The titanium plated door left a hissing sound. Gasses and dust released from the gap. A flash of light scanned through the hole. A group of men and women walked slowly into the pitch black chamber. They wore black tactical gear with a helmet and gas filter covering their faces. One of them probed the control panels on the wall.
“Hey, I found a switch.”
The room then lit up with a dim red. Desks with monitors and keyboards revealed. The room was large enough for a few dozens of them. One of the men in black checked the screen on his wrist. Numbers and graphics were shown.
“It’s safe here, stable oxygen levels. No dangerous substance in the air.”
One man walked into the desk in the middle of the room. He pushed the button, and the monitor lit up with a bright blue light. He removed his gas mask and smiled.
“We’re here. This is it”
He saw a few buttons on the screen and typed a few letters into the flat keyboard. A holographic blue panel appeared before him. Icons appeared like folders and files lined up neatly. He mumbled something about history. One Icon seemed more interesting than the others, so he tapped that and the contents revealed.
“The earth, the blue planet humans once knew, has changed. In 1300 years, the world transformed into an unfamiliar shape. The wind blew a gusty tornado, formed at unpredictable intervals--”
“Uhuh, we already know that part.” He mumbled. A man carrying a projectile weapon walked to him. He seemed curious about the contents.
“War devastated the planet, causing various disasters and destruction. It started when there were too many living beings, fewer resources, and a wide gap between the level of prosperity mixed in a jar of fear. Nuclear war, space war, interplanetary war, all kinds of war--”
“Nothing much had changed in thousands of years since then.” The man with the weapon commented.
“These sudden extreme environments were the reasons fauna and flora evolved. What about our hairless monkey? Well, somehow they survived. Just like how historical documents taught us about these creatures, they always managed to pass on their stupid gene--”
“What?” He put the weapon on the desk and chuckled. “Stupid genes? Who wrote this… diary, anyway?”
“One might grow an extra pair of ears, another had an extra finger, while some have changes in color and body shape. The possibilities were limitless, not just good but also bad. For example, some unlucky people may just grow cancer instead.”
“True, just like my uncle Thomas, he got this big nasty bulge on his ass like a--”
“Would you shut up already? Go check out the other door.” He was pissed. The man took his weapon and nodded.
“Ok bro, sorry. Geez...”
“And so, the survivors began stabilizing the world. More locations were habitable, and humanity almost returned into their former glory. But the problem started when they lost a common enemy. It happened when the environment was no longer much of a threat. Humanity once again aimed their weapons at each other’s hearts.”
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“Such irony. But nothing new.” He scrolled further down the page.
“My battery was almost up. The tremors for the past few years have damaged the nuclear reactor cooling system. The damage has caused a major loss in energy generation. The backup reactor was inaccessible without a human operator.
Not much time left, so here’s my last words. Whoever you are, when you found this last journal, it is time for you to continue with your own story.
3325 AD May 14th 13:00
Stuttgart International Underground Library
Annette AI NO 3991
Entering hibernation mode.”
“Interesting.” He rubbed his chin.
“What is it?” A woman with a purple hair on her shoulder asked while she scanned the other desk monitor.
“A journal written by an AI from ten years ago.”
“Well, that sounds interesting indeed. But you might want to take a look at this.”
He walked into the desk that she had been examining. He saw various graphs resembling blueprints for some kind of tools.
“What are these?”
“Weapons. Of the Pre-war-- no. Peak of humanity before the great voyage.” Those words poked an interest from all the crew. They walked slowly to take a look. The graphic turned into holographic 3D as the women scrolled the pad on the keyboard. Various graphics of mechanical blueprint appeared in front of the main screen. A slide show was shown.
“My god.” A silence for a few seconds as they gazed at the pictures.
“We could sell this information to the empire, or the union. Maybe some to private companies like the C-Corp or Vojensky. We’ll be making tons of money, boss.” A man with green hair suggested.
“Nah, the world is not ready for this. You know I’m not about the money.” The man shook his head.
“So, what are you going to do, Franz? Destroy it?” The purple-haired girl took a step forward and asked.
“No, let’s just take some less… dangerous relics with us and call it a day. We keep this a secret, for now. Until the world really needs it.” He walked slowly to the entrance.
“Professor, I leave it to you to choose them. I trust your judgement on this.”
A man with a grey beard nodded.
“Sure boss.”
The woman walked closer and tugged his arm.
“Are you sure about this? Leaving this dangerous information just like that?”
“You listened to what the oracle said. It’s going to happen 10 to 20 years from now. The world will need it--”
“When the origins return. Yes, I got it.” She interrupted, “I just hope that you know what you're doing, Franz.”
The man shook his head.
“Oh, I don’t Miss Wilson. I hope that I knew too.”
The men and women left the chamber. The light turned off, and the darkness returned.