This is my entry for part one of ScienceFiction's latest contest, High Tech. It's my very first attempt at writing in present tense, so please don't be too critical.

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It's funny how people think that the more technologically advanced they get, the safer they are.

They think that just because they can hide from blizzards inside heated buildings, request help in an emergency with the touch of a button, and map the ocean's depths with submarines, they're invincible.

They're wrong.

If anything, technology makes them vulnerable. It has caused them to grow sheltered and weak. As vaccines and disinfectants grow more common, people's natural immunity to diseases decreases. Various species of harmful bacteria have adapted to these preventative measures.

They're growing stronger, biding their time, waiting for the day humanity breaks.

As cars and public transportation become more widely available, people rely less and less on their own two legs to get them places. The average person's chances of outrunning or even hiding from a wild animal diminish every generation. Humanity has gone from living among nature's fiercest creatures to shutting them out, locking them in zoos or pushing them deep into forests.

Ah, forests. The one thing that could have saved man from his own folly. Yet, those too are being destroyed. It's quite comical, actually, to watch humankind cut down the very trees that provide them oxygen and give the very animals they want to keep out a home away from them. And for what? Wood and paper, things they could easily live without.

Now, as their habitats are being destroyed, these animals will soon be forced to seek shelter in human settlements, causing disturbances and possibly injury to people and their property.

With GMOs, cheap oils and sweeteners, and other relatively recent advancements in the food industry, the production of inexpensive, unhealthy food grows exponentially. Food is no longer valued as it was in years before. Children are pickier eaters, and get away with regularly eating meals that aren't nearly as nutritious as what their parents ate when they were younger. Obesity is becoming a serious problem, as is the lack of regular physical activity.

The people of Earth are laying the groundwork for their own end. They are paving the way for me.

"Ixilda?" Someone taps earnestly on my shoulder.

"Yes?" I turn my head, finding myself face to face with my very cross assistant.

"You've been staring out that window daydreaming for half an hour! Don't you want to see our progress on Project Lights Out?"

"I wasn't daydreaming!" I snap, watching with satisfaction as Ehrana brings her hands to her face, jarred by the venom in my words. "I was reflecting on the utter stupidity of the human race."

"Oh," Ehrana smiles softly. "Well, if it bothers you that much, it's a good thing that PLO is doing so well. If nothing else goes wrong, we should be ready to initiate in a couple of weeks."

"Good," I nod, absentmindedly twirling a strand of my raven hair between my fingers. "No one will be allowed to be so stupid under my rule. How's the Darkener coming along?"

"Why don't you come see for yourself?" Ehrana smiles mysteriously, gesturing to the semi-concealed trapdoor adjacent to the front door of our apartment.

She opens it and we descend together, hurrying down the concrete stairs as fluorescent lights flicker to life above us, illuminating our path. The space soon opens up into a dome of sorts, an indication that we are nearing the lab. Ehrana places her hand on a familiar groove in the stone wall, pushing the slab away to reveal a square shaped entrance.

Because of its small size, Ehrana and I are forced to lie on our stomachs and slide through the opening . Looking up, I gasp in shock and joy at the colossal piece of machinery before me.

"I told you you'd want to see it yourself," Ehrana beams proudly.

Having drawn the blueprints for the Darkener, I had a basic idea of what it was going to look like, but that didn't come close to preparing me for seeing the weapon itself, nearly complete. It stands six feet high, dotted with currently blank screens and antennae that are placed in seemingly random places. I had intentionally designed it to look like the work of an eccentric old engineer, to protect it from prying eyes. Someone outside our organization could easily mistake it for a jumble of old computer parts; a failed invention of the past that had been locked away by its shamed creator.

If I told them that it was an advanced piece of weaponry capable of causing the end of the world, they'd think I was either drunk or insane. Probably the latter.

"What do you think?" Ehrana raises an eyebrow.

"It's perfect," I nod slowly, allowing my brain to absorb the magnificence of my work. "I never knew I was such a genius."

"Well, everyone else did," my assistant pats me on the back.

"You're too kind," I giggle, feigning modesty. "So, when are we going to put this baby to work?"

"We need a week to finalize things," Ehrana says. "After that, it's your call."

"Don't wait for me," I grin greedily. "Set it into action as soon as it's ready. It's time for humanity to see the consequences of their scientific developments. It's time for us to yank away the technological shield they've learned to live under. It's time to turn the lights out."

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Ixilda's name is pronounced EE-HIL-DA