The Imperial Academy library was a quiet place. It was made of wood and it felt like you could hear the whispers of all the people who had studied there for centuries. Sam sat in an area in the back of the library in the part where they kept the old history books. He had his laptop open. He was not looking at it. He was looking at a black stick that Liam Choi had given him.
The other students walked by him. They did not even look at him. To them he was a teacher, someone who helped them pass their exams. That was okay with Sam. In his line of work it was good to be invisible. It meant he could see things that other people did not notice.
"System, " Sam said quietly. "Check if anyone is watching us either in person or on the computer."
The system made a sound, like a bell ringing.
[The internet connection here is safe. The security cameras are not working now. There are no ghosts or monsters around. You are alone Sam.]
"Good, " Sam said. "Now open the secret folder marked 403."
The system screen. An old black and white picture came up. It was a man in his late 30s wearing a lab coat. He was standing in front of one of the buildings at the Imperial Academy.
[This is a picture of Agent 403. His secret name was The Alchemist. He is dead now. He died in an accident in the lab.]
Sam felt a chill run down his spine. The man in the picture did not look like someone who would die in an accident. He looked like someone who knew what he was doing.
"This man used to teach, " Sam said. "He was a chemist but he died 30 years ago. Liam's notes say he was trying to make something called Stabilized Essence."
The system made another sound like a warning bell.
[Be careful Sam. Talking about Stabilized Essence is not allowed. If you keep asking questions you might get in trouble.]
"I am not trying to make the formula, " Sam said. "I just want to understand what is going on. All the agents who tried to get in died in strange accidents. The people in charge do not want us to succeed. They just want us to do what we are told and then disappear."
Sam rubbed his temples. He had a headache. He was not just living in a story he was living in a nightmare. The rules were not fair. He was just trying to survive.
THE VILLAIN'S INVITATION
Someone walked into the room. Sam knew who it was without looking up. It was Liam Choi and he smelled like perfume. He was wearing a suit and he looked like a rich businessman.
"You are not supposed to be, " Liam said. "This part of the library is for people with permission."
"I have permission, " Sam said. "I am a teacher.. What are you doing here? You should be in class."
"Class is for people who think they can solve problems with math, " Liam said. "I prefer to make my rules. Did you like the gift I gave you?"
Sam closed his laptop. "It was interesting.. It was also a bit scary."
"It was a warning, " Liam said. "This world has its rhythm, its own way of working. Some people are important. Some people are not. You, Sam, are a problem. You are a virus that the world is trying to get rid of."
"Is that why you are here?" Sam asked. "To help me or to hurt me?"
Liam smiled. "I am here to make you an offer. My family's company is going to take over the Servilla shipping company. If you help me I will help you. I will give you access to our files and you can use that information to stay alive."
The computer made another sound, like a bell ringing.
[Liam Choi is making you an offer. He wants you to help him take down the Servilla company. If you do, he will give you information that can help you survive.]
Sam tapped his fingers on the table. He was thinking.
"You are asking me to betray my friend, " Sam said.
"I am asking you to survive, " Liam said. "Your friend is going to lose. He is a lucky guy who got rich by accident. I am the future Sam. Join me. We can change the rules of this game."
Sam looked at Liam. For a moment he saw him as a prisoner, someone who was trapped in this world just like him.. Then he remembered who Liam really was and what he wanted.
"I will think about it, " Sam said.
"Do not think long, " Liam said. "The market is going to open and by tomorrow afternoon the Servilla company will be worth nothing."
THE STRATEGY ROOM
As soon as Liam left Sam got up and went to a special room in the library. It was a high-tech room, with computers and screens. Sam locked the door. I turned on the computer.
"SystemComputer, show me the map of the stock market, " Sam said.
The system dycomputer screen. A blue grid appeared. It was a map of the stock market with lines and threads that showed how everything was connected.
"There " Sam said, pointing to a group of lines. "That is what Liam's company is doing. They are trying to take down the Servilla company.. Look at the blue lines. My friend Matthew is still trusting me. That is what is keeping everything from falling apart."
The computer made a sound like a warning bell.
[If you fight Liam you are going against the rules of the game. The people in charge will not like it.]
"Let them, " Sam said. "If I help Liam I will be his puppet. If I do what the people in charge want I will be dead in six months. I am going to do something."
"What are you going to do?" the computer asked.
"I am going to create a Black Swan Event, " Sam said. "I am going to do something that will change everything, something that will make all the plans useless."
The computer made a sound, like a bell ringing.
[You have 3000 points. What do you want to buy with them?]
Sam looked at the options. He could buy a way to manipulate the market or a way to leak information.. Then he saw something else.
"Buy the Ghost Protocol, " Sam said. "I want to move the Servilla company's assets to a place, where Liam cannot find them. We are going to let the company fail. We are going to keep the treasure."
THE BOARDROOM BATTLE
In the morning the city was buzzing with news. The Servilla company was in trouble. Everyone was talking about it. Sam stood in the back of the boardroom watching as the directors of the company argued about what to do.
Matthew, the owner of the company, looked pale and scared. He was counting on Sam to help him.
"The stock has dropped 30% in two hours, " one of the directors said. "We have to sell the company. We have to merge with Liam's company before we're all bankrupt."
Matthew looked at Sam hoping for help.. Sam just looked at his watch.
10:59 AM.
"You are right, " Sam said. "The company as it is now is dead."
The room fell silent. Matthew's face. Sam could see the disappointment in his eyes.
[Matthews' trust in Samtrust Sam just went down. He is not sure if Sam is going to help him ]
Sam walked towards the window looking out at the city. "Death is a way of changing things, " he said. Director Hennessey had told him that the Imperial Academy only cares about what's valuable. The same is true for the world. Sam turned to Matthew. Said, "Matthew signed the 'Emergency Asset Transfer' I sent to your tablet a few minutes ago."
Matthews' hand was shaking. "What is it?" he asked.
Sam said, "It's the future."
Really it was the Ghost Protocol. When Matthews thumb touched the scanner the System started working fast.
[DING!]
[Ghost Protocol Activated.]
[Transferring 80% of Servilla Groups money to 'The Academy Trust'.]
[Something big is happening: The Servilla Group is now a shell company. Liam Choi is about to buy a vacuum cleaner.]
THE FALLOUT
By 2:00 PM Liam Choi had taken control of the Servilla Group. He was standing in the lobby surrounded by cameras. He looked very happy like a king who had just won a battle.
Then his assistant whispered something in his ear. Liam's face did not fall apart, it just became still. He looked up at the balcony, where Sam was standing.
The "Hostile Takeover" was over. It did not end with Liam winning. It ended with both sides being confused and the whole world being uncertain.
[WARNING!]
[The world is not very stable now: 88% (and getting worse).]
[Liam Choi is starting to question who he really is: he is now 40% 'Self-Aware'.]
THE PRICE OF DEFIANCE
That night Sam went back to his apartment. He was very tired. His body was at its limit. The only thing keeping him going was his ability to handle stress.
He sat down on his bed in the room. "016 " He said, "show me how the Bureau is reacting."
A screen appeared. It was not the usual blue color. It was a scary red.
[MESSAGE FROM THE CANNON FODDER DEPARTMENT]
[Agent Sam Lee you messed up the 'Hostile Takeover' plan. The bad guy was supposed to win. You stopped him. You have changed the story.]
[PUNISHMENT:]
[1. You lost 2000 Bureau Points.]
[2. Your soul is not as stable as it was: it is now at 85%.]
[3. A 'Correction Agent' is coming to your world.]
Sam felt a pain in his chest. It was the pain that had killed him in the office. He gasped, holding his heart.
"System... What's going on?"
[DING!]
[Your soul is not stable: it is at 85%. You are feeling 'Reality Friction'. The world is trying to get rid of you because you do not fit your role as a Cannon Fodder.]
Sam said, "I'm not a role..." He crawled to his desk. Found a small bottle he had bought earlier. It was a Soul Stabilizer. He drank it all in one gulp.
The pain went away. He still felt cold.
"016 " Sam said, his voice shaking. "Who is the 'Correction Agent'?"
[SCANNING...]
[The Correction Agent does not have a body. They take over someone who's already part of the story.]
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. It was not Matthews' knock or Isabelle's polite knock. It was a rhythmic sound.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Sam stood up, his hand reaching for the Protection Talisman. He looked through the peephole. Saw Director Hennessey standing in the hallway.
She was not wearing her glasses. Her eyes were glowing with a blue light.
"Professor Lee " she said, her voice sounding like voices at once. "We need to talk about your resignation."
THE TEACHER'S STAND
Sam backed away from the door. "016 Can she come in?"
[She is a Correction Agent, Sam. Doors do not mean anything to her. She is the 'World Will' come to life.]
The door did not break. It just disappeared, turning into ash as the Director walked in. She looked around the apartment seeing the boxes of anime figures.
"You did well Candidate 404 " the entity said. "You were efficient. You were clever.. You are becoming a problem. You are trying to stay in a world that has already moved on without you."
Sam said, "I'm not done yet. I have a contract. One hundred missions. I've only done one."
The Agent said, "The contract is for missions. By stopping the 'Hostile Takeover' you failed to do what the Cannon Fodder was supposed to do. The original Sam Lee wanted to be remembered as a hero who died. You have made him a living ghost who is feared."
Sam said, "I saved the characters! I saved the company!"
The Agent said, "You saved the characters. You destroyed the story.. The Bureau deals in stories, not lives."
The Agent raised a hand. The air in the room started to vibrate, the sound getting louder until the windows cracked. Sam felt his soul being pulled by the "Reality Friction" turning into a vacuum.
"016! Do something!"
[I CANNOT INTERFERE WITH A CORRECTION AGENT, SAM! UNLESS...]
"Unless what?"
[Unless you use your 'Special Tokens to buy a 'Host Body Lockdown'. It will tie your soul to this worlds rules tightly that even the Bureau cannot pull you out.. ]
"But what?"
[. You will be truly human. No more System Shop. No more Attribute Points. You will have to survive with what you have until this body dies naturally.]
Sam looked at the glowing entity. He looked at his shaking hands. He thought about the Planning Department, the heart attack, the endless white void and the 99 missions of servitude that awaited him.
He thought about the look in Matthew's eyes when he had saved him. He thought about the game of chess he was playing with Liam Choi.
He did not want to be an agent. He wanted to be a man.
"Do it, " Sam whispered. "Lock me down."
[DING!]
[Special Tokens used: 200.]
[Activating 'Grounded Soul' Protocol.]
[WARNING: This action cannot be undone. System 016 will go into 'Deep Hibernation'. You are on your own, Sam.]
A loud noise erupted in Sam's head. A heavy invisible chain wrapped around his mind. Pushed it deep into his bones.
The vacuum stopped.
The entity in Director Hennessey's body gasped, her eyes returning to normal. She stumbled, holding the wall.
"Professor Lee?" she whispered. "What... What am I doing in your apartment?"
Sam stood up. He felt heavy. He felt tired. His head. His knee ached.
He looked around. Saw that the blue screens were gone. System 016 was silent.
He was Sam Lee. A 21-year-old man, an employee of the Imperial Academy with an intelligence and a body that was still recovering.
"Director " Sam said, his voice steady. "You seem to have had a spell. Please sit down. We were just about to discuss the budget for the Economics Department."
THE NEW REALITY
Hours later after he had walked the Director to her car Sam sat on his balcony.
He did not have a mission panel. He did not have a luck buff. He did not have a safety net.
He had the thumb drive from Liam Choi. He had the assets of the Servilla Group.. He had a world that did not know how to handle someone who knew the script but refused to follow it.
The Bureau would send others. He knew that. They would send agents more correction forces, more "accidents."
They would find that Sam Lee was a very difficult man to kill. Because he was not a cannon fodder anymore. He was the one, in control of his life.
"Tomorrow " Sam said to the city "I think I'll buy a gym membership. I really need to work on my endurance."
away in the Choi Group penthouse Liam Choi looked up at the stars and felt a
| Soul Stability | This Will Always Be The Case | Grounded
My current situation is that I am not tied to anything
Next I want to make it through the sixty years.