Fate Online...
Surface- Valley of Origins Region
Empire of Night- City of Eternal Night
Palace of Night
"Listen I talked to the Dwarven King, he is going to help. I am going to scout out a couple of locations and choose one. Once I have chosen a location I will put a Portal Anchor there so we can use a portal to transport the Golems, the container, and Jacob there without risk from the local wildlife or monsters. I am suggesting we hide Jacob in the Eternal Forest at the Mana Spring for now until the Dwarves are ready. Can we get Jacob outside the city undetected or not?" Darren asked Ezekial.
"Yes, but where will we say he is going to be?" Ezekial responded.
"If anyone asks, tell them he is not at the Obsidion Kingdom planning the campaign of the Dark Lands. He is not there at all no matter what rumors are going around. He is to the north visiting all the former free cities checking to make sure they are all settled under the rule of the Empire of Night." Darren replied with a smirk.
"That will give us cover to dispatch some of the Dawn Guard and Heart Guard. We can send Nadal with more to the Obsidion Kingdom, I am sure the Drow will be fine playing along. Jacob will be close enough for his wife to visit with even more of the Heart Guard and Dawn Guard. It might work, its a risk to hide him so close to the city, but its better than nothing." Ezekial replied.
World Alert...
Due to real-world events, everyone will be logged off in five minutes. We apologize for the inconvenience. Time will be credited to your account.
World Alert...
Darren missed a step. He had never heard of BlackRock doing such a thing...ever. Ezekial immediately noticed Darren stopping staring at his interface. "What is the problem?" Ezekial asked.
"All Immortals are being forced to go back to Earth. I don't know why yet, but we have five minutes before it happens." Darren responded.
"Has this ever happened before?" Ezekial asked surprised and alarmed.
"No, never. They have the ability, but they have never done so before." Darren responded before shaking himself. They had to make plans and whatever was going on, there was nothing he could do about it now. The Guild Chat channel had exploded with speculation, two guild members had disappeared, the only thing they had in common was they were from somewhere in Brazil. Darren and the other officers tried to calm everyone. They encouraged everyone just to finish everything quickly and to log-off, BlackRock would notify everyone when they could log in again.
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Real World...
North American Alliance- Greater New York Conglomerate
Jarred looked at the tv in stunned amazement. He had seen pictures in the history books, but this was different.
"We are bringing this too you live. As you can see in the images being transmitted to our affiliates from down south, Rio de Janeiro is gone. A nuclear device was detonated in the heart of the city, early reports suggest a minimum of one million dead. The President of the Brazil Union with most of his Cabinet are also among the missing and at this point presumed dead." the reporter stated.
She was clearly flustered at what she was saying. A nuclear weapon had not been detonated since the height of World War Three. After the war ended and peace reigned again, it was universally accepted by all nations to dismantle every nuclear device no matter how old or new it was.
"Since the detonation an hour ago, no group or government has come forward and claimed responsibility. Most governments are condemning this action and are offering assistance, but with the head of the government of the Brazil Union gone...Responses to this event are erratic at best. The North American Alliance is in talks with the European Union and Asian Alliance to provide coordinated relief to the Brazil Union." the reporter continued.
"If you know anyone or have family within the affected zone, authorities are warning you to not be surprised if you cannot contact anyone within the affected area. The communication infrastructure has been mostly destroyed by the blast or the resulting EMP. All travel to the region is currently suspended for both Sub-Orbital flight and Orbital flights." The reporter finished as she started crying and they cut to live images of the affected area.
Jarred muted the tv as his Comm unit started to ring. It was Matt and Jarred picked it up immediately. "Dude...What the fuck is going on?" Matt called out immediately.
Jarred snorted, "The whole world losing its mind that's what. As if the last war was not bad enough, now this shit happens...Son of a bitch." Jarred cursed as his mind went over his last couple of discussions with Kevin and his more recent discussion with Anthony Mitchel. Kevin and Anthony had known somehow something was coming, maybe not this specifically, but something was up. Jerred was willing to bet the CEO knew a lot more than Kevin.
"WHAT??" Matt yelled out.
Jerod ground his teeth, it didn't matter now. "Nothing important. Quick question if given the chance would you jump too Ithea permanently?" Jarod asked his guildmate as he looked outside. It was quieter than usual considering it was a major metropolis.
"Ahh, I honestly don't know. Why?" Matt replied with some confusion.
Jarred grimaced, "You might want to start thinking about it. So, how many members did we have from the Brazil Union?" Jarred asked in return.
"Three that I am aware of, but I will have to check once we get back in. What does Kevin think?" Matt asked causing Jarred to freeze.
"We need to talk face-to-face. Call Bree, and bring her and Jordan as well. Come here as soon as possible, ok?" Jarred asked.
"Ahh, yeah sure. See you soon." Matt replied before hanging up.
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Anthony watched the various newsfeeds, the worst was happening and they couldn't do anything about it. Those that had purchased the warheads were ghosts and offered no breadcrumbs to follow. Project Noah and Lazerous were both in full swing. The Arcs would launch within twenty-four hours. Three of them carrying the DNA of every species on the planet, the Arcs would hopefully find a habitable world and one-day humanity would rebuild on the new world. A fourth Arc was still under construction, but at this point, it was a fully automated process and did not require human support.
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"What do you want Anthony? If you have not noticed we are a little busy and I do not have time to talk about tax breaks or new tech." the President of the North American Alliance said as he came on the communication line.
"Mr. President I understand you are having a bad day, but we both know it's going to get worse before it gets better," Anthony told him causing the President to frown.
"How do you know that?" he asked Anthony suspiciously.
Anthony rolled his eyes in frustration, "Mr. President, I am not your enemy. You and the other surviving world governments got the intel from me and my friends. We were hoping that you all would be able to stop it. Obviously whoever has these weapons does not care about credit, they care about killing people and the world around us. I am trying to offer you an out and maybe a way to help everyone. I need time to talk to you and as many other world leaders, you can bring to the table. Will you listen?" Anthony pleaded with the man.
"If this is some stunt...I don't care how much money you have or who you have in your pocket, you will pay." The President responded.
Anthony glared at the president's image, "Mr. President my parents and most of my family died when Seattle was leveled during the war. Believe me, I am not behind this and would not wish it on anyone. Please give me a chance." Anthony told the man.
The President considered the man before him before nodding his head, "Give me twenty-four hours. Don't screw me on this." He said before cutting the line.
The Presidents' visage was replaced by Adam and Eve, "Well that went well. You have your chance, Anthony. Now, when are you going to tell people they can go back to Ithea?" Eve asked.
Anthony ignored the question and asked his questions, "What are the latest test results? How is Kevin?"
Eve frowned while Adam gave her a placating gesture, "The test results are better and Jacob is doing fine so far. Only time will tell if he will make the transition or not."
Anthony nodded, "What are the percentages?"
Eve rolled her eyes, "Seventy-two to seventy-six percent chance that people will transition. Now, when will you tell people they can come back?"
Adam placed his hand on her shoulder as if to restrain her, "An announcement will be released within an hour. People will be back soon after. I need a copy of everything so I can share it with the Presidents' scientists as well as the test results please." Anthony told them.
Adam responded, "You will receive everything you need before the meeting. Goodbye Anthony." Adam replied before they both disappeared.
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"So why are we here?" Bree asked as they sat down opposite of Jarred.
"Kevin or Jacob, whatever you want to call him, is in a coma currently. They have found a way to digitize his mind and he will become a permanent part of Fate Online. However, due to certain circumstances, we have no idea how long it will be before he wakes up. They have done everything they can to ensure he survives the transition." Jarred stated causing his friends to sit back in stunned belief.
"How long until we know if it was successful or not?" Matt asked immiedietly, worry evident on his voice.
"Seven days in Ithea or three days here. However, due to circumstances, we have no idea how long it will be until he wakes up. We have been advised to keep him near a location with a lot of Mana so whenever Fate Online opens up again I am going to scout a few locations. The Dwarven King is going to craft a container to protect Jacob and help him with whatever is going on with him. The Dwarves are also going to provide some Golems to protect him and keep him safe during this time. I worked out a plan with Ezekial to smuggle him out of the city with some of his guards. We are taking him to the local Mana Spring in the Eternal Forest. I want one of you three there at all times while I am gone. When I get back from scouting I will take over. No one else in the guild will find out about this. I don't want a lot of people to find out about this, it could have huge repercussion if it becomes commonly known that Kevin is in a coma." Jarred informed them.
"No shit, people would freak the fuck out. The government would shut Fate Online down in a heartbeat, BlackRock has a shit load of political enemies that would use it to break them." Jordan replied quickly.
"Which is why we are keeping it quiet and not telling anyone. Right now, we need to keep everything stable on both sides, Earth and Ithea, so this little secret stays locked down tight." Jarred emphasized.
"What aren't you telling us?" Matt asked as he studied his friend.
Jarred smiled, "I am a spy, there is a lot I am not telling you."
"Are you going to tell us where he will be kept?" Bree asked.
"If you do not know where he is, you cannot tell anyone." Jarred told her carefully.
"What you don't trust us?" Bree fumed until Jordan placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"No, that is not it at all. However, we are well-known associates of Jacobs, when it comes out that Jacob is incapacitated, the Eight Houses will target us to find out where he is. They will not let anything stop them from gaining control of him and what he represents.' Jarred told her. 'So, if you want to be there, fine. However, it will also be a burden and place a target on your back when the time comes." Jarred told them causing them all to nod their heads in recognition.