Part One: The Beginning of the End

CHAPTER 1

In the decade of the 2040s, the Earth was wracked by a series of plagues, wars and famines brought about by strife and avarice. To say that many people died during that time would be a gross understatement. It could be easily said that billions of people perished during those turbulent years through violence, starvation or disease. In the end of that great cataclysm, many were left desperate and despondent as large swathes of land were rendered desolate by pollution or biological weaponry. Childbirth too had become very difficult at that point in time as both pollutants and new viruses often prevented babies from surviving for very long. It was thought that those years were mankind’s darkest as it was believed that extinction was near.

However, somewhere in the early 2050s, an American entrepreneur by the name of Johnny Charleston rose to a position of great wealth and power and vowed to find a way to prevent human extinction. A Christian man of great intelligence and willfulness, Johnny Charleston commissioned the building of an artificial city in the North Pacific with the help of backers throughout the world. The concept of this truly massive city was simple: to house people whose talents and abilities were crucial in allowing humanity to survive the ever-worsening state of the Earth and perhaps even reverse the damage. Thankfully, Johnny Charleston and the many men and women who worked with and for him succeeded in their plans and the city, which they decided to name “Zion Seven”, was built and populated by people, mostly refugees, from all over the world. When the many recyclers, manufactories and facilities in “Zion Seven” began operation, many necessities like food, medicine and other important materials and substances were put into production, providing goods all across the world.

By the 2060s, as Zion Seven grew in size, wealth and influence, the world too began to heal from the damage wrought upon it. Truces were declared, cures were discovered and food became abundant in some places again. Rivers and seas were cleaned of the tons of trash that congested them and recycled into various useful products by the city. Forests were regrown thanks to genetic scientists and engineers from Zion Seven who worked daily to find ways to revitalize the planet. Slowly but steadily, the nations of the Earth recovered from the pollution, petty wars and sicknesses that once besieged and beleaguered them and most of them came to view Johnny Charleston as a kind of savior. However, Johnny Charleston refused most of the recognition and honors that were offered to him and instead encouraged them to turn back to the wisdom contained within the Holy Bible. He went on to claim that it was what allowed him to prosper in his businesses and that it was the Words of the Lord that guided the laws of the great city which had now grown into an artificial continent. And, for years to come, Zion Seven would become a beacon in the darkness of the still-recovering world.

In the 2070s the People’s Republic of China, which managed to survive the rigors and disasters of the previous decades, hatched their own plan to build a city like that of Zion Seven. In the recent decade, the Chinese Communist Party invited Johnny Charleston to help build this other city but were refused time and time again. For one thing, Johnny Charleston didn’t approve of the way the Chinese Communist Party treated its constituents, especially in the way they belittled the value of human life and personal freedom. In another, Johnny Charleston was disgusted by the way Chinese companies destroyed nature for their own gain without sparing a thought for replacing whatever it was they took from the Earth. Lastly and most importantly, Johnny Charleston was unimpressed by the overly secular nature of the Chinese government and their dismissive and irreverent attitude towards religion, especially Christianity, but almost openly worshiped their leaders as gods. The Chinese Communist Party were then forced to simply copy the schematics of Zion Seven that had been stolen by their spies in the hope of building a massive megastructure like it. Backed by seven major corporations and with the help of the few allies that the People’s Republic of China had like the Philippines, a new artificial city, christened “Babylon Zero” was built in the South China Sea. It towered well above the height of Zion Seven and spanned even wider due to the amount of material and manpower that the Chinese Communist Party was able to muster.

However, in the year of 2087, Babylon Zero has been in a state of rapid decline. Due to scarcity and unrest, the BZPF has been hard at work to maintain some semblance of order in the lower levels of the great megastructure. Crime, violence and general misery were pretty much the norm in the Third and Second level of Babylon Zero while corruption, pettiness and sociopathic cruelty dominated its Fifth and Sixth levels. At first the local government, comprised of a mayor and a city council, tried their best to cover up the many incidents that took place in the city. Unfortunately, soon there was no denying the horrors that took place in the city on an almost regular basis. A general lack of public utilities like potable water, power and internet eventually led to long months of hunger and which resulted in the outbreak of various illnesses. This would eventually lead to violent protests by desperate citizens which would escalate into full-blown riots and then devolve into brutal massacres perpetrated by the city’s own police. Many other countries like the United States, Australia, Japan and Zion Seven often offered aid in the form of relief goods to Babylon Zero but were openly and rudely rejected. The government of Babylon Zero insisted that they could rely on their own personnel and only accepted help from either the People’s Republic of China or the Philippines.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where we stop and take a peek into the great superstructure of Babylon Zero. In the year of 2090, on a cold night, we move through the Second Level of the city which has no power. It is often here, in this dark place, that people engaged in illegal activities for it was quite rare for the city’s authorities to venture into this level. From prostitution, the trade of narcotics, the procurement of prohibited weapons to the open practice of various religions, it could be found here.

CHAPTER 2

In one section of the Second Level stood a relatively tall building with a simple cross on its roof. Light shone from within it and a chorus of voices could be heard singing from inside. It was a Sunday night after all and the local Christians saw it fit to hold mass in this dark place despite the danger involved. They went to worship in defiance of the oppressive Babylon Zero government. They were well aware that Christianity, along with many other religions, was illegal in Babylon Zero, as was advised by the Chinese Communist Party. Still they gathered and still they praised, thanked and worshiped God whom they never forgot in this dystopia.

Two people, a man and a woman, by the names of Daniel and Mara Celerio sang along with the congregation gathered in the makeshift chapel. They were famous scientists in Babylon Zero as they worked in the government’s science department. However, they were best known for building the Celerio Urban Hospital which was one of the largest hospitals in the entire superstructure which, despite being one of the few private institutions in Babylon Zero, provided free services for the poor and underprivileged when they had resources to spare.

Finally, the mass came to an end and the preacher, a dark-skinned man by the name of Nahum Granger, spoke in a loud voice: “Go in peace and safety brothers and sisters! Walk in the path left to us by our Lord Jesus Christ and you will never lose your way! May you all be blessed with His protection and kindness!”

Half an hour later there were still quite a few people milling about outside the chapel. Among them were the preacher and the couple mentioned earlier who now greeted each other as others around them talked. It might, after all, be the last time that they would hold mass here. The local authorities had become a little more aggressive in enforcing its Draconian laws and cracked down on anything they considered “criminal” often with lethal force. By next week, the chapel would likely be demolished by authorities and the rest of the area would be almost completely deserted for fear of the BZPF.

“I’m a little worried about us,” the preacher said. “About our community. Is there a way for the government to keep track of all of us? At night I can’t sleep. I keep having dreams about them. The Babylon Zero Police Force. I see them bearing down on all our members, dragging them out of their apartments in the dead of night.”

“I don’t think they can do that yet,” Daniel said as his wife talked to a group of other women near the church. “They could do it if they really wanted to but, right now, I think Mayor Nato is more interested in other things.”

“Well, I did hear about his failing health,” Nahum said. “But given his actions so far, I would expect him to be more proactive.”

“Oh, believe me Reverend Granger, Joe Nato is more like a child than anything else,” Daniel smiled. “He only lashes out at people who ‘attack’ him such as those who criticize him or slow down his ‘businesses’ in the city. Namely, the flow of narcotics from China and the various casinos in Babylon Zero. He only puts down religion because the Chinese Communist Party recommended that he do so and also because some of them openly criticize him. As you can see around here, while he did declare prostitution illegal and has occasionally condemned gun smugglers, he’s not very serious about it so long as he can do business with the People’s Republic of China and the Philippines. He’s never cared for the law at all. He cares only for what it can give him. If you ask me, I think Joseph Nato is just too old to be running anything but I guess his supporters think otherwise. I mean, the people around him won’t let anyone see his medical records but I think the man either has a serious case of dementia or outright Alzheimer’s.”

At that the preacher only shook his head and threw up his hands.

“But how about your child?” Nahum asked, just remembering it now and looked at Mara’s prodigious abdomen. “Did your procedure work?”

“So far reverend, it has,” Daniel nodded and looked back to see his wife explaining something to another woman almost twice her height. “The experiment was a success.”

It wasn’t obvious now but, very soon, his wife’s belly would begin to swell with their child.

“How’d you even get her to agree?” Nahum said, watching the women surround Mara Celerio who went on to describe something using a hologram that projected from her smartwatch. “You could never get me to undergo something like that.”

“Actually, it was her idea to try it out,” Daniel said. “The moment I suggested it, she jumped at the opportunity like a cat on a washed-up fish. I think that the Harrow Cells from Project: Oracle are a miracle in and of themselves. Never have I seen cultured bacteria with such regenerative properties.”

The preacher sighed deeply.

“With so much pollution and poison in this place, I think it is a miracle of the Lord that you, that anyone, is even capable of conceiving children here,” Nahum shook his head. “But tell me again, what is this ‘Oracle Project’ you speak of. Maybe you’ve already told me about it but I’ve already forgotten it in my old age. Perhaps I’m just as bad as Mayor Nato, eh?”

“Not at all reverend, you’ve never demanded tax for just walking on a road, have you?” Daniel laughed. “Anyway Reverend, Project: Oracle was a plan brought here from China. The premier of the People’s Republic of China suggested using lab-cultured cells to create a highly advanced wetware computer. A living computer, you understand. After all, no electronic computer is capable of even just approaching the capacity of a fully functional human brain. The Chinese wanted the government of Babylon Zero to use this experimental technology to create an advisor and administrator for the city. In this way, the officials of the city wouldn’t be so bogged down in their duties as the new wetware supercomputer would take over the task of keeping the city in order. All the people in charge would need to do is create laws and Project: Oracle could even offer them excellent advice for doing so.”

“Sounds good,” the preacher nodded his head. “But it sounds too much like that the officials would be either too dumb or too lazy to do their jobs anyway if they needed some sort of machine to make decisions for them.”

“Well, aren’t they?” Daniel asked.

The reverend only laughed at that.

“So this Oracle Project,” Nahum said, while looking into the distant darkness. “It allowed you to conceive despite the pollutants and mutagens?”

“Yes, sort of,” Daniel said, thinking of a way to simplify what he was going to say next. “The artificial cells, formally called ‘Harrow Cells’ from Project: Oracle behave a lot like human blood and, like human blood, can be transfused to another recipient. The experimental cells are also able to reproduce quickly, as Mara and I have recently discovered, and are able to repair the bodies they are transfused into. Of course, the government doesn’t know this yet although the Chinese Communist Party might.”

“Tell me though, has the project been completed?” Nahum asked. “And do you know where these ‘Harrow Cells’ came from?”

“Ah, those are both good questions,” Daniel said. “Well, they started phase one of the project long before we even conceived the child. They cultured a lot, and I mean a lot, of Harrow Cells, put it inside a lot of machinery and then combined it with other biological components from other engineered organisms. They started phase two almost two years ago and that’s turning the large lump of flesh and metal that is Project: Oracle into a functional computer. As for phase three, that’s giving it control of the city mind you, they put that into action around a month ago. Of course, it’s yet to have any real effect that we can see. Now, as for where the Harrow Cells came from reverend, we have no idea.”

“Huh?”

“That’s right, we just don’t know.” Daniel went on. “They came from the People’s Republic of China, that’s for sure. But as for where they really came from or what they even are is something that we don’t know to this day. Mara and I thought that they might be some secret project the Chinese Communist Party cooked up but even that’s just a theory. We have no idea where they got this stuff and, even then, it could be from anywhere as the Chinese are also well-known for stealing other projects and ideas.”

CHAPTER 3

The three went on talking for a few more hours before the couple decided to make the long walk back to their apartment located a level above where they were. They didn’t dare travel using their car as it could be used by the Babylon Zero authorities to track their whereabouts so they usually walked in this level. There were large cargo elevators that brought up machine parts from the Second Level to the upper ones and this was what they used to travel to and from their apartment. The nearest elevator was around two kilometers away and the couple would have to walk past many abandoned and not-so-abandoned buildings on their way back as well as various piles of rubble and rubbish. They had to make their way slowly, using only a small flashlight to light their way in the deep darkness of the level as any other light might give them away to bandits and other criminals. There were countless dangers on the Second Level and to say that it was a breeding ground for crime would be a gross understatement. There were also other, less “natural” dangers in the lower levels too and these were what Daniel and Mara were truly afraid of.

It was often in the Second and First Levels that people branded as “enemies of the state” often made their home. Anarchists, rebels and terrorists had bases in key zones on the said levels where they planned attacks and ambushes. But they weren’t always what Daniel and Mara watched out for because there were things in these places that were far worse than any gun-toting rebel or bomb-throwing terrorist. There were things in the shadowy places of the lower levels that defied the modern perception of “reality”. There were things near the bottom of Babylon Zero that couldn’t rightly be called “human” anymore. Some were thought to be humans who had been so twisted and mutated pollution that they had become an affront to nature itself. Others however were thought to be otherworldly beings who had hidden from humans for millennia but were now being forced into the open by human activities. Whatever the case, it was these beings that Daniel and Mara sought to avoid as there was no telling what they could be capable of.

They had already walked a good kilometer and passed by a few buildings when the both of them were positive that something was watching them when loud and familiar noises stopped them in their tracks.

Daniel immediately moved defensively to shield his wife from any incoming danger.

Then there was a loud shout followed quickly by a thunderous crash. The couple suddenly felt the temperature drop, as if a cold wind from the Arctic blew in their direction. Both Daniel and Mara stared fearfully at each other as they saw their breaths fog up.

Then, from somewhere near them, a woman screamed, shocking the couple from there reverie. Another manly shout followed the scream and it seemed that the commotion was no more than a hundred meters away from them. It wasn’t long before Daniel and Mara spotted two shapes running in the distance, each one carrying a flashlight of their own. If they were any further from them, the couple would’ve just mistaken them for other people just like them. But since they were close enough to be seen clearly with their own bright flashlights, they saw that the running figures were not human at all.

One was clearly female but seemed inhumanly slender and had long and pointed ears. The other was unmistakably male but had a large and muscular body with broad shoulders and thick arms but his skin was green and long tusks jutted from his lower jaw. It was also apparent that the two were running from something, as if being chased by something that deeply frightened them.

Both Daniel and Mara squinted as they peered into the darkness behind the two running figures. They were indeed being pursued by something and very slowly, the couple’s eyes widened as they saw what was coming after the two figures. It seemed to get even colder as they continued to realize just what they were looking at.

Thousands of human shapes, some large and some small, some male and some female, some old and some young. But all of them glowed with a dim, eerie light that reminded the couple of fireflies. They wore various clothes but it was without doubt that most had torn and tattered garments. It was obvious now that these were ghosts, thousands upon thousands of ghosts, that now pursued an elf woman and an orc man.

The orc pointed a gun, a large pistol, at the pursuing ghosts and fired another deafening shot at the ghosts to no avail. The approaching specters neither stopped nor even slowed down in their pursuit. They were bent on catching up on the two nonhuman beings that now fled before them.

Mara moved as if she wanted to help the two running figures but Daniel caught her arm.

“Stop,” Daniel said. “We can’t.”

“But,” Mara said, turning back to him. “We have to. They’ll be torn to bits by those things. We have to do something.”

Daniel sighed then looked back at his wife.

“Alright, we’ll help,” Daniel said. “But let’s be careful.”

And so the couple descended just as the two nonhuman figures began to run towards them with a horde of ghosts following after them.

The ghosts moved like an oncoming tide. Ghosts of men, women, children, elderly, human and not came bearing down on the two creatures, moaning and groaning disturbingly as they came. Dressed in torn and tattered clothing and glowing brightly with a baleful green light, the spectral crowd were like from a nightmare.

Daniel Celerio ran past the two nonhuman creatures running for their lives. He felt the cold emanating from the approaching specters and felt his body almost freeze in fear. It was like he stood in front of an open freezer or was perhaps even standing on the empty, frozen fields of Antarctica. He knew now that these ghosts could easily kill, not with their spectral bodies but with the freezing cold that exuded from them.

“In Jesus’ name stop!” he shouted. “In His most Holy Name, I command you all to stop!”

The moment Daniel mentioned the name of his savior, the spectral figures halted in the air. It was still cold, but it was as if an inner warmth came out from within him, lending him strength to face down the ghosts. They all stared at him now, as if in anticipation of something. He could see them clearly as they stood mere inches away from him. To his right was a small boy who wore tattered clothing and had a body that looked like it was riddled with bullets. Over to his left was an old woman in a long dress whose long, wiry hair covered her face. Somewhere ahead of him was a woman covered in blood, holding a knife and staring intently at him. He couldn’t see clearly behind him but he thought he saw what he thought was a tall man in a tuxedo but lacking a head and only had the bloody stump of his neck.

“I command you to disperse and leave these people alone!” Daniel shouted. “I command you to scatter to the winds in Jesus’ name!”

And at once, the ghosts suddenly faded as if they were never there. The cold too, disappeared with them and the fog from Daniel felt warm again. It was just Daniel, Mara and the two nonhumans they had saved.

“Moon’s grace!” the elf woman said, her bright purple eyes glowing in the darkness of the Second Level. “You have saved us!”

“Warlord’s oath!” the orc man said, his fiery orange eyes wide with awe. “You’ve bested them all!”

“No, it wasn’t me,” Daniel turned to face the two just as his wife Mara reached them. “But it was through the might of our Savior.”

“Are the two of you hurt?” Mara said to the two nonhumans. “I heard that there might be some of you in Babylon Zero. I have no expertise in nonhuman anatomy but we do keep basic medical supplies in our home. You should come with us if you need help.”

“You have our utmost gratitude,” the elf woman said. “But neither of us are hurt. The ghosts came close to harming us but you and your mate arrived just in time. The god of humanity is great indeed if His timing is this precise.”

“I thought those things would be the end of us,” the orc man said, checking the large, two-barreled firearm he held. “I really thought we were done for!”

“If you guys need any kind of medicine...” Daniel began.

“Thanks mate, but I think we’re okay,” the orc tried to smile as he panted in exhaustion. “Those ghosts almost had us though. Me and the knife-ear here would’ve frozen to death if you hadn’t arrived in time. Thank your god for us, will you?”

“So, what are you guys looking for?” Mara asked curiously.

“We were sent to scout this area for human activity,” the elf said. “Our community just wanted to know what the Babylon Zero Police Force was up to.”

“If that’s the case, then I suggest you try to hide yourselves as well as you can,” Daniel said to them. “The police will be doing a thorough sweep of the Second Level soon and you know how thorough they can actually be. I can suggest that you try to hide in the Third or even the Second Level for a while if you guys can do that. I’m no stranger to your legends and I heard that you have ‘abilities’ that lets you hide from both human and electronic eyes. You can try using that.”

“But what about the First Level?” the elf asked. “Will the police be sweeping there as well?”

“No, of course not,” Mara answered, almost immediately. “But you aren’t thinking about actually holing up down there, are you?”

The elf and the orc only looked away with saddened expressions.

“In any case mate, you can have this,” the orc offered the two-barreled pistol he had to Daniel. “Think of it as thanks for saving me and the knife-ears here. It doesn’t have a lot of capacity for ammo but it can take down an ogre with one shot. She’s pretty old too but I can’t think of a more trustworthy weapon out here.”

“I can’t take this,” Daniel said, only staring at the weapon. “What will you protect yourself with?”

“She ain’t no good against ghosts anyhow,” the orc shoved the handle of the gun into Daniel’s hands. “We gotta get going now. We need to report back to our community. The sooner we tell them that we need to pack up for the First Level, the better.”

“My partner here is right,” the elf woman nodded and smiled at Mara. “We need to get back as soon as we can. We need to make our report to our elders so we can get our evacuation underway. Again, we thank you for saving us but we really must go.”

“But wait,” Mara said, just as the elf woman turned away to leave with the orc. “What is your kind doing in a terrible place like this?”

The two creatures made no reply and only continued to flee into the darkness of the Second Level.

“I think they are exiles, my love,” Daniel said. “They are here as they have no choice.”

CHAPTER 4

The couple then continued their way towards the elevator and passed by even more abandoned buildings and seemingly abandoned buildings. Unlike the nonhumans they had encountered earlier, the couple doubted those who watched them from the darkness were friendly. They moved through the darkness as stealthily as they could, sometimes turning off their flashlight when they were suspicious that someone or something was following them.

As they treaded quietly through the darkness, Daniel briefly recalled the recent history of Babylon Zero’s lower levels. Both Second and First Level were supposed to be the city’s most important components as it was here that most of the industrial plants were found. Much like the First Level of Zion Seven, the purpose of Babylon Zero’s Second and First Levels were to recycle polluted water and rubbish into usable products again. Daniel even remembered that in 2085, they released a kind of protein bar called “Power Blocks” to compete with Zion Seven’s “New Meat”. However, it was quickly rejected and reviled when it was discovered that the aforementioned “Power Blocks” were made from cockroaches and other insects.

The couple passed the shattered remains of what was probably a processing plant and Daniel thought of the many riots and upheavals of 2087 that eventually led to the desolation of the lower levels. Hungry and sick from one kind of disease or another, the workers of the industrial levels could take no more. Tired of both their toxic environment (both physically and emotionally) and their maltreatment at the hands of the authorities, they rose up against the government. In 2083, the workers protested peacefully, raising signs and rallying nonviolently. But when these peaceful protesters were met with cruelty by the BZPF wherein many of them were tortured and some were killed, workers began to engage in acts of terrorism. They sabotaged machinery and occasionally kidnapped, beat and slew careless police officers. By 2087, it had finally become too much for the workers and they gathered up in huge mobs to destroy the plants on the lower levels and to retaliate against the police.

On September, 2087, the authorities of Babylon Zero decided to respond with lethal measures against the rioters and rebels of Levels Five and Six. Daniel remembered how they sent in cybernetically-enhanced soldiers in powered armor aboard APCs that could very well double as tanks. The troubles of the lower levels ended quickly but gruesomely with long-lasting and highly traumatic consequences. In the end, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of workers were killed when the heavily armed BZPF mobilized against them. With advanced weapons and equipment provided by the People’s Republic of China, the workers were no match for Babylon Zero’s military police, forcing any survivors to flee and hide. Much of the Second Level was decimated by the fighting and rendered unusable and most if not all of the plants relocated to the Third Level. The survivors of the urban conflict fled to the First Level, where, to this day, they fight a hopeless war against the BZPF.

Finally, after passing what looked like a dilapidated motel, the couple heard the telltale roar of approaching motorcycle engines. Having an idea of what it could be, Daniel and Mara quickly hid themselves in the nearby broken building. Both of them were a little worried that the structure could fall apart on them but it was better than becoming the potential prey of one of Babylon Zero’s feral gangs.

Mara had heard many stories regarding some of the more lawless residents of Babylon Zero. Most, if not all of them, lurked in the industrial levels of Babylon Zero such as Second and First. There were some in the Third but they were often few and far between. They were mostly remnants of the various riot mobs that rose up by the end of the 2080s but some were recently indoctrinated youths who had decided to oppose the authorities of Babylon Zero. However, unlike their predecessors, most of these were just violent looters who sought to steal anything of worth or worse, drug-addled psychotics hungry for violence.

The couple concealed themselves as best they could in the rubble of the shattered motel and watched as bright headlights approached from the northeast, opposite of elevators they were supposed to take. In less than a minute, maybe a dozen motorcycles came into view, their bright headlights illuminating the destroyed and desolate landscape around them. Mara prayed that the motorcycles would simply pass them by, having failed to notice them but, much to the horror of the couple, they stopped right beside the abandoned motel. Even more disturbing, the sound of engine noises stopped and the landscape was plunged into darkness again as headlights were turned off. Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed in the silence, signaling the approach of half a dozen men. To make matters worse, voices began to speak that approached ever closer to the couple’s position.

“Are you sure they came this way?” asked one voice. “You know that some of these people have a lot of tricks up their sleeves.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” answered another. “The ones we passed earlier were the ones with the tricks. These two are normies as far as I can tell. They might have guns but they’ll go down just like anybody else.”

“Excellent!” said a female voice. “I haven’t had a good meal in a long time.”

“Hey, just make sure you don’t have too much fun with them,” said the first voice. “We have to bring back some of what’s left to the boss!”

“Do we have to?” the female voice replied. “We can just bring back one and say the other one got away.”

Mara then remembered the various horror stories she had heard from friends about the feral gangs on the lower levels. Then, she simply dismissed them as fanciful tales and whatnot as they were simply too terrible to believe or even take seriously. They said that many of the said feral gangs had long resorted to cannibalism for what else could they eat on the Second Level? There were many secondhand accounts of rape, torture and mutilation about the feral gangs that Mara scoffed at when her friends were gone. Now though, it looked like Mara and her husband would learn the hard way just how true the stories of cannibalism were.

The footsteps of the feral gangsters came closer but then, from a good distance away, bright flashes of blue and red light lit the darkness. The loud rumble of a large engine approached and they heard the gangsters scrambling about even as they were just a hundred feet from the couple. The Babylon Zero Police Force had arrived.

“Cops!” shouted the first man’s voice. “The cops are-“

The gangster didn’t have time to finish as the sound of guns firing and bullets whizzing filled the air. There was a wet sound just as the gangster stopped shouting followed shortly by a sickening gurgle. The female in the gang screamed at the top of her lungs before being cut short by a series of gunshots.

Then, there was only silence.

After what seemed like an eternity, loud stomps thudded towards Daniel and Mara’s position.

“Greetings Drs. Celerio, are any of you hurt?” said a friendly male voice. “I’ve found them, they’re over here!”

CHAPTER 5

There were only two police officers but over a dozen dead feral gangsters lay at their feet. Both officers were well protected by their iconic red and gold powered armor and, as if anticipating more trouble, they still held their large and intimidating guns. The faceplates to their helmets were raised, allowing the couple to see their faces clearly, but the rest of their bodies were encased in dense plates of metal that rendered them bulletproof. That said, protection was not all their armor provided as it also enhanced their strength to truly superhuman levels, allowing them to have the strength of ten men.

“These are members of the Dead Meat Gang,” said the other officer, this one with a female voice, while she examined one of the now bullet-riddled bodies of the gangsters. “One of the more aggressively cannibalistic ones.”

“You know,” said the male officer. “You really have a way of mincing words.”

“Were you looking for us?” Daniel asked, trying to hide the suspicion and worry in his voice. “Also, how did you find us? We left our Biocards at home, unfortunately. I tend to be quite forgetful at times.”

“You can be so incompetent Daniel,” Mara said to her husband, playing along, trying to sound annoyed. “Now what’re we going to show these officers?”

“Actually sir,” said the male officer. “We were sent to fetch you for the Central Government. You are needed at city hall immediately. You are to come with us immediately.”

The male officer pointed to their armored police cruiser outside which was also red and gold in color.

“Why?” Daniel said, looking at both officer and very, very tense. “What’s going on?”

“There seems to be a problem with Project: Oracle,” the female officer replied. “I don’t really understand it either but from what I’ve been told the supercomputer has been behaving strangely as of late. Being the biology experts of the city, they thought it best to call for the both of you. You’re one of the few people in Babylon Zero who understand the workings of Project: Oracle.”

The male officer approached the police cruiser and, with a wave of his right hand, the doors slid up to allow entry into it. Daniel noted that both officers probably had their Biocards surgically implanted into their hands, as was the requirement for public servants of Babylon Zero. This made it easier for them to interface with the machinery of the city and to constantly transmit information like their location and vital stats back to their headquarters. That said, Daniel also knew that the highest members of Babylon Zero, namely its mayor and its city councilors, had their Biocards implanted into their foreheads and attaches directly to their brains. This would allow them to think with the aid of Project: Oracle and, at the same time, control parts of the city directly with their own thoughts.

Daniel and his wife opted instead to carry their Biocards as simple accessories rather than have them surgically implanted. This afforded the couple both privacy and autonomy as, such as at present, they could leave their Biocards at home. Another thing that worried the couple was that Biocards, regardless whether they were implanted in the right hand like common people or in the forehead like people of higher class, it connects directly with the nervous system. Daniel wasn’t entirely sure but he knew that in some instances, Biocards could even be used to transmit data like sight, sound and smell back to Project: Oracle.

“I’m not so sure about this,” Mara whispered to her husband. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“We have to play along,” Daniel said to his wife. “We can’t let them know anything about us.”

The female officer was about to say something to the couple but then froze in place. Her eyes were now just wide, staring and locked unto Daniel and Mara. Her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something but simply couldn’t. Then, she began to shudder, as if she was being electrocuted, her eyes rolling to the back of her head and the whites of her eyes clearly visible.

Looking towards the police cruiser, Mara saw that the male officer was experiencing the same affliction. He shuddered too just as he was reaching for something in the back of the car, his armored buttocks high in the air. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so disturbing.

Then the female officer began to scream. It was a shrill, ear-piercing sound that nearly made the couple cover their ears. The male too began to scream and Daniel noted that there was something mechanical, electronic in their screams. Then, just as they began, the two police officers ceased their shrieking as they were speakers whose power had suddenly shut.

Then, as one, they turned to the couple, their eyes locking onto them like cameras.

“Drs. Celerio,” the police officers said in unison in a monotone voice. “You are to come with us immediately.”

Daniel and Mara looked at each other fearfully.

“Drs. Celerio,” the police officers repeated in their mechanical voice. “You are to come with us immediately.”

“What is it?” Mara struggled to speak as she was clearly terrified now. “What do we do?”

“I don’t know Mara,” Daniel struggled to think as well. “The way they talk reminds me of something.”

“Drs. Celerio,” the police officers said once again in their robotic voice but this time, both of them took a step towards the couple. “You are to come with us immediately.”

“I think...” Daniel stared at the officers a moment longer. “I think it’s Project: Oracle.”

Daniel then pointed the double-barreled pistol he had received earlier at the female officer who was closest to them. From his pocket he drew a small lighter sized device and pressed a button on one of its ends. It glowed, shining a golden light around them. He brought it closer to his mouth just as the male officer stomped closer to them.

“If you’re listening out there,” he said into the device. “This is Dr. Daniel Celerio. I’m initiating Protocol Exodus now. You guys better hurry.”

In the darkness of the Second Level of Babylon Zero, the loud report of a firearm thundered loudly, followed quickly by the chatter of automatic weapons fire.