《They Can't Stop Us All》
Prologue
¡°The world is in an uproar. Earlier this year an anonymous user on the popular social media platform: FaceMash, created an event and shared it to his friends and groups as a harmless, little, joke. Since then the event in question, ¡°Breach Area 51, They Can¡¯t Stop Us All!¡±, has spiraled wildly out of control and has spread to the entire world. The original creator has since expressed his remorse for starting the event ¨C he explained that it was just supposed to be a joke, but now he¡¯s worried that people will actually try to go through with it, causing someone to get hurt. While the creator may regret his actions, this has not stopped major franchises and companies from jumping on the bandwagon to gain support from the event¡¯s followers. This business-trend started when the famous company Chef America Inc., creator of the popular microwave food: Tastywich, posted a video on FaceMash featuring a dancing alien emerging from a Tastywich with the caption: ¡°waiting for September 20 like¡±. Not long after this stunt, several other companies posted on FaceMash showing their support of raiding Area 51. The beer company Budvar Light even claimed the spot as ¡°the official beer¡± of the event, and promised to release a special, limited edition, beer can if the event actually took place, and guaranteed free beer for any aliens that escape their imprisonment.
While this event may seem like a good bit of fun and shows promise as a free promotional event for companies, any person that actually attempts to breach Area 51 will likely find themselves in a very dangerous situation. Just the other day President Trumph held a press conference to address the event and he made clear the dangers of participating by saying: ¡°While the United States government will not be going out of its way to violate the Freedom of Expression, by squashing this event before it becomes serious, it will be forced to use all means necessary to protect its assets if the event truly comes to fruition.¡± While the president probably assumed his speech would deter any would-be participants, it actually had the opposite effect. Alien hunters and other conspiracy theorists used the speech as a platform to show just how afraid the government was of the public finding their secrets, and that there really must be aliens imprisoned in the base if they will go so far to protect it. That summary of events leads us today to this press conference that is being held by one of America¡¯s most affluent billionaires; CEO and founder of SolarX and SpaceCity, we would like to introduce your host Errol Musk Jr.!¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
The reporter finally finished the summary of events and introduction of the host, allowing the press conference to start. Which is a good thing too, because the crowd that had built up on the streets was probably going to riot if they were forced to wait any longer for the main event. Errol Musk Jr. is very well-liked by the general public for his easy-going nature and humorously eccentric personality. Just last year Musk decided that the best way to market his new vehicle was to launch it into space with a dashcam and hope that the viewers understood how sturdy and well-constructed his vehicle was. Most of the world agreed that the real reason he launched a car into space was because of the simple reason that he was rich and could do whatever he wanted. This bolstered Musk¡¯s reputation as a fun, wacky, billionaire that would always be interesting to watch. It was for this reason that a massive crowd had gathered when he called a press conference with the intention of addressing the upcoming Area 51 event; knowing his quirky nature, the crowd was sure that they wouldn¡¯t want to miss this speech.
Musk stepped forward to the podium, his characteristic grin adorning his face as he accepted the microphone from the reporter.
¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering why I gathered you all here today¡± Musk paused as the crowd gave a brief chuckle for one of the most overused lines in pop culture.
¡°Sorry about that, I just couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity to use that opener. But enough with the jokes, I¡¯m sure you actually are wondering what I have to say about this trending event involving Area 51. It should come as no surprise that I¡¯ve taken an interest in this matter, seeing as I have dedicated my company to space and amassed my fortune by trying to make space habitable by mankind. So, for all you alien hunters, otakus, weebs and any other person that is seriously considering breaching Area 51 to harvest its secrets; I have just one thing I would like to declare to you!¡±
The crowd was silent, grasping on to Musk¡¯s every word. The reporters stopped trying to get comments from anybody present. Families at home were leaning towards their televisions, straining their ears so they wouldn¡¯t miss a single word of Musk¡¯s declaration. A single janitor sat alone in a breakroom, deep in the structure of Area 51, passively absorbing Musk¡¯s words from the radio as he pondered how his life could have possibly brought him here.
Chapter 1 - Mop Brigade
In an empty breakroom, in the middle of Area 51, there sat a young janitor. This janitor was currently reviewing his life choices and wondering how he could have possibly made so many bad decisions in just a few years. He wasn¡¯t a brooding mess when he joined the military, but that¡¯s what¡¯ll happen to somebody who had expected a lot better out of the government than what he experienced. One might wonder why he would get another government job ¨C and as a lowly janitor, at that ¨C after he spent three years being mad about his first one; but money is a powerful motivator when you don¡¯t want to get stuck in your hometown.
¡°¡I have just one thing I would like to declare to you! -¡± Musk¡¯s voice abruptly cut off as the radio was silenced with a quick twist of its knob.
¡°Hey, come on! I haven¡¯t heard Musk¡¯s big declaration, yet!¡± The janitor yelled as his coworker just rolled his eyes.
¡°Yah whatever, you can go watch the video online after work. But right now, your break¡¯s over and we still have half the facility to sanitize.¡± The man was already retreating into the hallway as Grant Miles pulled himself to his feet, but stopped to add, ¡°and how have you not already heard that speech? The press conference happened two days ago.¡±
Grant knew that his break was over before his coworker dragged him back to the job, but he was already sick of the janitorial work and it was only his third day. It probably wouldn¡¯t have been so bad as a janitor in the civilian sector; but here on a military base it just brought back the suffocating feeling he remembered from his time in the army. It didn¡¯t help that Derek, his coworker, was a former marine and thought that gave him some sort of authority over Grant, even though they both just started at the job. ¡°Yah I know, but my computer is packed on a truck and still being transported here with the rest of my furniture.¡± Grant grumbled, ¡°and I don¡¯t even get a cell signal at my new apartment ¨C apparently I¡¯m going to have to switch service providers.¡±
Derek gave a slight snicker in response, ¡°yah that must really suck for a barracks rat like you, no computer games or trashy Japanese cartoons to entertain you while you hole up in your room.¡± He quickly schooled his grin and said in a more serious voice, ¡°but you really shouldn¡¯t be bothering with that ¡®breach Area 51¡¯ crap anyway. If you get mixed up in that stuff, you¡¯ll lose your top-secret clearance, which is the only reason you even have this crap janitor job.¡±
It was true, Grant had gotten kicked out of the army with an honorable discharge which had allowed him to keep his top-secret clearance from his satcom position and his GI Bill, which would have allowed him to go to college. He could still go to college at any time, but he just didn¡¯t see the point because he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. So, he pulled up the government job listings and found a contractor position that would utilize his top-secret clearance, which in turn would pay more money because of the requirement. Grant had thought that a top-secret contractor job at Area 51 would have been a lot cooler, but apparently not having a college degree still made him just good enough to clean the facility.
Grant sighed as he responded, ¡°you know that¡¯s not fair man, I just got to this town and haven¡¯t made any friends yet.¡± That¡¯s what he said, but he really didn¡¯t plan to socialize much at all, if he could get away with it. He was a pretty typical example of a ¡°barracks rat¡±. ¡°And you really got to cut out the weird military catch-phrases; we¡¯re both regular civilians now and you¡¯re going to creep somebody out.¡± Grant really didn¡¯t need the constant reminder of military life, that Derek just seemed to embody. ¡°Though you¡¯re right about not getting involved with that stuff. This job is pretty crap, but I¡¯ll need that clearance later in life.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Derek just grunted as a response, probably salty that he didn¡¯t have a partner he could relive the ¡°glory days¡± with. The pair eventually made it to a utility closet, where they pulled out their supply cart and proceeded to actually do their job; cleaning the top-secret offices of the facility.
****
Several hours passed as the two worked diligently through their shift; sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and dusting as the need arose, until finally the clock hit 1700 and their workday was over. They then dropped off all the cleaning supplies in its original spot, crammed in the utility closet in the hall, and made their way toward the employee lockers to collect their personal effects before they could head home.
Grant slung his backpack over his shoulder and started the walk to the exit but was stopped by Derek before he could leave.
¡°Alright, you¡¯re relieved of duty for today, make sure to be in by 0850 tomorrow morning. You know what the military¡¯s policy is on 10-minutes prior.¡± Derek delivered the impromptu speech with a mocking voice. He probably thought his attempts to make Grant uneasy were hilarious, but after a full workday and several complaints for Derek to knock it off, Grant had finally had enough.
¡°Fuck off with all that macho-military bullshit! I¡¯m not a soldier and you¡¯re not my fucking boss! If I want to show up and clock in at exactly 0900, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ll do, because as a civilian I can do whatever I damn-well please!¡± Grant felt a rush as he finally told this asshole off. Derek had been a pain since day one and it had been a huge mistake not to set these boundaries at the very beginning. So finally taking the opportunity to cut him down to size, Grant had not controlled his volume at all, enjoying the small jump of surprise his voice had caused in Derek.
Realizing what happened, and processing Grant¡¯s words, Derek¡¯s face fell into a glare and turned bright red before he barked out his response, ¡°you¡¯re right! You¡¯re not a soldier! You¡¯re a fucking failure is what you are. Kicked out of the military on your first fucking enlistment? Pathetic!¡± He stepped towards Grant and seemed to be just barely holding himself back from throwing a punch.
This time is was Grant¡¯s turn to flush red with anger, ¡°I¡¯m pathetic?! That¡¯s rich coming from the broke-ass janitor playing at being a Marine because he knows he¡¯ll never achieve anything in the real world. Oh, and let¡¯s not forget that you can¡¯t even go back to the Marines because you were stupid enough to get a Bar to Reenlistment right before your contract was up.¡± Grant chuckled dryly and then snapped to the position of attention, before presenting his most crisp salute. ¡°Captain Broomstick of the Mop Brigade! This lowly sanitation grunt requests to take his leave!¡± His words turned mocking partway through and he deliberately presented his middle finger to the other man, before turning to go home. He didn¡¯t make it far.
Grant had only taken two steps before Derek grabbed him by his shoulders and slammed him into the nearby lockers. Grant had just hopped to his feet and was about to repay violence with even more violence; but he was forced to halt and cover his ears as a shrieking alarm rang throughout the room. The two were both caught off guard by the random alarm and it took them a moment to remember their orientation brief, which had gone over the various alarms and drills that could potentially occur at Area 51. This particular alarm was very distinctive and was most definitely not a drill ¨C it was actually one of the most serious alarms they had been briefed on. Grant and Derek glanced at each other as they finally recognized the alarm for what it was, and then abruptly sprinted out the door and through various halls of the compound. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, for that alarm only meant one possible thing here at Area 51: the outer fence has been breached, unknown entities have invaded the inner compound.
Chapter 2 - On The Fence
The maintenance tunnel was dark as the two men made their way down the hall, their heads on a swivel as they scanned for their target. Dressed in black tactical gear ¨C boots, cargo pants, Kevlar vest and a stereotypical ski mask ¨C it was obvious that these two individuals did not belong in this restricted maintenance hatch. They crept further through the passage before one with a waist pack turned to the other, who carried a blue schematic with written directions and markings.
¡°Where¡¯s this box at? The lab-nerd said it¡¯d be around here! I swear if this whole operation ends up being a bust¡¡± Waist-Pack trailed off as his guide held up a hand, indicating for silence.
¡°Should be just around ¨C here!¡± The guide¡¯s eyes wandered over the walls before they fell on a spot about halfway up, and he stepped toward it. Embedded in the wall was a plain-white panel that almost perfectly blended with the paint that coated the concrete it was housed in. If not for the hairline-space that was visible around the service door, the panel would have been nearly invisible in the dim light.
Guide tapped his knuckles against the service door, popping the panel open with ease. He briefly illuminated the interior of the panel with a shoulder-light, revealing a semi-organized mess of wires and cables. Reviewing the contents, Guide folded up his map and said ¡°this is it, prep the charge and wire the detonator. The explosive is small, so we just have to be at the end of the hall to avoid the blast.¡± It only took a moment for Waist-Pack to attach a small, metallic, square and wireless receiver to the panel, before the pair retreated down the hall.
When they made it into position, Waist-Pack looked over at his partner and said ¡°alright, this is our last chance to back out, once we blow that panel somebody will have to open an investigation¡±
Guide was undeterred with his response as he said ¡°and miss our big payday? No way. Besides, they¡¯ll already have to launch an investigation when they realize their lab-tech fled the country. We need funds to escape before they can figure out that he sold us information.¡±
¡°Yah I know, it just calms my nerves thinking there¡¯s a way to back out. But oh well, here goes.¡± Waist-Pack replied before pulling out his cell phone and speaking into the receiver: ¡°Team One, this is Team Two, detonating charge in 3. 2. 1.¡±
His thumb squeezed down, and there was no turning back.
****
Grant and Derek were winded by the time their mad dash came to an end. The two had found their way to a single door in an otherwise empty hallway on the second floor of the building. Derek stepped up to the door and hammered on it until it opened to reveal an annoyed-looking guard.
¡°Janitors? What the hell are you guys doing here?¡± The guard said after a silent moment of appraisal.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Grant had caught his breath at that point and was the one to answer. ¡°The alarm sounded while we were clearing out for the day. Policy states that we¡¯re supposed to wait here until the situation is controlled.¡± There was a security office in every restricted building on this base, and since the custodial crew doesn¡¯t have their own locking office, they have to report to the security office during emergencies.
¡°Yah, I know what the policy says. I meant more along the lines of ¡®why would you come in to work on raid day¡¯, but whatever. Come on in and get comfortable, I doubt this situation will deescalate anytime soon.¡± Was the guard¡¯s response as he waved the pair into the office. The two stepped inside and were able to get their first view of the room. It was a small, plain, office that consisted of a few chairs against the wall, an open closet with a couple cabinets, and an entire wall of monitors that showed various angles in and around the building, with a rolling chair and desk in position to view it.
¡°What do you mean? there can¡¯t be that many people who are crazy enough to show up for this raid, right?¡± Grant said as stopped to peer at the monitors. Derek responded by giving him a quick nudge and pointing out a specific monitor on the wall. This monitor was setup to view a portion of the perimeter fence that surrounded the base. The picture quality wasn¡¯t great, with a grainy black and white display, but Grant could make out that the fence was shaking like crazy and it looked like the ground outside the fence was rippling and moving uncontrollably.
¡°Is there an earthquake going on outside? Did it accidently set off the alarm or something?¡± Grant said, confused by the events he was witnessing.
¡°Look closer, that isn¡¯t no earthquake out there; and you¡¯ll figure out the answer to your first question as well.¡± The guard said, in leu of an actual explanation. Grant looked closer, trying to make sense of the grey and white pixels covering the screen. When a person began scaling the fence and fell over the top, he realized that the ¡°ground¡± outside the fence was actually an ocean of people, shaking the fence in an attempt to force their way inside.
As Grant started to make out more and more details, he noticed several vehicles mixed in with the crowd, most of which were pressed against the fence poles as well. Standing on the roofs of these vehicles were people sporting rifles and other assorted firearms. Then as the lone fence-scaler pulled himself to his feet, the rest of the monitor flooded with activity and several military vehicles and soldiers emerged on the scene, surrounding the lone man and the section of fence, before one soldier started shouting through a megaphone.
The monitor did not provide any audio, but shortly after the soldier began his verbal assault the fence jerked, and Grant realized the fence could no longer hold up against the crowd. The concrete-reinforced poles ripped from the ground and the whole section of fencing fell inward as the crowd surged forward. The last thing Grant saw was the soldiers raising their weapons, then every monitor on the wall flashed and cut to static.
It took Grant a second to realize that all the cameras were dead, and what that must mean for the base. ¡°Ah fuck, and this day just gets worse. You two stay here while I go manually sweep the building for intruders and the like. Don¡¯t open the door for anybody.¡± The guard said as he stepped past Grant and Derek. He pulled the door open and standing in the hallway were two dark-clad men with handguns.
Barrels pointed directly at the security guard.
Chapter 3 - Bon Appetit
¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Yelled one of the handgun-wielding intruders.
But before the words had finished leaving his mouth, the guard was already leaping backwards to create distance, his hand flying to the sidearm at his waist. Unfortunately, the intruders held the initiative in that moment and proceeded to open-fire into the guard¡¯s chest. Splatters of red and the smell of gunpowder showed the obvious result of the conflict as the guard¡¯s body hit the ground with a dull thump.
Grant and Derek took advantage of the guard¡¯s unwitting sacrifice, flinging themselves into the open closet as the first shots rang out, allowing them to avoid the gunfire. There was nowhere to run, however, this office being a secure point and the closet only having the one entrance that lead to death-by-handgun. So, the pair could only watch as the guard was gunned down and the killers approached their refuge.
¡°Alright you two, get up, and this is your last warning to not make any sudden moves. Try anything and you¡¯ll end up like your friend out here.¡± One of the intruders stated as they lined their sites on Grant and Derek.
Having no choice in the matter, the two slowly pulled themselves to their feet and held their hands up in a presentation of surrender. Seeing that the duo would not be causing any problems like their previous victim, the same intruder decided to explain their expectations.
¡°Here¡¯s the situation. That guard was supposed to be our hostage incase our plan goes south, but two unarmed janitors will probably be better anyway. So, here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen, you two are going to exit this room and follow the hall, we¡¯ll be right behind you the whole way, providing directions from my little map. Turn left, turn right ¨C that sort of thing. Do you understand?¡±
Grant and Derek exchange a glance, before nodding their heads, both understanding that this was likely their only chance to leave this facility alive. With a gesture from the intruder ¨C this one Grant decided to think of as Map and the other Duffel, on account of his bulky duffel bag, since they likely wouldn¡¯t reveal their identity ¨C Grant and Derek dropped their arms and walked out of the office into the hall. As they made their way through the halls, at the intruder¡¯s direction, Grant decided to speak up in an attempt to understand the situation.
¡°Why are you doing this?¡± He asked, ¡°you can¡¯t possibly believe that Area 51 is really hoarding alien technology somewhere. And in this building of all places? I¡¯ve been all over this place and it¡¯s just random offices and filing rooms. There¡¯s nothing that could pull a literal horde of people and two gunmen here. So, why¡¯s everybody going crazy?¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
This outburst caused the two intruders to look at each other. Then surprisingly, the so-far silent one, Duffel, let out a loud laugh and proceeded to actually respond to Grant.
¡°Ha! Have you really not heard the news? You have to be just about the only man in America who hasn¡¯t heard Musk¡¯s speech.¡±
¡°Speec-?¡± Grant began, before being abruptly cut off.
¡°Three-billion dollars! The man promised to personally reward the first person to bring him an authentic piece of alien technology, and the reward is a nice, fat, three-billion dollars.¡±
¡°And you may think you have seen every part of this building, but just wait and see. You¡¯ll find that there¡¯s a lot of secrets hiding beneath the surface.¡± Map interjected after Duffel¡¯s revelation. Duffel just chuckled as if Map had told a lame joke.
The group continued walking, Grant silently contemplating this new information, before Map held up a hand and brought them to a halt.
¡°Stop, we¡¯re here. You two stand off to the side with me; while my friend does his part.¡± He said, as Duffel steps away from the group.
Grant looked around and realized where they had ended up. Their destination had apparently been the janitor supply closet on the basement level of the building, a place he had visited every day since he began his job at the facility.
As he wondered why they would possibly stop here, Duffel opened the door to the closet and dropped his duffel bag to the floor before pulling off his backpack. From the backpack he pulled several chrome-colored bars and proceeded to string them together in the middle of the closet. After they were bound tightly together, Duffel unzipped the duffel bag to reveal what looked like a super heavy-duty cloche ¨C one of those domes that rich people use to cover food ¨C and drill, which he plugged into the closets power outlet. He then covered the bars with the dome and proceeded to mount it entirely to the floor with the drill and some really big screws.
After he had completed his work, the invaders pulled Grant and Derek down the hall and around the corner where Duffel pulled out a detonator and a cell phone, shushing the hostages to ensure they stayed silent, before dialing a number and speaking into the mouthpiece.
¡°Team Two, this is Team One, detonating charge in 3. 2. 1.¡±
Duffel pressed the detonator, which was followed by a muffled explosion, a loud, metallic, clattering and the floor briefly shaking. The group walked back to the closet as the dust was settling to reveal the door blown off its hinges, the entryway and interior covered in a sooty blast mark, and the metal dome jammed into the ceiling over a messy hole in the ground.
Before anybody could step forward to investigate the hole, the gunmen pushed their hostages forward and gracelessly forced them through the jagged opening in the ground.
Chapter 4 - Down The Rabbit Hole
¡°Ouucch!¡±, Derek yelled, ¡°that was damn rough¡± he said angrily as he tried to wipe some dust off his already dirty pants. Grant stood up from the fall rather slowly and looked around like someone who had just washed up after a shipwreck.
The room was once filled with filing cabinets, but their remains were all that could be seen. The explosion had torn them into shreds. Metal, drywall and paper littered everywhere with a single, unconventional door that led to the empty hallway.
¡°That door sure looks like the gate to hell and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going through that thi¡.¡±, Derek was blabbing away till the gunmen arrived and he seemed to be startled as they jumped into the room in quick succession. Grant was quite relieved, being quite sure Derek would have gone on and on with his blabbing had the gunmen not stepped in. ¡°Step through the door and go right¡±, Map ordered.
They walked the length of the room and pushed open the door to reveal a white hallway, bare of decorations. The grouped walked the empty halls for about twenty minutes taking seemingly random turns at intervals. One of the gunmen, Map, would call out ¡°right¡± or ¡°left¡± whenever they encountered a fork, passing any number of unmarked doors which seemed to be determined by Map''s map. Apart from the directional orders issued by Map, the walk was mostly silent until about ten minutes down the line when Duffel quickly halted them
¡°Stop! Listen quietly, I think we¡¯ve got company. It¡¯s like I can hear some folks on the other side of the wall¡±, he said in a hushed tone, so low that his group could barely make out what he said. After listening for a few seconds, they all nudged on without saying anything. It had been a false alarm, or maybe not.
Duffel was quiet for the rest of the journey, all he could do was picture himself with lots of alien technology and handing them over to the billionaire, Errol Musk, while shaking hands and receiving cartoonishly large bags of money. Somehow Map was absent in his thought, he had hatched a plan to do away with him when they get what they need to exchange for the three billion dollars.
Grant, too, was silent throughout the walk and was so sure the it would end up being futile - as alien technology doesn¡¯t exist. He just wondered how they¡¯d find their way back out of this hole and if Area 51 would still exist after this raid; because if this was the end of Area 51, then it was the end of his janitorial job which was both good and bad news.
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the words ¡°Hol'' up! We¡¯re home!¡± After what seemed like an endless and futile walk, they had arrived at their destination. The supposed hub of alien technology.
¡°Dammit! Did the lab-nerd play us?¡±, Duffel asked. ¡°I mean why the hell does this door not have a lock? If this room contains half as much as he said, then it should be protected with tens of locks¡±, he continued.
¡°Well think about it¡±, Map cut in ¡°with the number of explosives it took to get down here, there¡¯s probably no reason putting up a lock at this point¡±, Map explained, gesturing at Duffel to calm his nerves.
Grant and Derek just looked on quite unperturbed by their conversation. ¡°Wel¡.¡±, Duffel was trying to say something as he pushed the door open to reveal the brightly colored interior. At first glance it seemed like a museum of some sort or an art showroom. He stopped in his tracks and gleefully exclaimed, ¡°Whoa! Cool!¡±
Derek and Grant just stared past and Map impulsively rushed to the door and pushed Duffel inside to have a view of the aesthetically pleasing room. Moving closer, they realized these were no mere piece of artworks or a storeroom for ordinary pieces of history. The room was filled with extraterrestrial technology.
¡°It seems the aliens once visited us down here and left some souvenirs¡±, Map said, speaking in a loud voice.
¡°But Trumph and his cohorts have decided to hoard them all¡±, Duffel added, savoring the magnificence of the materials.
Their beauty resonated through the entire room and one could feel the warmth they produced, giving off an out-of-earth presence. The brightly colored, mostly greenish ornaments with different shapes and sizes filled the cabinets in the room. But there sat a most outstanding orb in the middle, the size of a basketball, bright green with incoherent markings on it. Then an inscription was placed on it, and it read: ¡°IF YOU ARE READING THIS, PLEASE DON¡¯T TOUCH THE ORB!¡±.
This instruction seemed to have a counter effect as it drew more attention to it and sparked the curiosity to handle it. By now they had crowded around the pedestal on which it stood with so much interest, each wanting to have a feel but quite unsure of the consequence.
¡°Guess this is goodbye¡±, Map said as he pulled back and pointed his gun at Grant whose entire attention had been prior fixed on the orb. Duffel did the same but was focused on Derek. It seemed to be the end.
¡°No sense getting the police involved in this and letting you guys go will be equivalent to calling the cops, go stand over there so your blood doesn¡¯t spill on my three billion dollar trophies¡±, Duffel, who had seemed more serious minded throughout their walk, said sarcastically.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Grant and Derek moved aside and stood with their hands on their head and their eyes closed. Expecting to hear a loud sound and feel a sharp prick within the next few seconds. And yeah! They did hear a loud sound, but it wasn¡¯t the sound of bullets leaving the guns of their captors, it was a small horde of invaders that had burst into the room. The weebs and otakus must have overrun the base and found the blast hole!
Screaming, hooting and hollering, they seemed to be extremely fascinated by the alien technology in the room and were savoring them rowdily. Meanwhile, the abrupt ambush caught the gunmen off guard. Derek quickly tackled his gunman and they both went to the ground and started brawling, each man earnestly struggling for his own life because there¡¯s no telling what whoever got a grip of the gun would do with it.
At this time, more of the invaders were flooding the room and Grant seized the opportunity to quickly shove his gunman aside, putting the invaders between them. Right after this move, he knew he had made a mistake; he had shoved Map towards the door and now he was stuck in the room and in the midst of some unruly folks.
Despite the inscription on the orb, the invaders all rushed to get a hold of it. Pushing and struggling to view and touch the revered orb on the pedestal, slamming into each other so roughly that one would think they were untamed beasts. And in a bid to get to the orb, they accidentally rolled it off the pedestal and it fell and broke with a hissing sound - and not into pieces like your regular glass.
It broke into what seemed to be a hole in the universe. The result was cataclysmic. Wisps of black vapor and flashing sparks filled the room. And suddenly, a gravitational pull seemed to emanate from within the orb and began to pull in everything in the room.
The horde was caught off guard and most of them were sucked into the remains of the orb along with anything in the room that was not fastened to the walls or shelves. Grant quickly held on to a shelf to avoid being sucked in and he made the right move because the pull was not strong enough to absorb anything firmly bound to the wall.
Screams of the helpless horde filled the air and their blood littered the room as they were mysteriously sucked towards the small portal that had formed ¨C smashing each other with their own mass. Then the ball of people and objects compressed tighter and tighter until a dull, powerful thudding sound was heard, and they disappeared in a blinding-bright flash of purple light, leaving the four initial occupants of the room.
¡°I just hope this ends soon¡± Grant muttered, freaking out already. ¡°Being a lowlife janitor is way better than this expedition, but fuck it! As soon as this is over, I¡¯m quitting, to avoid such drama in the future. Fuck the secret clearance¡±, he was cussing at no one in particular as he tried to keep a firm grip.
Then he looked around for a solution and his eyes caught Derek holding on to one of the gunmen, Duffel, who was in-turn holding on to a shelf. With Duffel wriggling his body to break Derek''s grip, Derek reached out for the shelf to get a hold for himself.
¡°I¡¯d be better off without this mofo trying to kill me¡±, he thought to himself while racing his hands across the shelf for any object that would do away with his captor. He found a flask hung on the shelf and thought to smash Duffel¡¯s head and hands with it, so he would lose his grip on the shelf and get pulled in by the suction force, whatever it is.
But it wasn¡¯t to be, Derek¡¯s arm was halted mid-air. The other gunman, Map, who had been standing close to the door and away from the pull of the orb, fired a shot at Derek just when he was about to strike Duffel.
The bullet hit and shattered the flask in his hand, splattering its contents on Derek and his assailant, before striking him in the chest. Then, almost immediately, their skin began to steam and bubble, probably as a result of the flask''s contents that spilled on them.
Watching his skin heat up and bubble was not a fun experience and he tried to react to the situation, when he accidentally let go of the shelf. As he was pulled toward the orb, he collided against Duffel who in-turn lost his grip and they both got sucked into the light.
Seeing the bright purple light associated by the ¡®whoomph'' sound that led to the disappearance of Derek and the gunman really freaked Grant out. He didn¡¯t like Derek at all, he was a sure pain in the ass and he barely knew him, but they were basically in the same boat and escaping the situation would have been way easier if he had someone to work with. As they say two heads are better than one. More appropriately he now felt he¡¯d be unable to leave this hole should he survive this mess. The uncertainty of where the portal might lead further freaked him out.
¡°Sorry man, I can¡¯t just assume you¡¯ll fall into that over-sized trash compactor, and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m pulling you out of here so you could just go to the police¡±, the final gunman said in a stern and serious tone, switching Grant''s thoughts from pondering over Derek''s new location to worrying about his own survival.
¡°So, I¡¯ve gotta finish this off¡±, he finished. Grant held on to the shelf tighter, thinking about the right words he could say to this hardhearted gunman to spare his life. Then suddenly, the current from the portal started pulling much harder, spreading to the ends of the room and reaching for Map.
Freaked out, he quickly pulled himself out of the room into the hallway, cussing at Grant and blind firing into the room till he ran out of bullets. All the while, Grant closed his eyes and held on to the shelf firmer than ever. ¡°I''ve not been to church in a while, but if you¡¯re listening God, please don¡¯t let me go to hell¡± he muttered with conviction, quite sure he was going to die.
But he didn¡¯t die just yet. All the shots had miraculously missed him. When the gunshots had died down and Map¡¯s cussing began to sound distant, he heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I just gotta figure out a way to leave this cursed place before I di¡.¡±, his words were cut short by a crinkling noise from the shelf, then he felt a shake. The bullets had destroyed a portion of the shelf he was currently holding on to.
¡°Oh, fuck m- ¡°, and with the help of the constantly pulling force from the portal, the shelf broke off, throwing Grant free and putting him at the mercy of the portal''s powerful current.
While Grant was being pulled into the portal, a green vial loosened from the field and hit him on the head. He felt a sharp burning sensation before losing consciousness.
With the characteristic bright, purple, light and ¡®whoomph'' sound, Grant disappeared into oblivion.
Chapter 5 - Definitely Not Kansas
Grant reappeared into existence but in a vastly different location and very high above the ground. Falling from several meters in an unconscious state. He fell for over thirty seconds, before hitting the ground with a slight thump. Luckily, the impact of his fall was greatly reduced from brushing and colliding against the large tree branches that are characteristic of the rainforest he found himself in. Contact with the moist, muddy, ground abruptly jerked him into consciousness.
¡°Urghh, where the hell am I?¡±, he muttered in a surprisingly deep and cracked voice as he wiped mud off his eyes and face. As soon as he opened his eyes, a screen-like surface seemed to project from his vision like a large, transparent board visible only to Grant and it displayed ¡°Start Up Progress: 99%¡±. He was still trying to figure out what was happening and where he was when a voice began to play in his head, seeming to cover his entire psyche.
[Symbiote V8 is activating, please stand by as this may take some seconds.]
If someone else had told a rational Grant that they heard a voice in their head, he would have definitely recommended them to a psychiatrist. But here he was, feeling as if a recording was playing in his head. And there was no doubting what he was hearing - at least anyone could doubt it, but not him ¨C he was so sure he heard that voice, whatever it was.
It was as clear as hearing his least favorite voice bark ¡°forwaaaaaaard march!¡±, back in his days in the military or hearing a friend¡¯s voice on the other end of the phone. That real. And the voice wasn¡¯t even done yet.
[Activation Completed! Initial System Calibration to begin three seconds. Do hang in there, this might cause some discomfort. So, we go in 3. 2. 1]
As soon as the voice in his head mentioned ¡°one¡±, a serious, banging, headache coupled with an immense stomachache ¨C or intestinal twisting, as it felt, overcame Grant and he fell to the ground rolling for the next minute or thereabout. After which, all the pains subsided immediately, and he felt good again.
Grant''s memory immediately flashed back to the last few moments that transpired before he arrived in this strange land, he remembered how a vial had broken loose and struck him; spilling some green liquid on him. He had felt a hot, burning, sensation and thought an acid was melting him alive. It started to dawn on him that there was no acid, but a bio-machine of some sort, clearly of alien origin and he was now playing host to some symbiote. The Symbiote V8.
[Initial System Calibration Completed! Symbiote V8 Now Ready To Take Charge]
As soon as the Symbiote was installed, it scanned through Grant''s entire being and detected the presence of an intruder. A foreign energy trying to gain access to Grant''s being, and in a bid to protect its host from any alteration, it partitioned the foreign energy and commenced thorough analysis on it. But it could only hold it back for so long.
Meanwhile Grant, still quite unaware or still in doubt of his new reality, tried to nudge on and survive this dream, ¡°maybe someone will soon tap me back to reality and I¡¯ll continue my normal routine of cleaning up Area 51¡±, he said to himself as walked through the bushy paths.
His heavy backpack seemed to be weighing him down, so he stopped and thought to assess his supplies. He still had his backpack containing his phone ¨C which seemed quite useless around here ¨C, a hoodie, a bottle of Mountain Dew and his Vape containing some vape juice which now felt quite hot and unappetizing. He was hungry and thirsty, but more thirsty than hungry.
He slung his backpack and, like a wounded animal, searched around for some fresh water. After walking for about a cumulative two miles towards different directions, he came across a large tree trunk that seemed to barricade a new space; indicating a new territory.
He precariously climbed over it and carried on his search for water. Before long, he was greeted by a strong stench of dead, putrefying, flesh. Moving closer, he discovered the remains of a man dressed in modern jeans and a T-shirt. He seemed to have been gored by the tusks of some gigantic bull or other kind of beast. The large hole that sat in his midriff revealed what were once his intestines.
¡°What the hell is this place?!¡±, Grant exclaimed in shock, as he continued on his way. A few steps ahead, he glanced back at the body and thought it a bit strange that for a body that decayed there was no swarm of flies hovering around it. ¡°Why am I surprised? Everything¡¯s strange here¡±, he said to himself as he staggered on.
The forest was beautiful and swampy, and you could see high rising mountains surrounding it. As far as Grant could see, there were no settlements and no signs of individuals around. He wondered where the dead body he saw had come from. ¡°Maybe people live on the other side of the mountains¡±, he thought to himself with his gaze fixed to said mountains. Then he saw two boys holding spears at the peak of the mountain that flanked him on the left.
They seemed shorter than average boys and their heads as large as a basketball, but square shaped. ¡°What are those?¡±, he said with interest and tried to move closer. But he blinked, and they were no longer there. They seemed to have disappeared. ¡°Where the hell did they go?¡±, he said, curious, as he was eager to figure out whatever they were. They were nowhere to be found.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°I must have been hallucinating, this strange place is taking it¡¯s toll on me. I gotta get outta here¡±, he said desperately and started walking faster as though his increased pace would get him to an exit door. After walking for a while, he got exhausted once again. The adrenaline rush had died down and all he could feel was thirst.
¡°Oh yeah! You''ve gotta leave this place, but first, you¡¯ve gotta find potable water. I don¡¯t want to die¡±, he said out loud as though he were addressing a third party. He trod on, thoughts still hovering around whatever he saw. Till those thoughts were distracted.
¡°Voila!!! Water at last¡±, Grant exclaimed excitedly as he raced towards the large water body.
The water appeared quite murky and a tad unfit for drinking, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind, the water was enough to quench his thirst and that was all that mattered at that moment. He went knee down into the water to enjoy the feel, the cold temperature felt very refreshing even before going down his throat. He was at least happy he wouldn¡¯t be dying of thirst. Then he placed the palms of his hands together, cupped them and made to scoop some water from the lake.
After gulping down two mouthfuls of water, his now refreshed eyes caught a glimpse of his skin and it seemed to glow ¨C although he doubted his eyes, maybe his skin wasn¡¯t glowing after all. But what marveled him the most was the realization that whatever the content of the green vial was, it didn¡¯t harm his skin.
It was while he was examining his skin that he felt some hot air at the nape of his neck and then heard some snorting and shuffling. ¡°What the hell is tha¨C¡°, he was trying to say when he turned and saw a monster boar, duly ready to charge him down. His mind raced back to the body he saw in the woods and he immediately knew they must have fallen prey to this boar.
¡°Holy fuck! Not me¡±, he screamed in panic as he dived sideways as far as his strength could carry - just milliseconds before the boar charged towards his former spot. That would have been the end of Grant, but he got lucky this time.
As he made to start running aimlessly and quite sure the boar would outpace and kill him eventually, two circuitous lines seemed to appear in his eyes. One of the lines green and the other red, ¡°What the hell are these?¡± He said feeling quite perplexed as he tried to wipe whatever they were off his eyes. They weren¡¯t going away.
¡°Well, I don¡¯t care but green seems to connote safety¡±, he said quickly, running out of time to make a decision as the boar was all positioned and charged up, ready to take him down.
Grant immediately ran towards the path displayed by the green line overlaying his vision. His first dash on the path shielded him with a tree against the sharp tusks of the boar. As soon as he embarked on the path the boar had charged towards him but collided against a tree trunk and let out a loud grunt. Its eyes reddened and it seemed more determined than ever to devour Grant.
But his long and winding journey down the path indicated by the green line seemed to be his saving grace and the red line was effective in highlighting paths that meant danger. Some sort of intelligence he was yet to understand, clearly Symbiote V8, was directing him.
After about twenty minutes of nonstop running on the snake-like path, he became too exhausted to continue. Just when he thought he was going to die; he was led to a path where the green line formed a green circle. He took it as a rest signal and stopped there to catch his breath. The monster boar saw it as an opportunity to devour his prey, but as it tried to launch a charge at him, its head got stuck between two trees that seemed to protect that region.
Grant immediately fell to the ground, gasping for breath as he watched the boar struggle to release itself from the firm grip of those trees.
¡°Die, beast! Die!¡±, he barked at the boar after watching it struggle for several minutes. Just then, one of the trees let out a creaking sound. ¡°What was tha- ¡°, he was cut short by the reemergence of the green line. ¡°Oh! Fuck! You mean this shit ain¡¯t over yet?¡±, he asked as though green line would respond, and began running immediately.
Finally, one of the trees fell with a loud thud letting the now wounded boar loose as it chased after Grant, hot on his trail. After running down the circuitous path for some minutes, the red and green line seemed to converge at a point showing him an abyss of some sort which was covered by very broad leaves, not so wide but infinitely deep. The meaning of the lines was clear: he was to jump over carefully but not go around, in order to fool the boar to its death.
And it worked. As soon as he jumped over the chasm, the onrushing boar came along without caution, ran over the leaves and fell deep to its death, enrage squealing signalling its descent.
¡°Hmmmmm¡±, Grant heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I''m safe! I''m safe!!¡±, he screamed excitedly trying to make some dance moves, although he¡¯d always been a bad dancer. His prom date was a living testimony, all he did was continually step on the tips of her toes and got a slap to the face for it. Not like he really cared about her though, he had just needed a date not to seem odd. The slap was the embarrassing part and that was the last time he tried to dance in the midst of others.
His ecstatic mood and dance moves were short lived. The moment was abruptly cut short by the message in his head once again:
[Foreign presence activity re-detected! Foreign presence ready to make Admin-Level Changes. Foreign presnce will proceed to make changes unless it is assimilated and brought under control by the V8 system]
[The V8 System requires permission to assimilate foreign presence.]
As soon as the voice stopped talking, a virtual screen popped up right in his vision with two options in green and red rectangular boxes, respectively. ¡°Accept¡± or ¡°Decline¡±
¡°What the hell is going on here?¡±, he asked in sheer perplexity. ¡°What actually is the V8 system? What foreign presence?¡±, he said confusedly. ¡°Well¡ The V8 system must have provided the route that helped me escape that boar. I¡¯ll give it a try. I¡¯m out of options¡±, he said knowingly as he stretched forth his hand to the virtual screen that appeared before him and hit the ¡°Accept¡± button.
[Thank You! Assimilation Proceeds in 3. 2. 1]
¡°Okay¡¡±, Grant said getting ready for some banging headache or stomach cramps, but none of it happened.
[Assimilation Completed]
[V8 has successfully created an interface (based on the host¡¯s familiarity and preferences) to monitor and control the foreign energy]
[Alert! Foreign Energy Can now make system changes, but is closely monitored by the V8 system]
Then the virtual screen popped up once again before Grant, displaying the newly installed interface exclaiming:
¡°Level Up! Please select which stats should progress¡±.
Then, to his utmost bewilderment, a classic status sheet appeared on the virtual screen. Just like the ones Grant had read about in his favorite LitRPG books, and saw in his favorite RPG video games.
Chapter 6 - Frying Pan, Fire, etc.
¡°Woohoo! This is so amazing!¡± Grant exclaimed gleefully as the status sheet appeared in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m in some sort of game or some new universe like in those Light Novels? Wow!¡±, he exclaimed as he deliriously jumped about in circles commoving so much dust in the process. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be living the dream! This is definitely an upgrade from cleaning Area 51¡±.
A bit tired from the jumping, Grant finally settled down to really assess the status sheet that had surfaced.
[Name: Grant Miles]
[Race: Human (Universe B)]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Locked]
[Experience: 0%]
[Condition: Uninjured]
[Stats]
[Skills]
[Quests]
[Map]
He went about exploring the options. Everything below Experience lead to a new window but with little information. Most eager to know the available stats, he pushed the ¡°stats¡± button and it revealed a new window.
[Strength: 0]
[Constitution: 0]
[Agility: 0]
[Coordination: 0]
[Will: 0]
[Physique: 0]
[Bonus Regen: 0]
[Charisma: 0]
[Congrats! You have two stat points available, select any of the stats and insert the points to proceed.]
¡°Okay¡ Just two? I¡¯ve gotta use these wisely. And why is my experience at zero percent? Did I just get lucky and get exactly enough to level; or does experience not carry over with excess? I¡¯ll have to look out for that, but first¡±. He hit the strength stat to find out what it entailed but was disappointed by the pop-up message: ¡°Information is not available at this time. Try again later¡±. To his dismay, the same message kept coming up for all the stats, so he had to use his imagination. Grant had been somewhat of a lazy lad who spent a bit much time on video games and fantasy novels, so he tried to liken the stats functionality to his gaming experience.
¡°I''d definitely need strength to survive in this place. Never know when you¡¯ll need to kick some ass¡±. He briefly lost focus as he fantasized about tearing up the next boar that¡¯d come his way. ¡°This means I won¡¯t have to run off the next time I get attacked and I won¡¯t have to rely on some sick path like a lost little kid. I¡¯d just devour it¡±. He was excited.
After giving some more thought to it, he finally decided to place one point apiece into the ¡°Strength¡± and ¡°Constitution¡± stats.
As soon as he placed a point in the Constitution stat a new message popped up.
[Congratulations! Health bar is unlocked
New information on Stats is available!]
¡°Okay¡ What took you so long?¡± He asked as he made to assess the new information.
[Every stat point placed in Constitution will increase the Health Bar by 10! And, well, you¡¯d be needing that around here. The Health Bar is a measure of your immunity and although you can still feel pains and get injured with a full bar, you only begin to die when your health bar gets empty. Now, I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t wanna die]
¡°Whoa! That¡¯s some savvy dude speaking. Be as informative as this every time, and we''d be good friends¡±, he said laughing. ¡°The Strength Stat. Well.. I guess strength is just strength¡±, he thought to himself ¡°I gotta try out these new improvements, I already feel like Dwayne ¡®The Hulk¡¯ Johnson¡±, he said to himself excitedly as he made to lift a fallen tree trunk off the ground. He immediately failed and then tried out a fairly big rock and was unsuccessful with that too.
¡°I guess this isn¡¯t so helpful¡±, he said disappointedly. ¡°Guess I¡¯ve gotta level up higher or something since I¡¯m living by some sort of game rules now¡±. Then he hit a tree trunk with his fist and felt it vibrate. ¡°Well¡ maybe a little helpful¡±, he said smiling, then went on to lift a smaller rock which he¡¯d have been able to lift without the systems aid but found out he lifted it with a higher level of ease. ¡°Wow!¡±. ¡°How do I go about a test-run on the efficacy of this Health Bar? Time will tell about that¡±, he though to himself. He was excited and fooling around, trying to find out the depth of his newfound strength.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
He decided to perform some strength-basedexperiments, ¡°maybe it¡¯d help me Level Up¡±, being a gamer, it felt like the right move to make, so he started lifting rocks and fallen tree trunks till he got bored of that. Then he assumed boxer pose ¡°So, now I¡¯m Mike Tython¡±, he said jokingly as he started punching at a huge tree noisily. It was during this round of folly that a group of roaming goblins spotted him.
He was stunned when he lifted his head and noticed a spear-wielding goblin stealthily approaching him, yet also trying to hide behind trees. Roughly three meters away. He started to move slowly backwards thinking of a way to escape as questions raced through his mind ¡°Is that a real goblin? Can I outpace it or am I just gonna end up being some goblin¡¯s dinner?¡±. Seeing he was trying to make an escape, the goblin jumped out of hiding and started approaching Grant, cautiously.
His eyes were still focused on the Goblin as he moved backwards in a stepwise fashion, then he noticed the goblin¡¯s eye focus behind him. Footsteps crawling up behind him, he turned around to see not one, but three goblins a few meters away from him with a closer fourth one of them swinging a club ¡°Oh fuck m-¡±. He was cut short as the club ferociously struck his head and he passed out.
He woke up hours later with a pounding headache and the chattering of goblins around a fireplace nearby made him jerk back to full consciousness. ¡°Snarky little commentator never said anything about getting knocked out with my Health Bar still intact¡±, he remarked with disappointment in his weak, cracked voice. He was hungry too and any attempts to sneak off was impossible as the five goblins had firmly tied him to a wooden slab in their camp.
The ropes felt like the kind you used in a game of tug of war; the ones designed to be rough and provide grip. Not to mention very big and heavy. ¡°Just to hold down a little me?¡±. The camp reeked a mixture of goblin mess and blood. At this time Grant was getting scared. The gibberish chattering of the goblins was getting louder, they seemed to be having some sort of argument, and he tried his best to pay attention but couldn¡¯t make out anything of it until help came.
[New Language Encountered! Language is biologically incompatible with host¡¯s system. Symbiote V8 Will Now Proceed To Translate Language To Host¡¯sUnderstanding In 3. 2. 1¡]
[Translation Process Completed! You Can Now Understand The New Language But May Not Converse In New Language]
¡°Maybe I can get some firsthand knowledge on goblins before ending up in their soup or some nice beefsteak. Since I can¡¯t tell these fuckers to get me off this plank!¡±, he said rather loudly and was lucky the goblins hadn¡¯t heard him. That¡¯d have drawn their attention to the fact that he was now awake, something they¡¯d been waiting for.
Their Gibberish-turned-English was very primitive and lacked words for several expressions but he could hear the goblins deliberating on the best way to kill him, one of them was protesting that she needed to be availed the opportunity to make the kill since she badly needed to Level Up. One who seemed like a leader proposed that they could all level up as a group by torturing it to death, rather than by one individual single killing by the stab of a spear or something.
¡°Torture? That¡¯s cruel!¡±, he sadly muttered to himself. At this time, he was almost pissing his pants. His lifetime of watching movies let him know how cruel torture could be and he could only imagine what techniques such primitive creatures would use. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be sliced into a thousand pieces, or maybe they¡¯ll puncture a thousand holes in my body¡±. He tried to listen for details on their torture method, but it seemed they had it all figured out and there was no need for elucidating.
His heart raced faster and faster as they began to march towards him. Recently, he had encountered several near-death experiences from the breach of Area 51 to Map¡¯s attempts to shoot him dead and his experience with the monstrous boar, but this seemed to him like the closest and, indeed, the end of his journey. At least on none of the occasions was he bound by four strong ropes and was being approached by five prior fictitious creatures who couldn¡¯t understand whatever he had to say.
As they reached his spot, they each pulled out small knives from little, fleshy sheaths slung around their waists and made to begin the torture. Grant began to plead at the top of his voice, hoping they might understand at least from his facial expressions and wailing. They proceeded anyway, each wanting to get as much of the action as possible in a bid to Level Up.
With each prick of their sharp knives, his Health Bar began to reduce drastically till it was empty then his actual health began to dwindle. The pains began to eat him up as his blood gushed to the point he felt dizzy and too weak to scream.
[Emergency Alert! Hosts Vitals Are Within Dangerous Parameters And Expiration Of Host Is Imminent. Urgent Action Is Required]
This was the V8 systems message in Grant¡¯s head, at that point he felt the complete extent of helplessness. ¡°Fuck you¡±
Seeming to sense Grant''s crushed hope and lack of will, V8 provided another message; this one a bit more surprising.
[Emergency Alert! The Symbiote V8 will now proceed to bypass safeguard measures and activate PRESERVATION MODE to avoid expiration of host]
[Preservation Mode Activated]
Grant immediately fell into a daze where he was barely aware of the happenings around him but felt a new rush of energy and it felt like the source of pain had disappeared. The Symbiote V8 system had flooded his system with excessive adrenaline, proceeded to disable his pain receptors and thus, allowed the decreasing of the human limiters on speed and strength.
He could see his body parts moving but it all felt like he was in a dream. The strong ropes suddenly felt like crackers as his arms and feet broke through them with ease, and he was set free to the amazement of the goblins. Their eyes widened with fear.
He reached out for a spear and flung it straight at one of the goblins before he grabbed the one closest to him, lifted it up and jammed his two fingers through its eye sockets bursting them and smashing its brain in the process. Meanwhile, the spear had struck one of the goblin warriors in the long protrusion that emerged from the middle of her face - what she¡¯d like to call her nose.
It was all happening so fast as he lifted two of the goblins from their legs and placed them headfirst in the campfire; pressing their heads into the flames and roasting their brains in the process. All while the screaming of goblins and smell of roasted meat rented the air. The last goblin, having lost hope, had dashed off trying to make away with its life but Grant picked up one of the small knives they had used to mutilate him and threw it through the air. It raced in the wind and struck the fleeing goblin in the back of its head and it fell over dead.
The stench of blood, roasted meat, and the gory appearance of the scene would obviously attract dangerous animals. Making progress in understanding his new forest environment, Grant knew this and immediately dashed off to leave the place.
The Symbiote V8 System provided a wide dirt road in his view, far from the danger zone, which it decided was a safe haven
[The V8 System Will Now Shut Off Preservation Mode To Conserve Host]
Grant was surely enjoying the extra energy but more of that would have quickly spelt doom for him
[Preservation Mode Shutting Off in 3. 2. 1]
And suddenly, the pains were back but, this time, much worse. The drastic depletion of his adrenaline levels and his muscles torn from exceeding their limits left him wriggling in excruciating pain a thousand times worse than what he was feeling before the Mode was activated.
He fell to the ground and passed out but not before seeing the hazy outline of an approaching wagon and hearing the piercing scream of a young child in the distance.