The sky above Ironhaven was perfectly blue that morning, a rare break in the industrial haze that typically shrouded the city. Elias stood at the kitchen window of his modest apartment in Sector 7, coffee mug in hand, watching sunlight glint off the distant towers of the business district.
"Daddy! Look what I made!"
Elias turned to see his six-year-old daughter, Mira, proudly holding up a crayon drawing. Her dark hair was pulled into uneven pigtails, Sarah's handiwork before she'd left for the early shift at Voss Industries Research Division. The little girl's eyes, so much like his own, sparkled with excitement.
"That's beautiful, sweetheart," Elias said, crouching down to examine the artwork. "Is that our family?"
Mira nodded enthusiastically. "That's you," she pointed to a tall figure in red, "and that's Mommy," a smaller figure in white, "and that's me!" The smallest figure stood between them, surrounded by what appeared to be blue sparkles.
"What are these blue things around you?" Elias asked, tapping the paper gently.
Mira's expression turned serious. "That's the special dust Mommy works with. She showed me pictures. It's pretty, but she says I can't touch it."
A frown crossed Elias's face. Sarah rarely discussed her work at home, especially around Mira. The research division at Voss Industries was notoriously secretive; their projects were classified even from most employees. That Sarah had shown Mira anything related to her work was unusual.
"When did Mommy show you these pictures?"
"Last night, when you were at the fire station. She was crying." Mira's voice dropped to a whisper. "She said the dust was bad, but her boss wouldn't listen."
Elias felt a chill despite the warm morning. Sarah had been distant lately, working late hours and coming home tense and withdrawn. When he'd asked what was wrong, she'd brushed it off as project stress. Now he wondered if there was more to it.
"Mira, did Mommy say anything else about her work?"
The little girl shrugged, already losing interest in the conversation. "She put some papers in your firefighter coat. Said it was important."
Before Elias could ask more, his emergency pager buzzed. He checked it, a standard call-in for all off-duty firefighters. Probably another drill. The department had been running extra training sessions ever since Voss Industries had expanded their research facilities in Sector 7.
"I have to go to work, sweetheart," he said, kissing the top of Mira's head. "Mrs. Reeves from next door will watch you until I get back, okay?"
"Can I come see the fire trucks?" Mira asked, eyes pleading.
"Not today. But I promise we'll go to the station this weekend, and you can slide down the pole."
That earned him a smile. Elias quickly changed into his uniform, grabbing his coat from the hook by the door. He felt the inner pocket, detecting the slight crinkle of paper. Whatever Sarah had left, it would have to wait. The pager was buzzing again, more urgently this time.
"Be good for Mrs. Reeves," he called as he headed out the door. "I love you, Mira."
"Love you too, Daddy! Catch lots of fires!"
It was the last thing she ever said to him.
---
Station 12 was in chaos when Elias arrived. Firefighters were scrambling into gear, officers shouting orders. Chief Donovan stood at the center, his weathered face grim as he addressed the assembled crew.
"This is not a drill," he announced, silencing the room. "We've received reports of a situation at the Voss Industries Research Division in Sector 7. Details are unclear, but there's been some kind of containment breach. All units are being mobilized."
Elias felt his heart stutter. Sector 7. Sarah's workplace. "Chief," he called out, "what kind of containment breach?"
Donovan's eyes found him in the crowd. "Unknown. But it's bad enough that they've ordered a full evacuation of the facility and surrounding blocks."
"My wife works there," Elias said, already moving toward the trucks. "And my daughter's at home, just three blocks from the facility."
The chief nodded. "Engine 4 is heading to that sector. Go with them."
Elias didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his gear and jumped onto Engine 4 as it prepared to roll out. Inside, his team was checking equipment, faces tense but focused. They'd worked together for five years, handling everything from apartment fires to chemical spills. Whatever was happening at Voss Industries, they were prepared.
Or so they thought.
As they approached Sector 7, Elias saw the first signs that this was no ordinary emergency. The streets were clogged with evacuees, people streaming away from the research facility with panic in their eyes. Some were bleeding from cuts and scrapes. Others seemed disoriented, wandering in circles or staring blankly at nothing.
And above the research division, the perfect blue sky was being consumed by a strange, swirling darkness.
"What the hell is that?" muttered Jenkins, the driver, as he navigated through the crowded streets.
No one answered. There was no frame of reference for what they were seeing. The darkness wasn't smoke; it moved wrong, pulsing and expanding like a living thing. And at its center, where the main research building stood, flashes of blue-black light erupted at irregular intervals.
Elias's radio crackled. "All units, be advised: Voss Industries security has established a perimeter around the facility. They are denying access to emergency services, claiming this is a private corporate matter."
"That's bullshit," spat Rodriguez, another firefighter. "There are civilians in there!"
The captain's voice came over the radio. "Engine 4, proceed to evacuation assistance on the outer perimeter. Do not approach the facility until further notice."
Elias felt cold dread settling in his stomach. Something was very wrong. He pulled out his phone, dialing Sarah's number. No answer. He tried their home phone, hoping Mrs. Reeves had taken Mira further from the facility. Again, no answer.
"Captain," he said, his voice tight, "my family is in there. I need to..."
"We all have our orders, Elias," the captain cut him off, though his eyes were sympathetic. "We help those we can reach."
Engine 4 stopped at the designated perimeter, and the team deployed to assist with evacuations. Elias worked mechanically, helping the injured, directing people to safety, all while his eyes kept returning to the swirling darkness that was now spreading outward from the research facility.
The papers in his coat pocket seemed to burn against his chest. Whatever Sarah had discovered, whatever she'd been afraid of, it was happening now.
A woman stumbled toward him, blood streaming from her nose and ears. Her lab coat identified her as a Voss Industries employee. Elias caught her as she collapsed.
"The Dust," she gasped, clutching at his uniform. "They couldn't control it. Dr. Kael said... said it was stable, but it wasn't. It wasn't..."
"What dust?" Elias demanded, remembering Mira's drawing. "What's happening in there?"
The woman's eyes rolled back, her body convulsing. "Oblivion," she whispered. "They called it Oblivion Dust."
Before Elias could ask more, a deafening roar split the air. He looked up to see the darkness above the facility contract violently, pulling inward like water down a drain. For one surreal moment, there was absolute silence.
Then the world exploded.
A wave of blue-black energy erupted from the research facility, expanding outward at impossible speed. Elias had just enough time to throw himself over the injured woman before the blast hit them. The force was unlike anything he'd ever experienced, heat or pressure, but something that seemed to pass through solid matter, vibrating at a frequency that made his teeth ache and his vision blur.
When it passed, he looked up to see devastation beyond comprehension. Buildings had collapsed. Vehicles were overturned. And people caught closest to the blast were simply gone, reduced to ash that drifted through the air like black snow.
Sector 7 was gone. His home was gone.
***
Any Kind of Engagement is appreciated.