As Axel arrived at Fort Ord, he felt butterflies in his stomach. The base had been abandoned for quite some time, yet soldiers from various backgrounds roamed the grounds, exchanging wary glances. He noticed a rugged-looking man with a pronounced French accent, another clad in bright clothes and adorned with tattoos approaching from the Brazilian side, and a reserved but watchful fellow who introduced himself as British. Nearby stood a cheerful and friendly man from China, while a serious-looking individual with closed eyes hailed from Japan. Lastly, he spotted a man snacking on bananas from the Philippines, adding an unexpected touch of casualness to the scene.
"Looks like a melting pot here," Axel said, extending his hand to each one.
"I've seen less diversity in a country fair," joked the Brazilian.
"Looks like were a bunch of reliable folks are we now. Have each other's six, yes?" said the British soldier with a firm grip.
The encounter sparkled with cautious camaraderie as they gauged each other's intent. They settled into conversations about their experiences, sharing humorous anecdotes and establishing a flicker of trust.
"Here, take this." The Filipino operative offered a banana with a warm smile. "I'm Kokoy, by the way." Axel accepted the fruit, appreciating the friendly gesture.
Axel wanted to probe the man seeing how casual he was. "What would be our object—"
Before his inquiry can be answered their systems called to them, urging them to get inside a building specifically with seven seats and a dusty table, they sat there waiting for something happen or someone to appear. The seven of them exchanged glances not knowing what to expect.
The tension in the air was palpable, the recruits forming an uneasy semicircle, their bodies poised for information that could alter their destinies. Axel sat among them, every nerve in his body tingling with anticipation, when the atmosphere shifted. The lights flickered, and from the shadows, a figure began to materialize, a silhouette cloaked in black.
The Figure emerged as if reality itself had unfurled to make space for it. Clad in a suit that absorbed light rather than reflected it, the Figure presented an air of authority that silenced the murmurs of uncertainty among the group. A visor shrouded its face, but its presence was both intimidating and magnetic.
"Welcome," it intoned, the voice rich and resonant, reverberating against the dried-up paint of the walls on the briefing room. "You are here to serve humanity. You have been chosen to intertwine your fate with the very fabric of time and space. This is not merely a mission but a calling, one that will define the future of mankind."
The men exchanged looks of anxiety, excitement bubbling beneath the surface as the Figure paused, allowing its words to sink in. Axel felt a mixture of dread and hope. The gravity of the moment swirled around him, urging him to focus on the task ahead.
With a sweeping gesture, the Figure summoned a projection, illuminating the darkened room with images of scientists and scholars engrossed in frantic work. "This system," it began, "is the culmination of humanity's collective knowledge. It was forged by scientists, engineers and doctors from across the globe into what is known as the Analogue System."
"The Analogue System is the coalesced consciousness of all past, present, and potential futures," the Figure continued, the images shifting to scenes they've seen and history books and sci-fi like images that you wouldn't believe existed. "Its primary goal is to realign and enhance the past, pushing humanity forward. It guarantees that our present remains constantly protected while predicting future threats from multiple perspectives on all timelines."
Axel and his peers listened intently, their mind racing to grasp both the power and responsibility embedded within the Analogue System.
"Currently," the Figure continued, "if you are aware of the Kardashev scale, humanity hovers at the peak of Tier 3, on the cusp of attaining Tier 4. This progression, however, faces numerous threats on multiple fronts from hostile alien species attempting to impede our growth across spacetime."
Axel felt a stirring anger at the mention of alien interference. This was more than a simple mission, it was a war for existence, a battle against those who plan to step on humanities fate.
"Your fight is not solely for survival," the Figure stressed, its voice resonating with passion. "It is also for our allies, alien species that benefit from a harmonious relationship with humanity. While engaging with them, we maintain our shared values, striving towards a future where coexistence reigns supreme."
"Should you perish in the line of duty, you will not simply be lost to time," the Figure warned, a note of gravity creeping into its tone. "Death means you will forget your participation in our cause. You will return to a time before your service, typically a time in your childhood or early teens, and what remains will be merely the echoes of an inspirational nightmare tale to guide you toward resilience. Should you conform towards a normal life, no one will stop you or try to persuade you to come to any military force. Men, this is not a simulation, a game or a military mission that you've had so far, the fate of not just a billion but all of humanity itself is on the line, all of the time past, present and future will rest in your hands."
The men had shudders on their backs, the implications painfully clear. Failure may lead them regressing humanity, even worst coming to an age where humanity may not even exist. He envisioned waking up in a world stripped of purpose, free of his recent memories, a return to naivety, robbed of the experiences that brought him here, or, even not waking up at all.
"What you may experience here," the Figure maintained, "will test your will to serve and protect humanity. You may see monsters that are only to be seen in your nightmares, creatures utterly grotesque you may not even see meat as food anymore, beings that you may even call god, however, we have slain, destroyed and conquered all of this, we killed our way to we are today because, you, I and all of us worked in a united front to face the enemy. We have to be inhumane to face these non-human threats."
As the Figure spoke, the room's digital interface expanded, detailing the capabilities of the Analogue System and its role in their missions. "This system functions as a comprehensive storage space, formatted similarly to popular MMORPGs. If you are familiar with such frameworks, you will find navigating the interface intuitive. For those who are not, a manual is accessible on the lower left of your visual display in a form of a booklet icon."
Images flickered before them, illustrating various elements of the system. "Within this interface, you will have gear slots for your current equipment, displaying damage levels and durability. Your inventory will categorize items, providing easy access to weapons, armor, mission items, rations, personal storage, and Evolutionary Specimen."
Axel's heart raced as the possibilities unfolded before him. Weapons and powerful tools lay at his fingertips, yet he was anxious if these things were enough for them to execute the missions.
"The first essential firearm in your arsenal is the Pision," the Figure continued, now showcasing a sleek, futuristic firearm resembling a sniper rifle that had a two-meter barrel. "This weapon can obliterate any organism down to its very atoms, the smart feature of this device is that it will also disintegrate the vicinity of the target for at least 20 meters, however, with only seven shots, each round must be precise and intentional. Consider this a trump card, for it holds monumental power. It has an effective range of 50 kilometers. This weapon also disregards wind resistance of up to 7000 kilometers per hour. It also has a built-in scope that is connected to your visual display of up to 500 times when this is held. A manual scope function is also available."
"The next weapon is designated as the Winston, a railgun that offers versatility for a range of combat scenarios," the Figure explained, now displaying the weapon transforming from a high-tech sub machine gun with a barrel of about half a meter with a scope on top that can zoom up to 250 times that also connects automatically to the visual display when held, into a knife with arm support, to a curved sword, then to a bayonet, lastly at its overload state it can become a shotgun that shoots nine rounds per shot but comes with a powerful recoil so practice with it is necessary. A manual scope function is also available. With atomic accuracy, it can strike at targets up to 15 kilometers away. This weapon also disregards wind resistance of up to 5000 kilometers per hour. It holds 150 rounds per magazine, and each shot can destroy organic matter at the molecular level, however this only has a meter for its blast radius. 100,000 practice ammunition will be provided to you for free every month this is equivalent to a conventional firearm and can still kill. The live ammunition can only be given during the mission which will range from 150 to 150,000 depending on the task given."
A collective gasp reverberated through the briefing hall. The men were as drawn to the weapon's capabilities as Axel was.