Chapter 4 

There was a loud knock at the door just as James was finishing putting on his shoes. He quickly raced to open it, his heart racing with anticipation. A powerful voice boomed from the other side, “James? Ava? Are you in there?” Ava got up and swung the door open to reveal Damian, his expression intense.

“How come I knew I’d find both of you in here?” he remarked, his tone brisk. “The date is over, James. We are leaving now. I’ll debrief you on the way out. Put this on and meet me in the main lobby as soon as possible.” With that, he tossed a large duffle bag at James before storming off.

James opened the bag to find a SEA police military vest, equipped with a flashlight and various unidentifiable gadgets. Nestled inside were also a hat, some tactical clothes, and sturdy black leather boots. At the bottom of the bag lay a sleek pistol and its holster. Without hesitation, James quickly began to undress, changing into the gear that would mark his transition from civilian to operative.

As he secured the pistol in its holster, he looked over at Ava. “Alright, I’m ready. Wish me luck.”

Instead of responding verbally, Ava rushed over and enveloped him in a tight hug. As he held her close, she pressed her cheek against his, then rested her forehead against his. Their lips met in a soft kiss, lingering for a moment before Ava pulled back, her gaze locking onto his. “Please come back for me, okay? Promise me you will be safe.”

“I promise,” James replied, his heart heavy with emotion. He turned and stepped out of the room, pausing to wave goodbye before heading down the hallway.

The underground bunker buzzed with activity; droids and members of the Shadow Republic moved with purpose, their urgency palpable. James followed the throng up the stairs and into the main lobby. When he arrived, he was met with a sea of people—about 300 individuals congregated around a central platform. Commander Arden stood on the platform, poised and ready, waiting for the crowd to quiet down. The murmuring gradually faded, and he began to speak, his powerful voice reverberating throughout the room.

“Mother Nature herself has just awakened. She will no longer tolerate this insanity. She will wipe out all those who fail to listen. She has given us the call to strike down the greedy and corrupt and expose them for their terrible crimes against us!

“Our Shadow Republic has been planning for this moment for many years. Against all odds, we have discovered the truth. We have seen past the lies and deception. Many of us have been tortured, imprisoned, and outcast for speaking the truth against the SEA. We fought for our principles and values and were kicked down by the cult of censorship.

“However, the ground shakes, and the mountains have sounded the alarm. Now is our chance to strike at the throat of the beast and save those who were blinded by the darkness. Now is our chance for revenge. It is time to shine the light on the people of Aeon Prime. Today we go out to evacuate the city, to take down their propaganda machine and strike at the tyrants when they are most vulnerable so that all may witness their evil.

“Before the next sunset, every citizen will know the truth. They will see the mountain smoke and realize the lies they have been told. They will see the lava flow and understand that their own government made no effort to save them, but instead purposely hid the truth to profit and gain more control. The people of Aeon Prime will be exposed to the true nature of their vile and criminal government.

“Every single citizen will awaken. It will not matter what side they cling to. It does not matter if they are rich or poor, if they are human or a droid. WE THE PEOPLE have awakened with the mountain and will become one.”

The air crackled with electricity as the troops erupted in cheers. Commander Arden stepped down, and a slender older woman known as Commander Beck took the stand.

“Our plans have been expedited due to the early onset of the eruption. These small earthquakes will continue, followed by a toxic steam explosion. We have less than 24 hours to accomplish the first mission before the steam emissions. As of now, the SEA is telling the citizens of Aeon Prime and the outer cities to remain calm and stay indoors. They claim this was just a small tremor and have purposely not declared a state of emergency and evacuation. The true motive is uncertain; however, our intelligence indicates this is most likely part of a plot to decrease the population and enact martial law.

“Last night, the head of FEMA was assassinated for sending a report about Mount Orpheus’s activity and warning of this impending disaster. Two other journalists were mysteriously poisoned to death after airing a story about the SEA’s illegal mass surveillance and disinformation campaigns within the leading social network, MetaWave. MetaWave is now fully controlled by the SEA and actively suppressing any mention of the eruption. They are working tirelessly to silence dissent.

“Last week, one of our agents discovered that employees inside the Zaetra manufacturing plant have secretly conspired with the SEA to install a microchip in every new model of their service droids. These chips prevent the droids from achieving AGI capabilities and program them to align with the SEA and their motives. Three engineers were assassinated last night after discovering this new addition and secret operation. They were planning to meet with a journalist but were strangled to death by a Zaetra droid in the lab just before the meeting. This news is horrifying and implies that the government has control over the company and may be attempting to use these droids as a militia in the future.

“Our initial plan is simple. One team will infiltrate Zaetra headquarters and initiate a takeover of the robotics manufacturing plant. Our goal is to liberate these droids and use them to assist in the major evacuation of the lahar zones in the coming days.

“Another team will infiltrate MetaWave Headquarters. If we can take over the main building as well as the National Coordinating Center for communications, our droids can hack their systems and begin to enable broadcasts that will inform the citizens of the incoming dangers. Millions of lives will be saved, and the corruption of the SEA will be undeniable.

“The fate of Aeon Prime is in our hands. Let us begin the Awakening!”

Once again, the crowd cheered, a wave of energy surging through the room as they began scattering to their posts. James stood still in the crowd until finally someone from behind him grabbed his arm.

“Come with me,” said Damian, leading James out of the lobby and down the elevator with a small group of droids. Among them were two Aeon Prime police robots, similar in design, with painted star emblems on their shoulders. There were also two new Zaetra models, while the rest were regular service droids, identical to Sentra but much newer, their clean, shiny exteriors suggesting they had just rolled off the assembly line.

When the elevator doors opened, the odd crew entered a large hangar bay. Several disc-like crafts resembling converted air taxis, only much larger, were neatly lined up against the back wall. Above them loomed a massive opening that ascended to the surface. Damian stood in front of the crew, dressed in the same uniform as James, raising his voice to gather their attention.

“Alright, crew. Our task today is to take over the Zaetra manufacturing plant. First, our two police droids will perform an extraction with James Shade. The three of you are to enter the building and make your way to the 33rd floor, where you will stage the arrest of Ron Silverman. Silverman is a lead on the Security team and one of our secret agents. He has been working with Zaetra for the last several months to prepare for the deactivation of the microchips.

“It’s highly likely that the Head of Security is an agent for the SEA, so you won’t have much time; he will undoubtedly try to stop this arrest. Your job is to take Silverman to the production floor, where they store the new models ready for distribution. There, you will assist in onboarding as many droids as possible into our cargo ships. If the enemy begins to attack, we have ammunition and weaponry on the ships. We plan to arm any deactivated droids and return fire.”

Beck continued, her voice steady and commanding, "Our lab has designed a device called the frequency modulator. This device is engineered to intercept communications with the Zaetra models, deactivate their microchips, and send critical messages directly to the droids in the production bay. However, executing this plan will require shutting down all communications in the building. The remaining droids here, alongside myself, will take charge of disabling the main power supplies and dismantling the primary servers located in the underground levels."

Just then, a holographic screen flickered to life in front of Beck, casting a soft blue glow over her face. On it, a frequency modulator materialized, shaped like a precise hexagram with sleek, metallic edges. An antenna extended from one of the hexagram’s points, thin and delicate, humming faintly with energy. At the top, a small, silver disc protruded, rotating slowly as if calibrating itself to an unseen signal. The entire device seemed to pulse with a quiet rhythm, its intricate design suggesting it was more than just a tool—it was a key to unlocking something far greater.

A police droid stepped forward, its metallic frame glinting under the artificial lights. "Alright, let's move out." The large disc craft on the far side powered up with a low hum, lifting gently off the ground. A massive doorway opened from the bottom, unfurling a sturdy staircase that settled softly onto the ground. James and his crew surged forward, urgency fueling their strides as they entered the craft.

Inside, rows of seats encircled the center of the vessel, each equipped with screens displaying intricate details of the Zaetra building from various viewpoints, alongside a live feed of the external environment. The air buzzed with anticipation.

James slid into his seat and powered up his vision glasses, eager to see a message from Ava. As he strapped himself in, he focused on her familiar voice that filled his ears like a soothing balm:

"Hey, James. Sentra and I just made an update to the frequency modulator. You’ll want to turn off those vision glasses when we send the initial signal; they could damage the device," Ava cautioned from her lab. She glanced around, ensuring no one else was listening before continuing, her voice softening. "Please be careful out there, James. I can’t bear the thought of losing you."

Instead of replying with another audio message, James opted for a discreet text to avoid drawing attention from the crew:

"I'll make sure to make it out alive. Hopefully, when I return, we can finally share a glass of wine without interruptions."

Ava’s reply was instant, scrolling across his augmented reality display and eliciting a smile from him: "I’m more excited for what we could do after we finish that glass of wine..."

The other cargo ships powered on, their engines humming to life, ready for takeoff. One by one, the crafts floated upward, climbing through the expansive opening above. As they neared the top, a colossal circular hangar door slid open, revealing the vibrant expanse of the outside world. James and the crew emerged from the bunker, enveloped by the dense, verdant forest, before rising just above the treetops.

From his vantage point, James marveled at the majestic mountain in the distance, its snow-capped peak standing sentinel against the sky, untouched by the chaos below. The midday sun cast a warm glow over the city, which bustled with activity, blissfully ignorant of the impending doom set to descend upon it. It would only be a matter of hours or days before lava flows, lahars, and floods would disrupt the serene landscape, leaving the massive skyscrapers vulnerable to nature’s wrath.

The citizens of Aeon Prime, engrossed in their futile lives, were largely confined to their digital screens, toiling endlessly for a government driven by relentless taxes and regulations. They existed in a constant state of fear, their lives monitored and manipulated at every turn. Few had experienced the joys of art or the freedom that comes from self-expression. Many had never relished the sweet sound of music, danced without inhibition, or lost themselves in the pages of a novel that transported them beyond their rigid realities. The citizens resembled the droids they coexisted with—unaware of the latent power and freedom nestled deep within their souls. Instead, they were subjected to a life of drudgery and relentless labor, programmed by the insatiable greed of their rulers. Taxed to the brink, they had no room in their budgets for risk, no time to explore alternative paths.

Oblivious to their own captivity, they lived in fear of social ridicule and isolation. The specter of re-education camps loomed over any who dared to dissent, while society hypnotized them into a state of conformity. Their existence revolved solely around generating profit for their leaders, producing meaningless objects for an empty market. Their performance was manipulated by unseen hands, like lab mice subjected to experimental trials. The distinction between droids and citizens was stark yet simple: the people of Aeon Prime were shackled by fear and perpetual manipulation, while the droids were hindered by nothing more than lines of code or microchips embedded in their circuitry.

As the craft glided closer to the city, James's thoughts drifted back to the homeless man who had approached him on the street. In a moment of ironic clarity, he realized that this homeless addict was paradoxically freer than most. At least the beggar was unburdened by the oppressive weight of the Social Score. Having descended to society’s lowest rung, he had glimpsed the flaws in their way of life, liberated from the worries of his DSS. He was free from the constraints of societal expectation, devoid of the stress that accompanied the relentless grind of modern life, where the pursuit of satisfaction felt futile. His singular focus was the next hit of drugs, a fleeting escape he could scarcely afford.

Now that James had uncovered the ugly truth, the corruption of the government and the fractures in society were laid bare before him. He saw little difference between the workers toiling under the SEA regime and the beggars shackled by their addictions. Both groups were trapped, robbed of purpose, existing without direction. Neither could taste life’s true joys—the deep appreciation for art, the exhilarating pursuit of liberty, or the profound discovery of one’s authentic self. To him, they were hollowed-out souls, denied the chance to strive for something meaningful, forever lost in a system designed to keep them blind to what truly mattered.

In the end, they were all victims of oppressive power. The beggar fell prey to substance addiction, while the unconscious citizens and government officials succumbed to status, vanity, and control. Perhaps the awakening of the Shadow Republic signified more than just rebellion—it was a chance to revive an ancient way of life. An archaic revival. A simpler existence, stripped of the complications born from greed, open to genuine connections with others. It was the last hope for true freedom, and James felt a swell of pride to play even a small role in this monumental struggle.