Prologue

Hello I see you've picked up this book. Do me a favor will you. If the bookstore or library you got this from sorted this in fiction, put it back into history. Despite what people think, this really happened. Oh, I am so sorry. Where are my manners?

My name is unimportant but you may call me Riomasuru, or Rio if you prefer. Do you believe in: cybernetic-wars, transformation of the body, human/non-human relations, or mind control; Not to mention: inter-dimensional travel, elemental powers, and communication with a world of characters from a place you did not know existed. Oh, damn I'm getting ahead of myself. This "story"(I use the term VERY loosely) really started way back when the………

Chapter 1

"SON OF A MOTHER &*(%R!" The voice was that of Chase Raynor, high school senior, average life and "King of Gaming." It was Friday, August 10, 4:47 p.m. Chase was in his final match in the "Gierova City Gaming Championship," and he was tied-up with the challenger Derek "Demoman" Dalberg. The city was watching in anticipation as the players expended their last rifle rounds.

Chase's gaming avatar was an African American male, roughly 5' 10," with a slightly heavy look to him, without looking unfit, yet not "muscle man" either. Derek's was white, 5' 11¾" with a kind of punk Gothic look to him but you couldn't tell that from the intensity he was emitting.

Derek had Chase pinned down behind a rock, effectively cutting off his chance of escaping in the nearby tank. "Crap! When did he pick that up?!" Chase mutter to himself. he slowly peeked around the left side of the rock. I gleam of red caught the corner of his eye "Heh, Heh, Heh, your mine now." he blind fired two rounds one over and one to the right. Derek's minigun seemed to spring back to life unleashing a torrent of bullets, some chipping away parts of the boulder. "Your dead Raynor!" Derek yelled. "Huh?" he said just in time to catch the full force of the flashbang that Chase lobbed just seconds before. Blinded, Derek recoiled noticeably. Chase quick as lightning, took advantage of the confusion to stand up, aim, and fire off one loud shot. all in one smooth motion, It left the barrel streamlined over the boulders and into an explosive crate. "GAME OVER." Said a booming electronic voice "WINNER, CHASE RAYNOR."

Chase's friend and colleague Joe Aelertuus ran over to him to congratulate him. As they left Chase felt his gaming honed 6th sense trigger making him stop, look around then shrug as he walked out. Little did he know that the slight change he just felt was the first of many unusual happenings that he would experience through out the next few months.

Before I continue, I should probaly tell you a bit about what the world was like back then. The earth was half destroyed by orbital bombardment by an alien race known as the shivans. The few parts of the planet that were inhabitable were either incapable of catching enough sunlight for farming and was therefore used for housing, or too open to defend with soil too soft to build Anti-aircraft-artillery and anti-orbital-cannon sites. There were spots that were untouched by war, but those were usally taken by the upper-class and military. even then however, there we're raids.

The capitol city of earth was Gierova. Located just outside, about 50 miles southeast the ancient American city of Tucson. Chase's apartment was at the southeast side of the city overlooking the gorge that housed the city's shield power station. It wasn't much but it was the only home that Chase really had.