Sanna Amari
Architect of Chaos
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Chapter 1: The architecture of chaos - Elton Mace
Elton Mace, CEO of Aether Dynamics, had already executed the mental click even before the secretary in his outer office could cry out in panic. The transparent surface before his eyes had disappeared, taking with it the intrusive words "Start game" and giving way to a three-dimensional, rotating selection of twelve generic character classes. Around him, in the penthouse of his Silicon Valley headquarters, was the expected yet remarkably unprofessional chaos. Shouting echoed muffled through the soundproofed walls, glass rattled somewhere. But Elton barely registered it. His gaze was fixed, his blue eyes - piercing and restless - scanned the holographic projections: Warrior, Ranger, Thief, Healer, Elementalist...
"Scholar," he murmured, his thin lips pressed tightly together. It was not an emotional choice, not an instinctive reach for strength or magic, but a strategic decision. Scholars focused on intelligence, on the study of knowledge. The "game" was a system, and systems could be decoded, optimized and mastered. Panic was weakness. Chaos was just a pattern that was not yet understood. And he, Elton Mace, was the only one who had the blueprint.
"You’re distracted, Ms. Chen," Elton said, his voice cool and precise, without the slightest hint of panic. He unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck, his quirk when he was frustrated. "Concentrate. Choose your class. Quickly." He stepped up to the huge panoramic window. Below him stretched the glittering Silicon Valley, now a sea of stalled vehicles and panicked people. Sirens wailed, but their sound was drowned out by a rising, indeterminate hum - the sound of a world reorganizing itself. "We need to collect data," he continued, without paying any further attention to the analyst. "Immediately. All employees must report their class selection. And not just any class. I expect strategic decisions." He turned around, his gaze narrowed. "For those of you who haven’t clicked yet: you choose as instructed. We need warriors for the defense of our facilities. Craftsmen to maintain the infrastructure. Scholars to analyze the phenomenon. Healers for first aid. We can’t have uncontrolled talent. This company will adapt or it will fall apart. And anyone who is not prepared to be part of the solution - my solution - no longer has a place here."
architecting. He pulled out his minimalist, state-of-the-art smart device on his wrist and began feeding the first instructions into Aether Dynamics’ global network. Fleets of drones, once designed for parcel delivery, received new commands to map the first "game" anomalies. Research labs were to focus on deciphering the interface. Under the guise of "security" and "efficient crisis management", he began to order the securing of critical resources and locations. Humanity was a resource, and he was ready to manage it.