Chapter 1: Ascension (part 1)
The cage lies at the edge of the bridge; thick glass windows and metal beams surrounding a dizzying mass of wires and machinery, all gathered around a central empty area, roughly the seize of a person. My coronation chamber, the designated space for my ascension looming in front of me, vaguely resembling a bizarre, computerized diving bell.
I peer down from the bridge at the floor far below, to the bottom of the enormous cylindrical hall, with a tinge of awe. This place, every minor detail of the massive complex, has been created for me, as I have been created for it, and the staggering enormity of the situation at hand makes me pause and reflect. My next actions will shape the future of mankind; the power I wield at this moment is perhaps greater than any single man has ever grasped at before. It only seems prudent that I stand back for a moment and try to make some sense of it all. Those who would interfere with what is about to take place have all been outmaneuvered: Everett is far away, an old man attempting to run the world through promises and connections made by a long-defunct conspiracy. Bob Page is trapped in his private fortress, awaiting the coming of a power that has abandoned him long ago, and Tracer Tong, for all his skill and technique, is but a fly on the wall to the raw processing power of the Helios A.I.
I do not doubt that at some point later in history, these last few weeks will be recognized as the foundation of whatever society that rises out of the ashes as the dust settles. Considering this, it is difficult for me to assert which point in time that is to be counted at the beginning of the events, for whatever my choice, it will always be an approximation, and it feels somewhat irreverent to base the date on which humanity will view the fall of an empire to have started, on a subjective judgment. Be that - my hesitation - as it may, I doubt there is anyone else who can tell this story, and as it needs to be told, it falls upon me to decide upon where to start it.
After some consideration, I have chosen a dark, windy night at the docks of Liberty Island, just outside New York City.