Starbound Industries, a titanic pharmaceutical corporation that prides itself on its ethics and more humanitarian ways of gaining profit. The man in charge was a wealthy CEO, named Carlos Stanton, who was one of the starting members of the company when it first began. As he sat in his office, bored out of his mind, he soon noticed what time it was from the clock on the wall of his office. Smiling, he opened the top drawer of his desk and immediately noticed the toy gun he kept by, loaded with foam darts and having plastic suction cups to help the ammo stick to whatever it is fired at.
[Tutorial: Grabbing supplies and equipment]
(To collect guns, ammo and a variety of other useful things, press [Triangle] to grab whatever is in reach. When it's in reach, the button prompt will automatically appear.)
[Tutorial: Firing main cannon]
(You're not gonna believe this, but to fire a gun in this game, you hold down the aim button AKA the [L2] Button and press the Attack button AKA the [R2] Button to fire whatever is in your hands. I know, it's shocking, who would've ever heard of such a thing?)
He grabbed the toy weapon and aimed it at the clock, hitting the dead center as he soon chuckled to himself, muttering "Bullseye" as he then stood up from his comfy chair and began to make his way to a very special meeting.
[Tutorial: Let's go for a lovely stroll]
(This is for all you skilled Videogame journalists out there that want a real challenge, to move in this video game…are you still with me? You press the direction of the [Left Analog Stick] to whichever way you want your character to move. Now, I know that sounds like a lot to comprehend, but remember, to move in the direction you want, you push the [Left Analog Stick] to the specific direction you want.)
The man was in his mid 40's, walking through the vast office space as it was littered with cubicles, potted plants, water coolers and even a few motivational posters. His hair was thinning but still had some of the blonde color to it, looking healthy and well cared for despite his greater age. As he walked through the office rooms, everyone greeted him with respect and admiration, eventually one of the employees approached him and greeted his boss. "Hey, Carlos! We just got news from that deal we were doing with H&A…" as he then paused, the man then stopped his pace and asked a follow up question "So, what'd they say?" to which his worker answered "They're in! We officially are gonna get some offices in Detroit!" which caused the man to cheer a little as he said "NICE! That's what I like to hear!" as they both entered an elevator.
[Tutorial: To press every button on the elevator like a 4 year old]
(To interact with specific items, devices or even environmental stuff, press the [Triangle] when the prompt appears. To make sure it's the one you wanted over anything else, it's recommended to hover your cursor over the prompt as you hit it.)
Carlos then pressed the lobby button and immediately the room began to descend down as they continued to converse. "So…" the employee started, "You nervous about retirement?" to which his boss answered "You kidding me, I'm terrified, just the idea of spending my days at a golf course, getting shit faced drunk in a gated community, it's scary, ooh!" As the man shivered, joking about his reluctance for retirement. The employee then continued as he then showed concern, he asked "And you SURE Teddy's ready to take over? He's not even 25 sir-" which caused the boss to feel agitated as he then emphasized his stance on the matter. "Look" he responded "Half of the changes that were made to this office a couple years back were all Teddy's ideas, and we thrived in profit and in morality, the way I see it, he was DESTINED to take over…besides, how different could he actually make this place?" as the elevator door opened and on the other side was a young boy of African American descent, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and some loose colorful shorts, he even was wearing Sandals as he greeted the Boss "Huh, Friday Casuals, whatcha guys think?" which caused the Boss to chuckle as he then said "God Teddy, you look like you're declaring war on fashion." as the three then began to walk through the many halls of the corporate building, conversing further as they did.
[Tutorial: It says gullible on the ceiling]
(If you thought moving was a challenge, wait until you start looking WHILE moving! Pushing the look button, AKA [The Right Analog Stick] to whichever way you want, will move the camera in that direction. Just don't look behind you, the camera man hates that.)
(Just a fair note, if this actually were a game, I would 100% put the word "Gullible" on the ceiling, so just imagine you looked up and saw the word written in graffiti right above.)
[Trophy unlocked: You've been punked!]
Teddy:"So, Dad, you ready to give me the crown and keys?"
Carlos:"Only if you burn that outfit. God, even colorblind and that shit hurts my eyes."
Employee:"You're Father's all ready to give you the reins, relax."
Teddy:"Just think, tomorrow I will be the new CEO of Starbound Enterprises!"
Carlos:"And the first black one too, if I come back and hear Hip hop, I'm not gonna be happy."
Teddy:"You're never gonna let me forget about my rap phase, are you?"
Carlos:"The only good thing was Tupac and maybe a little of Coolio, the rest was just as much of a crime of music as your outfit is to fashion."
They then reached a specially large room, for major announcements and important meetings, one that was going to announce Carlos Stanton's retirement and Theodore's Succession. But before either of them entered, The Son stopped his father and began to converse with him, expressing how nervous he was about his future and the future of the company. "Hey, uh…Dad…" he hesitated. "You really think I'm ready to take such a huge responsibility?" to which his Father placed a hand on his shoulder and expressed "Hey…I KNOW you are…if your Mom were here, she'd be the second proudest person on the planet right now…" as the Father and Son smiled and shared a nice hug as they were certain that the future was bright. After they finish their hug, the father states "I'm gonna go up there and give 'em the 2nd best news they'll hear all day…" as he then walked past the dozens of rows of people in chairs, all waiting with baited breath for their Boss to speak and tell them the major news. Once he reached the podium, he smiled and greeted his employees as he then began his speech.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, all employees of Starbound industries…It has been an HONOR, helping to start this company. I know if David was with us right now, he'd be just as proud of every last one of you as I am, if not more. I remember when I was a kid and there was this crazy old bastard telling that he had big plans, to make a major medicine and pharmaceutical company that not only surpassed its major competitors in research and testing, but also maintained the integrity and humanity that most…if not ALL of our competitors forgotten…Of course my first reaction was 'What're you smoking and can I buy some off ya?'..."
He paused as he allowed the audience to share a chuckle from this joke, after the somewhat quiet laughter died out, he continued.
"Of course, here I stand, his successor, impressed with EVERYTHING this company achieved and have maintained throughout its years…and while I know most of you would love to cheer my next sentence on…I'm sad-yet happy to announce my retirement…I know that plenty of you were waiting for my coffee or tea to get poisoned, but let's be real, I'm more toxic than any chemical out there so this is just faster…as for the man to take my place, you knew him as that obnoxious brat that played around her since he was in Diapers, you know him, you love him WAY more than you do me…Theodore Stanton!"
He said as he began to clap along with the rest of the people in the room, cheering as Teddy made his way to the podium, smiling with pride and excited about both his future and the future of the company. Once he reached the stand, he began to thank everyone, especially his Father as he stated the following "I just want to thank you all for welcoming me into the place! When I was a kid, I thought…there's no way I'm becoming these people…but…as I got older, I knew you weren't just people…Y'all were family…one that I can't imagine a life without…When I was hitting my teens, you guys put up with me and my bad habits…when I started to take an interest in this company, Y'all showed me the ropes and what they lead to…and when my Mom…" He stuttered as he began to tear up, working up the courage before finally continuing "When my Mom got sick…Y'all stuck by me and stuck by her…That's when I knew this wasn't a company…this was Family…So thank you…thank you for helping me reach this point…thanking you for helping me every time I fell down…and thank you Dad, for giving me this chance to make you and the rest of my family proud…Thank you Donna for that awesome cake you made last Christmas, I'm gonna ask you about the recipe later And especially thanks to Bob the bus driver for hooking me up with that grass cause holy crap did that help my stress for Finals." He jokingly finished as everyone began to join in on the laughter, Stanton stood in the back of the room, proud and happy to see his Son reaching an amazing height…Unfortunately it was cut short when one of his employees pulled him aside and said "Sir, I know you're about to enter retirement and that your Son is our new boss…but while he's busy, there's something you need to see." to which Stanton tried to brush off and ask "Can't it wait?" to which the employee stated "Sir…you NEED to see this ASAP." Stanton was reluctant…but ultimately agreed and joined the employee as they headed into a different room and met with the rest of the board members, all of whom had their attention devoted to a particular member who had some rather disturbing news.
"We're being attacked?" Stanton repeated a summarized version of what his fellow board member told him. "We're…not entirely sure." he specified before proceeding to tell him the detailed news of the chaos their enterprise was enduring, explaining "Yesterday, one of our facilities in India was attacked, within one hour of the initial assault…the whole factory went up in flames…Last night, another factory of ours in East Africa was burned down too…this morning, 2 more facilities went up in flames…" which caused Stanton to worry and grow confused, he wasn't sure why Starbound industries would be attack, especially like this. Of course, one of the other board members chimed in, implying that "Looks like your Son's attempts of "Ethical" pursuits aren't all that appreciated." to which Stanton rolled his eyes and told his coworker "Shut up, Cal." The board member that initially informed them of these riots then proposed a possibility that "There is a fair chance that this is done by our competitors…but until we find out who or get proof…we can't really stop them." Stanton contemplated corporate sabotage, but his suspicions were immediately dismissed when he scrolled through his smartphone in an attempt to check his messages to see if there was any clue that would be of value…only to find news article after news article of India, Africa, South America and even countries like England and Canada were dealing with a strange epidemic of chaotic riots and violent assaults in the streets of their cities…and judging from the date of the articles, this was happening within the span of 2 days. Stanton then realized that there may be something even greater going on, something far more terrifying than he or any of the board members were anticipating…
"I don't think it's just us…"
Suddenly, the doors to the room burst open as one of the company's security guards stumbled in, holding a wound on his shoulder as it was bleeding through his fingers. "Christ, man!" Stanton was one of the only people to speak words as his fellow board members were just gasping or moving away in shock, the few that spoke with him just shouted "Fuck!" or "Holy shit!" as they all backed away from the wounded security guard. Stanton then took action, rushing to the security guard as he removed his own jacket and began to place it against the wound, trying to help his worker as he turned to the other board members and shouted "Call 911, Now!" as he began to put pressure on the wound, attempting to slow the bleeding. While this happened, one of the other board members pulled out his phone and began to dial the emergency numbers, holding the device to his ear once he finished…only for his face to grow pale and his eyes to widen in shock as he told his boss "…The lines aren't responding." to which Stanton growled as he kept applying pressure to the wound, insisting "Then try again!" as he then said "Hey, you're gonna be okay" attempting to calm the security guard, telling him about how "Help's on the way, just hang in there, take deep breaths and try not to raise your heart rate." as his fellow board member and even a few of the others present, all tried to dial 911 into their phones, only to be met with dial tones and silence. If that wasn't bad enough, the security guard began seizing, going into what Stanton assumed was some strange form of shock as he grunted "Fuck! He's seizing! Donald, hold my jacket against his wound!" ordering his fellow board member to keep the security guard alive while he stood up and began to leave the room, stating "I'm gonna go find some medical supplies to help reduce the-!" But before Stanton could reach the door, he was interrupted by the blood curdling scream of his coworker, being forced to the ground and having a chunk of his neck bitten out as the security guard practically went feral, tearing into the flesh with his snarling teeth.
"Aaaaagh!"
"Shit!" Stanton blurted out as the security guard continued to bite into the board member's neck, expediting his death as he tore through his throat. Stanton immediately reacted as he rushed to the security guard and tried to pull him off of the Board member, shouting "GET off of him!" managing to pull the security guard off of the dying Donald. Stanton then pushed him back and saw the look in his eyes change, like he wasn't Human anymore, almost like he was some rabid mutant that was going insane. Stanton saw how this former employee climbed to his feet, his teeth bared and ready to attack as the former CEO tried to reason with the man he once knew. "Reymond," he said calmly, hoping to reach and resolve this without any more blood, stating "I don't want to fight you…" but the security guard rushed him, swinging his arms at his former employer.
[Tutorial: Hand-to-hand Combat]
(Time to make Sensei Miyagi proud, to block or dodge an attack, press the [Circle] button right as you are being attacked. If successful, you will not only avoid being hurt by your opponent's attack, you will have the perfect opportunity to strike back by pressing the [R2] Button to follow up with a swift attack back.)
Stanton was quick, more than familiar with some martial arts as he managed to easily block the attack with one hand and punch the psychotic guard directly in the throat, disorientating him and forcing him to the floor. Of course, the Security enforcer climbed to his feet again after his moment of discombobulation, charging at Stanton once more…but being countered every single time he attacked. Eventually, Stanton managed to force the guard to the floor, holding his arm in place as his black leather shoe was pressed tightly against his neck. Even still, the guard kept squirming and wriggling around, trying to escape Stanton's hold so he may attack him once again, it was then and there that the CEO could see the look in his employee's eyes, clearly and concisely…it wasn't him anymore, Stanton then realized the only solution to this problem…
[Tutorial: Executions]
(To stealth kill, sneak up behind an enemy and press the [Square] button to terminate them quickly and quietly.)
He began to press his foot down on the Infected man's neck as he slowly *SNAPPED* the security guard's neck, killing him with ease as he finally felt the body go limp and the wriggling stop. "I'm sorry, Reymond," Stanton muttered, releasing his hold as Reymond's arm fell to the floor, lifeless like the rest of him, justifying his execution by insisting "You left me no choice…" Stanton then looked up and saw the rest of the board members, huddled in the corners of the room and looking terrified beyond belief after the fiasco they had just witnessed. Stanton then looked at Donald's body, dead from the excessive loss of blood as the pooling crimson made it clear that he was beyond saving, causing the CEO to mutter "Fucking Christ!" as he ran his fingers through his thinning hair…as everything calmed down, everyone in the room could hear it. There was just chaos outside, people screaming and crowds shouting as gunfire and police sirens blended in so easily, it sounded like the apocalypse was happening…and everyone was invited. As the realization of everything sunk in, it was then and there that Stanton realized something critical, something that made him whisper "Oh no…" under his breath as he then rushed out of the room, shouting "Teddy!" as he realized his Son could be in danger.
After rushing out into the main halls, Stanton saw several people being attacked by various people, with all the chaos that was happening, it was hard to tell who was which. He then wrapped his fist in his iconic tie, protecting his flesh from any damage he may endure from further self defense and ignored the screaming discord, all that mattered to him was finding his Son and making sure he was safe. And so, Stanton trudged forward and everytime one of the psychotic people would charge him and attack him, Stanton would quickly and mercilessly counter their attacks and take them down, going so far as to using his tie to help strangle anyone he had any difficulty with and even using his company pen to stab out their eyes and make sure they couldn't be a problem any time soon. After going through the hall and killing at least half a dozen rabid people, Stanton finally heard the familiar voice of his son, Theordore, shouting "Dad!" as Stanton turned to the direction of the voice and saw his son at the other end of the Hall, alive and well. Both the Father and the Son rushed to each other, converging from their respective ends of the great hall that divided them as they tried to reunite during all this chaos. But before they could reach each other, Stanton watched in horror as one of the doors swung open and an Infected man tackled Teddy to the ground, trying to bite him. This caused Stanton to sprint, rushing to save his son, but the Infected overpower Teddy and bit into his neck, causing the poor young man to scream as the psychotic man slowly tore out his throat. This caused something to snap in Stanton, forcing the elderly man to charge the crazy infected and violently kick him off of his son as he wasted no time and proceeded to attack the psychotic bastard who dared to touch his boy. Before the Infected could climb up to its feet, Stanton swung his fist violently against its skull, his knuckles protected by his wrapped around tie as he forced the creature down and kneeled over it as he began to vehemently beat it over and over again, he just kept punching and punching, ignoring how it kept trying to claw at his face, ignoring how it tried to wriggle and free itself from Stanton's hold…ignoring how it slowly shifted from the violent desire to scratch and bite, to a more panicked and fearful attempt to push Stanton off of himself…in fact, it was almost like Stanton relished the fact that he made this psychopath feel fear again, the fact that he could force it to suffer one last time for what it did to his son as he continued to beat it again and again…until he realized that he was punching a mush of red skull fragments and brain matter. Once he was certain that the Infected man was totally annihilated, Stanton turned his attention to his Son, crawling to him desperately as he saw his boy choking blood whilst holding his own throat, trying to slow down the bleeding. All the while, Stanton was desperately muttering "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no" in repetition, denying the reality he was seeing before him as he tried everything he could to keep his son from dying. But no matter what he tried, or how hard he tried, his son reached out to him, grabbing his shoulder as the life in his eyes slowly went dim…then became totally still as it was eventually clear…Teddy was dead. It was like the whole world was quiet for a moment, Stanton tuned out the chaos happening around him, the screaming of the people being attacked and violently torn apart, the hissing and howling of the psychotic infected that were ravaging the innocent lives around him, even the gunfire of the security team as they attempted to control the situation the best they could…it was all quiet and deafened…even dwarfed once he finally spoke up once again as he roared in anguish, screaming in a fit of sorrow and anger. Everyone present that day remembered how horrifying it sounded, even the Infected sounded docile compared to the echoing screech of pain that Director Carlos Stanton gave as a eulogy to his son's tragic demise.
Author's notes:
This is a demo chapter. I posted this to get feedback on whether or not you guys want me to do it like a video game or more like a book. Please give me as much feedback as you want, I genuinely want to know which style you all prefer. (Leave a vote on the profile page)