The Black Cube : Survival System

Ch.1 The Black Cube

The sun beat down relentlessly on the Sector Seven Wasteland. Kael paused his arduous trek, wiping sweat and black grease from his forehead. Towering mountains of rusted metal and shattered concrete stretched outward. This desolate landscape was the graveyard of the Old World. For scavengers like Kael, picking through these ruins was the only way to survive. He kicked a rusted car door out of his path. His worn boots were held together by gray duct tape and copper wire. The unforgiving settlement tax was due tomorrow morning. If he did not find something of significant value today, the guards would surely throw him out into the Dead Zone. Out there, the fierce radiation storms and terrifying roaming mutants would finish him off in a single night.

Kael tightened his grip on his heavy iron crowbar. It was his only reliable tool for prying open stubborn scrap, and his only weapon against the lethal dangers hidden within the scrap yards. He was searching for the telltale shine of valuable copper wiring. Most of this area had been picked clean years ago by older, stronger scavengers. However, a recent sandstorm had shifted a massive pile of concrete rubble near the dangerous edge of the sector. He carefully climbed over a rusted tank track, his undernourished muscles straining, and slid down into a newly exposed crater. At the very bottom, buried halfway in the dark sand, was a smooth, silver metallic door. Kael’s heart began to hammer wildly against his ribs. To his absolute astonishment, the metal was not rusted at all. That pristine condition meant it was military-grade technology.

He immediately slid down the steep edge of the crater. He reached the enigmatic door and ran his fingers over the cool, remarkably smooth surface. There was a small control panel located on the side, completely covered in hard dirt. Kael quickly wiped the stubborn dirt away. The glass screen underneath was cracked, but a faint red light blinked steadily near the bottom edge. It miraculously still had power. Seizing the opportunity, Kael jammed the flat end of his iron crowbar deep into the narrow gap between the silver door and the thick frame. He pushed forward with all his body weight. His muscles burned with intense effort, and he let out a loud groan. Accompanied by a loud hiss of old, trapped air escaping its confines, the heavy door popped open. A cloud of stale dust blew out. Kael pointed his flashlight inside.

It was an ancient escape pod, heavily damaged on the inside. The pilot's seat was completely empty. However, in the exact center of the small room rested a smooth metal pedestal. On top of the pedestal sat a small, perfectly square black cube. It was no bigger than his own fist, but it pulsed slowly with a soft, inviting blue light. Taking a deep breath, Kael stepped inside the pod. He reached out slowly toward the glowing object. In the unforgiving wasteland, blindly touching unknown Old World technology was usually a quick way to lose a hand. But the soft blue light radiating from the cube felt strangely warm and inexplicably familiar. He grabbed the cube. It was surprisingly heavy, feeling just like a block of solid lead. Before he could safely tuck the valuable cube away, a low growl echoed from outside.

Kael froze instantly. He slowly turned around, deliberately dropping his flashlight on the floor so he could hold his heavy crowbar securely with both hands. Standing imposingly at the top of the sandy crater was a Ravager. It was a truly terrifying, highly mutated beast roughly the size of a large wolf. Sickly pale, completely hairless skin stretched painfully tight over sharp, unnatural bones. Its soulless eyes were pure, empty black, and thick green saliva dripped continuously from its jagged teeth. It scrambled rapidly down the side of the crater. Kael backed up deeply into the confines of the pod. There was absolutely nowhere left to run. The aggressive Ravager leaped boldly through the open silver door, its terrible jaws snapping directly at Kael's throat. Kael swung his crowbar with every ounce of strength his tired arms could manage.

The heavy iron bar hit the side of the beast's head. The heavy mutant was thrown violently against the metal wall, but it bounced back almost instantly, viciously swiping its massive claws right at Kael's chest. Kael desperately tried to dodge, but the enclosed space was far too small. The terrifyingly sharp claws tore easily through his thick jacket and sliced brutally deep into his left shoulder. Kael screamed in bright, hot pain. Warm crimson blood soaked his shirt immediately. He stumbled backward, his hands opening in shock. He dropped the heavy crowbar. He hit the metal pedestal hard with his back and fell to the floor, gasping for air. The victorious Ravager stood towering over him, opening its bloody jaws impossibly wide for the final, killing bite. Kael weakly raised his trembling hands to protect his face.

It was then, in his left hand, he realized he still tightly held the heavy black cube. The beast lunged. At that exact moment, Kael's bleeding left shoulder pressed tightly against the mysterious cube in his hand. As his fresh blood smeared across the strange black metal, the pulsing blue light suddenly turned blindingly bright. Astonishingly, it did not melt his skin, but it suddenly seemed to sink directly into his flesh. A massive surge of blue electricity shot violently through his entire body. Kael's vision flashed a blinding white, then instantly filled with strange, glowing blue text.

[Host DNA recognized. Initiating Neural Link... Link 100% complete. Welcome, User.]

Kael felt an incredible, overwhelming surge of raw strength rushing into his tired muscles. The burning pain in his torn shoulder completely vanished. He looked up at the Ravager.

The once-fearsome beast was now actively backing away, whining pitifully like a kicked dog. Kael acted purely on instinct. He reached out swiftly and grabbed the heavy mutant firmly. His newly empowered grip felt like a mechanical steel vise. He squeezed his fingers tightly together. With a loud, echoing snap, the Ravager went completely limp and fell heavily to the metal floor, definitively dead.

The glowing blue text in his vision flickered rapidly and changed to new words.

Before he could process the impossible reality, a blaring alarm sounded in his head.

Kael picked up his crowbar. It suddenly felt as light as a simple wooden stick. Something massive was coming over the dunes. He had to run.