ZAP Guild

A Sort of Prologue

The Guild:
Zachary "Zak" Andrew Parsons—the Hero/Male Lead/the "Guy Friend"
Jess—the Love Interest
Marty—the Sidekick/the Fan/the Pal
Wiley—the Mechanic
Dean—the Friendly Rival
Alyx—the Hero/Female Lead/the "Gal Pal"
Jake—the Wildcard

"Congratulations and welcome to Nexus City, you're gateway to the Omniverse and beyond," the female voice said. "Here is literally where dreams are made. Here we produce Inspiration, Dreams, Memories, and more. Have you ever had a time when you were really depressed and suddenly remembered a happy moment from your childhood? That was us.

Under the watchful eye of the Supervisors, guild members ship out Memories, Inspiration, Dreams, and more. That sunset that gave you the idea for a beautiful painting or made you feel like telling that special someone that you loved them? You can thank the Painters Guild for adding that touch of Care for you.

At the heart of Nexus City is the ZAP Guild. The protagonists, players, and all around doers who protect, preserve, and serve the many beings across the Omniverse. Their exploits will then be shipped out to our Agents stationed across the Omniverse who will then tell their adventures as stories, videos, or games. Their acts bring about Hope, Charity, and Inspiration, thus fueling the Core..."

Zachary Andrew Parsons wasn't paying attention to the announcement; he'd heard it many times before. His focus wasn't even on the young girl who'd just been selected to join a guild. Instead, he brooded over his dream last night. It'd been the same for the last six months.

He, Jess, and Marty were testing Marty's entry into the school science fair. He claimed that it could open a gateway to another reality.  Guess what? It worked.

The reflective surface was amazing to look at and the dark frame around it made the portal look more like a rippling mirror than anything. Zak got too curious and too close. He touched the surface and like a bursting bubble, Zak was covered in a water-like liquid. Next thing he knew, he was waking up in a room.

He soon learned that he was in someone else's body, but the shock and disorientation of what just happened fried his brain. His memories mixed with this person's and he truly believed he was that person. His old memories began to fade, much like a dream, as he committed himself to this new life. That turned out to be mistake number one. Mistake number two happened at breakfast when he ate and drank food from that world. By partaking of food from that reality, his quantum frequency was altered and he further became part of that world.

So for the next 10 years, he was William Matthews. But that changed when he finally found himself, after reading a strange book that seemed to be talking directly to him, wondering. The book was so interesting; it talked about parallel worlds and how people could travel between them. On the surface, it seemed like any other science fiction novel; but the main character...he just seemed so similar to William. He asked himself the most dangerous question anyone can ask: was it possible?

And so for another 10 years William Matthews continued to wonder. And not just about parallel worlds...but about everything. And he began to dream of someone who looked different from him—a person named Zachary.

Over the next few years, the dreams continued and got stronger. The more he read, studied, and explored, the more he felt connected to something...something else. William then looked within himself for answers. Looked to his heart...his core. He knew that this dream person was him. "I am Zachary Andrew Parsons," he said.

It was only a few days later when they came. The two men in dark clothes and hats. They seemed not quite all there. Not as in "crazy" but as in physically not all there. It was like looking at a ghost or person made of shadows. They were like...dark flames. This is when William...Zak learned the truth. Marty's machine had sent him here and he'd become William, but that wasn't all. This place was a trap, a stolen parallel world (or Cube), made for Zak by these shadow men. They'd kept him here for 25 years and tortured him. It was because of them that William had been bullied. It was because of them that all William had know was pain at the hands of one person or another. His life had been a living nightmare because of them.

And it wasn't just William. They'd caused much of the problems of this world and now it was falling apart. Violence and crime was up. There were more homeless and starving than ever before. No one trusted anyone else.

"Why?" asked Zak.

"To destroy hope," one hissed. "Without hope mankind will fall."

"The Great Collapse will occur," the other hissed. "Earth Prime will be destroyed and all worlds with it. All life will fall into the Void."

"We needed to break your spirit. Destroy your hope."

"Why me?"

This is when Zak learned that his parents (not William's) had been part of the ZAP Guild. They'd been great heroes who'd done much to defeat the darkness. This is also when Zak learned that the Supervisors had exiled his family to the Real World. Why? Because of Zak.

Normally Zappers, members of the ZAP Guild, do not have powers of their own. They only gain powers when they are in a world where there are powers. Once they leave, so do the powers. But Zak was born during a Convergence, a time when the worlds intercept. This gave him a strange power. He could copy and store the powers and skills of those he came in contact with. This allowed him to keep the powers of other realms. The Supervisors soon realized he could become a threat one day and sought to end it before it began.

While trying to figure out what to do, the Supervisors learned the truth of Zak's powers. He was connected to the Dark Energy and Dark Matter like no one else. This not only gave him the power to copy others but the power to create as well.

At first, the Supervisors decided to use Zak as a weapon. They used him, without his knowledge, to combat many servants of the Destroyers. But after each mission, they would erase his memories so that he wouldn't grow and become a threat. This plot worked for awhile until a lost traveler from the Real World arrived and warned that Zak was the one who'd bring about the Great Collapse. The Supervisors did not know how the traveler had broken through the Veil, now known as the Fourth Wall, but they knew Zak must be dealt with.

"But," said Zak after the Shadow Men finished the tale, "if I'm from the Real World and I came through..."

The Shadow Men laughed, it sounded like a snake laughing in a whisper. "No one has broken through the Fourth Wall in ages. The Real World is just another realm within the Core. Many have cracked it but none have broken it. They might make jokes or look at the camera but none have stepped through to the other side. The histories have been altered." One of the Shadow Men laughed, "Those fools think the Real World is Earth Prime."

Zak stepped back as he tried to process the fact that he was a "fictional" character. "I-I-I'm fic-fictional?"

The Shadow Men laughed again but didn't say anything. Instead, they just attacked.

At this point the dream starts to blur, but Zak remembers what happened. The Shadow Men chased Zak. He fought them as they fell through multiple realms and even managed to defeat one. But as the battle with the other continued, he became more injured and weaker. Eventually, it looked like the end. But suddenly, Zak heard music. The Shadow Man screamed in anger as someone pulled Zak away.

After a feeling of a free-falling tumble, Zak stared up at two people. He immediately recognized them as Jess and Marty—his memories started to return. But...they looked just as he remembered them. How could they still look young? Jess and Marty gave Zak worried looks as he rushed towards the nearest mirror. Zak's eyes went wide once he saw his reflection. He leaned in closer and touched his face as if it was going to bite him. For Zak about 25 years had gone by; but to everyone else, only 25 hours had passed. He was still 14 years old. The only difference seemed to be that he now had white hair, white as fresh snow.

***
The young girl's fearful moan snapped Zak back to reality. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's my first day," she said. "I've only just learned about the Core. I'm afraid that I'll mess up."

Since learning of the Real World's status as just another "fictional" realm, Zak hadn't told anyone and this girl was no exception, no need to frighten her further. "You'll do fine," Zak said, trying to sound as calming as possible. "You wouldn't have been chosen if they didn't think you could do it." Zak folded his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling of the futuristic commuter train. "First days aren't easy for anyone. But it gets better."

The girl smiled and nodded with confidence as the train came to a rest outside of the Company's HQ.