Multiverse

Chapter 5

It was a vast cavern, almost as big as New York City. Stretching for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see. It looked just like the city he had seen before. Bright lights, tall buildings, and cool high tech vehicles zooming around.

"Woah!" Zane exclaimed.

Alex grinned. The platform came to a halt. Zane got out of the car along with Alex. He noticed that he was still holding the weapon he had taken before. He held it tighter. Zane still wasn’t sure whether he was dealing with friends or foes.

Alex walked forward, gesturing to Zane to follow him, and he did. They walked on a ramp that was only about a meter wide and had no rails or any sort of barrier to prevent them from falling over. Zane felt his legs shivering, warning him not to go any further and retreat back to the platform, where it was safer. But Zane kept going, determined to show the puny chest of his that he was boss.

The ramp led to a long corridor. It was long and winding, but well lit. Alex walked onward, filled with energy. He looked very excited. Zane caught up with him to ask some questions that had been bothering him from the time he had entered this weird world.

"Excuse me, uh… Mr. Alex,"

"Save your words, because I don’t have the answers to your questions. And just call me Alex," he said with a slight smile on his face.

"Okay," Zane replied with a puzzled look. "Then who has the answers?"

Alex stopped walking, ignoring Zane’s question. They had reached a crossroad, with three more roads leading to random directions. Alex took the one to the left, a short corridor with a translucent door at the end.

The door was unlike anything he had seen. It looked like a hologram projection rather than something hard made out of iron or wood. He reached out to touch it, but Alex yanked his hand back,

"Be careful!" he said, looking dissatisfied, "You don’t want yourself to be stunned!"

He stood in front of a short column. Green rays emitted from a hole in the middle, scanning his eyes.

The column buzzed and the door flickered and vanished away. Zane’s eyes grew wide with amazement. He had never seen anything like it and was certain that he wouldn’t in the future when he returns back to his world. This was a game, after all, anything was possible.

"Where are you taking me?" Zane asked.

"To meet my leader, the founder of the Resistance. He is the most wanted person in the virus, and he is heavily guarded. So it would be wise to leave your g*n down here, or the scanners will detect it and shoot or electrify you. If you are lucky, that is."

Zane reluctantly kept his g*n down. "Don’t worry, you’ll get it back when we return," said Alex. "That is only if I return," Zane thought.

They walked a few meters, passing around a dozen guards who were holding weapons, which increased Zane’s suspicion that he was in trouble. Why were they allowed to hold weapons when he was not? They stopped by a door. This, however, looked like an old fashioned steel door. Alex knocked on it. Zane could tell that it was very hard only by hearing the sound it made.

"Enter," he heard someone say from inside. Multiple locks were unlocked just as he said it, and the door slid open.

Alex walked in, with Zane trailing along with him. Zane saw that the door was only around two millimetres thick. Would someone who is guarded so much have such thin doors in his office? Alex saw his confused look. "It is made out of Cytrix, an alloy invented by the Resistance. According to the data we have collected, it is by far the strongest metal in the universe. Its only weakness is–"

"There is no need to give an unknown person such confidential information," a deep voice said.

Zane spun his head around to see where it was coming from. Alex straightened his position like a soldier, his body stiff, and replied. "Yes sir!" He walked forward, taking Zane with him.

They stopped in front of a large oak table. A man was sitting in the shadows behind it.

"Who have you brought here?" he asked.

"I was out on my daily surveillance mission when I found him, about to be shot. So I rescued him. And I think we have found ourselves a player!" Alex excitedly said.

"Interesting,"

"Sir that means we can now launch mission Zero One!" Alex exclaimed.

"I know, we must get ready,"

"Excuse me, but what are we talking about?" Zane asked. "And you are going to answer me. You will answer all my questions!"

"I think we have got ourselves someone with a low temper. I will make sure that all your questions are answered as soon as possible," the man said.

Alex, who had forgotten about Zane in his joy, remembered him again, "And according to my knowledge, you will be living with us from now on."

"That sounded a bit like threatening me. Are you going to keep me captive?"

"Oh no, we are only inviting you. You could leave at any time and get yourself killed out there, or you could stay with us, safe and sound," the man sitting behind the table replied.

Zane closed his eyes. He had got himself into this trouble, and now he couldn’t get out. "I think I will stay," Zane said.

"Very well," he said and spoke in a loud and clear voice. "A-7! Escort him to his chambers and make the necessary arrangements. And answer his questions too."

A woman appeared out of nowhere. "Yes sir," she spoke in a human-robotic voice. "The player will be taken to room number 739,"

"You may go now," the man ordered.

"Please follow me," the robot woman said to Zane. He hesitated. "It’s fine. She will take you to your room. I will meet you there," Alex said.

"Fine," Zane said and reluctantly followed the robot out of the room to his new home, which was only a room. He missed Dexter a lot.

When Zane had gone and the guards had closed the door behind him, Alex spoke. "Do you think that he is ready to go on the mission?"

"I don’t think so. We will have to start training him, first thing tomorrow,"

Alex nodded in agreement. "But what if he decides to not go on the mission?"

"He will, whether he likes it or not,"