Sys Apoc Beta - Chapter 1

Ok - Goal is FEEDBACK on story for buddy. What works/what doesn't/does it hook. Constructive criticism is awesome.
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Chapter 1 - Go ahead and be a hero.

Partial System Integration commencing in:

0 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds.

The world, as you know, is on the brink of collapse. You may choose to fight for a future that may never come, but the path will be paved with blood and death.

Will you rise as one of the New Earth’s Forerunners?

[Yes/No]

I read the message for the millionth time today. My fingers traveled across the phone’s screen. Should I press it?

“Will you press it?” Leo’s voice called from my side, and I was snapped out of my musings.

The elevator was hot as ever, and even with just Leo and me there, my throat was as tight as a noose. Talking with Leo would probably help my mind travel to another place that wasn’t this tiny compartment moving inside a forty-floor building. You’re not helping, brain!

“I don’t know. Did you press it?” I leaned against one of the elevator’s walls and shoved the phone back into my pocket, making the strange message disappear.

“Hell no. One guy from accounting pressed it yesterday on his work PC, and I had to change his SSD. The fuckers behind the hack almost got some of the company’s bank accounts.” Leo leaned against the opposite wall, pointing at my sweaty forehead. “Are you okay, bro?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” I lied, wiping my brow and returning to the conversation. “I read several stories on Reddit, and most of them didn’t mention a virus, much less one like this.”

“Don’t know, man. The only thing I know is that when I get home today, I’ll want to play some video games, not fix my computer or cell phone.”

“So, you’re sticking with the ‘Grand Hacker Theory’?”

“I know I fixed a PC yesterday because of that button. It could’ve been just someone trying to take advantage of this. I never saw the page; it could be another one. One that can be traced with an IP.”

“Still the strange characters on the original message?”

“All the way, man. All the way. I don’t know how they’re doing it, but there’s no number on their IP. Nothing connecting the page to any address, with or without VPN.” Leo clicked his tongue as if the fact that he couldn’t get to the bottom of it messed with his pride.

I nodded as his words kept swirling in my head. We had discussed this before, and even though I wasn’t an IT expert, I knew everyone should have an IP address.

“No matter if they’re hackers, aliens, a prank, cyber war, or really some kind of apocalypse, don’t you think it’s strange how everyone seems fine with it?”

“I guess.” Leo shrugged.

“You’re talking about playing games when there’s this message saying our world is about to end.”

“Sorry, man. I just don’t believe it.”

I looked at the elevator’s screen and saw we had already passed the thirtieth floor. Soon, we’d reach our destination, and at least one part of my tension would be released.

“And your family?” I tapped my fingers on the screen, counting the floors to reach the office.

“No one pressed it. I don’t think my mother spared a single thought on it, while my father is saying it’s some kind of globalist conspiracy.”

“That seems like him.” I chuckled as my eyes traveled to the screen again. 

I took a deep breath and watched as the numbers went up and the door finally opened. We traveled the rest of the way silently, but it didn’t bother me a bit. That was one of the perks of having a true friend; you could be silent around them, and no awkwardness would be spilled.

I exited the doors, feeling the cold wind bathe me. I looked back at the elevator’s closing doors and smiled. That was my daily challenge. I had no idea why, but tight spaces simply made me panic.

The day I came for my job interview, I arrived one hour early and climbed all the steps to the fortieth floor. The next day, after being hired, I decided to face my fear, and I did it every day for the last six months.

Leo seemed to have had a good hunch about my phobia, but he was nice enough to hide it.

We stopped before the reception of the law firm we worked at, and he grabbed my shoulder.

“You’re thinking about the kids back at Saint Jerome’s, right?” Leo had a gentle smile on his big face.

“I am,” I replied promptly. I had no reason to lie about it.

“So, I think you should press it. If it’s a damn virus, I promise I’ll fix it for you and even give you a new SSD if that’s the case.”

“Thanks, man. That’s actually a nice incentive.”

“I’m the best friend in the world, I know,” he said, hugging me.

“Alright, alright. There's no need to make this weird.” I shoved him away while we chuckled.

“Go ahead and be a hero. If nothing happens, in forty minutes I’ll come to your desk and laugh in your face.”

“That’s fair. Did you bring lunch?” I asked, already moving to the left while Leo walked to the opposite side, toward the IT sector.

“Yep. I’ll meet you at the food court at noon.”

“Nice,” I replied, moving toward the lawyer’s office.

I received smiles and waves from some co-workers and returned the gestures.

 All in all, I enjoyed working at the R&R Law Firm. People were friendly, there was no drama, and I was on the way to a full-time job when I graduated in a few years. Besides, the salary and perks were way better than most law firms paid for internships.

There was plenty of time to go to classes, work, and even help frequently at Saint Jerome’s. The place’s image popped into my mind as I sat before my desk.

I picked up my phone and looked at the countdown again.

Partial System Integration commencing in:

0 hours, 29 minutes, and 30 seconds…

However, it wasn’t the timer that caught my attention but the words.

You may choose to fight for a future that may never come.

The sentence fragment was ominous, but the message was clear. The future was uncertain, but some people would fight for one version of it.

I bet the government has several military, police, and secret services pressing it. Would I sit and watch others make a future for me when the same people failed me in the past and many other kids to this day? That was one of the thoughts that bugged me the most.

The fact that the press seemed so uninterested in the countdown also didn’t help. When it started popping up around the world one week ago, everyone only talked about it. But after a few days, poof! There was no news anymore—only the tabloids published about it, and it was all about conspiracy theories.

Some of them were at least interesting, like the one about how some authors had predicted this in a niche genre of literature. I read about this and other theories, pondering whether I should pursue my instincts and press Yes.

Deep in my mind, I had decided a long time ago. 

I needed someone to fight for me in the past, but all I got was my wits to survive. Ten years after my life took a different turn, I could finally be that someone for the kids who needed it. I saw Marcus, Tony, and Isabela’s faces as I decided.

Will you rise as one of the New Earth’s Forerunners?

[Yes/No]

I clicked Yes. The notification disappeared from my phone for the first time since its appearance one week ago.

Besides that, nothing happened.

What was I expecting? I still need to wait twenty minutes.

That was the most excruciating twenty minutes of my life so far. I turned on my PC and scrolled through sheets and documents I needed to edit before sending them to the lawyer I was assigned to. I did nothing besides scroll and switch to different tabs on the PC.

www.alien-countdown54541.com was the name of a site some ufologists had come up with to keep track of the countdown. If this is real, I’ll be surrounded by nutjobs, adrenaline seekers, and trained killers. The realization struck me, and I smiled for the first time since I pressed Yes.

I gazed up from my PC and saw some of my co-workers with a similar countdown on their screens. Some of the nutjobs are right here, or at least I hope they’re not killers. I stared back at my screen.

One minute from the end of the countdown, my shirt was glued to my skin, soaked with sweat, and my feet couldn’t stop stomping the ground.

With thirty seconds remaining, I was already biting my nails for the third time.

With ten seconds left, my phone vibrated. I picked it up, and a new message appeared.

Preparing to enter Proving Grounds.

The Gods are watching you.

Climb the Tower.

Survive.

10  

9  

8  

7  

6  

5  

4  

3  

2  

I heard a familiar voice calling me, and then, nothing.

Leo exited his room when the countdown reached one minute. He couldn’t wait to see Zach’s face when nothing happened. Some of his co-workers were excitedly waiting for it to reach zero as if the Lakers were tied with the Celtics in the last seconds of a final match.

“Losers,” he thought as he shoved Doritos into his mouth with one hand and watched the countdown on his phone with the other. “At least Zach has a good reason,” he mumbled with his mouth full as he crossed the reception.

When he reached the lawyers' sector, the countdown was already close to thirty, and when he finally saw Zach’s head over his PC a few lines away, it was only twenty seconds to the so-called end of the world.

Zach seemed so concentrated that Leo couldn’t miss the opportunity to scare him a little. Maybe I should fake the sound of an explosion. Considering all the tension with the countdown, his bosses wouldn't mind it. They’d probably even like that Leo broke the ice. At least, that was what was going through his mind.

Leo approached his friend’s chair as silently as possible and watched from over his shoulder. Is this a new message? It doesn’t matter, he told himself as the countdown neared zero.

“Doomsday!” Leo shouted, clasping one hand against the sack of snacks and making a feeble explosion sound.

Zach turned his head toward Leo, but the world exploded in red light before their eyes could meet. Leo heard the glass windows breaking but saw nothing but bright red. A strong force pulled him to the ground like gravity revolted against him.

His face crashed against the cold floor, and his Doritos flew away. Nothing reached his ears besides a deafening ringing deep inside, as if he was flying in a fighter jet without ear protection. In the distance, he was sure someone was screaming, but he couldn’t actually hear it.

The minutes he spent there, blindsided and crushed against the floor, seemed to take an eternity, but slowly, his vision adjusted, and he felt the weight on his body slowly fading.

Leo grunted, moving up and hearing similar sounds everywhere around him. He inclined his head, searching for Zach, but he was nowhere to be seen. When Leo inspected his surroundings, he noticed that at least one-third of the people there had vanished.

Shit. It was all Leo could think as he walked toward one of the broken windows. The red he had seen was still adorning the sky, replacing the bright blue from before and making it macabre. However, the blood-red morning wasn’t what caught Zach’s eye the most. It was the giant message floating in the sky in bright black letters.

Partial Integration Started  

Wait until a winner is decided.  

Root for the earthlings as their competition will be fierce.  

Hope for their win, but prepare for their loss. There’s no place for the weak in the multiverse.