January 1884
Manila, Philippines
Early in the morning, people filled the streets of Manila. Some were on their way to work, others headed to the market, while students prepared for school. To anyone passing by, one particular house looked completely ordinary from the outside.
"Good morning, everyone."
"GOOD MORNING, BOSS!"
The man who greeted them was Mr. John De Silva, a billionaire scientist—known to many as the Mad Genius.
In the year 2085, after nearly twenty-five years of research, he successfully invented time travel. His device operated on a simple concept: travel from Point A to Point B, and back again. More importantly, it could create entirely new timelines if he wished.
His favorite project was Timeline B, where he intended to help the Philippines achieve independence from Spain much earlier than in the original history.
Mr. De Silva's organization now consisted of fifty members, each recruited from different timelines.
"Mr. De Silva, I think it's about time we gave our organization a proper name."
"You're right, Albert. We can't keep introducing ourselves as 'John's Group.' Think of something mysterious."
Albert rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"How about... The Shadow Council?"
"Too dramatic."
"The Black Hand?"
"Already taken."
"The Order of the Raven?"
"Sounds like we're starting a medieval cult."
Albert sighed.
"Then... The Chronos Initiative?"
"Too obvious. If we're time travelers, the last thing we should do is put 'time' in our name."
Another member cautiously raised his hand.
"What about... The Time Lords?"
Everyone stared at him in silence.
"...No," Mr. De Silva replied.
A woman at the back of the room spoke up.
"The Department of Temporal Affairs?"
"We're trying to sound mysterious, not like a government office."
The room fell silent again.
Albert leaned back in his chair and muttered almost absentmindedly,
"How about simply The Dark?"
Mr. De Silva looked at him.
"No references to time. No references to history. No clues about who we are or what we do..."
A slow smile formed on his face.
"Simple. Mysterious. People will keep wondering what it actually means."
Albert grinned.
"So... that's a yes?"
Mr. De Silva nodded.
"Then from this day forward..."
He looked around the room.
"We no longer exist."
The members exchanged confused glances.
"Boss?"
"I mean officially. To everyone else, we're just another forgotten name in the darkness."
He smiled.
"Welcome to The Dark."
The room erupted into applause.
"Still better than 'John's Group,'" someone whispered from the back.
Laughter filled the conference room
"Okay, on another topic What's on today's agenda, Mr. Albert?"
"Boss, we've purchased one hundred hectares of land near Cavite City for fifty thousand pesos. What's your plan for it?"
"Mr. Albert, divide everyone into two teams. Their priority is weapons and ammunition production. Stockpile one million .22 Long Winchester cartridges and twenty thousand Winchester Model 1890 rifles. We need enough weapons to equip at least two infantry divisions.
We'll begin training two elite platoons called the Luna Sharpshooters—also known as the Tiradores de la Muerte. They will deliver the killing blow against the Spanish forces. Training begins in 1887, one year before the Revolution.
As for artillery, begin manufacturing Krupp guns and Gatling guns for suppressive fire. We also need to develop both artillery and infantry doctrines.
We still have three years to stockpile medicine and food supplies. Build an efficient logistics network to transport everything where it's needed.
As for funding, I refuse to let our revolutionaries go unpaid. Team C will focus on recovering gold from different timelines. Their first mission will be the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes in 1804. It carried seventeen tons of gold from Peru to the Port of Cádiz before being sunk by British frigates.
Starting this year, begin construction of our bases in Manila, Cavite, and Panay Island. Our most advanced ship will be anchored at Panay."
"Yes, Boss. But skilled workers are still rare. Most people in this era are conservative and lack technical knowledge."
"That won't be a problem, Mr. Albert. Liberal ideas are already spreading throughout the Philippines because of foreign influence. Start recruiting farmers, laborers, and indigenous people who are willing to learn how to read and write."
"Understood, Boss."
After the meeting ended, Mr. De Silva returned to his room that evening to begin drafting blueprints for the weapons they would eventually use against Spain.
Although the house appeared ordinary from the outside, its interior was decades—perhaps centuries—ahead of its time. Every room was equipped with modern technology, including LED televisions, centralized air conditioning, and computers.
Beneath the house lay an enormous underground complex that served as the headquarters of The Dark.
The underground facility contained a heavily fortified vault for the gold recovered by the expedition ship SS Manila, an armory filled with weapons, an infirmary, research laboratories, and a Traffic Control Room—the nerve center of all time-travel operations. From there, operators monitored every traveler, tracked their destinations, and detected unauthorized time travel originating from other timelines.
It was also in these laboratories that the group developed the Fountain of Youth—a revolutionary medicine capable of dramatically slowing aging while eliminating every known disease, effectively making a person immune to illness.
However, Mr. De Silva's favorite place in the entire facility was the museum. It housed his extensive collection of historical firearms, rare artifacts, and priceless works of art gathered from different periods and regions of the Philippines.
Later that night, Mr. De Silva lit a cigarette as he searched through his laptop for ideas for a future reconnaissance aircraft.
While browsing, he came across the latest stealth drone concepts developed by Lockheed Martin.
A smile slowly spread across his face.