[Black Widow's POV]
Finding water rapidly filling her lungs, I swam up as fast as possible, my vision quickly darkening and my strength draining.
The surface of the water was lit by roaring flames and debris from the plane.
When I breached the surface, I gasped for air as bodies and corpses floated up next to me.
Suddenly a bright light flashed over the wreckage, looking up, it was revealed to be a shockingly close lighthouse.
Steeling my nerves, I ignored the floating corpses around me, and the bloodied water, and began swimming towards the lighthouse as the wreckage in flames around me began to sink into the ocean.
Was I really the only one that made it? How?
This shouldn't be possible...the odds...
I focused on the task at hand and soon reached the lighthouse, pulling myself out of the water and onto the rocks.
I gasped for air and lay on the ground as I watched the end of the plane sink deeper and deeper into the ocean.
Grunting, I examined the strange body I found myself in.
The first thing I noticed when I found myself on the plane was my physique. I felt stronger and larger, yet slower and less flexible.
Looking away, I turned around and examined the strange lighthouse I found myself at.
Looking around, I couldn't see any land. If anything, it was as if the Lighthouse was constructed in the middle of nowhere in the ocean, but there were lights, so...there must be someone, right?
The two...surprisingly expensive and fancy-looking doors of the Lighthouse were cracked open, yet whatever was housed inside was shrouded in darkness, and once I stepped foot inside, lights flashed on, blinding me momentarily.
When I could see...I froze as a massive statue of a man was peering down from the ceiling, staring right down at me, with a banner below it that read, 'No Gods nor Kings, only Man.'
Instantly, I could already picture what kind of man would use or make such a quote: an arrogant tyrant.
Below the statue was a bronze plaque that read, 'In what country is there a place for people like me?' - Andrew Ryan.
Whatever this place was...it was clearly a decoy of some kind...the question was, why was it built? What was it hiding?
Knowing there was only one way I would get my answers, I sighed, cursing Fury for assigning me to...explore these worlds. Why couldn't he have just asked Coulson?
Walking around the statue, I found myself walking down a set of stairs and ending up in a large open room with symbols on the walls and a strange metal sphere at the center of the room.
Warily, I walked down more stairs and found that the pod...was...something.
It had a hatch, seats, and some old TV screens.
Was it a submarine?
Sighing, I got in and pulled a lever.
Suddenly, the pod lurched, and the hatch sealed shut.
Suddenly, one of the screens came to life, and one of those old commercials came on, but this one was...strange, to say the least.
On the screen was a woman dressed as if she was in the roaring 20s, the same as the man on the other side of the screen.
The woman had a cigarette in hand, while the man had his finger extended...and flame flickering from it.
'Fire at your fingertips!'
'Incinerate! Plasmids by Ryan Industries!' The screen read.
Suddenly, the screen changed to show a man with a cigar. The screen was black and white, and the audio that suddenly came out of the screen was just as old.
"I am Andrew Ryan, and I am here to ask you a question: Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor. No, says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to God. No, says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose...Rapture!"
As the screen continued to flicker between different propaganda posters, the man became more and more bold until he revealed his choice. Suddenly, there was light, and an entire underwater city was revealed: Rapture.
--
[Harley Quinn's POV]
"Are you the one I've been waiting for?
You might be.
I hope so.
It's been so many Cycles since I have been here.
Do I still even remember Hope?
I wasn't sure you would ever turn up.
The odds just kept getting longer.
I guess I have been using faith while they have been gaining power.
You have to reach me, and everything depends on your survival.
Master this world, make allies with its many creatures, grow in strength and skill, and explore this place like I once did so long ago.
Put the pieces together and find me, survivor. You may be the only one that can..."
As a strange yet beautiful feminine voice whispers in my ears, I suddenly find myself face up on the ground of a beach...with only simple underwear.
Grunting as I got up from the sand, I felt a slight below my left wrist and looked curiously to find a strange metallic object embedded in my arm.
Looking at it long enough caused a screen to appear before my eyes.
An 'Inventory,' crafting menu, stat screen, a 3d image of my body, and current appeal were on the screen.
That was only the first tab. Opening the second revealed something called 'Engrams,' which I found confusing, so I decided to skip to the next tab.
This tab asked me to create something called a 'Clan,' so I did, naming it 'Harley's the Best' before moving on.
Suddenly, I found myself interrupted as something washed ashore next to me, turning revealed it to be a man with brown hair in nothing but underwear.
The man awoke with a start and immediately climbed up out of the sand, ready to fight, only to find himself standing before me, my eyes examining every inch of his...very...fit body, which he clearly noticed, as his eyes darted down realizing he was wearing only some briefs.
"You a newbie to all this?" I asked, curious.
"...Yes...is it supposed to be...so...," I interrupted him, "Realistic?"
Before we could continue our conversation, the ground began to shake and tremble, and running out from the nearby jungle was a strange horned creature with a giant maw, two small horns on top of his head, and two small arms.
[Carnotaurus - Level 48]
"Run!" The man shouted, leaving me behind.
"No fair!" I screamed behind him, chasing after him as the living dinosaur behind us chased us down the beach.
...
Meanwhile, a male player with a username of 'Hiva' was watching the two run from the Carno. Only for a strange cry of a hiss and growl to come from behind him, and the player found himself falling to the ground as something pounced on him from behind and began tearing him apart.
...
Everyone who had joined the public ARK server found themselves facing all sorts of awful situations as they tried venturing off the beach and deeper into the Island.
They ran around as headless chickens and, much to Zeref's amusement, died quite a few times to both the hostile dinosaurs of the Island and the harsh elements.
Though Zeref couldn't wait to see how his customers would react to the two games. How they'd react to Rapture and the ARKs.
What would they do when they realized not everything was as it seemed?
What would they do when they realize the sights they would see were only an illusion, a...cover, and that not everything was as it seemed?
Zeref couldn't wait. For what lies beyond is where there are no Gods nor Kings, only Man.
[Black Widow's POV]
Finding water rapidly filling her lungs, I swam up as fast as possible, my vision quickly darkening and my strength draining.
The surface of the water was lit by roaring flames and debris from the plane.
When I breached the surface, I gasped for air as bodies and corpses floated up next to me.
Suddenly a bright light flashed over the wreckage, looking up, it was revealed to be a shockingly close lighthouse.
Steeling my nerves, I ignored the floating corpses around me, and the bloodied water, and began swimming towards the lighthouse as the wreckage in flames around me began to sink into the ocean.
Was I really the only one that made it? How?
This shouldn't be possible...the odds...
I focused on the task at hand and soon reached the lighthouse, pulling myself out of the water and onto the rocks.
I gasped for air and lay on the ground as I watched the end of the plane sink deeper and deeper into the ocean.
Grunting, I examined the strange body I found myself in.
The first thing I noticed when I found myself on the plane was my physique. I felt stronger and larger, yet slower and less flexible.
Looking away, I turned around and examined the strange lighthouse I found myself at.
Looking around, I couldn't see any land. If anything, it was as if the Lighthouse was constructed in the middle of nowhere in the ocean, but there were lights, so...there must be someone, right?
The two...surprisingly expensive and fancy-looking doors of the Lighthouse were cracked open, yet whatever was housed inside was shrouded in darkness, and once I stepped foot inside, lights flashed on, blinding me momentarily.
When I could see...I froze as a massive statue of a man was peering down from the ceiling, staring right down at me, with a banner below it that read, 'No Gods nor Kings, only Man.'
Instantly, I could already picture what kind of man would use or make such a quote: an arrogant tyrant.
Below the statue was a bronze plaque that read, 'In what country is there a place for people like me?' - Andrew Ryan.
Whatever this place was...it was clearly a decoy of some kind...the question was, why was it built? What was it hiding?
Knowing there was only one way I would get my answers, I sighed, cursing Fury for assigning me to...explore these worlds. Why couldn't he have just asked Coulson?
Walking around the statue, I found myself walking down a set of stairs and ending up in a large open room with symbols on the walls and a strange metal sphere at the center of the room.
Warily, I walked down more stairs and found that the pod...was...something.
It had a hatch, seats, and some old TV screens.
Was it a submarine?
Sighing, I got in and pulled a lever.
Suddenly, the pod lurched, and the hatch sealed shut.
Suddenly, one of the screens came to life, and one of those old commercials came on, but this one was...strange, to say the least.
On the screen was a woman dressed as if she was in the roaring 20s, the same as the man on the other side of the screen.
The woman had a cigarette in hand, while the man had his finger extended...and flame flickering from it.
'Fire at your fingertips!'
'Incinerate! Plasmids by Ryan Industries!' The screen read.
Suddenly, the screen changed to show a man with a cigar. The screen was black and white, and the audio that suddenly came out of the screen was just as old.
"I am Andrew Ryan, and I am here to ask you a question: Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor. No, says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to God. No, says the man in Moscow. It belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose...Rapture!"
As the screen continued to flicker between different propaganda posters, the man became more and more bold until he revealed his choice. Suddenly, there was light, and an entire underwater city was revealed: Rapture.
--
[Harley Quinn's POV]
"Are you the one I've been waiting for?
You might be.
I hope so.
It's been so many Cycles since I have been here.
Do I still even remember Hope?
I wasn't sure you would ever turn up.
The odds just kept getting longer.
I guess I have been using faith while they have been gaining power.
You have to reach me, and everything depends on your survival.
Master this world, make allies with its many creatures, grow in strength and skill, and explore this place like I once did so long ago.
Put the pieces together and find me, survivor. You may be the only one that can..."
As a strange yet beautiful feminine voice whispers in my ears, I suddenly find myself face up on the ground of a beach...with only simple underwear.
Grunting as I got up from the sand, I felt a slight below my left wrist and looked curiously to find a strange metallic object embedded in my arm.
Looking at it long enough caused a screen to appear before my eyes.
An 'Inventory,' crafting menu, stat screen, a 3d image of my body, and current appeal were on the screen.
That was only the first tab. Opening the second revealed something called 'Engrams,' which I found confusing, so I decided to skip to the next tab.
This tab asked me to create something called a 'Clan,' so I did, naming it 'Harley's the Best' before moving on.
Suddenly, I found myself interrupted as something washed ashore next to me, turning revealed it to be a man with brown hair in nothing but underwear.
The man awoke with a start and immediately climbed up out of the sand, ready to fight, only to find himself standing before me, my eyes examining every inch of his...very...fit body, which he clearly noticed, as his eyes darted down realizing he was wearing only some briefs.
"You a newbie to all this?" I asked, curious.
"...Yes...is it supposed to be...so...," I interrupted him, "Realistic?"
Before we could continue our conversation, the ground began to shake and tremble, and running out from the nearby jungle was a strange horned creature with a giant maw, two small horns on top of his head, and two small arms.
[Carnotaurus - Level 48]
"Run!" The man shouted, leaving me behind.
"No fair!" I screamed behind him, chasing after him as the living dinosaur behind us chased us down the beach.
...
Meanwhile, a male player with a username of 'Hiva' was watching the two run from the Carno. Only for a strange cry of a hiss and growl to come from behind him, and the player found himself falling to the ground as something pounced on him from behind and began tearing him apart.
...
Everyone who had joined the public ARK server found themselves facing all sorts of awful situations as they tried venturing off the beach and deeper into the Island.
They ran around as headless chickens and, much to Zeref's amusement, died quite a few times to both the hostile dinosaurs of the Island and the harsh elements.
Though Zeref couldn't wait to see how his customers would react to the two games. How they'd react to Rapture and the ARKs.
What would they do when they realized not everything was as it seemed?
What would they do when they realize the sights they would see were only an illusion, a...cover, and that not everything was as it seemed?
Zeref couldn't wait. For what lies beyond is where there are no Gods nor Kings, only Man.
