[Unitopia, Western Continent]
Alexei Smokesalotovich had been promoted to his position of X-class Director almost coming on ten years now. Not the oldest among his peers, but far from being the fresh-faced newbie he once was.
In that time and his long career before, he had seen his fair share of the unexplainable, the horrifying, whose merest mentions would summon nightmares beyond human imagination. He knew there were things locked away in his mind, for his own good. He was long familiar with that strange feeling of being nostalgic for something he couldn't quite remember, of waking up with a profound feeling of emptiness as though he had dreamt of something important yet forgotten.
Of waking up one morning and firmly remembering that he had a blue suit, yet finding it pitch black and not a single soul corroborating his story. Of course he was not blind or stupid. He knew what these meant, what they were symptoms of. Perhaps, in the beginning, they may have frightened him.
To say he was not frightened now would be a lie, but he had come to accept these strange incongruities as normal. What was in his control was in his control - it was no use conjuring imaginary demons when it took all he had to deal with the real ones. Like paperwork and coffee.
Over the course of his long and illustrious career, he had come to know of the Professor and respect his dedication to attempt to categorise the inherently uncategorisable. However foolish he thought of the endeavour, he could at least respect the man's brilliant mind. He, on the other hand, was promoted through sheer grit and stubborn-mindedness, rising through the ranks of their organisation like climbing a cliff through sheer will.
Too many colleagues he had seen lose their footing, succumb to the weakness of their grip, and fall to the icy depths. His grey eyes were jaded, though he still considered himself in his prime. Experience in its multitudes far compensated what little physical deterioration age had granted him, though debatable if any at all had occurred.
All this is to say, he was no longer the naive recruit still enamoured by dreams of changing the world, still jumping at every shadow. Despite that, his outburst would have been loud enough to startle the others, were they not in an uncharacteristic state of shock themselves.
"What did you say?", he exclaimed out reflexively. "The world's gonna what in three days?". The incredulity in his voice was evident, but the tinge of doubt was a thin veneer over his grim acceptance.
"Ah", the Professor adjusted his wonky glasses, though they did little to hide the bags under his face. "Not the world, Director. Everything. Capital E."
"Right", Director Alexei let loose a breathy laugh, leaning back in his chair. "You had me thinking it was bad for a second."
"Could always be worse", the Professor was unflinching as he faced the combined weight of all five Directors with an amused look. "Could be Monday."
His reedy looking assistant had finished fiddling with the board, a few graphs appearing on its screen, and cleared his throat interjecting in a flat tone.
"It is Monday, Professor"
The Professor burst out into laughter before controlling himself.
"I guess it really is as bad as it can get."
Of the other Directors, all who wore that X-shaped pin on their blazer, the one opposite Alexei was the next to speak up. He had his hair slicked back and was slouching in his chair, looking more like the Professor than his fellow Directors.
"This is usually the part where you tell us what we can do about it", he drawled. "Or are we supposed to just sit back and take it?"
"Good point", the Professor acquiesced, stepping to the side and gesturing to the board. Several graphs and visual diagrams were on it and the Professor pointed them out with the ballpoint pen in his pocket.
"To be honest, we had some kind of inkling something was coming, but we had never expected it to be of such a scale. Over the past months, the instances of abnormal activity being recorded has spiked across the board, but it was still not statistically significant. That was until we looked at a very specific class of anomaly."
He indicated to his assistant who pressed a button on the tablet in his hands, and the slid shifted. A minimalist diagram of an eye was on the Y axis of the graph, with the X axis being the preceding months. A clear spike, almost tripling in activity, happened in several consecutive months leading up to this one.
"When looking Divination-class anomalies as well as Unknown-class, all began exhibiting strange signs. Not the normal kind of strange either. Some stopped working, becoming fully inert. Some entered recursive loops until cascading error took them out. Others still showed clear signs of X+-class corruption and had to be incinerated to prevent infohazard spread."
The slouching Director interjected.
"If you knew about this, how come we're hearing about this just now?"
"Well, to be quite John, its only in retrospect we've realised this. You have to understand that by the nature of this facility, 'trends' are automatically suspect in of themself." His tone turned dark as his eyes seemed to focus at some point in the distance.
"I'm sure you all remember what happened last time we employed the use of such 'trends'."
The Directors as a whole were silent for a few seconds until the Professor continued with cheer in his voice.
"But, on the bright side, at least we know now. I mean, without 2-62 we probably would have just died without even knowing. Although, maybe that would have been better now that I think about it."
Ignoring his last remark, the slouching Director replied.
"So clearly some of these guys saw what was coming, but none of them explicitly told us until 2-62 so kindly did so". He punctuated his reference with a jab at the already dog-eared leaflet on the table in front of him.
"Any idea of what kind of 'End' we can expect? Also, technically, if Everything is involved then what's the chances someone else will solve the problem for us?"
Alexei was the only one to bark a laugh in reply, while the others only sent him withering gazes under which he managed to slouch even further into his chair.
The next person to speak was an elderly lady, her bone white hair and frail figure were countered by the hardy countenance of her face. When she spoke, it was in a commanding tone that brook no disrespect.
"Enough games, Elkland. Though he has asked an important question here. Usually these 'apocalypses' come in types - knowing what is to come could be the difference between survival and extinction."
The Professor merely sighed in response.
"I'm afraid there's not much to say, Director Cold. I myself literally came here immediately to give this emergency meeting. You'll have to give me some time to investigate before I can give you any more information."
"Crack on with it then", Director Cold responded in a steely voice. "Information may be a great threat, but it is by far our greatest asset. Therefore, I propose unsealing of Apocalypse-class information while the Professor investigates his own angles."
At this, all of the Directors without question sat up straight in their seats, all pretense evaporated under the heavy atmosphere that had descended.
"This is life or death, gentlemen. What say you?"
The Professor and his assistant watched in silence as the Directors, save one, raised their hands. Under the collective gaze of the others, he sighed before speaking up for the first time.
If Director Cold was old, then this man was ancient. His voice was hoarse, as flimsy as ancient tomes under bright sunlight, threatening to crumble to dust at the slightest touch. Yet, despite its trembling, his tone was not fearful. But warning.
"Be wary. You risk replacing the prospect of death, with its certainty."
"You know this is the only way, old man", Director Cold replied, frowning. The other Director only let out a rattling breath, and spoke sadly.
"I know, that is what I am afraid of. My help will still be available to the best of my abilities, of course. My body may be ailing, but my mind is as sharp as ever". A hint of sharpness entered his weary eyes, reminding all those at the table to be wary of an old man in a profession where most die young.
Director Cold nodded approvingly before speaking.
"Then it is approved. Professor, you have six hours to get as much information as you can and prepare it for us. If there is something important, however, call another meeting. In the meantime, we will stay here, reviewing the files. Remember, everyone, this information is X-ranked classified. We absolutely cannot afford any leaks."
The Directors responded with a round of nods, and the Professor gestured to his assistant who went around and retrieved the docket on 2-62 from the five Directors.
"I'll be on my way then, Directors. I've synced the whiteboard to my watch to prevent entanglement. Hopefully we'll see each other soon."
With that, he hurried out of the room, followed closely behind by his assistant who bowed politely before closing the door behind him. The graphs left on the board disappeared, replaced by a digital clock counting down.
"71 hours until the End of Everything. Well, I suppose there are worse ways to spend a Saturday", Elkland muttered.
The Fifth Director, who had remained silent until know, chose this moment to speak up. His entire head was covered by a black mask and his indeterminate build made it impossible to guess his age. His low voice penetrated the silence like a diamond knife through obsidian. Different to the commanding tone of Director Cold, or the weight of the age from the old man.
As if something far more insidious than a man hid behind that black mask.
"Regarding this development, I may have some news that may be of importance. Perhaps I ought to share it now."
The others grew silent, casting their questioning gazes towards the Fifth Director. Unfortunately, just as he was about to speak...
...the chapter ended. Get wrecked.