The rain stopped awhile ago. I'm laying on my back, looking up at the first stars of what might be my last night sky in Libertas. The cool wind makes its way through the grassy plains just outside Starlight, the sound of the stalks rubbing together accompanying the chirps of crickets. I had to get away from Rin, couldn't stand to look at her or hear her endless apologies. I'm alone out here, taking deep breaths to calm myself, but inside I'm terrified. I check the time.
[18:13]
Aiden Rockwell: Ten minutes...
April Conway: Don't do it, Aiden. We aren't ready for you.
Aiden Rockwell: I have to log out, April. Just do your best to get my body ready. I understand the risks.
April Conway: No, you don't! This could have permanent effects on your mind and body. Stay in Libertas!
Aiden Rockwell: I'm sorry, April. I can't.
[18:19]
April Conway: Why are you trying to leave?
Aiden Rockwell: Because no one believes me, and I have to do this myself. You'll understand soon enough.
~[ERROR]~
[MESSAGE NOT RECEIVED]
[RETRIEVING ANALYTICAL DATA]
[SATALITE NETWORK... OFFLINE]
[RECONNECTING... FAILED]
[MAIN SYSTEMS REACTOR... OFFLINE]
[REBOOTING... FAILED]
[EMERGENCY GENERATORS... ONLINE]
[HAZARD WARNING: STASIS POD AX-1079 IN POWER SAVING MODE]
[STAY CALM AND AVOID HEAVY COMPUTATIONS]
[YOUR POD OPERATOR WILL BE WITH YOU SHORTLY]
My head feels like a watermelon that just got split with an axe. I reach for my head, but Libertas is on the fritz. My hands pass right into my skull, making my stomach gurgle with nausea. The wind has stopped, leaving me standing in the darkening plains where even my footsteps don't make noise anymore. Trees and hills in the distance begin winking out of existence as giant chunks of the world are cut from my simulation to save power. Something tells me my pod operators are a bit busy right now, and that this is my signal that it's time for me to go.
I focus on logging out of the entire pod system, and sigh in relief when my vision turns to black. At least the power-starved pod can get me out of this crumbling simulation. A tingling sensation like static electricity suddenly jolts through my veins, lighting up my entire body from the inside out. The headache grows even worse, like some gripped both sides of my split melon head and ripped the halves into two separate pieces. It hurts so bad, I'm certain that I would pass out if I wasn't already in stasis and surprised I haven't. Shoot, maybe I did and just didn't perceive it.
But with the flip of a switch, my sights returns to me, and I am not in my stasis pod. I'm looking up at a ceiling through a sheet of glass covered with what looks like sweaty finger smudges. On the other side, cables and wires run all along steel beams. It's darker than usual except for the flashes of a red warning light, and I suspect that I'm in a whole different part of the ship that I've never been in before.
The headache is gone, wiped clean like it was never there to begin with. In fact, I barely feel anything, like my senses are muted. Faintly, there's the weight of something holding my head down. I reach for the side of my face, and realize I'm wearing a helmet of some kind.
YOU ARE READING
Dex Warrior (Libertas Online)
Science FictionSeven shuttles flee from Earth after an alien invasion and who do they have to protect them? A newb. Aiden is a refugee. He's got next to nothing: no family, a bad case of PTSD, and no experience. As the remnants of humanity search the stars for a...
