Day Zero

# First Day

"We bring to you today's breaking news. An accident has occured at the Fermilab Particle Accelerator laboratory. Scientists are scrambling to understand the exact cause, but it is suspected to have been a leakage in the cooling system designed to maintain the magnets of the accelerator at extremely low temperatures that seems to have caused an explosion. A radius of 3 miles around the lab have been isolated and containment measures are underway."

"...Reports of protests calling for a halt to all kinds of particle accelerator experiments have gathered steam..."

"...Scientists are reporting that the Fermilab incident has led to the spread of certain newly discovered subatomic particles called exotic matter all over the world. Experts assure us that these particles rarely interact with normal matter and should be mostly harmless."

"...Several kinds of anomalous incidents are being reported around the world... but so far governments have been denying them as conspiracy theories."

"...A human being has displayed a staggering ability of turning invisible at will, becoming a celebrity in an instant."

"...More reports are emerging about these anomalous cases, currently being labelled trans-humans."

"...Various places around the world are displaying bizarre behavior. Sudden accidents due to these events have created panic among the masses."

"...The Trans-Human Episcopate has been gathering steam as a lot of people turn to this new religion to find solace in this period of chaos."

"... Trans-humans are appearing more and more frequently. Countries around the world are scrambling to pull these individuals to their side."

"...Another revolution has toppled a government today. Sounds of war are gathering steam."

"...Trans-humans have taken control of the world powers in a bid to stop the war. An uneasy peace reigns as the world turns over to a new era."

"...A new scramble is taking place... as countries are fighting to secure resources that Trans-humans require."

Eli neatly folded the newspaper he was reading as he shook his head. Just what the heck happened to this world while he went backpacking in isolation in the African Savannah? How could the world change so drastically in a year?

Eli sat in one of the few cafes in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania as he sipped on a hot cup of extremely bitter roasted coffee.

Eli was a botanist and had gone on a long expedition to research on foliage growth in the African Savannah for the past year and had been completely bewildered when he kept on discovering all kinds of new plant species. This kind of discovery was a gargantuan news in his field of research, and he couldn't afford to waste time, since this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

However, after one year of documenting all kinds of new botanical discoveries, Eli realized that something was wrong as the nature of the forests was changing very rapidly. Realizing that he might have come across a natural phenomenon that was above his head, he decided to retreat to Dodoma to contact his university.

However, when he reached the city, he found that the world had gone crazy while he had been away from civilization. A bizarre phenomenon had enveloped the earth, causing a subset of people to develop bizarre features and anomalous abilities. These people called themselves Trans-humans.

Countries had fallen, leaders had changed, new religions had risen up and civilization had stratified into the haves and the have-nots. The haves being the trans-humans and the have-nots being the remaining.

In this new pecking order, scientists were actually being treated as the new medieval witches who were being burned on the stake for causing this abrupt change in the direction of Earth's civilization.

Having collected all this information, Eli realized that he could no longer walk around with his identity as a botanist as he might be lynched by the crazy mob out there. He also realized that these new botanical discoveries of his were related to this bizarre phenomenon enveloping the earth, causing a gradual eschatological change in the very fabric of the world.

At this moment, Eli heard the whisper of two men wearing Hawaiian style clothes whispering to each other in Russian. Eli was a botanist, but his proudest achievement was his mastery of all kinds of languages. He was a rather well known polyglot among his peers, as he knew more than ten languages at a very fluent level.

What he heard right now made him surprised, but he held a stoic face and continued to act as if he was reading the newspaper and drinking the bitter coffee.

"We need to find the red fruits as quickly as possible, Igor. Mira Pharmaceuticals wants us to quickly grab as many as we can find." One of the men whispered hoarsely in russian.

"What's the hurry. These fruits are now the most precious commodity in the world. You can become a trans-human by eating a few. We can secure them for our own use."

"The red fruits aren't as good as the blue ones. You know that the kind of ability we can obtain will greatly decide our future prospects." The man named Igor said with a smile.

"It's a shame that we cannot predict what kind of power we will obtain if we obtain when we consume the fruits." The first man sighed with some regret.

Eli heard everything and a resounding shock reverberated through his mind. He wondered if the two people were talking about the bizarre prickly red fruits he had come across in his travels. Not knowing whether these fruits were poisonous, he only carefully observed the abnormal nature of their growth and did not dare eat them.

However, he did have with him a weird pomegranate like fruit that he picked because of how bizarre it looked. The fruit was charcoal black in color, from the outside, yet it did not display any signs of rotting away. Eli could not abandon such a fruit and had decided to pick it up.

The fruit was like a lonesome pearl hanging off a creeper in an area which was completely dead and barren. When Eli grabbed the black fruit, it was plucked off without any effort, but the instant he did so, the plant dried up amd disintegrated into dust, shocking Eli considerably. It was the first time he had seen an organic object rot away so fast.

"Could this black fruit also be similar to those fruits?" He wondered to himself, when he suddenly noticed those two russians walk up to his table and unceremoniously join him.

"Hehe, mister, what are you doing here? Don't you know that it is very unsafe out there?" The man named Igor said in a typical russian accented english.

Eli chuckled as he put on a friendly face. "Hello friend. I was backpacking across the savannah for the past one year. When I came out I discovered the world had changed!"

Igor looked stunned. "You were unaware of the changes in the world?"

"Indeed. I'm still finding it difficult to believe that everything could change so drastically and incredibly. It feels like a dream." Eli sighed.

"I wonder what you do for a living?" Igor asked.

"I have been out of work for a year. I was spending the time travelling to discover myself." Eli spun a yarn.

Igor shook his head with pity. "You are unlucky. This world has changed. It isn't the safe world you are used to."

"What do you mean?" Eli asked with caution.

"Hehe, you are American aren't you? Your value on the market won't be low." The man beside Igor smirked.

"Market, what market?" Eli asked in confusion.

"The Slave Market..." Igor said with a grin. "Don't make a fuss and obediently follow us if you don't want to die."

Eli's chest started beating hard. "What are you trying to do?"

"We don't want to make a scene... but if you force us, don't expect us to remain polite. Quietly follow us, or prepare to be labelled a scientist and burned on the stake, Mr. Eli Hawks." Igor said while a cruel grin flashed on his face.

"How do you know who I am?" Eli asked in shock.

"Hehe, you are a person of interest Mr. Eli. Botanists are in heavy demand at the moment. Quietly follow us." Igor said as he stood up, while his companion continued to stare at Eli.

Eli grit his teeth, but eventually swallowed his hatred as he picked up his bag and followed the two russians into a room where he was handcuffed and chained to a heavy bed's leg.

"Don't make a fuss Mr. Eli. Stay here quietly, while we make a few phone calls." Igor's companion warned as he thrust his glock pistol onto Eli's forehead as a warning before locking the door from outside.