"What are you saying? Is this a warning or a threat?"

"I'm trying be kind. He doesn't like it when people talk."

"Who is HE?"

"The clown."

"Clown?"

"Yes, the clown doctor." Freya rolled her eyes and shook her head.
_____

This is a horror/thriller novel which features Freya, a young lawyer that is nosy but also smart. She moves into a new neighbourhood and discovers that she has two different yet suspicious men as her neighbours but it seems that she only needs to stay away from one. Read and find out how thrilling this gets.

The next morning Siana woke up to the glaring sound of her alarm. Seeing that it was only 5:30 she wanted to sleep more, but knew better that her master Octopus hated tardiness the most. Lying in the bed for a good 10 minutes she couldn't help but complain about her morning trainings: she really hated anything that had to do with physical exercise, but her boyfriend and master were bent on making her into some sort of a martial arts master. Why couldn't these people get that she was really not cut out for this!? 
Frustrated, she got up from the bed with difficulty and put on her sports clothes. It was summer, so the weather was quite hot, so she wore black leggings  and a white tank top, through which one could clearly see her black sports bra. She then tied her hair in a high ponytail. If Cain were to see her dressed like this he would definitely fume, but she couldn't care less now: it was hot, and she knew it was going to get even hotter when she started running. And anyways, the places where Kalix chose for her to run at usually lacked any people, so she didn't need to worry about 'exposing too much skin' as Cain would put it.
As she exited the living complex, she approached a man with brown hair and brown eyes. Though the man had a great built, he had really average looks. 
'Tsk, his skin mask sure makes his life easier.' 
However, only Kalix knew how he hated to put on skin masks, because his skin easily got irritated from those. But the boss didn't allow him to complain to Sia because he knew full well that the moment she learned about his dislike, she wouldn't allow Kalix to continue wearing the masks, more realistically she would use this excuse to ditch him to avoid the trainings. Because of this a great misunderstanding was created, whereas she thought that Kalix actually enjoyed putting on different skin masks and  thus she had no way of ditching him to slack off, ahem train, on her own. 
When teaching, Kalix turned to his stern soldier self, and wouldn't allow her to laze around as she wished. So without giving her a leeway for excuses, he started the warm up exercises with her. After a while they started running in the nearby park, where there were only a few people there. 
Though today only involved jogging, Sia could already feel all her muscles hurting after an hour of running, and neither stretching nor taking a hot shower helped her much with the pain afterwards.
She ended up going to the hospital in her stiffly state, and as she arrived earlier than usual, she decided to go to organise her paperwork which has been piling up for the last few days, completely oblivious to the storm that was brewing outside...

- Somewhere in Ribekia -
Luke had three goals to fulfil with his arrival in Ribekia. Firstly, he needed to find the hacker to have him completely under his control. Secondly, he needed to investigate the Dragon's movements. And finally, he had to find out the agenda of the Herondales in the city. He was pretty sure that the Herondales weren't here just for holidays, as that Archie claimed. Taking into account the rumours regarding Jason Herondale's health, was it possible that he was...
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Paul, who pretty much barged in with a rarely seen excitement on his face:
"We have located the Herondale head!"
His words  surprised even Luke, and a smirk formed on his lips:
'Finally, I am going to catch your tail.'
He looked up to Paul, waiting for more details. Understanding his intentions, Paul didn't let him wait for long,
"Actually, there has been a commotion in the Central Hospital lately, though the staff have been told to keep their mouths shut and the information confidential, there naturally were some loose mouthed ones." 
He stepped up and unblocked his phone to show a video from a bar. In the video, a few young men were chatting and drinking. He skipped straight to the end of the video, and one could clearly hear the conversation between the young men:
"I wonder who the big shot today was,  hic," one of the men who was in his 20s slurred while chugging on a mug of beer. 
The other man who was sprawled over the table raised his head and said sluggishly, "tell me about it... if the president didn't give a live speech today ...  I'd think it was the president ... operated on. I mean ...  5th floor of the hospital ... on ... lockdown? And the neurosurgeons... even my goddess..."
Paul stopped the video here, and taking a breath explained,
"We have investigated the hospital, and the 5th floor, where the high end surgical theatres are, has really been on lockdown for the past 5 days, today included. However, the weird thing is that no surgery was recorded on those days on the fifth floor, but none of the neurosurgeons cancelled any of their surgeries. Nonetheless, the head neurosurgeon Dr. Brown, who is a world famous neurosurgeon, was  absent most of the day 5 days ago. But what is even more out of place is that some of the doctors and scrub nurses returned home much later then their shifts ended, this Dr. Brown included."
As if catching on his thoughts Luke continued with a sly smile on his face,
"They operated at night, but didn't account for the part where their departure times are recorded, thus leaving a loophole in the plan."
"They actually did account for that: the data was tempered with, and all the registry information was rewritten." As if thinking of something, Paul continued, "additionally, on the second day, some recordings were not simply concealed, but were completely erased, and nothing could be recovered. The intelligence team claims that this could only be done by hackers of SSS level, and there really are not that many of those species around. "
"The sly lizard," Luke chuckled.
Paul hummed slowly in agreement, "I guess they thought that we would never think of looking for them at a public hospital. However,  wether it was the Dragon or not, one thing is clear, that there is a person of high standing in the hospital. Moreover, Mark Herondale has been spotted in the vicinity of the hospital, so it should be them."
"Haha, I get that," Luke laughed in delight. "Have the team investigate which doctors other than that Dr. Brown have been in the hospital that night. Also, find information on the supplies used in the hospital. If you cannot get this done in a day, just interrogate one of those people. We really have those loose mouthed trashes to thank."
At the mention of those  interns, recounting their conversation, Luke asked abruptly, "So who is that goddess?"

"All I could hear were her occasional responses and small laughs. All I could see was her. All I wished to find was her smile. And all I wanted was... HER."

"She is the source of light and warmth in my world of darkness and cold. She makes me feel alive and willing to live. She simply makes me feel. She makes me human. "

"She is the only thing I have ever wanted... desired... If it takes me to become a demon to make her mine, I will. Even if she hates me, I will still love her. I know I am obsessed with her. I know she is scared of me. But I can't help it: I want her. I need her. "
____
What happens when two people that had a long story together finally get the chance to meet each other? 

For him, she is his everything, and for her, he is hers. However, because of his identity their path is filled with obstacles and difficulties. Because of her charms and personality, many desire her and can't let her be with him. 

She is a doctor and he is an underworld king covered in other people's blood. Will she stay true to her beliefs even if it could be detrimental to him? Or will she choose him and go against her principles?
Will they be able to overcome these obstacles and not fall for people's malicious plots?
____
All the characters and places are fictional. If there is any similarity to other books or novels it was not deliberate.

The photo doesn't belong to me. Will draw my own soon))

After a long fight, Paul screamed in victory. His powers have finally surfaced and now he can carry on with his revenge.

As Paul let out the last of his energy, he fell to the ground. Using all that power for the first time outside his mind left quite an impact on his body. He couldn't move nor speak.

Above behind the glass screen, a delightful smile appeared on the Boss' face. 

"That was brilliant. The effectiveness of those enhancers and to see it in action, it's marvelous." The Boss said, impressed by the whole ordeal. 

"Of course. These were the prototypes that had the lowest percentage of error," Dr. Morel said with delight. ," And those hu- ahem, I mean ANDROIDS, were created to push subjects like Paul to the limit so they can open therselves to the powers."

Then he turned to this subordinates.

 "Alright. Go on down and carry our subject to the Data Analysis Room. We got a lot of data to collect from all that."

"Yes, Sir!" the men said. They all went to go grab some equipment to get Paul to the Data Analysis Room safely. After a few minutes, they arrived in the resting area through another part, which had a ramp, as they had brought a bed with wheels with them. 

They worked swiftly to get the job done. The enhancers were put to great use and the data would only be traceable for a few more hours.

"A man that could wield four of them, you have found a great one, haven't you," Dr. Morel said to the Boss.

"It was a just a choice made at a specific time and place," the Boss replied. 

"Well, it was a choice well made, " Dr. Morel said, as he followed his subordinates to the study room. Paul was laid on top of the examination table.

A scanner like machine lowered and a red light turned on. It was a light and warm light that made Paul fall asleep. The surbordinates worked quickly and efficiently to gather the data in the current status of Paul. His mental and physical attributes were carefully scoped to the last detail.

"This is truly a wonder!" Dr. Morel said with excitement. "With him, I can achieve my long time dream!"

The current condition of Paul's body showed quite a lot of interesting factors. Although he was incapacitated, Paul's body worked 10 times above what an average human can achieve in a lifetime. It was as if he transcended humanity and its limits.

After a few more hours of analyzing, Paul was carried to the resting room for recovery. 

"How long will it be until he regains consciousness?" the Boss asked, after everything was done.

"Should take about 1-2 days, depending on his mental strength," Dr. Morel replied. " By the way, what happened in that task that was assigned to Paul? I heard he got sent to prison?"

"He appearently lost in a fight against his target, who was a high school student. He had a reason though, which further convinced me to test out your creations," the Boss replied. He went on and told Dr. Morel about Karma, how a sudden change in personality affected his ability to fight. Dr. Morel listened with curiousity. He had never heard of a personality disorder that causes one's combat capabilities to increase.

"That is quite interesting..." Dr. Morel said, scratching his chin. "Are you sure it isn't just because Paul isn't as strong as he seems?"

"From what I have heard from the manager of of my company in Downtown Tren, Paul is the best one there is. He still can't match my number one assassin, but he's got skill."

"I should look into this, " Dr. Morel said. " Yes...I should."

And with that he walked away, lost in his thoughts. This happens whenever he doesn't quite understand something, but is determined to find out by any means. 

The next morning...

"Yawn..." 

Paul had woken up from his deep slumber. He felt quite alive after being able to rest for a day. He felt his body bustling with power. His thoughts were a humble of calculations and strategies that he thought of while he was asleep.

He got up from the bed and looked around. It was pretty dark aside from a small light glimmering from the corner that seemed to be coming from a machine.

He searched the wall from a light and found one by the door. He opened the light and saw that he was in some sort of resting area, as there were a couple of beds there. He opened the door and saw the scientists he met working on something. He approached one that was by a large machine with tubes.

"Excuse me, but where is the Boss?" Paul asked. 

The scientist turned to Paul. 

"Oh! You are awake. I don't exactly know, but Dr. Morel should know. He's in the Field Experimentation Room. Just get someone to scan their eyes for you," he said.

"Alright, thanks," Paul replied and headed to the Field  Experimentation Room. As he was near it, the door opened and Dr. Morel came out. He seemed to be thinking about something and didn't notice Paul standing there. 

"Um...Dr. Morel?" Paul called to Dr. Morel. But he just kept on being in his little world, unable to be perceptive of the outside world. 

"Dr. Morel!" Paul called again, this time louder. 

Dr. Morel broke out of his trance. 

"Oh! Sorry, I was just lost in thought," Dr. Morel said to Paul. "Do you need something?"

"Yes. One of the scientists said you know where the Boss is?" Paul asked.

"Oh right. He told me to tell you to go to his office. Dr. Morel replied. " Take this card totge platform where you entered here and say 'Scan'. The platform will bring you up to the elevator. Do the same for the elevator. The door will open and send you straight to his floor.

"Okay. Thanks," Paul said as he headed to the platform elevator. He headed to the platform and held the card in front of him. 

"Scan," Paul said. A red beam of light shine from the platform to the card. The light turned green and a robotic voice came out.

"Please proceed onto the platform"

Paul complied and walked onto the platform. The platform began to ascend and about a few moments later, Paul arrived at the top. The bar opened and he walked to the wall where the elevator was. He held up the card in front of the wall and said 'Scan'. A robotic voice came from the wall. 

"Permission Granted. Heading to top floor of main building."

The wall lifted and Paul stepped in. He was anxious to get his revenge and satisfy his desires. The elevator ascended and moved forward when it was at the top. The front doors opened and he was back in the hallway that lead straight to the Boss' office.

He slowly advanced toward the door. The intensity was still very strong, even though he had been here before. 

When he got to the door, he knocked.

"Come in, " a familiar scratchy voice came from the door. Paul opened the door to see the Boss doing something on his computer. He looked up from his desktop. 

"You're awake. How do you feel?" the Boss asked.

"I-I feeling great, sir! Paul replied nervously. No matter how strong he gets, the aura of the Boss is one a whole another level. 

"Good. Are you ready for your task?" the Boss asked. 

" Y-yes I am," Paul replied. 

"Good. Here take this, a gift," the Boss said, taking out quite an expensive watch. Paul was delighted and took it. 

"I will protect this with my life, " Paul said, excited. 

"Alright then," the Boss replied. "Carry out the operation with speed and precision!" 

"Y-Yes!" Paul replied and left the room. As he closed the door, a smile appeared on the Boss' face.

As Paul entered the elevator, he contacted one of his surbordinates.

"Trail the target," Paul said. " We are going for
round two.

And with that, the elevator descended.

A boy that suffers from a serious psychological disorder learns to slowly control it through masterful guidance and getting close with a beautiful girl.

Enjoy Reading.

***

Setelah pitu baja terbuka dan isi laboratorium terlihat mereka tidak langsung masuk. Namun menunggu sebentar agar efek dari ledakan sudah mulai menipis. Jika biasanya ledakan akan menimbulkan asap yang lumayan pekat, bom kali ini hanya menyisakan sedikit efek asap, bahkan hanya seperti debu yang berterangan. Begitu semua terlihat jernih Daniel dan Paul masuk ke dalamnya. 

"Well ... sepertinya untuk kali ini mereka berhasil kabur lagi. Sayangnya mereka tidak punya waktu untuk mengamankan  bahan percobaannya," ucap Daniel saat menemukan beberapa alat untuk operasi, tabung berisi zat-zat kimia bahkan Daniel melihat beberapa organ dalam yang terlihat sudah tidak berfungsi itu. Daniel memeriksa satu persatu ruangan di dalam laboratorium dengan cermat. Memastikan tidak ada racun atau zat yang membahayakan mereka. 

"Sepertinya mereka kabur dengan terburu-buru," gumam Daniel mengingat tempat itu masih terasa hangat, seperti belum lama ini masih ada orang yang memenuhi ruangan itu. 

"Aku tidak mengerti ilmu kedokteran jadi aku rasa aku tidak bisa membantu di sini. Tapi ... bukan berarti aku akan segera pergi, bagaimanapun semua ini terlihat cukup menarik" kata Paul melihat berbagai penemuan yang menurutnya aneh. 

"Yang mulia ... kami menemukan ini," ucap pengawal Daniel menyerahkan beberapa berkas yang menumpuk di tangannya. Daniel membacanya pelan. Dia tidak terlalu mengerti karena ini menggunakan bahasa kedokteran yang jujur Daniel belum mencapai level setinggi itu. Namun Daniel tetap akan mengamankannya, siapa tahu mungkin Mommy-nya bisa menerangkannya nanti.

"Simpan dengan baik jangan sampai hilang," kata Daniel mulai melihat sekelilingnya lagi, tidak mau melewatkan petunjuk apa pun. 

"Yang mulia, ruangan ini terkunci rapat menggunakan kode." Daniel mendekati ruangan yang ditunjuk anak buahnya. benar saja hanya ruangan itu yang memiliki kunci password. Daniel berbalik mencari keberadaan pamannya. 

"Aku sudah mengerti tidak usah diucapkan," kata Paul saat Daniel memandangnya hendak meminta tolong. 

"Heran deh padahal aku yakin kamu bisa memcahkan kode ini juga, tapi kenapa sekarang kamu manja? Apa-apa minta tolong aku, mentang-mentang sudah jadi Raja," gerutu Paul pada Daniel. 

"Kalau tidak mau ya sudah, tidak usah protes," jawab Daniel enteng. 

"Begitu saja marah. Dasar Raja baperan." Paul kembali mengotak-atik kode pintu di depannya. Hingga tidak berapa lama kemudian.

Klik. 

"Silakan, Yang mulia." Paul membukakan pintu Daniel dengan nada mengejek. 

Daniel tersenyum biasa saja lalu melangkah masuk. Tidak ada yang istimewa dengan ruangan ini hanya satu ranjang seperti di rumah sakit, beberapa alat kedokteran dan terlihat beberapa berkas yang berserakan. Daniel melihat ada laptop di meja paling pojok. 

"Paman!" Daniel memanggil Paul dan menujukkan laptop yang dilihatnya.

"Aku lagi yang memeriksanya?" tanya Paul dan Daniel hanya tersenyum tanpa rasa bersalah.

"Sebenarnya kegunaan anak buahmu sebanyak ini buat apa sih?" tanya Paul melihat pengawal yang berjejer di belakang mereka. 

"Yang punya alat pendeteksi kan paman. Lagian di sini paman yang paling ahli dalam hal tekhnologi. Jika aku menyuruh orang lain yang levelnya lebih rendah darimu aku khawatir paman akan tersinggung. Lagi pula jika butuh sesuatu memang boleh alat milik paman dipinjam dan dipegang anak buahku?" tanya Daniel memastikan. 

Paul berdecak lalu mendekati laptop itu. "Tahu gini mending Jojo yang jadi Raja. Setidaknya dia masih bisa aku suruh-suruh bukan malah aku yang diperintah seperti ini," dumel Paul kesal. 

"Kalau bisa silahkan saja suruh Jojo untuk jadi Raja aku kan tidak pernah keberatan. Lagian kalu paman tidak mau mengerjakan ini ya sudah. Sana pulang saja. Aku yakin masih bisa menangani hal kecil ini tanpa kehadiran paman." 

"Tuh kan baper lagi. Dasar Raja emosian," gerutu Paul menscan laptop tersebut dengan alat pendeteksinya. Karena bisa jadi laptop itu bukan hanya laptop biasa tapi bom waktu. 

"Aman," kata Paul beberapa saat kemudian. 

"Terimakasih, Paman." Daniel tersenyum lebar. 

"Hm ..." gumam Paul. 

Klik. 

Bzzztttzzz. 

Baru Daniel membuka laptopnya, tapi .. laptop itu malah menyala sendiri dan langsung terpampang gambar seorang pria yang menggunakan masker, sarung tangan dan penutup kepala lengkap dengan pakaian dokternya, hingga hanya matanya yang terlihat. 

"Selamat Datang di Locker Gold, laboratorium ilegal Cavendish. Jika rekaman ini sudah ditemukan berarti Yang Mulia Daniel Cohza Cavendish, Raja dari kerajaan Cavendish sudah menemukan laboratorium ini."

"Perkenalkan saya Dr. Key Pair. Pemegang kendali penuh laboratorium ini."

"Sebelumnya saya minta maaf apabila keberadaan laboratorium ini membuat yang mulia tidak nyaman. Tapi ... saya hanya berharap Anda mengerti bahwa saya membuka laboratorium ini atas perintah kakek Anda." 

"Saya juga berharap yang mulia membiarkan kami tetap menjalankan laboratorium ini seperti biasanya. Tenang saja kami bersumpah tidak akan membuat nama kerajaan Cavendish tercemar. Kami bahkan akan membantu kerajaan apabila kerajaan memerlukan bantuan. Hanya saja kami mau keberadaan laboratorium ini tetap dirahasiakan dari dunia luar, karena bagaimanapun juga penemuan yang kami lakukan kadang tidak sesuai dengan pemahaman dunia di luar sana." 

Daniel awalnya biasa saja saat melihat rekaman itu karena sudah jelas suara dari orang itu sudah disamarkan. Tetaapi saat Dr. Key melakukan gerakan yang Daniel rasa sangat familiar, kini Daniel memperhatikan dengan serius. Bentuk tubuhnya, pancaran matanya saat berbicara, nada suara yang walau disamarkan tapi tidak menutupi bahwa logat bicaranya seperti orang yang Daniel kenal. 

"Di sini saya juga akan memberitahu Anda bahwa Pangeran Javier sudah bergabung dengan laboratorium ini dan beliau sudah setuju akan meneruskan cita-cita kakek buyutnya dengan menjadi pemegang kendali penuh atas laboratorium ini saat dia berusia 20 tahun nanti." Daniel tentu saja terkejut, ini kah sebabnya Javier sekarang lebih tertutup dan selalu terlihat kelelahan?

Dr. Key melihat jam di pergelangan tangannya. "Kami rasa cukup sekian perkenalan dari kami. Jika Yang Mulia menyetujui permintaan kami, maka sampaikan saja pada Pangeran Javier. Kami akan dengan senang hati bertemu dengan Anda tentu tanpa senjata atau segala sesuatu yang menimbulkan bentrokan," kata Dr. Key yang Daniel yakin sedang tersenyum sebelum rekaman itu mati secara otomatis. 

Daniel mengulang rekaman itu lagi dan lagi. Kecurigaan Daniel semakin besar saat dia baru sadar bahwa jam tangan yang dipakai Dr. Key adalah jam tangan ciptaan Uncle Paul yang bisa melacak keberadaan seseorang. Daniel memandang Uncle paul dan menelitinya dari atas hingga bawah dengan aneh. 

"Ada apa?" tanya Paul heran. 

"Aku rasa aku mengenali orang itu," kata Daniel menunjuk Dr. Key. 

"So?" tanya Paul mengangkat sebelah alisnya. Daniel berdiri diam, otaknya masih mencerna semuanya. Dalam hati dia masih ragu bahwa Dr. Key adalah orang itu. Tapi dilihat dari manapun semua ciri-cirinya cocok dengan orang yang dipikirkan Daniel. Lalu kenapa orang itu harus menyamar menjadi Dr. Key? Kenapa tidak jujur saja bahwa dia menjalankan laboratorium ini? Apa yang dia khawatirkan? Takut Daniel menentangnya? Tentu saja Daniel akan mengizinkan laboratorium ini tetap berdiri jika memang orang itu pemimpinnya dan laboratorium ini benar-benar berjalan sesuai dengan apa yang dia katakan tadi, dalam artian laboratorium ini tidak mencemarkan nama baik kerajaan Cavendish.

Daniel sangat yakin jika benar orang itu adalah Dr. Key pasti dia menyembunyikan sesuatu yang akan membuat Daniel marah jika mengetahuinya. Tapi apa? Daniel harus memastikan dulu siapa Dr. Key sebelum bertindak gegabah. Tentu saja Daniel akan pura-pura tidak tahu agar orang itu tidak menyadari bahwa Daniel sudah mengetahui identitasnya. 

"Paman apakah paman pernah menjual jam tangan pelacaCohza?"

"Jam tangan pelacak. Hem ... kalau itu tentu saja aku pernah menjualnya ke orang lain tapi tidak lebih dari sepuluh orang itu pun aku sudah menyelidiki semua latar belakangnya."

"Baiklah ... bisa berikan apadku data orang-orang itu."

"Tentu." Paul langsung setuju.

Daniel berbalik ke arah anak buahya. "Periksa dengan teliti tempat ini. Cari sidik jari atau apa pun bukti sampai sudut terkecil. Pasti ada petunjuk siapa saja anggota laboratorium di sini. Jangan kembali sebelum memberiku satu nama," ucap Daniel keluar dari ruangan itu. 

"Paman?" 

"Hm ..." 

"Aku mencurigai seseorang?" kata Daniel memandang Paul intens. 

Paul mengangkat sebelah bersedekap dan memandang Daniel bertanya. "Apa aku boleh tahu siapa dia?" 

Daniel menghela napas pasrah. "Sudah lupakanlah. Antar aku ke istana saja." Paul mengedikkan bahunya cuek. 

"Tangkap," ucap Paul melempar kunci motornya. 

"Pulang sana. Aku masih tertarik di sini," ujar Paul kembali masuk ke ruangan tadi. Daniel memandang punggung pamannya yang semakin jauh. Lalu dia berjalan menuju motor besar yang tadi digunakan pamannya. Berbagai pertanyaan berseliweran di otaknya. Hingga membuatnya terasa mau meledak.

Dia harus segera memastikan siapa Dr. Key yang sebenarnya.

***

TBC.

Satu malam mengubah segalanya.

Ratih Ayu Brawijaya. 
Menikah merupakan hal  yang sudah di atur oleh keluarganya. 
Namun, apa jadinya jika dia malah hamil saat melakukan kencan semalam?

Daniel Cohza Cavendish.
Manikah? tidak ada dalam kamus hidupnya.
Bahkan dia lebih memilih berpura-pura menjadi seorang Gay dari pada harus menikah.

Sayang, Semua harus dia pikirkan ulang ketika terlanjur menghamili seorang wanita.

Hello my name is Zera and I'm 20, I have dark purple hair, I wear glasses but would rather wear contacts, I have brown eyes, I'm pretty slim, and I'm 5'8. I've entered college at Yumoka university one of the top university in game design. "Okay, I'm ready.... hopefully." I said to myself. "Honey you're going to be late!" That's my mom her name is Rae. I live with her and my dad Yin. "Okay I'll be right down!" I said to my mom.
   "Hey my princess." Dad says as I walk downstairs into the dinning room."Hi daddy." I said as I kissed him on the cheek. "Sweetheart that shirt of yours is way to small now go back upstairs and change." Mom said "Ugh, fine." I replied. "Don't ugh me young lady now go change." Mom said. As I raced up stairs I realized I don't have my phone. I walked down the hallway past my brothers room. "He might be asleep again" I thought. I  continue and enter my room and I quickly search for my phone. *bzzt bzzt* I pause to listen for it. *bzzt bzzt* I walk over and pick up the phone which was laid on my bed. "Oh it's Paul, George, and Ceritta" I thought to myself. 
   Okay let me explain so let's start with Paul. Paul is my best friend..well they all are my best friends ha ha. I met Paul in jr. high we were both in the same computer class but we didn't talk until the second year: He is quite tall idk how tall maybe I'd say 6'3 or so. He also has short light brown hair, blue eyes, mustache, okay built, he likes wearing buttoned up shirts and shorts in the summer and wears long sleeves in the winter with regular jeans, and he is 21 years old. 
   Secondly, is George he is calm and quiet and Paul's best friend since childhood; They say they're "brothers from another mother". George is shorter then Paul, he has long dark brown hair with a goatee, dark blue eyes like the ocean, he Normally wears a black hoodie, he's also quite built, he is 20 years old, and he has a tattoo for his mom who sadly passed away after giving birth to him. 
   Last but certainly not least is my childhood friend Ceritta. She is so beautiful with her dyed red hair pulled into a ponytail, she is the same height as me at 5'8 we like to have a competition on who'll be taller, our moms both met each other in college and been friends since, she's also 20 years old, and she has rare condition which makes her eyes look blood red instead normal colors like blue or green and it isn't dangerous. She is also very energetic and outgoing.
   "Hmmm, I wonder what they're talking about on wechat". 
-Paul (Hey guys so where we meeting up)
-Georgie (idk where ever I don't care)
-Ceritta (oh oh let's meet up at the coffee shop)
-Georgie (you know zera doesn't like coffee right?)
-Ceritta ( oh I know that! Zera don't worry I'll get you the Dr. salt you love so much <3)
 -Zera (Thank you Ceritta.)
(I'll meet you guys at the usual shop I'll be omw)

   "Okay, normal place cool" I said softly. I quickly changed shirts. I move in front of my vertical mirror and started doing cute poses. "Wait. Stop." I said to myself and straightened up and looked at the mirror to look at how I look in my outfit. My outfit consists of me wearing: A white knitted sweater with a basic solid black casual Mini skater skirt and black flat top shoes. "Okay I think I'm ready" I thought with a beautiful smile as I left my room. As I walk down the stairs I see my mom saying goodbye to dad as he leaves for work. Mom turns and she gasps as she sees me as I walk into the living room "o-oh my goodness look at yooou" she says "hi mom" I said with a soft voice and a smile " I'm going to meet my friends on the way to school""okay, well you be safe now" she replied. I give her a hug and a kiss and I make my way to the coffee shop.

A young girl who wants to be a game designer will experience some change in her normal life. There will be happiness, sadness, laughter, crying, love, and pain will she keep her dream of the future or keep the dream of having her friends.

Two weeks had passed since I had awoken from my coma.  I hadn't started rehabilitation yet because the doctors didn't want to push me too much after being in a coma for two months.  I hadn't come to terms with Amy passing either, I was devastated when Paul told me they had her funeral a week after the crash.  Apparently, she died at the crash and no one expected me to survive so they thought it would be best to have the funeral as soon as possible to help with everyone's grieving.  It didn't help mine, I was distraught that I didn't get to attend her funeral or say one last goodbye.  
It wasn't fair, she was such a kind beautiful person who only thought of others.  She didn't deserve to die like this or this young, she was only 32.  I did everything I could to try and save her, but it wasn't enough.  For the last two weeks all that played through my head was the crash and the thoughts of how I had failed her.  She had been the brightness that lit up my life and now she was gone.  Now there was no light at the end of the tunnel, no reason to get out of hospital and no light to keep the tendrils of despair from encroaching.  The hollowness that I also felt had grown so much stronger and was becoming debilitating.

<Why am I still here?  Why did I survive?>

The echo chamber of self-loathing and pure hatred towards myself, life, the universe and god were only interrupted by my daily visits from Paul and the occasional visits from my medical school friends.  He brought me news of the outside world and was able to distract me for a few hours.  He mentioned that they were going to move me to a rehab ward today and that the Dean of my Medical School was going to drop by and have a chat with me about the rest of the year.

"Hi Zack, we're going to move you to the rehab ward now.  I hope your rehab goes well and you get out of here soon" my nurse explained to me as she entered my room with the orderly.  She was shorter than most the other nurses and looked far shorter when standing next to the orderly who must have been at least 6'4".  She had a pretty and slim face with long brown hair that was tied up in a pony tail, it was hard to tell whether she had a physique that matched her face through the scrubs.  The orderly on the other hand had arms bulging with muscles trying to escape his shirt and that wasn't the only thing trying to escape his shirt, there was also the gut bred from many a late-night beer with the boys.  He had a rough looking face but gentle eyes that showed his true character and a mighty belly shaking laugh to match.  It was somewhat sad to leave my room where I'd spent the last two weeks and had become my makeshift home. It was the only constant in period of life changing chaos.

• 
Meanwhile on the outskirts of the Great Omega System of the Omega Kappa galaxy.
A man with shoulder length black hair and unshaven face was lounging slumped in a swivel chair. His feet were clad in dark black tactical boots and they were perched up on control panel below a series of monitors each displaying a different map and readout.  Long black pants laced with many pockets, some filled to the brim and others completely empty.  He was holding a cup of instant noodles in one hand and a fork and cigarette in the other.  He slurped up some noodles from the cup and as he was about to take a drag of his cigarette, he heard a loud beep from one of the monitors.  The sudden noise caused him to jolt upright, almost spilling his noodles.  He placed the cup down on the control panel and bit down on the cigarette as he examined the monitor that beeped.  The monitor was a little dusty and he wiped it somewhat clean.  A warning sign was flashing on the screen.

"The fuc…" exclaimed the man as he was looking at the screen.  He frantically started typing on the control panel and the other monitors started to fill with a variety of different maps and graphs, one highlighted a blue planet, the third out of eight back from a star.  Another showed a spike in an energy chart.

"Surely, it can't be him…" he mumbled to himself, after more frantic typing a massive grin appeared across his rugged face.

"Jon! Come here! I found him!" he shouted.
A large dark-skinned muscle-bound man entered the room.  

"Who did you find Keanu?" Jon inquired.

"Eks!, I found Eks!"

"Are you sure?"

"C'mon man, this is what I do. Of course I'm sure!" 

"Motherfucker is still alive. Damn that's good to hear. Where is he?"

"He's on this planet" Keanu said as he gestured at the screen showing the highlighted planet.  "It's the third planet in the Epsilon 12 system of the Mew Psi galaxy.  I picked the signal up through one of my dark space radars.  It's a 10-week dark space jump to get there."  Keanu explained with great excitement in his voice.

"Well shit, guess it's time for us go get the band back together.  Let's jump as soon as we can."

"Already ahead of ya, I'll had the nav comp plotting the jump while we were chatting.  We jump in five minutes, so get your shit sorted.  The federation will likely pick up the signal soon and we need to beat them there."

"Got it"

With that both men went to work quickly getting the ship sorted for a dark space jump, this meant ensuring that all the ships blast screens were shut and that nothing loose could be flung around cabin during the initial surge.  The two men were both veteran warriors and travelers, with this experience they were able to have the ship ready and were strapped in with a minute to spare before the jump.  When that minute passed, they felt a massive surge of acceleration and disappeared.

• 

The nurse and orderly wheeled me into my new room, I was lucky to be getting a single room.  Most other rooms on this ward had four beds, they had decided to keep me separate because I was still recovering from my coma and I may have had a rare cancer that would put me at risk of catching other infections from the other patients.  Once I was in my new room, the nurse gave handover of my care to the new nurse and left with a smile and wave.  My new nurse was called Monica, she was tall and slender with blonde hair that reached just above her shoulders.  She introduced herself and gave me a brief explanation of what my rehab entailed and when we would be starting.  Not long after she had left the ward physiotherapist introduced himself, his name was Adam.  He was an Asian man with short black hair and judging from the tone of his arms, I'd say he'd be very strong.  He seemed nice, he told me that we would start with basic mobilisation program tomorrow and as soon as I was able to freely walk and conduct my daily activities I could go home.  

Shortly after Adam left, Paul and another man entered my room.  

"Good Afternoon Zack, I'm Dr Charles.  I'm the Dean of the Student Affairs.  Firstly, I just like to say that I'm very sorry for your loss.  It must be an extremely difficult time for you and if there is anything we can do to help please let us know.  Secondly, we have been reviewing your situation and we have decided that it would be best for you to take the rest of the year off and start the year over next year."  Dr Charles explained with genuine kindness in his eyes.

"Thank you.  Will I have to complete the first half of the year again or just the second part?"

"You will need to complete the first half again because it will be covered in your end of year exams and you would be at a disadvantage if it had been over a year since you covered the content in a clinical setting."

"Ok, thank you.  It's a little disappointing I must admit, but I think you're right.  Is there anything you need me to do?

"Yes, can you please sign these forms saying that you are requesting the rest of the year off and intend to recommence the course next year."

With that I signed the forms and Dr Charles was on his way.

"At least that's one less thing to worry about it" mentioned Paul from his chair in the corner of the room.  He had sat down and waited whilst Dr Charles and I were talking.  

"This is true, but I worry that without that distraction I may continue to spiral.  If I'm being honest, I really don't want to live without Amy.  Everything just seems so hopeless" I choked out as the emotions of started to well up.

"Do you think that's what she would want?  You to just give up?  She always spoke about how inspired she was about your persistence and dedication.  Don't prove her wrong."

"I'm trying, but every time I fall asleep, I dream of our last moments and how I failed her" I cried into my hands with tears streaming down my face.

Paul came and sat on the edge of my bed.

"It's going to be Ok, it's going to take time but it's going to be Ok" Paul comforted and put his hand on my shoulder.

• 



My physiotherapy sessions started the next day.  Since I had broken both my legs in the crash, one especially badly, and I had sustained many other fractures throughout my body, not to mention the countless surgeries, no one expected me to progress far or quickly.  Adam started by trying to get me to stand up using a frame and the side of the bed.  Given that I had spent the last 10 weeks in bed my legs were expected to be a little uneasy and much weaker, which is why he had the frame.  As I stood up, I felt a like my balance was slightly off and I gripped the side of the bed as tightly as I could to stop myself from falling.  It only took a few seconds for feeling to dissipate and then I was able to stand properly.  When I let go of the bed, I saw a handprint crushed into the bed.  <Was that there before?  That would take some serious force.> I tried not to think about it too much and focused on the task ahead, there would be plenty of time to figure what was going on later.  With the help of Adam and the frame I took a few steps easily before letting go of the frame and continuing to walk.  Adam stopped and let me walk by myself, he looked shocked.

"How does it feel? Are you in any pain?" Adam said with a perplexed look on his face.

"It feels fine, like I never stopped" I replied starting to pick up the pace in my walking.

"This is very odd, you shouldn't be able to stand properly yet alone power walk.  If you are feeling up to it, try a slight jog."

I slowly picked up my pace until I was jogging, everything felt fine, so I pushed harder and harder until I was practically sprinting.  I never felt like I'd moved so fast before or so easily, it felt like the resistance I would normally have to push against was gone.

"Ok, that's enough, don't overdo it.  I don't know how you've recovered so quickly, but it's clear you have.  As far, as I'm concerned you are alright to go home." Adam said standing there with his hands on his hips and a confused smile.

The medical staff kept me in for another two weeks to run more tests and try and find what was happening to me before they gave up.  They told me that they couldn't find anything causing the changes and that other than my increased cell numbers and bone density, there was nothing wrong with me.  After I said my goodbyes and thank you to all the nurses and doctors that had looked after me during my staff, Paul picked me up took me home.  

Arriving home was one of the most terrifying moments for me.  I didn't know how I would react to seeing all of Amy's things and the pictures of us again.  At first, the familiar surroundings brought a sense of comfort and ease.  It was good to be home, to sit on my own couch, watch my own tv and sleep in my own bed.  However, as a couple days past and the excitement of being home had worn off, I started to see everything in the cold light of day.  There was no one beside me on our couch, there was no one complaining about the usual isekai harem trash anime I watched and there was no one to cuddle up to me in our bed.  These feelings of loneliness and loss were only compounded by the togetherness and happiness represented in all our photos.  Every time I saw her smile in a photo I was reminded of that night and how I failed her, every time I saw us together, I felt another crack grow in my heart and the tendrils of despair slowly tighten their grip on me.  As the week progressed, I started to leave the lights off throughout the house so I didn't see her, I just couldn't bring myself to take them down.  The darkness in the house echoed throughout my heart and the tendrils started to pull me down into the abyss.

<Why I am still here?  Why did I survive?  I miss her so much…..>

As the darkness took hold and fell deeper into the abyss, I crawled inside a bottle looking for the salvation that comes in the form of forgetting.  I drunk myself into a stupor most nights, trying to escape that night.  Still I fell deeper.  Ever deeper into the abyss.  I was now so deep that I could no longer see any light shining through, that was ok, she was my light and now she was gone, I didn't deserve any light.

After a few days of falling, I finally hit the bottom of the abyss.  I stumbled to my medical box and took out enough pills of the two medications that I knew would cause certain liver and kidney failure.  I collapsed onto our bed after stumbling back to the bedroom, I had one last look at her side of the bed and swallowed all the pills, washing them down with half a bottle of bourbon for good measure.

<Not long now Amy, I'll be with you soon….>

Holding her pillow close, I went to sleep and waited for the darkness to embrace me.

Ekasala was once the most powerful being in the universe, but he gave it all up to protect his crew.  He was imprisoned inside a human for 32 years before tragedy struck and he was released. Now the universe has moved on and he has to battle to find a purpose and reclaim his spot at the top.

Ren Longwei chocked on the words he was about to say.

He quickly followed up his earlier apology: "I wasn't suggesting an apology could make up for the way you've been treated. I'm Ren Longwei CEO and Heir to City Bank, please follow me to my office and we will give you a satisfactory response to this situation."

Li Xiuying: "Does the office contain a set of guidelines for dealing with this situation?"

Ren Longwei chocked again. 'This woman really knew how to make people speechless.'

Little 4th wriggled out of his mother's arms and stood next to Li Xiuying. 

Little 4th was full of suspicion: "Why do you want to take my big sister YingYing to your office?" The man before him looked shifty. 

Ren Longwei: "Well you see Little master I was inviting all three of you to the office, I was hoping to resolve this situation and help with anything that your... big sister wanted help with before this incident occurred." He was confused 'I thought Elder Qin only had 4 sons and Zhou FengMian was not yet married into the Qin family, so who is this woman?'

Madame Qin stood next to Little 4th. The trio stood looking at Ren Longwei. 
 
Ren Longwei was just about to speak again when a voice from the entrance interrupted him: "I.."

Male voice: "Longwei what's going on?"

Ren Longwei swung around to the entrance. There were two well-dressed men in their '50s strolling towards him. Both men were wearing white shirts; one was wearing a navy pinstripe suit and the other was wearing a deep mulberry suit similar to the one Ren Longwei was wearing. It was a shareholder of City Bank; Zhang Renshu was in navy and the founder of City Bank and his father Ren Shirong in mulberry.

All the staff stood up straight: "Welcome Founder Ren and Mr Zhang."

Ren Longwei: "Father what brings you here?"

Ren Shirong: "Renshu and I were in the area taking care of some business and we both thought we could take you out to lunch."

Although, Ren Shirong was in his 50's he looked like he was only 40 at most. He had a handsome face and had a full head of well styled black hair. 

Zhang Renshu eyed the group: "What's with all this trouble?"

Ren Longwei didn't know where to begin.

Li Xiuying: "A disagreement."

Ren Longwei forehead had three black lines. 'Disagreement?! Disagreement your sister!' There were four security guards knocked out and laying on their faces, a woman sobbing so hard she shook and a red-faced man who looked like he was bursting with anger. Manager Gao was also nursing his cheek looking aggrieved. 

Little 4th spoke to the two men who just entered "Mister Grandpa's this auntie here" he pointed at Bao Ai.

Little 4th: "And the man behind her Yang An were stopping us from entering the bank, they called us trash and village bumpkins who only had pocket change. They insulted my mommy and big sister YingYing and pushed me onto the floor."

Little 4th: "My big sister YingYing only said a few words to them and they're behaving like someone stole their candy and toys. They just want sympathy and to make my big sister look bad. Hmph. They're just attention finders."

Li Xiuying: "Attention seekers."

Little 4th nodded: "Attention seekers."

By now all the customers had left and there were only staff members remaining.

Everyone: "..." All the staff was rendered speechless. They couldn't believe the little buns words. What "only a few words"? Those words were like poison coated bullets. Your big sister had taken direct shots at Bao Ai's heart making her into a blubbering mess!

Little 4th: "Oh and I almost forgot this manager person, he shouted at my mommy and big sister and said they were falling apples and old trees." Although the little bun had a high IQ he would sometimes still say things that were more in line with his age. 

Zhang Renshu and Ran Shirong were watching the cute little bun as he animated told them his side of the events. They assessed Li Xiuying and Madame Qin aka the apple and tree.

All of a sudden Ren Shirong had a huge smile on his previously serious face: "Dr. Li Xiuying!" He jumped over to Li Xiuying.

Ren Shirong: "Xiuying do you remember uncle?!" 

Li Xiuying just stared at the man's face 'Who is this excitable old man? Her father only had one brother'

Zhang Renshu: "Shirong who is this young lady?"

Ren Shirong: "Renshu this is the famous Dr Li I told you about. She's the one who operated on me after my car accident. She brought me back from the brink of death."

Ren Shirong: "Xiuying, uncle has been looking for you everywhere. You must come to lunch with me today it'll be uncle's treat. I won't take no for an answer. Please bring your family with you."

Ren Shirong was a little perplexed as he thought 'I thought Xiuying's parents had passed away and she was an only child. Didn't Xiuying reportedly live with her uncle and his family? Who are this woman and little child?'

Ren Longwei stood there confused. 'What's happening right now? Have I stepped into some weird alternate reality? This malnourished teenager is the famous surgeon Dr Li?'

Ren Shirong was absolutely ecstatic to see Li Xiuying. He literally owed this young girl his life. 

Ren Longwei decided not to try and understand Dr Li's current state. He came forward with his phone which displayed the security footage from the foyer. The conversation which had taken place between the staff and Li Xiuying could be heard loud and clear

Ren Shirong looked at the tiny screen which showcased the suffering Li Xiuying had endured at the hands of his employees.  He was annoyed at the nerve of Bao Ai, Yang An and Gao Fang. 'How dare they treat my savior in such a way!'

Ren Shirong: "Gao Fang, Bao Ai and Yang An stand in a line in front of me." 

Ren Shirong faced the three people who had mistreated Li Xiuying: "All three of you are fired, City bank isn't equipped to deal with people of such high caliber as yourselves. We can't afford to start refusing clients. We value every customer who comes through our doors, whoever they may be and wherever they may be from."

Yang An: "Founder Ren we weren't at fault this woman..."

Ren Shirong: "Longwei get someone to escort these three ex-employees out. Give them their salary for the whole of this month."

Manager Gao: "Founder Shirong you can't do this! I've been working in City bank for 10 years, I've been loyal to this bank, I've worked hard! You can't do this to me?! You'll never be able to replace me!!!"

Li Xiuying looked at the screaming manager Gao from head to toe. She may never have personally gone shopping but she had been subjected to years of gloating from the Li Family. Li Yu Yan and Li Na in particular always took any opportunity they could to display their luxury items bought with Li Xiuying's money.

Li Xiuying channeled her inner catalog: "Your vintage Leben watch $550k, the suit is a Paul Zixin original worth $500k, Paul Zixin shirt $5000, Diamond cuff-links $19986 and Emiliano Saverio loafers $8000. Totaling $1082986 or 7,380,549.59 yuan. " 

Manager Gao turned pale 'was this woman a bar code reader?!'

Ren Shirong immediately knew what Li Xiuying was hinting at: "Longwei call your uncle and cousin and inform them about the situation. Ask them to head down here as soon as possible. Get the security guards to detain Gao Fang." 

When Ren Shirong heard the total cost of Gao Fang's outfit his heart almost stopped beating. 'How could Gao Fang afford such things on his manager's salary? Such a large sum of money on just one outfit who knew the extent of his spending. It was almost certain that Gao Fang was embezzling money and committing some kind of financial fraud.'

Ren Shirong's older brother Ren Guotin was one of the most well-known lawyers in the country. Ren Guiton's daughter, Ren Daiyu was a public prosecutor. 

Manager Gao was petrified and was filled with regret: 'Why didn't I keep my mouth shut? What if they find out about all the money I...?!  I can't go to prison!!'

With the fear of prison fueling him, he made an attempt to escape. Just when he managed to get one foot out of the main door. The Qin family bodyguard hit him on the back of his neck and caused him to fall flat on his face. 

Ren Shirong: "Xiuying lets go to lunch. Is this your brother and ..." He paused he didn't know what to call the old lady, the little bun called Li Xiuying big sister but he called the old woman his mother. 

Li Xiuying: "No they're not. I still have to sort out some issues regarding my finances."

Ren Shirong: "Okay let's sort out your finances first. I'll call my best financial adviser to come down and then we can all go to lunch." The financial adviser he was referring too was currently on his annual leave and skiing in a resort some distance away from Beijing. 

Li Xiuying: "No need, she'll do." She pointed at Mao Syà.

Mao Syà yelped in surprise: "What? Me!" She couldn't understand what was happening right now.

Li Xiuying: "Little 4th and Madame, please wait in the seating area."

Li Xiuying is the youngest surgeon the world has ever seen. 

Once upon a time, her work had meaning; to save lives. But soon surgery lost all of its meaning to her, she became an operating machine. She didn’t even meet the patient until they were unconscious on her surgical table like a piece of meat waiting to be carved. 

She neglected love, friendship, beauty, her health all to work tirelessly like a dog and continue to make her family happy. Even when she had no more left to give; they made sure she gave.

But betrayal came swiftly and suddenly and Li Xiuying met her untimely end at the hands of her most trusted and loves ones. 

All the world’s a stage and it seems it is not yet time for Li Xiuying to exit. She finds herself waking up in her bed, 8 years in the past.
 
She is granted a second chance at life.

............................................................................................

This is a slow romance novel 

The novel may have realistic elements but it is a Work of Fiction.

There will be medical cases and scenario's included due to the main character (Li Xiuying) being a doctor. I have tried my best to explain as much of the medical terminology as possible.

...........................................................................................

Gray received a message from Caleb saying that he was back and found some interesting information.

Everyone on the team met up in the mess hall except for Jono who had taken the day off, although Gray assumed he was just playing other games in the virtual world.

Caleb saw how beat up some of them were and had to ask "What happened to you four?"

Looking at each other, Paul, Gray, Geoff, and even Yurika had bruises on their upper bodies.

"The six of us went to a close combat seminar of sorts that Major Valen hosted, although it felt like it was more of an excuse for him to get violent with us." Gray said plainly while sitting down gingerly to avoid hurting the bruise on his butt.

"So if it was a seminar, why the bruising, did he use the 4 of you as examples?"

"No, that was from the battle royale at the end, although it turned into a lump of chaos, fists, and feet."

"Did you guys win?"

Gray, Paul, Yurika, and Geoff turned to look at Xyra who meekly held her fingers up in a V and whispered "I won."

"In a battle royale, I would have assumed it would either have been you or Yurika that would've won." Caleb said analytically.

"Huh?  Why would you think Xyra would've won?" Yurika said.

"You gained nothing from defeating an opponent in that battle royale, and I imagine she just played invisible until the end so she was at full strength while the other person was probably tired.  Still, who was able to get Yurika out, Major Valen?"

"I was disqualified they said for striking since we weren't allowed to strike anyone, but I didn't strike anyone!"

"You struck a blow so hard against every male there that if you weren't disqualified you'd have won by fear alone!" Gray complained.

"You're all just a bunch of babies!  If I had balls I wouldn't submit as soon as someone grabbed them!"

Caleb instinctively covered his groin and said, "Yes, that would be a death blow to most men, it was a good decision to disqualify her."

"So what interesting information did you get?" Gray asked Caleb.

"I thought it would be quite difficult since I believed Alterra Corporation was founded in the virtual world, but it ends up that it is merely a subsidiary of a larger corporation based here in the real world."

"That doesn't surprise me really though, it's virtual so Alterra Corporation is essentially worthless, right?"

"In terms of physical assets, yes, but in terms of intellectual property they are still quite valuable.  What is really interesting was who was put in charge and what happened to their parent company."

"I smell a lore dump..." Geoff complained

"I know, sorry, I'll keep it as short as possible..." Caleb said, then cleared his throat causing everyone else to get comfortable as this might take awhile.

"In 2049, Terra Research and Development started working with the Alliance military to develop control systems for being able to remotely control machinery.  The idea was they wanted the operator to be able to use the machinery as if it was his own hand and naturally the military saw the application in this for warfare which we can all see the result of today."

Gray felt something warm lean against his arm and saw that Yurika had already dozed off and was leaning against him. "That makes sense, but nothing suspicious."

"I know, I'm getting to it!  Remember that video we watched of the initial tests?"

"Yeah, when Dr. Sara Watts was already an AI.  When was that taken?"

"About 40 years ago, here is Edward Teach from that video..." Caleb pulled out a tablet and showed everyone a screenshot of the video where Edward Teach was visible.

"What about it?" Gray asked.

"Here is a video from the last company picnic of Terra Research and Development back in 2079, roughly one year before this video." Caleb swiped on his tablet and a video played of what looked to be a traditional company picnic.

The various employees waved to the camera as it moved around the picnic and then it moved to two people deep in conversation with a bunch of tablets filled with data, equations, and notes.  What sounded like it came from operator of the camera, a female voice said "Sara!  Eddie!  Enough already!  You need to relax every now and then!"

The woman looked up and at the camera and gave it a dazzling smile, Gray and the others recognized her as Doctor Sara Watts.

"I know Margo, we're just so excited!  It's so close!" Sara said excitedly.

The woman behind the camera, Margo then said "I understand that, but you need to let me keep Eddie to myself sometimes!  He married me, not his work."

The man looked up from the pile of tablets and said "Sorry my love, you're right, we need to relax sometimes.  Sara, we can continue this tomorrow."

Gray and the others recognized him as Edward Teach from the video they saw earlier.

Sara looked dejected and said "Fine, I'm not in the mood anymore anyways."

"Silly girl, you're young and beautiful, take your time and find your significant other just like I did and you can find more purpose in life than just research, now, take this camera so I can take my husband!"

The camera was handed to Dr. Sara Watts and then turned to reveal Margo, she was a surprisingly tall woman as she was the same height as Edward Teach.  Her shoulder length chestnut hair was loose and hanging free while her big brown eyes were easy to get lost in.  She could best be described as playful and seductive the way she pulled Edward towards her after he stood up.

"Sara, go film everyone else sweetie, I know a few men that would love for you to pay attention to them." Margo winked at Sara in the video.

"F**k you Margo!" Sara suddenly said.  Margo seemed to enjoy her reaction as she was laughing.

Edward was laughing as well and said "Now now, don't tease Sara, her brilliance is beyond most of us, but you know how she is about relationships."

"Yes yes dear, I know, but I was thinking she might just need to be dumped into the swimming pool instead of wasting time trying to wade into it!"

"I am sorry for my outburst, I just hate being pushed in to things." Sara said apologetically.

"It's fine Sara, but we're here for you if you need advice."

The camera seemed to move up when Sara stood up, then Sara was heard muttering "How do you zoom this thing?" which was followed by a string of expletives as the camera suddenly looked at the ground.  The ground became closer extremely fast followed by a loud thunk sound, a bunch more expletives, then the video ending.

"Thoughts?" Caleb asked everyone.

"Dr. Sara Watts just got waaaay hotter, never knew she had a mouth like that." Geoff said...  Paul and Gray nodded in agreement, but Gray suddenly felt a fist collide with the side of his head as Yurika punched him in her sleep.

"How did she..." Gray said to himself, then thought it best not to question it.

"Aside from that you idiots." Caleb said getting annoyed.

"Edward Teach looked to be in his 50s and Margo quite a bit younger, maybe late 20s or early 30s?  We've never heard of her though in Alterra Corporation." Stacia commented.

"Yes, we are assuming she worked for them, but that might not be the case, still, the Edward Teach from Terra Research and Development was indeed married I discovered."

"Ok, so what about the current Edward Teach?" Gray asked.  "Isn't his real name Stephen Seegall?"

"Stephen Seegall, I couldn't find anything recent about him, just that he now goes by Edward Teach.  I found records of his education from his teens to prove he has a doctorate, but what is strange is I can't find any records of him going to high school or even elementary school.  The only thing I can find of him is a class picture from kindergarten."

Caleb pulled up the picture and showed it to everyone and circled one of the faces in it.

"That should be him, but I couldn't find anything about the other students or even the school as it is like it disappeared.  I only found this picture from a parent's blog that was still in an old web archive.  The blog itself only mentioned a Stephen once... here..."

Caleb scrolled down and highlighted a small section that read "Our boy tried to talk to Erika again, but as usual Stephen wouldn't allow it.  I feel sorry for Erika as Stephen is obsessed with her.  They're just kids, Ryan already forgot about it anyways!"

"Any idea which one is Erika?" Gray asked.

"Not a clue, the only reason I could find Stephen was due to similar facial features, even then it's not 100% accurate."

Gray looked at the picture of Stephen and followed the direction that his eyes were looking.  Three girls were in Stephen's line of sight, one of them stood out from the other two, her posture was bossy and her face looked familiar, albeit younger.

"Caleb!  When was this picture taken?!?"

"No idea, but judging from the logos on the kid's shirts, I'd say 15 to 25 years ago from the virtual world."

Gray stared at the little girl with bright clothes and long blonde hair that was tied up in pig tails.

Gray said with a serious expression "I think this is Erika... and I think we've all met her..."

A hundred years from now the Earth is now reduced to several domed cities after the last war raised the temperature across the planet thus raising the sea level.

The most common escape for everyone is virtual reality.  A new game, Alterra Online, is set to release and promises to be the most realistic mecha/military/political simulation to date as well as the first full dive virtual reality game.

Gray Wilhelm, like so many others, wants to be one of the first to play.  What is Alterra Online's secret?  Why do players feel more alive in the game than in real life?  And why is the government and Alterra Corporation working on it together?

Features:
- NO Systems, Reincarnations, Supernatural Powers, harems, or brain dead females that chase after MC.
- Monty Python references and many others.
- Believable characters



11/9/2019 - Slowing down release rate temporarily as I edit and clean up the first volume extensively.  Wow was I bad!  Doesn't quite need a rewrite thankfully.

O'Neil Andrew Morisette was born into the Divine Empire of Titan with a silver, no, golden spoon in his mouth. Having been sent to prison at the young age of 5 for being the perpetrator of the biggest scandal of Titan Imperialty, he launched his political career after his release. He could be the Emperor's favorite minister, the Princess's husband, a Prince of the Divine Empire of Titan, or a marshal with tens of thousands of soldiers, but which persona will he choose to identify with?

This is a story of choices, of intrigue, of love. Will O'Neil Andrew Morisette bow to his fate, or will he entangle himself in romance? Where does his destiny lead, and what changes will he bring to the strongest empire in Westland?

dr paul young

Dr. Clown

Cecilia Paul

Siana

Killer Instinct

One Night Accident

The Design of Life

Rebirth: Reawakening of the Strongest

Granting You a Second Life

The Alterra Project

Titan Beneath the Heavens

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