Plunge
Darkford's retaliation was instantaneous and absolute. He did not dispatch riot droids; he weaponized desperation itself.
Within an hour of the data breach, every remaining screen, billboard, and handheld device across the Undercity flashed the same chilling image: Rena Sol's face, overlaid with crimson words—TREASON. CHAOS. TERRORIST.
Darkford's voice, modulated to sound simultaneously empathetic and unshakable, echoed from every loudspeaker:
"Citizens of the New World. A relic of the past, Dr. Rena Sol, seeks to destroy the stability we have achieved. Bring her to me. For her safe delivery, NuCore offers the ultimate reward: guaranteed residency in Elysium Prime, unlimited access to clean water, and perpetual power for your chosen sector. Do not choose the chaos of the past; choose the design of the future."
The Undercity erupted into a frenzied, cannibalistic hunt. Rena and Jax found themselves pursued not by machines, but by the very people they had intended to save—starving families driven by the promise of salvation.
"They're not even looking at the data, Rena! They only see 'Elysium'!" Jax gasped as they scrambled through a collapsed highway underpass.
"The lie is always easier than the truth, Jax," Rena replied, scanning the ruined cityscape for their exit. "Desperation is Darkford's ultimate weapon. He controls scarcity; therefore, he controls loyalty."
Their escape route led to the one place NuCore hesitated to send its forces: the edge of the Great Rift.
"This is insane, Rena. We don't even know the physics down there," Jax argued, staring at the glowing, vaporous canyon edge.
"Darkford built this. We know the physics better than anyone left alive. Up here, we die for water. Down there, we die exposing the truth. I choose the latter," Rena said, her voice steady despite the fear.
Using specialized kinetic dampeners and gravity-gripped boots, Rena began the perilous rappel down the sheer face of the canyon. Jax followed reluctantly, every step a test of courage.
The descent assaulted their senses. Physics warped at the edge of the Breach. They passed Floating Anomalies—blocks of concrete and metal suspended motionless, their gravitational pull inverted. Pockets of condensed time created sound echoes: screams, the roar of collapsing buildings—an endless, ghostly chorus of Day Zero.
Rena fought off mutated, bioluminescent flora feeding on violet radiation. She used the data drive as a crude radiation scanner, guiding them away from the worst energy spikes.
After three days, they reached the floor: a vast subterranean cavern where the Earth's mantle glowed molten red and orange. Embedded in the heart of this geological wound was the original drilling rig—not destroyed, but operating at maximum capacity. This was Project Chimera Deep.
Massive power lines, woven from exotic, heat-resistant materials, drew colossal energy from the Earth's core. The scale was overwhelming. Darkford was not merely extracting energy; he was draining the planet's tectonic stability.
Suddenly, a clean, sharp voice echoed through the cavern.
"Ingenious, isn't it, Rena? A power supply with zero degradation, zero waste, and infinite capacity."
Darkford's image materialized, projected onto a nearby obsidian rock face by a specialized drone hidden in the ceiling. He was immaculate, even down here.
"You knew this would destroy the surface, Darkford," Rena said, aiming her makeshift kinetic rifle at the projection.
"I calculated the risk, yes. But I chose the necessary path," he corrected, the hologram shimmering. "I am building The Ark, Rena. A perfect civilization above the clouds. But I need the Earth to power it. That requires the sacrifice of the surface. You, of all people, understood the thermodynamics of necessity. Nothing is created without destroying something else."
He activated the Rift's main operational schematic on the rock face. The data showed the slow, calculated death of the global landmass, replaced by the clean, orbiting silhouette of a massive city.
"This is not science, Darkford. This is megalomania," Rena spat, her voice sharp.
"It is ultimate responsibility. And now, Doctor, your research is complete," he said, fading from view as armored NuCore containment teams dropped from vents, surrounding them.