Dying out is often a quiet and rarely observed affair – something true for most species in earths long and sometimes calamitous history. This one here didn’t prove to be that much different, but the setting would be rather unique.
For some, it was slouching in a comfortable chair on a workstation, pretending to wrap up some last work. Or while lying down on a couch or sofa in what used to be a modern co-working space, lit by some orange glowing light in an otherwise dark room. Surrounded by books in the library, while others took comfort in the private light on a bunk and seeking distraction, courtesy of the Faro Focus.
Slowly, everyone succumbed to a deep sleep, dreaming drug induced dreams with the memories of their unique lifes.
Most workstations where deserted by now, but still dutifully displaying data about schedules, reminders, upcoming meetings and tasks yet to complete. Here and there, messages where left unfinished – they wouldn’t reach the intended reader anyway at this point. Gradually, errors and warnings flooded the holographic screens, as network connectivity degraded and contact to external services was lost.
Lighting in the hallways went out, painting the once brightly lit corridors with the eerie glow of emergency lights. The facility switched into a low power mode, as demand for energy suddenly decreased. Certainly, no one would need a coffee at this time.
Deep in the heart of the facility sat the main server in its well temperated room, filling logs which would no one go over. Services woke up and turned on air purifiers for the scheduled time, dessicating and scrubbing the air. Everyone still conscious felt fresh air blowing over their skin, giving some the happy illusion of a late day in spring.
Time was slowly passing on, now mostly counted in processor cycles. Lights on the front panels in the main server room went from a frantic blinking to a slow crawl, as devices disconnected in a cascade from the network. Some last instructions where processed, which would put this facility into standby.
Door seals engaged, external ports retracted into their housings and attempts to reach external services were suspended. A routine backup was made, dated and stored.
To keep electronics functioning, systems to recylce water and air would stay online and running, albeit on a much slower pace. For how long? This was yet to be seen. The hermetic seals would protect the secrets of this place for hundred of years, the geothermal plant would continiously provide power.
Given enough time, small cracks and imperfections in the concrete shell would allow water to seep in and compromise facility integrity, eventually leading to failure.
But this was the future. Here and now, some of the last of humanity was sleeping away. Eleuthia-9 was as good as it could’ve been made and ready to deploy.
A loud bang echoed through the dark.
Outside, the world was burning.