ERA of Challenge #25: Graphite

[Graphite]

Paragon City, Rhode Island
Feb 22, 2012, aka The Present

Peter Thompson’s head was pounding. Everything was black and it was difficult to open his eyes. If he didn’t know any better, he would have guessed it to be another late night with Johnny Turbo which led to one too many two dollar shots in the D. But that didn’t make any sense. After all, he couldn’t get drunk… not with his metabolism. Could he?

Slowly things began to focus. But instead of everything being black, it was grey, curved, and slightly cold to the touch. He tried to stand, but it was impossible to maintain his balance. At least after the second attempt he could get up one knee. From there he could tell, not only was it a stone surface, but several stories up off the ground. Wait a minute. How the Hell did he end up on top of Atlas?

After a complete reboot, his memory started back up but was fractured, compartmentalized with a lot of potential damage. The last thing he could recall was being back at HQ talking to the Imperial. They were sitting in the briefing room. Chatting. Nothing sinister. Something to do with dizzy spells…

“Computer, access main Frontline network. Try to contact…”

“Unable to connect. Main frequencies disabled.”

“Scan the area for any active RF.”

Huh. That was strange. There was a large amount of cell phone signals in his proximity alright, which wasn’t unexpected. But the quantity was off by an increase average of 320%. Atlas Park never on a typical morning, or afternoon, got this busy.

“Computer, confirm last scan, emit a low RF to digitize the surrounding zone, but not enough to cause signal interference with other sources. Identify location, specifically Atlas Park.”

“Confirmed.”

Well, activity is normal. No unusual readouts. No high energy signatures. Nothing to identify a potential threat. War Walls are intact. There are just a lot of people here for some reason.

“Connect to Wireless. Analyze recent traffic. Ping source location to let other friendlies know we are here. Confirm no major changes or activity within Paragon City proper.”

“Incorrect. Galaxy City has suffered significant damage. High Fatalities. Area secure but under quarantine. Evacuees relocated to Atlas. Sir, based on recent messages I believe both Statesman and Sister Psyche are dead. Confirmed. Coroner’s report shows Psyche’s death twenty four hours ago and Statesman one month prior. Do you require additional details?”

As the nanoseconds passed, the Silent Sentinel, as he often had been called, couldn’t help but shed a rare tear. So much death… damage... over the last… Where the hell have I been? The date, what’s today’s… that can’t be right.

“Computer, complete biological and mechanical diagnostic. Confirm no outside interference.”

“Confirmed. No other influences present. System cannot determine five year gap in memory loss.”

Five years. Gone. No… missing. He had to find the squad. He had to find his friends. He had to find the Frontline. Suit up. And with a flash, Peter Thompson, the hero known as Graphite was back in action.

The Future Is Never Set In Stone.