The Franco-British Union: The Trials of Time

Prologue

Third-Person P.O.V

     On the morning of the 24th of April, 2024, people witnessed exceptionally stormy weather and dark clouds looming over the skies of the cities of London and Paris. Unbeknownst to those who stumbled across this phenomenon, as unpretentious as it may have seemed, something had just set in motion as one of the most mysterious series of events the world had ever seen.

     People had just been celebrating Saint George's Day the day before and therefore couldn't care less about the abrupt change in weather. Climatologists began questioning the lack of any prior indications or predictions about this sudden change leading to turmoil amongst the population.

     Soon, a flash of light, bright enough to briefly create a second sun, lit up the dark stormy sky several hundred kilometres above the Franco-British Union. Simultaneously, a massive electromagnetic pulse swept across the union, crippling all of the union's power grids and leading to temporary power outrage in all its cities.

     Although most of the radio and satellite communication equipment was destroyed by the EMP, a major portion of military equipment managed to survive. 

     The number of signals transmitted by or received from space-based satellites was suddenly reduced to zero, completely knocking out all the communication relay networks that connected both the union and the world. Those inside the FBU were now completely unable to reach out to their families and friends, despite several attempts to do so, it was as if the FBU were no longer on Earth as the population grows increasingly concerned about the current situation. Was this the opening shot of the Third World War? Nobody knows.

     The government, which was in the middle of its weekly meeting, witnessed the events unfold and suddenly, topics changed. The prime minister, Josué Garreau, and the rest of his cabinet present at the meeting were immediately escorted by the RaSP and moved to a safe location called the "Pindar".

(Author Note: "RaSP" stands for Royalty and Specialist Protection)

*      *      *      *      *

An hour later...

24th of April 2024, 9:00

In the emergency briefing room somewhere in the Pindar, London

     Josué entered the briefing room after an initial briefing on the situation by his advisors, just as government ministers and military officers were discussing their next course of action. Although tensions within the room eased down after Josué's arrival, no one knows how long it will last.

Josué: "Do I have to remind all of you why we're here, ladies and gentlemen? Now's not the time to argue. That aside, what's the situation regarding the other superpowers?"

???: "Not looking good, sir. Other than their embassies, we've lost all sort of contact with the outside world. The American and the Chinese ambassadors have confirmed that they are also unable to communicate with their countries. They added that they didn't receive any reports prior to the incident."

     The one who spoke up was none other than the Foreign Secretary, Brian Fallone, one of Josué's most trusted ministers in the cabinet.

Josué: "How about the Russians? Any words from them?"

Brian: "Unfortunately no, sir. We've been unsuccessful so far in our attempts to reach the Russian ambassador, but their diplomats have confirmed the same thing as the American and the Chinese ambassadors. They've also been unable to communicate with their own countries."