The Central Plaza had once been a symbol of Chicago's pride — a vast open square surrounded by gleaming towers and luxury stores. Now it was a scar. Cracked pavement, burned-out vehicles pushed to the sides, and makeshift barricades formed a crude amphitheater under a sky the color of old bruises.
By dawn, thousands had gathered.
They came on foot, limping, carrying children, pushing shopping carts filled with whatever they still owned. Hunger and fear had driven them here. Marcus Kane's broadcast had promised food, medicine, safety. In the Long Collapse, hope was the rarest currency.
From a ruined rooftop three blocks away, the four survivors watched through binoculars and drone feeds.
Ava lay prone, rifle scope pressed to her eye. Her finger rested lightly beside the trigger. "He's got snipers on the three tallest buildings. Professional. Not local thugs."
Elijah stood slightly behind her, Bible clutched in both hands. The morning light caught the silver in his beard. "White horse. Crown. Bow. He comes in peace… but he conquers."
Lara's face was tight with recognition. She had pulled her hood low, hiding her features. "Marcus Kane wasn't just a celebrity. His foundation poured billions into geoengineering projects. Including mine. Project Aurora. I never met him in person, but his people funded the final phase. This isn't coincidence."
Kaito sat cross-legged with a tablet balanced on his knee, fingers dancing silently. A small drone hovered twenty feet above them, feeding real-time images. "The network is lighting up. His people are calling this 'The Unity Event.' They've restored power to half the plaza using portable fusion generators. That's military-grade tech. And look — they're already handing out the Links."
Below, white-uniformed enforcers moved through the crowd like angels of a new gospel. They offered small, sleek devices: the Unity Link. A quick press against the temple, a soft click, and a faint blue glow appeared beneath the skin. Recipients were immediately escorted to distribution tents where hot food, water, and basic medicine waited.
The crowd's mood shifted visibly. Despair gave way to desperate gratitude.
On the central stage — a clean white platform that looked untouched by the apocalypse — Marcus Kane appeared.
He wore an immaculate white suit. No body armor, no visible weapons. His golden-brown hair was perfectly styled, and his smile carried the warmth of a man who had already won. A single stylized crown emblem gleamed on his lapel.
He didn't need to shout. Hidden speakers carried his voice across the entire plaza, smooth and intimate, as if speaking directly into each person's ear.
"My friends… my brothers and sisters in suffering."
The crowd fell silent.
"For years we fought each other while the world burned. Nations against nations. Rich against poor. Now the earth itself has turned against us. But I stand before you today with a different message: the fighting is over. The division ends here."
He raised his hands. Massive screens behind him lit up with carefully edited footage — smiling families receiving food, former enemies embracing, children playing in newly cleared safe zones.
"I offer you Unity. Not through force, but through connection. The Unity Link is simple. Safe. Voluntary. It binds us together so we can share resources, knowledge, and strength. No more hoarding. No more fear of tomorrow. One network. One humanity."
A cheer rose — hesitant at first, then thunderous.
Ava's jaw tightened. "He's selling the end of the world like it's a subscription service."
Kaito zoomed the drone feed. "The Link isn't just a tracker. It's a neural interface. Low-level at first — mood regulation, pain suppression, instant translation. But the architecture allows full override. Once enough people are connected, the AI core they're calling 'The Book' will start shaping consensus. Dissent becomes… uncomfortable."
Elijah lowered his head. "'And a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.' This is the first seal. He doesn't need an army yet. He conquers with hope."
Lara's voice cracked. "I helped design parts of that interface. We told ourselves it was for emergency global coordination during climate disasters. But the backdoors… they were always there. Kane's people made sure of it."
On the stage, Kane continued, his tone shifting to gentle authority.
"Some will resist. They always do. They will call this control. They will call me the enemy. But look around you. The old world is dead. If we cling to the old ways — suspicion, isolation, fear — we will die with it. The Link is a gift. Those who accept it today will receive priority aid. Those who do not… well, we will pray for them."
A line of people had already formed. Young and old, parents carrying babies, the injured leaning on others. Each received the Link and walked away with supplies, faces glowing with something close to relief.
Ava lowered her rifle. "We need to warn them. But how do you fight a savior when everyone is starving?"
Kaito's drone suddenly picked up movement — a squad of white-uniformed enforcers moving toward their building, guided by heat signatures.
"They're coming," he said sharply. "We've been here too long."
Elijah placed a hand on Ava's shoulder. "Not today. We can't win a war we don't understand yet. We watch. We learn. We survive."
Lara nodded, eyes haunted. "And I need to decrypt the rest of my files. There's something worse coming. The second seal… war. Real war."
As they slipped away through a back stairwell, Kane's voice echoed behind them, warm and terrible:
"Even those who doubt today will see the light tomorrow. Unity is inevitable."
The crowd roared its approval.
High above the plaza, the first faint cracks appeared in the sky — thin, unnatural lines of light that no one else seemed to notice.
The Rider of Conquest had taken the field.
And the world was already bending the knee.
---
(End of Chapter 2)