I am in complete darkness floating there. This is not what I thought death would be like.

--Initializing H.U.B... Congratulations you have died for the first time. Merging mind and body... Merging complete.---

Merging mind and body? What the heck!?

Then suddenly, I start to feel feeling come back. Now I can move my body. I look around and see I'm in my home. A little one room one bath that I live in with my self. I sit up on my bed. I am utterly confused. Am I dead? Am I alive? Am I both?? And what about the screen earlier talking about my mind and body? I look at my self and notice I look strangely pale. As I look closer I see my blood vessels are filled with the silver fluid that was in the animals. I rush to my bathroom and look at my self in the mirror. All of my hair is gone. That change distracts me as much as the fluid in my "blood" vessels. My eyes too have changed. The iris is silver. After just staring at my self in shock for a while, I walk out. I start walking through my home looking for clues. I open my fridge and see its empty. I move over to my sink and turn on both cold and hot water. Nothing happens. Finally, I walk over to my front door and open it.

As I step outside it is not my street that I see but a strangle blank white ground. There are three other houses surrounding the blank area. I see Scott, Simon, and Peter standing in front of a strange robot contraption with a screen on its chest.

"Ah, the last of you are here now. I shall start now," it says. "Five hundred years ago the Federation of Sentient Races, otherwise known as the F.S.R, discovered a new and dangerous Empire known as the Nihil. They were masters of biological and technological manipulation. It is unknown what a true Nihil looks like. They use proxy races that they created as their soldiers. When they were first encountered we tried to open trade negotiations. They instead launched an attack taking almost a quarter of the F.S.R's controlled space. We then launched our fleet to what we believed to be their homeworld. But when it got there, they detonated an antimatter bomb in the core of the sun. The resulting wave of radiation destroying a large part of the Nihil's Empire. That is the only thing that allowed us to survive long enough to mount a resistance. In a desperate act, the council head activated the H.U.B. initiative. The Horrors Under the Black initiative was a last resort safety net. It involved activating the massive facility surrounding a black hole. It generated a massive flux of neutrino particles. I won't get into the details, but the result allowed black matter through the dimensional barrier keeping it out. This made traditional space travel impossible. The only way to move people around through space left was to create a gravitational barrier around your ship. This, however, interferes with all forms of propulsion. Thus the war became a war between armies launching the troops in pods of troops at each other. An arms race to create the most powerful soldiers came into existence. Five hundred years later and here we are. The F.S.R has been bringing in new races to help with the fight against the Nihil ever since. Any questions?"

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

We just are just sitting here stunned. Before we get over our shock, it says, " Alright then, now to check your status screens."

Infront of me a screen appears.

Name: Orion Gray Race: Modified Human Modifications: Nanites Class: N/A Stamina: 49/50 Level: N/A Strength: 20 Agility: 20 Dexterity: 20 Constitution: 20 Intelligence: 20 Adaptability: 30 Dark Matter Infused: 5 Dark Matter Control:

N/A

I then ask, "What are you? How are we still alive?? Why am I modified not them? Are all Humans in a place like this? And what does it mean Dark Matter Infused/Control."

It responds, "I am one of many androids maid to assist with introducing new races into the H.U.B. You are still alive due to the body that died being a clone. We use brain scanning techniques to allow your mind control them. We also use a paralysis drug to freeze your body for the duration. Your body adapted to the nanites that have changed the wildlife of that planet. This is due to your unusually high adaptability. Finally no, not all Humans are here. We took half of the populous who met the physical/mental standards to participate in fighting the Nihil. Which amounted to about two billion people. Dark matter, after it was let in by the H.U.B causes mutation in non-sentient beings for unknown reasons. However sentient beings can, with the proper implant, control it to manipulate their surroundings.And now for y'all to choose your classes."

Then yet another screen appears in front of me.

1st Tear Classes   Base Classes The classes available to everyone. Fighter: A class for those who wish to fight on the front lines. Medic: A class for those who wish to heal friends instead of hurting enemies. Scout: A class for those who wish to find the enemy. Skill Classes Classes that require a certain skill. Gunman: You have shown skill with firearms. This class will help with that Race Classes Classes that are dependent upon your race. Survivor: Your race has a penchant for surviving. This class will help with that. Mod Classes These classes are dependent upon modifications you have received. B1nary Bl00d This class is made available to those who have nanites within them and helps them control the nanites.

"Don't worry." says the android. "You can always change your class later once you have saved up the pp for modifications."

What are pp?" I ask.

It responds, " They are a reward you receive for fighting the Nihil. They can be spent to improve your abilities, buy modifications, or buy skills."

I look back to the list of class and decide upon... B1nary Bl00d.