CHAPTER 1 – HEATHENS
~ LOCATION: DYSTOPIA, EARTH ~
~ POINT OF VIEW: PROTAGONIST'S ~
The dimensional date is October 15, 2169. Yet the time for a damned trip to the System. My last trip nearly killed me, so I have to resort on countermeasures. I have to hide my face using a hoodie pulled up; since I'm a dead man once I set foot on the city without a disguise.
Do you people know the meaning of Dystopia? Dystopia is a word taken from the Greek words dys and topos, which means a society that fell to ruin through cataclysmic events, may it be political, apocalyptic, biological… let your imagination run wild. This chaos is the opposite of utopia, the dream society where everything is perfect. This is the world where I am. Hell, it is even named as the country of Dystopia. If you haven't known…
This was the old location of the once-powerful United States of America.
Between the years of 2016 and 2019, US scientists created a dimensional machine that can take military forces to any world that existed after the Big Bang. The first world that they found was presumably named Gamindustri. Allegedly, it was a world where eight goddesses ruled over four nations in harmony. The US did their best to keep positive ties with the goddesses until one unplanned event took place.
A "terrorist attack" on Planeptune and Washington D.C. took place at exactly the same time.
Apparently, this new development weren't taken subtly by both governments. So they blamed each other for it, slowly developing into hatred, and into bloodthirst. And thus, the Extradimensional War occurred on the 25th of December, 2037. Both parties fought furiously for their world. Slowly, China, then Russia, then almost all countries joined US, threw out their hate towards each other, for the sole purpose of defeating the nations of Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox.
And yet another unexpected cataclysm happened that led to this world's disastrous landscape: the use of Nuclear Bombs on the 5th year of warfare. Both worlds obtained so much damage that they stopped fighting. Well, the Earth didn't just stop there. The corrupt politicians of the world decided to nuke Gamindustri with a nuclear bomb containing the power of 10 whole nuclear bombs fused together.
But what they didn't know was that Gamindustri was planning the same thing.
Now, here we are, a hundred and twenty-seven years later. Some humans managed to know of the nuclear bomb, so they had hidden to radioactive-proof bunkers for 30 years until on July 4th of the year of the Lord 2072, someone who went by the name 'Councilor' managed to unite the dispersed human race and brought them to the city I mentioned earlier. And you think the story stops there, but it doesn't.
The Councilor was a malevolent tyrant who ruled for 97 years straight, and still is the fucking one in charge. On the 75th year of his rule, fearing a revolution, he set up a 24-year-old genetic engineering scientist named Steph Conrad to create the ultimate superhuman to be his loyal bodyguard, threatening Conrad's wife's life, who was named Lauren Skye-Conrad. With no choice, since his wife was pregnant, he followed Councilor's orders against his own will, experimenting with 100,000 different technological objects and extradimensional human DNA, the main Gamindustri goddesses being a few of those DNA samples. 19 years later, my consciousness awoke to this desolate world. I am Phantom, and you can compare me to the Modern Age's Agent 47 of popular culture. Undying, ageless, overpowered. That is who I am, though the overpowered one is just an exaggeration.
I am chrononogically 22, but physically I am a 19-year-old because of my not having the human aspect of aging. Infused with the abilities of 100,000 extradimensional entities and objects, I am the ultimate jack-of-all-trades, teleportation, portal creation, barriers, and extreme marksmanship being a few of my powers. All the others that I haven't learned is restricted by an implant on my brain, sending derogatory chemicals if I overwork myself.
I have black shonen hair and sandy brown eyes, having a light complexion and a few circuit patterns that appear on my face from time to time. Right now, I have to wear a black futuristic hoodie that had a System ID attached on the left arm, used to identify you to get through the city's security. I also had on military-grade cargo pants and black combat boots. I have to hide my handgun somewhere that won't get detected by the Neptunian Shard detectors.
A few years into the Councilor's rule, he had a party go to the also-ruined Gamindustri in search of essential items. They brought back purple crystals that brought forth immense power, and the Councilor named them Neptunian Shards in remembrance of someone.
Okay, just got through them. They didn't even suspect me. Father, you are one intelligent human. Okay now…
I grab the System ID and used its touchscreen to locate the city map. Okay, here we are, right by the city entrance. If we go through another security system, I can get close to the kid. Wish me luck, I guess.
✦POV SWITCH: THIRD PERSON✦
"Have you listened to this, Phantom?" a young man around the age of a 28-year-old scientist asked the sleeping boy within a liquid chamber. He had black rimmed glasses on, and he had black hair and gray eyes. He was wearing a tattered lab coat, which was also unclean, with a white polo shirt underneath. He wore black pants and black shoes, but his face was a sight to behold. His face had a trace of heavy crying.
He took out an old smartphone, which was a Cherry Mobile Cubix Lite, and opened an old music software named Musixmatch. Then, a song titled 'Adventures' by William Ekh played on the phone's speakers. The phone showed no sign of defect, even though this particular model existed back in 2016, before shit broke loose.
"My great-great grandfather Chester owned this particular model. A hundred and fifty-five years later and it's still alive in my care."
Holding the old smartphone, the scientist began to cry a river.
"That bastard Councilor! GRAH!"
Unable to hold his rage, he grabbed the chair nearby and threw it at the supercomputer behind him. He dropped to his knees and began to wail again.
"HOW COULD HE KILL LAUREN?! HOW, JUST HOW?!"
Even though it was quite subtle, it seemed like the young boy's head perked up in reflex to the scientist's act.
"WE JUST WANTED A FAMILY TOGETHER! AND WHAT DOES HE DO? MAKE ME CREATE YOU AND JUST KILL HER OFF FOR HIS OWN FUCKING AMUSEMENT!" the scientist kept on shouting at the chamber, appearing to be waiting for a response from the boy, who was still vegetative.
The scientist sighed, "I know you can't hear me right now, but I just needed to get that out of the system. It's just… I don't regret creating you, but… he… promised to not kill her…"
The scientist went back to sitting on a chair beside the chamber. Although unnoticeable, the boy turned his head to face the scientist who was still in emotional turmoil. Unbeknownst to the scientist, the boy had been listening to his story ever since he was created. All the times that the scientist came in to talk to the silent boy, talking about the 'Peaceful Age', his life before marrying Lauren, making him listen to 21st century music, science stuff, it was all embedded into the boy's mind. And what the scientist just did struck something within him. And for a moment, the boy's brain began to work…
"Is this… my fault…?" the boy audibly said, a bit muffled because of him being on water. The scientist perked up his head in surprise. "No way… a response…? A… heartwarming response…?"
The scientist denied all misunderstanding, "No, no… w-when did you learn how to talk?"
"Just now…" the boy now spoke in a monotone voice. The scientist was confused about the tone change, but he decided not to poke deeper into the rabbit hole. "Did you hear everything…?"
"Ever since I was created… are you my father?"
Hearing the word 'father' pushed a button inside the young genius. He wanted to be a father… no, he really deserved to be a father…
The scientist was once again driven into tears, being reminded of the gruesome way his wife and the baby inside her were killed, "Waaahhhhhh! Why?!"
The boy also felt a tear escape from his closed eyes, as he somehow felt the pain that the man in glasses is experiencing. Having 100,000 DNA and powers within him, he also had memorial archives within each double-helix inside them. One of these strands reacted, showing the boy a scene wherein a man's child did not survive a car crash. The man kept hugging his young girl's scarred and dead body for many minutes before an ambulance could even respond in action. Somehow, this memory had an effect on him. He thought that he was that man. He saw the man on the whimpering scientist who wanted to caress his child, proclaim to the world that this was his flesh and blood.
"I don't… get it…" the boy lied, because he wanted to hear more. Feel this feeling longer.
Before the man could've answered, the boy went back to sleep, his brain temporarily shut down. The scientist smiled. "I hope… you're my child's reincarnation… dear Stephen…"
◇POV SWITCH: PHANTOM'S◇
"Get on your knees!" the guard shouted at me and a few others. By now, I'm right here, already near the facility, inside a maglev bus. I didn't think that Councilor's men were on high alert. Well, I should've expected this, since this day is really an important one.
According to Father, there was this young girl, assuming to be around the age of 12, who was going to be experimented on by the Councilor's scientists. She is no different from the kids I saved many times from those psychos, but what makes it interesting is that they had her locked up for a year now, unlike the other kids who were just there for two months or less until they were next in line for experimentation, which I always thwart.
But, this is now a serious mission. As it turns out, she is an extradimensional child who was forcefully infused with Neptunian Shards, and the first test subject for Project Corruption. I know of this project as making someone fall into the Councilor's control through a magical entity named 'The Parasite'. This object corrupts a person's mind and kills their consciousness, leaving behind an empty shell for control.
Neptunian Shards are really dangerous. That is why I have to save her before she becomes the Councilor's puppet.
Through a DNA strand within me, I can also change my face and voice to someone of my choice. To get into the System's Complex, I have to guise myself as one of its employees. And Father gave me the right System ID for it. I take off my hoodie, and I now have blonde hair and brown eyes, wearing glasses. Thank God Father prepared a lab coat for me. Okay, I am someone named Nache Garnet, a top-notch System scientist who also has access to the Corruption project. Here I go.
"Welcome to the Complex. Please present your System ID."
"Don't mind if I do…" I answer to the computer, plugging in the device into an IRD port. Who guesses the full meaning of IRD gets a cookie. Anyway, I'm really surprised that they didn't think of me as suspicious, even though I have used this tactic to get in one too many times. Rather weird. Better keep my guard up.
"Thank you for coming back, Mr. Garnet. You can now pass through."
The barrier went up, and now I am yet again within the Complex. This place is still swarming with intellectual people, who treat the other non-intelligent residents as trash, who don't even bother to fight back. I tell you, dystopia is not a go-to tourist spot.
Now, I'm descending to the prison division of this accursed place. All these CCTV cameras everywhere, so I can't just go back to my true identity. Fuck. Oh well, as long as no one catches me through this disguise until I free that kid.
I'm coming for you, child. Don't worry.
✦POV SWITCH: THIRD PERSON✦
"Stop! Please!" a young girl screamed as one of the scientists made an incision on her heart. The scientists were happy to hear her pleas.
"Yes… Yes! Activate the Shards!"
The young girl kept crying and crying. She can't stand the thought of not seeing her parents ever again. The scientist who was performing the operation stared at her beating heart, which had a crystal embedded on it. A Neptunian Shard.
The assistant scientist then took something out of a mysterious black box. It revealed a sort of black alien creature with long tendrils ready to latch onto something. "Here it is, Kalem…"
The surgeon scientist, now named Kalem, carefully pronged the mysterious lifeform and aimed it exactly above the purple crystal. The girl feared for the worst, even though she is feeling the greatest pain she had experienced.
"This is for you, great Councilor…"
He dropped the creature and fell straight to the girl's heart. The alien then wrapped its tendrils around the girl's heart, restricting it from beating…
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" the girl cried out. The scientists rejoiced at the result.
"Yes, the Councilor! We succeede- GRAHK!"
Kalem felt a sharp pain coming from his abdomen, which was actually a stab from a futuristic blade. And the one who stabbed him was…
"Yeah, sure, you succeeded. I won't let you take her though…" Phantom spoke in a clear monotone voice. He took out the object from Kalem, who dropped down on the floor with blood leaking from his wound. Phantom then looked at the assistant scientist, and then just pushed him onto a metal cabinet, knocking him out.
After securing the room, Phantom then took his attention to the girl who was still in danger. Transferring power to his right arm, he thrust his arm to the girl's insides, grabbing the alien creature in the process.
"MAGIC DNA, DON'T FAIL ME NOW!"
After a full minute of figurative tug-of-war, Phantom had the tendril alien on his hands. He gave power to his hand and crushed the freak of nature effortlessly.
He still had trouble though, since the girl was still bleeding from the incomplete operation. Taking something out of his lab coat pocket, he injected something to the girl's bloodstream. A few seconds later, her incision healed up quicker than normal. She then regained consciousness.
"WAAHHHHH! THANK YOU ONII-SAN!" and the first thing she does is cry at Phantom's chest.
Phantom was utterly surprised at the girl. He decided to lift her on his back, and then said, "…Bury your face onto my back. You aren't at the age of seeing this first-hand."
The lass followed his command. He didn't want her to see dead bodies that he just cleaned up on the way there. Therefore, he had to use Blink, which is basically short-range teleportation that gives the thought of running fast. But since he had to deactivate his Guise ability, he was basically sighted by CCTV.
The Councilor did not like this current situation. "Guards! Seize that bastard!"
Of course, guards rushed down to that division of the building, but that didn't stop Phantom. He took out a handgun powered with Neptunian Shards and nailed a headshot. The other guards looked at Phantom in horror, but still they decide to fight. But their deaths were unfortunate, as Phantom kept pulling headshots. Feeling that the child on his back was crying a little because of the gunfire, he said, "…Cover your ears, please. I don't want you to hear this…"
A few minutes later, and the prison division had become a bloodbath, with only Phantom and the kid still alive. Phantom kept his cool the entire time while the girl had to cover her ears.
Walking up the stairs, he knew that yet another squad of guards were waiting for them at the other side. His handgun had no ammo remaining, so he inhaled deeply and with a bit of hesitation on his face, he shouted…
"BOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
That practically sent the guards flying straight smack to the opposite wall. Phantom, even though he always had a stoic face and tone, was clearly disgusted at what he did, "I hate dat boi…"
And just then, someone unexpected showed up. "It's about time we meet again, Councilor…"
"You ungrateful piece of shit! I was the one who ordered that pawn to make you! You were supposed to be my bodyguard!"
"Speak for yourself, you weird pedophile! Using little children as experiments… how low can you be, you bastard?!"
By reflex, Councilor shot Phantom at the head, even making a bullet hole right through the 22-year-old's brain. But Phantom gave no fucks whatsoever. He just caressed the little girl's purple hair. "Dimwit. Undying, remember?"
In response, Phantom quickly disarmed a nearby guard and used the handgun to shoot the Councilor's leg. But the Councilor gave no fuck as well. "Dimwit. Metal body, remember?"
He proceeded to charge at Phantom, but dodged it through Blink, making the Councilor crash to the wall ahead. Phantom then tried to go through the exit, but it was now blocked by cybernetic beings created specially for emergency situations. Phantom had to painstakingly take down the robots and make sure they were down for the count.
Phantom then had to use Guise to blend in until he gets to the city exit.
"Onii-san… are the bad people gone…?"
"Don't worry, lass. I'll protect you with my life…" Phantom promised while walking casually to the exit. But yet another conflict arose. He had no System ID for his current disguise. "Fuck," he thought to himself. But he just remembered to just use Blink. Which he did.
"Dammit, that was the Phantom again! Bull, get them!"
Now out of the city, Phantom quickly ran and ran to the rendezvous point. "Quick! Here, Phantom!" a middle-aged man with glasses shouted, driving a 'Peaceful Age' vehicle to the male's location. Phantom got on the truck, and shouted, "Step on it, Father!"
*engine running*
"They won't get away with that sloppy old age vehicle! Guards!" Councilor commanded, but then their Neptunian Shard vehicles were sabotaged.
"Damn you, Steph…"
LOCATION SWITCH: STEPH'S SECRET LOCATION, EARTH
"I think we got away from them…" the middle-aged man sighed in relief. Phantom has successfully recovered yet another child from the hands of Councilor. Right now, the girl is sleeping on a bed, recovering from the events that just transpired in front of her. Phantom is keeping watch on her to make sure she lasts the day, which fortunately was the case.
"Huh… O-Onii-san?" the young girl finally awakened after a few hours.
"Well, seems like you're up earlier than expected…"
The middle-aged man introduced himself, "Don't worry, I'm not the Councilor. I am Steph Conrad."
"I'm Phantom. How about you?"
Her face lit up, "My name is Gear! Gear Melvin! The daughter of Sheena Nep and Shawn Melvin!"
"I think that was a bit too much for an introduction, Gear…"
A few days past, and Gear met all the other kids like her who were supposed to be experimented with by the System. A few of them remember their names and families, while others don't. Gear belonged to the former. She was really happy to have friends again, but she didn't forget about Phantom. While Phantom was taking a break, Gear pulled his coat's sleeve.
"Onii-san, please play with me and the others…"
Although stoic, Phantom replied, "…No," while redrawing a world map of the Earth and the mysterious Gamindustri.
But Gear wouldn't give in. She used the puppy eyes tactic on the genetically engineered boy, but it had no effect. Phantom has little to no emotion, but that thing she did clearly took the boy's attention. And unexpectedly, he smiled at the kid.
"Ahh! See, Onii-san can smile!"
"I… smiled?" Phantom asked, with a question mark appearing above his head. "Please, smile for me again, Onii-san!"
But, again an unexpected behavior, Phantom pulled off a forced smile, with his eye twitching and all. Gear was clearly shocked. "Onii-san…" she said while looking at him disappointingly.
After a while, Steph and Phantom decided to have a private talk with each other. It was about this current world's condition, which was deteriorating…
"The world is slowly dying because of the Councilor's actions, Phantom…"
"Yes, I know that…" Phantom answered, with a hint of sadness on his stoic answer. He looked back to Gear, who was looking at the map of the Earth back in 2016, before all shit from hell went loose. He remembered the times Steph told him stories about the Earth before this whole mess, the animals, the kind-hearted humans, and most of all…
The beauty of nature that is now devoid from this desert wasteland. He wanted to see this spectatle with his own eyes.
"There is a way to bring the old Earth back, and also keep this Gamindustri place from being destroyed…"
Phantom's head perked up. A way? That's impossible.
"…What? How?"
"Time travel."
The concept of time travel was already proven back in 2016, before the dimensional portal was created. Through intensive manipulation of physics and the thorough use of the speed of light, scientists in the United Kingdom created the first ever time machine, but then another setback appeared. The Paradox.
The Paradox, an interstellar being capable of erasing one's existence once you go back in time. This is just a theory, though.
"Problem is the truth behind the Paradox. It was never proven whether or not it exists, since the UK kept their test runs secret. But we have no choice… Phantom… go back in time to thwart this future! Bring back the Peaceful Age!"
Phantom turned to his thoughts. This action means that he'll disappear, along with this future that he knows, once he accomplished the mission. But the thought of seeing a peaceful scenery kept haunting his artificial body.
He looked at his father.
"…May it be done, Father…"
Steph looked a little hesitant, but he just gave his 'son' a smile, "You really treasure those stories I told you, huh?"
After that moment, they proceeded to go to Steph's quarters. Little did they know that Gear managed to follow them like Ezio Auditore. "I want to help Onii-san! I want to help him save this world!"
Upfront was a circular doorway that was powered by a mysterious energy that Neptunian Shards don't emit. The lining was a bluish circuit pattern that ran throughout the machine's circle. Underneath was a pad for humans to stand on once the machine activates.
"Okay, I'm going to start the machine, okay?"
"Yes, Father. Tell me when it's ready!" Phantom replied, standing on the pad.
"I'm setting this machine to go back a hundred and fifty-five years before, to 2016. I sure hope the Paradox doesn't get you before you clean the past's mess…"
"Don't worry, Father…"
Magic circles appeared around Phantom. The time travel sequence by magical science has begun. A few seconds later, a time hole appeared right in front of Phantom. The magic circles are supposed to protect him from the Paradox once he sets foot into the past. The boy breathed heavily and deeply, as he made up his mind…
"Well, I guess I won't see you, the other kids, or Gear again…"
Phantom was one step away, before hearing his 'father' shout, "Gear, don't jump on him!"
Phantom looked back, and Gear just bear-hugged him, saying, "Take me with you, Onii-san!"
Phantom lost his balance, and before he could pry the lass off him, they both entered the portal. Steph's jaw dropped at what he saw. "'Kay.. That was clearly something…"
[WARNING: TIMELINE TO BE DELETED IN 3…]
[2...]
[1…]
LOCATION SWITCH: ?
"Gear, why did you follow me?"
Now, Phantom and Gear were floating around in a mysterious black space, and Phantom was lecturing the kid just now…
"Sorry, Onii-san… Are you mad at me?"
"I can't feel anger at you… *sigh* You surprised me…"
And then, a bright flash shone upon them, and moments later, the two were shocked to see two spheres revolving around each other like planet and satellite, but this is planet and planet, which is theoretically impossible. But something about the worlds' landmass appearance caught Phantom's eyes. He quickly grabbed one of the redrawn maps. Looking towards the left planet, this had the continents past Earth had…
"Earth…" Phantom told himself quietly. Then, he looked at the right planet, and this isn't like Earth at all. It had one giant landmass, with one large island away from the assumed mainland. This description urged Phantom to take another one of his redrawn maps. And opening it, he muttered, "Gamindustri…"
"Choose one to return to. The choice is final and irrevocable."
"Who's there?!" Phantom shouted at the deep voice that was just heard. He didn't wait long for a response, since…
"Onii-san, that's my home!" Gear shouted, pointing and 'swimming' towards the world of Gamindustri.
"Gear, we're supposed to go to Earth!" he decided to follow after her.
"The choice has been made. Commencing time rewind sequence…"
"What?! Gear, stop!"
But she didn't stop. She wanted to go home. Towards her mother and father…
"Kid!" Phantom grabbed her and tried to 'swim back' to Earth but the countdown had dropped to the last digits.
3…
2…
1…
Teleporting you to Gamindustri, 2016.
"AHHHH!" the boy managed to shout as he and the kid fell down the time hole under them.
Chapter 1 End