Morning came too quickly. As he awoke, he felt very different. He could feel the Vervetic Energy pulsating through him, as though it was warming him from head to toe. Going to turn on his lamp, blue sparks arced between his fingers and the lamp. A bright blue light flash filled the room momentarily before a pop and the room was left in darkness. Pulling his hand away instinctively, he blinked rapidly as the light had blinded him. “Oh great.” He moaned, as he fumbled toward the curtains, opening them to let in the morning sun, opting to avoid the light switch. Pausing a moment, it still felt refreshing, and yet so bizarre to wake up with the Sun.

It had only been 48 hours, but his genetic changes had started to finally take hold in his body.

For breakfast he risked shorting out the toaster, but like in Cosmos, he was able to quickly adapt to the new powers and was even able to microwave some oatmeal for breakfast.

Standing up, he went to the mirror and noticed a blue glowing halo around the iris of his eyes. “Well they did say I might have some changes to my appearance.” He reached toward a drawer in his dresser to pull out some sunglasses for later.

Walking outside he encountered Mrs. Dubai doing some morning gardening.

“Good morning Alan.”

“Good morning Mrs. Dubai, I hope your gardening is going well.”

“It’s well enough, the pesky weeds always like to show their face at the end of the season. But I manage to put them in their place.”

“That's good to hear. I’m going to be off then.”

“A moment Alan.” She caught him before he could finish walking off the path “I’ve noticed you’ve been coming home wrather late, and the other night I saw some ruff looking folks hanging around your car.” She paused. “I don’t want to be nosey.” She continued. A statement Alan did not believe. “But I hope you're not getting yourself into any trouble. I couldn’t help but notice some markings on your door the other day. Not the most flattering things were written”

Alan walked up to her “Ah no, Mrs. Dubai, I’m doing just fine. Justs a few friends pulling pranks. I should have told you earlier, and I’m planning on painting it to the right color this weekend. As for me coming home late, I’ve started a new job and it keeps me out later than I would like.” He offered his most reassuring smile.

She seemed, however, to not be listening and was looking very directly at Alan’s face. Dang it! He realized she must be seeing the blue lighted rims around his irises, having left without putting on the sun glasses. Hoping to break off the odd conversation he broke in, turning his head, to look away. “Well I must be off, I’ve got to meet some friends. I’ll take care of the door later.” He did an abrupt about- face before she could inquire, and quickly strode out of the front garden.

As he was leaving Alan overheard Mrs. Dubai mumble under her breath. “Oh dear, he must be on the drugs.” Alan could only moan inwardly

He wasted no time in Cosmos. It was his 3rd day in Cosmos and he only had one small battery to show for his day's work. In his past life, that sort of progress would be considered amazing, but he only had a few days to make the rest of his preparation before the week was out.

He spent the morning doing a basic physical fitness routine, an attempt to begin maximizing his physical strength stat. After returning back to the ship Alan checked over the manufacturing device. Unfortunately, for him, the manufacturing device only went about as fast as he’d do on his own. Luckily, it didn’t replicate his failures.

“All right, I’ve got a total of 16 units so far. I’m going to need larger units if I’m going to follow through with my plan.

Alan began to machine the metal parts and hone the crystals for a 100 VE capacity device. It was a pretty big leap. The battery before could fit in the palm of his hand. This however, would scale up appropriately. He made 8 sets of materials. And hoped 1 would work.

By mid-afternoon. Alan looked up to his work and grinned broadly. Before him sat 3 Canisters. 3, he couldn’t believe it. He’d tested each with 1 unit of VE to make sure they functioned well.

“I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised. This version was just a scaled up one from before. It’s not like the 1000 VEU capacity storage that I found.” Knowing he didn’t have the technical know-how to go beyond size of his current build. Checking the other machine, he found another 8 of the smaller batteries for a total of 25. Seeing he still had plenty of scrap for the manufacturing, Alan felt confident to move with his preparation.

The sun shone down as the 4-wheeler sped through the blackened waste. Kragga’s waste sea, the ruined mega city, of not just one, but multiple empires. Alan had this place in mind from the very moment he had come back to the past. Years from now, human and other alien players alike would begin to flock to this little back-water planet, as it was discovered it was no longer an hospitable dumping ground any longer. Initially online chatter, news articles, and other reports came consistently about Kragga, and it’s potential.

Before the planet was lost, the Government of the Earth at the time expended huge amounts of resources in an attempt to claim territories on Kragga and to set up in -game colonies. By that time, however, the predicament of Earth was already a forgone conclusion. But it was later speculated that humanity had committed to Kragga earlier. Maybe, just maybe earth could have been saved.

Kragga was going to be the golden goose for Alan. The only trouble was finding the eggs.

It was one of these golden eggs which led Alan to a low lying hill, north of the ship graveyard. Looking around in the fading light, an image flashed across his mind. The histories of Kragga, it’s city and peoples coming to the forefront in his mind. Along with an article he’d read, a find, found nearly a decade after Cosmos opened on Earth.

Approaching the hill, he circled it speculatively, as he tried to recall the information he had read from his past. Pulling to a stop, he hopped off his quad and approached a pile of debris rising up from the stained soil at its base. Approaching the mass, he began to dig around exposed metal beams. After removing one such beam, the dirt shifted and fell away, revealing a cavity leading into the hill.

“Bingo!” Alan smiled satisfactorily. It had been just as he’d recalled. However, in the past tremors and time had revealed the hidden entrance. Now however, he hadn’t needed to wait for nature to make the reveal.

Stepping toward the man size cavity, Alan was about to take his first steps, when he stepped back. “Maybe this time I don’t walk into an Ambush.” Not taking any chances, he pulled out the energy pistol he’d won previously, along with a portable flashlight. The light of Kragga’s sun having passed the horizon.

Proceeding carefully Alan cautiously wove through the convenient tunnel. A corridor of wreckage, the remains of a long forgotten passage to a now forgotten building.

Gun raised, he moved quickly until he came toward the end. A large door. This was it. Checking the time. Alan quickly realized he didn’t have enough time to explore the ruin beyond till tomorrow. Instead he opted to log out a little early. The treasure would have to wait till morning. And he had a door to fix.

****

Alan drove home after stopping by the hardware store for paint and brushes. He was amused by the radio news bulletins. The reporters debated back and forth as to the validity of the ‘genetic’ transformations of Cosmos players. One reporter stated that he believed it was just ‘a bunch of paid actors and prosthetics.’ A sentiment that the co-anchor tacitly agreed to as well, not wanting to believe the ‘fake news’ posted on social media. Alan remembered it took him over a month of reports to maybe start believing it.

Alan turned up the volume when he heard one report which chilled him to the bone.

“It reported entrepreneur Clark Tenson has begun to invest personally into the Cosmos World, and is reportedly a huge fan.”

Alan gripped the steering wheel tightly, before letting out a breath. Clark had been one of a small group listed as ‘Great Betrayers’ of humanity. They’d made a vast fortune, and when the time came to pick a side. Opting to sell out Earth in favor of profits, plus the added advantage of staying on the planet.

Relaxing his grip on the steering wheel, he mentally reminded himself that he could on worry about Clark and others like him in the future. But for now, his focus needed to stay in the present.

Pulling up to the street, he recognized a familiar bubblegum-pink Mercedes, parked on the street. His stomach turned. “I guess I should have expected that my earlier beating wouldn’t have gotten her off my back.” The car belonged to his now ex-girlfriend, Denise. A graduation gift from ‘Daddy’ after she’d conveniently totaled her previous car she’d received on her 16th birthday. Apparently her father hadn’t wanted to replace, as she put it, the out of date model she’d been driving.

Alan was tempted to just keep driving, but remembering the damage she’d done to the door earlier in the week. He just didn’t think she’d leave without leaving another ‘gift.’ And he didn’t want to explain any more vandalism to Mrs. Dubai

Walking up the path he encountered her at the gate. She had seen him coming. Her arms crossed across her chest, and held a look of fury on her face. Before she could speak he spoke up. “Hello Denise, I’m guessing by the look on your face you came alone.” Denise had always tried to keep a bubbly and innocent mask. Alan had only been privileged to see her rare looks of rage occasionally. Typically when it’d been just the two of them.

“YOU LITTLE TURD!” She screeched. It started about as Alan had expected. He didn’t even need to goad her it seemed. “You think you can Dump Me! ME! In front of my whole Sorority! You don’t get to do that!”

Alan cut her off before she could continue. “Look Denise, I thought I’d do it in person rather than a text. But frankly I’m really tired. I think I’ll be off to bed soon. Why don’t you go home.”

Her face, which had resembled the color of her Pink Mercedes deepened to a darker purple. “YOU. Don’t. Get. To Go anywhere! Not before I’m done tell you off. You stupid. Idiotic freak!.”

Now that Alan had 15 years of maturing under his belt, he almost enjoyed the show. He smiled slightly and nonchalantly interjected. “Well you're certainly right.” Tripping her up for a moment, not expecting the agreement. It was to be short lived. “I certainly was a little idiotic to stick around as long as I did.”

She howled at the twist in her words. “For you to stick around?! I only dated you out of pity and because you’d do my homework for me you little moron.”

“A pity you had to have a moron do your homework. What does that say about you. . .” He lept in again, surprised he had it in him.

“I HATE YOU! I am going to make you miserable. You little toad.” She seethed with anger. She pulled out a can of spray paint, from an overly large purse she’d been carrying, and took deliberate steps toward his car.

Alan hadn’t minded the verbal insults. In fact he’d dreamt of telling off Denise more times than he could remember. Now though, as she was about to spray his car, he’d had enough of her tantrum. He reached out and grabbed the can. “Stop Denise.”

She looked directly at him and smiled smugly, “You can’t stop me Alan. What are you going to do? Hit me?” She moved closer, as if to paint his car. Alan froze.

He knew that look. It was like a cat ready to pounce after playing with its food. It was a look she’d get when she was on the verge of getting her revenge.

In a flash it became clear. She actually wanted Alan to hit her. Startled, he looked up and noticed the Mercedes pulled up the street. She stood facing away from it, almost strategically, so it wouldn’t catch the spray can in her hand. She’d known much this car meant to him. Had it been him, without the experience of his future he’d have fallen for it.

Looking down at her he smiled, and despite the pain, channeled the energy in his eyes to intensify the ring of blue to shine brighter briefly. Her cruel smile faltered at the sight of blue light unsure of what she was seeing. “Look Denise, we both know you’re not going to do it.” She seemed torn between wanting to argue but was unable to take her eyes away from his. Alan reached out and grasped the can, sending a small static shock through it before yanking it from her. She flinched, pulling back her hand.

“Denise, you’re going to drop this. All of it. You’re going to call a tow-truck to take you home and you’re not going to bother me, or Mrs. Dubai again.”

He turned away and deliberately walked toward her car. She yelled, but with a tinge of anxiety “What do you think you’re doing Alan? This isn’t over! This will never be over. I don’t know what kind of freaky thing you’re into now, but I’m going to get you for the rest of your life.” Alan noted the argument seemed half-hearted, almost with a tinge of panic as he drew closer to the car.

Alan walked over to the car, and saw a dashboard camera blinking, a recording light, and facing him and his car. Perfectly placed to catch an unsuspecting Alan, striking an innocent, unassuming girl. He seethed. Placing his hand on the hood and he directed a stream of blue light into the car. The pain barely registering over his anger. The car headlights and interior lights all flashed a bright blue making a dramatic pop before going out. The dash cam’s light stopped, the camera and it’s memory being completely fried.

Turning, he saw the now pale faced Denise clutching her purse, legs trembling. As he approached her he noticed her eyes lock on to him. Dropping the spray can at her feet he spoke quietly, “I believe this belongs to you. You better call a tow-truck soon. I’d hate for you to be out too late.” He paused for emphasis. “You never know, something dangerous could be hidden right in front of you.”

He walked past her and proceeded through the gate. Looking out of the corner of his eye he noticed her frantically grabbing the spray paint and running to her car. She tried the fob to open it, without success. Panic on her face. He could see her fumbling with her cell phone, eyes darting around her.

Alan sighed regretfully. He never liked to use intimidation, it never worked in the long run. She’d eventually put some of the pieces together and eventually the fear of him would go away. He doubted she’d stay away at that point. Not unless she had more to worry about than some static electricity. And even than...

Grabbing a class of cold water and some aspirin for the lingering pain. He realized he still had a door to paint.