"Director, the Beanstalk cannot hold!" I held my head in my hands. The war between the government and the Saviorites had been going on for years, since the Conduit had been discovered in Africa, some 10 years ago. Since then, a huge orbital station had been built to contain the Conduit, as well as the best supercomputer ever built, the Trinity Processor. With its three computer cores, Ontos, Logos, and Pneuma, it could perform incredible feats with the Conduit's power. The cores' AI had also constructed defense units, known as Echelons.

However, the Saviorites did not like the use of the Conduit, believing it had come from some god and was not supposed to be abused. They had attacked the station. The battle had been going on for several weeks, creating a light show in the sky, and it now looked like the Saviorites were going to win.

That was when I heard the words from the Director of the station: "We have no choice. Initialize Aion." Echelon Aion was the most powerful of all Echelons, carrying the power to destroy the entire world. If the Director thought it was necessary to use its power, then things must have been dire indeed.

Then, I heard one of the scientists say "We're locked out by Professor Klaus!" Klaus was a very enigmatic man. His hiring had been widely publicized, and there was much concern over how he would use the Conduit.

I decided to go outside and watch the battle. Getting my coat and shoes on, I went outside. The flashes from the Echelon Sirens' lasers illuminated the night. The explosions did the same. It was beautiful, darkly beautiful, I thought.

A new light appeared, this time the white light flowing around the orbital ring that signified the use of the Conduit. I hoped that Klaus was using it to wipe out the Saviorites once and for all. How wrong I was.

When the light returned, I noticed the clouds starting to appear and flow across the dark sky, faster and faster. I then noticed the air warping around me, and my last thought was, "Is this Aion's power?"

I knew no more.