Short Stories

Story Sixteen|The Last Stand

A/N: This is my final for my Creative Writing class. Not edited. Heavily based on a mix of Command and Conquer and Watch Dogs. The setting of the story is completely fiction.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 24, 2042

"The United Nations has recently announced the activation of the Global Urban Security System. A result of a decade's worth of research and testing, GUSS will control national defenses, power distribution and production, and water distribution among other aspects. Nation's hosting GUSS's data centers include Australia, the United States, Germany, the UK, Japan, and the recently expanded Russia. France is considering joining the program, however, their economy may not be able to support such an extensive system." The news caster displayed in the hologram is replaced by a world map with the mentioned countries highlighted. It's replaced with a bar graph depicting the money each country has spent on the system. "The cost of such system is an estimated $16 billion, a far smaller number compared to the combined $125 billion invested by Russia, the US, and Canada. Critics are skeptical about the viability of the system, some citing financial impacts. Some skeptics are concerned about decreased government control. However, the United Nations and the developer, SecTek, are insistent that the system does not change the nation's government has."

November 13, 2045

"Uhhh..." The news anchor shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "We're receiving reports... Oh my god. Um, we've just received news that a low-orbit Ion Cannon has fired... at Heathrow International Airport in London. Recent studies suggest that the airport handles an average of 302,531 passengers per day."

He looks at the camera, leaning forward a little. His eyes are filled with horror, even though his face is calm and collected. "We've also just got word that the main GUSS data center in Munich, Germany has been taken over. It seems that SecTek has lost control of the largest and most influential system that the UN has in its arsenal."

January 30, 2046

"SecTek continues to assure the public that GUSS was partitioned from the rest of the system. Country Defense Systems are currently the top of the hierarchy, replacing GUSS. However, it is noted that the subsystems such as PrOS aren't operating at maximum efficiency, something that-"

"Chance, you ready yet?" my best friend, Michael Gomez, whines from his spot next to the door.

I chuckle as I finish tying up my boots. "Mike, you really need to be patient."

"Impatient is my middle name man, now hurry up."

I stand up, feeling the full weight of all the combat gear. Grabbing my rifle, a retrofitted Colt M4, and stashing a K4 semi-automatic pistol in my holster, I head out into the main campus of Fort Kanos. Fort Kanos is actually just a repurposed Isle de Kanos University, situated in midtown and next to the Gideon Causeway. After months of planning, the Allies managed to gain a foothold in the Pacific island nation. The terrorists are putting up a fierce resistance and much of Isle de Kanos' CBD is ruined because of it. Fort Kanos happens to be on the north side of the CBD while the data center is to the south, right next to the Marcelle River.