Chapter One

The world, as Irvin knew it, had blinked out of existence. The son of a wealthy father immersed in the wonders of technology had expected a comfortable, middle-class life. Rising late, gaming and being a YouTuber. Despite family traumas, he’d believed his future would be good. Now in his mid-twenties, it had all changed, and he was screwed.

Never again would he go to sleep at night and wake up in his own bed. Today, as every morning, his lids flicked open to a dark sky, and it was hard to distinguish between night and day. Once, he’d dreamed of uniting with his partner and reigniting their love, but now his head was full of nightmarish images of all the poor, unfortunate people undeserving of their fates, their families and histories wiped out. No more words, only blank pages. All that remained precious were his memories, and he spent most of his time retracing every detail to preserve something for eternity.

All buildings had been replaced by endless brooding woods which encroached uncomfortably close to the sea. Gone were the twisting, narrow streets or steps rising to quaint white-washed fisherman's cottages once used as holiday homes. There was nothing rooted in layers of the past and no sign of those who’d perished, rich or poor. Irvin had zilch and had to confront the thought that he might be alone forever. There was the campfire and a group of cyborgs, but nowhere for him to belong.

Irvin sat on the edge of the woods, staring out at the vast expanse of murky water. His eyes wandered to the right over the ponderous rocks and up the cliff towards the dusky grey sky. The shapes of the landscape were still the same. He pictured the noisy pub overlooking the harbour and the families eating their meals. That had all gone. Everything manmade had dissolved in a fraction. Not a single mark of human habitation survived.

He swivelled around to face the others in the group of cyborg human hybrids but remained silent and on the periphery. Elley had just managed to light the fire and was sitting back cross-legged. She fiddled with the knot in her hair and shook down her long blonde locks. Two girls, Bronwen and Rowena, were playing chess with pieces made from pebbles and sticks. Finn, who considered himself a skilled craftsman, was using stone tools to shape weapons. He held a sharpened flint in his fist and scraped a stick to a point. Like all the others, he had an iron strength in his mechanical hands, which could easily crush granite or anything else. Echo was singing perfectly while her friend Bridgitte, squatting beside her, was playing the flute fashioned by Finn.

Irvin hated the music and wanted to strangle the singer. It was all too sublime for the occasion and his mood. Elley shuffled out of the way as Desmond, the clown of the group, jumped onto Llyr’s back and sent them tumbling to the ground close to the flames. No matter what their age was at the time of their capture and incarceration, they were all given adult bodies, and Irvin suspected that, internally, the two fools were still children or teenagers.

Irvin bowed his head and dug at the earth. Have I gone mad, or is it just my extreme hunger which is making me despise them all? He thought as he searched for worms and grubs. He was sick of eating reptiles, insects and any other disgusting things which crawled the Earth before and since the Game.

Words continued to escape from the singer's throat in a stream of nauseating sound. Irvin picked the fleas from his beard and scratched his irritated skin. He was the only one with boils, sores, blood-covered scratches and filthy decaying teeth, as the others remained pristine. Only their clothes were turning to rags or were used for other things like nets for catching flies to make into a paste.

Aidan pushed his massive frame towards the fire pit. He was smiling broadly to himself. There’s fish - I’ve caught fish, he beamed, full of self-satisfaction. He held his catch firmly as the others, their eyes widening and brightening with excitement, crowded in to take a better look.

Irvin stood, took a deep breath and turned his back on the group. He walked through the leaf litter and crossed the sands. A sharp wind blew into his face as he kneeled at the edge of the sea and, scooping up the water, poured it over his head and face. Refreshed, he sunk back on his haunches and listened to the soft footsteps approaching. They stopped abruptly at his side. He knew it was Elley because she was the only one always at hand with an attentive ear when he needed to speak.

No rule of law, no government, no books, no objects or useful things and no Holly, he said wistfully. They have taken her just like everything else. As he watched the tide receding, waves of emotion washed over him, and tears stung his eyes. I want to say sorry. Be forgiven and have everything returned to how it was. This is all impossible. Elley was the only person remaining for whom he could expose his heart and soul without fear of judgement or relentless cheeriness.

It won’t last, she said gently. We still have knowledge. She eased herself onto the beach and sat with her legs curled to one side under her body. With her index finger, she wrote her name in the sand. We will remember how each letter makes a word, patterns and details.

I didn’t truly see any of this coming despite all the warnings. Irvin threw a pebble into the water, and a whisp of boyish pleasure fluttered inside. I want to resume my life as it was, and it will take thousands of years before we arrive back to civilisation. The clock has wound back to zero.

Life will be different without all the distractions, the divisions and the razor edge of hate. We will become the new architects of reality, she said, smiling. Irvin, you need to separate yourself from your old existence. This planet is in a meditative state, and this time, it will be easier to see the truth.

What do you mean?

You have learnt that the fabric of the universe and everything in it is made of code. Look within, dig deep into your mind and search for meaningful patterns. Focus on the centre of your consciousness, as ancient mystics would empty their minds, and if you can see and understand, you will survive. She continued to push words into the golden grains and then brushed them away.

Time will slow down now. Before, everything was speeding up due to technological progress. We had access to instant information, and the world shrunk because of immediate communication. There was almost too much knowledge and constant stimulation, but despite all our innovations, our lives remained set on repeat. Repeating wars and repeating mistakes, and that’s because we weren’t in control. This time, we must seek the true meaning of life and not look elsewhere for salvation?

You’re saying we have the knowledge to design our world instead of blindly following an illusion.

Things won’t be as they were, but what will come will be far better.

It’s just so hard to adapt to nothing, Irvin mumbled.

You will discover emptiness is rich. This planet is an organic computer and our new playground. We will defend the hearts against the ghosts of the past and embrace the following steps in our evolution.

So, what is next? What have you all been planning?

Please, it’s time to forget fear and rivalry, she said with a faint scowl on her face. These people, however different, are your new family, and without them, you wouldn’t have survived.

What is your plan?

I would like to return to the cave – the facility, she said thoughtfully. I believe some of what occurred there was not part of the Game but something put in place for the players to use for their future advantage. I’m still able to access the supercomputer. There is all kinds of new information on the machine. The Game of Earth remains in a small section under its number. Some satellites also exist in place and working order around the planet.

There’s no power – no electricity, Irvin said, raising his voice to display his human fear of polluting harsh reality with a more implausible cyborg fantasy.

Endless energy isn’t the problem you think it is. The sun is still in the sky, and all of us are made of the same force and code.

What are we? he said warily. Why didn't we vanish along with everything else?

The only answer that comes to mind is that we’re players who, for some reason, remained behind, or at least you are. I’m not sure what role cyborgs play.

You could have escaped with the others on the spaceship but remained because you chose to help me, Irvin said, grinning. And they, he said, glancing over at the group, have rescued many humans from certain death."

And for that reason, they will find their own way north. They want to continue to teach those who remain how to survive within their cave walls and how to rebuild.

And what do you really desire, Irvin said, still fearing abandonment.

Revenge, I still seek revenge and to find Felicity, Jonah and Dante.

Azadin

Chapter Two

G ot it!

Ceon recognised the voice immediately as belonging to Talus, the ruler of Azodin. The robots, with their artificial intelligence, changed their language and demeanour to suit whomever they were communicating with or manipulating. Ceon, growing up as a slave, spent much of his time listening while remaining invisible and was able to understand most spoken words and the body language of the many species he came across.  

Breathing in the sweet perfume of his garden, Ceon tiptoed up to the trellis fence, which he used for his climbing peas. It also offered shade and protection from the glow of their glorious sun. Peering through the gaps, he saw Talus, who was talking to his adviser Meron and tapping his fearful wand against his robotic leg, and in the iron grip of his other hand, he crushed a white dove he’d snapped out of its flight. Ceon didn’t want his blood on the soil, so he bent low and plucked weeds. He was good at being invisible, but his chest heaved as his nerves wound into a tight coil. At all times, I must display due reverence, his inner voice repeated.

I know we need to grow food for the organic life forms, but these birds are pests and a hazard, Talus moaned. We’ve progressed far beyond this – they’re just not necessary.

We must tolerate these lower life-forms, or we’d have no slaves or any exhibits for the exhibition hall. Azodins need constant stimulation and entertainment.

Still, there’s something subversive about a garden. I like my specimens locked away. I think when Azodins tire of all this, he swept his arm towards where Ceon was crouching, I’ll destroy our whole collection. Really, it’s all too messy. He dropped the remains of the creature to the ground. And birds? Who gave permission for them to fly freely?

The cyborgs and we agreed as long as it was kept limited and the trees were kept to a minimum.

Ceon sighed the Azodins thought and worked in ways for which meer organics had no understanding. They had more secrets than he, with his forbidden collections of insects and plant specimens and the unmentionable crime he kept hidden from everyone except for the few rebels who provided the resources for the fulfilment of his plan. The discovery of his act of defiance concerned him greatly and haunted his every action. Organics were considered a plague which must be controlled, and any act of resistance would mean instant death.

The manufactured oxygen produced for organics was considered far superior to anything nature produced, but it could be switched off at any time. One mistaken move could wipe out all the organic life forms on Azadin. The AI’s greatest fear was having something invade their enormous computer systems, nest or eat into their machines. Dust or waste products from plants or animals were a threat that induced permanent vigilance.

I’ve been informed we have missing players, Talus said.

Could be space jellies clogging the system, Meron replied. We will do a deep clean.

So who hasn’t returned? Talus stated in his mighty voice.

A group of ten of our best cyborg players and Dante, Meron added as he followed Talus, who rapidly paced back and forth as he considered the situation. Of course, the human slave players haven’t come back, but that is the norm as they’re unable to survive the cataclysm of the end of days.

Dante so loves hearing his praises sung. The ceremony to claim his trophy and prize has been arranged. Something must be wrong. As for the humans, it’s of no consequence. They will all be dead soon.

It’s as if he’s become embedded in the simulation and doesn’t realise the Games over. We’ve tried everything, but the harness won’t release, and the visor won’t lift. He’s stuck in the chair, Meron continued.

And the cyborgs are normally eager to return to the immortal sphere, Talus said, glancing over his shoulder as the temperature-regulating blinds dropped like lids over the amber iris of the sun and black pupil of space.

Cooling air came from a tiny brook on Ceon’s far right. He sat back on his haunches in the soft shade. He bared his forehead to the higher light and stared up at the towering structure of the Emperor ring. Suspended platforms floated out from the homes of the Azodin and the Corix cyborgs, who dwelled on almost an equal footing to the robot leaders. In the centre was the crown, the vast theatre where the elite of the gaming world played. The grandeur of the palaces was something he could only envy as his ancestors were mere captives from their long-destroyed planet, Erius. The weightless balancing of the walkways, which moved effortlessly into position, joining one dwelling to the next, gave him the shivers. It all appeared too precarious, and Ceon was glad he was bound to the lower levels.

They all wanted a totally immersive experience, Meron said as he stamped on the bird's head. It was quite an original idea to not be aware you’re playing a game.

Perhaps Dante didn’t want to stop playing with his new toy, Talus added.

We’re starting another game soon, and we need him to be here. The Masters and followers have already lost interest in Earth-like planets.

At least the satellites and the supercomputer are in place, Talus said as he twisted his head and pinpointing Ceon flashed a look of annoyance from his red eyes. Give the order for the return to Earth. Mining of that meagre planet's resources is of the utmost importance, Talus said as he turned to follow the scurrying being.

Ceon jumped to his feet and ran down the path of light into the walled garden and hid behind a pillar. His heart pounded in his chest as he stood trembling, waiting to be struck down. Why haven’t they killed me, he contemplated as he tried to push himself into the stone column. I shouldn’t have been listening. Spying on the leaders is instant death. Then he noticed two cyborg women sitting under a canopy on the lawn playing a gambling game. The Corix were different to the Azodin, who were sexless, artificially intelligent robots. Machines were all made from the same indestructible material of ebony-coloured scales, a living manufactured skin which resembled metal.

In contrast, the Corix cyborgs came from many different biological sources and were mostly bipedal. Both males and females were elegant, tall of stature, with flowing hair and dexterous movements, and less tolerant of injustice. Their Azodin rulers regarded them with a mystified admiration and were wary of their rapid and lethal responses to any unjustifiable cruelty. Their remaining organic brains and machine power sometimes kept the AI robots in check.

Ceon lingered in the shadows like a child seeking protection at its mother’s hem. He admired the Corix. They were heavenly beings, human-like but with formidable powers, and their women smelt as fresh as his garden.

Human Selection

Chapter Three

Elley was already awake and throwing mud on the fire. There was nothing to mark time as they’d lost count of the days as they struggled to survive under the shroud of dust. She felt sick and weak. The network of wires in her brain buzzed erratically as if about to fail. She was locked out from the world as she struggled to process random streams of information, which she was currently unable to filter. Her mind was jumping about as if to settle would mean burning on hot coals. She suspected her backup systems were overstretched. The night had been too long, and she needed sunlight.

She glanced at Irvin lying on a pile of leaves and watched as he rubbed the film from his eyes and gazed up at the canopy and the net of thick branches tightly woven together. The cold forced him to jump to his feet.

We must get moving, she said calmly. "There are many miles to go, and without roads as a guide, our progress is slow, and my internal navigation seems