《Planetary Update》 The Prologue ¡°Hello all you wonderful people of the planet Earth and welcome to your new future!!¡± ¡°First things first allow me to introduce myself before we get down to too much business, kay!! I am Cephi your friendly neighborhood, and incredibly cute, game show host along with being the director of your planets current development. Aren¡¯t you all so lucky!¡± ¡°Now I know you may have a lot of questions on your minds at this sudden situation. Questions such as: What is going on? What is all this? And why is some weird, yet incredibly attractive, lady who is speaking to everyone across the globe all at once doing in my head? Well we will get to that a bit later but for right now just listen and relax, kay! Alright everyone get ready because you and everything you know about the universe is about to change and your entire reality is going to come crashing down around you¡­ Isn¡¯t that just great!!¡± ¡°Here at this point in time however I should also state that while we here at the Interplanetary Games Association are happy to be announcing the many new changes that will be coming to your planet very soon as we get you ready. We are also terribly sorry to the millions on your world who have just died due to the interference of this message. Though these deaths were sadly inevitable instead of becoming all depressed and moody because you¡¯ve just lost family and friends why not turn that frown upside down! I mean your planet will be live to the entire galaxy as you¡¯re made ready to take a big new step onto the universal stage after all, so be sure to smile big everyone!¡± ¡°Ok, with that depressing bit of corporate jargon out of the way it¡¯s time to give you a short rundown on all the BIIIIGGGGG changes that will be going on with your world. But alas it¡¯s time to also announce that there will be some rules to go along with them. Now I know what you are all thinking right? Of course your thinking, humph¡­rules! But that¡¯s right, with every change there must be some guidelines so that you don¡¯t complain later on and say we didn¡¯t tell your world beforehand¡± ¡°Ehem now let¡¯s explain the rules and some of the wonderful changes soon to occur¡± ¡°Alright first lets discuss what will be going down with the human race since this is as good a place to start as any. Every human will be given a form of status bar which will be used as their primary identification and to indicate the many wonderful things that will be changing about you. Things such as a person¡¯s level, stats, upgrades, health and items are the standard starting package that everyone will receive. However, some of you will also have access to different type¡¯s magical powers on your status bar as well depending on your compatibility. Isn¡¯t that great some of you can soon shoot a fireball, YAY! But that is not all, since your species also contains latent physic and physical abilities many of these will also start to be unlocked as well, thus ushering in an era of super powered humans, PUSHWAH! How incredible is that?!? Also Humanity will be divided into tiers based on their latent powers and a select few will even gain powers that can affect the entire planet, isn¡¯t that super cool!¡± ¡°Now along with the changes to humanity there will also be many physical changes to your world as well. First your technology will be somewhat changed. Some of it will be updated to more advanced crafts yet some will be downgraded to lesser crafts. This is to ensure a unique and varied playing field where many of your preconceptions on useful technology will be thrown right out the window¡­. This part will be so much fun!! Next is many your world¡¯s creatures will be updated to dangerous and scary monsters which you¡¯ll have to fight for survival. These new monsters will also help you gain levels so you don¡¯t have to butcher each other too much! Also many of the natural environments you have destroyed will be restored and enhanced. This means nature will return to your world and make the planet a far more beautiful place. But of course nature will be given a chance to protect itself as well. Just like with monster many of your plant species will be strengthened and given monster like abilities in order to insure nature¡¯s survival. So don¡¯t go killing so many plants this time unless you really want to feel nature¡¯s wrath!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°HMMM¡­ Have I forgotten anything???...... OH YES THE RULES! Hehehe silly me.¡± ¡°Now for the Rules, and this is very very important so pay super close attention alright!¡± ¡°RULE 1: The strong survive and the weak do not. ¡°As your planet is updated for the universal stage it¡¯ll be going through many many crazy changes and as it does millions, nay even billions, might die¡­ scary right? So basically this rule states that its survival of the fittest. Do whatever it takes to survive! And even though your world will be live to the rest of the universe we ask that you don¡¯t think too much about that fact and just come out of the changes alive KAY!¡± ¡°RUUULLLEEE 2: You cannot leave your world until the update is complete¡± ¡°This is to ensure the best and freshest product for the universal stage once your worlds update is complete. So only after the update and your induction into the true galaxy will you be allowed to leave your world¡± ¡°NOW FOR RULE NUMERO¡­.. uhhh¡­.ahhh¡­!!!.... THREE: Only emperor class candidates can form factions, nations or guilds. And these candidates are also the only ones allowed to either give out or take away any of the extremely overpowered abilities for their supporters that they will have access to¡± ¡°Basically in this rule these guys are the bosses. On your planet while many changes will occur only a select few are capable or powerful enough to represent your planet at the next stage of the game. Also if you want a truly game breaking power or ability then you have to suck up to these guys and show em your loyalty. So Kiss Ass Tiger!¡± ¡°AND NOW, and finally, FOR RULE 4: Only once 100, of the so far 100 000 emperor class candidates, remain and the planet is completely consolidated under these people will the update be considered complete and your planet finally ready for the next stage!¡± ¡°This one is a simple one. It is essentially only when the 100 strongest, smartest, and most powerful people are chosen either by fights or selection will humanity be able to move forward. Got it!¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s it for now I believe so GOODBYE FOR NOW EVERYONE AND SEE YOU SOON, KAY!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ HUH?..... Whats that boss?.......... I forgot to explain what IGA is? OH S**T my bad, tehehe.¡± ¡°Well everyone it seems I made a bit of a mistake and as my boss just told me I forgot to mention just who we at Interplanetary Games Association are. Isn¡¯t that silly of me! Well we here at IGA, as we like to call it, are an entertainment program that runs the best and most popular show in ALLLLL the universe. What we do is select only the most prime up and coming planets in a galaxy and have them battle it out for supremacy on an intergalactic scale. This goes on until only one complete ruling galactic empire remains. Then it is at that time the last remaining empire is considered to have earned their right to be fully and completely welcomed into a much larger and more prominent mutli-galactic civilization. Basically the closest thing in comparison for you humans would be your old gladiator traditions where a great fighter can earn their freedom, except this is totally waaayyyy more awesome!¡± ¡°But before all that can occur just like with your planet not every world is ready to join the fray. They must first be updated to a strong enough level where they can be represented in order to insure they won¡¯t be annihilated right off the bat. And it is our proud duty here at IGA to facilitate and film the entire process from start to finish and then release the footage to out adoring masses¡± ¡°Now I think that should be everything, if I¡¯ve missed anything well it¡¯s too late now since the updates will start in approximately 5 seconds from now¡± ¡°Good luck everyone and may you survive to see a new world!!¡± ¡°5¡± ¡°4¡± ¡°3¡± ¡°2¡± ¡°1¡± ************** Hello and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my prologue. This is my first ever attempt at something like this and it¡¯s just a concept for now. But if enough people like the concept, and the story as it continues on, then I think it¡¯ll be fun to keep up with it. To see where this new world can take us. I¡¯ll try to get the first chapter up as soon as possible but it may not be for a bit and after that I¡¯ll try to keep this story has on a weekly update schedule or less but life is busy and hectic so I can¡¯t always promise that, but I will do my best. However after al is said and done I wanted to at the very least get the prologue out and see what you fine folks think, or to at least peak your interest for more Also if anyone finds any major written and grammatical mistakes then please let me know. I¡¯m not the greatest writer but I¡¯ll do my best and hopefully we have a fun time together Thank you for your patience Chapter 1: Dean [We are live in 5¡­.4¡­.3¡­.2¡­.1] ¡°Hello viewers, and an even greater and bigger hello to all of my adoring fans out in the verse, welcome to this season¡¯s first on air recap with an Emperor Class Candidate from the planet Earth¡­ Yayyy! Alright normally there¡¯d be a bunch of crap that we¡¯d need to go through before we introduce our guest, buuuuttttt since it¡¯s not every day you get to speak with an ECC let¡¯s skip all that and get right down to business, OK! So I¡¯d like everyone to stand with me and welcome with raucous applause our special guest for the evening¡­ Mr. Dean Ramsie!! Come onto the stage handsome¡± ¡°Hello Dean and welcome to your first recap as an Emperor¡¯s Candidate with me your incredibly talented host CEPHI. Hooray!¡± ¡°Uhh, thanks I guess, and uhmm¡­it¡¯s good to be here¡± ¡°Hahaha you don¡¯t have to be so nervous Dean this is just a simple recap for your fans and the audience of your adventures so far -- in order for us get to know you even just a wee bit better ok?¡± ¡°Ok¡± ¡°Alright, Dean, now that a little time has passed us at IGA felt that this is the perfect time to get some initial personal background information on you, as well as, to update the folks at home with your progress in the game. We also want to reveal some of the early details on how your world¡¯s start has gone so far and hope to use you as one of the Main Characters from now on, now aren¡¯t you just super dooper lucky! However, since I know that being an Emperor Class Candidate is still such a new and wonderful thing for you that you might not be quite used to how everything works we won¡¯t be expecting any kind of perfection alright. But we do hope you can give us as many details as possible and that you¡¯ll have put on a good show. So Dean let¡¯s get along and hopefully you won¡¯t be too nervous going live to all of your adoring fans, KAY!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do my best¡± ¡°YAYYYY!!! Alright folks you heard it from the man himself, so let¡¯s get this ship MOVING!!!¡± CHAPTER 1: DEAN If you were to ask anyone many years from now where they¡¯d start trying to explain about all the sudden events that took place in the world, most people would start their explanation with the Video. It was with the appearance of the Video when everything began falling apart and it was the Video that caused the first millions to die. Although, while most people would agree that even though the contents were incredibly shocking and the implications extremely disturbing what truly resulted in the deaths of millions was its size. When the Video was sent out it filled a person¡¯s entire field of view and regardless of where a person looked or even if they closed their eyes, the video remained right there in front of them. Anyone that had been driving, landing planes, working precariously, or in any number of countless situations was now instantly and without warning rendered sightless. A global disaster occurring in only a matter of seconds. No one would¡¯ve been able to react quickly enough and no one would¡¯ve been able to think clearly enough to stop such a tragedy. Yet even though it is there at that moment in time what most people would agree was when the world changed it would be different for one Mr. Dean Ramsie Life for Dean had been pretty much normal up until the moment his world changed. Nothing overly strange or weird had ever really occurred to him and he liked to think his way in the world had always been pretty stable. Of course his life had its fair share of events and complications, so it wasn¡¯t ever completely perfect, like when his parents got divorced, when he was involved in a car accident and broke his arm, or when he was nearly run over by a train after a drunken bet with some of his friends. He even experienced wonderful life events such as losing his virginity at the age of 23 to his girlfriend Felicity in the back seat of his father¡¯s old mustang. In fact, he even got to experience his first heartbreak that night when she told him she was pregnant with another man¡¯s child. Dean also could never complain he ever felt unloved or unsupported by his family despite his parents¡¯ separation. His father always took time to talk with him and bond although he worked his construction job most days, while his mother supported him and his sister, working as a lawyer for a major law firm yet still took time for her family. Indeed, even his kid sister Kalie wasn¡¯t too big a hassle and the two of them got along readily enough whenever they weren¡¯t at each other¡¯s throats. Suffice to say his life was normal. His friends were normal, his high school had been normal, everything had been perfectly and completely normal. Which was what led to him to his most current problem and the thing that changed his world and eventually saved his life. Having never really had any clear idea of what he wanted to do in life, or what he wanted to gain from it, he had been struggling to find out his desires for some time. Yet because everything had always come so completely simple for him he ended up lacking any real motivation to truly try and find out exactly what it was he desired. More pointedly he almost seemed to expect the world to decide for him since that¡¯s exactly what it had always done before. Basically, he had ended up suffering from an almost incurable and highly infectious disease spreading throughout his generation: a terrible pathogen known as apathy. Desiring more out of life yet without any idea or concept of what to do about it he fell straight into the clutch of apathy. Therefore, by the time he turned 25, he had gone nowhere and was still living at his mother¡¯s house playing video games. It was at this time when he had still been stuck in his mother¡¯s home that he discovered a possible means of solving his problems, a way to get the adventure he wanted, and the motivation he needed. An effective means of getting out of the house without him ever really having to decide it all for himself: Dean had witnessed an advertisement for the Canadian Armed Forces. He¡¯d seen the ads before and had never really thought much about them, since what military could Canada really have. Yet that time, for some strange reason he couldn¡¯t explain, the message had ended up stuck in his head. The seed had been planted in his mind that this was his solution, his method of finding some meaning for his life. For Dean Ramsie this would be the day later on he would claim had changed everything. Thirteen months later Dean was officially a private in the Canadian Armed Forces and he was elated to have achieved something even a year prior he never would¡¯ve imagined possible. After enduring a grueling five months of self-training, three months of boot, and another six of battle school Dean could walk proudly with his head held high. With the knowledge he gained along with his newfound confidence, Dean was no longer the apathetic youth he used to be but had transformed into a man he believed worthy of respect. His medium 5¡¯9¡± stature had filled out and was now covered with lean muscle and barely an ounce of fat remaining. His once babyish face from over indulgence now conformed to the sharp angular bone structure beneath giving him a rather more serious yet refined look. Pale green eyes beneath short brown hair held a fierce gaze that bespoke of the sharp-mind within honed to a razors edge. A handsome young man had been built through tough work, dedication, and resilience. In his heart Dean knew that he¡¯d been right and that he truly he had found his element and would live the rest of his life rejoicing in the decision he had made. His first deployment was to be with a newly formed battalion under the expanding Royal Canadian Regiment and he was excited to finally get settled in somewhere. He was also looking forward to the fact that many of the new brothers and sisters he¡¯d made during his time at boot were apparently going to be stationed nearby as well. But for today he has was spending his last free weekend in the town nearby picking up some souvenirs for his family for when he finally got to see them again. He¡¯d been in town for a few hours looking around the shops on the main strip and had managed to buy just about everything he¡¯d been looking for. However, he¡¯d realized in order to get his sister something truly special the small town he was currently in wouldn¡¯t provide what he desired. With a dejected heart at having been unable to so far find anything he wanted for her he decided to try looking in at least one more shop before heading back to base. Spotting a small crystal shop across the street he had yet to visit and from where he stood it looked like it might hold some potential. Dean decided to give it try and maybe it would have something good enough for his sister. Looking down the street the only thing currently of note on the main road was a highway bus parked that was busy loading the next group of passengers preparing to leave town. He decided to just cross where he was instead of bothering with the cross walk further up and stepped out onto the road. Dean¡¯s foot hit the pavement and immediately he felt the world tilt and turn around him. The ground began to expand and then suddenly contract as if under some strange tension. Ripples spread outward from where his foot landed and the ground around him distorted just like he¡¯d dropped a stone into a pond. His head felt three times heavier than normal and he couldn¡¯t walk in a straight line. Falling over, he placed his hands upon the hood of a car parked beside him and the hood bent and twisted seemingly repelled by some strange force. He stared at the scene unable to comprehend what was going on and his stomach seemed to roil in turmoil and he could no longer keep himself steady. Collapsing onto his hands and knees the contents of his stomach burst forth as the queasiness and sense of wrongness reached its peak. The burn of acid clung tightly to his throat causing him to heave even more. Dean dry heaved for a few moments more and with his stomach empty his head began to clear and just as quickly as the nausea and hallucinations had begun it all vanished as if nothing had occurred. He stared blankly for a moment at the pile of bile and vomit beneath him trying to gather himself back up and steady his broken nerves. Wondering, ¡°What the hell just happened, what was all that¡±. His mind raced to understand the strangeness of what had just occurred. Looking up at the road in front of him the pavement no longer rippled about him and the hood of the car was completely unblemished; with not even a scratch or dent to be seen. Dean had never before experienced such intense or strange hallucinations and he would swear to anyone what he had seen felt terribly real. The area around him however showed no signs of the strange happenings and his thoughts turned to the possibility of something being incredibly wrong with him. In his head he quickly ran through a short mental method of calming his running wild brain and attempted to stave off the shock at the oddity of it all. Collecting his thoughts he ran through a short checklist to see if he could determine what was wrong with his body. He couldn¡¯t think of any problems with himself but that still didn¡¯t mean something wasn¡¯t wrong. The oddity of his experience clearly proved to him that something most certainly was, he just didn¡¯t know what. ¡°Hey Kid, you doing alright? You just keeled over and vomited everywhere. Did you have to much to drink or something?¡± A concerned voice said from behind him. Snapping back to reality Dean realized he¡¯d been crouching on his hands and knees for sometime now surrounded by a pool of his own vomit and staring blankly at the world around him. With the strangeness of the situation he had completely lost awareness of where he was. To the shoppers around him he must really look like he was drunk even though it was only mid afternoon. Heating up with embarrassment at how he must look his faced turned a bright scarlet. Taking a quick moment to gather the packages spilt around him gave him the second he needed to gather his wits and as reply back to the concerned civilian. ¡°I¡¯m good now and no I¡¯m not drunk. Just suddenly felt ill is all, but as I said I¡¯m good now. Thanks for the concern though,¡± he lied, putting on his best smile as he thanked the Good Samaritan. ¡°Ok well if you¡¯re sure you¡¯re fine now then you might be, but you should probably go and get checked out anyways. That didn¡¯t seem like some normal sickness to me¡±. The older man said as he stared at Dean clearly seeing through his lie. Yet he chose to accept Dean¡¯s excuses and with a shrug of his shoulders he said, ¡°Oh well, though I¡¯m sure if you say you¡¯re fine, you¡¯re fine and you can still take care of yourself since you¡¯re young. But just don¡¯t let that go to your head and take care of yourself ok, you¡¯re not immortal.¡± With his final words as, Dean rejected his assistance, the man turned and walked away. ¡°Yeah I will get checked up at the base once I¡¯m there.¡± Dean agreed. Thinking to himself that first thing he¡¯d do when he got back would definitely be sure to book an appointment with the bases¡¯ doctors. Looking around him Dean could feel the stares from the curious local shoppers and he tried to hide his continued embarrassment for the odd situation. Most stares, however, were just curious and after having seen the way he held himself they primarily lost interest judging him to have been just another military boy who got a little too rowdy on his time off. In this town it happened more often than not. Thinking it might be best to quickly get off the street he decided to finish his shopping and get back to base as soon as possible. He knew he really should head straight back but he desperately wanted to try and find something nice for his sister. Checking back down the road the only thing on the move was the bus pulling out and heading in his direction on its way through town and back to the highway. Thinking he still had time before the bus reached him he stepped off the sidewalk and back onto the road. With his bags in hand Dean started jogging across the street in order to beat the oncoming bus. But as he had reached the middle of the road without warning his world suddenly went black. Everything disappeared as his sight vanished. In shock, he stopped short and tried to rub his eyes clear of the sudden blindness thinking he must¡¯ve got something in them. Rubbing his eyes furiously he stopped as he became aware he could also no longer hear the sounds of the bustling pedestrian traffic of Main Street or any other sounds at all. Dean could still feel the wind upon his face and the hot pavement beneath his feet but the images of the quaint little town along with the sounds around him were all gone. He could neither hear nor see anything and truly started to panic when he realized he couldn¡¯t get rid of the strange phenomenon. To be suddenly deprived of two of his most basic senses caused his mind to run wild with primal fear. Instincts surged to the forefront and Dean was breathing in short panicky breaths as he tried desperately to get a grip on himself. Thoughts raced around his head and as his panic grew it prevented Dean from being able to exert control over himself and get his mind functioning once again. But even as his mind blanked under the sudden instinctual fear a nagging sensation at the back of his mind sent a chill that crept along the back of his shoulder blades and down his spine. The creeping feeling kept getting stronger and stronger and somehow managed to break its way through the chaos in his brain. ¡°What is this feeling that could be so important¡± he wondered as it became clear the sensation wouldn¡¯t go away and was only getting stronger even though his situation was dire. He concentrated on the strange feeling and he began to discern its meaning. ¡°The BUS!¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He couldn¡¯t for the life of him wonder why his mind was telling him to beware of a bus. Didn¡¯t it have better sense than that right now to not remind him of uselessly needless information? But even as he tried to push the feeling away in order to get a hold on his runaway panic the feeling grew once again even stronger. ¡°THE BUS YOU IDIOT¡± His brain screamed at him. That¡¯s when Dean remembered the highway bus he¡¯d seen stopped earlier getting ready to leave. ¡°Why is the bus so important?¡± he asked himself. But then and image of a bus driving up the road appeared before him. A bus that he had rushed out into the middle of the road to beat across the street; a bus headed directly for him. Without even thinking his training suddenly took control and his panic was banished to the back of his mind. Dean began running for his life knowing the bus had been only moments away. In his blindness and deafness he could only rely on his sense of touch as he ran towards the opposite side of the street. All of a sudden he ran into a large object that knocked the air out of him with its appearance. He scrambled to jump over the car he¡¯d run into, clawing at the hood to try get some momentum and away from almost certain death. Dean had just about made it when his world turned into a nightmare. A massive impact sent him flying as the bus he¡¯d ran to avoid drove straight into the back of the car he had climbed upon. His body flew and slammed hard into the concrete wall of a nearby building. Bits of glass and metal sprayed him as he slid to the ground with a horrifying crunch and his limp body laid where it had fallen. His world was pain as he landed having broken numerous bones from the impact. As he lay dying, he could feel the bits of metal and glass slicing into his broken body. An eternity went by as the mayhem and pain silently and sightlessly played out about him. While it took only seconds for everything to go to hell, Dean felt as if a lifetime had gone by while his body burned with pain. Unable to see or hear, and in a world of suffering, Dean could only cower as he lay where he¡¯d been thrown fighting for the life he knew was likely to end. Suddenly without warning a black and grey countdown began to play in his head cutting through his endless suffering. Even with his world on fire he couldn¡¯t help but note that the countdown looked like one a person might see in old movies. He also realized he could hear what seemed to be some strange background music playing as well. With the videos appearance his pain began to subside almost as if someone had put a dampener on his nervous system and dulled his physical senses. Then as the countdown finally reached zero the image of a large circular white room with a small stage set in the middle and a wall of windows looking out upon some stars came into focus. A small woman wearing a business suit blouse and a mini skirt that revealed more leg than would normally seem appropriate appeared and walked up onto the stage. With his physical senses dulled Deans mind was just clear enough for him to be able to notice her strange appearance. She had hair that reached her waist and seemed to flow around her as if she was standing with a wind at her back. Her hair shone with strange colors and many different shades were revealed as it flowed about her, creating a beautiful scene that could capture anyone¡¯s attention. Her eyes were a bright shining pink and bore lines around the edges that spoke of her being someone who loved to laugh. She had a bright smile upon her face and her perky little nose was scrunched up as she radiated a sense of being extraordinarily happy. All together she was adorable, and had the air of one who didn¡¯t take much of anything seriously in life. ¡°Hello All you people of the planet Earth and Welcome to your new future!!¡± The women shouted with her bright smile and an exaggerated wave of her hands. Her voice was light and clear as a bell. Suiting the child like figure standing upon the stage. She continued to speak in that melodious childlike voice and as she did her words spoke of great changes to come. They made no sense to Dean, as he lay forced to listen with his mind already on the verge of collapse. But her voice as she spoke kept him captivated and he fought against his fading consciousness. ¡°Wait did she just mention something about rules? Who are these emperors she¡¯s talking about?¡± These thoughts seemed to fill his head as he slowly lost the fight for consciousness and finally let go, falling into darkness. He awoke some minutes later with a sudden jolt as if electricity had been shot throughout his body setting his nerves on fire. He screamed out as the pain of his Injuries rushed back to him and his body convulsed from shock, but then as the jolt of electricity faded he began to notice the pain wasn¡¯t quite as bad as it had seemed earlier. In fact it wasn¡¯t there at all anymore; the pain was gone. ¡°What the? I could have sworn I was just in some kind of major accident, so where¡¯s the pain?¡± He felt around his body for any sign of injury but he couldn¡¯t feel any. ¡°Was it all just a dream?¡± he thought as he lay upon the concrete. ¡°Hadn¡¯t I hit a wall or something and fallen down?¡± Yet not finding anything wrong with his body and still resting in darkness he realized he could hear the sounds of a horn blaring nearby, and the crackle of what was unmistakably a fire. Finally confirming he was in fact awake and able to hear he opened his eyes, he could once again see. His eyes opened wide at the carnage surrounding him that was unmistakably from the remains of a major accident. Surrounding his body on the ground the area was littered in glass and small bits of metal. Some pieces he noted had hit with such force they even pierced the concrete of the building behind him, and shattered the window of a nearby shop. His eyes grew even wider at seeing this and he quickly re-checked his body once again for any injuries. He found none, yet his body was instead covered head to toe in some kind of odd dust that glittered brightly in the midday sun. He silently contemplated his luck and wondered at the miracle of having escaped the fate of being skewered alive. Looking in the direction the carnage had come from sat the mangled remains of an old Chevy pickup. With its windshield shattered a small fire burning somewhere in the engine compartment most of the front end was sandwiched around a light post that was tilted at an odd angle. Standing up he scrambled to get away from the wreckage and looking around he noticed that the bus he had dodged was lodged into a building roughly 20 metres down the road. It¡¯s front-end hidden inside the building it had careened into. The back of the bus was broken apart and the windows he could see had been shattered in the impact. Skid marks from where the bus seemingly went out of control extend out to where the truck he¡¯d been running towards had originally been parked. He stared back and forth at the broken rear of the bus and the truck a few times once more wondering at how lucky he had been. He stood there for a few moments thinking, before he remembered that the bus had been full of people. Looking closely through the broken windows he could see the figures of slumped over bodies sitting limply in their seats. Thinking that here may be people who might need his help he took off at a run towards the crashed bus. Running towards the broken rear he left the truck behind forgetting his previous pain and only hoping that someone had made it out alright, and that he¡¯d make it in time to help them. What he couldn¡¯t see from his position on his side of the bus was the small pool of liquid that was flowing from a hole in the buses carriage. The fluid was making its way towards an exposed electrical outlet that had been opened when the bus crashed through the store front. Dean was no more then 15 metres away when the liquid finally reached the circuit. A spark formed and flames raced back up the liquids path with a wild intent and reached the fuel tank of the bus. There was a momentary sense of hesitation before the entire bus and the structure it was within erupted in flames. The shockwave from the explosion rammed into Dean and blew him clear off his feet tossing him away. He landed in a heap six feet back, tossed aside as if he were nothing more than a rag doll. The windows of several nearby buildings shattered from the overpressure of the shockwave as it spread throughout the area and eventually dissipated. As Dean lay sprawled out in the wake of the explosion he could feel blood flowing from one of his ears, his eardrum must have burst from the shockwave when it hit him. His left side stung greatly but he could tell nothing was obviously broken and he was able to move all his joints, though some major bruises were a definite. Agonizingly picking himself up as he slowly came back to his senses he stared stupefied at the burning bus and the devastation it caused. ¡°NOOOOOOOO!¡± He screamed uselessly at the tragic loss of life. Ignoring his injuries he began to run blindly towards the destroyed vehicle still hoping there was something he might be able to do to turn the situation around. However, the bus and building were burning too brightly and the heat from the fire was too intense for him to even comprehend approaching any closer. With the blaze now burning out of control it began to spread to the stores beside it growing at a fierce pace. Recognizing his helplessness he reached into his pocket and brought out his cellphone. He thought to call the fire department for help but as he attempted to dial his cellphone disintegrated in his hands. ¡°What the hell!¡± He shouted as the phone literally turned into dust within the palm of his hand. ¡°Crap, it must have been damaged in the crash or explosion.¡± He thought thinking of the only rational explanations he could imagine. He looked up to find if anyone else was nearby, remembering the crowded Main Street he had been on. and tried to find anyone who might have a phone to call for help. But as he looked around him there was nothing but chaos. In his shock at the sudden events that happened to him, the desire to help the people on the bus, and with the rush of adrenaline after the accident his situation had resulted in a form of tunnel vision. Now however the rest of the world came glaringly back into focus. The screams of people as they ran blindly down the street in terror met his ears and he watched as abnormally large plants seemed to instantaneously grow and spread at an insane speed after them. The strange plants were growing their way down the street from a nearby florist shop that had its front enveloped in a veritable jungle of greenery. The shops front was completely missing and for several meters around it there was only a massive cluster of the new and strangely mutating plants. Dean watched as the man who had offered help to him earlier was running away but the man tripped as he ran off the curb of a sidewalk. A vine from what appeared to be a mutated Venus Fly Trap that was over three meters in diameter reached out and wrapped around the mans legs. The poor mans eyes full of terror met Deans and he screamed for help as he was dragged clawing in desperation at the ground. The mans fingers turned bloody from his struggles and he fought desperately to get away. It was futile in the end as he was dragged with relentless force into the massive plants jaw like leaves and they closed mercilessly around the man silencing his screams. Fear and horror had kept Dean routed to the spot as he witnessed the death of the man who had tried to help him. An old butcher shop down the street that Dean used to visit burst into pieces with an incredible shriek of tearing lumber and shattering concrete as a massive boulder seemingly erupted from beneath it. Shrapnel was thrown off with deadly force as the huge rock torn the building to shreds and several parked cars nearby were ripped apart and riddled with holes. Luckily no one had been nearby but the collateral damage done to the surroundings was massive. A loud screeching as of tearing metal sounded from off in the distance piercing the noise around Dean and a car was suddenly flung high overhead. Passing above, people could be seen screaming within while uselessly trying to hold on for dear life. The car arched above Main Street and fell somewhere on another road. A distant explosion could be heard and the billowing of smoke could be seen. All over the town chaos reined as all semblance of civilization came apart. They midday sky was dyed red as buildings burned and smoke filled the air. Strange and vicious plant life spread wildly throughout the city consuming any thing living that it came across. New fissures in the ground suddenly formed when the earth beneath people¡¯s feet vanished and they fell into a black abyss. Massive boulders sprung up randomly throughout the town and their instantaneous appearances destroyed everything nearby as they physically pushed the matter in their space away at frightening speeds. In the presence of so much death and destruction people were no longer acting like people and became no more than animals. Everyone ran or fought for himself or herself, selfishly ignoring the cries for help from the people around them. All together only a few minutes had gone by since the video played its terrible announcement, yet within that short period the world had come completely undone. A new rumbling could be felt from the ground and a deep sound as that of a huge amount of moving water could be heard all across the small town. Then in the distance as the rumbling seemed to reach its peak with a horrific groan the tallest apartments in the town suddenly broke apart. One side of their faces burst outwards, showering the surrounding area in concrete blocks the size of cars. From within an immeasurable amount of water started to pour forth in a massive wave, crashing into the ground below and flooding the surrounding area in moments. The water from the apartments began to flow downhill towards the small river running through the center of town, sweeping up everything in its wake. Cars, people, and even several old building were caught up in the sudden flash flood and sent careening through the town adding to the devastation. Dean stared stupefied once more as the apartment building collapsed and the water began to pour forth. He stood watching as it started to flow in his direction. Everything about this strange situation had overloaded his senses and his mind couldn¡¯t keep up with all that was going on. Unable to comprehend the suddenness of the events occurring he was rooted to the spot with his mind feebly attempting to come to grips with reality. In that moment of hesitation he realized just how little his training had truly prepared him for such terrifying events. He may be fitter and more confident, and he may be trained in combat. But the reality of when things breakdown and go to hell he lacked the most important factor military personnel required and that was experience. For someone who was still so used to peace even if they were trained otherwise, he really was nothing more than a rookie in the end. However the military hadn¡¯t really failed him as from hours and hours of intense training his body was able to react to sudden changes even before his mind could catch up. Once again his training managed to save his life. As he watched the water flow and the dust of distant buildings collapsing come towards him his body was already on the move. Running towards the nearest high ground he knew about he headed towards a back alley that led off from Main Street. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and the sound of destruction from the oncoming wave could be heard growing ever closer. His arms pumped and his blood boiled, never before had he ran so fast as of this moment. Terror and training pushed him to move his body like never before. He could hear the screams and cries of others echoing through the streets and then with a horrific suddenness the voices were cut off as they were suddenly wiped away. The ground shook and rumbled as the thunder became louder and louder, yet his body never stopped moving and he kept running. Finally he reached an area of higher ground and turning a corner in the alley he spotted possible salvation. Managing to jump off a nearby garbage bin he reached out for a ladder hanging down from the side of a nearby building and managed to grab onto the lowest rung. Dean scrambled up the ladder as quickly as he could. With a roaring sound, like that of some terrible beast that beat at his mind and forced him into submission, the water flowed past and down Main Street. The flood destroyed every thing in its wake and annihilated the place where the accident had occurred, carrying the buses burnt and crippled remains onwards and wiping away the remains of the old Chevy truck that had nearly killed him. Water poured up into the long alley Dean had run down. Its height increased moment by moment and almost threatened to take him in its wake as a portion of the massive surge passed beneath him. But he had reached safety in time and he clung to the ladder staring at the water passing just beneath him. Climbing the ladder onto the roof of the building Dean Looked back towards the street he¡¯d had just escaped from. Instead of people and cars, a bus on fire or a new man eating jungle, a new river had formed with an apartment complex acting as a waterfall. Its murky water an unstoppable torrent headed downstream towards the river, trailing along all that had been swept up in its wake. He sighed a breath of relief for having escaped from death for the third time that day. He couldn¡¯t help but lay down as all his energy seemed to evaporate and his mind became unbelievably fatigued under the stress of the days events. As he lay there breathing deeply being thankful for his survival he slowly fell asleep. His body and mind too overwhelmed by the sudden events and the momentary safety he had found pushed him into a dreamless sleep for a time. With his last passing thoughts he realized the partial video he¡¯d seen had been real and had been warning him of the events to come. He then noticed that a silver blue light was blinking down in the corner of his vision begging him to reach out and touch it but he had already lost his ability to stay awake and fell asleep. Whatever that light was would just have to wait. *********************************************************************************** Thanks for reading and sorry it took so long to release. However I hope you enjoy it and find it interesting. I went through this several more times with editing but I am sure I missed several mistakes and for that please forgive me. But hopefully as time goes on I''ll get better at editing and can bring you all a higher quality of story that can keep you in the moment instead of fighting to understand grammatical errors. Also I know his chapters quite fast paced but hopefully its not too bad and once the story gets flushed out a bit more I think it''ll settle into a more stable flow and not be quite so rushed. But once again i hope you like it and thanks for reading! Chapter Two: Tony AN: Hey everyone sorry this took so long but as I said in my last post life has been crazy on my end. But things have settled down so I finally got the chance to write this chapter. I cant guarantee the quality since I had to edit it myself but I hope its readable and that you all can enjoy it. And thank you so much for your patience. ***************************************************************** Chapter 2- Tony [Beeeeep] [beeeeep] [beeeeep] [beeeeep] The blare of an alarm clock rang out in the dark room with a piercing sound that broke the peaceful silence of the morning. It kept going in its attempts to wake the single occupant of a small mountain of blankets in the corner of the room. The noise continued to build growing louder as it failed to produce activity from its intended victim. From outside the room heavy footsteps could be heard moving across old wooden floorboards. They were getting louder with each step, coming to stop just outside the door. With a mighty crash that shook the walls of the room an object pounded on the door almost threatening to break it off its old hinges. ¡°Hey Tony! Wake up you damned sleepy head and turn off your freaking alarm. Also hurry and get downstairs, you¡¯ve got work to do dammit,¡± An incredibly deep voice rumbled from the other side of the door In response to the man¡¯s voice a slender yet well muscled arm reached out from beneath the pile of blankets. Knocking several items off the small end table as the arm searched for the alarm. With a lack of life or effort long slender fingers found the despicable evil that lurked in the dark. The fingers coming together to form a fist they slammed down, exacting their vengeance upon the terror that dared to disturb the occupant¡¯s slumber. With the silencing of the alarm showing the appearance of life within the room the owner of the voice could be heard grumbling. Their heavy steps taking them back the way they came. The pile of blankets stirred as the arm retracted back into the comfortable mass it came from, and a figure emerged from within. Almost as if it was shedding the blankets a body that seemed barely human lifted itself up and sat upon the edge of the tiny bed. A groan emanated from the creature and two slender hands reached up to its head and began violently rubbing in an attempt to aid in waking itself. Standing up in the dark the person moved towards the window where a few ineffective rays of early morning sun tried to break through and add warmth to the room. Taking a small step forward their foot caught on the blankets that had been tossed aside and tripped, falling to the ground with a painful thump. The body hitting the ground shook the room causing dust to fall from the ceiling, adding golden sparkles to the weak sunlight leaking in from the window. ¡°Ugggggh,¡± was the only response from the now prone body that lay on the floor trying to pick itself back up off the ground. After several tense moments of flailing the person got a decent grip on the cold wooden floor and pushed itself up into a sitting position. Sitting there on the floor a pair of eyes opened enough to take stock of the dim world around them. Swearing quietly the person managed to extricate themselves from the mass of blankets tangled up around their legs. Getting up they made their delicate way without further incident to the blinds where the weak sun shone through and whipped them open. ¡°SON OF A BITCH!¡± a husky yet feminine voice shouted out as the morning sun blasted its way through the now wide open window. ¡°Oh good lord. Why on Earth did I think that was a good idea? Augh it burns,¡± Cried out the young woman writhing in pain from the morning light. Long brown hair stuck out in odd directions as it ran down the middle of her back. Loose strands and lumps in her hair made her head look three times larger than it was. The extra size making it almost seem as if a bobble head sat upon a slender and delicate frame. Her bright blue eyes eventually adapted to the vial attack that had been struck upon them and shone with a sleepy intelligence. A small pert nose sat center of a sharply angled well-defined face that spoke of a refined yet elegant beauty. Her thin pink lips twitched into a smile revealing a set of beautiful pearly white teeth welcoming a new day. As the girl stood as if to absorb the light coming in from the window she stretched her arms up into the air. Her white sleeping shirt lifted revealing the well-toned and muscular stomach hidden beneath. The beautiful young woman stood this way for a few minutes more enjoying the morning light, stretching every now and then to continue waking herself. This could have gone on for some time longer except for a shout rang out from beyond the door telling her to hurry. With a sigh and a shout back of acknowledgment she undressed changing into a set of loose fitting sweat pants and an old Nirvana t-shirt. She then grabbed a pair of well-worn sneakers and headed out her door and towards the stairs. Heading down the stairs she entered a small hallway that had several doors on both sides and one large opening near the end and close to the front door. From this opening the sounds of scraping chairs could be heard and the noise of a running dishwasher rumbled in the background. Coming upon the entrance way what met her eyes was the image of a large bald heavy set muscular black man. He was whipping off several tables and chairs in what appeared to be a small bar or a comfortable tavern. She smiled fondly at the big man¡¯s back. His name was Jim Quarmack and he had been her father¡¯s oldest and best friend. But was now he was more or less the young woman¡¯s caretaker in her father¡¯s stead. ¡°Ahh you¡¯re moving are you? Well hurry with your morning exercise and get back here quick all right. I need you to look over some of the latest bills and get that damned beer tap fixed before we open all right?¡± The man¡¯s deep baritone rumbled out as hey noticed the woman standing in the doorway with a pair of shoes in her hands. ¡°Oh and don¡¯t forget the bankers are coming by this morning as well so you can¡¯t be out to long.¡± ¡°Dammit I thought we had those assholes happy for at least the next few months though,¡± the woman growled as the bad news cast a shadow upon her morning. With a wave of acknowledgement she turned and walked to the front door and put on her old running shoes. Stepping out into the mid morning sun she greeted the new day with a deep breath. Taking in the fresh air of the Nevada desert she breathed deeply and then exhaled her new worries away. The young woman standing in the light of a new day looked up at the sign above her head that rested on the top of the place she called home. O¡¯Brien¡¯s Tavern were the words that greeted her as she looked up and a small but savage smile played across her lips. ¡°I wont let them take you away pops, not after everything we¡¯ve gone through. Those Fuckers will regret coming back here again dad,¡± She spoke almost as if in prayer. Tony O¡¯Brien turned away from the sign and once again set her eyes ahead of her proceeding to take in another deep breath of fresh air. Once again letting go of her worries she set off at a light jog headed down the road and away from the tavern she called home. As she jogged she lost herself in the rhythm of her movement. Her mind wandering to the past and the events of how her life had gotten to where she was today. Her full name was Tony Kassandra O¡¯Brien and she was twenty five years old as of last April. Named for her father¡¯s late sister whom she had never met. But she had heard many stories about her when she was a little girl, after she had come into custody of her father. Originally Tony hadn¡¯t lived in the small rundown town just north of Las Vegas and in the middle of nowhere known as the Nevada desert. Instead she had lived as a rather well off child in Manhattan New York City with her single mother raising her alone. Her mother had been both beautiful and capable. In fact if people could¡¯ve seen Tony and her mother side by side today many would have been hard pressed to tell the two apart. Tony had inherited many of her mother¡¯s traits. Her mother had graduated with Honors and distinction from Harvard University with a degree in business management and had later grown to be a powerful, and decisive business woman. Tony¡¯s mother left her father early in their relationship to pursue her career in New York. Eventually becoming the CFO of a major corporation by the time she was thirty. But Tony¡¯s mother when she had left her father hadn¡¯t expected the pregnancy that would become the corner stone of her new life in the Big Apple. Tony¡¯s mother had met her father after she had just graduated from university and between them it had been a short but passionate love affair. But her mother however received a job offer in New York, and so for many reasons she left the man she loved to pursue her new career. Unbeknownst to Tony¡¯s mother by the time she was twenty six she had had a beautiful baby girl. Not wanting to enter anything dramatic and cause trouble for Tony¡¯s father she decided that she would raise Tony herself. Doing the best she could for the newborn babe. Years had passed and back then Tony had grown up unaware of her mothers past struggles. She knew little of her mother¡¯s past, or of her worries in raising a child while managing a budding new career. But because of her mother¡¯s hard work and determination her life as a little girl had been happy and innocent. Tony had been the light of her mother¡¯s life and she had spoiled Tony at every chance she got. Filling her busy but lonesome life with love for her child. Yet while doting upon Tony her mother had been strict as well. She had begun Tony¡¯s education early on in order to prepare her for when she was old enough to go to school. With fine foods, tutors, many clothes, and a mother who desperately loved her it could be said her life had been a blessed one. The only sad part however that Tony could imagine was that she had never met the man she would one day come to know as her father. One day when Tony was seven years old her mother had been out at a business dance. Tony had been at home being taken care of by her nanny. It was after Tony had fallen asleep and her mother had just arrived back to their Manhattan apartment when the incident occurred. Her mother while exiting the car that had driven her home was struck by a stray bullet from an armed robbery occurring further down their street. A gunman had tried to hold up a young couple in an attempted robbery. But the man he was attempting to hold up was in fact an off duty police officer of the Manhattan police department. When being confronted by the off duty officer the man had in his surprise shot off several rounds into the night. One of the stray bullets lodging itself into the jugular of Tony¡¯s mother. Tony had been placed into the care of her nanny who was authorized to be her guardian if case of emergencies. But the police had felt it necessary to contact her father. By using several records her mother had left behind it took the police only a few days to learn who Tony¡¯s father was and track down his location. The police after tracking him down informed him of what had transpired and of the daughter he¡¯d never known he¡¯d had. When he found out that his past love had died so tragically, a woman who he had fiercely loved, he broke down into tears. Weeping openly over the phone with the police. But, when he found out his love had had a daughter and that he was the father his heart trembled. Emotions he never knew he had welling up inside him. A fierce protectiveness overtaking him towards the little girl he¡¯d never before met. Without delay he set out to New York City. A seven year old girl who had just lost her mother yet not quite comprehending what that meant but knowing her mother was never returning. She had felt the keen sting of loss at an early age. Having cried almost nonstop for several days and sealing herself away in her temporary room she had managed to settle down. At least enough that for a time she could play with her nannies children. The children had been playing on a set of swings pushing each other around with Tony sitting off to the side not taking part. Although a rare smile was on her face and she was giggling at the other children¡¯s antics. Especially those of a pair of boys attempting to toss each other off the swings. They had played that way for sometime when a frantic man escorted by several police officers arrived at the house where she was staying. When the man entered the yard Tony had been terrified of his rough appearance. Unable to recognize the man as her father for having never seen a photo of him before. With Tattoos adorning his arms and tough but lean muscles bulging underneath. His clothes despite being well made caused his appearance to be even rougher. Sporting tight blue jeans, black designer shoes, and a black leather jacket his appearance matched that of a biker. Upon his head was a tangle of bright red hair while a matching coloured bushy beard covered his face and sagged down to his chest. Upon seeing this terrifying figure she had fled with the rest of the children into the safe confines of the house. But when her nanny had come and told her that the man was there to see her she was reluctantly brought out to meet him. Yet upon seeing him she was surprised to see him crying, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably as he caught sight of the startled little girl. Sobbing the man collapsed to his knees before her his eyes red with shedding tears and smalls sobs of both joy and sadness breaking through the still silence. His voice was softer than she had expected and came out in fits as sobs wracked his chest. In the end he did manage to get them out between sobs ¡°Tony I know you don¡¯t know who I am, but I am your father Tony, and I¡¯ve come to take you home.¡± She couldn¡¯t quite grasp the words the man had said. The whole thing being a strange whirlwind of emotions for the young girl. But she understood the man was here to take her away and that his words were filled with a tenderness and love only her mother had ever shown. Her earlier fear of the man had mostly been forgotten when she had seen his broken and crying state. But now with such words filled with unbelievable love that her young mind had craved, any lingering fear vanished. Staring at the man she saw that when he looked at her she could see the same look in his eyes that her mother had given her every night before she went to bed. It was a comforting and welcoming gaze. One that brought a much needed warmth to her small broken heart. Without realizing it she had broken down into tears and ran into the open loving arms of the man calling himself her father. Tony¡¯s reminiscence about the past came to a quite end as she reached her usual mid-morning rest stop. Sighing at her sad memories she slowed her pace to a walk as she neared her favorite stop. It was a small rundown gas station about 2 miles out of town. It rested in the middle of a wide open plain with nothing but shrubs and cacti for miles around. Offering her an amazing view of the early morning sun as it rose above the mountains far in the distance. A gentle breeze played across the peaceful landscape and caused an old worn out sign on the front of the gas stations to creek in the breeze. Its rusted hinges adding their musical tones to those of bugs and other critters active in the cooler morning air, before the heat of the day could get too bad. The gas stations exterior was worn down and at first glance a person could almost be fooled to think it was abandoned. Old boards covered several broken windows that need replacing, Paint was stripping off the outside due to years of harsh heat and wind taking its toll on the old structure. Even one pump was a remnant of an era long past. Its pumping mechanisms using old mechanical methods from the fifties instead of newer digital means. However the station was very much in service and it could reliably supply those in need of gas whenever the need might appear. But that¡¯s not why Tony had come; no she had come for something much sweeter. She walked to the door while taking her time to let the cool morning breeze dry the sweat off her body. Opening the door to the old gas station the sweet scent of flowers and that of fresh baking burst out and surrounded her in a cloud of comforting warmth. Smiling to herself and giddy with joy for having arrived in time she marched into the store. The reason this was her constant mid-morning stop was that an elderly couple she had become familiar with owned the station. The first was a man in his late sixties who took care of the station. He also filled it with flowers he tended to from a garden out back. Along with the man was his older doting wife. She had been a professional baker in her younger days and continued to sell her delicious confections to the few visitors they had throughout the day. This Early in the morning the old woman would have just finished preparing her baked goods for the day. While the man would have also just finished replacing the older flowers that lined the stations interior. For Tony stopping here every time she went for a run in the morning filled her day with a small sense of pure joy. The smell of fresh cut flowers and baked bread blended well with the colourful interior of the shop. It was bursting with life and overflowed with a pure sensation of renewal which calmed the heart and eased a troubled mind. To Tony this was a small oasis this morning. The memories of her past still haunted her and the daunting meeting with the assholes from the bank loomed over her as well. She needed this little moment of joy and she was happy to indulge herself in it. Walking up to the counter she couldn¡¯t see the old man who maintained the counter anywhere, but she could hear sounds of movement in the back of the building. ¡°Hey Joshua, Annie you two here?¡± Tony called out in a voice that came out raspier than she had expected. She had been pushing herself harder this morning than she had realized. ¡°Oh Tony! Good morning my dear, how are you on this beautiful day?¡± The old man came in while holding tightly onto the handle of the old woman who carried a tray of freshly baked cookies in her other hand. ¡°I¡¯m all right Joshua. Got a lot on my mind. It¡¯s nothing Annie¡¯s fresh cookies can¡¯t fix though,¡± Tony said over her shoulder as she took a bottle of water from the nearby refrigerator. The friendly banter continued between them for a few minutes while Tony took care of a bottle of water and a couple of the extra cookies that Annie had baked just for her. It was while Tony was paying for the bottle of water that a sudden sense of unease filled her stomach. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as a strange cold sensation ran down the back of her spine. Her arms and exposed legs became covered in a mass of goose bumps as the chilling sensation spread throughout her body. Her pupils became dilated and her breath became short and raspy. A ringing sound filled her ears and began to increase in pitch and level, drowning out the concerned voice of Joshua who had noticed her odd reaction. Tony stood stalk still for perhaps thirty seconds as the sensation washed over her body, freezing her into place. Yet almost as soon as it had begun the sensation vanished and Tony was left standing breathing deeply as if she had almost drowned. Both Joshua and Annie stood around her attempting to get her attention and trying to find out what was wrong with panic filling their voices. Tony shook herself as the sensation disappeared and looked at the two people worrying over her with warms eyes. ¡°I¡¯m all right now you guys,¡± Tony told, her voice shaking from the traumatic experience, ¡°whatever that was is gone now.¡± ¡°Are you sure dear? I mean you look like you almost died of fright their for a moment. Come over here and have a seat at one of the tables and I¡¯ll go get something warm to help calm you down all right,¡± Annie said with a look of motherly concern on her face. Joshua sat down on a small chair across from Tony and folded his hands on the table and looked at Tony, his forehead creased with concern. ¡°You sure you¡¯re all right kiddo? That was some strange behavior back there. It looked almost as if you¡¯d just stared Death in the face or something.¡± ¡°Yeah Joshua I¡¯m fine now. Whatever that was it¡¯s gone now but to say it felt like I was staring Death in the face would sound about right. I don¡¯t know what came over me but I had this overwhelming sensation that something terrible was occurring. It felt¡­. It felt like when I lost mom and then dad¡­. It felt like the world was ending,¡± Tony shuddered, tears forming at the corner of her eyes as the trauma from the experience hit her square in the gut. But before she could shed too many tears Joshua stood up and took the poor girl in a giants embrace. His strong hug and fatherly warmth calming the distraught young lady. Annie holding a warm cup of tea returned about this time and smiled at her husband comforting the younger woman. Like a father would to his daughter. She walked over as her husband released Tony from his embrace. Setting the tea down in front of Tony her other hand came to rest on the young woman¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Drink up dear it¡¯s tea made from plants in the garden and it works wonders for calming me down whenever an odd mood hits me. Which happens more often these days than you¡¯d think. Comes with old age I believe,¡± Annie said as she sat down with her hand still resting on Tony¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you Annie, thank you both. I need a moment and then I¡¯ll be ok,¡± Tony spoke as her heartfelt thanks came out towards the kindness of the two. ¡°No worries dear. As Annie said, these sorts of things happen as you grow older. But we¡¯re just glad to see you feeling a little better. Would you like I could drive you home just as a precaution?¡± Joshua spoke out as he took his wife¡¯s hand and looked at her with a loving glance. ¡°Thanks Joshua and that may be a good idea. I don¡¯t know what that was, but I¡¯d rather not be running if something happened again,¡± Tony replied as the warm soothing sensation of the tea filled her body. A sense of contentment helping to ease the last vestiges of fear remaining.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Not even five minutes later Tony was in Joshua¡¯s old pickup truck heading back into town. A bag of fresh cookies sat on her lap and a cup of tea was in her hands given to her by Annie as needed materials to help keep Tony calm. But her calm demeanor only lasted for the drive into town. As the old truck turned the last corner towards the old tavern she saw a sleek white Mercedes Benz, sitting out front. Her eyes narrowed in disgust as she recognized the expensive car. The sense of calm she had shortly regained was replaced by a more sinister and dark feeling. Anger swelled in her bosom as she stared at the car almost as if she was trying to melt holes into its sleek exterior. Joshua not being one to miss such a display of open hostility looked at the car with knowing and worried eyes. Both he and Annie had known Tony since she was a child. She had come to their old gas station on an almost daily basis for Annie¡¯s freshly baked cookies. To them Tony was almost like a daughter and after their son had passed away Tony had become even more important to the old couple. So Joshua knew about Tony¡¯s troubles and he looked at the young woman beside him who seethed with barely contained anger his eyes filled worry. But he knew Tony¡¯s personality and that even he in this situation wouldn¡¯t be of much help or use. Yet as the trucks tires crunched to a stop on the gravel out front of the tavern he couldn¡¯t help but look to Tony. ¡°Tony if you need any help you know both Annie and I are here for you right? Do you want me to come in and lend a hand?¡± Joshua spoke while sending a knowing look towards the car beside him. ¡°No but thank you Joshua. I Think Jim and I should be able to handle these clowns ourselves¡­ But thanks again for everything. Ill see you and Annie again soon ok.¡± She said with a sigh as she got out of the old truck and almost slammed the door closed. ¡°All right girl but you be careful you hear me? And don¡¯t let those snakes get to you to badly all right, being pissed off and angry will only make things worse.¡± Joshua shouted back through the open window as he threw the truck into gear and took off back down the road. Tony stood still in the middle of the parking lot along the road and took a moment to once again collect herself and regain her lost calm. Walking with purpose and making a clear attempt at ignoring the vehicle beside her, she mad her way back into O¡¯Brien¡¯s. She opened the door with more vigor than usual and cursed at herself as the door chimes rang out, announcing her presence to everyone inside the building. Purposefully not acknowledging the existence of the two men who stood inside the open tavern Tony walked over to the bar. She went to where Jim stood glaring at the two men. ¡°Hey Jim I¡¯m back. Oh Annie gave me extra cookies so if you want any you¡¯re welcome to have some,¡± Tony said while ignoring the men still standing in the centre of the room. Tony placed the bag of remaining cookies and the mug of tea onto the counter in front of Jim. He grunted in acknowledgment continuing to stare daggers at the two men in their business suits. His hands were cleaning a large mug with an old clean cloth and his knuckles were an almost pure white. They trembled against the force he was putting into his task. Tony saw this and sighed at Jim¡¯s attitude towards their unwelcome guests. His mood would only help to make her already dark mood even worse than it already was. She couldn¡¯t help but want to continue to ignore the two men behind her. Hoping that they were just a figment of her imagination and that she didn¡¯t have to deal with this crap right now. The room became still as both she and Jim did their level best to ignore the two men. But before her hopes and dreams could be realized one of the men spoke up, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife. ¡°Good day Miss O¡¯Brien it¡¯s a pleasure as always to see you,¡± The man spoke. His voice clipped and hiding barely contained anger at the insult of ignoring him. Tony¡¯s eyes twitched at the degrading tone thrown her way and her face darkened to a noticeable degree as her heart seethed with rage. Sighing to herself at having to confront the inevitable and looking to Jim for support she turned towards the men behind her. Not even attempting to hide the disgust she felt towards them as she leaned against the bar. Blowing away any semblance of peace, she spoke to the man who first talked, her voice dripping with venom. ¡°Yeah well it¡¯s not good to see you¡­ So what do you people want? We already paid this month¡¯s bills and the extra tax you people added onto the payments. So as I see it there shouldn¡¯t be a reason for you to be here.¡± Before the first man could retort the second who had yet to speak turned towards her. With his right hand he placed a large suitcase onto the table in front of him. Working the locks on the suitcase for a moment he opened it up and took out a large stack of papers. He also produced a file folder with her family¡¯s name written on it. Placing the items onto the table beside the briefcase he looked back up at Tony with the air of a proper professional. Very much unlike his acquaintance he spoke to Tony in a tone bereft of emotion. ¡°Miss O¡¯Brien the bank is afraid that due to some judicial issues and unforeseen economic matters your family¡¯s payment options have been changed. On the mortgage for this bar a new payment plan has been comprised for you. Officially as of this next month you will now have 3 months left to pay off the remaining $70,000 that¡¯s due. Either that or you will be forced to foreclose on all assets held under the terms of agreement.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­WHAT THE FUCK! You people cannot be serious. How in the Hell are we supposed to pay $70,000 in such a short time frame? We had at least another 13 months left on the mortgage just last month. Even then with how the economies been were barely able to pay what is owed now. There¡¯s no way we can pay that off so soon. You can¡¯t do this,¡± Tony shouted in unconstrained rage as she exploded forward, grabbing at the documents the man had placed on the table. ¡°Oh I am afraid the bank can and is doing exactly that. You see we checked with our lawyers and it¡¯s entirely legal. Beside MISS O¡¯BRIEN, it¡¯s exactly the state of the economy that has the bank worried. They¡¯re afraid that if the state of things continues the way they are and the economy continues to fall you won¡¯t be able to make the payments at all. So the bank has changed the term of your family¡¯s payment plan and will collect as soon as possible, and it is Legal,¡± The second man¡¯s voice spoke out in that same emotionless professionalism. Almost as if he didn¡¯t regard the people in front of him as humans but more as things. Tony clenched the papers in her hands as the man spoke. His cold attitude angering her even more than the deriding and degrading attitude his partner had shown. Her blood boiled and an unmitigated rage exploded from within her as his words hit home. These people were threatening to take¡­ no they were taking her home away. There was no possible way she and Jim could pay the money these people were demanding. They had been able to break even with the payments before and yet now they were wanting even more. Her father hadn¡¯t left his tavern to her when he passed just so it could be taken away from her. She couldn¡¯t think anymore and reacted on pure instinct as her fear and anger took over. Just as she swung her fists toward the emotionless man, Jim who had followed her from the bar, reached out grabbing at her hand but he was already too late. Yet before her first could come into contact with the man¡¯s face a wave of nausea washed over her body, nearly making her collapse in place. The sensation was so strong that her fist missed its mark and she tripped, falling to the floor with a bone-rattling shake. Her body began spasming as wave upon wave of nausea washed over her. Sweat poured off her as her immune system worked overtime in an attempt to fight off the apparent fever attacking her. Her muscles clenched incredibly tightly as an indescribable amount of pain suddenly burst itself upon the back of her skull. Spreading throughout her nervous system it felt as if electricity were coursing through her. She couldn¡¯t even let loose a scream as her mouth clenched tight against itself. Tony¡¯s body was forced into the fetal position as her world became lost and all she could feel was the terrible pain that coursed through her. Again and again, wave after wave the pain flowed through her rising each moment to an unbearable pinnacle. In that moment her world was coming undone. Her unheard cries to die and be set free from the pain falling on deaf ears. To Tony¡¯s breaking mind it felt as if everything lasted for an eternity and it drove her towards insanity. But just as her mind stood upon the cusp of breaking it all vanished. Tony was left panting and sweating upon the floor. Her body wracked with the memory of now invisible pain and her mind lay weary and tired. But as each moment passed she became stronger. Her breathing once again became something akin to normal and her heartbeat slowed to reasonable levels. As she recovered and her mind returned from breaking she realized something else had happened. She could no longer either see or hear anything at all. She reached out for a table she knew rested near her grabbing onto it and using it to assist in helping her stand. Looking around her she could only see blackness, and the sound of silence was oppressive. Calling for Jim as she stood on shaky legs her mind raced with frantic thoughts of what had just occurred. Tony once again called out to him as she stood, wondering where he was and why he wasn¡¯t helping her. She tried to search for him with her hand but grasped nothing but air. She continued shout his name but with each successive shout he never came to help. Her mind raced with questions of where he was and why was he missing. He had never before left her alone like this, he had never missed being there to help. Whenever she needed him, even after her father had died, he had always been there for her. The lack of awareness of what was going on around her and the disappearance of Jim filled her anxious mind with imaginary fears. She could only conclude something was terribly wrong with her and that something must have happened to Jim as well. Panic began to build as she worried that she perhaps wasn¡¯t the only one affected by this strange phenomenon. If something happened to her that was fine but the fear of losing Jim made her heart clench. The fear kept getting stronger and crept into her belly as she realized that she was on her own. In her already weakened state of mind she could only keep shouting out for someone. Hoping that she wasn¡¯t alone, that someone might hear was the only thing keeping her fear from beating her. Yet no matter how loud she shouted or cried out while not moving from where she stood for fearing of losing her location, nobody came. Though as she stood shouting to the world with her voice growing horse a quiet musical jingle could almost be heard coming from somewhere around her. At first Tony thought it was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Her mind playing tricks on her as she strained her hearing to its limits. Slowly though as she listened the music was getting louder with each passing second. In pure joy her heart leapt with the realization that the music was real. That she hadn¡¯t been imaging it at all. She tried to turn towards the sound as it continued to grow but was unable to pin point its location. Strangely it seemed the music was coming from everywhere around her at once instead of from one specific direction. Yet her heart was bursting with hope as the music continued to play. ¡°Hello¡­. Hello is someone there?¡± She called out. Her voice weak from shouting. ¡°Please listen we need help in here right away. Something has happened in here and I¡¯m not sure what but there¡¯s four of us here and we need help,¡± She called out again not understanding why no one had responded. ¡°Someone... Anyone¡­ WHO EVERS PLAYING THAT FUCKING MUSIC PLEASE ANSWER!¡± Tony cried out, her scream going unheeded and she could feel her silent voice calling out into emptiness. However before she could scream any longer the music reached a crescendo and an old black and white countdown image began to play before her eyes. Tony instantly became silent as the strange appearance of the old style countdown startled her. The sheer strangeness of the unexplained situation making Tony stare in stupefied astonishment, her mind coming to a grinding halt. As she stared in silence the countdown on the screen came to an end. The image changed to that of a white room with a small stage set in the middle. A row of windows in the back ground shining out onto a beautiful starry vista. With the appearance of a rather petite woman onto that stage Tony felt her mind slowly began to function once more. Her mind starting to adapt itself to the weird situation as her confusion built but her fear started to fade away. The woman in the video started to speak and Tony discovered what had happened to her was a result of this video being streamed into her consciousness. Tony also learned that Jim should be ok and experiencing this as well. Explaining why he hadn¡¯t answered her. Tony¡¯s biggest fear in life was to be left alone and now that she knew Jim should be ok her greatest fears were relieved. Although when the woman in the image started speaking of the events to come Tony¡¯s mind snapped back into full clarity, paying extremely close attention to what was being said. The more the woman spoke the more Tony felt her sense of reality crumble almost as if she were Alice falling further into the rabbit hole. To Tony the alien woman¡¯s, or rather ¡°Cephi¡¯s¡±, tone was far to light for the incredibly dark things she spoke about. Her smile too realistic and her exuberance too uplifting in the face of the tragedy she spoke of. This instantly caused Tony to view this woman in an extremely dark light. Anyone who could be so nonchalant about such things could not possibly be a good person she thought to herself. However even though Tony didn¡¯t like the woman very much she was far too pragmatic to not listen. She wanted to disbelieve what she was hearing but couldn¡¯t help believe that everything the woman said was true. The evidence was right before her eyes and Tony didn¡¯t doubt her sanity for a moment. Instead she focused closely and attentively on what the woman was saying trying to absorb her every word. The things Tony heard as she listened to the video boggled her mind, and if these things could be true¡­. No they were true, she corrected herself. They had to be since everything was too vivid, too¡­ real for it not to be true. Everything also fit with the strange events throughout the day further convincing her that it was real. But before she could linger on the contents of the video, and whether they were true or not, the woman on the camera bore a bright smile and waved her hands in good bye. As she bid her farewells she started to countdown and another timer appeared in front of Tony. This time however unlike the countdown from before, this one was for the beginning of the end to everything Tony had known. Upon the end of the countdown both her proper sight and hearing flooded back into place without warning. She was momentarily disorientated as she readjusted to the sudden intrusion of her recovering senses. Before her both the other men and Jim stood in stunned silence their eyes opened wide with the shock. As tony stared at them they began shaking their heads as their senses came back to them. ¡°Jim, you saw that as well right? What the fuck was that? And did you hear what she was talking about? How crazy is what she said and what do you think it all mean?¡± Tony burst into motion running up to the man and grabbing his arm as she let loose a relentless torrent of questions at him. It was as if her earlier fears and worries had never even existed. ¡°Yes I did see it as well, and no I don¡¯t know what it means. But girl give me a moment to think about this, let me concentrate for a minute,¡± His eyes closed in thought as he responded and his forehead wrinkled as he concentrated on the situation before him. The depth of his concentration and the look of worry that rested upon his face made him look far older than the forty odd years he was. He took his time to think about the questions Tony had asked and to prepare an appropriate response. He felt he owed her the best response he could come up with. When he once again opened his eyes and stared into the bright blue eyes looking back at him he felt the weight of the trust they placed in him. Eyes filled with vibrancy, full of life, and obstinate determination. But he also saw they were slightly tinted with worry and fear. Before he could reply to her questions though an angry and strained voice interrupted him. ¡°Ehem Excuse me you two, but before you start going off about that strange video and what not. I believe there is the matter of Miss O¡¯Brien having just attempted to assault me that needs to be addressed,¡± The cold toned banker lost all pretense of cool professionalism. His voice filled with hate as he stared at Tony in rage, ¡°I think Miss O¡¯Brien that you fail to understand the consequences of your actions here today. And I can guarantee you will be hearing from the banks lawyers, as well the police soon regarding this matter. Oh and I promise you Miss O¡¯Brien I will press charges so don¡¯t get too comfortable. Not only are you going to lose your home, but you¡¯ll also likely be rotting in a county jail rather soon.¡± Tense silence engulfed the room as the two men stared daggers at Tony while they packed their things to leave. The one mans hands moving to collect the papers before him while the other closed his briefcase with a snap. The small sound rang out like a gunshot in the quite room. Tony could only stare back in disbelief as her mind couldn¡¯t comprehend the lack of understanding or care the two men seemed to give towards the current situation. Yet even as she stared she recalled what the man had just said. An intense burning rage built within her Belly at his words. The intensity of the hatred building within in her forcing aside any thoughts she had about the video to the back of her mind. Somethings could wait till later she thought to herself. ¡°You have got to be fucking kidding me, I can¡¯t believe you people! In this situation you FUCKING threaten to take my home and now you¡¯re threatening me with the cops! You Assholes are trying to take my home, the home MY FATHER created for me. So of course when you dirt bags come here I will hit you. So FUCK you, go and get the cops. I¡¯ll gladly get arrested if it means I get to hit you,¡± Tony shouted out, her hands balling into fists and the whites of her knuckles showing from the pressure she exerted. Tony was getting herself ready to take another swing at the man and beat his head in as best she could when a heavy hand rested itself on her shoulder. It sat lightly yet firmly enough, holding her back from lashing out again. ¡°Now hold on there girl, just calm down before you do anything stupid again all right,¡± Jim¡¯s deep baritone rumbled out from his chest, ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself with these people while there¡¯s bigger matters at hand. Right now those are what need attention. So just let them go.¡± The calming tone and the firm hand on Tony¡¯s shoulder helped her to reel in the rage that had been ready to burst out. Her violent attitude giving way to a more simmering anger that rested at the back of her eyes. ¡°Get the Hell off my property you pieces of human trash.¡± She spat in a quite voice as she watched the men before her get ready to leave. ¡°We will Miss O¡¯Brien. However, you will be seeing us again when we come with our lawyers to take this place from you. And promise you, we will enjoy that!¡± With these last remarks the two men turned away and left through the front door. Tony stood unmoving, staring at the empty tavern as anger boiled within her. As the door closed on their leaving it was if it was a previously unbreakable barrier had been broken. All of her rage and anger and the whiplashing emotions she had experienced in just the last few minutes began to turn into a heart rending sadness. Sadness at the prospect of losing her home. At losing the place her father had left for her when he died. To Tony this tavern was where her heart lived. Ever since she had met her father the tavern had been her home. The place where she grew up after her mother had passed away. It was also the only thing that remained of her father after he left her. The tavern to her was her father. It held his spirit and his soul; it held all the pain staking hours of sweat blood and tears he had poured into it. But now because of the banks crooked dealing and a poorly legalized mortgage she would lose her home. The reality of it sunk deep into her bones and the memory of the video all but forgotten now. She turned to Jim and grabbed onto the man who had helped raise her and cried deeply into his barrel chested comfort. His arms wrapped around the weeping girl as she cried, trying to add whatever help he could. Off in the background the sound of closing door and the starting up a vehicle could be heard along with the noticeable crunch of gravel as the vehicle left the parking lot. ¡°I wish they would just die Jim. For what they¡¯ve done I wish they would all just die,¡± Tony cried out into Jim¡¯s chest as her tears ran freely down her face, staining his shirt. ¡°How can they do this Jim? How can they take our home from us without even giving us a chance?¡± But before Jim could reply a light that shone brighter than a thousand suns poured through the closed windows of the tavern. A light so bright and powerful that even through the blinds its intensity engulfed the two in a world of purest white. It burned its way beneath their closed retinas making their shut eyes useless under its immense assault. The two cried out as the white light blocked out the world around them and with each passing moment seemed to burn brighter and brighter. For perhaps five maybe six seconds the light made everything around them vanish before it diminished in power to fade out of existence. Both Tony and Jim separated and began to violently rub at their eyes to recover from their sudden blindness. After several minutes the two recovered enough to see around them and within several more minutes and much blinking they could see well enough to focus. ¡°What the Hell was that?¡± Tony cried out as she looked to the windows of the tavern as if attempting to see through them. ¡°I don¡¯t know but maybe it has something to do with that damned weird video early. Come on it was outside so lets go take a look,¡± Jim said as he moved towards the front doors, not even waiting for a response from Tony. ¡°Hey Jim just a second you don¡¯t know what happened out there. It could be dangerous so let¡¯s be cautious all right. If it does have to do with that video better safe than sorry,¡± Tony called out not trying to dissuade the man but convince him that some careful consideration may be needed. Jim looked back and nodded in her direction and then returned to the bar where grabbed an old semi-automatic pistol he kept stashed away as a precautionary measure. Heading back towards the door Tony followed behind him, her head filled with curiosity to see what had happened. But she was also worried if it was something terrible like the things mentioned in the video. Going outside Tony gasped in shock. Her hands coming up to cover her mouth and her eyes becoming as big as saucers. Jim however just stood still. His body unmoving as the impossible scene before him went beyond his comprehension. ¡°Oh my god Jim¡­ what is this?¡± She had spoken so quietly to Jim. Barely almost as if speaking loudly would somehow shatter the reality before them. Her body was still as she stared at what lay before her. Her mind racing with the implications of what she saw. As Tony and Jim stood just outside on the parking lot to O¡¯Brien¡¯s Tavern not more than 50 meters down the road was bright white hole. The hole was burned through one side of the asphalt road while the other side was unharmed. It was a perfectly circular shape roughly a metre in diameter and was burned seamlessly into the ground. It was as if something had melted its way through the Earth. The depth of the hole couldn¡¯t be estimated but throughout it¡¯s entirety it was absolutely smooth and glowing white hot. The temperatures that had created it clearly having been astronomical. The remaining road around it for perhaps three or four feet was little more than a pool of molten rock. Small streams of molten liquid pouring down into the depths of the hole. While the hole itself was a terrifying sight. What truly made it shocking and beyond belief for Tony wasn¡¯t just the hole. But it was the fact the hole and pool of molten rock sat right in the middle of what were clearly the remains of a bright white Mercedes Benz. Whatever had burned its way into the ground had ended up going right through the car of the two men from the bank. Its middle portion completely vanished, having vaporized when it was hit. Only the portions just after the front tires and just before the back tires remained intact to tell anyone that it had even been there. Yet even as Tony and Jim stared at the incredible scene the heat from residual heat form the hole slowly melted the two pieces from view. The car vanishing as if it had never even been there. ¡°I don¡¯t know Tony¡­.I truly do not know¡± ************************************************************ Well I hope you enjoyed the read. Any advice, tips or tricks is always welcome. Once again I am sorry for the delay and again I hope you enjoyed this second chapter Chapter Three: Dean The Sun sat edging the eastern sky, the first golden rays of light shining down upon a sleeping world. Early morning fog hung low over the land, the tips of trees sticking out from beneath the white blanket, wet with the nights last dew and basking in the first light of a new day. Birds began to rouse from their slumber, preparing to leave the safe havens their nests provided in search of food. Their dulcet tones ringing clear in the crisp morning air, singing to one another of the absence of the predators that called the night their home. As time moved forward and the fog slowly began to peel back against the heat of the sun more creatures began to stir and move. The once quite the landscape was now filled with life and a choir of noises all blending together and mixing until it was nearly impossible to discern one call from the next. Slowly the Sun crept above the horizon in the East, far off in the depths of space where stars still shone, space began to bend and twist. Stars began to seemingly fold into one another or move apart, warping in a cosmic dance as if to defy all natural laws of the universe. A singular point a hundred million kilometers from Earth pulsated as wave upon wave of invisible energy roiled about crashing like waves upon the ocean sending the starry background into a cascade of shifting lights. Bursting forth across the empty vacuum purple lightning began to silently strike at the singular point. Hundreds of thousands of lighting bolts each hundreds of kilometers long rained down through the void as if some defiant god felt it needed to be struck down. At the point where lightning struck space began to tear and rip apart, light began to get sucked in feeding the point of pure emptiness that began to grow. The void of pure empty space grew and grew, devouring the lightning that swarmed around it and bending the light behind it. The black hole in space continued to build and grow soon filling a region of space ten thousand kilometers in diameter. Light from distant stars and galaxies could be seen around the edge of the black hole bringing a whole different view of the universe into focus than had ever been seen before. Almost as if to crown itself in glory the black hole sat in the emptiness of space wrapped in the light of a billion unknown stars with a pale blue dot laying unaware in the distance. Yet even as this behemoth of destruction grew and bent the universe to its will, its pull exerted no effect upon space beyond the gravitational lensing created. No great destruction or ripping of planets apart to devour them and grow in its mass occurred. Instead it sat peacefully in the sky a very evident testament of just how small, insignificant, and truly vulnerable the tiny world millions of kilometers away truly was. While the black hole lorded over the void within the silence of space the peaceful scene of the forest on the world below continued entirely unaware of the danger sitting so close at hand. Slowly at first one or two lights blinked into existence above the still dark Western sky but as time went on a veritable torrent of small bright new stars blossomed forth. Their light shining brilliantly amongst the heavens and with each passing moment the multitude stretched out across the sky streaking hither and tither as they burned their way into the atmosphere. Millions of streaks separated themselves and flashed off towards the four corners of the globe. For over an hour the lights burned their way through the atmosphere leaving fiery trails in the sky. One such light slowly but surely began to grow brighter and brighter as it made its way towards the Earth below. As if sensing the incoming object the noises of the forest ceased and silence hung over the region in a palpable sense of anticipation. Moments later a slow rumbling could be heard and the ground began to gently vibrate as the light continued to grow brighter overhead. Without warning hundreds of thousands of birds let out cries of distress and took to the skies, their cries deafening as they fled in unknown terror. Animals upon the ground lent their calls to those of the birds and took off running in any direction as a sense of impending danger overwhelmed them alighting their instinct to flee. With ever increasing violence the rumbling grew. The air vibrated from the force and trees shook as wind ripped through their branches. With a horrific screeching like that of a banshee the white streak burned its way above. Its passing heating the atmosphere leaving a trail of blazing fire in its wake. Secondary fires started as trees burst into flames from the over wash. Animals screamed in terror or pain as they fled, some too slow to escape the terrible inferno. Shockwaves blasted through the air as it moved blowing rocks, trees, and dirt away leaving a trail of blasted ground behind. With one last terrible cry it struck the ground. The ground quaked and shook as it tried to repel the invader. Shock waves ripped through the region annihilating anything in its path. Heat so great it melted dirt into glass swept everything clean as it spread in the wake of the impact. Plumes of molten rock launched into the sky only to crash down in once more upon already destroyed earth. Smoke and ash billowed out after the wake of the impact and fires licked at the remains of anything not already wiped out. Even though infernos raged within the wake of its passing, where it impacted a unsettled calm began to take hold. Slowly the remaining few fires died down as they ate their limited fuel. The dust thick enough to cut with a knife began to settle and clear. The Earth no longer shook or heaved like some wild beast and the winds returned to their gentle sway. But the remnants of destruction remained as the glassed landscape around a black crater became visible in the clearing air. Many secondary craters made the area look like a warzone had moved through as their small indents pockmarked the area. Lying gently glowing from residual heat at the center of it all a crater a hundred meters in diameter had been formed when the object struck. Its sides sloping towards the center almost twenty meters in depth to a small pool of still molten rock. At the center, untouched by the destruction surrounding it, a small metal ball sat peacefully, its silver surface gleaming from the glow of the rock around it. Across the globe million of scenes similar to this took place. Many of the lights struck ocean and were lost to the depths of the sea. Some rained down death upon cities, cutting down swaths of people like wheat in a field. Others fell to remote regions far removed from mankind where only nature gave witness to their passing.With the last of the lights having struck the earth the black hole in the sky began to fade, its job of deliverance done. The only evidence of its lofty existence vanished without anyone on the small planet below the wiser. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Just over a hundred kilometers from the site of the impact in a town unrecognizable compared from even the day before, upon the roof of a small store, slept a young man. His breathing calm and his dreams undisturbed, his mind closed to the chaos of the world around him. The day before had worn Dean down, his mind and body exhausted from the insanity of the events that had taken place. His training had been essential in helping him survive but nothing could have prepared his soul to witness the deaths of innocent people. When he had finally found sanctuary from the raging waters he had collapsed. Exhausted, his mind in shock and unable to think straight his body had shut down and he slept. A new day had begun and the sun hung high in the mid-morning sky. Its light like rays of burning fire as they rained down upon Deans exposed sleeping form. His body left to the elements glistened as the dew of the night evaporated off him in wafts of vapor. Slow to waken, his body begun to heat in the exposed light that forced his mind to lift the veil of slumber. Rousing himself into wakefulness Dean blinked rapidly in the near blinding light causing a groan of pain to escape him as he covered his abused eyes. His body arguing against movement as aches and sore muscles throbbed in the background. He lay unmoving for a time waiting for his body to cooperate. With a crushing torrent the previous days events came flooding back to him. His body curled upon itself convulsing as the horrors he witnessed burned their way into his mind. Shock took hold over him and his muscles spasmed uncontrollably and his breath came in short desperate gasps. Primal fear and anguish wracked his mind as he remembered the innocents he had watched die. The man who had tried to help him earlier he could only watch helplessly as some unknown plant devoured him. The young people in the car that had been launched over his head, the sadness and fear in their eyes, and the images of many others swept away by torrential waters passed through his mind. He didn¡¯t question whether what had occurred was real or not, he couldn¡¯t, it was as if some innate instinct prevented him from denying the possibility. So he stayed huddled in a ball upon the roof, his body shaking uncontrollably and his mind screaming in anguish for the passing dead. For a day and a night he laid weeping like a small child. He had been trained to survive but nothing could have prepared him to watch so many die so suddenly. But even as time passed a level calm began to take hold over him. Hours went by while his body shook less and less with his mind beginning to clearing itself of the faces that haunted him. Dean lay gasping for breath as his consciousness snapped back to reality with a start. Immediately he understood the calm he felt was not his own but one forced upon him. His mind suddenly no longer allowed to wallow in the pits of despair. Instead a need, a desire, to survive began to take hold. It wasn¡¯t a strong feeling and it wasn¡¯t able to entirely cover up his past thoughts but it was enough; able to help him focus on the here and now. What¡¯s done is done his mind told him; it was time to press forward. He had cried enough but he needed to live and survive and grow. Uncurling himself from the tight ball he had cradled himself in, his muscles began to tingle with the sensation of having sat in one shape for too long. With a groan Dean lifted himself into a sitting position to lean against the balustrade beside him. Looking down upon himself he groaned in exasperation as at some point he had vomited the non-existent food in his stomach and had covered himself in his own bile. Sniffing with disgust the putrid scent of vomit wafted across his nose instigating him to remove his light jacket and throw it across the roof with disdain. Finally with the foul smell gone he was able to look at the small blinking light in the corner of his vision that had persisted the past two days. Upon attaining his focus the light blinked thrice and vanished, instead in its place the image of the strange alien woman he recognized from before popped into his head. With a wave of the imaginary girls hand text began to float in the center of his vision, blocking out the rooftop behind. ¡°Hello their Mr. Dean. Ehmm, well as you have apparently slept or cried the last few days¡¯ away, nice footage by the way, you may have missed out on a few things so we had to update this info for you just a wee bit. OK where to get started then. Well first off I guess is to congratulate you for your candidacy as an Emperor Class Candidate. With this your growth potential and abilities will be used to help lead mankind into a bright future of intergalactic warfare, if you survive of course though. So what does it mean to be an ECC, well you have to fight the other ECC¡¯s to the death or be selected by a random vote, but this ways is super lame, in order to be chosen for one of only a hundred available Emperor positions in which you will lead humanity into a prosperous and glorious future. That was the simple explanation but you¡¯ll have figure out the rest on your own, otherwise everything else is free game,¡± With a sudden flourish the image of the alien girl transformed into a position as if she were telling him a secret, ¡°Now I have one super duper uber important detail to tell you that we only tell our ECC¡¯s. See we told everyone on the planet that anyone who survived the first day would have access to a status bar¡­ well that was complete crap. Ok not entirely false since everyone technically does have ¡®Access¡¯ to one but it¡¯s also not entirely true. You see while you were sleeping soundly mister sleepyhead, we launched a certain object into your atmosphere. This object, simply called a scanner, is what gives a person the ability to see their status and until a person procures one and ties it to themselves people will have to figure everything out on their own. Trial and error for the win baby, just don¡¯t blow your self up ok. But more importantly it is this object that will guide you to find other emperor candidates but also allow them to be guided to you. Regardless of whether or not a Candidate has one they will appear on these scanners giving others who do have one the ability to find them. So it is imperative that you locate a scanner. Well now that takes care of the most vital bits about the scanner and it has plenty of other functions as well but sadly, pouty face right, you will have to figure the rest out once you get one. Now because you were asleep you missed their landing so we will give you a hand in locating the closest scanner to you. You will have to head due west from where you are. It¡¯s roughly a hundred kilometers West from you current position and you¡¯ll find it amongst the burnt wreckage of an old forest and in a crater at the end of a large swath of torn up land. Well then, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left to tell you¡­ well actually there is a lot but It¡¯s late here and I¡¯m too lazy to write everything down. So best of luck, Au revoir.¡± Without preamble the message and the image vanished leaving Dean to stare blankly into empty space. Blinking quickly he managed to gather his scattered thoughts as he pushed himself off the ground and stood up. Considering what the woman had just said Dean couldn¡¯t help but realize just how important the information she had given him really was, and how quickly he had to act now that he had that info. With the strange calmness still clearing his head he had room to think and consider his options. Turning to view the landscape around him his breath caught in his lungs. Before him lay the ruined remains of the small town he was in. Little remained of the once pristine place except a few larger structures and a number of older and sturdier buildings. For kilometers in front of him a swamp like forest had grown thick and lush in just the couple days he had been out of commission. Small trees and ferns dominated the landscape as rivers of muddy brown water flowed past them. A massive waterfall gushed from the skeletal remains of the apartment complex that had flooded the streets before.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Except now the water flowed slowly, lazily meandering its way through the bayou. Large boulders and jagged rocks jutted up from beneath the ground rising into the air meters above the tree line. Dean could even see large flowers and massive lilies below the short canopy and he even spotted the massive Venus Fly trap that had eaten the man winding its way slowly through the waters below. A harsh stench or rot and decay met his nose as the wind over the swamp turned his way. Gagging slightly Dean couldn¡¯t fathom just how much had changed in so little time, or how he was supposed to make his way across the swamp which sat directly in his way to head West. Looking at his hands as he opened and closed them he tried to figure out what his abilities might be. He needed to know if he was going to even try and survive in this world and having them available as he crossed the swamp would help him greatly. For several hours Dean ignored his rising hunger as he tried to find some way to activate or use his so called powers but nothing he did had any effect. He grew frustrated as his attempts bore no fruits and he slammed his hands down upon the balustrade causing his hands to ache in protest. What was he doing wrong? If he was supposed to be some powerful person then why did nothing he tries work? He couldn¡¯t answer these questions and his hunger had reached a point where it was to distracting for him to fully concentrate anyways. Walking around the roof trying to scout for any signs of where he might find some food before he actually climbed into the forest to look he was startled when a sudden noise and a squawk rang out from behind him. Jumping in shock he turned to find a large crow sitting on the air conditioner of the roof staring at him intently. Dean stood staring back at the bird watching as it lightly hopped off the air conditioner onto the ground and started to amble its way towards him. Dean didn¡¯t know what to think, as the bird never broke eye contact with him, but the fact something strange was going on was quite obvious. Once the large black crow was only a few meters from him suddenly keeled over with a loud painful cry that caused Dean to jump in fright. On the ground the crow began to writhe and cry out, their call painful to hear as the bird was obviously in extreme pain. As Dean watched loud snapping sounds came from the birds body as bones broke through skin and blood began to poor freely from the creature. It¡¯s body covered in blood, began slowly at first and then faster and faster grow in size and length. Its legs ripped and tore as bones extended past their original length but they healed again as a scaly leather type of skin grew over the now longer and more muscular legs.The Tail of the bird flattened out and stretched itself to several feet in length with the same leather skin as on its legs before finally ending with a tuft of feathers at the end. Both its wings pulled out of their sockets as they migrated towards the front of the bird. Extending in length the feather covered wings suddenly snapped as a new joint formed in the middle and a pair of arms began to grow in place. The head of the bird began to shift as its beak tore off its face and was replaced b a large muzzle. Its eyes shifted forward and up as they made room for the new and larger mouth that appeared. The once black feathers that remained shifted to a molted brown and white across its body. But what really grabbed Dean¡¯s attention were the set of claws and teeth that formed on its new appendages. Razor sharp teeth almost an inch long grew to fit its mouth on the top and bottom. On its new arms four long appendages grew with large claws attached to their ends. Most terrifying of all were the two large six-inch claws that extended from the claws on its feet. Slowly but surely the growing and screaming squawks of the once bird died out and it was left panting in a pool of its blood and old feathers. With a twitch and a shake the animal opened its eyes and began to stand. Without missing a beat Dean new the creature in front of him standing at four feet in length and three feet high was a dangerous predator. The impossible creature before him came out of every child¡¯s wildest fantasies and every child that had ever loved dinosaurs would recognize it immediately. Before Dean, struggling to stand on its new legs, a Velociraptor had sprouted. Once again his training took hold and before he could stare too long at the creature he was already leaping over the edge of the building into the slow moving waters below. A call somewhere between a bird and a monkey rang out behind him as the raptor noticed its prey had gone missing. Thinking he had gotten away, as Dean swam to the closest spot that acted as dry land could only listen in horror as the call of the beast behind him received replies from deeper and further North in the forest. Swearing to himself he knew he didn¡¯t have time to dawdle around and rest. In only a few moments he had gone from looking for food to now being hunted by what were quickly becoming his greatest nightmares. He turned to look behind him and watched as the velociraptor he left behind jumped into the water and began to swiftly swim in his direction. He hadn¡¯t thought such a creature could swim but clearly he had just been proven wrong. Making his way as quickly as he could he head deeper into the forest heading West as quickly as he could. The foliage of the forest slowed him greatly as its thickness made moving through it difficult. With the shortness of the trees he kept getting stuck on branches, shirt was ripped and full of holes. Small cuts and scratches worked their way up his arms and face as thorns and branches tore at him. The large ferns and plant life made every step he took a risk as the ground was hidden beneath them and he never knew when he¡¯d step on dryish land or fall into the ever present water. The heat and humidity beneath the canopy had him gasping for breath and his body drenched in sweat. Yet even as his body cried out for rest and water he couldn¡¯t stop moving forward. By utilizing tricks taught in the military he had managed to keep moving in a straight line and avoided getting too far off course. Dean forced his way through the bush as rapidly as he could, pushing his already tired and desperately hungry body past his limits. Once again for the several hours he had been moving forward he could hear the calls of the Velocirators behind him and answering squawks from North of his position replied in kind. The calls were muffled and telling the direction they came from was difficult but not impossible but he could only assume their relative positions. From what Dean had read in books of the creatures, assuming they were the same creature, was that they were smart, fast, and incredibly dangerous. They weren¡¯t overly large but scientists had for decades said they were likely as smart or smart than wolves. They were pack hunters and the best at it with incredible strategic and cooperative skills, and right now they were hunting Dean. Hearing those calls still following him and off to the side Dean could only assume the pack was likely trying to flank him or move around to catch him from the front in a pincer. He had thought of changing directions but his goal was straight due West and it was imperative he reach it. He couldn¡¯t go off to the South or South West since he didn¡¯t know if he would be able to find the region the letter had talked about so instead he continued to forge forward trying to keep ahead of his stalkers. Dean had gotten lucky during his journey and had managed to find an old wooden baseball bat stuck amongst some detritus beneath a tree. Using for both a walking stick and to test ground he was unsure of his movement speed had greatly increased. The only issue is that the calls that had been following him had been both getting louder and more frequent until minutes ago they had suddenly stopped. Dean knew he couldn¡¯t keep up the pace he was going at for much longer and his hope that he would be able to escape the hunters had been dwindling for sometime now. With the sudden eerie silence he knew that was impossible. Tired and exhausted Dean was forced to take a break on one of the few actually dry spots he had managed to find. A large block of granite towering roughly ten meters in height and four meters wide stood off to his right. If the creatures were as close as he believed they were then Dean figured this would probably be as good as any place to stand and fight. Standing with his back to the large rock trying to catch his breath Dean stared out into the thick brush before him. From off to his left and in front of him the bushes shook violently as a number of small rapidly moving bodies worked their way swiftly through the forest. With a burst of speed three figures from the left,, two from the right, and three from in front of him leapt out from the undergrowth and into the clearing Dean stood in. Dean had been right in thinking the creatures would either pull a flanking or pincer move on him but he what he hadn¡¯t expected was they would be intelligent enough to pull off both at the same time. He had never had a chance to escape he quickly realized and cursed himself for under estimating his enemies. Looking around him at the snapping and squawking predators Dean didn¡¯t think he stood a chance but he sure as hell knew he¡¯d take some of the bastards with him. The military didn¡¯t teach much in the way of martial arts but they did make sure their soldiers were at least trained in CQC, and while Dean had never been the best at it he certainly hadn¡¯t been the worst. ¡°Come on you ugly Sons of Bitches lets do this,¡± Standing with the rock to his back to prevent anything from attacking from his blind spot, with his bat in hand, Dean stood taunting the raptors as he waited for them to make their move. He didn¡¯t have to wait long as one of the raptors of to the left gave a loud squawk and suddenly rushed forward low to the ground trying to get at Dean from below. Seeing this Dean swung the bat at the raptor as it rapidly approached but before he could make contact it managed to rapidly turn and dodged his swing. Finding himself momentarily caught off guard he hadn¡¯t noticed a raptor now behind him had moved just after its pack mate had. The initial had been a distraction and Dean paid for it in blood. Pure fire burned its way through his body and he let out an agonized scream as a long gash tore its way down his back. The raptor that had pounced at him landed its attack. The raptor hadn¡¯t been completely accurate and was unable able to sever Deans spine the attack. With agony and adrenaline scorching its way through his body Dean managed to turn and land a swing on the second raptor as it righted itself from its previous leap. Connecting with its face a loud snapping sound rang out as blood and teeth spewed from the animals jaw. Its head rocked to the side and its body followed as it fell to the ground. Trying to Move in and hit it again Dean was stopped as another raptor rocketed forward and scraped its clawed hands across his thigh. Fresh fire roared up Deans leg and another brutal scream escaped his lips. Sadly this had given the raptor on the ground enough time to get up and flee behind the others, its pathetic and shallow cries edging the others on. Dean however was in desperate straights. It had only been a few moments and he had already nearly been crippled and killed. His back and leg sent pure molten lava throughout his body with every movement and his breaths came in ragged gasps as his already tired and desperate body fought to keep standing. Down on one leg his breathing rough and ragged Dean stared back at the creatures that continued to pace their way around him. They were in no rush to attack the prey before them, as even though it had proven it could hurt them they were sure of their meal. Instead they squawked and crooned to each other as they watched their prey. As the two parties stood staring at each other the largest amongst the raptors stepped forward. Standing at nearly four feet tall and six feet long its guttural sounds and snaps pushed the others back. Seeing the creature before them weak and bleeding the pack leader had grown weary of waiting. Being the pack leader it would get the kill and it would get first bite of the dead prey, as was its right. Slowly it stalked its way forward. The large claws on its two feet tapping the ground with each step it took. Its six-inches of razor blades twitching in anticipation of rending soft flesh. Dean stood kneeling on one knee following the raptor with his eyes as it slowly paced back and fourth in front of him. The others had backed off several feet and he knew this would be it. With a struggle and extensive use of the baseball bat he managed to stand himself back up onto his feet. His leg protested and could barely hold his weight but Dean wasn¡¯t going to go without a fight. Lifting the bat into the air he stared back at the raptor before him. As narrow golden eyes met pale greens ones the large raptor gave a loud guttural screech and launched its self at Dean with its clawed hands ready to rake and tear. At roughly two meters it leapt with ferocious power towards Dean its legs ready and extended to tear his gut open. Having waited for the moment it leapt Dean stepped to the side and swung the bat as hard as he could as if he were hitting a baseball. The bat connected with the shoulder of the raptor as it had managed to move its head out of the way in time. Shooting past Dean it landed hard on the ground as the swing had thrown its balance off. Before it could recover Dean threw himself at the beast. Swinging the bat with all his strength he brought it down upon the raptors side. A loud cracking sound and a screech of pain ripped its way out of the raptors lungs. But Dean didn¡¯t escape unscathed as in its flailing four large lacerations appeared on his stomach when the raptors long claws managed to reach him. Reeling back in pain the raptor gained enough time to get back on its feet. The other raptors screeched and squawked at the leader to let them help but the leader only growled back stopping any attempts to assist it, this prey would be its kill. Blood running down his chest, his back on fire, and his injured leg barely supporting him Dean once more threw himself at the beast. The unexpected attack caught the creature off guard and a solid hit managed to land upon its long snout sending its head smashing into the ground. Teeth shattered and blood poured out from its mouth as it shook its head in a daze. Capitalizing upon its stunned state Dean tried for another swing. Bringing the bat high overhead he swung violently down at the raptor. It was at this moment his leg decided to give out and his swing went wild as he toppled to the ground. The raptor was on him in seconds as it opened its jaws wide to rip Deans exposed throat out. But instead of soft flesh it was met with Deans wooden bat. Biting down on the wood it shook its head violently, trying to tear and rend the bat to pieces. Dean on the other hand struggled desperately to keep against the jaws of the raptor from reaching him, holding the bat between him and its open maw with a fierce will. But something had to give, and as the raptor shook and tore at the bat, with a cracking and splintering of wood it fractured in half. The raptors jaws snapped shut mere inches from Deans throat, its breath rancid and hot blood falling on his face. With an unwillingness to give up or give in Dean struck out blindly with a broken half of the bat he had managed to keep hold on. With a torrent of blood the splintered piece of the bat sunk into the raptors eye lodging itself deep into the animals brain. With a shocked screech the raptor froze, and as it were a mighty redwood cut from the forest it slowly but inevitably toppled over. It was dead before it hit the ground. For several minutes Dean lay upon the ground gasping for air, expecting for another attack at any moment to end him, as he didn¡¯t have the energy to stop it. But as after more time passed he slowly realized no attack was coming. The other raptors having fled when their pack leader had died. Then the Euphoria hit him. He was alive! He had managed to survive a situation he was certain he never could. He screamed and cried out, laughter filled the air as he celebrated his victory. His body was nothing more than a lump of fire and pain but he was alive. As with any high must come a low and as the euphoria of the moment wore its way off the pain of injuries he had sustained came back ten fold. However even as the pain wracked his body he could feel a strange sensation course its way through his body and ever so slightly he felt the pain on his body lesson. A different kind of burning sensation from the pain of his injuries worked its way across his body. It wasn¡¯t painful, just uncomfortable. As it worked across his body he felt renewed strength returning to his limbs and his body. Dean realized that this strange sensation must be what they aliens meant when they said you could grow stronger by killing monsters or beast. With a grunt as the sensation faded and with his renewed strength Dean managed to bring himself into a sitting position. Looking down at the wounds on his stomach and legs he noticed that while they were still very prevalent they had stopped bleeding and seemed to have in fact already started to heal somewhat. Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth he chose to just accept it and move on. Knowing it was dangerous to remain where he was Dean lifted himself back to his feet. His leg seemingly able to support him once more though it was still weak. He momentarily thought about trying to bring the body of the raptor with him but he threw that option out the window. He neither had the strength to carry it nor the ability to gut it, even if he did eating unknown meat could prove fatal. He moved to the nearest clean looking body of water he could find and drank deeply of the water, no longer caring about its condition. He was inured, tired, and hungry but he had just won his first ever life and death battle and dammit he would survive. Not a Chapter Hey just wanted to let people know that I went back through the story and tried out spacing the paragraphs apart more. So hopefully now its easier to read. i am currently working on the next chapter which will be heading back to Tony and seeing how she''s handling things on her side of the fence. Also about units of measurments and such. Deans chapters will use metric units for distances, heights and such. However in describing somones height will still be using imperial (aka Feet). As for Tony, miles will be the distance unit used, and for anyone who is curious a mile is 1.6 Kilometres, but otherwise metric will again be the standard. It shouldnt be too confusing just remember. Just know States are imperial while the vast majority of the rest of the world is metric and I will try to balance as such. Honestly there isnt really a reason but just because I want to and I personally feel small things like that add to the realism of the world. Cool so I think I''ve put in the required 500 characters to post.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Enjoy, -Serin-