2 November 2064.
Uptown train headed eastward.
Osakusi, UCAS.
Matrix Crash 2.0
The train rumbled down the track, flying through the city at breakneck speeds, 40 stories up. Inside, there was loud screeching and rattling as the track scraped against the wheels, and the wind battered the aluminium frame making it creak every so often. The car was covered in graffiti, spray paint crisscrossing the dull car in every color imaginable. So much had been written, it was illegible now. The car lights were buzzing and flickering, but most of the light came from out the tinted windows, where the sky was grey with clouds.
"I'm so not looking forward to this." Jergh, who was rather small for his metatype, grumbled shoving a handful of soybeans down his gullet, large jaw slamming shut behind it. The ork sat with his arms crossed on a train seat, the leather worn down by years of asses so that foam stuffing popped out all over. His large bag of soybeans sat in his lap, threatening to fall off onto the floor slippery with months of soy chips and tofu that had already fallen. Rats skittered around, too large to have any reason to hide. The ork's messy hair was dyed neon blue to match his eyes hidden behind a pair of red tinted shades. Across the aisle sat his friends, an elf and a dwarf. The dwarf, Torfrod, was a 0.9 meter teenager, his green hair was spiked like his vest. He sat with his mud encrusted boots on the seat in front of him and was tossing a baseball up in the air and catching it.
"Aw c'mon, Jawbone, it's not so bad." Torford said, "We'll probably meet tons of sliches!"
"Wait, wait, Frenzy!" Galan the elf said, elbowing him. "You just wanna meet them? I'm wasting my time." Galan, the elf, teased. He was an attractive teenager 2 meters tall. His blond hair was wavy but cut short in the back, he wore a black baseball jacket with red sleeves and red chuck taylors.
"Shut up, Three Point." Torfrod said. The train stopped with a painfully loud bing. Three humans climbed aboard, not even attempting to conceal their weapons.
"Get up Halfer, the seats are for those of us who can actually touch the floor while on them." One of the men said, the other two laughed.
"There's a whole train of seats, chummer." Galan said not looking up at the men.
"I know that keeb" The man said, "How's about you guys go find them?" The man said pointing his Ares Predator V in the kid's face. Galan clenched his teeth.
"I guess we will then." Galan said standing up. The three friends headed to the back of the train car.
"Fraggin Breeders." Jergh grumbled.
"What was that?" One of the other men asked, the three teenagers turned around.
"You heard me, dickhead." Jergh yelled. The man pulled his pistol out as the train sped towards a turn. There was an ear shattering screeching noise from the PA system as a curve approached. All but one of the six to clutch their ears in pain as blood flowed out from their burst eardrum. The man with the gun, spooked by the noise, shot, missing his large target entirely. Galan, shot in the shoulder, dropped to the floor in pain, sliding under a seat as the train continued flying down the rail. Then the curve arrived, but the train never turned.
When Galan woke up all he could hear was ringing, the sky was black with smoke. He couldn't figure out how he could see the sky. They'd flown through the side of a skyscraper, the steel beams caved in and split in half, scratching tears through the aluminum train cars. The chair had been thrown under had lost all its stuffing and bits of leather were still smoking. There was rubble everywhere. Galan moved his eyes, even that hurt, especially as the gritty white dust flew into his eyes. The train had slammed into a skyscraper. All of Galan's senses were clouded by the smell of smoke and burning paper with a sour smell of something he couldn't recognize but would one day realize was burning flesh. He blinked the blood from his eyes and continued to search around himself. There were first responders picking through the pieces of building and train, looking for survivors. One lifted a piece of steel to reveal the blue hair of his friend. He opened his mouth. Voice raspy, he tried calling out to him, but couldn't make a sound. They lifted his friend's head. It wasn't followed by anything, it was just a severed head. Galan couldn't breathe, he watched the smashed up red sunglasses fall to the ground and forgot how to breathe. He tried to move, tried to scream, but his body was frozen in place. The metallic taste of the blood spilling from his mouth the last thing his senses picked up before he fell back into unconsciousness.
12 December 2064.
Room 2173.
Osakusi, UCAS.
The next time he woke up, he didn't open his eyes right away. He couldn't see the rubble again, he didn't dare even breathe to try and keep from smelling the horrific mixture of scents. He feared the next sight would be even worse, his mind flashing possible scenarios around.
"Galan." A sweet voice said, soft but authoritative, and vaguely familiar.
Drek. He thought. I'm dead. I never even had the chance to make ma proud. He realized sadly.
"Galan, it's your mother." The voice said softly. He opened his eyes slowly.
"Mom." he choked out, then coughed violently. Blood splayed out onto the sheets seeping into the soft material. He swallowed, forcing the sour taste in his throat back down.
"Oh praised be!" His mother cried, "I was so worried for you, Gal." She was coming in and out of focus, but he could tell she was crying.
"Mom, don't call me that." He coughed, she laughed, then sniffled. Yep, she was definitely crying. "Is Frenzy alright?" He asked.
"Neither of them made it." the elf said sadly. Galan cursed.
"Wha-what even happened?" He asked trying not to think about it.
"They're calling it Matrix Crash 2.0," His mother said, "the whole hospital is full."
"The Matrix cra-ashed?" Galan asked the woman nodded. "And the train?"
"More than just that train." His mother said. "The whole world's been in complete chaos." She said. "It's mostly calmed down now I think." His mother said.
15 December 2064.
Apartment 216.
Osakusi, UCAS.
Sinifred was a tall thin elf. He always had a Savalette Guardian on his hip and a toothpick between his teeth. He sat down on the chair next to his brother's bed. The kid was mumbling eyes shut, covers over his bruised body, up to his chin. The commlink implanted above his left ear blinking red slowly, the datajack connected to the public grid wirelessly. Sinifred knocked on his head.
"Anyone home?" He asked. The blinking sped up then was solid. Galan blinked.
"What do you want?" He asked unplugging.
"Aren't you supposed to be at physical therapy right now?" His older brother asked picking his teeth lazily leaned back in the chair.
"What?" Galan asked looking at the digital clock on the computer across the room. "Drek!" He said stumbling out of bed wearing only boxers a undershirt and a single sock. His hurry compounded by his already present lack of strength and he ended up falling face first on the floor. He scrambled to his feet and limped over to his closet, pulling a pair of pants on and grabbing a jacket, he ran downstairs.
"5...4...3...2...1" Sinifred said counting down the seconds.
"Sinifred!" His younger brother yelled.
"Yes?" He said sweetly.
"Its Saturday!" He said.
"Oh is it?" he replied innocently. "I didn't know." He said heading downstairs.
"I was in the middle of stuff!" Galan complained.
"Why the frag do you spend so much time jacked-in, you know the Matrix is why your friends are dead." Sinifred said.
"SHUT YOUR SOY-HOLE!" Galan said throwing himself at his big brother, who sidestepped, sending Galan tumbling to the floor. He managed to get his hands out in front of his face this time, meaning his reaction time was certainly improving.
"Wow, little bro, you're pretty useless, I guess I get why you prance around in VR all day.
"Just leave me alone." Galan said trying not to cry. Sinifred smirked, leaning down to sneer in his ear.
"Or what? You'll fall down at me?" He said, turning him over with his foot and pulling an old lazy boy over and using his brother's chest as a footrest. Galan tried to push himself up, but was too weak to fight against his brother forcing him back down.
Lucky for the younger elf, the door opened soon and his parents walked in.
"Mom!" Galan said.
"What the frag are you doing, Sinifred!?" came their father's booming voice. Sinifred raised an eyebrow and gestured to himself as if to ask 'who me?'. "Get off your brother!" The stern metahuman yelled. Both parents put the grocery bags down to deal with the more present matter.
"He was using fraggin beetles!" Sinifred yelled standing up and meandering away. Galan crawled to the chair and sat down holding his head in his hands.
"Get the hell outta here!" His father yelled pointing upstairs. Their mother hurried to the chair to check on Galan.
"I wasn't using any fraggin zombie chips, mom." He said, "I was looking for a job." He said.
"Galan, you don't need a job, you need to get better." The metahuman said gently.
"I'm putting a lot of pressure on you and dad." Galan said quietly.
"No, Gal, you're not, we just want you to get better." His mother said.
"Yes I am, I heard you guys arguing!" Galan cried. His parents looked at each other, surprised that he'd heard them and worried all the same.
"We were talking about your brother, Gal." His father said gruffly. Galan looked at his dad. He was telling the truth, he was embarrassed though and looking down.
"I should still get a job." He said.
"When you're better." His mother replied.