It was 2011, and in the latter half of Barack Obama's stint as president, America had never been so divided, with racial tensions driving a wedge between the population, and crime was at an all-time high.
The media would insist that everything was fine, even as whole cities began to burn under the fires of lawlessness, and streets were riddled with thugs and killers who, due to a government mandate appropriately dubbed catch and release, inevitably returned to the public to cause more harm on the local and widespread population.
Jobs were sparse for those just leaving high school and entering the world, and the military wasn't missing the opportunity to recruit as many failed students as possible.
Caine Williams was in an office for a job site, looking for such sparse work.
He was a rather athletic young man with dark brown hair and teal eyes.
He was decently tall, standing at 5'11", with his hair slicked back in an attempt to appear more professional, despite his lackluster clothing that gave him away as a person of modest means.
Looking at Caine in disdain due to his lesser economic status, the hiring manager dropped the folder containing his application onto the wooden desk without taking too deep a look into it.
"So, what do you think we have to offer an unqualified individual such as yourself? As you know, jobs are hard to come by and qualified staff even more so, so why would we hire someone who has just left high school when there are a hundred people behind you with greater qualifications?" The hiring manager asked with derision, clear in his eyes.
"I can't hire a bum, what would the higher-ups think? No, no, this guy will never work here!" the manager thought.
Caine opened his mouth to speak, but the hiring manager held his hand up to stop him before the words could even form.
"Just do us both a favor and leave before I call the guards, okay!" He said much to Caine's anger, but unable to do anything about the discrimination, he had no real choice but to do as asked and leave.
"NEXT!" The manager's loud voice echoed behind him as Caine walked out of the office, his head down and a depressed look on his face.
Caine walked past the still long line of applicants and was near the gate when a voice rang out.
"YOOOOO... Caine!"
Caine looks around rapidly to find the source of until he sees his friend from school, named Conor, waving at him like a madman from the end of the line.
Seeing no reason not to approach, he walked forward with a friendly expression, hiding his previously depressed expression.
"Hey man, how was it? Did you get a position?" Conor asked in a jovial tone, which mildly irked the nearby adults.
"This guy is so happy all the time!" He thinks before opening his mouth and answering, "Nah, the hiring manager took one look at me and decided he did not want me dirtying his jobsite with my presence!"
Conor and several surrounding adults were taken aback as they weren't much better off than Caine was, making them feel insecure about their chances of getting a job.
Both Conor and Caine sighed in unison before Conor slapped his hand onto Caine's shoulder, "Hey, it is a rumor, but I have heard that Kronos Corp is hiring for delivery personnel, but..." He grabs Caines's shoulder, and concern appears on his face.
"Be careful, I have... heard rumors about that place and their work!" He let Caine go after saying that, and his face returned to his normal jovial mood. "Eh, rumor is just rumor after all, how bad could they be if they are trying to find an answer to the resource issue!"
Caine nodded in affirmation, and the two chatted about old high school nonsense for a minute before a security guard approached and forced Caine out of the area.
Having no other option but to leave or risk being beaten by the guards like some other more aggressive civilians who were piled up just outside the building in a mass of bloodied and bruised mass of bodies.
A few homeless people fought over a small pack of food when one pulled a knife and slit the carotid artery of one of his opponents causing a jet of blood to shoot out onto the knife wielders face.
The knife-wielder turned to the other one and was about to swing once more in an attempt to have free access to the food in the box.
However, before he could react, a brick slammed into his head and caved in his skull, causing him to drop both the knife and the box as he stood there drooling from the corner of his mouth.
Nearby homeless, with hunger in their eyes, having witnessed the two drops, did not lunge after the box but immediately went after the corpse, as well as the brain-dead man, and soon the sounds of meat being torn, cut, and chewed were echoing out in the surroundings.
"I had better go another way, I don't have a weapon on me, and the homeless are rather feral tonight!" He thought as he walked to the left, following along with the sidewalk, eventually he found the main road, where a traffic jam was currently in the process of clearing out.
Caine opened his phone as he walked and typed in the name of the company his friend Conor had given him, and ended up on a page dedicated to Kronos Corp. Using this site, he found a dedicated map to the location of the building and began moving towards his destination.
GROWL
His stomach growled.
He had only had enough breakfast food this morning and had no money for more.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a half-eaten stick of beef jerky.
It had been in there for a few days and was beginning to harden, but feeling the pains of hunger once more, he soon dropped whatever reluctance he had and began eating the remnants of the beef stick.
It was like a drop of water in an empty bucket, but it was better than nothing.
He continued his journey, making sure to avoid dark areas and particularly loud neighborhoods.
The streets were full of garbage, abandoned vehicles, and you would even find corpses lining the walls along the alleys as he passed, men, women, and children all, the sight of which naturally caused a sickening feeling to well up in Caine's stomach.
He struggled to hold it in, as throwing up would remove whatever food was in his stomach, so he quickly moved past in an attempt to escape the smell and sighed in relief when the horrid feeling in his gut disappeared.
Caine continued his journey, using his cellphone to make his way as quickly as possible to the location where Kronos Corp was at and eventually, the slums turned into skyscrapers.
As he made his way through the streets, more affluent passersby's sneered in derision as they noticed him and in particular, the shitty hoodie he wore but ignoring their chuckles and shit-faced grins he continued forward until he came upon the building he was looking for.
"Kronos Corp, here we go!" Caine whispered and took his first steps towards the doors.
Each step felt heavier than the last; his nervousness was reaching its peak as he reached the top of the stairs and reached for the door.
Caine looked back at the burning and violence-filled city, "I hope things get better!" he says before opening the door.
Stepping inside, Caine is stunned; the difference between inside and outside is practically atmospheric, the air is clean, and there is not a trace of the smell of cinder and gun smoke that fills the outside air like a permanent blanket.
Coming back to his senses, he noticed a rather attractive Korean woman standing at the counter with a humble and friendly smile on her face.
"Woah, she is beautiful!" He thought before shaking his head to come out of his daze, he approached the desk, trying not to look as nervous as he felt.
The Korean woman had taken notice of him the moment he had entered and simultaneously pressed a small button on the underside of her desk.
She maintained a professional and modest appearance with a slight, friendly smile on her face as Caine approached the desk warily.
As Caine neared the desk, the cameras at the corners of the room all followed him from different angles, and in a different room altogether, a woman with long and wild red hair was performing the final touches to the device that would not only cement her name in history but possibly save the world from the current state.
"Just need one more thing, but I don't want to go over there, those people are so creepy!" She turned to the monitor to her right and saw the video feed of the entry lobby, and saw a lost-looking young man at the front desk having a discussion with their receptionist, and a devious smile formed on her face.
Caine had just finished speaking with the receptionist, who handed him a clipboard and an application form before directing him to take a seat.
Settling into a chair, he began filling out his information, though there wasn't much to include since he had only recently graduated from high school. As he reached the halfway point of the form, the lights unexpectedly dimmed, and a pair of long, slender legs clad in a pencil skirt appeared before him.
Looking up, Caine's heart skipped a beat. Standing in front of him was a striking woman with fiery red hair styled loosely into a slightly messy bun. Her face was an alluring combination of angular and heart-shaped features, exuding both regal elegance and approachable charm. Behind her glasses, her vivid emerald-green eyes sparkled with an almost otherworldly brilliance.
Her tastefully loose dress shirt revealed her clavicle and a modest yet captivating amount of cleavage, leaving Caine momentarily stunned. His mouth slackened slightly at the sight, prompting a soft chuckle from the woman, which broke his trance. Meeting her mesmerizing, jewel-like gaze again, he fought to suppress the blush threatening to rise to his cheeks.
"He's just a baby... cute though," she thought before speaking. "You, what is your name?" Her voice was soft yet firm.
"C... Caine Williams!" he stammered, his blush deepening.
She paid no attention to his flustered state as she began noting down his name and other visible features, such as his approximate weight and height, details she could easily estimate at a glance.
"Come with me, Mr. Williams," she said, turning around. Her natural curves, accentuated by the pencil skirt, caught his attention once more, causing him to pause before quickly scrambling to follow her.
Caine trailed the red-haired woman through the sleek corridors of Kronos Corp, his footsteps barely audible against the polished floors. Scientists and lab technicians darted past them, balancing trays of intricate equipment or clutching tablets, their faces set in expressions of intense focus, tinged with urgency. The low hum of machinery, punctuated by sporadic bursts of static from nearby devices, created an undercurrent of tension that quickened Caine's heartbeat.
"Stay close," the woman instructed, her tone authoritative yet composed. "Some of this equipment is incredibly delicate. Even the smallest mistake could—" She hesitated, casting a quick glance at a hurried technician brushing past, "—well, let's just make sure you don't touch anything, alright?"
Caine gave a tense nod, forcing down his unease as he matched her pace. He concentrated on her movements, taking note of every turn as they wound through the labyrinthine facility. The corridor finally opened up into an expansive, brilliantly lit room, far larger and more sophisticated than anything he had anticipated.
At the center of the space loomed a colossal arc-shaped structure, its metallic surface gleaming under the bright lights, with thick, sinewy cables sprawling outward like the roots of a mechanical behemoth. Surrounding it were panels and screens alive with streams of incomprehensible data. Scientists swarmed the area, their movements precise and purposeful, as they adjusted equipment, flipped switches, and exchanged snippets of technical jargon that left Caine's head spinning.
"This is where things get interesting," the red-haired woman said, her emerald eyes glinting as she gestured toward the massive arc-shaped structure. "This is our primary experimental interface. Think of it as the gateway to the next phase of our research."
Caine's eyes widened. The structure radiated a low hum, and the faint vibration in the air felt almost alive, as if the machine itself was breathing.
"You'll meet the team here," she continued, leading him closer. "Dr. Ramirez, Dr. Chen, and Dr. Patel, our lead scientists in energy dynamics and applied quantum interfaces. They're working on something that could fundamentally change the world."
Three scientists paused and turned toward them. Dr. Ramirez, tall with graying hair and a piercing gaze, extended a hand.
"Welcome, Mr. Williams," he said formally, though a hint of warmth softened his voice.
Dr. Chen, a petite woman with her hair neatly tied back in a tight braid, offered an encouraging smile. "We're glad you're here. Every extra set of hands, or eyes, is invaluable."
Dr. Patel, a young man with a mischievous grin, leaned forward slightly. "I hope you're ready. Things move fast in here. There's no room for hesitation."
Caine nodded, attempting to project confidence while internally wrestling with awe and nerves. "I… I'll do my best."
The red-haired woman placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "First, we'll ensure you're familiar with the controls. Safety and understanding are crucial before you even think about interacting with the frame itself."
She guided him to a bank of consoles adjacent to the arc-shaped machine, where screens flickered with fluctuating energy readings and intricate schematics. "These panels monitor the interface. Every wire and connection is critical. One wrong move, and the system could shut down, or worse."
Caine leaned in to study the screens, the rapidly shifting data overwhelming him. His stomach churned with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. This was no ordinary task. It was something far greater, something that had the potential to change everything he thought he knew.
Dr. Ramirez approached, his tone calm but commanding. "Mr. Williams, your role is straightforward for now: observe, learn, and report any anomalies. Once you grasp the basics, we'll have you assist with the calibration."
Caine nodded again, his pulse quickening. He glanced at the red-haired woman, whose subtle smile conveyed belief in his ability, even if he wasn't entirely convinced himself.
As he took a deep breath, the arc-shaped frame emitted a faint pulse, its hum growing louder and resonating through the room. A shiver of anticipation ran down his spine. Whatever lay ahead was monumental, far beyond anything he had faced before, and it was only just beginning.