Chapter 4 – Changed World
She stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide with a mix of fear and wonder. Reality before her seemed to unravel, bending and twisting until it tore open, spilling digital fragments and streams of code into the air. From this surreal tear, Lee emerged – at first a mere wisp of energy, light, and computer code, then gradually solidifying into his familiar human form.
Lee's mother, her expression a tapestry of shock, confusion, and disbelief, stared at him as if seeing a ghost. She teetered on the edge of fainting as Lee quickly stepped forward to catch her.
“Is it really you? Am I dreaming?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
With a gentle smile, Lee replied, “It's me, Mom. I don’t understand it all, but I’m home.”
The reality of his presence overwhelmed her, and she collapsed into unconsciousness. Lee carefully carried her into another room, partitioned off by old, dirty linen hanging from makeshift metal sheeting. “At least it’s a roof,” he mused as he laid her down gently.
When she finally awoke, her eyes flickered with uncertainty before recognition set in. Tears spilled over as she embraced Lee, clinging to him as if to confirm he was real.
After regaining some composure, she pulled back slightly, her voice quivering. “It’s been over 20 years since they...” Her words trailed off, choked by emotion.
Lee nodded, his own heart heavy with the knowledge of the time that had slipped away. “Yes, but I'm back now,” he reassured her, an unspoken promise in his tone.
“You didn’t age a day, son!” his mother noticed.
“I…” Lee began, his gaze locking with his mother’s. “I am different now. I don't fully understand how, but I’ve transcended my humanity.” A soft smile touched his lips.
His mother, her eyes tinged with worry yet filled with curiosity, returned the smile and gestured for him to sit. As Lee settled down, she began to unravel the events of the past two decades.
Lee listened intently, his expression darkening with each revelation. A storm of rage started to build within him. The DTS had overtaken the world, creating or discovering a prison realm to vanish those they deemed undesirable. While the early slums remained untouched, millions were displaced, erased from earthly existence, treated as nothing more than refuse.
For the blindly compliant, life under the DTS appeared utopian – a world free of worries and needs. But beneath this veneer, countless lives were discarded and forgotten. Lee’s fists clenched involuntarily as the bitter truth sank in.
“Careful now, son,” his mother cautioned, noting the rising storm within him. “If you let your thoughts stray too far, the DTS will come for you again.”
A defiant grin spread across Lee’s face. “Then that's exactly what I'll do,” he declared. “It's time to stand up and end their reign of terror.”
Stepping outside, Lee unleashed a tirade against the DTS, his voice ringing with contempt and determination. His rant, peppered with more swear words than he cared to count, echoed through the desolate outskirts.
Minutes ticked by, and then, as if summoned by his defiance, a portal ripped open. A squad of heavily armed soldiers emerged, their expressions a mix of annoyance and disdain.
“Back in this dump,” one soldier grumbled as he stepped through.
“Where else would someone be foolish enough to openly challenge them?” another added, scanning the area.
As the last soldier secured their perimeter, one pointed his weapon at Lee. “Must be this guy,” he said flatly.
“Just a kid,” another observed, while the sergeant adjusted the digital display on his gun. The words 'Prison Realm' flickered on the screen.
“Time to send you away, kid,” the sergeant announced, aiming the portal gun at Lee.
“Don’t move an inch, or we'll shoot,” another soldier warned.
Lee, unfazed by the guns trained on him, merely smirked. “Do what you have to,” he challenged.
As the sergeant fired, a frantic message crackled through their comms: “DO NOT SEND HIM OUT!”
A stunned silence fell as Lee vanished. The sergeant, responding to the barrage of questions and insults over the radio, replied tersely, “Too late! We’re coming back in.”
The soldiers retreated through the portal, leaving behind the quiet slums at the edge of the towering mega-cities. These cities, encased by walls higher than skyscrapers, segregated the exiled from the utopian world within. Meanwhile, outside, nature reclaimed what was left, and those cast aside were left to fend for themselves in the forgotten fringes.
Stefan:
Would you dare to stand up, in a world where mere thoughts could mean exile for the rest of your life?