All Systems Red Novels & Stories

Sebastian POV The camera's red lens went dark. The room was silent for one second. Nobody moved. Then everything changed. Aris ran into the living room. His tablet was flashing warning bars. "The main sports teams just lost their control," Aris said, staring at his tablet. "So many people are watching that the sports networks cannot even show a commercial. Their servers are not working. The entire sports media system is falling apart." I did not care about the servers. I did not look at the five journalists who were trying to get a signal on their phones.

“Because the system is prioritizing principle over dominance.” Elias finally stepped forward again. “And that may destroy it.” Silence hit instantly. Rowan frowned. “You think we should let it escalate?” Elias met his gaze evenly. “I think survival matters.” Cassandra crossed her arms slightly. “At what cost?” Elias didn’t answer immediately. And that hesitation was the answer enough. The system pulsed sharply again. CRITICAL FAILURE PROBABILITY INCREASING. Hospital alerts flashed red across the screen. Lucian’s expression tightened instantly. “They hit emergency routing.”

“Thoughts. Not mine.” A chill slid through the room. Before anyone could respond, a low rumble rolled through the compound—deep, distant, structural. Mia’s head snapped up. “That didn’t come from us.” Damian tapped his comm unit. “Command, report.” Static answered. Then a voice—strained, unfamiliar. “This is perimeter watch. Sir… we’ve got a situation.” “What kind of situation?” Damian demanded. “Every Dominion-linked system worldwide just crashed,” the voice said. “Power grids, private satellites, defense networks. Some governments are calling it the biggest digital blackout in recorded history.”

"Together. We end the cycle." "How?" Alex asks. "We—" BZZZZZT. A sound cuts through the room. Not a beep. A tear. Like the sound of metal shearing. The amber lights die instantly. The wall of monitors flashes a blinding, solid red. "SYS-TEM BREACH," Echo’s voice blares. It’s horrible—distorted, slowed down, demonic. "HAR-LAN PRO-TO-COL AC-TI-VA-TED." "No," Alex gasps, scrambling off the bed.

Just once. But I felt it. The fear. The relief. The love. Everything. "I almost lost you." His voice cracked. The confession broke my heart. I held him tighter. "You didn't." Silence settled around us. Peaceful this time. The void watched quietly. The child pulsed happily. The city survived. The war ended. The system stabilized. For the first time— it felt like the nightmare might finally be over. Then every system screen across the territory suddenly turned red.

It repeated. Again. Again. Again. “STOP—!” I shouted. Silence. Then— I made the choice. “Reactivate.” My voice cracked. “Reactivate!” A beat— Then clarity. Cold. Precise. Controlled. “Code Red.” “Code Red confirmed.” “Alarm systems activated.” “Defense systems activated.” “All systems—green.” I sucked in a sharp breath as the pain vanished instantly. Gone. Replaced with awareness. Too much awareness. “What’s going on, Sam?” I demanded.

On the screen, a bold red message flashes repeatedly: NO SIGNAL DETECTED. Elder Mauritius stepped forward, “What’s happening Hercule?” He asked concernedly. Alpha Hercule clenches his jaw, "Our system is still down. No reinforcements. No backup." He pauses and exhales sharply, "We're on our own.” He uttered in unease as the explosion started in the halls of the manor. A tense silence fills the room as the gravity of their situation settles in.

Then my vision suddenly flashed red. [Rhea Reid—mission failed. Divorce confirmed. Countdown reset to zero.] I never saw that coming. The System still had one last move. I grabbed the courthouse doorframe and dropped to the floor.

Nothing but a wreck. Our wedding photo hung on the wall of the bedroom, a smile radiating with happiness on my face, while his eyes held none of the disdain and disgust that he did now. Since when did things become this way? Burning with hatred and frustration, I stood up slowly and glared at the wedding photo, before throwing the glass of water in my hand at it. The glass shattered, along with any lingering hopes of being together with John for the rest of my life. "How long until I go back, System?"

And Adrian Hale finally pressed the command key. The system displayed a new message. GLOBAL DATA RELEASE INITIATED Ryan whispered. “…Oh hell.” Because the empire that ruled the world… Was about to collapse. And somewhere in the distance… Sirens had already begun to scream.