A brisk walk. A brand new cup of jet black coffee and a unicorn sprinkled donut. Tyrell sat down at his computer, cracked his knuckles and got to work. What would he build today? What he built everyday. The future. His phone rang. He stopped his music and turned toward the device which was playing classical Bach.
“Hello?” He answered.
A big brass band played on the other side. It sounded like the beginning of a radio drama. Scratchy, but oddly clear. Then came a voice.
“Sir! You have just won the most incredible prize that anyone has ever won! Sir, your name please”
“You called me” he said. The band played on in the background.
“Your name sir”
“Tyrel-“
“Well Tyrell, you have just won a ticket to the most incredible place in the universe. The metaverse, the multiverse” There was a cough “what was the other thing?” the voice lowered “Ah yes, the omniverse!”
Tyrell rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. Immediately a email notification popped up on the top right side of his screen.
- Congratulation Tyrell! Claim your tickets -
He ignored it. Then a video call request rang on his screen. The person calling was AC Niko. Curiosity was running its hands down his back. He took a bite of his donut and answered the call. His camera lit up and it showed him staring with purple frosting on his lower lip. He wiped it quickly and AC Niko’s camera came up. A man standing in front of a old microphone and a full brass band behind him nodded.
“Good to see you!” he expressed and the band played a small tune.”Now - “
“wait wait “ Tyrell put up his hand “What is this? Did you hack me? Are you hacking me?”
The man laughed and the band responded with him “Of course not! Why hack, when you can simply contact. Now as I was saying. Your tickets will be arriving shortly and you will get to visit the capital of the Stroodle empire”
There was a moment of silence.
“The what empire?” He covered his mouth to dull his laughter “Do they have good stoodle?” Tyrell kept laughing until he heard a knocking on his door.
“There they are! Enjoy your trip, so glad you were the one who won” The call ended.
Tyrell made is way slowly to the door. He crept to the side window to peak out and spy on his front porch. It was empty. The knocking came again “What the fuck is this man” He pulled away from his window and marched towards the door and flung it open. It was still empty, but something sat on his welcome mat. He picked them up. Two flat rigid tickets that had a gold outer border and the inside was transparent. The message “1 admission to the capital of the Stroodle Empire! Let the Light Cast you Into Somewehere” were etched onto some sort of transparent glass. He stepped out onto his porch and down to the sidewalk. The streets were empty. He looked at the tickets again and flipped them around to the back. “Please proceed to the fridge door to embark on your journey” He looked back at his house. His fridge? He made his way to his kitchen and then stared at his stainless steel appliance. He crept towards it and slowly reached out towards the handle. He grasped it and opened it. His produce greeted him. He gave a laugh “I must be the dumbest person alive” He shut the door and turned around. He was no longer in his kitchen. In front of him was a long path, on either side was nothing, pure black. Further down the path was a gate with a large neon sign that circled around the whole floor. It read “Stroodle Empire, The only Empire” and spun slowly. To the right of the gate was small building with two stools in the front and a built in bar. A large window looked out from the building and a man was staring at him rubbing a glass in his hands.
“Shilllllll Beer? Or maybe a Sunadog? he said unenthusiastically
Tyrell stared and moved past him to the gate.
“Whoa whoa, you gotta wait here for that AC fellow, he will pick you up. If you keep going” the man frowned and shook his head “Honestly, I don’t know what happens to you”
Tyrell looked past the sign. The path cut off sharply into the nothingness. A dead end. He approached the man and sat down at one of the stools to collect himself.
“Where am I” he said after a minute of silence.
“eh, who knows, I wish I knew too”
Tyrell took in a deep breath “what?” was the only word he could get out before put his head in his hands and rubbed his forehead. “I must be dead, when I went to get the donuts, dead, somehow”
“Not dead” A familiar voice came from behind “A winner!” The man from the video, AC Niko, stood in front of the gate.
“You” Tyrell yelled pointing at him
“Me” AC Niko smiled “Are you ready?”
“No, -“
“Great, let us begin!” The neon lights started to spin faster and faster around the path and the colors blended and he started to be pulled towards it. AC Niko stood unbothered as glasses and item from the shop hurled itself into the gate. Tyrell tried to hang on and went to grab AC Niko. As he reached out, AC Niko’s white gloved hand grasped his. As soon as he did, he too pulled off the ground and began to be pulled into the gate.
“You son of a bitc-“ Everything spun into colors and what ever Shilllllll beer might taste like and they flew into the gate and towards the Stroodle empire.
Inspired by…… Honestly for this one, I have no clue ahah Tyrell I imagined sort of from Mr.Robot.