Zeroverse

Chapter 3 : Dreams and memories

He could see himself sat at the table in the hospital. The same one they had their game sessions. He was alone with Paul which was smiling.

"You're ok?

"Is that really you? It's...

"Impossible? It's me, though I'm not really here. I wanted to say that I'm sorry.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?

"For everything that's going to happen to you. It's gonna be hard. It's gonna get weirder and weirder.

"What's going on? Where are we? Where I am?

"I think you know what happened, you're still processing it, but you know. You saw the drill. I hope you remember enough to guess.

"This can't be.

Paul smiled.

"It never was just a game. All this time I was looking for someone like you. That's a shame I had to go before we could have ended it. It would have been easier for you. But don't worry I'll always be there, I'll do my best to watch over you. Afterall you have my dice now.

"Watch over me? Are you telling me that...

"You're in the game now. I wont be able to talk to you again before a long time. I can only wish you good game now. You were the best player I had, you're the one I trust with everything. I know you will success.

"Wait I...

"I have to go now. I'll see you again. The more you will remember the easier it will be, think about all those times you stared at the notes you were taking. It wasn't for nothing.

Bruce wanted to say something but Paul and the table were already vanishing.

***

He woke up on a bed, in a room with metal walls and concrete floor. There was no furniture. A few moments later an old man dressed in reb robes walked in.

"So you're finally awake? How do you feel?

"Where am I?

The old man ran his hand in his beard thinking of the best answer.

"First you're safe here, so you can relax ok?

This wasn't helping on the contrary.

"I don't know how I could put it...

"Just tell me where I am.

"Ok then. You're in Atlantis

"Atlantis? The one of the myths?

"The myths? Where do you come from?

"I'm from earth.

"Earth you say?

"Yes earth. You know it?

"Well I know earth yes... But I don't think we're speaking about the same one.

Bruce's eyes widened. So it wasn't just a dream. He really was in Paul's game. He took a deep breath.

Paul's game was set in the zeroverse. The original one that gave birth to an infinity of universes. It was the last frontier. A place that people could reach for a lot of reasons, and none of them was really clear. From what he remembered it was almost random.

He and the other players came from earth 473, the same one as the main vilain : Hiram. An information that there was no need to tell the old man.

"I don't think we're speaking of the same one either. In mine Atlantis was just a fairy tale.

"That's the case in most of the other earths.

"How I have ended up here?

"Well I don't know if you would understand.

"I went in somekind of drill and the moment after I'm here.

There was no need to tell the old man what he knew about that. As he accepted what was his new reality, his memories were getting clearer. Hiram was sending the pillars in order to drain them from what was making them real, in order to break through the universe 0 and reach what was beyond, killing billions and billions of people in the process.

"A drill you say... Oh how could you understand all this... The world you were on... It's gone now, gone forever. Soon you wont be able to remember anything about it... as if it never existed.

A good thing that the place the drill fell on wasn't really earth then. Still he faked the surprise.

"How... I... My parents? My friends? Everyone they're...

The old man grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry young man...

Bruce held his head still acting. But he couldn't stop thinking of what should be his next move, though it seemed obvious, he needed an artefact. Artefacts were the type of items that gave the character their powers in the game. Normally they were the items that the people had on them when they traveled from their universe to the 0, getting imbued with power in the process. The power given were random, it could be almost anything. The dice, where was the dice? Though asking about it know would be odd. Afterall his whole world was supposed to have been destroyed.

"Do you want some time alone? Or do you want to come out and have a little walk?

***

For all he could remember from the pictuarizations of it Atlantis was different. Everything seemed old and greenish. The only thing that seemed accurate was that everything seemed to be underwater, even if the water seemed even dirtier than every seas on earth.

"So this is Atlantis uh...

"Yes it is. Though no one calls it that now. This is a junkyard planet.

"A junkyard planet? For what kind of junk?

The old man stopped walking.

"I don't know if I should tell you...

"Tell me what?

"You see... The drill you went in? It's not something uncommon around here.

"You mean that my world is not the only one that have met this kind of fate?

"Sadly no... There are thousands of drills, and when they're finished they make a stop here and drop everything that's unwanted.

"Are they others like me?

"No. That's why I was surprised. You're the first and only living thing that came through them. Something must have been protecting you, though I don't know what.

They kept silent till they reached a door. The old man turned back.

"You're sure you're ok? There are still a lot of things I need to tell you and you seem lost.

"I am. But it's ok. Alone I fear I might gave up myself to despair.

The old man nodded and oppened the door and they went in.

The room looked like an office, they were countless books and papers on the walls and the floor, the old man sat behind the desk. He looked around him as if it would help him making sense.

"I don't know where I should start. Have you heard about the multiverse therory?

"More or less, mainly from movies and comics... It's like there is an infinity of alternate worlds that are the same and different at the same time ? Like... I don't know an earth where superpowers exist? And another one where vampires existed ?

"Yes. That's the big picture. There really are an infinity of universes. And you're not in a random one. You've managed to cross the frontier of reality and dive into what we call the 0.

Bruce feigned his surprise.

"The 0?

"Yes. All the universes come from here. This is the place where everything has been created.

"Ok. What does it have to do with drills?

"Well that's the problem... See there was a time were there was no human here, it used to be the realm of the gods as people from every universes called them. But then one day one human managed to break through. He was powerful and clever enough to understand what power the 0 yield. The gods were old, weak. The first one saw this, understood how he could easily take it all. He needed an army and started to bring people from all the universes to wage a war against the gods. It lasted for 5 centuries. One after another the gods died, fled, or hid themselves in the most recluses dephts of the universe... But it wasn't enough for the fist one. That's where the drills come from...

He is sending them in other universes to drain them from the thing that makes them exist.

"Why?

"Nobody knows why or how... The only thing people know for sure about him is that he has a plan for everyone in the 0. He is the great architect, nobody is supposed to come here without passing through him first... Nobody exept...

"Exept me.

Now Bruce was sure. This really was Paul's game, somehow he felt relieved. The old man was looking at him with mixed feeling of fear and hope.

"Yes... Could you tell me your name?

So this is how Paul wanted him play uh ? The challenge had been accepted.

Bruce smiled.

"You can call me MC.