated that chemical and nuclear weapons had been put into play. This had exterminated massive quantities of the human races, over 75% of the world’s population had been killed in the initial strikes. Another 15% died on the second day he was unconscious, and finally, another 8% died in the hour he had been awake. “Hmm, this shall be quite the setback to things.” He spoke aloud to himself, walking through the streets towards the large structures still standing. He needed to get in contact with The Organization, they would need as many Agents as possible moving to contain and work towards solving issues. He had projected that the worlds remaining populations would continue to decrease at a drastic rate, and that very few solutions remained that could accurately or ideally salvage the human race aside from leaving earth.
Elsewhere
Agent Anti-Matter awoke, easily excavating her way out of the collapsed building. No one else had survived the collapse, which was good because anyone present was guilty of extremely heinous crimes. She observed the scenario of the ruined city around her, scanners already identifying multiple biohazards and areas too radiated to make them worth entering. “Who the fuck is going to clean this up?” She then began making her way back to the city the other agent had been deployed in if he hadn’t survived he didn’t deserve to be an agent. Making sure to cannibalize any electrical equipment along the way, even if he hadn’t survived she needed to contact someone, anyone left from the organization so she could get out of here.
Atop a tower
He’d climbed all the way up the building through the practically ruptured interior. He’d been working on salvaging or beginning the process of replacing/rebuilding the various electronic components. That is until he heard gunfire and moved as close to the edge of the structure as he could. Below on the street, a government security drone had survived the electrical discharge but had gone haywire and was attacking a lone figure who could be no one else but another agent based on how a dark cloud surrounding her ate up the ballistic ammunition. He marveled at how other agents like her could manipulate the nanites for combat purposes like that. He could only ever excel at the indirect actions, hacking, repairs, modification. Good skills to have but not as highly rated by many in the organization as the combat skills agents were expected to manifest and use with extreme prejudice when requested or ordered.
Steet Level in front of the tower
An exceedingly annoying drone had survived and was pouring weapons fire into her nanite swarm. She simply advanced on it forming part of the swarm around her fist and burrowed through its center, eating away its power supply and beginning the disassembly program in order to replace lost nanites. God, she hated machines that could think for themselves to any degree, and that “agent” at the top of the tower was like an idiot savant of machine intelligence and design, oh joy. As she made her way to the top of the building clearing a ramp-like walkway to the top she heard the moving of many machines. Upon reaching the rooftop she saw the other agent surrounded by a swarm of drones, some expertly fabricated, others assembled for a single task that required little in the way of effort. “Hey, hows it going? Any luck?” The older agents appearance though not a surprise still startled him as he turned to face her armors frontal cameras. “I have the antenna repaired and I’ve assembled an independent generator for it. Right now we’re working on an actual interface that can reach the organization.”
After a few hours of tedium, he’d told her that he had accomplished what he could. And would set about working on a field base atop the building, requesting she “ensure structural integrity” As a technician rank Agent he held command in terms of technical matters and making sure the building didn’t fall down was indeed one of those. So Antimatter took up the duty of clearing and reinforcing the structure of the building, while it wouldn’t survive any real direct heavy ordinance it certainly wasn’t going to topple. After setting up some utilities like a Decontamination unit and a rather basic enclosed space they decon’d and got comfortable in their daily routine. On the second day, he had confirmation The Organization was still active, and was currently deeply invested in a number of field operations saving the brightest and most useful of minds left on the earth. The most support they would receive would be further field operations supplies to better establish a base where they were. When asked why they’d need a more developed field base the response was simple. “We have inherited the earth after the fatal and final mistake of the old world.” The younger agent was shocked by the brazen confidence and matter of fact disposition of the spokesmen he talked to. But after a reminder of the lacking options, the two agents made their structure as comfortable and secure as possible for any potential staff.
Arrival of the Field Agents
They had created specific floor plans as directed by the organization to accommodate a larger population than simply the two of them. After the extreme renovation and engineering of the two agents, they had turned the twelve-story structure that once held news and radio shows for most of the country into a fortress-like building suited to support a population of 100 people so long as needed supplies arrived as needed, and salvage operations in the region were active. And of course, as the first batch came in and landed on the promptly constructed and secured helipad, they welcomed the skeletal crew of medical personnel, security, communications experts, and disaster relief officials from the organization. As they assembled in the intelligence room an official member of the organization designated as head of field agent activities began talking about the plan. “We must search the region for survivors in secure locations such as properly built fallout shelters. We will then set up decontamination facilities above them and treat them as best we can before providing the minimum required safety gear to bring them here, and ship them to a more ideal and permanent settlement.”
So it was agreed upon, they were the skeletal crew that would function as the welcome party to the survivors of the old worlds mistakes and to the new residents of a newer brighter future in a world that would need every able-bodied citizen it could get. And orders were clear that anyone who showed violent or aggressive tendencies were not to be given “as adequate of safety gear” for the long trip back to the now clean and sealed off forward base. The organization had been to the point and clear, that this was going to be a new world, with new rules. Both agents Matter and Anti-Matter were almost constantly in the field, there was simply no better way to begin any level of large-scale renovation and repair of the area. With the two of them and security and command personnel to give suggestions and ideas, they quickly converted the block around their Field Base into a secured perimeter for further expansion into the region at a later date.
And then the rescue operations began. Locating suitable fallout shelters or makeshift hideaways, and giving the inhabitants the rundown on the new global government and state of affairs in the world. Many responded with sadness, despair, even joy at the “fresh start.” Thankfully few responded hostility to the rescue efforts and by the end of the second week, 560 people had been evacuated to a different location. A larger shipment of Field Agents arrived to truly begin operations on a larger scale of all varieties. Agent Matter and the engineers designed and assembled a dome for the Large Compound that encompassed the block, and later he and anti-matter began constructing the skeletal frame to the system that would provide the compound with clean air free of radiation of any damaging amount, and strip any harmful agents from the air. This was a new system being deployed all over on the surface and was part of a long and slow purification process for the air on the planet.
The First Conflict
The first real conflict with anyone came when they began stripping military and police installations of anything useful. In some of the military bases underground bunkers had been constructed and so those still on base had fled underground arming much of their emp shielded security measures beforehand. And so when scavenging teams arrived and were assailed by still active combat drones, brutal force was brought down upon the heaviest resistance. By a newer and extremely efficient method, as an orbital satellite deployed its contents directly to the surface. After impact and the opening of the safety barrier, the large mech-like battlesuit emerged from the crater and began wiping out resistance with rail weapon fired projectiles. And so matter and anti-matter were pulled back into the compound to fabricate a mechanized infantry area. The story and a half tall battlesuit was a welcome addition to the facilities security features and were often sent on patrols to clear out dense clusters of drones.
The arrival of another agent signaled that this truly was the takeover and rebuilding of the world under The Organization. The agent specialized in extreme engineering projects and simply states he was here to build a terraformer for the atmosphere of the region. “We must fix the sins of the past before we can march into the future. This will be the first of seven such devices, and the assembly of such is needed to begin the healing of the world’s oxygen. Thankfully the creation of artificial settlements was far underway before this event in preparation for such a disaster. For most surface life shall die before we have finished fixing the pollution of the atmosphere.” Simply flabberghasted at the scope of the project they began clearing an area as large as their entire compound and more to prepare it. At this point, rescue operations were commonly underway bringing in fewer people than before as many survivors simply didn’t make it, and many others hadn’t known the sheer scale they were supposed to prepare for.
The construction of the terraformer continued to drag on even with the full efforts of the engineers, workers, and agents. It had been two months since the project began and the effects of fallout were plain to see now. ecosystems choked as the increased exposure, as the delayed effects of fallout in the atmosphere settled down to earth. The total collapse of the ecosystem was a foreseen casualty of the old worlds errors and beyond anything was one of the greatest risks involved for the recolonization and settlement of the planet. They weren’t just going to rebuild in a day, they were preparing the surface for decades if not centuries of effort in order to repair the damage done in the time it took to turn a key or hit a button.
Turning to the Sky Above
One of the main issues that impacted The Organization, was that countless satellites and stations orbited the planet. And that a large quantity of space debris was present, with the surface world and its societies wiped out the organization would have to itself focus on the rescue and salvaging of the orbiting stations, satellites, and junk. Thus agents were dispatched to locate and acquire all known space travel based knowledge from various bases around the world. They would construct a new space program, one that would carry humanity out of this its darkest hour, and into the stars. For the organization understood two very important things, the resource cost of rebuilding and stabilizing the earth would be a tremendous and complex endeavor. And the salvation of those stranded in orbit and the expansion to the stars would be almost equally complex and tremendous an effort.