Sh1iroFue. Nope, taken.
Sh1r0Fu3. Taken.
Sh1ro_Fue. Also, taken.
"Talya," begged Teddy, "just add some random string of numbers at the end."
"No!" I stubbornly refused. "I'm not adding meaningless numbers to my IGN name."
"Alright, fine." Teddy yielded. "I'm leaving. I'll be getting my character to the starting area. Add me once you finish the tutorial mission and I'll find you. My IGN is Lord Explosion_Murder72."
"Seriously?"
"Yep."
"Where's your sense of identity? What the heck is 'Lord Explosion_Murder72' supposed to mean? Is there some sort of feudal hierarchy in the game? Are you the 72nd person by that name?"
"I'm playing as an explosives expert with this account. My explosions are worthy of worship. They also happen to kill people," Teddy replied sarcastically. "Good? Okay. I'll see you in game."
"How do I add friends?" I asked at the last second.
"The tutorial will go over it." And with that, the call ended. I rolled my eyes. What an impatient man.
I thought over my name again. Maybe I shouldn't steal a motif from another story. If this character is supposed to be a version of myself, then maybe my own name...No. That's both dumb and dangerous. But perhaps my name's meaning...
I tried typing it in. The game informed me that the name was available. I smiled.
And so, DivineDewpoint entered the world of Terracotta Contingency.
******
A flag hung in the background. Similar to the current American flag, it had thirteen alternating red and white stripes with a field of blue in the top left corner. On the field was a triangle of three large, white stars enclosed in a circle.
Before long, a man in military fatigues walked into view. He was cleanly shaven, save for a grey mustache on his upper lip. A red beret covered his head and several medals and stars shined on his chest. With his hands folded behind his back, the man straightened his posture and spoke.
"To all the brave men and women here today, thank you and welcome to the Terracotta Contingency. As you know, the United States of North America has been in the era of unprecedented peace. Since the Unification War of 2198, the USNA has not had to exercise its might. However, that means tens of thousands of our finely, groomed soldiers retire every year without the chance to defend our nation. Warriors wasted while we traverse the eye of the storm."
"But that will no longer be the case," the military man continued. "With the development of cryostasis technology, you, our nation's elite soldiers, can be preserved in their prime until the need arises. Today, you and many soldiers will enter cryo-chambers in facilities across the country. You will sleep until the day the Terracotta Contingency is initiated. The country thanks you for your service."
The man's right hand snapped up to his forehead and he gave a crisp salute. "Glory to the 91 States! Glory to you all!"
Patriotic marching music played as the speech ended. The camera seemed to pull back. The screen blurred as if passing through glass. As it cleared, it revealed that the speech was being played on a dirty, cracked television screen. The hum of electricity started up in the background. The lights in the room flickered before fully turning on. As the camera continuously pulled back, more and more of the room was revealed. It was only partially light, suggesting that some of the lights were dead. Broken chairs were scattered around the center. The dilapidated walls sported fungus and mold. The tiled floor was cracked and streaked with filth.
The sound of running footsteps gradually grew louder. Outside the view of the camera, a door was pushed open. Flashlight beams swept across the walls before a disembodied male voice called, "Clear!"
"Get in!" a female voice commanded. "And barricade the door."
A flurry of footsteps filled the room. The door was slammed shut. The sound of dragging debris and grunts could be heard as the soldiers obeyed the command.
"Norris, how's McNally?"
"He's unconscious but stable, lieutenant"
"At least that's some good news. Makise, are you still in the facility systems? We're going to need some reinforcements if we want to make it out of here alive."
"Understood, ma'am. Checking... yes, there are still several-."
"KRRRAAAAAAHHH!" An eldritch screech pieced through the conversation. Even the camera shook.
"We're moving! Makise, we only need one of them. Start the defrost and take point with Valdez. Lead us to our new friend."
******
"Wow," I said to myself as I stared at the black loading screen with the perpetually spinning circle at the bottom left. That was actually a really good opening. It far exceeded my expectations.
Before long, the loading circle disappeared. The black screen open and closed, emulating blinking eyes. My white surroundings became clearer with every blink. Soon, my surroundings came into focus.
A pleasant digital voice spoke, "Good morning, Subject 5,824,726. You have been resting for -bzzt- days. The current date is Aug-, Aug-, error. Terracotta Contingency activated. Initiating release protocol. Physical health signs normal. The system will now test for neurological damage from cryostasis process. Please look at the green lights in any order."
A prompt also appeared. "Use your mouse to look around."
I place my hand on the mouse and looked at four lights that appeared at the edges of my field of view. Once the center of my screen passed it, the light turned red. After all four lights glowed red, the digital voice spoke again. "No signs of neurological damage. Proceeding with release protocol. Please be patient. After release, please follow further instructions from the medical personnel."
As I waited, I looked around more. My character was dressed simply in a grey tank top and pants with a digital camo pattern. She was lying in some sort of form-fitting cushion, encased in a metal tube. I assumed that was the aforementioned cryo-chamber. The walls were covered in droplets of condensation. A ventilation system hummed as it cycled the air.
"Unlocking seal" informed the voice. "Thank you for participating in the Terracotta Contingency. Glory to the 91 States."
The pneumatic lock on the cryo-chamber hissed as it unlocked. Just as the chamber cracked open, I heard gunshots. The front swung open and the cold mist wafted out. Waiting for me was a woman dressed for combat. On top of grey digital camo fatigues, she wore body armor, elbow guards, and knee guards. On her back was a matching military backpack. A pistol was holstered at her hip, while in her hands was an assault rifle. A few strands of red hair hung loosely while the rest was contained by her helmet. A black visor hid her eyes.
She extended a gloved hand towards my character. "Rise and shine, soldier. We're gonna need your help."