When he turned toward the open door, the small group shuddered. They stepped out of Gresson's way as he left the room and began to run back to the stairwell. He made his way down the stairs as quickly as he could. On his way down, he grabbed his overcoat.
An alarm began to blare through the building. After Gresson was down a few more floors, he heard security guards burst in far below. He was at the 24th floor. He made his way down to the 21st, taking several stairs with each stride, smashed through the door, and ran to an office on the back side of the building while putting on his coat.
Gresson broke down the office door and looked through the office window to the roof of the adjacent apartment building. Without a second thought, he pulled out his gun and fired into the window until it shattered. The strong wind from outside nearly knocked him off balance.
He stepped back to the doorway just as he heard security run onto the floor from the stairwell. With a hand on each side of the doorframe, Gresson braced himself. He pulled forward and raced across the office room toward the missing windowpane.
The cold air and rain hit his face as he flew directly over where he had made his previous jump. Gresson's feet landed just on the railing of the fire escape and he collapsed onto the landing. He took just enough time to catch his breath before making his way down. As he hit the ground, he could hear the security guards shooting down at him from one of the broken windows.
Gresson ran down the alley till he reached the street. He tossed his mini-comp, robot, and watch in a trashcan, then hailed a cab and jumped inside. When asked for his destination, he gave the home address of Michael Case.
Chapter 2
Gimbal Systems Headquarters, NYC - August 3, 2072
One hour before Alexander Gresson made his escape in a New York City cab, Adam Case pulled back his hood over his wavy blonde hair as he stepped into the headquarters of Gimbal Systems Inc. He paid no attention to the lone man sitting on the couch in the waiting area, a man who had just minutes ago identified himself as Mr. Winchester. Adam walked up to the receptionist. "Hey Mindy. How are you doing?"
"Adam, it's good to see you! Here for your dad, I assume?" Mindy replied.
Adam nodded. Mindy reached under the counter and pulled out a guest pass. Adam had interned under his father for the past six months, ever since he turned 18. Company policy still made "guest" designation mandatory whenever he was there after his work hours, however. The guest pass, along with every employee nametag, contained a tracker, allowing the company to know where the wearer was at all times. Within the past decade, numerous new measures to improve company security had been implemented, though most employees found them more annoying than anything else.
Adam put the guest pass around his neck. Adam thanked Mindy and made his way to the security checkpoint. The guard eyed his pass, nodded for him to step through the body scanner, and finally motioned for him to go ahead once the scanner showed no anomalies.
Once at the elevators, Adam pressed the "up" button. Seconds later, an elevator arrived and out stepped an unhappy looking old man.
"Mr. Yeager," Adam said as he passed.
The old man looked up, having just recognized Adam. "Oh, hello Adam."
"How are you doing?"
"Eh, being distracted from my work," Mr. Yeager said with a shrug.
"Hopefully not for too long," Adam said as he pressed the button for the 33rd floor.
As the doors began to close, Mr. Yeager scoffed and replied, "Hopefully not," as he headed toward the lobby.
The elevator soon arrived at the 33rd floor. It was one of the five research floors in the building, besides the basement level where larger projects were handled. For the most part, only short-term, small-scale, or nearly finished projects were dealt with at Gimbal Systems' Manhattan headquarters. All others were handled at one of the many other sites Gimbal Systems owned across the country.
Adam walked down the hall until he reached his father's office. He knocked on the door.
Adam's father, Michael, was the lead researcher for any new projects in the New York Branch of Gimbal Systems. Michael was well respected at Gimbal, where he had worked for 20 years. His innovative thinking had allowed him to advance quickly through the ranks. He was now in the prime of his career, working on the most cutting edge technology in the world. Adam couldn't help but try to follow in his father's footsteps.
Michael answered his office door and motioned for Adam to come in. Michael was a short man, only 5' 5'', and nearly 190 pounds. Athleticism had never been his strong suit, much unlike his built son. Michael had short black hair and green eyes that matched his son's.
"Anyone figure out what was up with that bullet-proof material yet?" Adam asked. He was allowed to aid one project at a time with his internship and had recently started working with a new clothing material that was intended to be extremely resistant, even to point-blank gunshots. Ironically, the material had begun to flake during preliminary tests.
"Nothing yet. I'm still assuming temperature's a factor," Michael said.
The father and son continued to discuss the project for a few minutes. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Michael unlocked it and in walked his wife, Alice.
Alice Case was the Operations Manager at Gimbal Systems New York. She was younger than her husband, but had been working at the company even longer. She had earned a coveted management job immediately after her college graduation. She met her husband through the company soon after he had taken a research position. They were engaged only a little more than a year later. She was a tall and slender women, with straight blonde hair and brown eyes. She was an aggressive businesswoman whose advancement at Gimbal paralleled her husband's.
"Ready to go, boys?" she asked.
Michael and Adam nodded and the three of them left the office and headed for the elevator. They rode down to the garage level, walked over to the family's black luxury sedan, and got in. Michael told the car to take them home, and it made its way out onto the street.
There were few cars on the roads. Most inner-city transport was handled by friction-less underground trains, supplemented by the remaining several bus routes and a single subway line. Private vehicles were a commodity few urban dwellers bothered to own and the efficient widespread public transport system had dramatically decreased the number of commuters over the past decade. Pedestrian traffic, however, had become the new debacle for city engineers.
"So did you hear about that brain transplant guy?" Adam asked. "Saw online just a bit ago that the operation was a success. He's already moving around in the new body."
Alice replied, "Yeah, I saw that too. So he has robot limbs, a mix of artificial and naturally transplanted organs, and his own eyes and brain?" She shook her head. "Too weird."
Michael said, "Sounds more like some kind of science experiment, rather than an actual medical procedure to me."
Adam and Alice nodded their heads. "The doctors just wanted to show off," Alice said. "No way a whole-body transplant was necessary."
"I think it was just to be in the history books," Adam said. His parents nodded in agreement.
"So besides creepy robot-human surgeries, what's new in the world?" Michael asked as he brought up an internet display on the car's dashboard. The screen showed a few advertisements on the side, one for a new fried snack, one for lunar vacations, and one for a financial advice service. In the middle of the screen, a virtual anchor was providing the news highlights.
"...plans for the trans-Atlantic tunnel have been finalized and the digging is set to begin next month."
"The typically internet-based conflict caused by Omnireq Corporation's so-called 'declaration of independence' from the United States three months ago resulted in offline violence earlier today as several Digital Security Bureau buildings were the targets of arson. President Reyes offered a public statement this afternoon, saying that, quote, 'The fun and games are now over. This preposterous child's play has now demonstrated its danger to our great nat
ion. Justice will be delivered swiftly,' end of quote."
"A bill calling for a full retraction of the controversial Demilitarization Act has been introduced in the House of Representatives. President Reyes has given his support for the bill, though many international leaders have expressed criticism for the move against the Act, which was a hallmark of the late President..."
Michael muted the display. "Same old stuff," he said.
About 30 minutes later, the car pulled into the driveway of the Case family's home in Staten Island. The house was one of the most expensive in their neighborhood. Michael and Alice were both well compensated for their work at Gimbal Systems.
The home featured a post-modern style, including a deeply inset front door, spacious windows, a grey exterior, and an asymmetrical floor-plan. The car pulled into the garage, set below the wide window of the living room, and shut off automatically. A light hum could be heard as a connection was made between the floor and the car, charging its battery.
Michael, Alice, and Adam all stepped out of the car and made their way into the house. The lights turned on and the home's stereo system began to lightly play select pieces of classic jazz.
Adam went upstairs to his room while his parents went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"So, what do you want to make tonight, sweetheart?" Michael said as he put an arm around Alice's waist.
"Hmm... Let's bake some chicken and, uh, maybe put together a salad?" she suggested with a shrug.
"Sounds good to me," Michael said and the couple began to prepare the meal.
Several minutes later the front door opened and Marie, the younger of the two Case children, walked in. She was 16, had short dyed-black hair (which was naturally blonde), and brown eyes. She came into the kitchen and sat on a stool at the counter.
"Hey Mom, hey Dad."
"Hey, how was your day?" Alice asked.
"Oh, fine," she moaned.
Michael looked over and said, "Doesn't really sound like it. What's up?"
"I don't wanna talk about it," she quipped. Please stop talking to me! she internally begged.
Michael raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay," he said and looked at his wife. Alice rolled her eyes.
Michael and Alice finished making dinner a half-hour later and called their children to the table. They all made light conversation as they ate their once-a-week family dinner, their tradition on Wednesdays. For most of the dinner, Adam and his parents shared gossip from work while Marie quietly ate her food. Once everyone had finished eating, they gathered the dishes and placed them in the dish washer, where they were cleaned immediately and automatically placed back in the cupboards from the machinery in the wall.
Before any of them could leave the kitchen, there was a loud bang outside, far too deafening to be thunder.
"What the hell!" Michael exclaimed as he covered his ears. The family could hear sirens starting to blare outside. They ran to the front of the house and looked out the window. Nothing seemed out of place, except for their neighbors who were coming outside to investigate.
The Case family stepped out into the rain and onto their front lawn. Michael went over and talked with some of the others who had gathered on the street, all gathering under umbrellas. After getting no useful information, he returned and shrugged.
"The Jackson's said they already called the police, but the lines were busy. I'm thinking it was some kind of industrial accident," he said.
"We should check the TV," Alice said and the family went back inside.
Before they could reach the television, however, a loud shockwave hit the house. The family fell to the ground and Marie let out a shriek. This was followed immediately by small explosions throughout the house as everything went dark. The television gave a loud "pop!" as its holographic projector shot sparks. Several light fixtures exploded. The stereo speakers, once hidden in the walls, burnt through the paint to expose themselves as darkened holes.
One moment later, there was complete silence. For the next few seconds, the huddled Case family heard only the rain outside. No sirens or alarms. No beeps, honks, buzzes, or hums.
Those few seconds ended as screams and cries rolled in from outside.
"Is everyone..." Michael said, then looked around the dark room for a moment. "Is everyone alright?"
They all slowly stood up, none of them entirely sure if they were. The only light came from outside. They all cautiously went out the front door. There was light coming from the moon, vaguely visibly among storm clouds. They could only see the vague silhouettes of their neighbors, all making their way indoors.
Alice looked toward the city and gasped. The always brightly-lit skyline had been replaced with towering infernos. The limited viewpoint from their lawn gave her little detail as to what was happening, but it was clear that downtown New York City was the last place anyone wanted to be at the moment.
"Okay. Let's go inside and get some flashlights," Michael said, horrified at the scene. The Cases went inside, all in a state of shock. Michael found a flashlight in a closet, but it failed to turn on. He replaced the batteries and tried again. Still no luck. He checked his mini-comp in his pocket and found it destroyed.
"Flashlight isn't working. Do we have candles somewhere?" Michael asked. Adam and Alice managed to find candles in the dark and lit them on the kitchen counter.
"Whoa! Watch your step," Alice said when she saw the kitchen floor. The dish washing machine had partially exploded and scattered broken dishes across the room.
Michael saw that Marie was close to hyperventilating. He grabbed a cup and tried to get water from the sink, but nothing came out. He opened the now-defunct refrigerator, found a water bottle, and handed to her. He put his arm around her shoulder as she shakily drank.
The family all eventually sat at the table to catch their breath. No one spoke for several minutes. Only the sound of rain and the muffled sounds of those outside could be heard. But the apparent calm was soon interrupted when they heard three loud knocks on the front door.
Chapter 3
Staten Island - August 3, 2072
Before anyone could get up to answer, the front door swung open. In the door way stood a tall man wearing a drenched overcoat and wielding a pistol. With no pause, Gresson walked toward the table.
Michael and Alice leapt up.
"Who the hell are you?" Michael yelled. He was answered with a pistol against his forehead.
"Are you Michael Case?" Gresson asked.
"Oh my god. Please, I..." Michael stammered.
"Answer the question."
"Yes. Please don't hurt us. I beg you."
Gresson lowered his gun.
"Listen Michael, I don't really have the time to explain, but I need you to come with me now."
Michael looked up at Gresson's face. He couldn't make out much in the dark, except for the gleaming wound below his right eye.
Alice stood behind Michael, holding onto her son's arm. God, please help us, she thought, though more as a simple reflex of fear rather than a request of any deity.
Adam grabbed his mother's hand to comfort her. He was more focused on Gresson, however, and determined to make sure this man did not hurt his family.
"Take whatever you want, just please leave us alone," Michael said.
Gresson grabbed Michael's arm. "I need you to come with me. Now."
"I... I... I can't leave my family."
Gresson began to pull Michael toward the door. Michael struggled to get out of his grip, but failed. In desperation, he punched Gresson in the face.
Gresson's only reaction was to stop moving. After a moment, he let go of Michael and looked back at his family, who watched in horror. Great. Just what I needed, Gresson complained to himself.
"Okay. Let's go." He motioned for the family to follow him.
Michael protested, "Wait, no!"
"Michael, I am the best chance your family has right now of getting out of here alive. Things will be going sour real fast aro
und here. We need to move."
Shaking his head, Michael said, "Please just let us go."
Gresson groaned and aimed his gun at Marie. "I really don't have time for this Michael. Either they all come, or just you. I do not care, but I am running out of patience."
Marie froze and stared at the silenced barrel. Not a single thought was on her mind. Her brain was struggling to process her own fear at this moment.
"Okay! Okay! We'll come with you," Alice said, moving in front of Marie.
Michael looked at Alice, then nodded at Gresson.
Gresson put his gun in his coat. "Let's move."
As they stepped outside, the Cases saw how quickly the situation had disintegrated. Fires were scattered around nearby, some only a few houses away. Screams and shouts echoed from all directions.
Gresson led the family down the street. They walked slowly in the rain and dark. The fires had brightened their surroundings, but not by much.
They soon made it out to the main road. The wider space had more light. There were also more people here, all gathered in groups, moving in random directions at various speeds. Few noticed the Cases and Gresson as they walked along the road.
Scattered on the road and the sidewalk were many cars, most abandoned. A few were smashed from collisions with other cars or objects along the sides of the road. At one point, the group passed the grotesque scene of an apparent pedestrian accident. The body of a young women lay crushed, half under the runaway car that had killed her. Marie began to softly sob as the group passed by.
After walking for nearly an hour along the same road, the group heard gunshots ring out ahead. Gresson pulled out his gun and led the Cases to the opposite side of the road. They walked cautiously forward.
The origin of the gunshots was soon clear. A group of hooded figures were standing in front of an apartment building, next to a dead body. They seemed to be keeping watch for others looting inside.
Upon seeing the group walking up the street, one of them raised a handgun.
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