The calm, emotionless voice pierced through the MARCH Forward Base 1 (MFB1) as it always did, only this time it sounded different, off somehow. The robotic voice that was so familiar raised goose bumps on arms and caused concern amongst co-workers. The words were known across the whole complex; only ever spoken when it was put on complete lockdown. The cause of this specific lockdown was unknown. There were a few possibilities, such as biochemical outbreaks, a virus, or potential terrorism, but this? This seemed to have no cause.



The Director of Operations’ voice floated over the intercom, which was slightly more comforting to hear. People began to relax; the danger would pass, whatever it was. General Mariam Diarra was a trusted leader, both on and off the battlefield, and her time at MFB1 has been no different. Any bug or glitch in the system would be fixed within moments, as these things occurred frequently in the early days of establishing The Net, a self -learning AI, which the creators have nicknamed Annette. People trusted that a small issue like this could be solved.

The creators of Annette were a team of young coders and idealists, named MARCH due to their initials. Each of them had a different scientific background, and they used their combined talents to create the world’s first fully sentient AI. The more Annette’s popularity grew, the more she learned. She was in every home, every system, the entire city was powered by her. From home security to the police weapons, personal assistants to self -driving public transport. Everything was connected, she saw everything, and she retained everything. Her birthplace was in this very complex, almost 50 years ago, and she was an instant hit: Everybody adored her.

When the auto-defence systems of the complex activated, and the protective barrier erected around the entire complex, however, that was when the adoration began to die. General Diarra tried to make a phone call, and found the line dead; all of the lines were dead. Then Annette spoke,