Soldiers patrolled the snow covered streets of New York City. They watched citizens as they gathered at Times Square. Soon the clock was to strike midnight, declaring a new year of Haos' rule. The large screens and billboards in the area displayed the same messages they always had as the people waited patiently for the new year.
Freedom is Haos' gift.
Knowledge is a burden Haos will carry for you so you may live in ignorant bliss.
Willful submission is the ultimate resolve to achieving peace.
Many more messages could be found throughout the place. They were hard to avoid but no one ever tried to.
Meanwhile, a massive airship hovered over the Theater District, and small quad drones flew above the crowds, quickly scanning them. At every turn, a camera was observing. The artificial intelligence known as Eris kept a watchful eye through all of them.
The people huddled together to watch the clock. They were all silent as it ticked away. The flag of the Chaos Insurgency flapped in the wind at a nearby flagpole. An old man with a cane was among the crowd, and he looked at the symbol as it waved in the air. He felt nothing but contempt for it. He despised everything that symbol represented for he remembered the way things used to be. He was only a boy when the Insurgency dominated the world.
The Insurgency ruled after years of fighting. It started when they destroyed the SCP Foundation, which remained unknown to the world at the time. Their vast hoard of anomalies were unleashed as the Insurgency attacked like a rapid flood. Site after site fell into their control. Horrors ravaged the world, overwhelming the Foundation as they tried to bring order to the chaos. They soon met their end as the Insurgency pushed on. Everything that the Foundation worked so hard to protect was now theirs.
It didn't took long for the Insurgency to use their newfound power to subjugate every nation. Some resisted but were ultimately outmatched. Eventually the world was conquered, and Alpha Command lorded over it with Haos as emperor.
Many of the groups before the Insurgency's reign prospered or perished in the new world. The first to stand out was The Factory.
The Factory happily backed the Insurgency's rule. They granted them horrible weapons that dominated the opposition. They gave bullets that turned men inside out, and landmines that left mangled bodies with insatiable appetites. On every street corner a vending machine by the Factory was available to provide Nutri-Porridge in various flavors. Business was good.
Nothing changed for Marshall, Carter and Dark Ltd. They continued to make a profit by serving the new elites of the world. Business as usual.
Those of the Serpent's Hand fled to their sacred library to never return. The ones that remained or dared to call themselves a member of the Hand were struck down to the last. Their name soon became a memory only remembered by Alpha Command. A longtime nuisance gone.
The Global Occult Coalition made their stand, but they soon crumbled as the nations that backed them fell apart. The Council of 108 were snuffed out. Their advance technology were repurposed for war. Another book burned.
All the Sarkic Cults were consumed by flames. Their flesh crafting arts became nothing more than a research tool for new bioweapons. Their cultures and identity were forgotten. Only ashes remained.
The Church of the Broken God were gone. Every artifact they had was collected. They never stood a chance as they rusted and crumbled apart. They prayed for Mekhane to save them but he never came. Another broken faith.
The Manna Charitable Foundation was shut down, and all of its members were executed. Only the Insurgency were to help the people of the world as they saw fit.
Are We Cool Yet fled with the Serpent's Hand. There was no room for expression or anarchists. The only art that was allowed were approved by the state. Anything else was burned.
The old man remembered how the Insurgency impacted him. Children were being rounded up to be conditioned to love Haos. His parents resisted like everyone else, but they paid a price. His mother tightly wrapped him in her arms as a SIGMA operative tried to pry him away. A BETA officer loosened her hold by shooting her in the face. His father tried to fight, but he was being carried off into a truck to join the armies of Haos, where he would meet a fate worse than death. Years later the old man would see his father again, but as a shambling corpse that followed a mysterious plague doctor.
Everyone around the old man started to animate as they looked on with joy at the clock. There was only a minute left before New Year. The man gave a brief glance at all their faces. Each person was young but they were noticably thin. Some looked like they haven't slept in a long time while others had scars given to them by the soldiers.
At halfway to midnight, music started to play. It was a rare luxury that brought more excitement to the crowd. Soon people started to count down from ten. The old man quickly joined them to avoid arousing suspicion. When the clock reached zero, a colorful display of fireworks and loud cheering filled the city. Everyone had their arms raised up into the air, which the old man mimicked despite his arms being soar.
One last time the old man looked at the faces of the crowd. They all appeared to be immensely happy about another year of misery. He pitied all of them. If only they knew how better things were. Then, someone started a chant that made everyone join.
"Long live Haos! Long live Haos! Long live the Insurgency!"
The old man internally wept for them, but he continued to smile. A few soldiers with power armor were close by.
Meanwhile, Haos himself lingered at a balcony of his palace. He quietly watched as fireworks exploded into various shapes that danced across the sky. Courtesy of The Factory.
Haos gently placed his mechanical arms on the railing. The lights of the fireworks illuminated his metallic frame, casting a skeletal shadow behind him. If he still had lungs, he would've taken a deep breath of air to reminisce on the smell of fireworks. It was one of the many burdens of being a machine. He didn't realize he would miss such small things from his old body, but in the end it was an acceptable sacrifice. He had what he wanted the most.
From behind Haos, The Engineer slowly approached him. His spidery legs made him move like if he was about to leap at an unsuspecting prey. He had his hammer with him which he used like a staff. Haos turned to see his old companion.
"Happy New Year." The Engineer congratulated as he came to a complete stop. Parts of him made clicks as he settled near the entrance. "Another year goes by since we have won the world. It has been so long."
"Yes. It has." Haos replied as he looked at the fireworks again. They were both silent for a while before The Engineer spoke once more.
"The plan is ready to commence." He announced.
The fireworks continued to explode in the air. Haos said nothing as he watched the colorful lights. As The Engineer waited for a response, a holographic projection began to form of Eris behind him. She wanted to make her presence known despite both of them already knowing that she was omnipresent within the palace. Her unblinking eye stared at her superiors. The Engineer paid the AI no mind as he continued waiting. Haos finally turned to the two entities.
"So we begin." Said Haos.
"Yes, sir." Eris replied before disappearing. She immediately got to work.
The Engineer raised his head to the sky. Multiple hangars at Yellowstone National Park were opening up to launch countless warships into space, the next frontier for the Insurgency to conquer. Each vessel contained thousands of humans manufactured at what the Foundation once called SCP-2000. They also carried with them an unspeakable horror or two to aid them in their mission.
"Rather ambitious of you, Haos." The Engineer commented.
"Just like when you first met me all those years ago in that cave. You probably didn't think the Insurgency would succeed up to this point."
"Correct. I only calculated a 15% probability of success. The Foundation was a significant factor against you."
"Not bad."
"Agreed. Now come inside, Haos. The rest of Alpha Command waits for you to celebrate your reign." Haos stepped away from the balcony and walked with the old machine into the palace. Ships began to travel across space. The universe was theirs for the taking.
Long live the Insurgency.
