Hangovers are the worst.

I shifted the last of the packages off the conveyer table and into the back of the box truck. Stepping out onto the loading dock I closed the overhead door. Damn I hate having employees call in sick at the last minute. Worse yet it was an out of town route so it normally started earlier. By the time I got dressed, drove in, and got the truck loaded I was already a half hour late to get out to Lewisburg and start the route. Heading into the driver’s breakroom to fill up my thermos I said my hellos to the intown drivers just showing up.

“Hey fellas, don’t forget we still got two relief driver positions to fill if you know any reliable people looking for work.”

“What’s the matter boss man too long sitting behind a desk made you too lazy to do a real day’s work?” Sergi asked. Every company has an asshole working for it and Sergi was ours.

“I got other things that have to be done and running a route takes time away from that. So, unless you don’t think getting payroll done or getting new delivery contracts signed up so that you still have a job next month isn’t all that important.” I said as I walked out the door.

Rebecca, my office manager, caught up to me before I got to my truck to have me sign some paperwork. “Don’t mind Sergi you’re looking as fit as I’ve ever seen you, boss. Have you been hitting the gym?” She asked with sly smirk.

“I’m gonna kill Steve for telling everyone. What are the odds that his wife would sign up for the same yoga class? I’m never going to hear the end of that.” The guys were not very culturally adventurous and operated under the impression that men went to the gym and lifted weights. I had my own reasons for going to yoga classes but didn’t want to get into it at work.

“Well, whatever you’re doing it’s working for you.” She said as she walked off with paperwork in hand. Was that a hint of flirtation I heard in her voice.

Turning back to get the truck started, Kyle was having a smoke before he got going. “Saw Deb this Sunday at church, she asked if you were doing alright.” Even after five years it still caused me to tense up.

“Tell her I’m doing good and to not worry so much.” After everything that happened Deb turned to the church for the solace that I wasn’t equipped to provide. I still had feelings for her but love had faded to fondness as time passed. I jumped into the truck to avoid continuing the uncomfortable conversation.

Filling out my mileage log I glanced up. The vacant lot across from the lot provided a clear view of the surrounding suburbs. On the horizon was a curious sight, a wall of vivid electric blue extending as far as my eye could see from the ground to the sky. It seemed to be growing or advancing. It was like tsunami but definitely wasn’t water.

“What the hell…” and then it was upon me. Everything was dissolving; the ground, the truck I was sitting in, the pen in my hand, damn even my hand. It all broke apart into fragments and then ever smaller fragments. Finally, nothing remained except for that blue light. That’s not true all around me were pearlescent orbs of light scintillating in the full spectrum of colors. Suddenly appearing next to the orbs were strange constructs that grabbed them and disappeared. In a moment my own abductor flashed next to me.

As it grabbed ahold of me, I got my fist good look at the invaders. They were composed of thousands of golden gears and cogs orbiting around an hourglass filled with fine magenta sand that alternated flowing up and down. A pair of flawless white angel wings flapped a slow steady beat in time to the sands flowing at is core. They weren’t grabbing as I had thought, they just enveloped me with their wings. That’s when I realized I too was nothing more than one of the pearly orbs and then I was somewhere else.

Floating in a sea of absolute nothingness. All around me were orbs drifting on unseen currents occasionally they would gently collide and the drift apart. Every time I struck another orb, I could catch snippets of thoughts. It was most peculiar because I wasn’t feeling afraid or really anything. I could think and knew that I should be scared or at the very least curious but I felt no emotion whatsoever. Instead I just floated about in clinical detachment observing what I could of the new environment.

Somethings were readily apparent. The orbs varied in size and hue greatly. All of us were round but some had fissures of various width and depth running through them. I couldn’t be sure since I couldn’t see myself directly but it seemed like I was on the larger side of average. From what I could work out from the bits I could pick up from others and my own observations was that all of these orbs were other people, or at least their souls. To say it with a little less religious connotation we were the essence of ourselves stripped of the physical form and all of the biological forces that drove our emotions. We were all reduced to a core with an outer layer that seemed to evaporate away over time. I continued to drift along.

With nothing to mark the passage of time I started to lose the ability to focus and stay alert. I didn’t get physically tired but an exhaustion of the mind crept over me from the lack of stimuli. The only change was when I collided with another soul. The exchanges were so brief due to the fact that as soon as we touched, we rebounded and started drifting in a new direction. When I first touched the others, their thoughts were coherent even if most were in languages I didn’t understand. As time passed and we started to lose ourselves to the pervading boredom the thoughts I picked up were becoming more discordant and fainter. The orbs around me were losing their colorful outer shells. The rainbow of bright hues of most of the others were fading to a bland whiteness. I tried to practice my meditation that I had learned in yoga class. I had difficulties because I had learned to meditate through motion, the purpose of which was to be disconnected but observant. Now that I was perpetually disconnected from physical feeling, I struggled to remain observant.

I didn’t want that to fade away like most of the others, so I focused more and started trying to interpret all of my interactions with the others. In class they had a term for it, advaita. It was the interconnectedness of all life. Overtime I was able to see inviable tendrils connecting all of us together. Later I was even able to manipulate them, by gently tugging on them I could force a collision between a specific orb we would still bounce off when we connected though, like two magnets. With more contact I forced myself to understand the underlying thoughts regardless of language barrier.

I began to realize everyone present in this realm was from the same time as me. Their last memory of Earth was of the blue field of deconstructing force. Where were all of the souls from before that time? Where was my son? Was there another realm for people who had died before the end of the world? I didn’t have any answers for these questions. All I could do was keep observing.

As souls faded more and more, they lost mass and color. I didn’t want to let go of myself so I resisted the urge to let go. Eventually most of the souls floating about were blank slates only one out of what seemed like a million kept any color or size. Each time I contacted another hued sphere I was able to see at a glance that they were using various methods to hold together. Some with meditation similar to mine, others by reliving specific powerful scenes from their lives, and others held on through sheer force of will. Then it all changed at once. The Invaders were back and taking souls away.

Next thing I knew it was my turn and I was somewhere else. A massive chamber of opaque crystals all pointed inwards, like a moon-sized geode. Before me hovered the granddaddy of all the winged invaders. With all the same whirling gears and cogs, but with four fluttering wings and four elephantine legs. In addition, it had two golden mechanical arms moved by pistons and actuators.

All around the big one flittered the smaller winged harvesters as I started to refer to them. Along with other types that were too far away for me to make out clearly. Everyone was moving from the points of the crystals to the center and back again with some kind of purpose. A voice rang through my consciousness with the boldness of a brass trumpet.

“You have been harvested from an unauthorized and unsupervised universe. Since no being has come forward to register a claim after discovery, your universe was deconstructed and all entities gathered were held in escrow until a ruling was given. Your case has been adjugated. We have ruled that you have no claims upon your being and thus no protections, as such you are to be auctioned to compensate the harvesters of said universe. You will serve no longer than five reincarnation cycles before being released from your contract. Do you acknowledge the judgement by this court?”

“I do not understand what is going on.”

“Irrelevant. Answer the question.”

“Do I have any other choice?” I have no idea what is going on right now or even what exactly has happened to me.

“No. You must acknowledge the judgement or be returned to Limbo. Those are your only options.” I had no desire to return to the limited stimuli environment of Limbo, so with no other options presented to me I made my choice.

“Fine then, I acknowledge. What now?” I didn’t have any desires but I remembered what I felt when I had a body and I had an inbuilt need to feel again. Reincarnation didn’t sound that bad.

With my decision made one of the little winged fellows carried me off to the tip of a crystal and again I was somewhere else. Next thing I knew my perspective was spinning wildly around as a strange creature rotated me round and around rapidly as if inspecting my entire surface.

“Excellent size is a 7.2, some level of self-awareness grade is a 3.15, hue is a 4 in the blue spectrum. Major cracking noted but it is 70% filled in. It should fetch an excellent price. Include it with lot 195gXr56Kt of the select group.”

As I finished spinning after his inspection, I got my first good look at it. A talking maggot with robot legs was my first impression. A long pale wormlike body cradled in a metallic throne moving around on attached spider like appendages with a vaguely human like face with an overlarge mouth and no ears or nose. I should feel disgusted right now but still nothing. I tried to communicate with the creature like I had with the judge but no luck.

One of his associates carried me off down a series of corridors to a large room with a shallow circular pit. Reaching over the top of the pit he released me and I floated down like a soap bubble to wait with the other souls gathered there. Where we waited with the occasional new orb being added. It was the longest time I had spent in direct contact with others and we were able to share our thoughts and memories. The most unexpected thing was the others were from planets very different from Earth. The entire time drifting in the other place every soul was human that I had ever encountered. The memories that they shared transcended any form of spoken communication. In fact, most seemed to have different ways of perceiving the world around them.

One of them was a sentient plant unlike any on Earth. Experiencing its life was comforting even though it was on its surface so different than my own. It lived for an age rooted in place feeling the soil its roots buried ever deeper into and the wind that blew through the broad wispy fronds that capped its height. These fronds caught the pollen that drifted from others of its kind. Through the pollen they shared their communication. When it came time to procreate, they released a fertilized seed to drift along the wind to find its own way in the world. Just like humans though they worried for their offspring. I took solace in the calm patience they faced the world with.

Faced with so many varied perspectives of other lifeforms it showed the universal commonalities we all shared. The desires that almost all thinking beings had in common allowed me to more readily understand when I brushed up against the next unknown entity. After a long while I just understood the methods of communication of each in the instant we connected. Life after life passed as the souls around me as the currents jostled me about. Time wasn’t measured in minutes or hours but in the impassion memories, fellow captives passed back and forth amongst ourselves. After countless experiences our prison guards returned.

“Times up for you lot.” One of the wormlike henchmen told us before the floor we were resting on started to morph into a funnel dropping each of us into the darkness of a tunnel system. Luckily not having a body prevented any feeling of nausea as we rolled down miles of tunnels before ending up in some kind of cattle shoot. We were then dispatched through the exit gate one at a time, and finally it was my turn.

All the rolling and jostling had taught me how to move my awareness about so that I could hold my perception stable. So, as I rolled out onto the stage set up before me, I was able to see the full scale and proportion of the auction. All around me were platform set up where souls were being examined and sold. In between the platform there were densely packed crowds of every form imaginable and more than a few that were so impossible that it caused the first pain I’d felt since being stripped of my physical body just looking at them.

“You can all see the specifications do I have a bid for this specimen. Come now, the value is clear this soul has been damaged and repaired. You can see how it is now stronger for it. Come now what will be the opening bid. It is an outstanding example of the growth potential of the current harvest. We have all seen the propagation potential of these ‘humans’”. Come make a bid for this specimen and use him to seed your own domain, the returns are sure to be immense.” One of the mechanical maggot hybrid creatures was hawking me to the crowd, I should be feeling outraged. Instead, I coolly observed the crowd that was forming around the sale. Before long the biding started and seemed to be quickly escalating.

“Ah, our first bid and it is a substantial one. Will any challenge the Freeth Collectives offer? Come, come be bold in your bidding if you wish to carry away this prize.” The Freeth were a strange insectoid race. The closest analog I could come up with to their appearance would be a praying mantis. Was I going to be reincarnated as an insect? Was I going to be a slave or indentured servant? I do wish that I could communicate, so that I could ask some questions.

“Another, and another again. Quickly get your bids in. Let your voice be heard. Ah, ah, ah the high bid stands now with Cogar’Eth Dominion. Any other takers? Going once, going twice. Wait we have a new bid from a faction form the Fayoria Initiative.”

The last group to make a bid were a group of three. All of them were human in general form. The one who made the bid was proportioned just like a human but was only three-foot-tall with almost childlike features. Dressed in an absurdly lavish robe of silk trimmed if fur. He had slicked back hair like an 80’s stockbroker and had the same avaricious gaze. The next companion was wreathed in shadow that clung to his body like a cloak and only left the pallid flesh of the lower half of his face exposed. The final figure came straight out of a history book, clad in polished metal armor from head to foot. I felt a strange familiarity with the man dressed up as an archaic knight.

“Sold to the Fayoria Initiative, come take your prize.” While I was distracted observing the bidders the auction concluded. I guess these were to be my new owners. Hopefully I would get some answers. As the tiny human reached out for me, I drifted over to him shrinking down the entire time until I fell easily into his palm. He placed me into a pouch and I lost all connection to the outside world as it closed.

I don’t know how long I spent alone in the dark, but the next time I came out I was in what was undoubtedly some kind of executive meeting room. A long wooden table sat in the center of an elegant space decorated with real paintings and gold light fixtures illuminating a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The three people who purchased me were having some kind of argument.

“So why were you willing to take out a loan against your shares for this particular soul, Hector? Why not just purchase it yourself? Why come to me for funds?” the little one asked as he tossed me up and down in his hand.

“I’ve invested all of my resources into Fayoria. I don’t want to sell any of my shares, particularly to outside groups, so I came to you and Duvos to broker a trade. My assistance for your alliances in exchange for you to loan me the Yousee’s to purchase this soul. Now toss it here so that I can check to see that it is viable for my purposes.” The smallest companion tossed me across the table to the armored knight apparently named Hector. He held me up to the visor of his helm and examined me closely. Again, I was overcome by a sense of connection with the stranger. He lowered me down to the table to address the other two and I realized that there was another soul orb palmed in the same hand.

“Yes, this one will work perfectly for my needs. I have already tasked my followers with completing the tasks you have each requested. Our business is concluded unless you wish to use your remaining favor now?” Hector told the others.

The one cloaked in shadow, named Duvos said nothing. The little greedy one said, “I do wish to use my favor now. Since you choose not to inform me of why you wished for this particular soul, I have every reason to believe it is personally important to you. I have not forgotten that you originated from the same realm as it. Is it a friend, perhaps? Family member? A former lover? It matters not, for my future favor I wish to have possession of the soul. The request falls within the terms you agreed to and you have no grounds to deny it.”

“Do not do this Heelyam, you make an enemy where one need not exist.” Hector responded.

“Ah, but the soul you seemed to hold so dear will be in my hands. Think wisely before you make your threats, you may be the God or Valorous Combat but I am the God of Trade and Opportunity. You have no chance of getting the better end of this deal. Now give me the soul in your hand.” With that Hector rolled the other soul in his hand across the table while glaring daggers at the self-proclaimed deity.

“A pleasure doing business with you Hector. I’ll be in touch after you’ve had time to cool down, after I have had time to figure out the relationship this soul has with you. Hahaha.” With that Heelyam turned and stepped through a doorway that suddenly appeared and vanished just as he stepped through.

“Do you wish to somehow betray the deal we brokered also, Duvos?” Hector asked the remaining companion.

“On the contrary I applaud your efforts. Tricking Heelyam with a sleight of hand. One would never expect it from the simple warrior as you portray yourself. I am quite happy with the bargain we have struck, watching the halfling get his comeuppance was just a bonus. I will take my leave of you until I’m ready to claim my favor owed.” Duvos faded away into the shadows leaving me alone with Hector.

“Well Quint let’s get you a body, we have a lot to discuss.”

Out of nowhere he pulled a massive block of, what looked like clay, and threw it on the ground in front of him. Hector quickly sculpted the rough shape of a human and thrust my orb into its chest. The clay tightened around my core and soon I could feel the first stirrings of sensations in forever. As air flowed into my new lungs, I collapsed coughing. The first breaths were rough and haggard as my body was finishing its awakening. Eventually the spasms settled down and I stood up, marveling at the casual display of what had to be magic.

“Are you back with us? You have been in Limbo for quite of bit of time, there is going to be a period of adjustment as you get used to being corporeal again. Unfortunately, we do not have much time to waste. My name Is Hectas”

“Wha…why do…What’s wrong…?” The sensations my body was undergoing were conflicting with what my mind was telling me it should be feeling.

“It’s ok, it is just the effects of simulacrum I crafted for you. It takes a bit to get used to before your mind can adapt. We don’t have the time to wait though so just be patient and listen to what I’m telling you. Earth is gone, the solar system, the entire universe is gone. Dissolved down to its base energy and converted to currency. Every living thing had its essence, its soul harvested. From the micro fragments from bacteria up through the proto souls of vegetation all the way up to sentient life’s full souls. All of it has been harvested, repurposed and auctioned off to higher order beings with their own agenda for it. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

“Not really. It’s all gone? What about the auction, you purchased me?” It was all too much. What he was saying. Everything I had ever known was gone and there was no going back. I could feel myself spiraling out of control vacillating between rage, grief, and denial.

“Yes, I purchased your soul. I work with a consortium who runs a universe that I helped to design. The basics are pretty simple souls are the source of all energy in the Multiverse and the only way to make more souls is when two souls given physical form procreate. So, if you want to get more energy you have to manufacture more souls. Are you with me so far?”

“Yes? Why do you need more energy though? What do you do with it?”

“Let’s not get bogged down in the details. These things aren’t that important to your current situation. Your universe was generated and seeded with souls by an unknown entity and left to grow unchecked for an exceedingly long time. Whoever started it abandoned it for some reason and when it was discovered by the Archons, the clockwork celestials, and they eventually got around to removing it. They do not like unsanctioned universes messing with their orderly expansion. Self-aware souls have certain rights under their rules. Unfortunately for you the most common way for a soul to become self-aware is when their mortal form dies, so when your universe was harvested became citizens of the Multiverse. The still living were auctioned off into indentured servitude to pay for the harvesting.

It struck me then like a hammer blow. Everyone who had died still had their soul floating around when we were “harvested”. Billy is out there he’s not gone. “I have to see my son. How can I find him!” I screamed. I could make amends there was still a chance for me to apologize to tell him that I loved him. All of the pain and anguish welled up inside of me as strongly as the weeks after his death.

“You were in Limbo for a long time, your son was able to immediately join into the Multiverse, he is a player in the Fayoria Initiative universe. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time here, although time streams differ my enemies will be able to determine how much time we spend together and I don’t want to draw any more attention to you than I already have. So just listen for right now and we’ll have another chance to catch up later. I was a human like yourself, after our universe was harvested the souls that died before the harvesting were granted immediate citizenship and I entered the Multiverse. I wandered about for a long time until I found a group of individuals with similar interests and we formed our own universe design company. We put together a universe based on all of the old games I had played, but we needed more capital to get it started. We got some outside investors together but ended up having to make some serious concession in the game design. To make a long story short, it’s a conflict about whether to go for short or long term gains. The still living souls in our world when it was harvested owe a debt to the beings who expended the energy to deconstruct and harvest the universe. I brought you in to be a player for my faction. We bought out your debt, because I need someone, I can trust not to betray me or my allies. I need your help Quinten.”

“How do you know I won’t betray you? What is it that you even need from me? What kind of games could you base a world on?” My mind was whirling from the sudden surge of emotions and physical sensations that it had been long denied. I really didn’t understand anything he was saying.

“I knew your son and he recommended you. Understand this, it won’t be a game for you, it will be as real for you as life on Earth was. It will just have a few game-like elements that are added in.”

“What about my son and my wife, where are they?” I was trying to keep my focus in the face of the storm of sensations I was feeling.

“Your ex-wife was also incorporated into the Fayoria Initiative project, but was bought by different faction before I could get to her. As far as your son, he was granted citizenship to the Multiverse as soon as your universe was incorporated, since no one had any claims on souls that had already been freed from their mortal shells. He has since become a major player amongst the factions, work hard for me and I’ll make sure to introduce you to him. I’ve got to hand you over to some of my allies now but I will be in touch.”

“Wait what do you need me to do?” I still didn’t understand what he wanted from me.

“Nothing for right now my Allies will get you set up. So, when you get down there just acclimate yourself and I’ll contact you. Good luck.” He said as he was placing his helmet back on, “One other thing, don’t let anyone know we’re affiliated or it could make it hard on yourself.”