A moment that history would remember. That was what the media campaign around the world was heralding for today, and even those in the control room felt like the whole world was staring at them. Dr. Valoria knew they were actually staring at one of the two Gate Stations either New York or Chicago that were live right now. While other Gate Stations had been built in various major cities on the continents, not all of their systems were charging up like those two. It was all for this day, the day that TransLabs would change everything.

“Apple Control is giving all green, Doctor.” One of the faceless drones in headsets said above the murmuring of the rest. Valoria rarely remembered faces or people on a good day, and today was too important. So, instead they all just seemed like manikins to her, only their words affecting her as they did the final checks.

“Cloud Control is giving all green, Doctor.” Another said, and the murmuring died away. Those were the words that everyone had been waiting for. Even the red, blinking lights of the cameras seemed to pause in anticipation. Teleportation, the holy grail of many nations and institutions was about to be commercialized, and TransLabs was the one to bring it all about. It had taken decades of quiet research into photons and quantum machines to even start on this path. Dr. Valoria herself knew that it was only the mad genius of Harold Walks-With-Clouds that made the rest possible. 

Like a modern day Einstein he had taken the footing they gained and turned it into something tangible. The day they managed to go from a single photon to a whole apple was playing on the screens of the world today. That was what had started this all, and what would bring the world even closer together and perhaps, even, the stars beyond.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Synchronized countdown initiated.” An electronic, female voice smoothly announced. The sounds of machines charging up, their wires seemingly filled with anticipation of the moment.

“T-minus 10…9…8…” The voice continued, louder than what it was to all in the room. And, something drew Valoria’s attention to her own control screen. At first it was just a nervous habit, but then she saw the numbers turning yellow, and away from green. Sweat beaded down her brow suddenly.

“7…6…5…” The numbers continued and shouts started to sound throughout the room. Valoria ignored them all to focus on her fingers dancing across the electronic screen. The charge of the primary devices were going too high, but were still pulling energy as if they needed more. But, that was impossible since they had tested this many times. There also wasn’t anything showing up in the diagnostics…Then she saw it. The location lock was unknown. The machines hadn’t locked onto each other, but something else and it must have been very far away.

“4…3…2…” Oblivious to all concerns the voice continued to count towards ignition.

“SHUT IT DOWN!!!” Valoria yelled above the rest in the room, while tapping her own override controls. The shut down sequence started.

“1…Gate I–g–nitio…Canceled” The voice seemed to stutter and flicker before announcing the result and everyone breathed collectively. Then, the world went white.

—

TV’s around the world saw the flash and expanding lights of the broadcast before they went out. In disbelief people looked at their phones to see them also black and dead. Cars with electronics just slowed down and died. Planes made emergency crash landings, and the world blinked as all power just stopped flowing for a moment.

When it returned there were holes in the land where the Gate Stations once were, and a curtain of rippling air moving outward from them. Where the curtain touched power died again, and even exploded circuits as if a wave of pure energy. Chaos gripped the world as communication, information, and civilization as we knew it crumbled around us.

Then, the Deadly Ills came.