The Monarch Effect

Chapter 13: Severed Connection

Chapter 13 (Interlude)

Alarms blare as the sound of windows shattering echoes throughout the pyramid-shaped facility. Hallways turn dark and red as the emergency lights do their job. Critical servers throughout the data center blink off one by one, whether they simply lose power or are destroyed.

"Tsk! Move it or lose it, kid!" An older voice screams as rapid footsteps flee. On the verge of tears, a young intern follows an older technician like her life depends on it. The intern's huffing and puffing versus the technician's ironclad lungs shows a clear difference in speed. Even so, she slows down for the young intern.

"Don't lose that badge!" The technician yells at the intern as they take tight turns. "Unless you think you can take a .50 cal bullet!" The young girl remembers the lectures... if your image and DNA aren't registered in the security system, the turrets and drones will shoot you and anything that gives off heat. They're AI image and thermal-based.

But if they see an immunity badge, they'll ignore you. Those badges are given to the newbies. But how useful will it be now?

The intern can hear almost inhuman laughing and sometimes even a monstrous growling through the walls.

"A-as long as we get out, everything will-"

"Don't know about that one." The technician cuts off the intern as she looks at her phone. "It's not just us... It's the entire globe."

A gulp and silence come from the intern before receiving another notification on her phone.

"H-hey! HQ says we should stay inside and wait for security forces to clear us out!" She explains. "Is there any safe pla-"

"Forget it." The technician says. "They don't know what's happening in here."

Gunshots ring out and draw closer to the two fleeing employees, causing them to stop.

"Those shots..." The technician begins. "They're coming towards us! Get back!" She pulls the young intern as they duck behind a server rack. The technician slowly pokes her head out, and the intern follows suit.

The banging and ringing of gunshots draw closer and closer until the flashes from the gun reveal a man at the end of the hallway. With his pistol raised and back facing the hiding women, he keeps backing away from something and empties his mag at something in the distance.

The intern begins to move to get the man's attention, but the technician holds her back and motions her to silence. Screaming at the top of his lungs, the security guard yells at the radio on his chest.

"Is anyone out there?! This is a code... I don't even know what to call this! Just anybody! Please!" The man begs as he reloads. Just as he finishes, he pauses as his face goes pale.

The technician and intern can feel it, too. Aside from the suddenly freezing temperatures, the feeling is hard to explain. Something that is not supposed to be... something that doesn't belong on our plane of existence. Something that is nothing... Yet is clearly something...

Anger... Depression... Vengeance.... Despair...

...Death. The feeling of death lingers in the air.

Limbs go numb. Spines begin to chill.

And then it appears. A large white and blue haze rises from the ground, gently floating in front and just above the security guard. A soft and echoey groaning comes from the fog as it slowly condenses and starts to take form. A translucent human woman with blueish-pale skin appears out of the haze, with a white gown and black hair longer than her body. Her eyes have no color as she stares down the mortal before her.