Before the Darkness...there was a time when people used the Traveler to further all aspects of life. While life spans were lengthened and planets beyond the Earth were inhabited, there were people who wanted more. They wanted a way to make themselves immortal. A project was started to realize this dream...a way to defy death. This is the story of a man named Galen Sladek...a washed-out scientist working a desk job for a temp company. Just trying to forget what he helped create. A horrible creation that would defy all morals and standards that humanity stood for. The very thing that would help humanity fight back against the forces of Darkness. -Before the Darkness, 8:23 A.M. Sunday, Date Unknown Ghost. He heard the word as if it were a faint whisper yet...hanging there in his ear. He looked to his right and saw the old stripped poster, covered in dust and black scars. It was a rusty color, faint in shade but heavy in tone. In the center was a small robot, no bigger than the palm of your hand. It read above it, "Secure your future. Buy a Ghost today." "Can't you just leave me alone." As if talking to the poster and saying goodbye he just continues walking down the rustic street. The entire city, despite the coming of the Traveler, had slowly fallen into a state of disrepair. No rust was visible...but it felt as though no one but him walked through the crowded streets...covered by a pall of something invisible...still there lingering in the hearts of innocents. -Before the Darkness, 9:56 A.M. Sunday, Date Unknown The hum of the computer cut the air around his ears. His boss said it helped with concentration but honestly all it ever did was annoy him to no end. He looked at the screen and saw the interface covered in notices and a number of advertisements about a resort that was located on Venus. It read, "We offer 5 star service in a resort that is surrounded by stars and greenery! Only 500,000 Glimmer per night's stay! Reserve your spot today!" A resort on Venus? It sounded cool, but how could a temp working a desk job from 9-5 everyday possibly afford such a staggeringly high rate? He threaded through some online statements saying 'how good their customer service is' and 'we need more people like you!' Then he saw it... It was a small ad about a lost...Ghost. There it was again. The word Ghost was in his ears again, ringing a bell toll of familiarity that he couldn't quite place. The ad looked very hastily typed. There was spelling and grammar errors all over the place and some symbols that he couldn't quite recognize. It read as follows; "i dont hav much tume" tume? Did it mean time? "there after me and i dont now what too do come to this address i wil be waitng @-" Then it abruptly stopped. Wait...he looked at his screen and saw it wasn't an ad but an email from a guy named Professor Geist. Professor Geist? That name sounded familiar... Oh now he remembered! That was the name of his science professor at Moscow State University! He jumped from his seat suddenly with that realization and someone piped up behind him with a tut. He looked behind him slowly to see his Boss staring him down. "Daydreaming on the job again...eh Galen?" He was giving him a smug look, though he knew he meant well. "Ahhh-duh-uh...j-just looking over m-m-my emails mada- er sir..." His Boss stared him down after his severe stuttering and sighed. "Mr. Sladek...I know it's hard to stay focused with such a boring job...but please be considerate to our other employees," he gestures all around him, "because we're all like a BIIIG family." "Ah, y-yes sir." "Good...I'm glad we've come to an understanding. Now please get back to work...Mister Sladek." He put emphasis on the 'mister' part then sauntered off to supervise god knows what. Everyone in the office thought he was some kind of Wizard honestly, guess it's the way he always appeared from nowhere... He sighed a breath of relief then looked back to the seemingly floating computer screen. Professor Geist huh? The email is correct...it has an address and everything...he could go to it...he sighed then realized he should probably get back to work. He had a lot of paperwork to do... -Before the Darkness, 6:35 P.M. Sunday, Date Unknown As he left the building to take a light tram to the southern part of town, where his apartment was located, he suddenly stopped to think. Professor Geist...now there was a name he had not heard in a LONG while. He started to walk towards the tram as he remembered the time the Professor had him in his office. Before the Darkness, 2:34 P.M. Monday, September 9th, Year Unknown "Now Mister...Sladek was it? I have some papers here that theorize the possibility that the Traveler could be used for, other purposes besides space travel...medicine and planet terraforming. What it theorizes however...intrigues me a bit." His brow furrows as he reads it over again. "Ah...yes sir...I theorized that the Traveler could hold information about life, that it could expand human lifespan even farther than any medicine coul-" "Yes yes Mr. Sladek I figured out that part already...however...I'm afraid that this theory is disturbingly accurate." Suddenly his face felt hot and a fire lit in his heart as Professor Geist said...he was right. "Ah...but sir what do you mean by that?" "Mr. Sladek how would you like to help work on a secret program that could very well change life as we know it." He suddenly held out his hand...as if asking him to shake it. He hesitated... "Ah sir I couldn't possibly qualify for this program I-" "Mr. Sladek...I insist. The name of the program is called, Project Ghost...sound familiar?" Actually it did...it was a project that only people at the university knew about...the goal was to find the secret to immortality...to extend human life span to even greater heights than medicine ever could... He shook his head as he remembered he foolishly agreed...with a quick handshake, a smile and a short wave goodbye saying he would get back to him as soon as possible. What ensued was a series of events that quickly changed his...and Professor Geist's...life forever. He helped create the Ghost...however the small miniature thing that he saw on the poster looked nothing like the design he helped create Without warning, as he walked down a lonely street in the southern part of town, he heard a sharp 'BOOM' from somewhere nearby. It had an almost metallic sound to it...like a shell being evacuated from a tank. He decided to run to it...that was probably [b]one[/b] of the stupidest things he would ever do that would change his life forever. Before the Darkness, 6:59 P.M. Sunday, Date Unknown He whipped around the corner of a warehouse building and saw it...a small little speck on the black top near the lake wharf. It shone with a slight light...then suddenly shot up and started to shoot directly towards him. He jumped and landed flat on his butt, -ouch-, as it rocketed toward him at supersonic speed. Suddenly it was in his face...the dot that he assumed was its eye shining a faint light onto his face. "Are you a Guardian?" it said. Wait...what? "Um...I'm sorry floating...um..." he stopped for a second and suddenly the poster from this morning flashed in his eyes. "your...your a...Ghost...right?" "Yes...I am 'your' Ghost." Wait...his ghost? He flashes a puzzled look at the robot, "Look floating..er...Ghost. I am not a Guardian...whatever that is...are you talking about those guys that are studying the Traveler? Last time I checked I don't even have clearance to-" Suddenly the Ghost started to scan him...it tingled...like when you sleep on your arm for too long then you get up and it's completely numb. Except it hurt...a lot...all over his body. "AHH-AUUUUUUGHH!" He could feel his body being pricked all over with pins and needles as his very being was disrupted and torn out of him multiple times. The pain was indescribable. He could just barely make out the Ghost between his pain-squinted eyes as it suddenly lit up. Then he saw it...a faint Light in the distance in the shape of a circle. "I've been looking for you Guardian..." Suddenly his vision returned...and the Ghost was gone. That was [b]not[/b] what he designed that thing to do. He could still feel a slight tingling all over his body as he opened his mouth to say, "What...in the -blam!-...did that thing just do to me? [b][u]To Be Continued[/u][/b]