* Some time far in the future.

Deep underground in the main control centre, I otherwise known as Number 551 is manning the control console. The room is a small square room with the teleport-escape pods and elevator surrounding the outside of the room.

Only a single overhead light and several red alarm lights spinning. The Imperial Alert we “stole” from Star Wars rings out, warning us of what’s going on upstairs on ground level.

There are several tables around the room, manned by the Clones of the one nicknamed Mr Original, Number 0. We all look the same; 6ft3, white, dark hair, some of us are fitter than the other and some other minor differences, a beard here, bad haircut there. But all of us wear our uniform, a dark blue uniform with golden buttons and accents at the edges. The image of Earth on our right sleeve.

Dust rains down from the stone roof, massive explosions sound from far above, the safehouse is under attack, pressing on a crystal embedded into the table a holographic display appears.

Beam attacks charged by Mana slam into the force shield, the fusion generator has been activated and the shields will hold for some time. But the enemy is many, it will not hold for long.

Number 553 is manning a communication array, dozens of crystals embedded into another table, listening to a conversation on his headset.

“Number 1, we have reports coming in from all bases, all the safehouses are under attack. Word from HQ is that the Round Robin Teleport contingency has been activated. Teleportation of HQs facilities to SHQ to begin in three E-Minutes! Code 0, Repeat: Code 0!”

This is the worst case scenario, they have found our main base! Even further underground is a massive teleportation array that will teleport each of HQs rooms and gear to the SHQ via each safehouse in a seemingly random pattern before being teleported to SHQ.

A security measure that we have confirmed to work in our testing of the Institute Powered Array, it should be completely undetectable and give us a chance to rebuild. I turn to Number 552,

“Number 2, do we have enough Mana for the Round Robin and Defences?”

Number 2 looks up at me from his console next to me, “Maybe just enough, Round Robin should only take 5 Earth Minutes. Point Defence is eating though our mana supplies though.”

“Increase output of the Fusion Generator, begin Round Robin setup, we have almost two E-Minutes left before it begins! Get to it people!”

Number 554 is now manually updating the shield strength to conserve our mana, Number 555 is activating the safehouse self-destruct. We should be able to get out with the escape pods that line the walls.

“This should not be possible, only us Clones know the location of all the safe-houses. How the hell did they coordinate this?” Number 555 is quite right, the safehouses are a closely guarded secret.

“We’ll just have to hope not all the safe-houses have been compromised, especially the escape-houses. Number 3?” I ask turning to 553.

“Comms down, we’re being jammed. Last Comms was that all active safe-houses were compromised, no word about the escape-houses but it is suspected that they are safe.”

Number 555 looks up, “They should be, only one Clone and Kage pair made those Land-Wide. It’s not possible that those got found. Not yet anyway.”

“Round Robin in T minus 30 E-seconds, teleport platform engaged!” Number 552 has kick started the process till then we just need to

“Number 1! They know something is happening! They are increasing their fire power, and directed towards us!” Number 555 yells as more explosions are heard, a massive explosion rings out.

“Dammit!” yells number 554, “They got an attack through the shields, significant damage to the house and the beams are digging into the underground. That shielding won’t hold it!”

“Increase shield strength! Give me everything, divert all power to only the array and shields.”

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“Doing it” replies Number 554, “even the point defence?” he asks.

“We’re not getting out of here lads, give me escape pod and life support power as well. Zero can bring us back at SHQ.”

The room is silent for a moment aside from the explosions and alarms, “Understood.” 554 replies, “Diverting power.”

“Shields at full strength, we might last just longer than 5 minutes.”

“Self Destruct Number 5?” I ask, “Set, it will go off the moment after Round Robin. It will fill this entire safe-house and all levels with concrete, an explosion will destroy the array before that happens.” 555 replies, dejected.

“Got it, Number 2, your progress?” I ask 552. “Going good, Round Robin in progress. Eta 4 minutes till complete.”

“Prepare for self destruct gentleman.” I press some crystals on my console and I pull up both the outside camera and teleport array.

I can see the teleport happen again and again, dozens of rooms converted into energy at HQ, teleported into our array and moved onto the next array. Dozens of forwarding stations like this one and others even smaller are doing this for all of the rooms. We watch as every other second a new room or part of a room appears and disappears.

Meanwhile the outside camera is showing nothing but the different Powers smashing into the shields, through the smoke and overtaxed shields glowing a red orange we can see more and more people standing behind them.

Number 552 interrupts the silence of the explosions “Round Robin about to complete, estimated 1 minute left.” he says silently, solemnly.

“Good to know. Number 5, how long would we have?” Number 555 looks away from the hologram and looks me hard in the eyes, it’s always a strange feeling, looking into your own eyes.

“When the base starts filling with concrete, we’ll have about 20 seconds before the whole base is solid again. During that time the explosives will take out the array and any equipment we have.”

“Thank God we have no Kage on our team, they would never get out of here.” Adds Number 553 who’s been silent this whole time.

Yes, if the Kage were on our team we would not be able to get them out of here. They would be trapped in the solid concrete. Those last seconds feel like an eternity, I never really understood that saying myself. I know Number Zero did but I, 551 haven’t you know. It’s almost like I could see each grain of dust falling from the roof, I can see each detail of the room and the other clones.

Number 552, our Engineer.

Number 553, our Comms Officer.

Number 554, Tactical Officer.

Number 555, our security and espionage officer.

And myself, Number 551, leader of this tiny cog of a grand machine, an alliance of so many but so few.

“Number 3, are we able to transmit a message to the enemy above us?” I ask quickly.

“Um, yea, we should be able to just fine. Why?” he replies as he lifts his head from his hands.

“Just do it, put it through to my console.”, “Number 1, what are you doing?” asks 555.

“Sending them a message.” I press a crystal on my console which acts as a mike, a console that will soon detonate. “20 seconds boss” says Number 552 quietly.

I hear a click, like a radio ready to transmit. “Army of the Institute, I am Number Five Five One of this base. Your attack on this base and our other bases just proves everything we were saying about the poison that is the Institute Leaders.”

“In less than 15 seconds this base will self destruct, you will never find us again, but we will rise. Justice, Will, Prevail!”

“Ten Seconds!” yells 552, unheard by the Institute Army.

“Rise! Rise OutWolders of Land! The Battle is Lost but The War will be WON!” I yell into the crystal. The attack, the explosions have stopped. A counter for the last five seconds is showing on the hologram screen, about to start.

“What do you think?” I ask them. “4 out of 10, not your best” replies 553 with a smile and a chuckle from the others. Always good to have humour in these situations.

We are silent, truly silent. I look over my men, my team. We will return to life, of that there is no worry, but we will not fully be ourselves. This life, how did it come to this? We were just a simple guy only a few years ago and an even more simpler guy years before those.

The counter ticks down, the last moments of Security Team Echo being held deep underground.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

The explosion deep in our consoles and equipment destroys our base, the recreated high explosive that the RnD Team was working on works well. The explosion throws us against the walls and takes us, concrete starts pouring in from vents in the roof and floor.

We poof back into the smoke that makes up our being, I think back, back to how all this mess started…