PROLOGUE - SAMMY

It all started a year ago. Rumors of monsters stalking people, killing off livestock, eating pets… that sort of thing. Videos started popping up, but most were blurry and out of focus. Anyway, it was being written off as a joke but was reaching urban legend status. The new boogeyman, if you will.

Then, yesterday, footage leaked out of Russia. It was a super cut of shots from a drone and a dash cam. There was no sound, but what it showed was disturbing. The car was driving down a rural road. Passing woods on one side and farmland on the other. It was being followed by one of the new FM drones. The AI powered drones that promised to “document your life”. They were a natural evolution from the body cams and headgear worn years prior.

Something charged from the woods, ramming the car and rolling it into a ditch. The drone circled the accident, focusing on the only thing moving. An insect like chitin covered boar squealed at the car. Its tusks, like thick curved swords, sharpened along the outer edge.

It eyed the drone, then snorted and jumped into the ditch. The video switched to the dash cam showing a closeup of the boar as it tore through the windshield. The video was choppy from there. It rustled around in the car, feasting on the driver. The dash cam only caught the rocking of the car, occasional glances of the beast and the spattering of blood and viscera.

The drone followed the beast into the woods before losing it and returning to the car. Emergency lights flashed in the distance, suggesting someone was approaching from down the road before the video faded to black. A link in the video promised access to the raw footage from both cameras. The secret was out.

—

Samantha Constantine had spent the last year and a half trapped in a bed. She could control a few fingers on her left hand. Otherwise she was paralyzed from the neck down. She could talk, but required a machine to help her breathe while sleeping. Without that, she’s sure she would’ve lost her mind by now.

A custom rig allowed her to use a computer mounted over her bed. Outside of therapy times and feeding she spent all day streaming or browsing the internet. She’d become fascinated with the “monster invasion” craze that was sweeping the web. She spent most of her days watching videos or taking part in the various chats related to it.

Then everything changed. It started with a dream…

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The room formed around her. There were no walls, floors, or ceiling. Instead, a misty white glow marked its boundaries. Next came sensations. Her body was a little numb, but otherwise OK. The floor beneath her feet was solid, which was strange since she couldn’t see it.

She was standing and she could feel her legs!

“Hello Sammy, I’m Nexus. I need your help.” The voice was soothing, barely a whisper, but she could hear it clearly.

Sammy wasn’t listening, she was too busy laughing. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet before squealing and sprinting away.

“Sammy?” The voice continued, as if right next to her.

Still not listening, Sammy tumbled forward into a cartwheel that ended in a handstand. She walked forward on her hands before dropping one leg and pivoting upright. Then she spun around and around until she was too dizzy to continue. As she gasped for air, she shouted. “I love this dream!” She dropped to the floor and flopped onto her back. Not content to lie there, she started moving her arms and legs as if trying to make an angel in the strange fog.

“Are you ready to listen now?” The voice almost sounded amused.

Sammy sat up, running her hands through the surrounding fog. It was like nothing was there. It didn’t even respond to her hand passing through it. “This isn’t a dream, is it?”

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“Not exactly. You aren’t physically here, but this is very real. Welcome to Nexus.”

“What is Nexus and who are you?”

“I am Nexus. My purpose is to monitor the development of this world. This place is a virtual reality meeting room of sorts.”

The fog cleared, revealing a familiar blue textured surface. Her weight settled onto it, sinking into the padding underneath. The smell of a gymnastics training room assaulted her. The mats, the chalk, even the tang of old sweat and rubbing cream. It was all so familiar, like coming home. She couldn’t help but tear up.

“I am sorry if I’ve upset you, Sammy. This is what you were thinking of after you arrived. I thought it was better than emptiness.”

With a sniff, Sammy ran her arm across her nose, then wiped at her eyes. “No, no. This is perfect.” She looked down, realizing she was naked. “And some clothes, too. Just jeans and a tee is good.” A tingle passed over her as the outfit she was thinking of materialized around her. She stuck her arms in the pockets of her favorite hoodie, rolling her shoulders and scrunching up her face. “Thanks!”

Still euphoric about the return of her body, she hopped up and began pacing. “So you need my help?”

A globe of the Earth appeared in front of Sammy. Scattered across the globe were hundreds of spots, some just pin points. Sammy spun the globe, letting her fingers drag across it. She followed the contours of the mountains and seas, stopping it as the Americas came into view.

“Yes, the corrupted appearing across your world are the early signs of a Surge. They will grow stronger and more numerous as the Surge progresses.”

“So these things are real? Isn’t the military or government or whatever dealing with them?”

“They hunt them down, but most corrupted hide while they grow stronger. Those will be harder to deal with.”

“The Russian thing looked scary, but it’s just an animal. Wouldn’t a bazooka or whatever take care of it?”

“The corrupted are not just animals. They are something far more… capable. What you see is nothing compared to what they can evolve into.”

“And what can I do about it?”

“I can create and maintain facilities and hosts to help. Compatible divers, like yourself, can use these to push back the Surge. This will give your people time to prepare for what is coming.”

She shivered, remembering the boar tearing through a car with ease. “Fight that thing? Me? Are you crazy?”

“Not you or not your body, anyway. You would fight using a host's body similar to theirs and you would not be alone. With enough resources, I can manage thousands of divers and their hosts. Finding other candidates, however, is proving to be difficult.”

“I’m alone now, though. How do I control one? Does it hurt?”

“Linking to a host does not hurt but while linked, you will feel what it feels, even pain. In addition, learning to control it can be difficult. I must connect to you first but then linking is almost instantaneous.”

“What happens to it when I’m not linked? Where does it go?”

“It is a construct managed by a core matrix, similar to mine, only far less complex. As long as the core survives I can absorb and recreate it at will. I can even transfer the matrix wherever I have a presence and a core of sufficient size.”

Confused, Sammy’s pacing slowed, and she stared at her feet. “A presence? I thought you were virtual?”

A blue pulse on the globe drew Sammy’s attention to a spot in North America. “My core is deep within a mantle plume under Yellowstone National Park. From there I can create a physical node on the surface along with a minimal host. Using that host you will need to gather resources for me or it will take me months to make any meaningful progress.”

She leaned in, studying the red dots just in North America. They seemed to cluster along the mountains and in the forests. “How can we fight this? It’s too much.”

“Without the support of your people you can’t. Your world is millennia from understanding the technology at play here. Even with my help, it will take time to mount a defense. Our best chance is to inform the population and get them working together while we slow the Surge and build up our forces.”

“OK, OK. One step at a time. You got this. Think.” Sammy began mumbling to herself. A habit she had picked up on the tournament circuit to drown everything out so she could focus. With a jerk, she stopped what she was doing and looked around frantically. “What about my body? What’s happening to it?”

“You are asleep. Don’t worry, I can wake you up in response to external stimuli or if your body is in distress. You cannot spend all of your sleeping time in here but for now, this will do.”

“Right, so can you make your base, or whatever, somewhere hidden? It is an enormous park over you, right?” she asked, shifting her focus back to the globe.

“Yes, outside of the tourist areas, it is untouched wilderness. I can form a node and host in a day then you can use your host to gather resources.”

“In the meantime, can we communicate somehow?”

“Yes, there are rules I operate under but I’m allowed public participation within the boundaries of the existing internet.”

“Does that mean you can post and stuff? You know, let people know what is going on and where the, um, corrupted, are hiding out?”

“I can try but what I have seen of your world I doubt many would listen.”

“If your information is correct eventually someone will then maybe we can find some help.”

“Understood. The creation of a node and your initial host will require all of my effort so I will have to disconnect you. Until I am done, I can communicate with you via the internet. I may need your feedback though so expect me to contact you.”

Diver disconnecting…

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