OOC: I've been running this game now for about three years, and as I hinted at previously, I am going to run one final adventure before closing it up and either starting it fresh or ending the campaign.  This adventure, however, is not short, but it should be (I'm hoping) one of the best and most thrilling of any that I've prepared.

The Hyperion limps into Zion.  Yet another mission is complete, but much was lost.  Your captain is dead, as is every other crewmember except yourselves and X, your operator.  You lost your engineer, Hammer, your pilot, Silicon, and even your new operative and Matrix expert, Jinx.  You begin to think about your fallen comrades, Rabbit, Lazarus, Lot, Snow, Cutter, Codec and even the unplugged Sentinel, Cala.

At Zion, you hardly have time to breathe before being whisked away into security debriefing after given only a few hours to rest and heal.  You tell your story, and somber faces nod.  Then you are led to a briefing of your next mission, where many others--over 50 in all--have gathered and sit silently staring up at a stage.

Sitting in front of a projection screen are several military commanders, political leaders, and scientists.  Among them is Binary, who fidgets as usual.

The military commander needs no introduction as he stands to face you.  It is General Blythe.  He addresses the audience:

A dark day has fallen upon us.  As many have heard, Cala--the Sentinel that unplugged and found free will before joining us--was equipped with a tracking device.  It appears that Zero-One installed it and then gave Cala her free will, knowing that it could find Zion through her.

And it has.  Our crews have reported that Zero-One has machines of all types digging for us.  Our EMP shields are able to keep them from coming through the caverns and tunnels, so they are digging directly here.  There are thousands...tens of thousands...of them.  They will reach Zion in twelve days.  We have only twelve days to stop Zero-One once and for all or we are all of us--the entire human race--facing extinction.  Without any awakened, humankind will be nothing more than batteries.

But there is good news.  We have a plan, an intricate plan in which nothing can go wrong.  We also have developments in our ever-continuing research, and these will help us to better face Zero-One in its own environment.

Binary will address us first.  Are there any questions about our predicament before he begins?

He hardly waits a moment before saying, "Good.  Here is Binary."