Months before the apocalypse

 My right index finger is coated with thin layers of sweat. The taste is salty as it makes contact with my tongue. It seems my mannerisms are strange attracting quite the many stares of students around me.

A glance at my corner of the classroom window, students could see me focused  playing with something under my desk. They could see my arms and hands moving up and down and I had made sure to cover my actions with the eye of others.

Underneath my desk staring intently at my phone playing a game. Soon, a crowd of classmates clcyled around me with all their eyes glue to my phone tablet screen which remindered me that we are in the middle of class.

"Tommy, we' re in  class, come on at least go to the bathroom if you're that desperate. What if the teacher walks into the class?" said Jerry. Jerry Tobi is my inseparable brown afro Korean American child hood friend who watches over me. We are so close that our parents decided to name us tom and Jerry.

" Bro, just give me sec okay am in the middle of something. Am fighting to save America from the blind of extinction from these Aliens". Meanwhile Jerry had gotten over to the others shoving his way through standing behind Tom's his friends back. Lifting his index finger shoving his nose with a wide smile then laughs with his wide teeth.

"He hehehehe!". Damn, I knew he is up to no good. Something is up because that his is signature for his mischievous act. Immediately, the air was stuffy from the freshly sprayed perfume but the scent of lavender is pleasant enough as she walks pass by reading a book. The attention of the gang is caught up by a beautiful student on long white seleve, blue tie and blue strips skit.

She catches my eye. She has a pretty enough face with blue eyes, and thick lips. Wavy light  brown hair swept neatly behind her head. slender arms lightly tanned hands gracefully holding a book as she walks by.  She blushes as I return her gaze she glanced with the corner of her eye. My lips curl into a smile. It's natural and I suppose I feel a little insecure when I am confronted with perfection.

"Ahaaaaaaah!!" I hear the students behind me scream out loud in agony. My eyes swiftly roam to my phone screen.

     YOU LOSE!!! that split seconds of distraction. I had lost the battle to save America from the invaders in the game. The sound of the school closing bell rings out through the halls signaling it is time to leave. 

Immediately, i open my drawer from under my desk pulling out an object. However it wasn't a packed of books like one would expect, instead it's my neutral utra link game ear gear popularly know as GAME 9INE.

Unlike previous head gear that was too big that was created for the first game. The company improved the head gear making it smaller, potable, versatile and fit the size of the ear.  I hang the white and green stripe game 9ine gear  around my ear and I press the middle button at the circular green spot of the ear gear. A circular orange screen covering my vision like eye glasses from one ear to the other ear.

THE META VERSE AI speaks.

Welcome TOMMY RYAN to Game 9ine. What do you plan on doing today?.

When it's concerns my name, I am able to speak with confidence. I quite like it you see. It holds a great many syllables that represents my family fame in the tech industries and any less than what it has would not be enough to express the full volume of my existence. However, my family lost everything when things went south. 

My father lost is wealth when he went to coma from a car accident. I lost my mother in the car crash and I was crippled and my father was hospitalized for two years. My uncle had used the opportunity to steal my father's tech company and now we are left with nothing. My dad and I share a rented apartment and Jerry Tobi's Yong parents had been the source of help to us.

The doctor said I could walk again but it will require lots of money to perform a surgery. My father who is a tech genius created a wheelchair that can automatically transform to a mini Mecha sci Fi robotic exoskeleton prosthesis leg suit from my waist down to my feet. 

You could imagine iron man type of leg suit only it fits my body structure. It could aid me to walk temporarily and mechanically for a long period of time before it can be recharged and so I use my wheel chair at times. Arranging my books and shoving them into bag then press a button on my wheel chair and easily I navigate my way from the classroom aiming for the stairs to the entrance door.

My father had recently found a job at  9ine gaming industry developing tech neutral head gears and these game9ine is amazing. When it first came to existence, the use of Mobile phone went out of business and only few of us like me, myself and I make use of a mobile gaming tablet.

With game 9ine technology, a click of a button from the neutral link pulls you into the world of virtual reality and imagination where you can interact with virtual animals and characters while you are in the real world, as long you have the head gear on your ears on. You can see  cute fairies flying about the city or easter bunny, virtual character on my shoulders or walking along the street in the real world. You can check your social media platform while walking such as Estar gram, book face and tube you.

Artist don't need to draw on tablets or paper anymore but can draw in mid air and an holographic virtual reality of what you are drawing from imagination is form by a stroke of your fingers, or pencils or whatever it is and you can easily share it to your social account so easily.

Game9ine made life more easy, literally while walking, you can have virtual holographic business meetings and those business Partners can stand right where you are. It has become the bridge between reality and virtual world interacting with real life and cartoon. For example, walking along the road and Normally you see a car driving along the road however with the gear on. You see the full data of the car, when the car was created, how much petrol it has, life span of the car. Virtually, you can see stuff, people walking and you see their life points and even their names atop their head like a real human game character.

A lady buying a cup of coffee can very much see the contents and ingredients of the coffee and pay in life points.

 Game 9ine technology helps you get life points and those life point can be use in transaction such as paying of food, paying rents, buy fuel into your car, electronic gifts, gift cards, tickets, discount shopping mail and other attractive services and all you have to do is work, or be viral on social media to earn life points.

February 2024, Game 9ine company introduce a fantasy game called God mode in which ten winners won billions of life points and the other players can only get life points by gladiator arena. 

The game story was simple, a demon lord spirited the daughter of a king of Eurupia and the king orders is knight, guilds and all warriors in the land to bring back the princess and defeat the demon lord.

A friend of ours name laxus Craig betrayed our guild at the final moment winning the game. 

It was brutal as hell because I introduce Craig as a friend and that was the second nerve neutral link gear. It was too big and can't be taken away from the house. You plug it to light and wear it as an helmet and then enter into the virtual fantasy world and ever since, Tobi and I have be playing gladiator arena saving up money to buy the version two of the game coming up.

Nov 2024, the neutral potable gear was introduced and the version two of game  called God Mode ranking system. 

The story line is that the defeated demon lord is Lucifer's son and so Lucifer returns with an horde of army of warriors, demonic elite generals and 9 level to play and pass.

The cool thing about these game rocking the world by storm is that unlike the first edition. These edition, any monster defeated or quest completed or easy task perform is automatically converts into life points and life points in the real world is money.  With these, I can spend time playing game and save up money for my surgery or even get lots of money to file a law suit against my uncle and get back our wealth.

Millions of people around the world are excited about it and many has bought the game. The game will begin on Thursday 4.o clock and will streamed live around the world which is a day from now and I have to get 30,000 life points or dollars to get the game into the neutral link device. Luckily, I and Tobi had saved up 28,000 life points and now school has closed. We head to the gladiator arena to fight the final boss monster and get 15,000  life points each to purchase the game. 

So for that reason, I have been playing game since morning even in class to grab ideas to beat the final boss. The game God Mode ranking system will be streamed around the world via all social media platform and Tv which is installed on the game9ine neutral link ear gear. The winner will be famous around the globe and win billions of life points and these has become my ticket for salvation for my family and my surgery.

I drove out from the entrance door of the school on my wheel chair and the evening scenery is beautiful. I see my Crush Esther mark and her student body guard Polo boarding a limo. A tap on my shoulders and I lift my head to look behind me.

"Dude, where you planning on leaving with out me?". Jerry questioned

" Tobi bush head, I am totally pissed at you right now. You should have told me Esther was behind me. You know I don't like her looking at me like some freak". He shove his index finger on his nose and smiles

"He hehehehe, I told you several times to quit the game or go to the bathroom. The only way I can get you off your track is allow your crush walk behind you. When will you confess your feeling to her and invite her for prom night".

"Jerry, we talked about these before. I am not good enough for her. She is cool, beautiful, an Easter gram celebrity who is signed with a make up company with lot of followers and her parents are quite rich though I don't have clue what her parents do for a living But I heard her dad is some sort of Game designer. But look at me, i struggle with money, I am on a wheelchair for Christ sake. Which celebrity wants to associate with a boyfriend on a wheel chair. I am not good enough, I am not good enough for any body". Jerry shove his index finger around his nose.

"What mischievous act are you planning now?" I question. Suddenly, Jerry lifts is right arm to the air and swings it accompanied with a share amount of force ramming his palm on my cheek.

"What the hell is wrong with you? What's the slap for Jerry"

"Hehehehe, you are good enough for me"

"Dude, am straight and not gay!. I don't recall you been gay" 

"Shut up, what I mean is that you are good enough for anyone. I slapped you to wake you from your low self esteem. You and your dad are tech genius. You are brilliant, handsome that's when you decide to have a clean shave and stop looking like some Albert Einstein. Any girl will be lucky to have you" 

"Here right, you talk like my cousin Mary, Motivation speakers. I believe you. well Jerry it's time to battle the final boss. Are you ready?." Questioned Tom.

"I bet I am Hehehehe". They spoke in one accord.

"Neutral mind link start".

[Welcome player]

[Follow mapping system]