Chapter 1–UDS minus 72 hours
“Caden, what the hell are you doing? I told you to clean the guns before getting online!”
I flinched at my dad’s voice as I toggled the mic, “I gotta log for a bit, Jay. I’m porting back to the inn. You okay for a bit?”
“You just got on, Cade. What’d you forget now?” came the voice in my headset.
I hit the button that returned my avatar to the local inn. “What makes you think I forgot something?”
Jayden swore, “You’re always forgetting stuff, man. Hurry back. I can only grind here for a bit.”
I logged when the inn’s interior appeared. And just in the nick of time, too. Dad opened the door to my room, “Caden, now.”
I rolled my chair away from the computer desk with a groan, “Sorry, Dad. Just wanted to check on something.”
He shook his head, “Yeah. And if I hadn’t said anything, you’d have forgotten.”
I hurried into the dining room. The guns I’d set on the table were where I’d left them when we’d gotten home from the range. Well, one was. Dad had already cleaned his AR15. If I knew him, he’d already put it into the gun-safe. The one waiting for my attention was his prized Sharps rifle. It was a reproduction based on the gun used in Quigley Down Under.
We’d spent the day at the gun range, shooting at targets. My dad and I didn’t have a lot in common, but throwing lead downrange was something we both enjoyed. The downside was now I needed to clean the gun I had used.
As I grabbed an oily cleaning rag, I groused, “You left me the harder to clean one, Dad.”
He shrugged, “That’s what you get for waiting. Of course, you hogged my Sharps on the range.”
I shrugged, “It’s more fun to shoot than the AR15.”
I levered the Sharps open, dropping the block to access the breech. It was true. Despite the bruise on my shoulder, I loved the way the heavy rifle slammed into my shoulder each time I fired it. If only I was as good as my dad was at hitting what I aimed at. Still, using the gun’s sights, I could hit a center-mass target at a hundred yards. It was a far cry from my dad’s ability to shoot a tight grouping at five hundred yards. But I’ll get there.
Even though I didn’t enjoy cleaning the rifle, Dad tried to spin things, “Hey, at least Pyrodex burns cleaner than black powder. Had we shot with the real stuff, you’d have it even worse.”
I gave him a baleful glare. As I stared at him, something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. Thoughts of a retort died on my lips as I turned my head, trying to figure out what had caught my attention. Something blue remained just out of my vision as my head continued to swivel.
Dad raised his hand to the bridge of his nose, like he did when stressed or when he got a headache, “When you’re finished cleaning the gun, let me know and we’ll store it in the safe. I’m gonna go lay down for a few.”
Thoughts of cleaning the rifle faded as the glimmer returned to the corner of my vision. Now, as I focused, I realized the object wasn’t something in the room. Focusing my attention on it, the object slid from the corner of my eye to fill my vision, almost like when you close your eyes only to have lights splash across the inside of your eyelid. Except my eyes were still open as a blue flashing light filled my vision.
Stand by for System message…
I dropped the rag as my heart thundered in my chest. Seconds passed.
System message
Current Iteration of your planet’s system development will terminate in seventy-two earth hours. At that time, your planet will be incorporated into the Universal Development System. We will incorporate the current physical and biological laws that have governed your planet into the UDS. Some features will be removed in keeping with UDS governance. Other features heretofore unavailable on your planet will be introduced. Prepare to be challenged.
End of system message
The gun clattered on the table as I shot out of my seat, my hand involuntarily trying to swipe at the message dancing in front of my eyes. I must have done something because the blue box containing the message seemed to collapse on itself until it disappeared.
“What the hell?”
My mind was awhirl at what the message had meant. Was it some kind of hoax? Just thinking about the message made the flashing blue light appear at the edge of my vision, almost like it was waiting to be recalled at my command.
Any thought of cleaning the gun was gone as I tried to make the message reappear. I moved my hands one way and then the other, but nothing worked. Finally, I collapsed into the chair, wishing the message would come back.
The words in the blue box slid from just beyond the corner of my eye and filled my vision. Had it just responded to my thoughts?
“Clear system message,” I said.
The message collapsed on itself and disappeared.
Too cool. It responded to my thoughts and my voice. But what did it mean? What was the Universal Development System? And what was going to happen in three days?
My first inclination was to call Jayden, my best friend. Was he still grinding in-game? As I rose, intending to return to my bedroom, I thought better of it as my eyes came to rest on the gun. It wasn’t going to clean itself.
Fifteen minutes later, I took the clean gun to my dad’s bedroom, where we stored the weapons in a gun-safe. Dad lay on the bed, an arm draped over his eyes.
“You okay, Dad?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
He groaned, “Yeah. Just got hit with a nasty headache.”
Had he seen the same message? Despite wanting to talk to Jayden, I leaned the rifle against the safe and sat on the edge of the bed, “Dad,” my voice faltered. The whole thing seemed preposterous.
“Uh-huh?”
I steeled my voice, “Did you see something? I mean, a flash in your eyes?”
Dad groaned as he sat up, “Why do you ask?”
I didn’t want him thinking I was losing it, but I decided to continue, “Dunno. I just saw something blue in the corner of my eye when I was cleaning the Sharps.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed, “Really?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”
He swung his legs onto the floor before standing. He picked up the rifle and examined it before returning it to the safe. “Not sure, Caden. Maybe it was just a migraine. I’ve heard they cause auras.”
Once he dropped the safe key into a night-stand drawer, he added, “Probably nothing.”
Before he could say anything else, his cellphone buzzed. He answered, “Rick Taylor speaking.”
I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end. For him to answer all business-like, I figured it was something to do with his job.
“I’ll be in right away,” he said before killing the call. He hurried to his closet where he pulled out his game warden shirt, “I need to head in. That was the state park. There’s been an animal attack.”
Before I could think of anything to say, he was out the door with a wave of his hand. When I heard his truck come to life, I returned to my room. Being a single parent, Dad’s work hours for the state were usually predictable. Animal attacks weren’t unheard of, but for him to get called into work on a Saturday, it had to be something serious.
I pushed it out of my mind when I slid into the chair in front of the computer. My fingers reached for the keyboard to log back into the game when they paused. While I really wanted to check with Jayden to see if he’d received the same message, I wanted to check out the system message again.
With a single thought, the system message filled my vision again. The blue box, the Universal Development System, those sounded like a computer system. “System? Um, help?”
The words in front of me disappeared, although the blue box remained. A moment later, Help appeared. Then a stream of words scrolled below it. At the top of the list were the words, “Help available on the following topics.”
Just like a computer. Then I noticed an option near the top, Countdown Period.
“Help, countdown period.”
The text in my vision scrolled up, and more words appeared, From the delivery of the first System Announcement, a countdown of seventy-two Earth hours begins. At the end of the countdown, the Earth will be incorporated into the Universal Development System.
There it was again. What was the Universal Development System?
The Universal Development System regulates all system worlds and determines how every living organism develops.
This sounded more like a game than anything else. Did I come with a character sheet? My heart raced with anticipation as I shouted, “System, show me my character sheet!”
Name
Caden Taylor
Regeneration
Level
1
Health
80/80
1/minute
Experience
0/100
Mana
100/100
1/second
spells
n/a
Action
100/100
4/second
Age
14
Race
Human
Class
n/a
Strength
8
Attributes:
Agility
8
Skills
n/a
Constitution
8
Intelligence
8
Wisdom
8
Charisma
8
Glamor
8
Strength, Agility, and Con? I’d recognize these stats anywhere. This was just like the RPG games I’ve played online. My pulse quickened as I studied the details. Besides my name at the top of the sheet, I had health, mana, and action points. I was able to see all the stats I was used to playing with. Although eight points each for my attributes seemed like a low number, even for a fourteen-year-old like me.
My mind raced at the possibilities. Did the attributes work the same way? “System, what does strength do?”
Strength measures your physical power; your strength modifies damage dealt in melee based upon your choice of weapon.
Wicked! This was just like the RPGs I’ve played. “System, what does agility do?”
Agility measures your balance, coordination and reflexes; Your agility modifies the accuracy of ranged attacks.
Hunters were my favorite characters. There’s nothing more fun than standing back and running through my combo shots while Jayden tanks.
I continued going through the attributes in the help menu.
Constitution measures your endurance and stamina; Your constitution also modifies your health.
Intelligence measures your ability to reason, your cognition, knowledge, memory, logic and rationality; Your intelligence, if higher than your wisdom, is used to modify your mana pool. It also improves your ability to cast combat spells.
Wisdom measures self-awareness, common sense, restraint, perception, and insight. Your wisdom, if higher than your intelligence, is used to modify your mana pool. It also improves your ability to cast healing spells.
Charisma measures the force of personality, persuasiveness, leadership, and successful planning. Your charisma determines how others perceive you on their first impression.
Glamor measures one’s physical appearance.
My mouth felt dry as my heart raced at the possibilities. “System, show me the classes available.”
Error.
Confused, I tried again, “System, tell me about classes.”
This information is not yet available.
Well, shit! Before I could think of anything else to say, my phone rang. It was Jayden. I willed the blue box in my vision away and answered, “Sup, Jay?”
“Dude, did you see that system alert? Right when I was trying to solo the ‘leet Kobold king, too.”
“Yeah,” I replied, “I saw it.”
“Chat blew up, Cade. Everyone in the frickin’ game saw it. Do you really think something’s goin’ down in three days?”
That was the million-dollar question. “I dunno, but it’d be kind of cool if it did. Did you see anything else other than the system announcement?”
Jayden’s voice grew shrill, which sounded weird for a fifteen-year-old linebacker with a five-o’clock shadow, “No frickin’ way. Dude, get your ass over here!”