Post-apocalyptic video games are my thing. At least I liked to produce content regarding them, and I’ve played them all my life. Ever since I picked a book and looked at the genre it hooked me.

One day my dream became true, and I ended up in a post-apocalyptic video game. I was meant to be the main player, all equipped with weapons, armour, and a vehicle. I was going to have a cool back-story as well. I was going to be a cyber-enhanced soldier. Frozen in time and ready to rebuild civilisation. But it didn’t quite go according to plan. This is my story.

The whole mess started when I was sitting at home running through a new game that I paid access to as an advance release.

A standard post-apocalyptic game, exciting for me and I was looking forward to trying it out as an early tester, mostly because of the difficulty level.

The story designers for those games usually followed a similar plot. A huge disaster struck a planet such as a meteorite hitting the earth, escaped grey goo nano-plague or a nuclear war that had caused massive disruption to society.

A planet turns into a post-apocalyptic wasteland full of monsters, mutants and people deciding to dress up and fight in different outfits. Cannabalism, chaos and basically a total lack of civilisation.

Then a lone survivor or group wakes up and tries to take control of things. You fight your way through a series of bosses before you’re then able to change the face of the world or take it over.

I had just hit the start button for the newly purchased game and began the process of creating a new character when a glowing line of red words appeared before my eyes.

[Do you want to accept this opportunity before you? Touch the confirm or deny button in front of you. Crypo-Scape 2052 offers you the opportunity to realise your true potential. This message is being broadcast across the world. Out off all of them will you be the one to win?]

A blue text box appeared before my eyes. In it were two words highlighted in red and green. Confirm or deny. The screen seemed to have been filled with a special type of energy from a higher level of existence. My reality was about to take a complete shift into a new realm of possibilities. At least that was what I considered at that particular moment.

‘I’m being given the chance to enter a video game for real. Well, I’m sure I know my stuff about post-apocalyptic video games. Let’s take the chance to try out my skills and knowledge.’ I said aloud to an empty room.

I’m starting to talk to myself again...

Spending a great deal of time on video games meant that I had become used to talking to myself to work things out. It wasn’t the healthiest approach, but it wasn’t as though the video game was going to be solitary, I should have other players to play with or a combat squad to join.

I pressed the floating button. Let’s take a chance and see how this plays out.

[You have pressed the confirm button. The game intro will now begin. Welcome to Cryo-Scape 2052 Player XXX.]

A video game-style cut scene played itself in front of me. It showed a peaceful world that turned into a war-torn environment. A natural disaster struck the world initially and caused global chaos and uncertainty. War broke out between rival countries as they sought to claim more resources to deal with the situation.

Tensions became stronger and finally snapped. Military and rogue groups alike used biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons in cities with rival organisations and began to plan for the future development and eventual rebuilding of human society.

Private companies formed armed enclaves building up supplies of food, weapons, and medical supplies. One organisation decided to move to a space station and wait out the conflict before moving back to the planet and taking over. Then the disaster hit the planet. You see cities where the infrastructure system fails, and chaos begins. One country uses biological weapons on its people to reduce the population, so starvation doesn’t become an option. Rods from god dropped from space onto residential centres to further reduce the demand from the regional population.

Then blue-tinted words flashed on the visual screen.

[‘After having been cryogenically frozen for more than a hundred years it’s finally time to awaken. You are part of a secret organisation that was meant to awaken and rebuild society. Your mission is to wake up with your fellow squad members, secure your weapons, nano pack armour, fuel and medical cache and recon with your pre-prepared and secured military vehicles. Further orders will arrive for you from ‘Peak Prime HQ.’

Congratulations Cadet. The past has led to destruction and the present has known war. But you are now part of the future. The AIDWS (A.I Device Wakening System) will provide specialised equipment, special powers and character points will upon your awakening.

Due to the cryogenic process, your body has been bio-mechanically adapted to survive in the world beyond. Your implants will activate upon leaving the cryo-suite and your P.E.S – personal energy shield will begin recharging.

Welcome to the collaborator -ERROR - -error-----error – priority safety disconnect in place. Your player status will be –ERROR-- to the next available non-standard NPC. Preparing transmigration protocol.’

-Error- Protocol sequence disrupted. Initiating player introduction stage…. alternate initial tutorial mode enabled.]

That’s how I woke up in-game. My eyes were watering before I managed to force them open to awaken inside a darkened room. Why was this place so dark anyway? Did I just wake up in a cryogenic freezing chamber in my designated secret hidden bunker far beneath the surface of the planet? Regardless of the circumstances, this was going to turn out to be an exciting adventure.

The small amount of lighting was flickering slightly, and I looked to find myself in a darkened room. I looked down and I was sitting on a wooden chair with a metallic table in front of me.

Was this an interrogation room? Hope not…

Then a haggard-looking late-middle-aged woman walked in front of me smiling at me holding out a scrappy-looking book that looked like it had been constructed by hand along with a large piece of charcoal that a person had then carved into the form of a pen or pencil.

It was shaping out like I was going to answer a series of questions about my present circumstances. I’m guessing that a bunch of raiders broke into the cryo-chamber that I was residing in and took me prisoner or wanted to strip all the advanced tech out of my body.

Where was my squad if I was a military cadet? Did they know that I was alive, and would they be coming to rescue me?

It was then that the woman opened her voice and softly asked ‘Honey? Do you like it? We saved all the scrap paper we could find, and your father bound it himself!’

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

My consciousness had still not fully kicked back in, it wanted to awaken from a dream where you can remember parts of the dream but not the whole thing. I was going to be a cryogenically frozen bio-mechanical enhanced super-soldier.

Right?? I closed my eyes tight to see if this was a dream. It would be time to wake up and my daily alarm would ring for my usual 4 am wake-up.

My body feels really weak right now. Somewhat lighter than normal.

Or was the woman in front of me just larger than normal? Then a voice at the back of my mind shoved its way forward to grab my attention.

[Player XXX. You are designated as a level 0 beginner. Please select your character strengths and abilities. Body points can be allocated during this time. The basic level tutorial initial mode has now been enabled, there will be temporary restrictions until the mode has ended.]

‘Honey? Don’t you like your birthday present? We worked hard to prepare it for you. The Elders provided us with the paper.’ The woman asked me again, I heard a moment of hesitation and uncertainty in her voice like she was worried if I was feeling upset.

I finally opened my eyes again to see a middle-aged tired-looking woman looking at me. Her clothing looked worn out. Like someone had repaired and repatched it a dozen times over. Behind her, a man wearing similar clothing and age was smiling at me.

‘…. wow. It’s great. Thank you so much…Mum…Dad?’

I reached out with my hands and took the scrappy stack of papers that had formed into the form of a book. I left the stick of charcoal in the woman’s hand for a quick moment before I reached out for it and took it. It could be a quest item if I stored it in my inventory and an * sign appeared next to it. You never knew with game systems that for which the designers had planned. It looked a little bit weak to be a weapon though, I guess I could record my thoughts in the rough paper book.

[You just gained five points in radiation sickness. Due to the basic tutorial initial mode, this is current negated. Roddy Radiation says Rad to the Max isn’t healthy!]

An image of a bouncing yellow and black radiation sign came bouncing into my mind. Roddy? Radiation sickness? The birthday present is heavily irradiated? Worst birthdays present ever.

‘The boy should be pleased with his birthday present. Thank the Sky Gods for that. Old enough to be a diligent worker, he needs to understand how to give back to his community. The Sky Gods who dwell in the Above World demand our service in exchange for their protection.’

I looked up and saw a man with a beard, wearing a robe but it looked clean, and a slightly faded red. He looked like an old-time western monk who had grown old enough to become wiser, except for his eyes. They looked fierce like a predator looking down at a decent meal.

‘Boy, your time will be coming soon. The Gods need their Servants to provide. Bless them for their protection and kindness. Do you not feel bad already for taking and not giving back?’

Boy yourself old man. I thought to myself.

‘It’ll be his time for his daily task allocation soon enough. Just…just let him remain a child for a bit longer. Please, just let him have a little time. Just for today.’ the woman who appeared to be my mother in-game replied.

This is the point as a player I say goodbye to her before starting on my adventure. I should be receiving a player starter pack at least. Backpack, clothing, medicine, and a weapon, which was standard in a video game tutorial mode, along with the advice to keep wearing clean underwear daily.

Yes, I would like my starter pack please and out of this dump full of weird old priests and people who like to give me radioactive birthday presents. C’mon video game setting, show me what you got!

Then the player support kicked in with another notification and the same electronic voice appeared in my head. This time I accepted it wholeheartedly rather than trying to block it out and pay better attention to my surroundings.

[Player XXX. You are asked to select your character strengths and abilities. Body points can be allocated at this time. Other appearances and gender customisation are currently disabled when Basic level Tutorial Mode was enabled. You can use your PUI or Personal User Interface by raising your right hand. Do you want further hints during Tutorial Mode? Yes, no, or close?]

I raised my right hand and said yes as fast as I possibly could. Once I had moved my arm though I realised what had happened to my previous strength compared to my brief time in the opening cryogenic chamber scenario. My body has gotten smaller and lighter. I had turned into a child, I held up my hand and looked at it.

No way that was an adult-sized hand, it wasn’t that the woman was larger than normal, but I was smaller than I initially expected. Were the designers of this game trying to turn this into super challenge mode?

My hand? What? It shrank! They changed my character build. Ah right, level zero beginner. That doesn’t mean that I’m meant to be a kid though!

‘Honey? Are you well? Why did you raise your arm like that? Do you have a question for the Elder about your birthday present?’ my Mum asked me hesitantly.

‘Mom, I’m just overwhelmed by the present, especially on my birthday. I need to thank the gods for their kindness.’

‘Well, your father and I think that your eighth birthday should be a special occasion. Your father has something special to give you as well.’

The man who appeared a similar age to my mother talked.

‘Yes, you need something special for today. Time will pass fast, and you might even be helping me out soon in maintenance. My hair is getting greyer and I’m getting a little older so assistance would be much appreciated for my daily duties.’

His clothing was the same as my mother though just a larger size for his build.

‘Son, I know that you like sweet things. Here’s something to share with your friends.’

He passed me a small cloth bag with a tiny bit of weight to it. I took a look inside and saw around six wrapped packets.

[Player XXX your starting age for the Basic Level Tutorial has been set to eight years old. Do you wish to skip this stage and move on to the Intermediate Tutorial set for eighteen years old? Hints will be active in-game. Please be aware that you will only receive the minimum standard of experience points if you choose to skip. Your experience points will also be set to a complete minimum for all starter missions. Confirm choice yes, or no?]

Yeah, If I was stuck in a game situation then there was no way that I was going to lose out on experience points. And what was meant by neutral? Seemed like there was a chance of getting a different alignment depending on my choices. Evil, Super Evil and Demonic. Or good. Nah.

Time to make a choice.

I raised my right hand again and said ‘no.’

‘What?? Do you mean that you don’t like to share with your friends? Well, you are getting a bit older now it’s true…’

‘Sorry Dad, I meant no I’d like to share some with my family as well.’

‘You see dear? He takes his kindness from me and his good heart from you. He’s happy to share his eighth birthday present with his family. He’s a good, good boy.’

The older man standing next to my father coughed.

Does everyone living here suffer from radiation effects? I’m lucky this is a tutorial setting. Otherwise, I’d be dead in a week. Also, do not cough near my Dad.

‘He’ll make a fine Servant for the Sky Gods. I’ll take my leave soon, but first I need to give you something for him.’