Jade lowered the kickstand on her motorcycle, dismounted, and entered the house after punching her code into the lock. Kicking off her shoes, she made her way through the kitchen and continued on, poking her head into each room as she went to see if anyone was home. Eventually, she arrived at the library, where she found Dejah sitting at her desk.
“Hey, Jade. How were classes?" Dejah asked, not even bothering to look up from her screen as she continued typing.
"Kind of redundant, honestly."
At this reply, Dejah glanced up from her screens for a moment with the barest ghost of a smile.
"Anyone home?"
"Lil’s in the basement. She got her hands on some software, and I think she’s trying to get it set up before you get home."
"Okay. Thanks."
Dejah made a non-committal grunt of acknowledgement as Jade backtracked out of the library and made her way to the elevator just down the hall. Stepping into the small square space, she ignored the buttons for one and two. Instead she opened up the emergency phone panel. She entered her code and placed her eye against the scanner. Once authorized, she pressed the down key, and the elevator began its descent to the basement.
Jade found her sister sitting at one of the consoles in the lab.
"Hey," she said as she set her backpack down on her own desk.
"Hey," Lilith said without removing her eyes from the screen, much like Dejah had earlier. “How was class?"
"Redundant," Jade repeated for the second time.
Lilith snorted.
"What are you working on?"
"One minute."
Jade continued pulling books out of her bag and organizing her desk while she waited. It wasn’t long before Lilith tapped a key with a quiet "Done." She spun in her chair, steepled her fingers, and gave an exaggerated evil grin, doing her best impression of a villain.
"What?" Jade asked.
"I came across some software," Lilith stated, her grin growing wider. "State-of-the-art stuff. This is the future of gaming. The book you’re currently reading; it’s post-apocalyptic fiction, correct?"
"Um, yes."
"Great. I should have everything set up correctly, then. You wanna play?"
Jade approached the console, but didn’t see anything that looked like a game. "Sure?"
"Great. Normally this would require some complicated proprietary equipment. However, due to the nature of our..." Lilith glanced around the lab, "...occupations, we get to bypass the very expensive bits. And you get to skip almost all of it."
"Okay, you’ve got me intrigued."
Lilith grinned again. She pointed to Jade’s charging pod and said, "Plug in."
For a moment, Jade just stared at her little sister, but eventually, she acquiesced. She took off her shirt before stepping into the coffin-like upright platform. Reaching behind her, she lifted the flap of skin that hid the charging port in the small of her back. Once the charging cable was connected, she plugged the data cable into her left forearm and leaned back. She gave Lilith a cocked-eyebrow look.
"Okay, just sit back and I'll start running things," Lilith said.
Jade laid her head back as Lilith disappeared, focusing on the data coming in through her cable. She paused when the flow suddenly escalated.
"Um, I think you're gonna have to go into recharge mode for this."
Jade glared toward where her sister would be, despite the fact that she couldn’t actually see her. "You better not break my brain."
"It’s fine," came Lilith’s voice.
Jade sighed, shutting down most of her cognitive functions and entering her rest mode.
Jade opened her eyes to black. It was so dark she wasn’t certain if her eyes were actually open. A few possibilities raced through her mind. One, her eyelids might not be working. Two, her ocular sensors/cameras were malfunctioning. Or three, her charging pod was completely out of power, and all lights were off. She couldn’t hear the whine of electrical fan motors in the background, lending credence to the third theory. Suddenly, white letters appeared in her vision, introducing a fourth option: Lilith’s game.
Initializing… Please wait…
In some ways, it was a massive relief to find out that none of the first three options were the issue. Neither would have been good.
Generating world... Please wait…
Jade watched as the white letters merged together and formed a bluish-white circle that appeared to be spinning. The circle moved to the upper left of her vision, and a text box appeared.
"Hello, I am Neuro. Without turning your head, please focus on the circle on the upper left of your HUD (Heads-Up Display)."
Jade did as instructed, realizing at that moment she couldn’t move her head. Focusing on the circle caused the text box to change.
"Very good. To interact with me specifically, simply focus on the small circle on the upper left of your HUD or ask for me directly. I am Neuro."
Once Jade finished reading, the text box disappeared. A moment later, a green bar replaced it. The bar flashed briefly before starting to drop. A white-transparent bar remained where the green receded. As the green portion shrank, it turned yellow at the halfway mark, then red when it was only a quarter full. The bar flashed again and repositioned itself to the lower left of her HUD. The text box returned.
"Please focus on the bar on the lower left of your HUD."
Jade complied, bringing up another text box.
"This is your charge level. You currently have a 25% charge."
A small spike of panic tore through Jade. Twenty-five percent was emergency power. "Uh, Neuro? Can I view what my real-life charge rate is?"
There was a brief delay as the circle in the upper left pulsed. A new text box appeared: "One moment, please… I require authorization to access this function. Do I have authorization to access your charge levels and display them?"
"Um... yes?" Jade replied, feeling a bit unsettled. This game was meant for humans, not sentient machines that didn’t technically exist. Yet, it was asking if it could view her charge level, implying it knew she wasn’t human. Maybe Lilith had programmed this into the game, but the thought left her uneasy.
"Thank you. One moment… Please wait..."
The text box was replaced with a number followed by the percent sign and a small charging icon. Shortly after it appeared, the "87%" changed to "88%." After the number pulsed, it moved up to the upper left to sit next to the blue circle. A “Charging” icon sitting next to the number.
"Your current charge percentage is 88%. Would you like me to leave a visual indicator of your real-life charge on your HUD (Heads-Up Display)?"
"Yes, please."
There was a long pause, and then all the lights she was used to seeing inside her charging pod came on. They blinked twice, and half of them powered down, leaving only a couple of dull red lights. On one of the the small screens, text appeared that simply read: "Error."
At this point, Jade found that she could move again. She reached out, grabbed the manual release for her pod, and pulled it up, pushing the door open. She paused for a moment to unplug herself before stepping into the laboratory. The room looked just as dead as the pod. The overheads and computers were off, the only illumination came from a few strips of phosphorescent blue light on the ceiling. Something that, in the real world, didn’t exist. The glow provided just enough light to make out the shapes of furniture. A few more steps into the room revealed a canister-shaped object emitting the same phosphorescent blue light sitting on one of the tables. Approaching it, she found a scrawled note next to a pack. The writing on the note was utterly illegible in the dim bioluminescent glow, so she chose to rummage through the pack instead. Familiarity with its design allowed her to reach into the side pocket and pull out a flashlight.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Now that she could see, the laboratory was entirely different. Everything was missing. The computers weren’t just turned off; they were gone. She took a quick tour, and apart from the basic furniture, everything that could be packed up was completely missing.
There was no food in the cupboards, no books on the bookshelf, no supplies in any of the storage lockers, and no firearms either. The only exception was a couple of cases of ammunition: two small boxes each of 10mm, 7.62x39, 7.62x54, .308, and .45. It seemed like an odd selection to leave behind when everything else was missing.
With her tour of the facility complete, Jade returned her attention to the pack and the note. The pack was her basic go-bag, complete with a 10mm pistol, a rechargeable battery, a foldable solar panel, and a change of clothes. She put her shirt back on, strapped the pack to her back, and plugged herself into the battery.
A new green bar flashed in her vision and then minimized to sit above the other green bar. A charging symbol appeared next to the larger bar and pulsed. The red in the larger bar slowly turned yellow as it began climbing. The smaller green bar, no doubt representing the battery pack she had just connected to herself, started draining. That was a positive. She strapped the 10mm pistol to her thigh and then examined the note.
-Jade, there's been an attack on North Federation soil. Due to the sustained EMP, I’ve decided to keep you in stasis. It’s been 10 years. I packed up everything, and we’re heading to the backup base. Sorry to keep you in the dark like this, but for security reasons, I can’t list out everything that has happened here. You will wake up when the power goes out in the pod. I don’t honestly know when that’ll be. At the bottom of the page will be the coordinates. I don't know how long it'll be before the pod runs out of power or you wake up. Take care of yourself. Be safe. I love you. Yes, Lilith loves you too.-
Jade twisted her lips. “Neuro? Can we not have this in my game?”
The blue and white circle pulsed once before a text box appeared. “Do you wish to disregard personalized quest chains?”
“Ummm, yeah.”
“Altering… Please wait…”
The text on the note faded. Replaced with a more system-like message that read, “To assign a class, concentrate on opening your character sheet.”
Jade nodded, satisfied with the more game-like mechanic over the mind trip of having her family in her entertainment media.
Jade found herself in a mostly white room. Mostly, because it was slightly transparent. The laboratory was faintly visible through the hazy walls. In this room were five figures, not including herself. Technically, each figure was a completely motionless statue of herself. Each figure had a different outfit and a title floating above their head. The little blue ring in the upper left of her HUD pulsed, and text appeared:
"Every five levels, you will be given the option of choosing from up to five classes. Classes are based on your actions and play style. At each level, you will gain a Perk Point to spend in any of your class Perk Trees. Please choose a class."
After a moment, the box disappeared from Jade's vision, and she looked over her options:
Commoner
The Commoner is the most basic of basic classes. Their skill trees focus on quality-of-life improvements.
The Commoner version of Jade stared back at her with a slightly worn expression. She wore tattered clothes, had a backpack slung over one shoulder, and her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The Commoner was a disheveled version of herself, and Jade got the impression that it was the post-apocalyptic version of a nine-to-fiver. She turned her attention to the next figure, assuming the best options would be later.
Warrior
The Warrior is another basic class, this one focusing on combat. The skill tree emphasizes weapon skills and improvements to combat-based abilities.
This version didn’t look much different from the Commoner beyond the gear. In addition to the worn clothing, the Warrior wore a faded duster, had an axe strapped to the waist, and carried a rifle with a sawed-off stock. The expression was less worn and more determined. Decent for a starting combat class in a role-playing game.
While the Commoner and Warrior seemed utterly generic, the next three statues felt unnervingly personal.
Amateur Technician
The Amateur Technician is a base class that focuses on mechanical creations Whether upgrading equipment, building structures, or cobbling together computer systems. The skill tree emphasizes resource collection and creation disciplines.
This version of Jade wasn’t much better dressed than the Commoner, but was holding a tablet and had a flexible solar panel slung over one shoulder. It was also the only mannequin not looking at her, instead staring down at whatever it was working on.
Amateur Operative
The Amateur Operative is a base class focusing on stealth, infiltration, and planned executions. The skill tree highlights stealth, weapons, and tactical advantages.
This version of Jade stared back at her as though evaluating her. She wore tight-fitting dark clothing, had a tablet strapped to her left thigh, a pistol holstered on her right, a combat knife on her chest, and carried a rifle that appeared to be some AR variant.
It certainly made Jade uncomfortable. It would have been a cool class to play in any other role-playing game. However, the Amateur Technician was a little too much like who she was, essentially an amateur mechanical engineer, and the Amateur Operative was a little too close to reality. She didn't have any formal training, but her real-world experience was a bit of an oddity, as if to prove that the computer program creating this "game" for her knew a little too much. The final option stared back at her with red, inhuman eyes.
Android
The Android is a unique base class focusing on enhancing the physical and mental capabilities of the individual's body. Class skills improve physical and mental abilities to bring the Android above standard human functioning.
Jade logged out.
When Jade opened her eyes, she noticed her pod door was still open.
"Lilith."
Her sister poked her head out of the kitchen, a sandwich in one hand. "Hrmm?" came the muffled question from her mouth, busy chewing. She swallowed and continued, "That was quick?"
"This thing knows too much," Jade replied.
Lilith nodded as she came out of the kitchen, holding a plastic container lid in her other hand to catch any crumbs from her sandwich.
"Yeah, that's why this stuff's not on the market yet. A lot of privacy issues. It literally pulls information out of your head to help customize things for you. Though I spent like a whole hour trying to get it to pull stuff out of your long-term memory. You'd think that'd be easier to configure."
"So this isn’t a problem?" Jade asked, concerned that the software was reading her mind. It could potentially access everything. From her security codes to the sensitive information she was privy to. Not to mention the fact that she was an Android, the civilian base model for the military Archangel prototypes. Though that particular project had been shut down. Human-like sentient machines turned out to be terrible soldiers. Mostly because they were too human.
"OK," Jade said, settling back into her pod.
"What tipped you off that it knew you were an Android?" Lilith asked, taking another bite of her sandwich.
"The first thing it did was give me a power bar. Then, when I got to class selection, which I think is supposed to be based on my experiences, Android was one of the options."
"What were the other options?" Lilith asked around a mouthful.
Jade frowned at her sister, who returned the glare with a smirk. "Commoner, Warrior, Amateur Technician, Amateur Operative, and Android."
"Cool. Though, if you’ve only got Amateur Operative, you need to focus more on training, I think."
Jade frowned again. "I’m thinking of going with the Amateur Technician."
Lilith shook her head. "Nah, go for the Android. You’re basically playing as an Android anyway if you’ve got a power bar. The Android class probably gives you a bunch of super robot stuff. And with the way this game is supposed to work, it doesn’t actually stop you from doing all your Technician stuff. Which I think is weird that you’d want to do that anyway, considering you literally just got back from school."
Jade considered the advice. The Technician did seem a bit too much like real work. "I’ll consider it," she said.
"Okay, good night," Lilith said while leaning against the lab table and shoving an extra-large chunk of sandwich into her mouth.
Jade glared at her. Lilith smirked. Leaning back, Jade closed her eyes and entered rest mode, which curiously brought her back to her menu.
“Do you wish to continue?"
Standing in the white room in front of the other five figures, Jade found herself looking back and forth between the Android and the Amateur Technician. In many ways, she was already an Amateur Technician. Likely, the class gave her some bonuses to game mechanics. According to Lilith, it wouldn’t prevent her from being the mechanical engineer that she technically was. The Android, however, would give her some type of robotic abilities that she didn’t actually have in real life. In the end, she chose the Android. The other four figures faded from view, followed by the room itself. Jade felt no immediate changes. In some ways, she was mildly disappointed, though she assumed she wouldn’t gain anything until she leveled up. Deciding instead to head to the main floor, she caught herself waiting for the elevator to arrive, a very human habit that made zero sense in the context of a building without power. Sighing, she moved over to the emergency ladder and climbed her way up to the heavy, sealed door hidden behind one of the library’s bookshelves.
The library looked as though it had been ransacked. Papers and books were scattered across the floor, desks were overturned, and windows were shattered, but still intact. Moving through the rest of the building revealed a similar scene. On one side of the house, the windows had been blown fully in, scattering glass across the floor and exposing the walls to the outdoor elements. To be fair, the damage wasn’t as severe as she would have expected. Only slightly rotted, with a faint mildew scent permeating the air. Upstairs, her father’s and Lilith’s bedrooms seemed fine, though Dejah’s room had been thoroughly ransacked. She stopped outside the closed door to Jill’s bedroom, nervous anticipation coursing through her artificial veins. It was the only door that remained shut.
Inside, the books were still on their shelves, and the toys were still in their places. However, the coffin-like cryo chamber that held Jade’s little sister in perpetual stasis, until her father or his colleagues could find a cure for her neurodegenerative disease, was absent. It was a relief. Perhaps her earlier request to take her family out of this had also removed the emotionally stressful situation with her father’s middle child. Silently, Jade shut the door. Despite the post-apocalyptic feel, nothing in the house seemed too far out of place. The amount of time it had spent abandoned didn’t show. The note from earlier had suggested a minimum of ten years had passed. Even in a decade, the house should have shown more wear and tear, more degradation. She stepped into the garage, displeased to find her motorcycle missing. Stepping out of the garage changed everything.
The grass in the yard was rather tall, full of rambling bushes, and exactly what one would expect from a post-apocalyptic future where nobody had tended the house for years. The issue, however, was that this wasn’t her city. In some ways, that was better. It lent credibility to the idea that this was a game instead of reality. Across the street, the house resembled her neighbor’s, but the background revealed the skeletal remains of large buildings. Decrepit and falling apart. Glass and concrete were missing in sections, leaving only the bony spines of some great beast stretching toward an oddly unnatural-looking sky. A droplet of water landed on her shoulder, causing her to look up.
Jade’s mouth hung open in amazement and fascination. Above her was a dome. Its clear polycarbonate sheets tinted the sunlight a darker hue, likely covered in a thin layer of dust with small bits of plant matter growing in the geodesic framework that held the structure together. Suddenly, the strange sky made sense. Some of the sheets had collapsed, leaving an almost honeycombed framework covering the city like a useless net. As if the game wished to welcome her to this new, unfriendly world, a gunshot rang out across the open air.
"Oh."