Penticore Prime
Page 38
“Father,” cried Thador, as Jinx approached.
“He has passed, only a short time ago.”
Thador nodded. “And were you able to deliver the message?”
“Yes,” replied Jinx. “Now please go, Seiss Thador. We must move quickly.”
Thador passed through the portal and disappeared, while Jinx took one last forlorn look. The soldiers were unconscious, and would need time to heal from their injuries, but they were otherwise unharmed. He allowed himself a brief smile of satisfaction for a job well done. Then he looked down lovingly at the body of Candor Shuveen, and stepped through the portal.
As soon as the portal disappeared, the Ekoss Caspularuss glowed a deep red, and from it, a humming sound began to resonate. Invisible waves of energy propagated, building in intensity. Each wave begot another, and everything both mechanical and electrical was immobilized. It took less than five minutes for North America to go dark as cars stopped, and the fires of industry were snuffed out, like a torch being doused under a waterfall. Five minutes after that, South America was little more than a hovel of empty streets and unlit homes. Ten minutes after that, Europe joined them in complete technological desolation. In less than an hour, the world was completely paralyzed, apart from aircraft, that landed safely before losing power.
As Theo walked the car-strewn streets, he knew that dark days were ahead. For the first time in years, he saw thousands of people coming out of their homes. They looked around in wonder, trying in vain to get their cell phones to turn on. Exasperated that their cars didn’t work, and worrying that they were going to lose their jobs. Theo knew better. He knew that the universe had just gotten a lot smaller, and humanity would have to prove itself worthy, before it would be allowed to use technology again. And he smiled, whistling a tune as he walked.
What happens to humanity is immaterial, he thought to himself. At least now our planet will get a break from us. Hopefully, we become better caretakers for the experience…