The Tethered Mind: Skyratchet

Chapter 1: Death is Very Real

I woke up in pain. A lot of it. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my insides, then tried to glue everything back together—piece by agonizing piece. Every breath burned, every muscle throbbed, and a dull ache pulsed in my bones. My groan broke the silence as I forced my eyes open, the blinding light above searing into them. I blinked, trying to clear my vision. It felt like my organs were being reformed from the molten mulch they'd become after the fall.

Death feels very real in this world, I thought, the irony not lost on me.

After what felt like an eternity, the pain subsided enough for me to pull a health potion from my Phasepack—a handy upgrade I'd earned through blood and sweat.

Phasepack Durability: 470/1000, Capacity: 500 lbs.

Invisible, weightless backpack. Can hold any size item up to a max of 500lbs. Bound to user: Gaines. All items contained in the backpack are indestructible as long as the Phasepack retains durability. On destruction of the Phasepack, all items contained will be lost.

A real lifesaver. Being the ruler of a city had its perks. Healing potions weren't so hard to come by now, and I'd stocked up. I pulled the cork and downed the potion in one go. The warmth spread through my body like a slow burn, stitching my shredded muscles back together and calming the fire in my lungs. My health points ticked up, and with them, the will to move.

I sat up slowly, wincing as the world tilted. Sand. Nothing but dunes as far as the eye could see, heat shimmering off the ground, making the horizon blur into a distorted mess. The sun above felt like it was trying to bake me alive.

"One thousand miles from Sefia," Dave chimed in, his voice annoyingly calm. "At your current top speed and accounting for fatigue, I'd say you'd want a rescue before you start walking."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered, rubbing my temples. The pain was still there, but manageable now. "And where were you when I was busy being roadkill?"

"I thought it best, old chap, to let you handle the situation. Without the added distraction of my interference. Once again, it appears I made the right decision."

I bit back a retort. Typical Dave. There when it suited him and conveniently absent when it didn't. But I wasn't in the mood to argue. I had bigger problems, like figuring out how to get him out of my head. The deranged A.I. currently nestled in my brain.

I needed to talk to Iggy. See if he'd made any progress on how to get Dave out of my head without turning me into a vegetable. The problem was, I couldn't ask Iggy directly—not with Dave listening in. The private chat feature I had acquired when killing Hapzon could block Dave, but using it now would be too obvious.

If Harmony can isolate Dave, I thought, maybe someone else can remove him entirely. I just had to find the right opportunity to bring it up with Iggy. In the meantime, I needed to play it cool.

"Ah, I see the Administrators have finally contacted you," Dave interrupted, cutting into my thoughts. "This could change things for us...you, Gaines. The administrator 171 buff has been instrumental in your survival. Dying and being ejected from the game... it adds a new layer of...shall we say, complexity."

"Yeah, no kidding," I muttered. The possibility of being ejected from Harmony was unsettling at best. "Guess I should deal with that now. I'll send Iggy my coordinates and let him know I'm talking to the Administrator. He can pick me up when I'm done."

"We took care of everyone on the shuttle, right?" I asked, remembering I left Iggy on the ship.

"Yes, Gaines. Iggy should have no trouble navigating the ship back to Sefia.The last Ree agent followed you out of the ship"