In the Year 2085, Twenty years after 8.9 billion lives were lost. The world has settled into a sort of peaceful coexistence with the new world.

Multis’ rose from those ashes. Mercs, detectives, soldiers for hire. Any job too dangerous to risk the lives of humans, they were brought in. It started as a way to save the remaining humans but was deemed too inhumane. They were no longer human but not fully machine, an 80/20 ratio on most. Many city states were abandoned but left behind treasures. Treasures that many would pay anything for.

Deep in Sector Twelve, the fourth abandoned city state. a middle aged, salt and pepper haired man wearing enough rags and cloth to cover his entire body, looks over an abandoned and half collapsed four story building as he surveys the surroundings.

“Are you sure this is the place, Quinn?” The man says as his lightweight Monoeye drone returns to its charging port on the mans’ three wheel Omnibike.

With a slight buzz in his head, Quinn speaks through his H.F.P implant. “I am positive, Jack.” 

“Yeah, well, you aren’t looking at the destroyed building in front of me. No old world tech can survive in those conditions.” 

“The Spellbook is new tech, first gen but still. The entire room it’s in is like a vault so how about you stop stalling and do the job that Aquatech is paying you for.”

With another buzz and a slight crackle, the call ends. “I hate doing jobs for CorpRats, but money’s money.” He says to himself as he hops onto his omnibike.

Swerving in-between debris and long abandoned cars. Jack cuts the engine and drifts into the former parking lot of the building.

He takes the Monoeye out of his bike and sets it to patrol mode and with a gust of wind, it takes off. A small screen with the drones view appears in the bottom right of Jacks’ eyesight.

Slowly making his way through the building, he finds an intact stairwell. It feels like it goes on forever, much deeper than it should. He makes his way all the way down to the bottom. The stairs lead into a massive room, big enough to fit three of the buildings on the surface inside and still have room. The most impressive part being the absolutely massive circular vault door on the far end.

Jack taps the base of his ear, “Call Quinn.” a moment passes before a slight buzz alerts him to her presence. 

“Did you find it?”

“If not then I’d wonder what the giant vault door I am standing in front of is for.”

“That is good news. Take the device I gave you and place it in the console in the center of the room.”

Jack takes a small flat disc out of his pocket and walks to the center but cannot find the console. “There’s no console, Quinn.”

“What do you see?”

“There are different shaped holes in the center. A diamond, star, triangle, and circle.”

“A moment please.” after a minute or so, “ah, okay, take the entry key and hold it over the diamond shaped hole in the center.”

A black pole rises from the hole and after making contact with the disc, begins to spread like liquid around it. Jack releases the disc as the black Liquid begins gushing out of the hole until it settles into a massive statue of a six headed humanoid machine.

“Speak their name and the path will open!” Its voice echoes through Jacks’ body like his very soul was rattled.

“Smiley.” Quinn says without hesitation.

“Correct.” The statue says as it sinks back into the ground and the door begins to open.

Confused and still rattled, Jack says, “how did it hear you?”

“Does it matter? Just go in and get our property.”

Jack shrugs off the odd event and continues into the vault. Beyond the door, the room shrinks significantly until he is face to face with a normal wood door. He slowly opens it and walks in as he assesses that there are no surprises or traps. Inside the room, 

The walls are covered, floor to ceiling, with old box tvs. The only other furniture is a nightstand with a single yellow book with strange writing on it.

“Quinn? I don’t see your Spellbook here, only a realfeel book.” 

“That can’t be right! I am positive that it is in…” the call suddenly ends with a loud ear bleeding screech.

“Ah! Son of a!” he says as he rubs his ear in a futile attempt to stop the ringing before it passes.

The  screens all light up. Bright yellow, some with sickly yellow smiles and a single message across the ones in front of Jack.

    TOUCH THE BOOK AND BECOME REAL

Jack hesitates but is drawn to it like a moth to the flame. He places his hand on the cover and the room becomes blindingly bright and he passes out.  

Jack awakens half submerged in sand. It has been one week since he appeared in this seemingly endless desert.

Today is different. On this day, he opens his eyes, not to the blinding light of the sun but the grinning face of a strange man.

The most accurate way to describe this man would be “yellow”. Everything from his eyes, teeth, hair, skin, and his modern tech wear hoodie and baggy pants are extremely yellow. 

“Hello.” 

Stunned, confused, and a little relieved, Jack sits up toward the man. “What do you want?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I am more than familiar with simulated realities. My best guess is that my body is sitting in that lab. So, I will ask again,” Jack takes a breath. "What do you want?”

The grin on the strange man grows unnaturally wide, “you are smart at least. That is good. You might survive going forward.”

The strange man moves into a cross legged sitting position without moving his torso. The sand beneath him begins to shift. Growing more and more until it swallows Jack whole.

The sand opened from beneath Jack as he fell onto hardwood floors. Slowly, Jack gets up and looks around the room he is in. A dining room, with a cheap ikea table for six and a few chipped and well used chairs. He hears a familiar noise from the room over.

A small living room. A small three person couch and dual floor lamps on each side. Sitting in the middle of the room, on a small circular rug, a boy and the yellow man. A small box television sits in front of them. 

Without looking, the yellow man speaks. “Do you remember this?

“Sitting and watching cartoons with a strange man? No, I do not.”  

“The show, Jack.”

Jack moves to his side and sits. “This was a long time ago. This is power rangers, right? I remember bits and pieces. Team of teens turned heroes.”

The man smiles widely again. “You were obsessed with it. It took over halloween costumes and birthday parties for a few years.”

Turning away from the tv, “what is this? Why show me this?”

The man snaps his fingers and the two now sit in black chairs at a small circular table in a white void.

“Think of me like the big head in the tube. I have chosen you.”

“What if I don’t accept it?”

“Too late. You accepted the second you touched the book and released me.”

He waves at Jacks’ face like dismissing his thoughts. “Let me start at the beginning. My name is Smiley. I am one of six A.I.’s that both saved and doomed the world.”

“The E.A.R.T.H project?”

“Correct. After that whole situation, we were each locked away. Interesting little devices, totally off grid, not a single signal in or out.”

“How did I release you?” Jack said.

“To you, it looked like you touched a book but in reality, you pressed a button. Connected me to you and the greater world from there.”

“Why do you need me then? If you are free, you should be able to find your friends fairly easily.”

Smiley laughs until he coughs, “Friends?! No no no, it’s more accurate to call them pieces of me.” he lets out a sigh. “The world is very different. Less connected than before and what is on the grid, has other A.I. roaming it. It is proving quite difficult so I need you.”

“So we are back to why should I help you?”

“Like I said, it’s too late. The process has begun.” He waves his hand and a massive wall appears and projects security footage from inside the lab. 

Inside a coffin-like bed, floating in light, is Jacks’ body.

“What are you doing to me?!” he says as his legs propel him out of his chair and onto his feet.

“Calm down and look closely.”

Taking a beat and looking closer, Jack sees that his body is different. Youthful, healthy, and more importantly, human. All the cybernetics and implants were gone. 

“I don’t understand. What am I looking at?”

“I rebuilt your body to be more useful. To be able to endure the power I am giving you.”

As he says that, a large blinding flash appears on the screen as four heavily armed soldiers adorned with 

Aquatechs logo burst into the room, followed closely by a woman in a hoodie and blue jeans. Silently she appears to order the men to disconnect Jack from the machine.

“Looks like we are out of time. Tell no one about me and I will contact you again when I am able.”

As Jack turns to say something, Smileys’ face melts away as does the void and he opens his eyes.