Zora woke up early. Sliding out from her mattress she put her clothes on in a daze. The other 3 girls in the room got up with her. There were 2 bunk beds spaced apart. They each occupied a mattress. Before they had been in 2 different rooms, but with Zora’s family staying with them many had to switch rooms.
Galina nudged Zora out of the way playfully. She was taller with dark hair. They had known one another for years now. Though she flirted with Asher whenever he was there, Zora knew the girl was harmless. Zora put on a white shirt, Galina a black.
Tijana and Jabari were at the other chest of drawers. Zora didn’t know them as well as she did Galina, but they had lived together for months now, they were her best friends. Tijana wore a green shirt that brought out her eyes. Light brown hair, she had a very timid attitude. When you got her to talk she cursed like a sailor.
Jabari wore dark red that went well with her black skin. She was from an African nation. Zora never bothered to ask where exactly, they were usually quiet about their past. Jabari had her hair buzzed off, but her dark skin shined in the light from the window.
They walked outside in silence to do their morning chores. The house was still quiet. Her much younger nephews Tom and Adam would be up soon, but the girls were used to the early work. They split up outside wordlessly. Zora fed chickens while Galina went to the goats. Jabari and Tijana went on to milking the cows.
Her mind slowly waking up she was of course reminded of Asher. Her gut clenched in worry for him. He had only left the planet the night before, but she still worried for him. He and Tiffany were off on some amazing adventure that they would have to fill her in on when they came back. Because of that Zora decided next time she wouldn’t be left behind. Though she feared the Initialization the next day, she was also excited.
Joon had contacted her out of the blue a few weeks ago. While Tiff has been in contact with Joon since Asher met her, Zora had no interest in getting to know the other woman. Though a part of her was upset at the woman, she really held no ill will. She was some faceless person that knew Ash.
Now Joon was one of Zora’s biggest supporters. Always encouraging her to do the Hard Initialization, and hinting at their future relationship. Zora appreciated the confidence the Korean woman showed. Still unsure what the future would bring she felt more confident with all the help she was receiving.
Asher had gifted her the Non-System Storage Necklace, which held a few items. His famous Bloodless that stopped up to 8 bullets. His own White Light Storage Ring that held most everything she would need. And of course her engagement ring that did a powerful attack once a day. Though she hadn’t triggered it yet, she still felt warmth every time she thought about it. The last ring had a white gold band and shiny diamond inset.
Zora smiled happily as she headed to the barn. She soon had a bucket in hand and began milking her own cow. Tom and Adam had finally joined at some point, but didn’t move as quickly as the girls.
“Zora, what should we do?” Adam asked as she moved closer.
“With what?”
“Your boyfriend said we would all be teleported tomorrow night. What will happen to the cows?”
“I told you. He’s my fiancé,” she said.
“That’s not what your dad said,” he mumbled.
Zora’s face flushed, but she ignored the comment. “The animals will stay here.”
Tom piped in. “What will they do then? Stay in the barn? How will they get food?”
Zora hadn’t thought of that. “I guess they will have to survive on their own.” She could tell that didn’t please them. They grew up with the animals, and named most of them. “Don’t worry. We will set them loose before we disappear.”
“Good luck telling your father that,” Galina said from a cow over. Her Uncle had been convinced they would be able to stay during Initialization, despite what Asher and the alien said. With nothing left to say, they got back to work.
Soon they had the milk in the storage tank and were heading back in. Zora’s aunt and mother were cooking breakfast as her dad and uncle talked at the table. Of course they were idly watching the TV. It was always playing the news. They were doing a recap of Asher leaving on the spaceship. Satellites quickly lost track of it at the speed they were going.
Experts were interviewed. Vincent Gordon’s and Ming Khan’s superior officers were interviewed. And for some reason Ashley Tilda was as well. Zora’s blood boiled looking at the girl on the TV.
Zora had worked with her a few times during pornography shoots, and the girl had met Asher. Almost as soon as Asher had been identified by the elf Ashley had been interviewed. She claimed to have done many shoots with him, though no one could find proof of the claim. The news had latched onto her as the character witness of Asher.
“Sickening,” her father said as Ashley was brought on again. She knew who he was talking about, her future husband, but she let it slide.
Helping set the table it was soon filled with plates and food. A few words were said between them but the television was the loudest sound in the room. “Uncle, we were thinking about the livestock. We should probably let them loose before tomorrow night,” she said.
The much larger man grunted, “I’ll think about it.”
They had argued about Initialization constantly. He had been in the country for years and had worked hard to get where he was. Yet he still would not believe the news that they would be leaving. Whether they wanted to or not. The news had explained what they were told would happen. The Earth would expand, causing earthquakes and tsunamis. Mana would be forcefully injected causing unpredictable mutations in current Earth animals.
Then of course they had interviewed people on the other side of the fence. Scientists explaining the impossibility of every single person being teleported. That they couldn’t prove mana existed. Or that what anyone claimed would happen was going to happen.
Of course Asher and his guild, and many others since, had put out video after video showing monsters and powers of those with Systems. These were never referenced and mostly ignored by the media completely.
“Oh I wholeheartedly agree. He is very violent. During one of his shoots he kicked someone and they were thrown about 10 feet,” Ashley said on the news. Zora grew angry. Standing up she walked to the TV and turned it off. Yes, that had happened during one of their movies, but it had been choreographed. Asher may have kicked him harder than he was supposed to, but the guy had agreed to the hit and walked away fine.
“I was watching that,” her father said.
“She talks garbage,” Tiff said, still in a huff. “We all need to be prepared for tomorrow.”
“I’m already prepared,” her uncle said. “I’m not going.”
“We don’t have a choice!” She yelled.
“Oh!” Her mother yelled. “Keep it down at the table.”
Zora tried to calm herself, but it was becoming increasingly harder. “That man is telling you lies,” her father mumbled.
Zora’s voice turned icy. “My husband does not lie.”
“Ha! Husband now?” Her father barked. “What of this other girl the news talks of? Tiffany is her name. She goes with him off planet, why didn’t he take you?”
She stood up. The others sat around awkwardly. “Do you pretend to listen to me when I speak?” She had felt such rage very rarely, but after speaking for hours on the issue they still would not understand. “Do you know anything about your daughter?” She had flipped to Slovenian at some point.
“Do you really believe I ran away as soon as I got to this country? Surely mother told you the truth?” Her father and mother shared a look. “I was sold into slavery as soon as I landed. Raped, isolated, and taken advantage of for years. And that man did more for me within a week of knowing me than you lot ever did,” she spat. “He literally ran straight at a man firing a gun at him to save me. He took bullets for me. And what have you done?” Her father’s face became redder. Her mother, aunt, and uncle looked somewhere else.
“Even back at home you ignored me. I told you what the officer tried to do to me. And your solution was to ship me off on your brother,” she accused her father.
“It was an opportunity. Our life was good there,” he tried to justify.
“My life was shit there. No one leaves a place they are happy in,” she retorted. “I came here, and somehow my life became much worse. Until I met Asher. And every day since has been better than the last.”
Her fathers face was beet red by this point. Zora wasn’t sure how her videos had not been leaked, but everyone here knew what happened to her, they simply ignored it. She stayed in a room with 3 other girls that had gone through the same thing, and somehow it was comforting to know she wasn’t the only one that woke up yelling in the middle of the night.
“You’re a whore,” her father spat.
White light appeared in Zora’s hand. She pointed the handgun at him. They hadn’t seen her use her Storage Necklace before. Many of them were shocked as she leveled it at his head. “Call me that again, and I will kill you.”
He slowly sat down, but did not say anything. She put the gun away. Looking around to the faces at the table Zora finally admitted it was pointless. “I will be going through the Hard Initialization with or without you,” she announced in English. “Until then I am done talking to walls.”
With that she kicked her chair back and walked out the door. A single tear fell from her eyes. She was sad that they would not listen. She had tried so hard to make them understand what she had been through, but at some point it was better to give up. Zora now knew she was wasting her time.
“Are we ready to go then?” Galina asked from behind.
Zora wiped another tear away as she turned. Her 3 friends were behind her. “Go where?” She asked.
“Your husband’s Guild? You said they have most everything we need,” Jabari said. “These people aren’t listening, but we have been.” Beside each of them was their packed luggage.
Slowly it dawned on Zora that they were right. She had some things stored, but they really needed more if all 4 of them were going to make it. Her family wouldn’t listen to her, but the family she made in America would.
A white light appeared in her hand. They were keys to the rental car she had for the family. “You’re right,” Zora said as a smile crept up her face. “But first we should set the animals free.” The 4 girls loaded up the car then split up to open some doors.
—-
“Shut up you old bastard,” Daphne said for the 10th time during the drive.
“You young bitch,” her father said back for the 11th time. He was laying down in the back seat. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Oh I’ll tell you what to do,” she spat. “Now shut up, we are almost there.” They had been driving all morning to get to Thousand Oaks, and now that she was finally there they were finally at the easy part of the journey. Vegas had been a den of sin before Asher and his alien friend, but now it was 100 times worse.
Theft, public intoxication, rape, murder, and most everything was in the streets as police stopped answering calls. It had taken Daphne days to get the nerve to steal a car. Leaving at the crack of dawn she was almost carjacked twice since they left. Each time she had simply floored it. They were lucky to get away.
“Where are we going?” Her father asked again.
“My friends place,” she reminded him again. The neighborhood they were in was familiar. At some point her phone lost signal, and she was going off memory now.
“Which one? That old friend of yours already left the planet,” he said. Though he was old and confused most of the time, there were moments of clarity. Clarity that pissed Daphne off. “Now that’s someone you should have stayed close with,” he said.
Daphne wasn’t going to tell him again. They were on their way to Thousand Oaks because Ria had asked her to come. Yes, she had bitched and moaned that Daphne slept with her kid, more than once, but at the end of the day Ria forgave her.
“There,” she said to herself as she saw it down the street. Speeding up she didn’t bother to find a spot. Driving up onto the curb she threw it in park in front of the coffee shop. Her dad cursed up a storm as she did. There were many reasons Daphne didn’t have a license, a big one was she really wasn’t all that good at driving. Most insurance places wouldn’t cover her with her history of accidents.
“Anita,” she yelled, pounding on the door. There was a sheet on the door and front window so she couldn’t see in. No answer, she kept pounding and yelling until the door was unlocked.
“Dammit Daph,” Anita yelled, pulling her in. “You were supposed to be here yesterday, I almost left without you.”
“Sorry. Had to steal a car,” she admitted.
“Steal?!”
“I told you I don’t have one. And rental places didn’t answer my call,” she admitted, only a little ashamed. “Vegas is a madhouse. We barely made it out.”
Anita brought her in for a hug. She was a little taller, blonde hair, tan skin, and an amazing rack. She was a 9/10 in Daphne’s book, and once of her closest friends. Anita had been married once years ago, but it didn’t last. Since then the tall blonde had been happy running her coffee shop.
“I’m glad you made it,” Anita said leaning into the hug.
“Me too,” she admitted. She had fretted over her decision, but now she was glad to be with a friend. “When are we going?”
Anita let the hug linger more. Then pulled away saying, “Now. But I’m driving.”
Soon they had all of her stuff moved to Anita’s big SUV, including her dad. He bitched and moaned, but shut up when Anita gave him a coffee. He didn’t recognize her of course, he slipped in and out of lucidity.
“Any idea where this place is?” Daphne asked. “My gps isn’t working.”
“Yeah, it’s on the other side of town,” Anita said. Driving through the streets she dodged broken down cars, and others that were on fire. Her SUV had to go in the ditch or someone’s grass a few times, but they eventually made it.
The building wasn’t overly large. A white sheet metal exterior that made it blend in with other buildings around it. With new concrete, and cameras mounted most everywhere, she guessed they were at the right place. There was a chain link fence around the perimeter, but at least there wasn’t barbed wire on top.
Anita walked to the front door as Daphne helped her father walk to the front door. “Hello?” Anita said, pushing an intercom button.
“Hello,” a voice said from a speaker overhead. “How can I help you?”
“A friend of mine told me to come here,” Anita said.
“Who exactly?” The voice asked.
“Alexandria Whitmore,” she admitted.
With the name there was a short pause, but then the voice announced, “one moment. Someone is coming to the door.”
“What are we doing here?” Her dad asked again.
“We are waiting here until the Initialization tomorrow,” Daphne said with a sigh.
“The what?” Her dad asked again. But she didn’t answer as the door was opened.
“Sorry about that,” a younger girl said. She was in her early 20s, light skin and curly dark hair. “You must be Anita and Daphne,” she said.
Soon they were inside dragging in their luggage and Daphne’s father. The interior of the building was much brighter. An office room was full of people talking. Stairs that led up to another level were littered with people going up or coming down. They were quickly brought to a spacious cafeteria where even more people congregated and talked.
“We weren’t sure if you were going to make it,” the curly haired girl admitted. “Sorry, I’m Amanda. Ria asked us to keep an eye out for you, the Guild Master has the items they left. He should be here soon.”
Daphne really didn’t know what to think. Ria had told her to come since all of these people knew what was going on, but she didn’t think there would be so many.
“Do all of these people have…” Anita tried to ask.
“Systems? No,” Amanda said. “I do, but most of these people are families or friends of those with Systems. We are trying to work together to make sure no one is caught off guard. Have you been watching the videos?”
“I have,” Anita said.
“I watched a few,” Daphne admitted. She was a little confused by everything, and her father took a lot of her time anyway.
“Well, we have a few terminals you can watch them from,” she said. “We have released all of them, it seems like the internet is going down in a lot of places, but I recommend watching all of them. I can help you make sense of stuff if you are having trouble.”
“I’m sure you have so much to do, you don’t need to bother with us,” Anita said. Daphne wanted to slap Anita, she had a lot of questions.
“Honestly, we don’t have too much going on. We stopped doing supply runs a couple of days ago. Everyone is on edge. But if I’m not free most people won’t mind helping. We have beds for you of course if you want to rest. Or a Training Hall if you want to get the feel for a weapon before you go.” Amanda had been scanning the cafeteria while she spoke a mile a minute. “There he is. Wayne!” She waved at an older man across the room.
He was tall, his hair was mostly gray with a few dark patches. A little older than the ladies he locked eyes with Amanda and headed over. “Dibs,” Anita whispered beside her.
Daphne turned to see her old friend was already smitten with the guy. Her cheeks flushed like a school girl as she watched the Guild Master approach. “All yours,” Daphne said with a smile. Anita always had a thing for older guys.
“Wayne, these are Ria’s friends,” Amanda said happily. “Anita and Daphne.”
“Good to finally meet you,” he said. His expression didn’t change but he did give Anita a slight smile. They locked eyes for a split second causing Anita to smile broadly. Her chest happened to stick out more as well.
Amanda didn’t appear to notice as she cut in. “This is the Guild Master, Wayne Tyler. You have their rings right?”
Wayne caught himself, and from his hand a light appeared. 2 rings materialized. Daphne had seen them do that a couple of times on videos, but the news had said it was CGI. It was very different to see it in person.
He handed Daphne one. It was a gold band ring. “These hold 100 cubic feet of whatever you need. Asher already loaded them with some food.” He held the other ring in his hand and at his feet a pile of food and water materialized. Also a slim sword and a dagger. “When you have your System just think of taking any of these out of the ring, and it will appear. You can store anything as long as the 100 cubic feet isn’t full.” The food and weapons disappeared. He handed the ring to Anita but she didn’t take it.
Extending her fingers she asked, “do you mind?” He hesitated a second but then slid it on her ring finger. She beamed another smile.
“Keep it in your pants,” Daphne whispered.
Anita swung her arm smacking her in the back of the head but used it to extend out to Wayne. “Thank you very much,” she said.
“Of course,” he mumbled. “But it was all Asher’s stuff. He asked me to make sure you were both taken care of.”
“Wayne!” Someone yelled from across the room.
“Sorry, I have to go,” he said as he reluctantly let go of Anita’s hand. Then he was moving on to somewhere else.
“I didn’t see a ring on his finger,” Anita said.
“What are you talking about, he had like 3,” Daphne said.
“You know what I mean. He’s not married right?” She asked Amanda.
The young girl was slowly catching up to the conversation. “No, he’s divorced.”
“I’m gonna go…wherever he went,” Anita said in a daze. Leaving her luggage she walked in the direction Wayne had left.
Daphne cursed. “Thanks for the help!” She yelled, but Anita was in her own little world. “Do you have somewhere I can set this stuff, and maybe a TV for my dad to watch?” She asked.
Amanda led her to a room. The Whitmore’s had been staying there before, but it was the only room not taken. Daphne dropped her dad off with a group of other older people that sat in front of a TV in one of the offices. He grumbled but they were soon watching an older movie.
“Show me to one of those terminals please,” Daphne said. Amanda was more than happy to. There were a few PCs in the cafeteria. Amanda asked her to watch all of them and come see her with questions. Then Amanda was off as someone called for her on the intercom.
Putting headphones on she turned on the first one called ‘Awakening your System’. It had a few people confessing how they awakened theirs. Most were simple, like they were playing a video game, or watching a movie. Then others went into what they were going through at the time. Like a guy named Arnold had been hunting a bear when his gun jammed. His System awoke to grant him a Predator blade that he used to kill the bear that was going to kill him.
Daphne really wanted to hear Ria’s confession, but she wasn’t on the video. It surprised Daphne immensely to be watching the news a week ago and see her young lover, Asher, on the news. She had tried to call him, but his phone was disconnected. When Ria had called, Daphne was sure she lost a friend. Ria did yell, of course she would, but she was more concerned that Daphne was safe, and offered help.
Daphne really didn’t deserve her, and was looking forward to seeing Ria again. She was caught off guard again when her old friend left the planet with her husband and son. The news had tried to guess what her System was, they speculated a porn one like Asher’s. Daphne knew then that the media wasn’t worth watching, and had stolen a car last night because of it. Alexandria was the greatest person Daphne had ever met, and if she said to come to the guild, then Daphne would do it.
She caught a glimpse of Anita with a coffee in hand rushing off to the other side of the cafeteria. The blonde handed the cup to the Guild Master. He took a sip and complimented it. Anita blushed. Daphne rolled her eyes.
Taking off the headphones she whispered, “going through the fucking apocalypse and she finds love. Where's my young and dumb stud?” That’s when he caught her eye. He was tall, as muscular as Asher, and very young. Just her type. His shirt bulged under the strain with each of his movements.
Daphne didn’t hesitate, getting up she made her way to intercept him. “I’m sorry. I’m new here,” she said, stopping him. “Amanda said I could ask people for help. Would you mind?” She leaned forward a little to reveal more cleavage and put on her most innocent smile.
The young man stopped but put on a big smile. “Of course, I’m Evan, how can I help you?”
“I’m Daphne, I was-“ she stopped as a much smaller girl latched onto Evan. She was blonde, very young, and very very pregnant. Her bulge of a belly stretched her own shirt to the maximum.
“I’m his fiancé, Ellie,” the small girl said. Then practically dragged him away.
“Dodged a bullet there,” Daphne muttered. She liked younger guys, yes, but above all she hated drama. Asher had too much drama going around him for her taste. A new guy caught her eye. He wore a sleeveless shirt, and again his muscles bulged with each movement. Daphne had no shame, she had done much shadier things to get what she wanted. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. He turned to look at her. His eyes focused on her bust, but he blushed as he looked up to her face. “I just finished a video you were in. Are you Arnold?” She asked innocently. He nodded. “You mind answering some questions?” She asked. Already very happy she had made the trip there.
Zora woke up early. Sliding out from her mattress she put her clothes on in a daze. The other 3 girls in the room got up with her. There were 2 bunk beds spaced apart. They each occupied a mattress. Before they had been in 2 different rooms, but with Zora’s family staying with them many had to switch rooms.
Galina nudged Zora out of the way playfully. She was taller with dark hair. They had known one another for years now. Though she flirted with Asher whenever he was there, Zora knew the girl was harmless. Zora put on a white shirt, Galina a black.
Tijana and Jabari were at the other chest of drawers. Zora didn’t know them as well as she did Galina, but they had lived together for months now, they were her best friends. Tijana wore a green shirt that brought out her eyes. Light brown hair, she had a very timid attitude. When you got her to talk she cursed like a sailor.
Jabari wore dark red that went well with her black skin. She was from an African nation. Zora never bothered to ask where exactly, they were usually quiet about their past. Jabari had her hair buzzed off, but her dark skin shined in the light from the window.
They walked outside in silence to do their morning chores. The house was still quiet. Her much younger nephews Tom and Adam would be up soon, but the girls were used to the early work. They split up outside wordlessly. Zora fed chickens while Galina went to the goats. Jabari and Tijana went on to milking the cows.
Her mind slowly waking up she was of course reminded of Asher. Her gut clenched in worry for him. He had only left the planet the night before, but she still worried for him. He and Tiffany were off on some amazing adventure that they would have to fill her in on when they came back. Because of that Zora decided next time she wouldn’t be left behind. Though she feared the Initialization the next day, she was also excited.
Joon had contacted her out of the blue a few weeks ago. While Tiff has been in contact with Joon since Asher met her, Zora had no interest in getting to know the other woman. Though a part of her was upset at the woman, she really held no ill will. She was some faceless person that knew Ash.
Now Joon was one of Zora’s biggest supporters. Always encouraging her to do the Hard Initialization, and hinting at their future relationship. Zora appreciated the confidence the Korean woman showed. Still unsure what the future would bring she felt more confident with all the help she was receiving.
Asher had gifted her the Non-System Storage Necklace, which held a few items. His famous Bloodless that stopped up to 8 bullets. His own White Light Storage Ring that held most everything she would need. And of course her engagement ring that did a powerful attack once a day. Though she hadn’t triggered it yet, she still felt warmth every time she thought about it. The last ring had a white gold band and shiny diamond inset.
Zora smiled happily as she headed to the barn. She soon had a bucket in hand and began milking her own cow. Tom and Adam had finally joined at some point, but didn’t move as quickly as the girls.
“Zora, what should we do?” Adam asked as she moved closer.
“With what?”
“Your boyfriend said we would all be teleported tomorrow night. What will happen to the cows?”
“I told you. He’s my fiancé,” she said.
“That’s not what your dad said,” he mumbled.
Zora’s face flushed, but she ignored the comment. “The animals will stay here.”
Tom piped in. “What will they do then? Stay in the barn? How will they get food?”
Zora hadn’t thought of that. “I guess they will have to survive on their own.” She could tell that didn’t please them. They grew up with the animals, and named most of them. “Don’t worry. We will set them loose before we disappear.”
“Good luck telling your father that,” Galina said from a cow over. Her Uncle had been convinced they would be able to stay during Initialization, despite what Asher and the alien said. With nothing left to say, they got back to work.
Soon they had the milk in the storage tank and were heading back in. Zora’s aunt and mother were cooking breakfast as her dad and uncle talked at the table. Of course they were idly watching the TV. It was always playing the news. They were doing a recap of Asher leaving on the spaceship. Satellites quickly lost track of it at the speed they were going.
Experts were interviewed. Vincent Gordon’s and Ming Khan’s superior officers were interviewed. And for some reason Ashley Tilda was as well. Zora’s blood boiled looking at the girl on the TV.
Zora had worked with her a few times during pornography shoots, and the girl had met Asher. Almost as soon as Asher had been identified by the elf Ashley had been interviewed. She claimed to have done many shoots with him, though no one could find proof of the claim. The news had latched onto her as the character witness of Asher.
“Sickening,” her father said as Ashley was brought on again. She knew who he was talking about, her future husband, but she let it slide.
Helping set the table it was soon filled with plates and food. A few words were said between them but the television was the loudest sound in the room. “Uncle, we were thinking about the livestock. We should probably let them loose before tomorrow night,” she said.
The much larger man grunted, “I’ll think about it.”
They had argued about Initialization constantly. He had been in the country for years and had worked hard to get where he was. Yet he still would not believe the news that they would be leaving. Whether they wanted to or not. The news had explained what they were told would happen. The Earth would expand, causing earthquakes and tsunamis. Mana would be forcefully injected causing unpredictable mutations in current Earth animals.
Then of course they had interviewed people on the other side of the fence. Scientists explaining the impossibility of every single person being teleported. That they couldn’t prove mana existed. Or that what anyone claimed would happen was going to happen.
Of course Asher and his guild, and many others since, had put out video after video showing monsters and powers of those with Systems. These were never referenced and mostly ignored by the media completely.
“Oh I wholeheartedly agree. He is very violent. During one of his shoots he kicked someone and they were thrown about 10 feet,” Ashley said on the news. Zora grew angry. Standing up she walked to the TV and turned it off. Yes, that had happened during one of their movies, but it had been choreographed. Asher may have kicked him harder than he was supposed to, but the guy had agreed to the hit and walked away fine.
“I was watching that,” her father said.
“She talks garbage,” Tiff said, still in a huff. “We all need to be prepared for tomorrow.”
“I’m already prepared,” her uncle said. “I’m not going.”
“We don’t have a choice!” She yelled.
“Oh!” Her mother yelled. “Keep it down at the table.”
Zora tried to calm herself, but it was becoming increasingly harder. “That man is telling you lies,” her father mumbled.
Zora’s voice turned icy. “My husband does not lie.”
“Ha! Husband now?” Her father barked. “What of this other girl the news talks of? Tiffany is her name. She goes with him off planet, why didn’t he take you?”
She stood up. The others sat around awkwardly. “Do you pretend to listen to me when I speak?” She had felt such rage very rarely, but after speaking for hours on the issue they still would not understand. “Do you know anything about your daughter?” She had flipped to Slovenian at some point.
“Do you really believe I ran away as soon as I got to this country? Surely mother told you the truth?” Her father and mother shared a look. “I was sold into slavery as soon as I landed. Raped, isolated, and taken advantage of for years. And that man did more for me within a week of knowing me than you lot ever did,” she spat. “He literally ran straight at a man firing a gun at him to save me. He took bullets for me. And what have you done?” Her father’s face became redder. Her mother, aunt, and uncle looked somewhere else.
“Even back at home you ignored me. I told you what the officer tried to do to me. And your solution was to ship me off on your brother,” she accused her father.
“It was an opportunity. Our life was good there,” he tried to justify.
“My life was shit there. No one leaves a place they are happy in,” she retorted. “I came here, and somehow my life became much worse. Until I met Asher. And every day since has been better than the last.”
Her fathers face was beet red by this point. Zora wasn’t sure how her videos had not been leaked, but everyone here knew what happened to her, they simply ignored it. She stayed in a room with 3 other girls that had gone through the same thing, and somehow it was comforting to know she wasn’t the only one that woke up yelling in the middle of the night.
“You’re a whore,” her father spat.
White light appeared in Zora’s hand. She pointed the handgun at him. They hadn’t seen her use her Storage Necklace before. Many of them were shocked as she leveled it at his head. “Call me that again, and I will kill you.”
He slowly sat down, but did not say anything. She put the gun away. Looking around to the faces at the table Zora finally admitted it was pointless. “I will be going through the Hard Initialization with or without you,” she announced in English. “Until then I am done talking to walls.”
With that she kicked her chair back and walked out the door. A single tear fell from her eyes. She was sad that they would not listen. She had tried so hard to make them understand what she had been through, but at some point it was better to give up. Zora now knew she was wasting her time.
“Are we ready to go then?” Galina asked from behind.
Zora wiped another tear away as she turned. Her 3 friends were behind her. “Go where?” She asked.
“Your husband’s Guild? You said they have most everything we need,” Jabari said. “These people aren’t listening, but we have been.” Beside each of them was their packed luggage.
Slowly it dawned on Zora that they were right. She had some things stored, but they really needed more if all 4 of them were going to make it. Her family wouldn’t listen to her, but the family she made in America would.
A white light appeared in her hand. They were keys to the rental car she had for the family. “You’re right,” Zora said as a smile crept up her face. “But first we should set the animals free.” The 4 girls loaded up the car then split up to open some doors.
—-
“Shut up you old bastard,” Daphne said for the 10th time during the drive.
“You young bitch,” her father said back for the 11th time. He was laying down in the back seat. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Oh I’ll tell you what to do,” she spat. “Now shut up, we are almost there.” They had been driving all morning to get to Thousand Oaks, and now that she was finally there they were finally at the easy part of the journey. Vegas had been a den of sin before Asher and his alien friend, but now it was 100 times worse.
Theft, public intoxication, rape, murder, and most everything was in the streets as police stopped answering calls. It had taken Daphne days to get the nerve to steal a car. Leaving at the crack of dawn she was almost carjacked twice since they left. Each time she had simply floored it. They were lucky to get away.
“Where are we going?” Her father asked again.
“My friends place,” she reminded him again. The neighborhood they were in was familiar. At some point her phone lost signal, and she was going off memory now.
“Which one? That old friend of yours already left the planet,” he said. Though he was old and confused most of the time, there were moments of clarity. Clarity that pissed Daphne off. “Now that’s someone you should have stayed close with,” he said.
Daphne wasn’t going to tell him again. They were on their way to Thousand Oaks because Ria had asked her to come. Yes, she had bitched and moaned that Daphne slept with her kid, more than once, but at the end of the day Ria forgave her.
“There,” she said to herself as she saw it down the street. Speeding up she didn’t bother to find a spot. Driving up onto the curb she threw it in park in front of the coffee shop. Her dad cursed up a storm as she did. There were many reasons Daphne didn’t have a license, a big one was she really wasn’t all that good at driving. Most insurance places wouldn’t cover her with her history of accidents.
“Anita,” she yelled, pounding on the door. There was a sheet on the door and front window so she couldn’t see in. No answer, she kept pounding and yelling until the door was unlocked.
“Dammit Daph,” Anita yelled, pulling her in. “You were supposed to be here yesterday, I almost left without you.”
“Sorry. Had to steal a car,” she admitted.
“Steal?!”
“I told you I don’t have one. And rental places didn’t answer my call,” she admitted, only a little ashamed. “Vegas is a madhouse. We barely made it out.”
Anita brought her in for a hug. She was a little taller, blonde hair, tan skin, and an amazing rack. She was a 9/10 in Daphne’s book, and once of her closest friends. Anita had been married once years ago, but it didn’t last. Since then the tall blonde had been happy running her coffee shop.
“I’m glad you made it,” Anita said leaning into the hug.
“Me too,” she admitted. She had fretted over her decision, but now she was glad to be with a friend. “When are we going?”
Anita let the hug linger more. Then pulled away saying, “Now. But I’m driving.”
Soon they had all of her stuff moved to Anita’s big SUV, including her dad. He bitched and moaned, but shut up when Anita gave him a coffee. He didn’t recognize her of course, he slipped in and out of lucidity.
“Any idea where this place is?” Daphne asked. “My gps isn’t working.”
“Yeah, it’s on the other side of town,” Anita said. Driving through the streets she dodged broken down cars, and others that were on fire. Her SUV had to go in the ditch or someone’s grass a few times, but they eventually made it.
The building wasn’t overly large. A white sheet metal exterior that made it blend in with other buildings around it. With new concrete, and cameras mounted most everywhere, she guessed they were at the right place. There was a chain link fence around the perimeter, but at least there wasn’t barbed wire on top.
Anita walked to the front door as Daphne helped her father walk to the front door. “Hello?” Anita said, pushing an intercom button.
“Hello,” a voice said from a speaker overhead. “How can I help you?”
“A friend of mine told me to come here,” Anita said.
“Who exactly?” The voice asked.
“Alexandria Whitmore,” she admitted.
With the name there was a short pause, but then the voice announced, “one moment. Someone is coming to the door.”
“What are we doing here?” Her dad asked again.
“We are waiting here until the Initialization tomorrow,” Daphne said with a sigh.
“The what?” Her dad asked again. But she didn’t answer as the door was opened.
“Sorry about that,” a younger girl said. She was in her early 20s, light skin and curly dark hair. “You must be Anita and Daphne,” she said.
Soon they were inside dragging in their luggage and Daphne’s father. The interior of the building was much brighter. An office room was full of people talking. Stairs that led up to another level were littered with people going up or coming down. They were quickly brought to a spacious cafeteria where even more people congregated and talked.
“We weren’t sure if you were going to make it,” the curly haired girl admitted. “Sorry, I’m Amanda. Ria asked us to keep an eye out for you, the Guild Master has the items they left. He should be here soon.”
Daphne really didn’t know what to think. Ria had told her to come since all of these people knew what was going on, but she didn’t think there would be so many.
“Do all of these people have…” Anita tried to ask.
“Systems? No,” Amanda said. “I do, but most of these people are families or friends of those with Systems. We are trying to work together to make sure no one is caught off guard. Have you been watching the videos?”
“I have,” Anita said.
“I watched a few,” Daphne admitted. She was a little confused by everything, and her father took a lot of her time anyway.
“Well, we have a few terminals you can watch them from,” she said. “We have released all of them, it seems like the internet is going down in a lot of places, but I recommend watching all of them. I can help you make sense of stuff if you are having trouble.”
“I’m sure you have so much to do, you don’t need to bother with us,” Anita said. Daphne wanted to slap Anita, she had a lot of questions.
“Honestly, we don’t have too much going on. We stopped doing supply runs a couple of days ago. Everyone is on edge. But if I’m not free most people won’t mind helping. We have beds for you of course if you want to rest. Or a Training Hall if you want to get the feel for a weapon before you go.” Amanda had been scanning the cafeteria while she spoke a mile a minute. “There he is. Wayne!” She waved at an older man across the room.
He was tall, his hair was mostly gray with a few dark patches. A little older than the ladies he locked eyes with Amanda and headed over. “Dibs,” Anita whispered beside her.
Daphne turned to see her old friend was already smitten with the guy. Her cheeks flushed like a school girl as she watched the Guild Master approach. “All yours,” Daphne said with a smile. Anita always had a thing for older guys.
“Wayne, these are Ria’s friends,” Amanda said happily. “Anita and Daphne.”
“Good to finally meet you,” he said. His expression didn’t change but he did give Anita a slight smile. They locked eyes for a split second causing Anita to smile broadly. Her chest happened to stick out more as well.
Amanda didn’t appear to notice as she cut in. “This is the Guild Master, Wayne Tyler. You have their rings right?”
Wayne caught himself, and from his hand a light appeared. 2 rings materialized. Daphne had seen them do that a couple of times on videos, but the news had said it was CGI. It was very different to see it in person.
He handed Daphne one. It was a gold band ring. “These hold 100 cubic feet of whatever you need. Asher already loaded them with some food.” He held the other ring in his hand and at his feet a pile of food and water materialized. Also a slim sword and a dagger. “When you have your System just think of taking any of these out of the ring, and it will appear. You can store anything as long as the 100 cubic feet isn’t full.” The food and weapons disappeared. He handed the ring to Anita but she didn’t take it.
Extending her fingers she asked, “do you mind?” He hesitated a second but then slid it on her ring finger. She beamed another smile.
“Keep it in your pants,” Daphne whispered.
Anita swung her arm smacking her in the back of the head but used it to extend out to Wayne. “Thank you very much,” she said.
“Of course,” he mumbled. “But it was all Asher’s stuff. He asked me to make sure you were both taken care of.”
“Wayne!” Someone yelled from across the room.
“Sorry, I have to go,” he said as he reluctantly let go of Anita’s hand. Then he was moving on to somewhere else.
“I didn’t see a ring on his finger,” Anita said.
“What are you talking about, he had like 3,” Daphne said.
“You know what I mean. He’s not married right?” She asked Amanda.
The young girl was slowly catching up to the conversation. “No, he’s divorced.”
“I’m gonna go…wherever he went,” Anita said in a daze. Leaving her luggage she walked in the direction Wayne had left.
Daphne cursed. “Thanks for the help!” She yelled, but Anita was in her own little world. “Do you have somewhere I can set this stuff, and maybe a TV for my dad to watch?” She asked.
Amanda led her to a room. The Whitmore’s had been staying there before, but it was the only room not taken. Daphne dropped her dad off with a group of other older people that sat in front of a TV in one of the offices. He grumbled but they were soon watching an older movie.
“Show me to one of those terminals please,” Daphne said. Amanda was more than happy to. There were a few PCs in the cafeteria. Amanda asked her to watch all of them and come see her with questions. Then Amanda was off as someone called for her on the intercom.
Putting headphones on she turned on the first one called ‘Awakening your System’. It had a few people confessing how they awakened theirs. Most were simple, like they were playing a video game, or watching a movie. Then others went into what they were going through at the time. Like a guy named Arnold had been hunting a bear when his gun jammed. His System awoke to grant him a Predator blade that he used to kill the bear that was going to kill him.
Daphne really wanted to hear Ria’s confession, but she wasn’t on the video. It surprised Daphne immensely to be watching the news a week ago and see her young lover, Asher, on the news. She had tried to call him, but his phone was disconnected. When Ria had called, Daphne was sure she lost a friend. Ria did yell, of course she would, but she was more concerned that Daphne was safe, and offered help.
Daphne really didn’t deserve her, and was looking forward to seeing Ria again. She was caught off guard again when her old friend left the planet with her husband and son. The news had tried to guess what her System was, they speculated a porn one like Asher’s. Daphne knew then that the media wasn’t worth watching, and had stolen a car last night because of it. Alexandria was the greatest person Daphne had ever met, and if she said to come to the guild, then Daphne would do it.
She caught a glimpse of Anita with a coffee in hand rushing off to the other side of the cafeteria. The blonde handed the cup to the Guild Master. He took a sip and complimented it. Anita blushed. Daphne rolled her eyes.
Taking off the headphones she whispered, “going through the fucking apocalypse and she finds love. Where's my young and dumb stud?” That’s when he caught her eye. He was tall, as muscular as Asher, and very young. Just her type. His shirt bulged under the strain with each of his movements.
Daphne didn’t hesitate, getting up she made her way to intercept him. “I’m sorry. I’m new here,” she said, stopping him. “Amanda said I could ask people for help. Would you mind?” She leaned forward a little to reveal more cleavage and put on her most innocent smile.
The young man stopped but put on a big smile. “Of course, I’m Evan, how can I help you?”
“I’m Daphne, I was-“ she stopped as a much smaller girl latched onto Evan. She was blonde, very young, and very very pregnant. Her bulge of a belly stretched her own shirt to the maximum.
“I’m his fiancé, Ellie,” the small girl said. Then practically dragged him away.
“Dodged a bullet there,” Daphne muttered. She liked younger guys, yes, but above all she hated drama. Asher had too much drama going around him for her taste. A new guy caught her eye. He wore a sleeveless shirt, and again his muscles bulged with each movement. Daphne had no shame, she had done much shadier things to get what she wanted. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. He turned to look at her. His eyes focused on her bust, but he blushed as he looked up to her face. “I just finished a video you were in. Are you Arnold?” She asked innocently. He nodded. “You mind answering some questions?” She asked. Already very happy she had made the trip there.
