Chapter 1 Reset: Salvation (part 1)

The darkness smashed against me like the waves of a stormy night. Again and again they crash, sometime light flutters through, touching my mind only for it to be swept away in the endless tides of darkness. Slowly the tides receded and light pieces through touching my mind bringing with it a beautiful cascade of colours. Slowly cracking open my eyes I see a vague concrete ceiling. Suddenly, bolting awake like a deer in headlights the last minutes of my life flash before my eyes! Pain, agony, colours and space. I remember with painful clarity the ship disappearing into the distance right after I fixed the 8th engine and then... Blackness. Bolting up out of the ruff bedsheets. I dash out of bed to the window just meters away. As I rush to the window I scrape my feet across the cold raw wooden floor boards. Peaking out the window I see a sight that brought tears to my eyes. Earth! In all it’s ruined glory. Collapsed buildings, withered trees and scorched red earth. But no matter how ugly it looks, no matter how destroyed, abused or toxic it is. It’s still home, my home. Taking a moment to appreciate seeing earth again I stared out into the swirl of greys and reds. Only moments latter the reality of it set. How am I here? Why am I hear? Most importantly why aren’t I dead! Feeling my pocket I grabbed out an old model iPhone 52. As I was about to try unlocking the phone with DNA recognition I froze. Like a statue, I just stared at the screen. Slowly a feeling I thought had died well up in me. Like rain striking the desert, hope welled up in me. Breaking through some of the walls I had placed around my heart. Still struggling with emotions left abandoned for years I stared in disbelief at the screen that read January 1-2081. Just 10 days away from when the SA abandoned earth in hopes of a better future. Struggling with the realisation that I was 12 years back in time a million chaotic thoughts flashed through me. Suddenly the ironclad logical part of my mind clamped down, trained for 12 years through wading the troubled political waters of an information guild. I had been used, abused and deceived to many times to take this information at face value. My mind started inspecting every detail around me, running through the sound entering my ears, pain entering my body and smells around me. Upon verifying that they conformed to the physics of reality and in no way a simulated reality, my mind started to reviewing my memories. Comparing and contrasting the details. 10 minutes latter I sigh in joy and disbelief. It is real! Somehow I had traveled 12 years into the past.

My ice cold heart cracked by the smallest amount. Hope! A future! I could right the wrong, gain power and survive. Quickly my mind flickered through a list of things to do the next three days. I need to solidify my position and become know to the upper class powers behind humanities salvation. While this won’t make a major impact in the game, it will give me a starter boost and help put me on the same level as the rich and powerful. It’s very important to get ahold of an advanced VAC, once Salvation, the ship carrying humanities hope returns to Earth and humanity is removed from the VACs people will start seeing the fruits of their work. However only an advanced VAC with genetic manipulation allows the user to manifest abilities similar to what they gain in game. Such as invisibility, heat control or regeneration.

From my memory there’s only one way to gain trust, goodwill and appreciation from the higher ups and that is through saving a life. Vaguely a memory stirs in the back of my mind. The vice director of project salvation, Edward Goodwin will or would have suffered a horrible tragedy 2 days before salvation launches. His daughter Charlotte Goodwin will be involved in a robbery gone bad when a crowd of rioters attack a new rich generations household that is hosting a party that Charlotte is attending. Now the only problem is, how am I going to attend the party!

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Looking at my 20 year old figure in the mirror, I have an attractive figure. Well shaped from 4 years of rough engineering working. Lean yet muscular. This figure only accented by the long flowing black hair on my head and the piecing emerald eyes I possess. Looking at myself in the mirror standing a 6 foot I think I have a decent chance at getting through the door. However I really need to fix this horribly awful clothing. Hmmm I need to somehow organise some respectable clothing and land transport for tomorrow’s event and 6:00pm. The only way I can currently think of that will safely organise all this is to go out into the waste lands and “borrow” a sports car and clothing from some dead guys. It’s a risk, but I don’t want to jeopardise my position on Salvation. Grabbing my only possessions: a Glock with two magazines and a leather jacket I head out onto the rubble road heading towards the southern check point. Looking around at the survivors huddled in tents or broken down shacks like packed sardines I think to myself how glad I am I’m not them. No compassion or mercy from me, that was already stripped away from me years ago...

Finally reaching the Southern check point I keep my head down and eyes lower lest I attracted the frustration of the guards. No longer is society protected by such things as legal rights. If a guard shoots you there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. As I hear them taunt the passers by: “Look at that good for nothing loser, probly has a death wish.” “Let’s hope he dies outside the walls, more food for us...” I restrain the anger and frustration that I want to take out on them and think to myself 3 days from now I’m going to be safely seated in a VAC while they try to weather a nuclear winter.

Jogging down the broken and cracked highway I head into the city with my head held high, alert monitoring the sky and surroundings. As I pass by a few looted gas stations and super markets I see movement flash by my left hand side. All of a sudden a blur turns sharply and veers straight for my left leg, snapping out my gun I turn and fire 3 quick and clean shots straight into the abominations chest. The first and second bullet strike the left and right side of its parched chest respectively. The thing whines and slows down it’s assault but still pushes forward with a ferocity rarely seen only to be hit right in the centre of the rib cage. It loses all support and collapses in a heap, still breath although weakly. Looking closely at what humanities domesticated animals have become. I see a hairless mutt filled to the brim with muscles that almost pulsate with each breath. Its mouth, no longer is it the normal open and close jaw instead when it opens its mouth the jaw separates into 4 different pieces with shark like teeth facing inwards towards the throat. A menacing combination designed to cripple and strip flesh from bones rather than crush. What a terrifying creature mankind has birthed.

A few more minutes of high tension I finally approached what appears to be a respectable men’s fashion shop. Although there’s some cracks and a lot of damage on the building itself it appears to be in reasonable condition, especially when compared to its adjacent buildings. As I started strutting into the building like I own the place, I freeze as the logical part of my mind caught up like a steam train. It slammed the facts of the previous hardships I’d faced into me like a brick wall. Taking a deep breath I started creeping forward, glock aimed and ready to fire at the slightest movement. Even if it was a human...I shutdown the emotional part of my brain the best I could and focused on the cold hard truth of survival. Quickly surveying the inside of the store, with a cold gaze I made sure there were no nasty surprises before I put on a fashion show.

Quickly selecting two stunning black and royal blue jacket and pants along with a pair of polished dress shoes I made my escape jogging along the road on the lookout for any open sports vehicles I may be able to repurpose. Head no longer hanging low in despair but held upright, fill with hope and a new conviction.