Phil shut the door behind him and exhaled in relief.
Fiona had not taken the news well. Emma and Samantha didn’t understand but they followed their mother’s example and he hadn’t been left alone until now.
Phil wasn’t sure how Liam had taken the news. He had disappeared into his room soon after their family meeting and wasn’t cooperative when Phil knocked on his door.
Phil reached for the countdown message.
Reclamation duty leave remaining: 2.36/ 12 hours
Leave Settlement control zones before leave expires.
He had gotten up early to prepare before leaving. It was dark both inside the house and outside and he would be packing under candlelight.
Phil set the candle down on his desk and gently pulled his chair back. He couldn’t make any noise. He grimaced as he sat down and scooted forward. His standing desk was stuck at an awkward height and would be until the power came back on.
His office had changed in the last ten days. The monitors had come down and been piled in the corner of the room. A corkboard hung in front of him now. Scribbled notes, drawing and photos were pinned up, forming an increasingly complicated web. He had been tempted to find some thread to complete the look but it wasn’t that kind of project. A list of the names was pinned to the top right of the board to remind him of that.
But it wasn’t the corkboard in front of him that he was here for.
Phil flicked his eyes down to his notebook. It contained testing data he had gathered on his team and a few volunteers. Weight and times from a variety of exercises to track the empirical changes from passing thresholds. He lamented that he wouldn’t be able to get data any time soon on the third and latest threshold they had passed hours before.
But it wasn’t the testing data that he was here for.
Phil flicked through the notebook until he came to his journal section. He began to read.
Day 1:
> The world was upended today. Purple walls fell, hemming us into Kinmore and for what? Slugs?
>
> We were eating breakfast when the messages were beamed into our minds. Fiona panicked but I managed to calm her down. We decided I would follow the instructions and she would mind the kids.
>
> At the dock I received a classification (Theory 1: Technology advancement and nerds with too much money, Theory 2: Alien entertainment). I chose Scout. It seems like the most likely option to keep me alive. There was no mention of respawns or any revive technology.
>
> I’ve been trying to interact with the system all day but aside from the ability to retrieve old messages like a log there’s nothing. No help functions, manuals or support. Theory 1 is looking less likely. It's definitely a machine, the alphanumeric designations support that but there's not much of a user interface.
>
> It looks like we will be assigned reclamation duty once a day. The duty involves crossing the walls which seem to work as a solid and gas!??!? and seeking out the swarm which are small slug things (See Swarm, drawing 1.1).
>
> I am part of Group I38-7VQ which isn’t ideal. Only one person came prepared for the unknown and that was a kayaking instructor for Christ’s sake. I picked them up on the drive to the wall (See Heinz/ Beans character sheet). We agreed to cover each other's back so I hope Liam was right about him.
>
> As for the slugs/ swarm themselves, they weren’t too impressive. They can communicate and are smart enough to plan ambushes but they’re tiny. The evaporation upon death is concerning but nothing too special (See Swarm, Theory 3: Energy harvesting, Louise character sheet). I wish I could calculate how much energy they should give. The numbers were all wrong. It might be based on the weight of the slugs but I wasn’t able to gather any data on that.
>
> I wanted to push the group to stay. If Theory 2 is correct we need to stay ahead of the curve and farm now. Tom was shaken and I felt maintaining the safety of a full team to be more important (See Tom character sheet) . Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Day 2:
> Tom didn’t show up this morning. We should have stayed yesterday to farm. One mistake and I think we are behind already. The Swarm is growing too fast, they’ve evolved from slugs to snakes already (See Swarm, Theory 4: Biological harvesting).
>
> Thankfully the rest of the team seem to be shaping up. Heinz connected us with a source of armour and day care for the kids. I just need to convince Fiona to let them go. Shane and Louise are both adapting and brought some form of weapon or armour today. Heinz and Louise seemed eager to gain energy today. We might be able to catch up. Or well we would if we weren’t getting assignments in the dark. If the trend continues the next assignment will be in the middle of the night.
>
> Fiona was to start investigating her assignment, Cultivation, today. Between the kids, and I suspect worrying about me, she didn’t get very far. The numbers are interesting though. Cultivators gain more attributes with each level up. Is it a balancing measure? I’ll need to find out just how many people were assigned each role to figure out more (See System).
Day 3:
> We crossed the wall outside of an assignment today. I don’t know how I missed the possibility. Louise came up with the idea and tested it out. This group might have potential.
>
> Louise proved this again when she crossed the threshold first. Nothing earth shattering happened. There was no flash of light or obvious sign other than Louise’s reaction. But she is different. So how? I have to assume it’s related to whatever method the system uses for messages. We are all already infected. (See Theory 5: Biological manipulation).
>
> Louise is an impressive woman. Even if she wasn’t much help detailing the threshold changes. I am about to go over to Brian’s to get a baseline for myself before I cross the threshold.
>
> Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
>
> Fiona wasn’t impressed with the idea of spending more time across the wall and we had a bad fight. I’ve tried to explain the logic and that we need to get ahead early but she thinks I’m treating this like too much of a game. I’m not sure how to convince her otherwise.
Day 4:
> We got a new group member last night. She’s too young - still in school for Christ's sake. I don’t know how I can continue as planned with her on the team now. Louise’s face when Tara introduced herself was stricken. I don’t see her continuing either.
>
> Heinz, Shane and I passed the threshold. I understand why Louise couldn’t describe the changes now. I feel more of everything. The gym session later in the day helped narrow down why (See Character sheets, System).
>
> The rest of the day was bad. It started with meeting Tara’s parents and then the message that an entire zone/town of people has fallen. I couldn’t help but put my feet in her parent’s shoes. If it had been Liam I don’t know what I’d do. Refusing to bring Tara and sending her to the hospital isn’t an option either. Theory 5 is looking more likely and we seem to be puppets under this system.
>
> The expedition to rescue the lost group had mixed results. We rescued three out of five but we left one body and Jack’s father behind. I’m struggling to make choices. I got caught up in fear before we left and I may have driven Shane away for good. Louise said she would smooth things over at their dinner but siding with the council on keeping things quiet didn’t help.
>
> I’m keeping that secret from everyone but I can’t help wondering who has died. Do I know them? I found myself walking the estate today and checking if anyone was missing.
>
> I’m moving observations to a separate note. Journaling the days is helping me sort my thoughts but my entries are becoming more personal and I don’t want to share them.
Day 5:
> We found Michael last night which was a relief. I can’t say my worries about my choices are gone but it has helped alleviate them.
>
> I was minding Emma and Liam today when the message about the walls falling in I38-4Q came in. I had a moment of happiness when I realised we won’t be confined forever. Then I realised nothing stood between my family and the Swarm.
>
> Liam’s actions only drove this home. I wasn’t sure if I would kiss him or kill him when I found him. I hadn’t realised how frustrated he was getting being stuck up at home. Fiona, Liam and I had a tear filled conversation when we got back. He will be going out with Fiona to keep an eye on her while she practises cultivation but it’s a stopgap. Working at the outdoor centre might work but I’ll have to speak to the owner. Emma is back in high spirits. She seems to like Heinz and Louise.
>
> The first town meeting was held today. Aside from finding that Tara crossed the threshold after I left, the announcements did contain some good information. The system shop is an interesting change. It seems like the system is building a reliance between those assigned to Reclamation and Cultivation beyond food.
>
> I am more worried about the extended duty times. It is great for growth but it speaks to a mobilisation.
Day 6:
> Today was a mixed bag. Great growth but lots of thorns that could hurt us in the future.
>
> The morning went well aside from the need to use a boat. I am concerned about the water. I know a large percentage of life on earth lives in the water. Why aren’t we finding the Swarm there? The system locks access to the sea from us. What is going on? (See System, Sea).
>
> We found our first burnt out building. I’m surprised there haven’t been more with how everyone was teleported instantly.
>
> Heinz suggested we double up on duty and explore the Manor from the estate we visited previously. It went well but we suffered our first injuries. Heinz was out of it after the fight with the boar swarm and Shane might have broken something.
>
> Heinz, Louise and I passed the second threshold after the fight. With that and the amount of food we pulled, I have to say it was a successful expedition even with the injuries. Shane seems to have forgiven me too.
>
> I changed my personal attribute allocation when I got home which hurt. I’m glad I did it in my office as my family don’t need to see me in pain. Theory 5 has strong evidence now.
>
> The swarm has adapted so much. We have continued naming the creatures after Earth animals but I’m not sure how long that will last. The beasts grow stranger and more divergent every day.
>
> After babysitting I checked out the shop area but the system would not interact with me. I will have to try to convince Fiona to come with me again.
Day 7:
> A horrible start to the day. People I’d known for years stood and hurled abuse at me when they found the patch I put over our fuel tanks. They only saw reason after a search of my home. I won’t forget this.
>
> I snapped at Heinz today. He was caught up in some funk about the manor yesterday and didn’t want to go too deep into the zone. It was uncalled for but between the diesel accusations and our slow progress I handled it badly. Thankfully Louise was there to smooth things over.
>
> Shane was sloppy and a moment of distraction from the rest of us left him an easy target. Hopefully it will serve as a lesson about trusting each other.
>
> Before the town meeting I got more data on the second threshold. Alfie, a member of the council, was interested in the data and will be helping me to collect more.
>
> They announced the names of the dead Reclaimers at the town meeting. I knew one of them, Nicole, but not well. I’m not sure what the funeral arrangement will be or if I should go.
>
> The news about contact with Courtmacsherry was welcome. We aren’t alone. Despite the bad news I left the meeting happy.
>
> The shop changed that (See Theory 6: Nanites).
Day 8:
> I killed a man today. Not with my rake but my choices and plans. I’m having trouble facing my family knowing another is in mourning because of me. But they’re the only thing that keeps me going.
>
> I spoke to Patrick for the first time this morning, days after meeting him for the first time. He was helpful and eager to help test out the augments. It makes it so much worse. Dick, Louise and I thought we were so smart at the docks when we came up with the idea. We were fools.
>
> I wonder how things would have changed if I made the call to close the valve earlier. Would we have been in better shape to face the hyena? Would Patrick have lived?
>
> Shane gave me Patrick’s spear. A reminder of my faults and mistakes.
>
> The clearing work in I38-4P confirmed my fears. We have fallen behind. Kinmore has fallen behind.
Day 9:
> I nearly crushed Fiona’s hand in my sleep. She woke me up and brushed it off saying it was just an attempt at revenge for her grip all those times in the delivery room. But it wasn’t and the bruises prove it. She will be wearing gloves for the future. Emma barely recognised me last night. How much have I changed?
>
> Louise and Tara came to get me for an expedition in the morning. Louise who was injured yesterday was still the one to get us organised. Am I the weak link?
>
> The expedition today went well. Two new kinds of swarm and we didn’t falter. The assigned group only showed us how far we have come. I hope it’s far enough.
>
> Lizard team and the news about the council was a revelation. I can’t trust others to solve this problem. I’ve made mistakes but I’ve done so much. I see a path forward now.
>
> We had dinner as a family which was a hodgepodge but incredible. I’m quickly writing this down so I can get back to them.
Phil sighed before reaching for a pen and adding a new entry for day 10.
After it was all down Phil frowned and read over it again. Something just didn’t sit right with him about that battle. Something was off. What was he missing?
He ran through the events again. The fire. The wall falling. The flare. Getting surrounded. The Hyenas. Heinz passing his threshold. Shane’s charge. Heinz dropping. The counterattack. Shane and him crossing theirs as the Hyena fell. The cleanup and steadying Tara as she-
“Phil!” Fiona’s panicked voice rang out through the night. Samantha started crying soon after.
Phil grabbed the last few notes off the board and shoved them between the pages of his notebook. He would convince Fiona to help him pack. It might help soothe her worries.
Phil shoved the notebook into his bag and sighed. He had no idea what the ‘Bounty’ system would bring.
‘I hope the others are more prepared.’