The short story.

[ElvenNeko]

Hi there! I wanted to share with you a short story that i write around 10 years ago. You will ask - "why i need to read it?", and the answer is - it using pretty similar theme as recent frictional game, SOMA, or at least one of the themes) I remember about this story after completing the game, and were thinking that maybe you will like it.

There is only one problem - i translated it it english 5 minutes ago, but my knowledge of english is pretty basics, so please forgive me if it will be hard to read, because i would make tons of grammar mistakes there, or at least i think so, because i barely know the english grammar, but i really tried my best in translating it. And do not be bothered with weird start - you will understand later =)

So, here goes:

The sound of coins.

Brand new "Steel Knight" armor, tho smg behind his belt, packs of grenades on his shoulders, rocket launcher behind his back and katana sword, carved with diamonds in his hands – this arsenal made him look as a pure might in the eyes of his enemies while he stood in the light of the rising sun, dropping a huge shadow on the foes beneath him. All of them were here: corsair, who robbed him year ago, psyonic, who made him give up his resourses, and even the mercenary who won a duel with him. Now was the comback time. Faster then eyes can see he pulled smg’s out and those who was standing closer to him felt on the ground, shreded with bullets, then grenades started to blow, throwing pieces of bodies in all directions. He jumped to the psyonic and cut his head off by the single sword blow, then turned to the mercenary, and... Suddenly battlefield disapeared, and he found himself staring at the cave celling.
- Finaly, you woke up. I started worrying about mixing wrong herbs already – said stranger, and smiled. He was tall, with long blonde hair and eyes blue like the sky, dressed only in leather pants and vest – his heavy armor was on the wall nearby, close to the campfire – the only sourse of heat around.
- Did i... won? – young man’s lips were barely moving when he said then, and then he tried to touch the bandage on his head.
- Ha! Won... If i would not get there fast – those bandits would skin you alive just to have fun. They settled a camp nearby and waited for the miners to gather enough ore, then ambush them on their way back. It’s not a hard task – killing miners, who mostly have nothing but their pickaxes or knifes...
- Where are we?
- In my cave. Do not worry, it’s safe here. I stopped the bleeding and bandaged your wounds – you was in pretty bad shape, but now you will be ok, i promise.
- You... Healed me? But why? I am authorized citized, and my mind was saved in portal inside the dome. Why don’t just let me respawn there? – miner was confused, and pain in his head didn’t make things easier for him.
- Well, about that... no-no, you stay there, that’s too early for you to stand up. Have a rest, and while you do that – i will tell you a story that happened with me not long ago... I hope this will help you to undestand – stranger took piece of bread and cup of water from the table and offered it to the miner. There was rose of winds tatoo on his arm.
- Are you a stalker? – asked the miner.
- Yes, i was... before. Let’s talk about this later, ok? Now, could you tell me, please, what do you know about portals?
- Well... After nuclear war human population was low, and fighting each other and wild wasteland monsters could cause extinction of the human race, so our last sientists came with the portal project. Once you entering it – it takes a sample of your dna, that makes you "saved". Once you will take fatal injuries – your brain implant will send your memories back to portal, and if you are legal citizen – portal will create your clone that is based on your dna, and load your memories.
- Good. You do understand how it works, but what does it means?
- Immortality? No matter how many times i have to die – i will always respawn in the portal.
- Bullshit! Use your brains, kiddo! Once i were young and stupid, just like you are now... When i took shot to the head – my implant transfered the data and turned off, concidering me dead. There was only one problem – i wasn’t dead at all, and when i recovered – i came back to the city, and you know what i found there? Myself. There was exact copy of me, created by portal – he had all my memories and feelings, and he was trully thinking that he is the real deal. Do you get it, kid? We don’t spawn in portals! We don’t have eternal life! We just die on the field of battle, and they load new copies with our expirience, just to let them fight again... I am not the man i think i am – my actual age is only 3 years and a half, the rest is memories of a dead man. This is the truth behind the portals... Once i knew it, i left the city and settled here. I don’t care about their stupid wars, and i want to be away from humans and towns, i want to enjoy the nature, or what’s left of it, feel the rain, wind and sunshine on my skin, watch the flowers grow, travel across the wastelands to see a new life being born... Once i realized how important my life is – everything started to be so attractive and colourful! My dream now is to travel across the world and see all the wonders it have to offer.
And what about you, kid? What’s your dream? When you were sleeping, you had such a joyfull face – like you were already in paradise. Did you have a good dream before i wake you up? You know – we could make our dreams a reality. Come on, tell me! What is you dream?

Stalker was facing the exit of the cave, watching rising sun while it’s covered wastelands with it’s shine. Armor suit on the wall was expencive, but even more expencive were skins of the animals that were lying everywhere in the cave. Miner remembered his dream – unbreakable armor, tons of weapons and foes falling down before him. That was his most sacred dream – to take revenge on the people who robbed and murdered him so many times before. Without hesitation he pulled old "makarov" pistol from his hidden pocket, pointed on the back of the stalker, and pulled the trigger.