A Play For Time Ch. 2 (System Apocalypse) (Patreon)

A/N: Part 1 here for those who need a refresher before reading.

I said in another post that this idea had died on me and wasn't going to be continued. I guess I was wrong, because I wound up writing a second chapter.

I'm not going to make any big promises about where this is going. I still haven't even given it a name. But I hope you guys enjoy reading Chapter Two as much as I enjoyed writing it. And maybe a Chapter Three will be faster coming than this one was lol.

-x-X-x-

Theresa stands off to the side as she watches Bruno and Kyle face off with one another. The two men are dressed in loose workout attire, and circle one another on the mat. Then, quick as a flash, Kyle lunges forward. Bruno tries to respond, but he’s not as fast as the other man. Not as strong either.

In an instant, it’s over. Kyle flips Bruno over his shoulder and then goes down with him, pinning the other man to the ground and forcing him into a submission hold in mere moments. As Bruno taps out, Kyle laughs and lets go, rising to his feet while Bruno does the same.

“Caught you slipping, ‘runo!”

“Tch, fuck you Kyle.”

Despite the harsh words, there’s a note of amusement in Bruno’s voice and Theresa can tell there’s no hard feelings on either end. The two men clasp arms after a moment, bringing the spar to a close and moving to get their respective towels. Kyle’s journey to grab his takes him close to Theresa herself where she’s leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.

He raises an eyebrow at her and shoots her a grin.

“Something on your mind Tess?”

There’s plenty on her mind. How can there not be? Rolling her eyes at Kyle’s insistence on giving everyone a nickname, she shrugs her shoulders.

“Sure. Lots. We’ve only got a few hours until D-Day. How can I not be stuck in my own head at a time like this?”

Kyle’s smile diminishes a bit at that but comes back stronger than ever before a second later.

“Hey now. You’re acting like we’re going to our funerals when it’s the exact opposite. C’mon Tess… this is the start of something new. Something better. And we’re going to be at the forefront of it.”

He wasn’t wrong. Kyle Danvers. Bruno Forrest. And her, Theresa Vianelli. The three of them standing here in the workout room of a secret military facility had been chosen for something that still boggled the mind to think about even today. And that was the problem, really.

Theresa was a soldier. And part of being a soldier in the United States Military was following orders and not asking questions more often than not. She’d thought she made her peace with that. Until now.

“It doesn’t bother you, Kyle? The world is about to end. And we know it’s coming. We might be the only ones who know it’s coming… and we’re just letting it happen.”

Before Kyle can respond, Bruno cuts in as he walks up with his towel draped over his broad shoulders. Kyle is bigger and stronger than the other man, but that doesn’t make Bruno small or weak. He’s still tall at exactly six feet in height, and with an impressive degree of athleticism and physical health to boot.

“Bothers me a little bit, won’t lie.”

As Kyle and Theresa both turn their eyes his way, Bruno just shrugs.

“But at the same time, I’d rather be in than out. Knowing what’s coming, I wouldn’t turn down this advantage for anything in the entire world. Like Kyle said, we’re gonna be at the forefront. Leading the charge. Sure, the world is going to go to shit. But hey, at least we’ll be on top and able to mitigate the worst of it, right?”

Kyle’s grin comes back in full force and he reaches out to clap Bruno on the shoulder with a laugh.

“My man!”

Bruno just snorts and shakes his head, while Kyle directs his gaze back over to Theresa.

“’Runo is right, Tess. If you think about it for a second… what could we really have done? Told the press? Shouted it from the rooftops? Either everyone believes us and mass panic ensues, or nobody believes us and we’re either out on our asses or silenced by the government and replaced by another three who will do the job, right?”

Tess didn’t believe that. At least, not the last bit. Maybe they might have replaced her or Bruno if they’d tried to blow the whistle on this whole operation, but Kyle Danvers? President Danvers’ son? Yeah, as if. She doesn’t say that though. Aside from that bit, he’s right after all.

“At least this way, the buck will stop with us. The faster we reach the top, the more people we can save and the better we can protect our world.”

“… Yeah. You’re right.”

Kyle’s grin only grows at that.

“Of course I’m right. I’m always right!”

Clapping his hands together, he looks between them both for a moment.

“Well, like Tess said… just a few hours until it all kicks off. Time enough to take a shower and maybe catch a quick nap, yeah?”

Bruno scoffs at that.

“Sleep? At a time like this? I’m way too fucking wired man.”

“We’re going to be hitting the ground running when it starts, ‘Runo. You’re gonna want to be well-rested my man.”

Waving his hand dismissively, Bruno starts heading for the door.

“Man, I’ll just take some stims and be ready to go. Ain’t nothing new for us after all.”

He wasn’t wrong about that. They’d been training for this for over a year now, ever since they’d been brought in on the Project. Part of that training had been utilizing experimental stimulants to see how long they could reasonably go without sleep. Anything to give them an edge on their unsuspecting competition.

Kyle watches Bruno go with a rueful sigh and a shake of his head, but when he turns back to Theresa, she’s already retreating as well. Back to her quarters and into her shower, just like he’d suggested. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep any easier than Bruno, but a shower right now sounded good at the very least.

Once she’s under the shower spray, she can actually think. It’s hard. Kyle always knows what to say to get them to come around to his point of view. On the one hand, she doesn’t think he’s wrong or anything. But on the other hand, she knows he’s an expert manipulator. It was part of their training, and he’d taken to it the best. Still, he was Team Leader anyways, so it wasn’t like Theresa hadn’t been conditioned to follow his lead regardless.

That said… she was glad she didn’t have anyone on the outside to worry about. She wasn’t an orphan or anything like that, but she was the only daughter of a single mother… and frankly, Theresa and her mother hated each other’s guts. All her life, it had been her fault that her mother had a hard go of things. All her life, the woman had made sure that Theresa knew how much she’d sacrificed for her, all while doing the bare minimum to keep Theresa alive.

Her mother had been so shocked when Theresa had left as soon as she possibly could, enlisting without ever once looking back. By this point, it wouldn’t surprise her if the woman was on the streets or dead. She hadn’t ever really cared to look for her or stay in touch for that matter.

… Still. Lots of people were going to die before this was over, and Theresa liked to think she wasn’t a bad person. She wasn’t a Saint either, regardless of her name, but she wasn’t heartless.

The world as everyone knew it was going to end in a few hours. Things were going to be turned on their heads and people’s lives were going to be changed forever. And as far as anyone was aware, the only people in the whole of Planet Earth who knew that fact were either in this secret facility or the White House.

But… it was like Bruno and Kyle had said. Someone had to be on top. If the intel was to be believed, someone had to form the Triumvirate. The thought of another country managing it before the United States, or just some random fuckers with zero loyalty to anyone but themselves doing it by sheer luck or happenstance… it sent a shiver down her spine.

The Triumvirate would basically have the power to rule the world. The positions HAD to be held by people who could be trusted with that sort of power. So… why not? Why not her, Kyle, and Bruno? They’d trained for it, after all.

Part of her still can’t help feeling a little uneasy as she finally steps out of the shower though. Toweling off, shucking on some light and airy clothing and dropping onto her bed, Theresa stares up at the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes and trying to sleep. Six hours until System Initialization. Kyle was right. They’d be going hard as they could right out of the gate, so being well-rested ahead of time was crucial. Bruno was also right though. Sleeping? At a time like this? Fuck her…

-x-X-x-

Five hours and fifty five minutes later, Theresa is geared up, bright-eyed, and ready to go. As Kyle stands next to her and Bruno takes up the rear, the former looks back at the latter and then over at her before snorting derisively.

“Stims?”

“Aye-aye, Captain.”

“Yeah. Stims.”

Their illustrious leader just shakes his head in amusement before checking things over one last time. Theresa does the same and she can hear Bruno doing so as well behind them. Finally, someone else steps out in front.

“Alpha Squad. Are you ready?”

Theresa immediately straightens up in the presence of a General. Specifically, General Anders. He oversaw the Project that they’d been operating under for the past year and was technically their direct superior. In truth, he’d been relatively hands off. This was only the dozenth or so time Theresa had even seen him in the flesh in the last dozen months.

Of course, it made sense he would be here now. Things were just about to kick off.

“We’re ready, General. We’ll hit the ground running right out the gate and kick the next era of Planet Earth off right.”

Kyle’s jovial answer doesn’t seem to sit well with the General, but he doesn’t say whatever he’s thinking. Instead, he swallows those words and goes for a simple nod.

“Very good. Just be careful out there, you three. The eggheads say these early stages might be the most dangerous part for you. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Kyle glances her way, almost as if to say ‘can you believe this guy?’. Obviously, Theresa doesn’t return his energy. In the end, looking back to the General, Kyle’s smile only grows.

“Don’t you worry about us, General. Sure, we were only brought into the Project a year ago, but we’ve been training for this moment all our lives. We just didn’t know it.”

Before the General can respond… it begins. Theresa jolts as big blocky words fill her vision. Judging by everyone else’s reaction, it’s the same for them.

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION IN PROGRESS. PLEASE HOLD… PLEASE HOLD… PLEAS- SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE!

CHOOSE YOUR CLASS!

There it was. Super barebones. Almost no information to be had. The information came after of course, once you’d interfaced with the System and made it clear you were an active participant by picking a class.

How many would freeze up and waste hours dithering on whether they’d lost their marbles or not? How many would jump headfirst into things without even knowing what was happening because they’d played games like this all their lives?

“Tess. ‘Runo.”

“Priest.”

“Mage.”

“Good. Warrior.”

With that, they’ve all picked their classes. Theresa is the healer, Bruno is the ranged, and Kyle is going to be their frontline. A strong squad, in theory. In practice, there are four basic classes. Warrior, Mage, Priest, and Rogue. However, there can only be three in the Triumvirate. It's almost like the System is making them leave someone out. And of the four basic classes, the one that made the most sense to leave out was undeniably Rogue.

As soon as Theresa locks in Priest, she gets a whole bunch of new information. Not just about her new Class and Stats and Abilities, but also the rest of the System Orientation. All of the talk about leveling to one hundred and forming their planet’s Triumvirate and eventually joining the greater galactic community.

Theresa ignores it all. Kyle and Bruno do the same. They’d known what to expect. They already knew what was at stake. That meant they could push past it, letting the System Orientation slide right off of them like water off their backs. Surging forward past General Anders, Kyle leads the way and Theresa and Bruno follow without a single second of hesitation.

Now that it’s here, Theresa doesn’t have time for second guessing herself or what they’re doing anymore. She buries her unease down deep and focuses on the mission. The three of them have a full set of tactical gear and equipment strapped to their bodies, along with the best modern body armor that the United States has ever made.

They don’t have guns though. Those don’t work anymore. Instead, with the choosing of their classes, they’re given some basic equipment. As Theresa pulls out her Healing Stave, she holds it aloft in one hand and draws a bowie knife in the other. Bruno does the same beside her with his Mage Staff and a Combat Knife.

Finally, Kyle pulls a shield and sword from his inventory, strapping on the former and hefting the latter with a nod.

“Alright. Come on, let’s go. No time to waste.”

They step out of the hidden entrance of the secret facility they’ve been training in the past year and into a forest that already looks like it comes from an alien world, at least to Theresa’s eyes. Then again, maybe it’s the pronounced effect the baseline stats of her class is already having on her senses.

Either way, forests aren’t safe for normal humans anymore. Nowhere is, really. It doesn’t take long at all before…

“Contact!”

A massive spider easily half the size of any of them leaps from a tree right at Kyle’s face. He’s ready for it though, bashing it down with his shield and stabbing it in the head with his sword. However, this leaves him out of position for it’s three friends.

Bruno shoots down two with his staff before they can reach Kyle, but the last one manages to strike their leader in his chest and send him stumbling back with a grunt.

Theresa can see from the interface as Kyle’s health ticks down from that. Narrowing her eyes, she steps forward. She casts a basic heal on Kyle with her stave, and at the same time lashes out with her knife, sliding off the giant spider’s drooling mandibles and making it screech in inhuman agony as it rears back.

From there, Kyle is able to finish it off… and from there, Theresa hears a telltale ding. A glance at both Kyle and Bruno shows they heard it too… because all three of them are now Level Two.

Kyle grins as he cleans off his sword and gives Theresa a nod.

“Thanks for the healing. Good work, both of you. Heh, check the leaderboards.”

Bringing up the interface, Theresa does as she’s bade. The leaderboards were interesting. All they gave was a first name, a class, and a level. And there, at the top…

1. Kyle – Warrior – Level Two

2. Bruno – Mage – Level Two

3. Theresa – Priest – Level Two 

There’s more under that of course, hundreds of Level Ones made up of people who didn’t hesitate to choose a class… but they’re the only three to hit Level Two so far. To be fair, it’s only been a minute. Still… Theresa and Bruno can’t help but share in Kyle’s energy as they all grin at one another before he finally hefts his sword over his shoulder and turns back to face ahead.

“Now let’s go hunt some more creepy crawlies, yeah?”

Theresa would have preferred it to be goblins or wolves, truth be told. But whatever secret tech the government had that allowed them to discern that this would be an excellent ‘starting’ area for Alpha Squad’s ascension to Triumvirate hadn’t been able to say with one hundred percent certainty what sort of monsters they would be facing.

Nothing for it, in the end. Monsters were all nothing but fodder for Levels now. As she and Bruno follow Kyle deeper into the forest, Theresa can’t help but shake her head a little bit, feeling rather… invigorated. They were already Level Two while the rest of the world was busy learning how to tie their shoes and sitting there wasting time watching the System give them a slideshow on how important getting a move on was.

How the fuck was anyone supposed to ever catch them?

-x-X-x-

A/N: Heh, poor Theresa, that lead isn't going to last long.

Anyways, as always please be sure to let me know what you think. And honestly, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. I have some basic character information worked out and some minor world building done, but ultimately I'm just kind of developing all of this as I go along.

So ideas and suggestions are more appreciated than ever. Can't promise I'll use many or even any of them, but you might just give me inspiration to write more!

Appreciate any feedback I get on this thing!