Drip.......drip

Was the only sound that penetrated the thick silence. It sounded so loud to me, though I know in the ordinary course of life such a simple, soft sound would go unnoticed.

The sound was caused by small droplets of sweat running down my face as I balanced upside down on one hand.

My eyes followed the lines of the room as I hung their suspended. The room was tiny and sparse. A single bed in the corner, the walls lined with shelves that were filled with books and in the middle of the room as small tiny space where I trained.

After some time in the handstand I lowered my body down into a planche position, body sideways and parallel to the floor with only my hands touching the ground. An ancient gymnast would recognise the amazing amount of muscle and tendon strength required to perform such a move, a curious bystander would merely think it looked like a strange form of exercise. A lost art, and one I had mastered well.

I continued through my series of high tension body contortions. From the planche position into a straddle and then moving my legs through my hands and curling my body all the around into the manna position.

Each movement required me to contract nearly every muscle in my body as tightly as possible generating a profound level of strength. Trembling, I held the position as long as I could.

To an enhanced human this would be child’s play. But to an unenhanced cripple like myself it was amazing feat of strength and flexibility.

Completing my exercise circuit I gently rose to my feet and toweled my head down. I looked at the small hand sized mirror glued to the wall and saw a handsome face stare back at me. Japanese features from my mother with the brown skin of my Aboriginal father, I looked exotic by most people’s standards.

Written on the wall under the mirror were a few simple words once penned by a famous German philosopher.

‘That which does not kill us, makes us stronger”

- Nietzsche

It was the motto I lived by. It was the mantra I whispered to myself so many times that it become an instinct, that under any circumstances I would survive.

After some light stretching to reinforce the flexibility patterns I had developed over the last three years of training I moved on to the second stage of my daily regime and began to read. All of my books were dog-eared and worn, haven been read countless times since my incarceration.

In the world of 3040 no one had much use for ancient philosophy or read printed books anymore. It was all digital and the information was fed directly into a neural link implanted after birth. I was an exception, born with a rare brain abnormality the doctors had almost killed me when they had attempted to implant a neural link. I was possibly the only person on earth who still learned information by physically reading instead of downloaded data packages.

It was a disability that had seen me viewed as trash by my family and abandoned to one foster home and institution after another. Without a neural interface I was a throwback to another time. It make me unable to access information from the neural grid that had replaced the internet. It also meant my body could not ever get the nano implants that every human had. Implants that made people stronger, faster, smarter and immune to a host of illness and disease.

When I was sick with influenza as a child and almost died the Doctors had no way to treat it as the flue virus, while not eliminated, simply lay dormant in everyone else as it was suppressed by the nannites.

I had been forced to pursue other methods to compensate for my lack of unenhanced physical and mental abilities. While my peers simply increased their strength through implants and gravity rooms I studied the ancient physical training techniques of the 21st century. Gymnastics, Olympic lifting, strongman training, kettlebells.

I also studied martials arts as a way of improving my reflexes and perception. Martial arts had long since gone extinct due to the invention of personal protection bio shields which were capable of preventing all but the most dire of physical damage to a citizen.

Even with my lifetime of discipline and training I didn’t kid myself. My physical strength was only around 20% of an enhanced regular human.

I reached out to flip through my two favorite books by ancient writers. These books were the Art of War by the great ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu and the Book of 5 Rings by Miyamoto Mushashi, a legendary ancient Japanese Swordsman.

I worked to cultivate my mind just as hard as I developed my body. This was because despite my high natural IQ, I was still far below the intelligence level of the rest of society that had their memory and cognition enhanced by implants.

I knew I was trash and could never compete. I knew I would never exceed what even a 10 year old enhanced human could achieve, but this never stopped me seeking to exceed my limits. The shame and violence inflicted upon me since birth had forged an iron will.

An iron will that had given birth to a terrible deed. The first murders in over a 100 years, carried out by what society viewed as a weak cripple. In 3040, I was the only human being on the planet incarcerated for murder.

“PRISONER #4958674 BRAIZO NAKAMURA. PLEASE MOVE AWAY FROM THE DOOR” a loud voice suddenly boomed into the room. I looked up in shock. It was the first sound of another human voice I had heard for 3 years.

The sealed door to my cell suddenly slid open and a series of lights indicated a path I was expected to walk.

“PLEASE FOLLOW THE LIGHTS TO YOUR DESTINATION. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN A CORRECTION.”

I didn’t move for a moment. Braizo I thought. I had almost forgotton my own name I had been on my own for so long.

I followed the lights for sometime as the corridor shifted and moved. I was in the most secure lock down facility on planet earth in an area that used to be known as Western Australia. It used to be a rugged and beautiful land before it was turned into a lifeless desert in the first Indonesian – Australian war.

Now the entire western third of the Australian continent housed the worlds most dangerous criminals. Disconnected from the neural grid many went insane and tried to kill themselves. Fortunately for me as I had never been a part of the neural grid I had never had to adapt to that particular torture.

Eventually a large door slide open. Tentatively I slid into the room to see two men seated at a table. One was a tall man with grey hair I had seen only once before when he first arrived. He was the Comptroller of the Prison.

The other was an elegant looking elderly man in an expensive suit. Except he looked to gaunt, to thin compared to my memories.

‘Uncle……” the words burst from my mouth of their own volition. The elderly man smiled gently and gestured for me to sit. I struggled to stay in control of himself as I sat down as emotions raged inside of me, but as I gazed at my uncle’s face I forced a calm and neutral expression on my face. I would try not shame my uncle in front of a stranger.

I saw his Uncle’s eyes approve ever so slightly.

“Mr Nakumura, because you and the other inmates are not connected to the neural grid you will be unaware of some momentous that overtaken our world. “ the Comptroller began.

“Shortly after you were imprisoned the world as we know it changed. An alien being known as a ‘Warden’ piloted an enormous spacecraft the size of a small moon into our solar system. To put it simply, we are not alone, what we think of as the human race exists across millions of galaxies. Though the human form has adapted differently in different environments the general humanoid shape has remained consistent. I will give you a moment to absorb this information as to not exceed your capacity for comprehension.”

I looked impassively at the Comptroller as he stopped speaking, no sign of shock showing on his face though inwardly he was reeling. I will give you a moment to absorb this information. How many times had he heard that line? As if only those with a neural implant could process new information.

“Please continue sir, I have understood. Big ship. Aliens. The Aliens are actually humans. The world changed. I still fail to see why that has brought you to speak with the only murderer in a 100 years sentenced to solitary confinement for life.”

A look of annoyance flashed in the Comptroller’s eyes. I knew Uncle would be disappointed in me for baiting the Comptroller. The fact that I reacted to his words emotionally was a weakness and a weakness could be manipulated and must never be shown in front of an enemy. But I was too tired to maintain all of my former discipline. My life would be lived in a small box for eternity. What need for fear of an enemy?

“Our particular branch of humanity was seeded on earth by the Warden thousand of years ago. “ the Comptroller continued.

“We represent the last offshoot of the Kalaya Bloodline which has since gone extinct in the rest of the universe. The Warden returned to earth to reintroduce the Kalaya bloodline into what is called the Great Game.”

The Comptroller paused for moment and eyed me. I tried to look indifferent but it was clear I was hanging on every word.

“What is the Great Game Game you may ask? We are not sure we really know yet. The best we can understand from the Warden’s description is that it is a virtual reality connected by billions of minds across a multitude of galaxies. What we know it was created some time in the long distant past. Some theorise it was birthed in the big bang as the seed of some kind of universal consciousness and certainly the Great Game is governed and controlled by some kind of ultimate intelligence beyond the grasp of even a Warden. We have come to understand that Warden’s are merely advanced players in the game, not gods.”

“All we know for sure is that the Great Game is the means by which all intergalactic relationships are played out. The Great Game influences everything. In fact the reason we are the last of our bloodline is because the other offshoots fared poorly in the Great Game and were eventually driven into extinction.”

“Wait, I interrupted. So this Great Game is basically one huge online virtual reality game? And if you lose your entire species can get wiped out?” I asked.

The Comptroller nodded his head. “That is correct, though the conditions for this are currently unclear. Our participation in the Great Game is currently limited. Of the 10 billion population of earth, only 2 billion are currently able to enter the game through the Pods provided by the Warden. Participation requires a particular set of DNA markers that are simply not present in all of our population and have proved impossible to bio-engineer. Any human who is scanned and found to have the correct markers is required by law to participate in the Great Game by the Warden.”

I knew what the next words were going to be even before the Comptroller said them.

“I have the markers don’t I?”

“Correct Mr Nakamura. A Pod is being installed in your cell as we speak. You will be required to enter it when you return, failure to comply will not be tolerated. Now I have said what was required of me, I will leave you briefly with your Uncle. When he has finished with you the lights will direct you back to your cell.”

“You know this is a death sentence for me right? I cannot tolerate any technology, particularly any that form neural links.” I said feeling my emotions freeze over.

“That is not my concern.” He said and with that the Comptroller simply got up and left the room, a door opened out of nowhere before sliding closed leaving no sign a door had ever existed.

We sat there in silence for some time before Uncle finally spoke.

“Thank you.” He said softly, his eyes welling with tears. “I never got the chance to tell you after what you did.” I stared in shock at Uncle, in whole time I had known him I had never seen him show any emotion.

I choked back tears as I stared at the table and my mind reeled back to what I had done and what this man meant to me.

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7 years ago

Uncle had fostered me at 10 years old, a techno cripple who had already seen the worse humanity had to offer as I bounced from institution to institution. I was like a wild beast when he took me in. Though we were both Japanese, we were unrelated, my last name had been Hayashi, but Uncle had given me his last name of Nakamura.

He was a powerful businessman with a interest in ancient philosophy. When he saw I could not learn the way the rest of society learned via neural interface he introduced me to books and taught me to read. He instructed me in martial arts, philosophy, training. I knew how to survive, but Uncle taught me how to live.

He had a young daughter who was older than me. I never saw her much, though I knew she had a special place in Uncle’s heart. Then one day when I was twelve she killed herself. She was gone and Uncle was never the same.

He started drinking and fell apart until one night when he was almost completely paralysed by the synth alcohol he had drunk I found out the whole story.

His daughter had been sexually assaulted by Victor Wolf, the young teenage scion of the Wolf family, one the most powerful European corporations on earth. The assault had been covered up and the local authorities paid off. Now his daughter was dead and no path left for Uncle to seek revenge.

From that day I quietly set a plan in motion. I had long realized something since my earliest days, because I had no neural implant and no tech of any kind in my body, I was virtually invisible to the world. Cars, shuttles, security everything was based on scanning for reactions to various forms of tech. Because I had none I was like a ghost. For two years I planned what I was going to do, but in the end it was all too simple. I simply walked into the mansion of Victor’s family and murdered his mother, father, sister and fiancée while he was out partying.

I had found a surprisingly easy way to get around the bio shields. They scanned for tech and reacted to threats. If I had so much as carried a knife it would have saved them. However, in the end I used an ancient martial art technique while they were sleeping, I simply thrust two fingers straight through the eye into the brain instantly killing them before their nano enhancements could regenerate the damage. The bio shields simply did not react to a humans fingers connected to a body that had no tech.

I left Victor alive to torture him so he would feel the same pain that Uncle had. I considered this a form of lingchi, a form of execution used in ancient china which involved the slicing of the convicted criminal's flesh until death ensued. My version of death by a thousand cuts was not of the body – but of the soul.

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The Present

“He has finally come for you Braizo.” Uncle finally said breaking my reverie. “All these years has tried to pay for you to get assassinated in here, but even the Wolf Corporation cannot buy an a murder in the most secure facility on earth run by the United Federal Government. But that has now changed. They requested your DNA get scanned to see if it had the markers for the Great Game. No one can stop you being connected to the Pod now.”

“This is my death.” I said flatly.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Uncle replied. “The Pod is unlike anything I have ever seen. I personally inspected one, I do not even know if it can be called ‘tech’, it almost looks organic. No one knows what they are made of or how they work. It could be your death, or an opportunity,” He finished with a glint in his eye.

“My time is short and I must go, but I must give you one final warning. Should you connect to the Pod and die Victor will win. However, should you connect to the Pod and live, Victor will be waiting for you in the Great Game, he too has the markers and is a player. Moreover, the Wolf Corporation like all major companies on earth are buying the loyalty of humans who can access the Great Game. They are rebuilding their corporate might virtually, making allies of other human species from other planets. Their might can no longer be measured by simple earth terms. Should you survive, that is only the first battle that awaits you my son.”

I forced myself not to think beyond plugging into the Pod. First survive, then deal with what might come. Uncle stood up slowly and walked to the invisible door as it slowly slid open.

“One last thing my boy. The Great Game is enigmatic, it is unknowable. No one knows its limits or its true purpose. As a new player our branch of humanity on Earth is protected for the next 100 years in the Great Game. We can be killed, but we cannot be rendered extinct. After 100 years our protections in the game are removed and the game will truly begin. In this scenario, tell me my boy who will you put in your eyes as your true enemy?”

With that Uncle disappeared and door slid shut. An exist opened and I followed the light back to my cell as I thought through Uncle’s words and my intent became clear.

As I entered my cell a large Pod that was clearly built to accommodate my exact proportions was sitting in the middle of my cell. I took a deep breath and climbed straight in without hesitation while my mind state was strong. The lid of the Pod automatically close over covering me in darkness as I whispered the answer to my Uncle’s question.

“My enemy is the Great Game itself.”

Suddenly millions of tiny sharp spikes penetrated my body shocked my system. I felt something moving inside of me into my brain. No no no no no I babbled as a familiar feeling came over me, deep and primal from when I was born. The abnormality in my brain kicked in rejecting the probe. Despite all my will I screamed into the darkness.

PAIN.

PAIN.

PAIN.

I WILL NOT DIE…….

I WILL NOT DIE……

I WILL NOT FUCKING DIE TO YOU STUPID FUCKING MACHINE!!!!!

A dark abyss opened up before me and i stared into it with my very soul. As i felt my entire being ripped apart. An eternity passed like this, something trying to extinguish my very being while savagely fought for my existence. In the distance, nestled in the shadows i felt something watching me. It was as if its hidden gaze bored into my very soul and consumed me.

Then finally, out of the darkness something was born. First a speck of light then more gathered.

Then slowly my I felt my mind reform. I was not dead! I was alive! I tried to feel but I was still in some kind of in between state.

Then suddenly it was if space was born around me, as if it formed around my very body and I opened my eyes to find myself in city.

biological scan and connection complete.......Outlier parameters confirmed.....Ding!A defect in your genetic make up has been detected and overriden. User should have perished during override but survived

due to their strong willDing!A unique status has been created That which does not kill me, makes me stronger

*All damage and status debuffs that do not kill the user strengthen the user in various ways

*User cannot learn any special skills, obtain a class or utilise any technopathy or implants

*Unable to learn alternate resource abilities such as mana, Qi or artifical power

Ding!Due to abnormality in your brain you have seen something no one was meant to see. In the great darkness the true nature of the Great Game was glimpsed.

He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster, when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.

You have achieved a 100% sync rate with the Great Game. You have become one with the monster.A Unique status has been createdHe who fights monsters*stat increases from actions increased by 100%

*likelyhood of stats increasing from actions increased by 100%

*luck increased

*Genetic Ceiling removed

*User can not exceed level 1

*due to the unique 100% sync rate with the Great Game

if you die in the game it is highly likely you will die in reality

*You have been Marked (1% complete)