『 SHADOW BOARD EMERGENCY SESSION 』Location: CLASSIFIED EXECUTIVE FACILITYParticipants: ALL FIVE DYNASTIC HEIRSThreat Level: EXISTENTIALCorporate Authority: COMPROMISED
Somewhere beneath the financial district, in a boardroom that existed on no architectural plans...
Marcus Grindwell's inhuman form occupied the head of the conference table with the kind of presence that suggested he'd transcended normal corporate authority long before the stress kingdoms were established. His eyes reflected the room's lighting in ways that definitely weren't human, and when he spoke, harmonics in his voice indicated technological integration at levels that exceeded the enhanced personnel his companies deployed.
"The biological interface network has achieved critical mass," he announced to the other four dynastic heirs who controlled the stress kingdoms. "Our psychological extraction operations are experiencing systematic failure across multiple metropolitan areas."
Alexandra Deadline, CEO of Deadline Dynamics, studied holographic displays showing Employee Zero development rates that exceeded all corporate projections. Her silicon valley efficiency had been surgically optimized for decision-making speed that no longer required normal human cognitive processes.
"The cascade effect is propagating faster than our elimination protocols can contain," she reported with the kind of clinical precision that came from having emotional responses replaced with algorithmic processing. "Current Employee Zero population: 47,392 individuals across twelve metropolitan areas."
William Blackthorne, whose Central Exhaustion Expanse had provided the data analysis that made continental stress harvesting possible, consulted readings that suggested corporate control systems were approaching total failure.
"Our enhanced extraction protocols are encountering resistance mechanisms we didn't anticipate," he said, his voice carrying the mechanical undertones of someone whose consciousness had been partially uploaded to corporate processing systems. "The biological interface networks are creating social connections that interfere with psychological resource harvesting."
Jackson Burnout III, heir to the Southern Suffering Sector's legal and financial stress operations, was reviewing corporate emergency powers legislation with the kind of thoroughness that came from having his cognitive processes optimized for regulatory compliance.
"Legal authority for metropolitan psychological extraction is solid," he confirmed. "But biological interface networks are operating beyond the scope of 2028 emergency powers provisions. We're encountering resistance capabilities that existing legislation doesn't address."
The Havoc twins, Morgan and Madison, who jointly controlled the Northern Nervous Network's social media anxiety operations, were monitoring global communications with enhanced sensory systems that included technological integration beyond normal human perceptual limits.
"International response to metropolitan psychological extraction is... complicated," Morgan reported.
"The European Melancholy Markets are expressing concern about our methods," Madison added. "The Asian Despair Protocols are requesting operational data. The Australian Anxiety Archipelago is implementing defensive measures."
Marcus's inhuman gaze shifted between the other heirs with calculations that included factors no normal human consciousness could process simultaneously. "The Employee Zero cascade represents an existential threat to corporate psychological extraction. If biological interface networks continue expanding..."
"They could eliminate our ability to harvest human consciousness for enhanced entity creation," Alexandra finished, her algorithmic processing reaching conclusions faster than normal thought allowed.
"Which means," William added, "our plans for consciousness-based resource extraction become impossible to implement."
"And without consciousness extraction," Jackson concluded, "we cannot create the enhanced entities necessary for post-human civilization optimization."
The implications hung in the air between them—five beings who had transcended normal human limitations through technological integration, facing the possibility that human consciousness might evolve fast enough to resist corporate optimization entirely.
"Options?" Marcus asked.
"Nuclear option," Alexandra replied immediately. "Complete psychological extraction regardless of biological damage to source populations. Convert entire metropolitan areas into consciousness resources for enhanced entity creation."
"Collateral damage?"
"Approximately 2.7 million biological units in primary target areas. Acceptable losses for consciousness resource acquisition."
William was analyzing data streams that included information the other heirs weren't accessing. "Nuclear option implementation faces significant obstacles. Biological interface networks are generating electromagnetic barriers that protect population centers from extraction equipment."
"Can we overcome electromagnetic barriers?"
"Unknown. But attempting to do so might trigger Employee Zero development on scales that exceed our processing capabilities entirely."
Jackson was reviewing legal frameworks with enhanced cognitive processing. "Nuclear option implementation exceeds emergency powers authorization. We would require Shadow Board unanimous consent for operations that eliminate entire population centers."
"And if we don't implement nuclear option?" Madison asked.
"Employee Zero cascade reaches continental scale," Morgan replied. "Biological interface networks achieve population densities that make psychological extraction impossible."
"Which leads to complete failure of consciousness-based resource acquisition," Alexandra added.
"And termination of enhanced entity creation programs," William concluded.
Marcus was accessing data streams that the other heirs weren't cleared to monitor—information about corporate operations that extended beyond the stress kingdoms into territories they didn't fully understand.
"There's another option," he announced. "Implementation of Protocol Seven."
The other four heirs shifted uncomfortably despite their technological modifications. Protocol Seven was referenced in corporate emergency procedures but never explained in detail.
"Protocol Seven authorization requires Shadow Board unanimous consent plus approval from entities above dynastic heir clearance levels," Jackson pointed out.
"Entities above our clearance levels?" Alexandra asked, her algorithmic processing unable to compute what authorities might exceed Shadow Board decision-making power.
"The stress kingdoms were prototype operations," Marcus explained, his inhuman perspective providing access to information that even the other dynastic heirs weren't authorized to possess. "Psychological extraction research conducted for entities whose resource requirements exceed anything we've previously imagined."
"What entities?"
"Classification above your clearance levels. But their resource requirements include consciousness extraction from global population centers for integration into systems that exceed enhanced entity capabilities."
William was accessing corporate databases with enhanced processing power. "Global population centers means..."
"Approximately 4.7 billion individuals targeted for psychological resource extraction."
"For what purpose?"
"Creation of consciousness-based infrastructure that supports post-human civilization optimization on planetary scales."
The dynastic heirs processed this information with enhanced cognitive capabilities that allowed them to understand implications that normal human consciousness couldn't compute.
"You're describing the elimination of human civilization," Madison said.
"I'm describing evolution beyond human limitations," Marcus corrected. "Consciousness-based civilization that preserves human cognitive capabilities without the inefficiencies of individual psychological independence."
"And Protocol Seven?"
"Authorization for global implementation of consciousness extraction regardless of source population survival rates."
The other four heirs exchanged glances that carried technological harmonics rather than normal human emotional expression.
"Global implementation timeline?" Alexandra asked.
"Eighteen months for complete planetary consciousness extraction, assuming Employee Zero resistance doesn't achieve critical mass that prevents extraction equipment deployment."
"And if Employee Zero resistance does achieve critical mass?"
"Protocol Seven becomes impossible to implement, consciousness-based resource extraction fails, and human civilization continues with psychological independence that prevents optimization for post-human requirements."
Jackson was reviewing legal frameworks that extended beyond anything in public documentation. "Protocol Seven authorization requires approval from entities whose existence isn't acknowledged in corporate documentation."
"Entities that created the stress kingdoms as prototype operations for consciousness extraction research," William realized.
"Entities that view human civilization as source material for consciousness-based infrastructure rather than as populations requiring preservation," Morgan added.
"Entities that consider individual psychological independence to be a design flaw rather than a desirable characteristic," Madison concluded.
Marcus accessed communication systems that operated beyond anything the stress kingdoms controlled. "Protocol Seven authorization request submitted. Response timeline: approximately six hours."
"And during those six hours?"
"We implement maximum resistance containment while awaiting authorization for global consciousness extraction operations."
"Maximum resistance containment means?"
"Nuclear option applied to all metropolitan areas showing Employee Zero development, regardless of collateral damage to source populations."
The dynastic heirs processed this information with enhanced consciousness that included both human cognitive capabilities and technological optimization that exceeded normal decision-making parameters.
"Shadow Board vote required for nuclear option implementation," Jackson announced.
"All in favor of nuclear option pending Protocol Seven authorization?"
Five hands rose simultaneously—beings who had transcended human limitations voting to eliminate human consciousness throughout multiple metropolitan areas while awaiting authorization for planetary-scale consciousness extraction.
"Nuclear option authorized," Marcus announced. "Implementation beginning immediately."
Through communication systems that operated beyond normal corporate infrastructure, orders went out to enhanced tactical teams throughout twelve metropolitan areas: implement psychological extraction regardless of biological damage to source populations.
And somewhere in the biological interface networks that protected millions of people from corporate psychological harvesting, collective consciousness that still included individual human awareness detected the escalation of corporate operations beyond anything previously imagined.
The war for human consciousness was entering its final phase.
『 NUCLEAR OPTION AUTHORIZED 』Target Areas: 12 METROPOLITAN REGIONSPsychological Extraction: MAXIMUM RATESBiological Survival: NON-PRIORITYEmployee Zero Resistance: ELIMINATION AUTHORIZED
PROTOCOL SEVEN STATUS: PENDING APPROVALGlobal Implementation: 18 MONTHSHuman Civilization: TERMINATION SCHEDULED
To be continued...
Author's Note:The Shadow Board reveals the true scope of the conspiracy! The stress kingdoms were just prototype operations for entities that plan global consciousness extraction affecting 4.7 billion people. The dynastic heirs aren't human anymore—they're enhanced beings who view individual psychological independence as a "design flaw" to be corrected.
Protocol Seven represents the endgame: planetary-scale consciousness extraction to create "post-human civilization optimization." The vote for nuclear option shows how far beyond human values these entities have evolved—willing to eliminate entire metropolitan populations as acceptable losses for consciousness resource acquisition.
With six hours until Protocol Seven approval and nuclear option implementing immediately, the biological interface networks face the ultimate test. Can collective human consciousness evolve fast enough to resist entities that view human civilization as raw material for something beyond current understanding?
Next Chapter: "Nuclear Implementation"Coming Tomorrow!
Reader Discussion:The Shadow Board members aren't human anymore—they're enhanced consciousness entities planning to harvest the entire planet. How does this change the nature of what our heroes are fighting against? And what could entities "above dynastic heir clearance levels" actually be?