Apocalypse Online Read online

  They fought side by side, but it wasn’t looking good. Neither of them were built for fighting large groups. Without a tank to slow them down, Sam was less effective, and while Brad tried to heal her as often as he could, it wasn’t long before the swarm had them surrounded, and from there it wasn’t long before Brad watched Sam die, and he soon followed.

  When his screen went blank, Brad cursed his luck. He should’ve gotten the girl’s username and added her to his friends list. She looked a little younger than him, but to be playing she had to be at least sixteen. She’d been kinda cute, but that wasn’t what interested him. She’d definitely had skills, and if being a healer meant he couldn’t join Teresa’s guild, then he’d have to find other people to team up with.

  Before he could reload to make one more attempt for the night, a message popped up on the screen.

  Hello Brad,

  Thank you for taking part in the beta of Apocalypse Online. The true apocalypse begins tomorrow! Are you ready? You will have received a package from Nanotech today. This package contains one pill. This pill is the culmination of years of science and is the cutting-edge advantage that will help you survive the apocalypse. Take the pill and you will gain the same game interface that you used during the beta program, and the nanotechnology will help your body adapt to the aether. Humanity faces its greatest threat, as the terraforming of Earth can’t be stopped now. Your leaders have failed you, and the Collective is going to take control of Earth. However, all hope is not lost. Survive, learn how to use aether, and become powerful. This is humanity’s hope. You and other heroes like you will be able to ensure humanity survives.

  Note: Once ingested, it will take twelve hours for your body to fully adjust. It will take an additional six hours for your muse, an AI guide that will assist you in your quest to survive, to appear.

  Best of luck!

  Lucy

  Brad frowned as he read the message. They were going a little over the top with their marketing, but the idea of a nano-pill replacing the need for a full immersion pod was crazy, especially if they weren’t even charging for it.

  Jumping on his computer, Brad checked the gaming forums, and sure enough it was all everyone was talking about. Some people had already gotten their pills and taken them, excited to play the game with whatever tech they were ingesting, while others were more cautious. Even more people babbled on about real aliens. Brad laughed at this; it was probably a huge hoax set up by the developers of Apocalypse Online. While he was a tiny bit unsure about taking random pills, it wouldn’t be the first time, and since this promised to be the cutting edge of gaming, he couldn’t help but want to do it.

  Knowing there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, Brad dug deeper, finding some of the clinical studies on the nano-pills. The success rate seemed incredibly impressive, and the clincher was that that you could remove the nanotech within the first ninety-six hours by drinking prune juice. There was even a small prune juice box included with the pill.

  It seemed weird that they’d chosen prune juice, but according to the data from the studies, there was an enzyme found only in prunes that would modify the nanotech, triggering a fail-safe that would leave the nanoparticles inert. The one drawback to the situation (if you could call it one) was that after the initial ninety-six hours, prune juice could damage the nanotech and wasn’t recommended.

  Brad grinned. Not being able to drink prune juice ever again wasn’t exactly a harsh penalty and made his decision easy. He had to take that pill!

  Leaving his apartment, Brad ran down to the mailboxes. Along with the assortment of random junk mail and bills, he found a small black box with gold trim and a label reading: The Choice Is Yours.

  Running back to his apartment, Brad threw the junk mail and bills on the table and opened the black box. Inside was a glass case with a single pill the size of a liquid Tylenol, along with the small prune juice box. There was a single piece of paper inside the box. He unfolded it.

  This pill will increase your chances of surviving the apocalypse by approximately 73.4%. Taking more than one pill will not increase survival rate and can be dangerous. Results will be noticeable in approximately twelve hours.

  Looking at the time, Brad decided not to take the pill right away. It was just after eight, and twelve hours would bring him to the beginning of his work day. Spending the whole day at work having access to the new game would probably lead to him losing focus, and then his job—something he couldn’t afford to do. No, he’d spend a few more hours playing the game and then take the pill right before bed. Tomorrow he’d learn if the nano-pills were a massive hoax or the greatest thing ever in gaming.

  4

  Brad

  The blare of his alarm clock brought Brad out of his slumber. He’d played well into the morning and had finally been able to reach a level where he’d had a decent amount of power. He’d still died, but he now could see a path forward in the game. The stupid seeders were overpowering for the beginning of a game, but at least they weren’t too bright. Get them into small groups and they were manageable. Of course, there seemed to be seeders everywhere you went, so fighting them in small groups was much easier said than done. And he’d played solo the whole time. The game was probably easier if you had a guild. He’d have to talk to Teresa today and see if her guild would take a healer, or if they had a way for him to play as a mage, which was still his first choice. He just hoped the actual game wasn’t as hard as the beta.

  Scarfing down a bagel, Brad got dressed and jumped on his scooter. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was electric and super cheap to run. It was just enough to get him around town. He planned to go to college after taking a year off, so he couldn’t afford anything better. His parents had left him money for school, but he had no idea what he wanted to be when he “grew up.” Taking a year off and working had seemed like the most logical thing to do, and so far, he was enjoying himself. Working as a janitor at the local mall was braindead work, but he got a good discount at the food court and it allowed him plenty of time for gaming. Once he picked a direction for school, he’d lose all that free time.

  Seeing that he was running late, Brad sped up. Luckily the morning traffic seemed abnormally light. He’d be able to make up the time.

  When he got to the mall, Brad parked and ran inside. He’d made it with just minutes to spare.

  When he got to the admin office and clocked in, Brad was surprised by the lack of people around. He shrugged it off and headed to the supply room. The fewer people around, the easier his job was, and since his mind was swirling with thoughts about the pill he’d taken, the chances of him being on the top of his game today were pretty limited.

  There was a nagging thought in his mind that he’d been foolish not to look before leaping when it came to the nano-pill. Sure, Nanotech was a well-respected company and a trillion-dollar enterprise, but that was no reason to blindly believe everything they said about their new product. On the other hand, he was salivating at the idea of playing the game with no immersion pod. His VR gear at home was OK, but nothing like the pods; for pod users, the game felt like reality. It would be fascinating to find out how the nano-pill would truly affect his body. He’d know in just a few hours if the pill acted the way it was supposed to.

  “Dude, what are you doing here?”

  Brad turned to see Chet standing at the door. “I’m getting ready for work. Why? It isn’t a holiday, is it? Did I forget?”

  Chet shook his head. “Unbelievable. Haven’t you seen any of the news lately?”

  “I don’t watch that stuff—it corrupts your brain.”

  Chet frowned. “Normally I’d agree with you, but this time they actually had something important to talk about. Shit is crazy, but I think aliens are invading.”

  Brad laughed. “They’re talking about aliens on the news? Man, it must be a slow news day if they’re bringing up all those old rumors.”

  Chet walked into the room and pulled the window’s blinds up. “It’s no joke, man. Look at that sky.”

  Brad walked to the small window and bent down to see what Chet was rattling on about. His heart started to pound when he saw the sky.

  It was full of comets. Thousands and thousands of comets that weren’t burning up in the atmosphere, but slowly making their way to the ground.

  It wasn’t the comets that froze Brad. Not even the sheer number of them. It was that he’d seen this exact sky hundreds and hundreds of times.

  Every. Single. Time. He. Died. In. Apocalypse. Online.

  “Un-fucking believable,” Brad mumbled.

  “Yeah man, shit is crazy. We’re locking the mall up and sending everyone home. You better get going. If I were you, I’d hit a grocery store before they all close. I bet the hoarders will be out soon. Remember how bad it got when it was just a damn virus? People are going to go nuts if they think aliens are coming to do butt stuff on them. Weird probes and shit.”

  Brad nodded, but his mind was racing. Had the message from the game been foreshadowing a real-life apocalyptic event? Was the pill a trick to make people susceptible to some weird alien technology, or was it an honest-to-god way of surviving what was about to happen? He snapped out of his tunnel vision and looked at Chet. “You didn’t happen to have a strange pill delivered to you yesterday, did you?”

  “Yeah, Amazon delivered it yesterday morning. I know it has something to do with the Apocalypse Online game, but I was busy all day and didn’t open it. Why?”

  “I think the video game was like a tutorial for what’s about to happen,” Brad said. “That sky? I’ve seen that sky hundreds of times. Those aren’t real comets. They land and thousands of aliens come out of them. They’re called seeders, and they kill humans and use us like bags of fertilizer.”

/>   Chet stared at Brad, then looked back out the window. “You aren’t messing around, are you?”

  “No, man. I think this is the real thing, and the pills supposedly give us the ability to upgrade, just like in the game. I took my pill last night, but I thought it was just for some crazy nanotech interface for the game, not for real life.”

  “Shit. I need to get home and get that pill. If there are aliens, I’m not going to take a chance that you’re wrong about it.”

  “If you see the aliens, be careful. In the game they’re fast and sneaky. Don’t try fighting more than one at a time. A blunt-force trauma to the head seems to be the best way of dealing with them.”

  Chet shook his head. “Dude, I’ve got guns. If an alien comes for me, I’m going out O.K. Corral-style.”

  Right, Chet was a security guard. Of course he had firearm training and access to weapons. Brad needed to find weapons, and food. Chet was right: he needed to go shopping. “Did you say all the stores were closed?”

  “Just our mall. I think the superstores are still open, but you better hurry. I have to finish up here and then I’m heading home to get that pill and then out to find supplies. I can’t believe this shit is happening.”

  It was surreal. There was no doubt about it. Brad had ignored all the rumors about aliens—even the cryptic hints in the game had seemed like a clever marketing scheme—but now reality was setting in. The world was about to go to shit. Brad clasped Chet’s arm. “Be safe, man. Don’t take any dumb risks.”

  Chet nodded. “You too.”

  Brad turned and ran out of the mall. He hoped his boss didn’t mind that he’d forgotten to sign out, but if there was ever a good excuse, an honest-to-god, actual alien invasion seemed about as good as it got.

  Interlude 2

  Lucy

  TODAY

  Dear citizens of the world,

  It is my sad duty to inform you that the Collective has concluded that humankind can no longer be trusted as the overseers of Earth.

  The wanton drive to build weapons of mass destruction, unchecked pollution, and general lack of respect for the planet can no longer be ignored. The Collective will be terraforming Earth in the coming days. The introduction of aether to Earth’s atmosphere will change the world. Sadly, this process will greatly reduce the world population. Once terraforming is complete, the immigration of citizens from Collective worlds will begin. Be advised that Earth will be classified as an open territory, and normal interplanetary laws will not be enforced. For any questions regarding interplanetary migration, please see the guidelines manual 47568, section b38.

  May your remaining days be peaceful—

  Lucy

  5

  Jake

  The skies were still dark as Jake drove to the Callahan residence to finish the bomb shelter. The unit itself was now complete, and the Callahan family could survive a nuclear blast going off and stay underground for at least a year, if not longer.

  Every time Jake looked at the bill he shook his head, but Bob hadn’t flinched at the quotes and had insisted Jake take a higher rate than normal, claiming it might be the last construction Jake got before the world went to shit. It would be nice if every client had that mentality, Jake thought with a laugh. And so far, at least three of Bob’s neighbors had left messages for Jake, wanting similar work done. At this rate, he was going to become a bomb shelter specialist instead of just a general contractor. As long as rich folks thought an alien invasion was coming, he’d be a rich man soon, or at least one with all his bills paid off.

  When Jake arrived at the job site, he fired up the bobcat and got started. The sun was just coming over the horizon and he was expecting it to be a hot day. If he could get all the backfilling done before lunch he’d be able to spend the rest of the afternoon inside the shelter, which would be much cooler.

  Jake was an hour into his work when Bob Callahan and his family all came running out of the main house. Jake frowned and turned the machine off.

  “Jake, what the hell are you doing?”

  “Finishing up. Why, what’s wrong?”

  Bob pointed to the sky. “That. That is what’s wrong.”

  While he’d been working, Jake had noticed a golden glow to the sky and had just chalked it up to a beautiful morning. But now that he was out of his machine and actually looking at it, there certainly was a beauty to it, but it was also terrifying. The orange glow wasn’t from the sun—it was from the hundreds of thousands of objects in the sky.

  “Are those meteors?” Jake asked as he took in the incredible sight.

  “Meteors my ass,” June Callahan said. “Those are goddamned aliens.”

  Jake wanted to argue, but when Bob shoved his phone in his face, Jake just read the screen. It was a national emergency alert asking people to remain calm and to not directly engage any alien lifeforms they came in contact with.

  “Fuck me,” Jake said as he read the notice. He looked at the Callahan kids. “Oops, pardon my French.”

  Bob snorted. “My kids know how to speak French, and they know this fucking shitstorm isn’t fake. Kids, head into the bunker.”

  As the kids headed into the bunker, Bob looked at Jake. “I told you it was real.”

  Jake nodded. There was no denying that. “Yup. I’m still having a hard time believing it, but there it is.”

  “There’s room for you if you want, Jake,” June said.

  June’s offer brought Jake out of his stupor. “I appreciate the offer, but I have to go get my little sister.”

  “Aren’t your parents looking after her?” Bob asked.

  “If my parents are seeing this,” Jake said as he pointed to the sky, “then the only thing they’re looking after is a bottle to hide in.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, I hope to see you again, Jake. You’ve done great work here, and my family and I are grateful. I hope everything works out for you and your sister.”

  Jake shook Bob’s hand and accepted June’s hug. Then he ran back to his truck and jumped in. The first thing he did was call Sam.

  Thankfully, it only took a few rings before Sam answered.

  “Jake, are you OK?”

  “Me? I’m fine, I suppose. If one can be fine looking at a sky full of meteors.”

  “They aren’t meteors—they’re alien seed ships,” Sam said.

  “Whatever they are, I’m worried. Where are you?”

  “At the store buying whatever supplies I can before everyone else figures it out and buys the place out.”

  “Where are Ted and Veronica?”

  “Where do you think? They saw the news last night and decided to go out to see some friends. They weren’t home when I woke up.”

  Jake took a deep breath. For Ted and Veronica, that was code for going to the bar. From the bar they’d head to the after party, and from the after party they’d stumble to one of their friends’ houses to keep drinking. Jake wanted to feel sympathy for them, but they’d fallen of the wagon so many times it was hard not to expect it. Besides, Sam was the only one he was worried about. “Get home as soon as you can.”

  “I will. Are you coming here?”

  “You know I am. I have to stop at the house, charge my truck for a few minutes to be safe, and then I’ll be on my way.” Having an electric truck was great; Jake loved his Tesla Cybertruck, but the one downside was the need to charge it. Thankfully, he had a next-gen charger at his house and it would be five minutes before he was back to a full battery.

  “Drive safe,” Sam said. “People will be panicking and running around like chickens with their heads cut off. It’s already happening here in the city.”

  “I will. You just get your ass in the house and lock the doors.”

  “See you when you get here,” Sam said before hanging up.

  As the call ended, Jake looked at the sky. The meteors—or alien ships, or whatever the hell they were—were coming in fast and were going to hit the ground any moment.

  Jake pulled into his driveway and was plugging the truck in as the first of the objects struck. It crashed right into old man Johnson’s attached garage, just down the street. Jake looked at his house, wanting to get in and out as soon as possible, but he couldn’t leave without checking on the Johnsons.