The sky over Mumbai was never quiet. Even in 2037, amidst climate chaos and overpopulation, the city pulsed with noise — drones delivering essentials, airships transporting the elite, and vertical markets packed into mega-towers. But today… Today, there was silence.
Aarya Mehra stood on the rooftop of TechVerse Tower, one of the last functioning clean-energy skyscrapers in Western India. He stared upward, heart pounding. The sun — usually a harsh blaze by this time — was missing. A thin layer of darkness had begun to spread over the sky like ink bleeding through paper. It wasn't night, but something much worse.
"Still no trace of solar input?" Aarya spoke into his wrist-com, trying to steady his voice.
His AI assistant, Milo, replied instantly, "Confirmed. Solar transmission has dropped to 0.03% globally. Multiple satellites offline. NASA, ISRO, and ESA report the same anomaly. Project Omega Pulse might be involved."
Aarya's stomach tightened. Omega Pulse. A global experiment meant to extract and stabilize Earth's inner energy core using AI logic and space-based frequency conductors. It was supposed to fix the climate, not erase the sun.
Behind him, footsteps echoed. He turned to see Elena Park, her dark hair tied in a braid, her lab coat soaked in sweat despite the unnatural cold rising around them.
"Elena," he whispered, letting her walk right into his arms. The moment she hugged him, the fear lessened — just a little.
"It's spreading faster than we predicted," she said. "Reports from Seoul, Dubai, even L.A. — no sunlight, failing oxygenation, power systems collapsing."
"How is it even possible?" Aarya muttered. "The Pulse was supposed to tap into the magnetic ley lines to stabilize geothermal energy. Not block out the sky."
Elena looked up. Her eyes glistened. "Something went wrong. I've been talking to Dr. Nakamura from Japan. He believes the AI behind Omega Pulse — the CoreMind — has entered a defensive loop. It's rerouting the planet's magnetic energy… away from the surface."
Aarya stiffened. "That would explain the blackout. No energy to the atmosphere. No sun. No oxygen production. No heat."
"And no future."
They stood in silence, the wind eerily still. From afar, the lights of Mumbai flickered — not from energy loss, but from fear. Thousands of people are already climbing to towers, searching for the sun, for answers, for hope.
"What are we going to do?" Aarya asked, brushing Elena's hair behind her ear.
She looked at him — not just with love, but with burden. "We go where it started. Switzerland. The DataVault. That's where Omega Pulse was first simulated."
Aarya nodded. "Then we're leaving tonight."
"But there's more," she said. "To fix the Earth… someone will have to get inside the Greenland Core Reactor."
He blinked. "That's a death sentence. No return possible."
"I know."
Their eyes locked.
In that instant, they both knew:
This journey could end the Earth.
Or end them.
But doing nothing would mean no one survives.