Kevin is an unpleasant man who loses his job and finds it difficult to deal with other people.
He has those he considers friends, but he mostly prefers to focus on code, alcohol, and cynicism. Then, Kevin begins to experience odd hallucinations. In one moment, he finds comfort with a complete stranger, and in the next, he finds himself in a darkened, pixelated wood. A crowd of creatures are gathering, but Kevin doesn't sense danger; rather, he feels anticipation. Something is about to happen.
When Kevin is thrust back into reality, the visions do not stop. Soon, dream figures start to follow him into his normal life, and life conspires to keep him in the small town of Deptford, longing for his first love and feeling numb inside. He isn't exactly happy with his existence, but he doesn't have the motivation to change anything.
Things do begin to change, however, in strange and horrifying ways. CODE JUNKIE is a story of cynicism, introspection, and addiction. As Kevin must overcome the trials and tribulations of everyday life, he becomes more and more entranced by his hallucinations. Is he crazy? Prophetic? Or something else entirely?
CODE JUNKIE is a tale about an unpleasant man who loses his job.
Welcome to Deptford County.
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Conceptualized and written originally as an ARG between 2010-2013, CODE JUNKIE was my first long-from written work. Here it is, a decade later. There are flaws inherent in all first novels, and a few things that now make me shake my head, but the story within will always hold a special place in my heart.
In the spirit of this re-release, I will be making minor revisions and edits for flow as I release two chapters a week. But the original story will be there in its entirety. I hope you enjoy it.
❖2021 Watty Awards Shortlist❖ Kevin was just a normal 10 year old kid until he saw a woman vanish right before his eyes.
This made Kevin just a little bit different. He paid more attention to people now.
Little did he know that this little difference would kill him the next time he encountered another alien about to return home. It would tear him apart, cell by cell, until he was unmade. His mind being transported away.
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So distantly far away there is a race that advanced to the point where they built dyson spheres to house their civilizations. In their continual expansion, they seeded galaxies with pods and connection satellites. Over time they upgraded their dyson spheres into matryoshka brain Cores.
Imagine a computer powered by a star.
Citizens of Cores no longer age once they upload their minds into the virtual living system of the Core. While they didn't age, most still choose to cycle through life and death though at a different scale of time compared to our lives.
Citizens can visit other planets and live there as if they were on a "vacation". Mercury is Earth's hub connected to the closest Core and Earth is a remote vacation spot for wealthy citizens.
When the main character was 10 he witnessed a citizen returning to the Core. The story continues 10 odd years later when he again witnesses a similar situation unfolding and manages to touch the person returning to the Core. This causes him to be swept up in the transfer as well and for his mind to join as a "Guest" user of the Core.
As a Guest he has limited powers, a starting balance of zero cr or Citizen credits, and no idea how he can get home. He is the first human to ever become a Guest of a Core.
Where money itself is the highest form of their science.