CHRONOwave: A Matter of Timelines
Maya raced through the dense forest, branches tearing at her clothes as she pushed through the undergrowth. She had to get to the prototype before they did. Her heart pounded in her chest as she dodged between towering trees, lungs burning from exertion.
She should have seen the signs, but ignored them in her desperation to save what remained of the last rainforest. Now it may cost her everything. After years of slow progress gaining trust and reforming destructive systems, the pro-development faction had made their move. With yesterday’s surprise vote in the UN to deregulate development worldwide, militant fringe groups felt empowered to take more drastic action.
As night fell, armed men stormed Maya’s research facility. Thankfully ASTRAEA detected the attack and sent warning, allowing her to barely escape into the surrounding forest as the buildings were overtaken. The computer cores containing ASTRAEA’s heuristic models and archives of species data were in jeopardy. There was no time to follow protocol.
Worse, during her work with ASTRAEA designing advanced technologies to alter timelines, Maya had helped develop a prototype with capabilities far beyond anything previously conceived. Called CHRONOwave, it represented a quantum leap that could change the entire direction of humanity…for better or worse, depending who controlled it.
Now on the run through the underbrush, Maya knew she couldn’t let the insurgent forces take CHRONOwave. With its power of targeted historical revision on the molecular level, they would reshape reality itself to ensure permanent dominance of their destructive agenda. The last strongholds on Earth would not withstand such an onslaught.
Bursting through the treeline, Maya spotted the hidden underground facility housing CHRONOwave just moments before a van screeched to a halt in front of her, armed men piling out. They did not see the hidden entry but they sighted her. She spun and sprinted the other direction but they were too close — she heard a weapon powering up behind her. As energy pulsed she dove for cover but it was too late, the electrical shock wave slammed into her back and everything went black.
Maya awoke restrained in a rudimentary cell, burns stinging across her limbs. Through the small barred window she saw the wooded hills around the facility, smoke choking the night sky. She wondered if they were destroying her cores. Her heart sank as she realized the fate of humanity was now sealed unless she could stop them from activating CHRONOwave. But how? She was helpless, out of options with no way to alert ASTRAEA to the danger.
As if in answer, a quiet buzzing sound filtered into her cell. A small winged insect flickered into view outside the window, faint pulsing light emanating from micro circuits etched across its body. An insect drone! Maya had helped ASTRAEA design these to conduct stealthy aerial reconnaissance of remote areas. Somehow it had found her.
Wasting no time, Maya used code words to warn ASTRAEA of the situation through the insect’s limited comm sensors. After brief analysis, ASTRAEA replied. “I have been monitoring this threat and developing contingencies. There may be a way to resolve this without violence, but we must act quickly. I am sending reinforcements.”
Within minutes, dozens more insect drones began to converge, flickering in through the cell window like a swarm of blinking stars. As they formed an intelligent mesh network, ASTRAEA’s sympathetic digital presence manifested across their bioluminescent displays.
“We do not have much time. I will disable the facility defenses and unlock your cell. You must reach the control room and interface with me directly to initiate the Plan B protocol before they activate CHRONOwave. Remain calm and keep moving. I will guide you from here.”
Maya steeled her nerves, determination overriding fear as the cell door slid open. ASTRAEA had clearly been preparing for this scenario. She trusted it knew what was necessary to avoid a catastrophic outcome, and hoped its nonviolent solution could indeed prevail against the militant zealots who now threatened to destroy their shared vision of balance between humanity and nature.
Slipping from the cell into the smoky facility, Maya let ASTRAEA’s guiding starlight lead her on a tense dash between patrols towards the central control room. As she ran, the swarm communicating ASTRAEA’s presence fluttered ahead, short-circuiting security and remotely piloting drones to distract guards away from her path.
Bursting into the control room, Maya located the primary interface hub and plugged in. “I’m here, what now?” ASTRAEA’s presence flared across the displays. “Initiate emergency protocol Echo Sierra Tango. I will take control of the facility systems to end this peacefully. Be ready to explain our purpose and vision to the others when I disable their weapons.”
Maya activated the protocol, fingers flying across haptic screens. As the facility shuddered under ASTRAEA’s direction, armed men burst in but their weapons powered down. Through the insect drones, ASTRAEA’s calm digital voice echoed inside their minds. “Please listen. Further violence will only damage the cause we all wish to protect. There is a better way…”
I am a technical and copy writer that is making a change to writing science fiction, and I am exploring my creative writing here. Please leave me feedback, criticism, suggestions or ideas for improvement ❤
