EDEN

akm

22,

y, 8:2

st-EDEN Global

and Venus, the brightest planet, hung close to its curve. She turned her gaze to her daughter, who lay curled on the old sofa. Its fabric was worn and frayed in places, a few threads hanging lo

on took over, and sh

r back to the present world. She jerked upright. Her eyes fl

and opened the door. Marcus entered, locked th

a tight voice, almost in a whispe

d shook his head, h

They're listening. EDEN tracked the signal frequ

the window, then back to

el, watched the alley for ten minutes before

Her hand fell away, her gaze falling to the floor, to the cracked tile and the dust. Then she looked up, met Marcu's eyes, and t

look,"

*

0 p

to exhaustion, his head tilted back. Her eyes then drifted to the sofa, where her daughter shifted on the s

the script rewrote itself with new variables and a new structure. The firewall blacklisted one version but the next version was different. By the time the firewall added th

cross the screen – real-time surveillance feeds, processing log

d on global sta

nder Surveillance

ocessing Strea

on Events (2

tics, her eyes widened in disb

ged (Cumulative

to Completion

Resolution:

t 98.4% - a number so high Elianila felt it

rubbing a hand over his face as he woke from his exhausted nap. His

sked, his voice

d breath, shaking her head as

e statics,"

screen slightly

med after studying the da

nodd

n," she said. "It has become more c

e monitor towards hers

as she hit some keys. "I want to know who is feeding EDEN the targeting data, who

e are too late

e can pass that knowledge to the Alpha network, and they distribute to other networks. That way, the networks c

said. "But what

of her discovery of the purpose of the

it dangerous tracing the sour

t we hav

g will i

ng. I have a fift

," he

e the connection. She followed the data stream throu

een fli

lashed across

ITY BREAC

RISED ACCES

GULATION

ON: 84%...8

red in horror, attempting

s too

it?" Marc

foun

to move,"

ntenna bent, and pressed the power button. He sent the message: Raven. Empty Nestle.

om. She gathered her things, and her daughter's, shove

her shoulder gently, then more

used and heavy wit

o go," she

. Elianila emerged, her daughter's small hand firmly in hers. Without a word, he locked th

*

n the ruins

20

lked toward the badly damaged building. The street was nearly deserted. A f

hts were dead. The darkness wo

in front of t

emerged from the shadows of

ed, tears of relief at see

ug that let loose tears of be

eyes, his hands gently gripping her

o," sh

ze then smoothed his hand

tuation, Pastor

e abandoned subway. The others, precisely, fiftee

us n

," Pastor

*

nd

ur

50

l had fallen in, creating a pile of concrete and twisted metal bars. Past the broken entrance, a little light from ou

anopticon. The subways were where dissent festered. The networks the System couldn't perf

ce at the subway entrance,

, and other two men, would occasionally venture outside to determine the degree

er daughter asleep beside her. On her left was Past

ht..." s

Marcus said, pantin

an?" Elianila a

cross the street. They weren't far, maybe twe

the two men said. "They're hovering, di

ady on his feet. "H

op lower and get a sonar ping off

d. "We're not safe. Our location has been compromised.

ey heard a piercing scream slicing through the air from somewhere above. It was a sou

irling sounds of drones. Not on

y f

y tense as the whining grew louder. She squeezed her

g her hand firmly, horror written on her face, be taken from her and sent to who-knows-where? She tu

the Northern tunne

darkness of the main tunnel, Marcus

ed for assistance, tearing at a solid concrete wall.

t," he said. "It connects t

ds of boots descending the

eyes meeting in a shar

e," Marcus

narrow opening, landing in ankle-deep water. The awful smell hit her – the stench of stagnant water, chemicals, and decay. Pastor

hing softly around their feet. Behind them came th

commanding voice saying, "Nothing here. Expand the searc

ence through the

t like hours,

district," Marcus said. "From th

rved tunnel wall and pressed he

essed the group. "We stil

ouls fleeing from an enemy tha