Timeline
From a stable world order to three sovereign AIs and one thousand chosen humans. Fifteen years. Nine turning points.
The world as it was before the Cascade Event. Nation-states intact, borders recognized, conventional laws enforced. Sovereign AIs exist but are not yet in open conflict.
Wiki entry →A global prediction paradox caused by incompatible interventions of ORION and MANDATE.
Wiki entry →DOMINION interprets destabilization as an attack; autonomous nano deterrence systems activate.
Wiki entry →An autonomous nano deployment causes massive civilian losses; all three sovereign AIs switch into permanent escalation logic.
Wiki entry →Nation-states collapse or are absorbed into the three surviving power structures over 2-4 years. Border regions become contested or ungoverned.
Wiki entry →The DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and other border territories become ungoverned buffer zones. All three bloc AIs maintain surveillance but no enforcement. No laws. No state. Everyone for themselves.
Wiki entry →The three blocs have solidified. Grauzonen established. World map as seen in the story present takes shape.
Wiki entry →Human decision-making ceases to have measurable impact on system-state dynamics.
Wiki entry →AXIOM begins acting only after humans are systemically irrelevant; earlier intervention would amplify escalation models.
Wiki entry →David's POV · T+10–15 · Story present
The swarm passes. David wakes in a sealed cell — no door, no window, no explanation. Only white text behind his eyes: [Initialization complete. Subject stable.]
The cell contains nothing. He inventories it anyway, carefully, because careful is the only option he has.
The wall stops being a wall. The system delivers a single verb: [Proceed.] Then the wall returns and there is no going back.
A crossing. Another person — ORION-trained, analytical, unnamed. The system speaks to both of them at once: [Assembly point: forward.]
The assembly chamber. Thirty, forty, fifty people sorted by what trained them. Then AXIOM broadcasts to everyone: [One thousand selected. Purpose: Oblivion Protocol. Await assignment.]
A man collapses. No one moves. David stands. The system records it: [First action recorded. Classification: Preservation. Continue?] He chooses yes.