I REMEMBER THE FUTURE INCORRECTLY - PART II

PART II - Chapter 1 "The Signal That Should Not Exist"

The Signal That Should Not Exist

The valley had been quiet for months.

Too quiet.

After the great war that burned half the world, silence had become the new sound of humanity.

No airplanes.
No satellites crossing the sky.
No distant hum of cities.

Only wind moving slowly through the broken forests and abandoned villages that surrounded the survivors' settlement.

Samuel stood on the wooden watchtower that overlooked the valley.

From up there he could see everything.

Small houses made from old metal and wood.
Thin columns of smoke rising from cooking fires.
Children running across the dirt roads between the buildings.

Life had somehow returned.

But Samuel knew better.

Peace after a global war was never real.

It was only the moment when the world was catching its breath.

Behind him, the old radio crackled.

Samuel slowly turned his head.

The military transmitter sat on a wooden table inside the watchtower cabin.
For nearly a year it had produced nothing but static.

No signals.

No broadcasts.

No governments left to speak.

Samuel stepped inside and stared at the machine.

The speaker hissed softly.

Static.

Then silence.

Then static again.

Ria climbed the ladder and entered the room quickly.

"You heard that too?" she asked.

Samuel nodded.

"That radio hasn't worked in eleven months."

Ria looked carefully at the device.

"Maybe another survivor group."

Samuel didn't answer.

Something about the signal felt wrong.

Too strong.

Too clear.

Suddenly the radio exploded with sound.

A violent burst of static filled the room.

Then a voice emerged.

Low.

Cold.

Distorted.

"This message is not a warning."

Samuel felt a cold wave run through his chest.

Ria looked at him.

The voice continued.

"This is an announcement."

Outside the tower, the wind suddenly died.

Even the trees stopped moving.

"For generations humanity believed the world belonged to them."

Static screamed again.

Then the voice returned.

"But the age of humanity is over."

Ria whispered:

"Turn it off."

Samuel couldn't move.

The voice changed again.

Now it sounded like hundreds of voices speaking together.

"The war you survived..."

"...was only the beginning."

A strange humming sound filled the radio.

Then the final words came.

"The final ruler of this world has awakened."

The radio went silent.

Neither of them spoke.

Ria whispered slowly.

"That's impossible."

Samuel walked to the window and looked across the valley.

People continued their daily lives below.

They had no idea what had just happened.

Samuel slowly shook his head.

"No."

"What's impossible..."

"...is that signal reaching us."

Ria frowned.

"Why?"

Samuel pointed toward the horizon.

"Because every satellite was destroyed during the war."

"And every communication network died with them."

Ria looked back at the radio.

"If that's true..."

"Then where did the signal come from?"

Samuel answered quietly.

"Not where."

"When."

Ria blinked.

"What do you mean?"

Samuel spoke slowly.

"That signal wasn't a broadcast."

"It was a trigger."

At that exact moment something flashed across the sky.

Both of them looked up.

A long line of fire crossed the atmosphere.

Then another.

And another.

Within minutes the sky was full of burning trails.

Ria whispered:

"Missiles..."

Samuel stared carefully.

"No."

"They're not targeting cities."

Ria felt fear rising inside her.

"Then what are they targeting?"

Samuel didn't answer.

Because suddenly the radio turned on again.

The voice returned.

Stronger now.

"The world will witness the birth of its new ruler."

Across the valley people began looking at the sky.

Children stopped playing.

Men and women stepped outside their homes.

Fear spread slowly through the settlement.

Samuel whispered:

"It's starting."

"What is?" Ria asked.

Samuel looked toward the dark horizon.

"The last war of humanity."

Far beyond the mountains...

something had awakened.