Manifest Read online

  He had finally bought his ANI late last night, along with an enhancement visor to make the data processing and gameplay as smooth as possible. He had thought about logging in last night, but by the time he got back to their apartment, it was already two in the morning. He ended up going to bed assuming he would just surprise Tommy when they both woke up. That didn’t appear to be happening any time soon.

  The ANI had many other features besides being the platform for GC’s popular virtual reality game. It allowed for a plethora of tools and uses, such as checking global and regional news. Something he could have done straight away had he remembered. Ollie was bummed that he would miss out on the supply run, but he knew he had a unique role to play now. Information was key. Plus, he did like the idea of being closer to Tommy, just in case his brother decided to wake soon.

  “Yeah, Garrett, of course! I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Good man! Why don’t you hunker down in that corner over there, and give me a report whenever you find something. I’m still going to send out a group for a supply run. Regardless of what’s going on, there will be a run on the stores. There might not be anything left as it is, but we need to try.”

  Ollie couldn’t help but agree. He had run his share of zombie apocalypse scenarios, and every one of them started out the same way. Don’t die, gather supplies, don’t die, gain allies, don’t die, find shelter, don’t die. It seemed like Garrett was of the same mind, though his military background gave him a bit more credence. The doorman patted him again on the shoulder and went back to addressing the volunteers chosen for the supply run. Meanwhile, Oliver took a seat in the far corner and initiated his ANI for the very first time. He mentally tapped the near-invisible news icon located in the corner of his field of vision and began to read.

  He found that whatever this was began at exactly 9:34 AM Eastern Standard Time. Nearly every nation was affected, though some significantly more so than others. Initial estimates were in the hundreds of millions, but these continued to climb by the minute. Neither the C.D.C. nor the W.H.O. was able to provide a reason, let alone a cure, for those rendered unconscious. For those that survived the first few minutes, there was nothing but terror and confusion.

  In an instant, millions of drivers slumped forward, their passengers screaming as vehicles careened out of control. Some made it off the interstate, most slammed into other vehicles. Thousands of planes tumbled out of the sky as their pilots suddenly found themselves unconscious. Doctors fell over in midst of surgery. Prisons went unguarded. Daycare children were left unwatched. Martial Law was declared, but the National Guard and First Responder numbers had been equally decimated. In many areas of the country, anarchy ruled supreme and nobody knew why. Theories ranged from the rapture, to space aliens, to even a new global plague, but no one really knew. The only thing everyone seemed to agree on was that the global fallout was staggering.

  Ollie read for hours; story after story, news reel after news reel. There was not much hope in what he found, but he reported his findings to Garrett nonetheless. Their new ‘leader’ looked about as optimistic as Oliver felt, but still he thanked him for the information. When he asked Garrett about the supply mission, his face grew even more grim.

  “Well, just one of our residents actually came back with anything. Three of them were robbed, and we don’t know what happened with the fifth. Whether he was killed, taken, got separated, or just plain abandoned us, I don’t know. Emily wasn’t able to gather many things on her own, but she did manage to snag this,” he said as he pulled out a large bottle of Pedialyte from his bag and handed it to Oliver. He gave the big man a quizzical look, but took the bottle anyway.

  “I asked her specifically to keep an eye out for that stuff. There’s a reason parents give it to sick babies, Ollie. It is so jam-packed with nutrients; I think it might be just the thing Tommy needs to keep going. Try to make it last, though. I am not sure if or when we can try another run, especially with what you just told me. Now, I think you should call it a day. Go check on Tommy and get some sleep. If you don’t mind, though, I would like you to keep scanning that ANI and give me daily reports from here on out, especially if you get wind of anything at the local level. Alright, Ollie?”

  “Yeah, you bet Garrett,” he said wearily, “I’ll keep an eye out. See you later and stay safe.”

  Oliver trudged back up the stairs to his and Tommy’s shared apartment. He might have only been up for a few hours, but he was completely exhausted. All the news, excitement, and terror had taken just about everything from him. He walked to their bedroom, kissed a sleeping Tommy on the forehead, and laid down in his own bed before crying himself to sleep.

  Chapter 2

  Ollie woke up the next morning soaking wet. Some of it was sweat from his many nightmares, the rest was from his tear-soaked sheet and pillow. He looked hopefully at Tommy, but the boy remained exactly as he left him. Ollie sighed, but he hadn’t really expected anything different. He slowly changed, not bothering to shower. He wasn’t looking to impress anyone today, and he had a feeling water might prove valuable in the days to come. Best to save it while he could. If there was one thing yesterday had taught him, the future held no guarantees.

  He grabbed a small bite to eat and activated his ANI, this time with the enhancement visor attached. The difference was definitely noticeable, and he was supremely grateful for the mental relief the visor gave him. It did not take long for his gratitude to turn to cursing, and then to full-on murderous rage. The top story, the only story, was a global announcement released directly by GameChangers.

  Greetings! If you are receiving this message, you have survived The Cleansing. Too long have the technological super powers dominated the top of world leaderboards. Congratulations; your time is now at an end.

  For decades we have strived to think of various methods to level the playing field. Biological weapons were too unpredictable. Nuclear weapons, too destructive. EMPs, well, these actually deserved some merit. However, we finally settled on something equally disruptive, yet had the ability to target specific demographics.

  What do all of the superpowers of the world have in common? Citizens with too much time and too much money. They don’t break their backs with manual labor or work sun up to sun down. No! They sit at their cushy little office jobs, sitting behind a screen, and then come home early to do the same! They spend frivolously, especially on entertainment. Well, their time has come.

  For many long years, we have been slipping our people into high profile positions worldwide. Not only government officials, but college professors, soldiers, law enforcement officers, lawyers, and countless others are on our payroll. You likely voted for, were taught by, or at least spoke with one of our many agents. All of our planning, sneaking, and bribing has culminated in this very moment. This Cleansing.

  Anyone that has even once logged in to Manifest has been automatically signed in... with no option to log back out. They are marooned while their bodies wither and die. We estimate over 2.1 billion Manifest inhabitants will die by the end of the week. Our plan was to destroy the infrastructure of former 1st world nations, allowing for others to take their place. We can now confirm, mission accomplished.

  You mustn’t think us merciless savages. We will allow all players to have their consciousness transferred to our Manifest servers. There, they will all be allowed to continue their lives as they see fit-in Manifest. We will keep these servers open indefinitely, and swear not to interfere in their world. Manifest will continue to run autonomously by the game A.I., with no outside influence.

  Remember, this is a world many times the size of Earth. New lands and events will continue to be revealed, and wonders never before seen will be witnessed across all the land. Your loved ones will come to embrace their new world as home. If you survivors wish to join the lost, by all means, do so! We will not hinder your logging in, but know this! You will NOT be able to log out. You WILL share their fate. Your body WILL die, but your conscious
ness will live on. This is your gift. This is your choice.

  On a final note, please do not contact customer support. We will most definitely not be assisting you!

  Every news station was broadcasting the same friggin announcement, confirming GC’s role in the new global crisis. How they tricked and betrayed billions of people. How they took his Tommy away! He went off the rails for nearly two hours, breaking just about everything in sight. It took him a long time to calm down enough to think clearly, but he did get there. He eventually realized this was something Garrett needed to know ASAP.

  He bounded down the hall and stairs to the building lobby, where he knew Garrett was most likely to still be on guard. He wasn’t disappointed. The former doorman-turned-leader was stationed near the chained doors with a few volunteers posted around the floor as well. That made him feel a bit safer, but at that moment, all he cared about was getting Garrett’s attention. His friend saw him coming and lifted his hand to wave, but one look at Ollie’s face was enough to drop it back down in a hurry. Oliver strode right up to him and told him everything. About GC’s betrayal. About Manifest being a trap. About the option for those that remained. About the death sentence for those who were now sucked into the game. He told him everything. Somehow, knowing was just as worse as being ignorant. He would never see his brother wake. Never see him smile. Never hear his voice or laughter. Tommy was basically dead already.

  Garrett stood and listened to all of it. Others started to form around the pair, some asking follow up questions about what this might mean. Oliver didn’t care. Not right then. He had said his piece and left for his room once more. Garrett promised he would come up at some point to see him, but his words fell on deaf ears. Right then, nothing truly mattered.

  He continued to check the news over the next several days, more as a duty to Garrett than anything. Each day was more depressing than the last. Suicide was rampant. Hoarding and looting were commonplace. Protesters took to the streets demanding both action and answers. Some wanted their government to bomb GC to oblivion, not expecting any of the cyber prisoners to be freed. ‘Better death than an eternal prison’ became a common mantra. Many of these protests turned into full-scale riots. All remaining troops were called back to help manage the home front, and there were plans to initiate another draft.

  The buying and selling of ANIs became illegal, of course, but there were plenty left on the black market. Some of society’s seedier individuals searched for those with ANIs still imbedded in their skulls. Alive or dead, it didn’t matter. The implants were removed, and the corpses tossed to the side.

  Finding a buyer was apparently easy. All too many people were in frantic search of trapped loved ones, with most desperate enough to sell all of their possessions for even a chance to join them. These ‘deserters’ were labeled cowards and traitors by many world governments. The average citizen did not hold it against them, however, and people continued to flock to Manifest en masse.

  Oliver soon found that many smaller nations were banding together and threatening war on any country who would dare attack the GameChangers facility. They styled themselves the new Global Federation. This was the break they needed to rise to the top, and they would not squander it.

  The remaining U.S. politicians were split between possibly freeing the lost players and so inciting war, or safeguarding those that remained with what few resources they had left. Suspicion was strong, as any one of them could be a GameChanger agent. In the end, they chose to do nothing, and many more people died.

  Day four saw more devastation than any other in human history. Though the U.S. did nothing, others were not so idle. Russia and China formed an alliance to wipe out the GameChanger server farm in hopes of freeing their peoples. A joint task force was dispatched to a secluded section of the Andes mountain range, the rumored location of the underground GC data center, to take control and release the Cyber prisoners. No one really knew what happened to these brave men and women, only that they never made it home.

  True to their word, the Global Federation unleashed a new hell on their aggressors. Countless missiles flew through the air, carrying both death and destruction for their new enemies. Russia and China responded in kind, but there were no winners on day four.

  Another two billion men, women, and children lost their lives from war, and by the day’s end, only a few hundred million cyber prisoners were still alive. In a span of just four days, over half of the world’s population was gone.

  Day seven was quiet. The fires were starting to die down. Fewer people were out on the streets. The protesters and rioters had largely withdrawn inside. Day seven was a day of mourning. Day seven was the day when the last person drawn into Manifest died. Day seven was when Tommy died. Whether it was due to exhaustion, or something else, Ollie didn’t know, or especially care.

  The bottle of Pedialyte ran out days ago, and, what with all the ANI hunters, Garrett refused to let him out of the building to look for more. He resorted to feeding Tommy puréed anything. He nearly gagged at the salami soup, but it was one of his brother’s favorites. ‘Tommy Salami’, just one of the little nicknames Oliver used to call him. They would constantly joke around or prank one another. When not goofing off, they would sit down together and watch old TV shows or movies that Ollie could usually find online. Anything to pass the time.

  Now here he sat, alone in the small living room, staring at two items on the coffee table before him. One was his GC enhancement visor, half of what he needed to follow Tommy’s consciousness in game. The other item was a small letter addressed to him alone.

  A couple of soldiers arrived the day before with dozens of letters for many of the building’s residents. They left the letters for Garrett to distribute and departed for another building. Garrett had shown up at his door about an hour ago with the news. Apparently, all the others had either left or were sucked into the game. Not even the government could keep track of everyone. People everywhere were scattered like the wind, but they had no problem tracking him down. Ollie had been drafted and was to report in to the local recruiting office in three days. He just had the ‘best’ luck.

  He looked between the two items, wanting to smash one and hold the other... He just couldn’t figure out which. Gaaah this is so frustrating, he thought as he furiously stood up and paced around their tiny apartment, throwing furniture and yanking pictures off the wall at random.

  “Those stupid bastards took my brother! My Tommy! Those scumbag, douche guzzling...” His ranting began anew. Ollie had been angry a lot over the last week. He was mad at the terrorists that caused the sudden global crises. He was mad at his government for not catching on and putting a stop to it. He was mad at himself for not keeping Tommy alive. He was mad he hadn’t logged into Manifest the second he came home.

  Ollie supposed he should count himself lucky for not being sucked into the game, but he didn’t. He never did. There was nothing left for him here, and he knew he couldn’t give up on Tommy. Though sad about his brother’s death, he knew Tommy was still alive within the game. It was time for Ollie to move on as well. For better or worse, he was leaving this messed up world behind.

  He could honestly care less about turning his back on this crappy planet. It had certainly turned its back on him and Tommy long ago. No, his only regret was Garrett. He wrote a letter to his friend explaining his reasoning and that he was welcome to anything in their apartment. They sure wouldn’t be needing it any longer, and Garrett had always been so nice to them both. Oliver hoped he would understand his decision, but it was his decision. He slipped the letter under Garrett’s door and quickly made his way back. He sat in the bed next to Tommy’s and pulled on his visor. He initiated Manifest for the very first time while breathing out a heavy sigh. His hands were trembling and a tear might have fallen from his face as the loading screen pulled into view.

  "Frick. Here goes noth-"

  Chapter 3

  "-ing."

  Oliver was lying flat on a grey metal s
lab. It was cold and his only covering was a thin white sheet. He tried to sit up, but his arms, legs, and head were all restrained by thick leather straps. He could barely move, and all he could see were the drop-down ceiling tiles high above.

  In his peripheral vision, he could just make out a small table that held several sharp looking objects and what looked to be a cordless drill. Oliver couldn’t be sure, as suddenly a figure stepped into view directly above him. She appeared to be a woman, though it was hard to tell. She wore a surgical cap, mask, and black scrubs. Only a pair of shockingly green eyes and bits of olive-colored skin were visible. Oliver felt a sense of dread wash over him. It was hard to explain, but he felt completely exposed. It was as if all of his deepest secrets were being siphoned and read by this mysterious doctor. This was one tripped up game. Why hadn’t Tommy warned him?

  She jumped when she saw his eyes staring back at her. She reached across the table and picked up one of the many metallic objects. Oliver felt something being inserted into his neck, and his vision turned blurry. Before he lost consciousness, he saw the doctor give a satisfied nod. Something large closed around his head, and he heard the tell-tale sound of a drill kicking on. He screamed as his head filled with pain, but thankfully, everything soon went black.

  Sometime later, he found himself in a small classroom, sitting behind an old wooden desk. He had no recollection of how he got there.

  "Good morning Mister..." A beautiful young woman with long brown hair and bright green eyes stood at the front of the room. She spoke with a thick French accent, but Ollie had no trouble understanding her. She wore a red sundress that complimented her olive skin perfectly, and a bright smile stretched across her face as she looked down at him expectantly.