The First Encounter Part 2
Day One
Title: The Mystery of the Core
Date: 01/01/01
Location: The Core Terminal
The First Mission
Test Period: Three Days
Objective: Power on the Central Unit.
Subject Name: Samira Ali
Subject Age: 19
Success Rate: 20%
Failed Subjects: 109
Successful Subjects: 0
Samira's Point of view
When I opened my eyes, I was not in darkness. I was in a place with a dim, red light. I was lying on a cold, metallic floor. I pushed myself up, my body aching from the cold. I looked around and saw a huge room, a kind of underground facility. The ceiling was high, with pipes and wires running across it. In the center of the room was a massive, glowing console, a terminal of some kind, with wires and strange symbols all over it. This was not my apartment in Cairo.
My mind, which was used to logical problems, immediately went to work. I had been in a strange, silent place. The last thing I remembered was working on a coding problem. Then, I was here. There was no sign of a struggle, no memory of being taken. Just a sudden, impossible change.
I walked toward the terminal in the middle of the room. The floor was cold and made a strange sound with every step. My mind, which was always looking for patterns and data, tried to make sense of the symbols on the terminal. They were not from any language I knew, but they looked like a programming language, a series of codes and commands.
A voice, a calm and automated female voice, suddenly filled my head. It was so clear and strong it felt like it was coming from inside me.
Loading.....10%
Loading.....20%
Loading.....50%
Loading.....90%
Loading.....100%
{System loading completed, installation complete, interface link established.}
{Do you accept the terms and conditions of the system?}
{Please say yes or press yes on the screen in front of you.}
{If you choose not to accept the terms and conditions of the system, the system will be terminated, and your chance of survival will be less than 10%.}
{You have 30 seconds to decide.}
{Do you accept the terms and conditions of the system?}
A system? A program? The words "loading" and "interface" were a part of my daily life. This was terrifying, but also a problem I could understand. I was in a program, and I needed to agree to its rules to continue. "Yes, I accept," I said, the words echoing in the large room.
{Congratulations}
{System installation complete}
{Interface ready to initiate}
Suddenly, a new screen appeared in front of my eyes, a virtual screen like the status screen in the video games, overlay that only I could see. This was a real-time user interface. My heart pounded with fear, but my mind was excited by the technology. A new notification appeared.
Name: Samira
Age: 18
Level: 1
State: Activate
Skills: Calculating
Attributes: Calculating
Points: 10
Equipment: None
Inventory: Empty
Market: Not Available
Mission Available: 1
Mission Completed: 0
Achievements: 0
Tutorial: 0
Setting.
{Congratulations, you are the first human to ever activate the Core Terminal.}
{As a reward you unlocked the following skills and attributes}
{New Skills Acquired}
Data Analysis (Level 1),
Logic Comprehension (Level 1)}
{New Attributes Acquired}
Intelligence +10,
Dexterity +5}
I was a coder. I understood what this meant. It seemed that the System had examined my memories and knowledge and granted me skills accordingly. It had also enhanced my mind and my ability to use my hands. I was no longer an ordinary human; I was a human with a system. But what was this core terminal I had activated? I was sure I hadn't touched anything. As I pondered all of this, a sudden overwhelming sensation took hold of me. A new message blinked on the screen.
{Mission available}
{First mission available to you. Power on the Central Unit.}
You have 3 hours to accomplish that.
Rewards:
1- Twenty points
2- One level up
{Penalty: Disqualification to participate, which means an immediate termination.}
This is another level. If this were a game, I would enjoy the challenge, but what is the point of issuing a mission with such a severe penalty? I wonder. Also, the time limit doesn't help at all. I don't know why, but I have the feeling that this is only a test; thus, the penalty and time limit are just meant to increase the pressure on the individual. I have been through enough interviews with this type of pressure—not with the penalty of death, of course—but to see how well you can handle yourself under pressure.
I looked at the massive console in front of me. It was not working. The red lights were dim, and a lot of the symbols were dark. My mission was to fix it. This was not a test of strength, but a test of my mind.
I walked to the terminal, and my new Data Analysis skill activated. I saw a flood of information about the terminal's problems. My mind could now see the errors and the broken code in a way I never could before. The terminal was in a terrible state. A lot of the power units were offline, and some of the code was corrupted.
I started working. My new Dexterity attribute made my fingers move with incredible speed and precision. I didn't even have to touch the wires. The System's interface let me work on the terminal's code with just my thoughts and hand movements.
My Logic Comprehension skill helped me to understand the strange language of the terminal. I could see the patterns and the simple mistakes in the code. I found the broken power units and mentally re-routed the energy to get them to work. The dim red lights on the console began to blink with a brighter, healthier glow. I started to feel the heat of success, the satisfaction of a problem being solved.
I worked for what felt like hours, my mind fully focused. The system was more than a game; it was a tool, a way for me to use my skills in a way I had never imagined. Finally, after a final mental command, a loud chime echoed through the large room. The terminal's lights turned from a dim red to a brilliant green. The massive console hummed with power.
A new message appeared on my screen.
{Congratulations, you have completed the mission and powered on the Central Unit.}
{You have leveled up.}
{You have been awarded twenty points.}
{The next mission will be available in two hours. Further instructions will be provided in your assigned vehicle.}
A large, metallic door on the far side of the room slid open, revealing a bright, white light. I was finally free. I walked out of the facility, squinting against the bright light. I was on a street, but it was not a street I knew. The buildings were taller than any skyscraper, but they were broken and destroyed. Twisted metal and shattered glass were everywhere. The air was cold and filled with gray dust.
I was in a vast space, larger than any I had ever seen before. It was filled with strange, futuristic vehicles, all different shapes and sizes.
Just like a junkyard, but the best word to describe it was a graveyard. I knew from the beginning that I was not in Cairo, but I never imagined in my life that I would see what was in front of me at that moment.
I had just solved a puzzle in a computer system to escape. Now, I found myself in a place that resembled a post-apocalyptic science fiction movie. The fear had returned, but it was now mixed with a powerful sense of determination. I was no longer a simple student. I was in a strange place, and wherever it was, I needed to survive because I was a survivor—with a mission and a new set of skills.
A/N
Hello everyone,
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I tried to keep the story fast-paced, so I didn't prolong the fight scene. However, if you would prefer otherwise, please comment below, and I will do my best in the upcoming chapters.
Please comment, leave a review, add this to your library, and vote. Your support will encourage me to write more and help satisfy your expectations.