Echoes of the Algorithm

Ancient

The bright red laser dots danced across the chest of Maeson. The heavy wind from the five black helicopters beat down on the mountain peak. Loose dirt and small rocks flew through the cold night air. Maeson shielded his eyes and quickly stepped in front of his young sister. Ava stood frozen right beside him. She stared at the tall man walking out of the dark cave. It was her father. But his face looked wrong. His skin was pale like white marble. His eyes burned with a bright purple fire.

"Dad," Ava whispered. Her soft voice shook with pure terror. "How are you alive right now? I watched the dark magic take you in the testing lab."

The rich man tilted his head. His movements were slow and stiff. He did not look human anymore. "Your father was weak," the man said. His voice was a blend of two different sounds. It was the voice of the old billionaire mixed with the deep ancient tone of the dark magic. "He wanted power to rule a small world. We want to cleanse this whole planet."

Maeson tightened his grip on his black bag. He knew the ancient code had hijacked the body of the greedy billionaire. The man was just a puppet now. "You will not touch my sister," Maeson shouted over the loud helicopter blades.

The possessed man smiled a cruel smile. "We do not need the small vessel anymore. The door is open. The global network is ours to command." He raised his hand toward the sky. "Kill the boy and the girl. Bring the vessel inside."

The red laser dots locked onto the heart of Maeson. He had less than two seconds to act. He dropped to his knees and unzipped his bag. He did not pull out his computer this time. He pulled out a small black box. It was a custom signal jammer he built for absolute emergencies. He slammed his fist down on the single red button on top of the box.

A loud sharp screech filled the air. The harsh noise disrupted the navigation systems of the five helicopters above them. The massive flying machines suddenly tilted sideways. The pilots yelled in panic as their bright searchlights spun wildly into the dark forest. The red laser dots vanished from their chests.

"Run into the cave," Maeson yelled at Ava. He scooped his young sister up into his strong arms. She was so light.

Ava hesitated for one fast second. Running into the dark mountain felt like a trap. But the heavily armed helicopters were regaining control above them. Bullets began to hit the dirt around their feet. She turned and sprinted toward the open stone doors. Maeson ran right behind her. He pushed his legs as hard as he could.

The possessed billionaire stepped into their path. He reached out with a glowing purple hand to grab the young girl. Maeson did not stop running. He lowered his shoulder and slammed his heavy body directly into the chest of the old man. The impact felt like hitting a solid brick wall. Maeson gasped in pain, but the surprise hit knocked the possessed man off balance. The old man stumbled backward into the dirt.

Maeson and Ava rushed past him. They crossed the threshold of the ancient stone door and plunged into the freezing dark mist of the cave. The air inside was heavy and smelled like old rain.

"Keep moving," Maeson ordered. He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and clicked it on. The narrow beam of white light cut through the thick mist.

They ran down a long downward slope. The walls of the tunnel were perfectly smooth metal. This was not a natural rock cave. It was a massive underground facility built thousands of years ago. The loud sounds of the helicopters faded away as they went deeper into the earth.

After five minutes of hard running, they reached a giant open chamber. Maeson stopped and shined his light around the huge room. Ava gasped loudly. The walls were lined with thousands of glass tubes. Each tall tube contained a dark liquid.

"What is this place?" Ava asked. She touched the cold glass of the nearest tube.

Maeson stepped closer. He shined his light inside the thick glass. His stomach twisted in deep horror. There was a person floating inside the dark liquid. It was a young boy. He had the exact same unique geometric tattoo on his arm that Maeson had on his wrist.

"They are not just machines," Maeson whispered. "This is an army."

Suddenly, the thick metal door behind them slammed shut with a loud boom. They were trapped inside the chamber. The overhead lights flickered on. A cold mechanical voice echoed from the ceiling.

"Intruders detected," the voice announced. "Initiating the awakening protocol."

The dark liquid in the thousands of tall glass tubes began to drain away very fast. The bare metal floor shook as the heavy glass doors unlocked at the exact same time. The people inside started to open their glowing purple eyes. They all slowly turned their heads to look directly at Maeson. One of the young boys raised his fist and punched right through the thick glass wall. The broken glass shattered across the cold floor. The ancient warriors stepped out of their cold cages to hunt.