The moment the 72-hour countdown began, an unprecedented tremor was felt throughout the firewall network. The warnings coming from the Ancient Precognition System constantly echoed on the quantum level, as if time itself was screaming.
"Emergency meeting." I summoned all the core members through the quantum network.
A few moments later, the leaders of the Awakened across the globe appeared in the virtual conference room through quantum projections:
Jack, with a holographic projection of the New York command center behind him.
Sarah, connecting from a research station deep in the Pacific.
Marcus, at the site of an ancient relic in the Alps.
Ryo Fujiwara, from a secret dojo in Kyoto.
Amara, a representative of the African Council of Earth Keepers.
Elizabeth was also present, and her expression was unusually grave: "I analyzed the data stream of the Ancient Precognition System. The situation is more complicated than we thought."
[Data analysis results:
- Number of timeline anomalies: ∞
- Convergence point: 72 hours later
- Possibility branch: Uncalculable
Special phenomenon: all timelines point to the same event, but the event itself is a quantum superposition state]
"Speak human," Jack frowns, "What the hell does that mean?"
The voice of the Ancient Guardian rang out, "It means that in 72 hours an event will occur that is so important that it affects the fabric of time itself. But the interesting thing is that the specifics of the event are in a state of quantum superposition - that is, all possibilities exist simultaneously until it is observed."
Sarah suddenly interjects, "Wait, I've got something new here!"
The surveillance footage from the depths of the Pacific Ocean showed that the ancient ruins on the seabed began to emit a strange glow. The glows formed intricate patterns that looked like some sort of... A countdown timer?
"It's not just the Pacific," Marcus reported, "similar phenomena are occurring at the ruins in the Alps. And, look at this, you guys!"
His quantum projection showed a holographic video: the ancient device was reconstructing some kind of stereoscopic image, showing a huge network structure covering the entire planet.
"This is..." Elizabeth sucked in a breath of cold air, "A complete layout of the ancient defense network!"
Through quantum perception, I immediately understood the significance of this discovery: the ancient civilization had built a complete defense system on Earth, and now, that system was awakening.
"But why now?" Amara asked the key question, "Why after we tried the fusion technology?"
The system suddenly gave a startling speculation:
[Analyze:
The current situation may be a pre-programmed trigger mechanism
The ancient civilization may have foreseen this moment
The entire process seems like an elaborate... Testing]
Test? The word had everyone in deep thought.
Just then, a new series of anomalies began to appear:
- Awakened beings around the globe reported a sudden increase in their perceptual abilities.
- Creatures of darkness have begun to display new evolutionary traits.
- The quantum communication network has detected an unidentified stream of information.
- Periodic fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field.
"They all point to the same thing," says the Ancient Guardian, "the arrival of a point of selection. But this time it's unlike any evolutionary choice in the past. This time... The entire fabric of space-time is involved."
Suddenly, my quantum consciousness caught something. Through the network of firewalls, I saw a terrible truth:
"That 72-hour event... Wasn't random. It was designed. Ancient civilizations weren't waiting for us, they were..."
"Guiding us," Elizabeth took over, "The whole process, from the virus outbreak, to the wave of awakenings, to the current fusion of technologies... It's all part of a bigger plan!"
[Urgent warning:
Increased time fluctuations detected.
Higher dimensional intervention suspected.
Recommendation: Activate emergency plan immediately.
But what is the right preplan? Any preparation pales in the face of an event of this magnitude.
"Perhaps," Jack snapped, "we should stop trying to contain the situation. Since this is a test, the key is not how well we prepare, but how we make choices."
His words reminded me of the realization I had when I first built my firewall: sometimes the best defense is not to fight, but to lead.
"Gentlemen," I announced through the quantum network, "we need to change our strategy. Instead of trying to stop what's about to happen, we need to..."
Suddenly, all of the Ancient Devices glowed with a piercing light at the same time, and an older, more powerful consciousness began to awaken.