Chapter 8: Countdown

Three Days Later

It had been a long while since Jeremie of all people was outsmarted by anyone or anything. He looked at his monitors completely baffled by everything that was happening. He was seeing highly coordinated attacks on almost every major country in the world. Omega wasn't like Xana whatsoever. Xana would simply attack and have her forces overwhelm her enemies. Omega was planning everything out, attacking at the enemies weaknesses and avoiding human casualties if possible. Death tolls were usually low from Omega's attacks and that was what disturbed Jeremie the most.

"Why is he so concerned with keeping everyone alive?" Jeremie said to himself as he had his hand under his chin.

"Maybe he's not interested in ending human life." Aelita said as she approached her husband. "Maybe he wants something more." She rested her arm on the arm of the chair Jeremie was sitting in and looked at the monitors surrounding them.

"True. He hasn't fully taken over everything yet. But whats really weird is the fact that Europe, for the most part, hasn't suffered any major damage like the rest of the world." Jeremie motioned his hand to one screen that displayed the world on a flat green monitor. Round places like North and South America, most of Russia, Australia, half of Africa, and nearly all of Asia were covered with silver to symbolize Omega's control. Some parts of the world had the silver around their area too, but not enough to cause too much concern over. Europe however, was the only place that had nearly no silver patches on it.

"Do you think it has something to do with all of us?" Aelita asked him.

"I don't really know Aelita." Jeremie leaned back in his chair and looked at his wife with a worried look. "Did you already contact your mother?"

Aelita nodded. "She's on her way from Singapore. From what she told me, she was able to leave the area without any conflict from any of these monsters."

That almost confirmed his suspicions. Omega wasn't targeting any of the materialized people, he was targeting everyone else. It was bothering Jeremie how Omega was simply targeting and capturing normal human beings instead of killing them. What was he planning on doing to them, and when was he going to strike next?

"Hey guys." Ulrich started as he entered the room. Aelita and Jeremie turned around to look at their friend. "You might want to see this, right now."

The two left the room and went into the main area where a large holographic screen was now showing a clock starting at twelve hours and going down. Everyone looked in confusion and disbelief as the clock continued to go down and the silver symbol of Omega appeared.

"My name is Omega. And I am here not as a catalyst for humanity's destruction, but instead its savior." The screen started showing recorded footage of wars and battles from around the world. "Dictators, Despots, slaves and slavers, cruelty done to the innocent, corruption of the ones you all entrust to rule your countries and states. Religious practices claiming one group of people are better than another, the threat of nuclear extinction from two super powers, senseless death and violence. The list of atrocities in this world caused by humans never ends, and yet you all claim that I am an enemy of the world when I am trying to save you all. The strange sense of irony occurs when you realize that I was created to protect humanity, that is the sole reason I exist. I shall protect humanity by improving upon it. To those who are tired of the common world full of evils beyond your control or to the ones who simply wish to improve upon the world to make it a better one, when this clock reaches its end I will grant the ones willing to accept change and accept their true place as beings of change and hope, I will change them into beings who will never need to fight for petty reasons again. To the ones who will still bother facing me in a mad gripping dash to keep the status que the same as before and to keep the cycle of tragedy and death the same as before, this is a warning to you. If you truly wish to stop me, then I will be where I was created and I will be there waiting for your attempts to stop me. And to my fellow Evolved, this is not your battle. I will not fight the ones who have already accepted their true form as a species. I will however ask that you join me when the clock strikes zero and witness the evolution of the human race."

There were murmurs in the complex as Omega said those words. Some people were appalled that a machine would say anything like that, but some of those murmurs were those of contemplation over the A.I.'s offer. It was difficult for anyone to have one definitive side they were on. Even some like Ulrich and Dante were thinking this whole thing over.

"Everything they have tainted with their wars and violence," Omega started. "will be cleansed. And from the filth and despair of their world, we shall build a better one."

The symbol disappeared and now everyone was in an uproar of what they should do. Almost like a civil war of sorts, most of the people were for Omega's new world while some were for keeping the world as it is and stopping the rouge A.I. Even Ulrich voiced his opinion about how maybe this isn't a truly horrible thing to let Omega do what he was about to do. Yumi didn't bother voicing her opinion because deep down she agreed completely with what her husband said. If Omega really wanted to exterminate humanity and only leave the Evolved alive to start anew, then he would have done it the moment he became self aware. Even Jeremie was perplexed by what he had just heard, and usually nothing did that to him.

"Daddy?" Anya started while tugging on Ulrich's shirt. He looked down at his daughter and saw the confusion in her eyes.

"I know Anya." He started while kneeling to her. "This is a very difficult decision right now, but for now I'm only thinking about what's best for all of us. You, your mom, myself, Uncle Jeremie and Aunt Aelita, and especially Sigi. Okay?"

Anya nodded and instead looked at her father with a curious gaze. Wondering just what exactly was going to happen if they did attend Omega's invitation.

"So what are we gonna do Jeremie?" Aelita asked her husband with uncertainty in her voice.

Jeremie turned to her and shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know. He doesn't want to destroy humanity, he just wants to make like us." Jeremie looked back to the clock. "Better."

That's The End Of This Chapter. I Really Hope You Guys Liked What I Did With Omega Here. I Took A Lot Of Inspiration From Both Ultron Form Avengers 2, Sovereign From Mass Effect 1, And Even Apocalypse From X-Men: Apocalypse To Make The Speech Omega Did. Hope Ya'll Liked It.

Anyway, Review For More, And As Always,

Stay Sexy Out There, PEACE!