The mention of "apocalyptic scenes" by Price caused the expressions in the room to grow even graver. The large auditorium, capable of seating over two thousand people, was filled with familiar faces: elite operatives like Soap, Ghost, and Roach; members of the experimental unit, such as David, Lucy, and Rebecca; and over a hundred expert infiltration agents from the Investigation Department, including Maggie Shaw, recently reassigned from the Halo Universe.
As one of the few remaining "superhumans," Maggie Shaw possessed remarkable solo combat abilities. While stationed in the Halo Universe, she had single-handedly faced down thousands of rebel forces from the Free Liberation Movement. Only ship-grade plasma cannons or tactical and strategic weaponry could breach her physical defenses and achieve a fatal blow. Her combat experience made her well-suited to supporting the combined forces in high-intensity operations.
Alongside these familiar faces, many new members were present. The AECS Special Ops (Emergency Countermeasure Special Forces) was preparing to take part in this mission, contributing a force of 1,500, making it one of the primary units involved. Their commander, Lt. Col. James Thomson—a well-known veteran with a distinctive beard and a right eye glowing faintly red—was also a familiar face. Originally a survivor from the Ghost universe, James had been rescued by Atlas from the Ghost Wave at a Yemeni shelter. After training and an initial deployment to World War Z for new recruits, he and his friend Rod Hoineld had been transferred to AECS under Jack Krauser's command.
James had later distinguished himself in Pacific Rim, leading boarding and plundering operations on Reaper motherships. However, Rod Hoineld lost both legs to a plasma blast in one such mission and was forced to retire. In contrast, James was promoted to lieutenant and then major following his heroic actions in the Halo Universe. During a mission there, he was severely wounded after leading his troops in an assault on a Covenant colony, losing his right eye and suffering lung damage. Refusing to retire, he opted for cybernetic replacements and was promoted to lieutenant colonel, eventually leading a special ops unit of nearly two thousand personnel.
Now, after recovering, James was stationed at Prosperous Star and was involved in training original and new recruits for the upcoming operation.
Interestingly, James's old friend Rod's son, Charlie Hoineld, had joined Atlas's armed division after high school. Charlie, a promising recruit with high combat performance in the World War Z universe, had been reassigned to AECS under James's command. With Charlie's stellar performance, James readily accepted him into the special ops unit, sparing himself from daily emails from his friend asking about his son's progress.
As for the Rapid Response Force (ARS) under Arthur Morgan, it had gradually faded from prominence in recent operations. Only a few ARS members were present in the auditorium. Due to their overlapping duties with the Investigation Department, Atlas planned to integrate the ARS into the Investigation Department after the establishment of the Human Empire, with Arthur Morgan heading the division.
Another significant presence in the room was Selene, one of Atlas's most advanced "intelligent" AIs. Following the successful stabilization of the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, Selene had returned to the main universe to assist as an "advisor" for the new operations.
However, the most striking figure in the room was Perturabo, a Primarch clad in heavy, custom power armor. His size and weight rendered the standard seating unusable, so he stood silently near the exit, arms crossed, watching Price intently.
Noticing the somber expressions around him, Price manipulated the controls on the podium and continued, "Next, I'll show you footage from the three universes."
As he spoke, the holographic projectors activated, and three large displays appeared before everyone. The screen on the far left, labeled "Universe 10," began to show the Hellhound reconnaissance routes and footage captured by synth units. Upon crossing the space gate, the first sights visible were of desolation and ruin. The gate had opened within an abandoned shopping mall in Universe 10, but, unlike Doom's malls, this one was riddled with damage, with radiation levels far exceeding safe limits—a clear sign of nuclear strikes.
Further investigation by the synths and Hellhounds revealed the remains of numerous human bodies, all victims of the nuclear blasts.
Synths had been deployed as the vanguard instead of human soldiers because, no matter the cost, losing a synth was always preferable to losing a human soul. Despite their intelligence and ability to adjust expressions and moods based on context, synths were still considered Atlas's "products," ranking below humans, demi-humans, and elites. Atlas's investment in synths aimed not merely to create household assistants, caregivers, or companions but also to have radiation-immune, highly capable vanguards for frontline reconnaissance.
As the footage of Universe 10's devastated Los Angeles played, Price addressed the room, "Based on information and intel gathered by the synths, we can confirm that the gate leads to Universe 10's Earth, specifically Los Angeles. The Engineering Department has already sent Hex robots to begin constructing a forward base on the other side of the gate. Once established, we'll dispatch joint forces and armed security to conduct a more thorough reconnaissance."
"Colonel Price," Selene raised her hand from the front row.
"Go ahead," Price replied, lifting his cigar hand to signal her.
"Thank you, Colonel," Selene nodded. Her purple eyes glowing slightly, she suggested, "I recommend refraining from deploying unmanned reconnaissance drones to Universe 10's low-Earth orbit until we have a clearer understanding of threats there. Once we've set up on the ground and analyzed potential risks to humans, then we can consider launching satellites or deploying frigates in low orbit."
Without waiting for Price to ask, Selene continued her explanation: "Based on current intel, the apocalyptic scene in Universe 10 most likely results from an abrupt, large-scale nuclear war, with a 72% probability. If such a war had been triggered by severe international tensions, we'd expect a slightly different situation than the current state of affairs. Judging by the state of disrepair, it's likely that Los Angeles was hit around twenty years ago. Strangely, those behind this nuclear devastation seem intent on wiping out humanity, without following standard occupation or resource-gathering procedures. This might imply a deliberate extermination of the human race."
After a brief pause, Price nodded. "Alright, we'll proceed cautiously as you advised."
"Thank you, Colonel," Selene replied with a nod.
With no further input, Price moved on to footage from Universe 11, displayed on the center screen. As he had mentioned, Universe 11 also appeared apocalyptic. The gate opened within another long-abandoned city, though unlike Universe 10, no human or animal remains were found; it was as if all life had been stripped from the land.
Additionally, time in Universe 11 differed from the main universe. Typically, though Earth's years varied across universes, months, days, and hours aligned with Pacific Time. However, as the footage revealed, Universe 11's night sky contained two moons, indicating that this planet was not Earth but rather an Earth-like colony.
The abandoned city in Universe 11 showed human-style architecture and writing, suggesting it had once been a human colony.
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