Ch 3 Awakening of Zenith part 3
Darkness.
For an eternity, that was all there was.
A silence so absolute it felt older than time itself. A stillness untouched by war, screams, or hope. Buried deep beneath miles of reinforced alloy, sealed by classified protocols, forgotten by the living world—something slept.
Then, for the first time in 127 years, a resonance stirred.
A faint pulse flickered through a cylindrical chamber the size of a cathedral, its walls etched with arcane circuitry of the Old Humanity—technology that no current era could replicate. Pale-blue stasis fluid rippled around a single figure suspended in the center like a fallen star frozen in an eternal dream.
PROJECT: ASTRAEA ZENITH
Codename: LAST LIGHT
Status: Dormant
Power Integrity: 0.002% and rising
System Notice: Awakening Protocol Triggered – Reason: Global Relay Condition "EXTINCTION LIMIT BREACHED."
---
Elsewhere in the chamber…
Rows of stasis pods hissed and exhaled in unison.
One after another, 52 pods lit up, displaying biometric scans of life slowly returning. Inside were the last remaining scientists of Project Zenith—humans partially modified with Nikke-grade biotechnology to prolong their survival, enhance cognition, and interface with Astraea's core systems. Their faces, aged yet preserved, flickered with disbelief as light returned to their consciousness.
They awoke not as researchers—but as witnesses to the last gambit of humanity.
Dr. Caelum Rhine, Chief Systems Architect, exhaled slowly as his pod opened. His voice trembled.
"…She's waking."
Next to him, Dr. Nyra Velstein clutched her chest. Her eyes glistened with reverence and sorrow. "Then… it's really over out there."
"Or… it's just beginning again," murmured Rhine.
---
Above them – Level Sigma Guarding Deck
Titan Pilot pods detonated their cryo seals.
Genetically enhanced warriors with neural synchronization to mechanized titans opened their eyes for the first time since the war's darkest hour. Armor plating engraved with "TITAN LEGION: ADAMANT FRONTIER" shimmered in the awakening lights.
Nearby, Spartans stepped out of enhancement cradles, bio-augmented super soldiers engineered to be faster, stronger, and more resilient than any standard commander. Their neural cores synchronized to Astraea's future command network.
In the shadows, units wearing matte-black armor shifted silently.
REAPER GHOST SQUADRON: OMEGA-HELLSHADE PROTOCOL ACTIVE.
Primary Objective: Protect Project Zenith.
Secondary Objective: Eliminate ALL threats to her existence—foreign or domestic.
Final Directive: If compromised, terminate all knowledge holders, including themselves.
Their voice comms came alive—calm, automatic, ice-cold.
"Last Light is awakening. Begin Sealbreak Formation."
---
Core Chamber – The First Breath
The chamber trembled.
The cryo-fluid around Astraea began to evaporate like morning mist under a rising sun. Metallic wings of dormant armor unfolded slowly behind her—constructed from materials no longer found on Earth, alloys forged from the last deposits of Astrium-Etherion, Solarisadamant, and Null-Weave—materials considered mythical to modern engineers.
A soft glow lit her body from within—nanomaterial tissues beginning self-repair, neural processors rebooting, synthetic organs activating with faint pulses of silver-blue.
Lines of golden code swirled behind her closed eyelids.
< HELLO, ASTRAEA ZENITH.
WELCOME BACK.>>
She inhaled her first breath.
---
The Moment of Truth
Dr. Rhine wiped a tear as he approached the console. His hand trembled as he entered the activation phrase. One final line flashed onto the massive terminal screen overlooking the chamber.
[HIGH COMMAND FINAL OVERRIDE – LAST SUBMISSION]
To the one who opens her eyes in humanity's darkest hour:
You are our last light, our final hope. Lead them not as weapon alone—but as dawn that breaks despair.
If you rise, let the world know—HUMANITY HAS NOT FALLEN.
Forgive us for the burden we leave you with.
Live… for all of us who could not.
—SUPREME COMMANDER OCTAVIUS HALE
At that, the 52 scientists stood together before her chamber, some smiling softly, some weeping, hands clasped in reverence. They had sworn to die after her activation.
"Project Astraea Zenith," Dr. Nyra whispered with a trembling voice, "our child… our masterpiece… please… be humanity's salvation."
The stasis chamber shattered.
And Astraea Zenith opened her eyes—silver irises glowing like a newborn star amidst the ruins of a forgotten age.