2034 - England

The sound of thunder boomed through the air, accompanied by streaks of lightning that painted a brilliant picture across the sky. In the streets, basking in the rain, children screamed and laughed as their parents held them close on the warm summer's day.

Cycling through the rain, mud and puddles with an exhausted look on his face, Nathan's drooping eyes slid along to look at the crowds of people who lined the streets and park walkways. They all smiled as they enjoyed the strange summer weather.

Having just gone shopping, Nathan held two large plastic reusable bags. The bags were in tatters, riddled with holes and tears. Inside, several packets of cheap instant ramen, bread, water, and other essentials could be found.

"Fuck!"

Passing over the crest of the hill, Nathan let out a loud curse as he heard something crash into the ground behind him. He stopped his bike as he turned to see the forlorn packets of ramen that had fallen from his bag.

"Massive sale! Twenty packets for a pound! The fuck are they doing not adding extra packaging then?" he muttered to himself, complaining to the heavens about his issues.

It was sadly his fault that he was in such a complicated financial issue, how could he work when he had his dreams to follow. Working nine to five or close to seven or eight was not something he could bring himself to do.

He shook the water off the packets and shoved them back into the overfilled bags. Remounting his bike to continue home, he noticed a few distant women gossiping and staring at him, laughing as he rode past.

He had to bear this shame every time. Being jobless and penny-pinching was not a good combination, but he cared little what others thought, which was one of the reasons he could keep going.

He arrived at the housing complex --- three stories of old apartments that had seen better days. It was modelled after a cheap motel which, frankly, was the only reason he could afford rent. Coming up to his door, number 104, he felt a chill run along his back as he sensed someone's gaze.

"Nathan, in two days you better have that rent for me! I'm sure I don't need to remind you that it's increasing, so you better not forget."

The landlady was short, roughly 4'11 with thick body proportions. Her attitude was that of a commander as she stared at him and barked her complaints.

"N... No worries Ms Krass. I'll be sure to pay on time."

As he was still cold from the pouring rain, he shivered as his hand struggled to grip the keys stuffed in his pocket.

"Good! I'd hate to kick your skinny ass out, remember I can always offer you some good work..." She slowed her words near the end, emphasizing.

Nathan clambered into his apartment, slamming and locking the door. In a flash he had already hooked the chain into its slot, and he slumped with weariness and relief.

"Creepy old hag! Does she think I'm a piece of meat?"

Stepping into the tiny flat, his eyes locked onto the mirror as he stood looking at himself for a brief moment. Standing at just over six feet, he admired his height, which he believed to be one of his few redeeming features. He had short, shaggy black hair that had been left to grow on its own, disturbed only by the occasional amateur self-cut that tried but failed to tame the 'wild beast.'

But the rest of his body... he was skinny to the point that a skeleton would recognise him as kin! His hollow sunken eyes were only emphasised more by the dark circles beneath them. With piercing green eyes and a slight limp from an injury he had never fully recovered from, he looked to be the perfect antagonist.

"Hey, what are you staring at!" he spat at his reflection before moving into the tiny kitchen.

Though it should be said that this kitchen was also his living room, office, and master bedroom. It was a reduced standard of living, but he at least had a separate room for his bathroom and shower.

He emptied the bags on the counter, slowly counting the items as he felt that something had gone missing. "Wait, where is the tomato sauce..." He rummaged through the items for a while before realizing that, during his trip on the bike, he must've missed something falling out.

"Crap! It's probably somewhere on the road..."

Any notions of going back to grab the sauce were quenched as he looked outside at the current weather. His soul hurt as he gave up on the one thing that might've improved the taste of the otherwise bland meals in his future. He felt his head throb as he resisted the urge to scream towards the heavens in outrage towards this punishment he had to endure.

After putting away all of his items, he would have a quick shower, cleaning himself from his journey and the damp water that had soaked him, quickly drying himself after to keep his body from getting sick, he would be in trouble if got ill at this point, he was so close to finishing his masterpiece.

He sat at his computer and pushed the power button. Immediately, a loud racket filled the room as it seemed like one of the fans inside had turned into a blender. Although, he was just glad that the machine continued to function.

"Okay scary beast, just calm down for now," he said as he started to browse the internet.

He clicked on the latest news as he bit his bottom lip. A video started to play. It showed two young men standing proud, tall and clean. They wore huge smiles as they spoke into the microphone.

"Our first M.C.H game is a massive success, having sold over one hundred million copies on release. It is currently the number one seller world-wide!"

The presenter whistled while clapping his hands.

"This is the first full M.C.H game after its release. As the creators, why don't you tell the audience about this software and the hardware that's running it?"

The blonde haired male on the left smirked, clearly enjoying the limelight as he stepped forward.

"Sure, Mike, I'll give you a rundown of the software and hardware behind Thax's and my game."

Nathan felt like spitting blood. These fuckers had taken his core gameplay and system to build on the game, then cut him out at the last moment by firing him from the company.

"Bastards, I'll get my revenge soon!"