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Everything here is fictional, there is no mod so far that can allow the player to program new stuff in-game without the need of a reboot. Not yet...
It's a work in progress, so please leave feedback and such!
Chapter 1: Prelude
Not too long ago, in a galaxy not too far, far away, considering it's situated on Earth but only
accessible via a video game, there was a Minecraft server. It was private, and it ran off the
default software. There was just that one, special thing about it, though. A modification. It
contained a never-before-seen mod that allowed users to create new blocks, items, entities, GUIs,
and everything else you would expect in a mod, all in-game. What made it better than the rest was
that the mods created in-game did not need to have a server restart in order for them to work. All
from 3 blocks that allowed to disassemble newly made items, craft them, and program them.
The Overlords, however, thought that the Mod couldn't just be used for themselves. They felt it
had great potential, and that the word just HAD to be spread. The mod eventually got distributed
via the Minecraft Forum, and as such the server became public. It had a grand influence on many
players. Many of those players wanted to use this opportunity to test their skills, to see if
their knowledge would benefit the community. Others wanted to explore the vast intellect of these
people...
...and the rest, however, wanted to use it for destruction. As you can expect, once a server
becomes public, there's no doubt about the arrival of griefers and warlords. With their arrival,
cities fell, anarchy rose, and hundreds of players were deathbanned for weeks due to the wars and
chaos that rose from an online game. It all ended with the Griefers now having taken control of
the wasteland that was those places.
People had to survive in any way possible. Many people fled the wreckage and journeyed to the Far
Lands. Others stood in murderous bandit clans. There was only one hope left.
Surviving inmates of the dead cities came together and formed an insurgency. From that point on,
they studied the art of Java programming for months. These people were known as the Programmers.
They apprehended, contained and constrained the Griefers from exploring into the outer lands. With
no other option left, the Griefers eventually ceased their attempts at escaping the Wasteland.
The Programmers explored the outer lands in places of which the Griefers couldn't come 25
kilometers close to. In the end, they found themselves homes at these towns, but with the new
governments they had to disband the insurgency.
They had to give up their friendship, their trust, even their knowledge of Java. They became miners. Farmers. Hunters. Redstone engineers. But never again could they become the defenders of a world that no longer needed them.
The Planner Desk of which has fuelled and contained the chaos, was lost in the ruins... but did
it stay lost?
*The name was a typo, it was intended to be Chainmanner.
Chapter 2 (through the screen of Chaimanner*): The Town
It was another Minecraft day in the industrial city of Creepcraft. The city has stayed in its
peace and quiet for a while. The city has formed an alliance with many other factions, and it
scrapped the old technologies that were used in the old times. We were all told safety was
guaranteed here, but the Authority here knew that safety could not be promised; we all had to do
take risks, and those who were "too afraid" to get a job were banished.
Luckily everybody I knew had contributed, yet all I know is that the Authority didn't have their
minds focused on expansion of the town and of their alliance.
Well, what does it matter? I'm out of the situation, and as long as I don't poke the bear, it'll
all be fine.
Today was a day off from all of our jobs, and I spent it by taking a stroll around town. It was a
more or less normal day, considering it's always noisy from all the industral equipment,
especially those involved with mining. Many people seemed to be enjoying their lives in the
city... all except me.
I was a Programmer, to this day we're referred to as Nerds or Geeks. The art of Programming was my
life. It saved me and my friends, and it kept me through the hard times that lead to this. I just
could not understand at that time why it was illegal to use our knowledge in good faith. But there's a law and I had to stick with it.
When I thought reflecting on this couldn't make my day any worse than it already was, it somehow did.
When I got to my street at 1900 hours Server Standard Time (which is synchronized to the time of New York), a cop was right there.
"Excuse me, sir," I said to the officer, "but I need to get home. This street is the only way."
"Sorry, dude," he responded, "but orders restrict me from letting anybody in."
"Do you happen to know why?"
"Well, it could be a breach in the security by bandits, but that rarely ever happened. Other than that they never tell us."
"Okay then."
There was a Counter Trolling Unit squad entering a building, and then after a few minutes they'd leave, possibly because the building did not have anything they would want, and then go to the next one. I was worried as hell that they might have all of a sudden changed some of their laws and they are now searching and confiscating equipment or something of the sort they find incriminating.
With me being a former Programmer, the last thing I want is for some evidence of my history that I forgot about to be left in my room. Thinking fast, I went down to the next block and climbed up all the ladders, and I did a parkour to the top of one of the buildings with the help of the balconies and ladders. Then I found a large metal bar sticking out from the edge of the top of the building and I jumped off that pole and onto a ladder, then I skipped on the balconies and to my room.
Boy, was I lucky. It appears that they didn't search my room at all. I got away scott-free for the time being, but a written book I found in my mailbox proved one of my comrades didn't...
Chapter 3: The Arrest
The memo I received stated that one of my friends ended up in the City Jail. This was bad news,
and the reasons why are obvious. He was a Programmer.
Nobody else knows this but me and a few others. The Authority knows that he has non-Programmer
friends, but many of those players have been deathbanned, and the ones who are still alive have
left the town or the server altogether. This said, if I try to schedule a visit, they'll know
something's up, and I'll end up screwed myself.
I grabbed from my chest some bread, a potion of healing, and then I left my apartment building
when my street's quarantine has been lifted. I snuck past the CCTVs when the guards were away from
their keyboards and I went to the prison.
The best way to get in was via the tunnels, but I knew I couldn't do it by myself. With that, I
went to the closest pay phone, inserted 1 credit, and I dialed for the Wasteland Control Terminal.
"This is WCT. How can I help you?" JHG0, the controller, typed in.
"Hello, JHG0. It's Chain." I responded.
"Hey, Chain. How you doing?"
"Good. I need your help."
"Go ahead and tell me your request, then! I can probably do it."
"I need you to open Tunnel 3-096. It needs to be opened with a Level 6 Cardkey but I don't have
access to one. You think you can open it?"
Instead of telling me if he could or not, or if he knew an alternate way in there, he responded to
me:
"That's a direct path to the Creepcraft City Jail. Why do you want to go there?"
My hands were a little bit shaky when I asked him this:
"Are you on a secure line?"
"I am, but you're on a public payphone, in front of CCTV cameras, the most vulnerable means of
communication."
"The guards are away from their keyboards right now, and whether or not this is secure, it's my
only means of communication."
"All right then, say what you must before they return."
"Our comrade, pocman2, was arrested just last night. You know him, the guy who programmed the
Incendiary Rifle and the High Indensity Discharge Turret. Well, it seems that the Authority
finally got something against us Programmers and they're arresting whoever has evidence of
practising programming.
Well, it appears they didn't search thoroughly when they came to the building he lives in. In
fact, I don't know what happened, but I believe they must have went straight to his room instead
of conducting a whole scan. They must have skipped my building for all I know.
Anyway, if I understand it right, you cleared our names off the Creepcraft City manifests, right?"
"Chain, I cleared their identities off EVERY city I have control over. But somehow somebody must
have leaked information."
"Well then, if they did leak it, they most certainly didn't do it well. Anyway, JHG0, that doesn't
matter, what does matter is that the Authority's methods at getting information out of somebody
are extremely effective. They will, ironically, troll pocman2 until he cracks.
Yes, I could find a way to kill him before they commence the trolling procedure, but he's my
friend, and I don't want him deathbanned."
"All right then, Chain, all right. Now, I'm sorry, but it'll be difficult break him out. The
Creepcraft Database is obfuscated and I don't believe I can crack this one. You'll have to see if
you can cause some sort of disruptions in the meantime, in order to delay the trolling procedure.
Just give me enough time and I'll likely find a way to free him. If I can't, sorry."
With that, JHG0 hung up on me.
If only he knew that people who cause disruptions to impede any activities the Authorities are
attempting end up terminated.
So much for my hope of survival.
Chapter 4: The Breach
I knew it was only a matter of time before Pocman2 cracked and told everything. Well, that was
it. I didn't care anymore. It's too late for me to do anything, because even if I did get access
to the prison, the Electromagnetic Reboot Force Field would stop me. It didn't matter anymore, I
was still screwed. I decided to just lay off, spend the day at my apartment, and wait for Death,
until...
I received a message on my blocktop computer. It was JHG0.
"Chain," he typed, "I've got good news. I've started to decrypt the Creepcraft Database, but
Notch knows how long this will take. Go to work, and take your computer with you so that when I'm
done, I can make up a plan. Do NOT bunk off."
I knew something was on, but at that time I didn't have it through my mind what. He IS the
Wasteland Control Terminal, so I was assuming he finally cracked down and found a weakness
through the system. Seeing as I have a second chance, I grabbed my computer, my Efficiency IV
Unbreaking III diamond pickaxe, and a stack of bread, then I stood up and walked to work.
Walking to work wasn't too easy in itself. The Authority was showing propaganda at their town
square, people standing next to signs that read, "We're not safe forever!" and on top of all,
Highway 14 closed down due to creepers having destroyed some of the road; so even if I did manage
to break out with pocman2, it'd be very difficult, if not impossible, to escape the city
afterward. So I thought, at least.
I spent about 3 hours mining. It wasn't a complete waste of time, however, considering I found 23
diamonds, 72 blocks of iron ore, and 35 ores of gold. I kept them all, because of what I thought
could happen within the next hour or so.
At 1500 hours, I told my foreman that I needed to go see the upper management due to a current
issue we had at that time, regarding the problem with us running out of space to mine. I took the
elevator (made with pistons and redstone), but instead of going to the ground floor, I went to
the maintenance tunnels, the place I got to last time when I tried to go to the prison. I set my
computer on the ground, connected it to the Rednet, and initiated a conversation with JHG0.
"JHG0," I started, "did you finish deobfuscating the Database?"
"Not even close." He replied. "There has to be a crapload amount of data in the Creepcraft
servers, and I gave up when I hit 27% data decoded. Fortunately, I managed to get the data I need
in order to disable the defenses and let Pocman2 free."
"Disable the defenses? Hold on, you're not literally saying..."
"Yes, Chain, I am. I'm going to disable the Electromagnetic Reboot Force Field. Globally. I'm
afraid I can't get the code that can disable the prison's defenses specifically, but this should
offer you a chance of escape as well."
"JHG0, can't you just wait a little more to decrypt the rest of the database?"
"Chain. It's been 3 hours since I've started. They could have already begun the trolling
procedure for all I know."
Just so that I explain the effect of disabling it, the Electromagnetic Reboot Force Field (ERFF)
is the shield that secures and protects not only important places such as the citadel, the prison
or the military base, but the city itself. The reason why these shields are installed are because
of the genocidal bandit clans that were roaming the main lands and are attempting to breach the
cities. They too have used the destructive technologies from back in the older times of the
server, and they were attempting to breach daily. The only thing that would keep the city from
being breached was the ERFF. Even if it needs maintenance, they still need to keep it on, despite
the risk of fiddling with it when active. If anything were to happen to it, it would be the
Griefers' Arrival all over again.
"Chain!" JHG0 exclaimed. "We don't have much time. We NEED to disable the ERFF."
"All right," I spoke back, hesitatingly. "Now tell me the instructions."
"You have your pick with you, right?"
"Yep."
"Good. Now listen carefully. I will deactivate the shields, and when I do, ALL doors in the
entire industrial zone will open. The doors will close and lock themselves in about 45 seconds,
so you MUST move promptly.
"Take your computer with you, you'll need it. I'll shut down the ERFF in 10 seconds, so get
prepared."
With that, I thought about the population I would doom with this action.
I hit my computer and grabbed it. My mind raced very fast on the countdown...
3...
2...
1...
Go!
The doors clashed with the walls. I sprinted as fast as I could through the doors to the prison.
One of the doors were replaced with stone, so I had to break it with my pick as fast as possible.
Around 15 seconds have passed, and I'm at the prison's interior. I'm in the maintenance tunnels,
so I NEED to get out of there as fast as possible. I see a nearby zipper elevator and I make it
up to the top floor, where the high security cells are located and where it made sense for my
buddy to be.
30 seconds.
I run through the prison cells to find my friend, Pocman2, and I finally find his cell... Nearby
a bandit! I promptly pulled out my pick and dive multiple critical hits with it into the bandit.
He dropped dead and all his items fell out, one of which was a Level 6 Cardkey. I quickly swipe
it into the cell door's slot, and then Pocman2 in an orange jumpsuit emerges out.
"Glad to see you again," he greeted me. "Thanks for getting me out!"
But by then, it was too late: the doors shut behind our backs!
The only hope was the storage room situated on the same level. I pulled out the cardkey and
opened the door to the storage room. I then started looking desperately for anything that could
help us. Water buckets, ladders...
Ladders! I found 8 ladders in one of the chests. I took them and ran immediately to Pocman2's
room, because if we could get on top of the roof, there would be a helicopter awaiting to be
commanded.
I started cracking through the obsidian, but after breaking one block, Pocman2 heard a faint
squiggly sound.
It was the sound of Metrocops. They were trying to weld through the doors to break into the
containment room.
Trying to rush, I managed to break open a man-sized hole, but by then the Police broke in.
Thinking fast, I set the ladders outside of the building on the side of the hole. We jumped on,
got on the rooftops, and we were finally safe from the chaos.
We jumped into the helicopter with Pocman2 as the pilot, and then we flew away from the chaos.
The sounds of gunfire, explosions, and choppers infested the air. I never found out how big the
damage was, or how many players survived the breach. All I know is I never saw Creepcraft City
ever again.
To this day, I'm still questioning myself whether all that was truly worth it.
Chapter 5: The Information
Thanking Notch that we escaped hell itself and that the secret of the Programmers was still
unknown by the rest, I got up from my seat, found a terminal where I could insert my computer,
and I got myself started looking for our destination. I contacted JHG0 for help on where we
needed to go.
"JHG0," I started off, "are you there?"
"Brilliant!" He exclaimed. "You made it through!"
"Glad to here you're happy we made it out, JHG0. Now that we're out of the reach of harm for
the time being, we're in a helicopter and we need to know what exactly we're after, besides
trying to escape the Authority."
"I came prepared for us eventually being pressured by the governments, Chain."
"After I disabled the Electromagnetic Reboot Force Field system throughout the whole city, I
started looking for answers. I looked through the sectors of the Creepcraft Database that managed
to be decrypted, and there was something interesting I found in there. A message.
"Unfortunately, majority of the file got corrupted, but I managed to get the sender and a total
game-changing message. I'll send it to you right now to investigate."
JHG0 sent the highly corrupted message to me, and I opened it up with heightened senses. The
message read the following:
"COMMUNICATION_FAR_MESSAGE
-----
FROM: DUKETOWN_AUTHORITY@[AREA_UNKNOWN]
-----
TO: CREEPCRAFT_AUTHORITY@WASTELAND_OUTER
-----
MESSAGE:
Th@#is )@$is an important me(#ss&@age. If #ou recei%#ve this, p4%^3se #%ake th($# into serious
cons@$ider##2a^$tion. We(*# h@*$e had several [REDACTED]
[SECTION_TRUNCATED]
W---#)#*$ve several outbreaks, likely referring to the *#&(fer incident. W3 have suspicion that
Pro405i8##()@)owledge for destruction. Find them. If the ($)$@@@$control, we could all be
[FILE_SEVERE_CORRUPTION]
[MESSAGE_TERMINATE]"
As you can see, the message is barely comprehensible, but what I did manage to understand what
that they wanted to get to us Programmers before somebody else did. More than just bandits.
The Griefers themselves. Who else would want to use our knowledge for Notch-knows-what?
"JHG0," I said, "is there anything else we should know?"
"Yes," he responded. "There is no Duketown."
I was greatly surprised.
"What?"
"There is no Duketown. Not in this area, the wasteland, or even the server for all I know!"
This wasn't right. I checked the modifications made within the main core mod, and I saw no data
relating to a new dimension. They were obfuscated and compiled, but I'd recognize a dimension
addition even when the Java code is compiled and difficult to understand.
"So what you're basically saying is that this "Duketown" isn't within your range?"
"It could be literally anywhere on this server. All I know is that it's not within recognizable
boundaries. Out-of-bounds would be the Far Lands. I'll keep searching, but for now, you'd
better---"
The conversation was cut off due to a loss of connection. This could only mean one thing...
"My Notch, how long have we been flying, Pocman2?!" I said, surprised.
"Far enough to get to the Red Zone, Chainmanner." He responded without fear.
The Red Zone. The place where the Arrival happened.
"Pocman2, are you insane?! We could get killed here!"
"I saw your entire conversation with JHG0. I remembered that we need to repair the Griefer
Containment Zone. Obviously their malevolent desires to escape haven't been forgotten, and the
shields could have been destroyed for all I know."
I agreed with him and decided to follow along. Mainly because of my biggest concern.
They might have found the Planner Bench, and they might have been using it to create more
concentrated weapons of mass destruction.
We got out of the helicopter. I went to the cargo door and opened it, but then suddenly a player
jumped out! He started beating me up with his bare hands and he was hitting criticals all the
way. Luckily, however, Pocman2 carried a potion of Weakness with him. He splashed it on the other
player and he stopped dealing damage to me. I went into the cargo doors and fetched the Zero-
Point Energy Field Manipulator that's normally stored inside Authority vehicles to handle
hazardous materials and I grabbed the player. His name was Creeper_lover212.
"All right, start talking." I talked, angrily. "Why are you here?!"
"Please, set me down!" He said.
"Tell me what you're doing and why we should take you along with us."
"I'm just a technician! I don't do anything special!"
"Okay then, so I see you have no problem with me throwing you into the air!"
"But you need me!"
"My finger is close to the charge trigger..."
"They never tell me anything! I just come here and do the repairs on the Electromagnetic Reboot
Force Field!"
I released him from my iron grip.
"All right then," I said calmly, "I suppose you'll be of use to us, then. We're proceeding to do
the same. You help us, and we'll let you live. If you have any form of communication, disable the
device. The Authority might have put a tracking device on it."
"W-why are you afraid of the---?"
"It's a long story. For now, just do as we do and move as we move."
We went to the force field. Creeper_lover212 pulled out a player-sized doorway for us to pass the
force field containing the Griefers.
"Welcome to the dead city of Goldencrescent." Creeper_lover212 stated, as we watched the view of
the giant, wrecked building-populated old city.
Chapter 6: Dead City's Resurrection
"The shortest way to the force field generator is through the streets, heading south-east. Follow
me."
Me, Pocman2, and Creeper_lover212 went through a safer route, the old underground vehicle
tunnels. At the end of the path, I switched to my pickaxe and started digging through the fallen
stone. When I punched a hole at the top, Pocman2 warned me.
"Be careful," he alerted me, "there could still be bandits, or even worse, Griefers, here. We
need to be as discreet as possible."
We got out of the tunnels, and started walking toward a destroyed building at the end of the
shattered street. There were no enemies nearby.
We walked up some stairs, and we came across an enemy. It was a Griefer. He didn't even look at
our direction, however, and he seemed to be... shooting a gun. It seemed he was shooting a sniper
rifle at some bandits. Creeper_lover212 pulled out a diamond sword and attacked the Griefer, who
turned around quickly enough to shoot him in the leg. He managed to kill the Griefer, though.
The enemy dropped a CRPR-K11 sniper rifle.
"Pocman2," Creeper_lover212 said to him, "here, take the rifle and kill enemies charging toward
us. Me and Chaim will go for the force field generator."
"My name is Chain," I responded with a small look of hostility, "get it right next time."
Creeper_lover212 and I walked back down the streets, with Pocman2 watching and guarding.
"Creep," I asked, "where exactly is the generator?"
"It's in the center of a high-security company. It was named as one coming from a video game."
"What was it? The SCP Foundation? Black Mesa?"
"Black Mesa is close, but not quite..."
"Aperture Laboratories!"
"Yes, that one. Their defenses are tough, and the Griefers never managed to crack down on the
defenses. Good thing. There's more than that generator inside the facility."
I heard a small rustling sound. Then something flickering in the corner of my screen.
"What's that?"
"What is it? What's going on?"
"I can swear it's a humanoid or something like it..."
Creeper_lover212 pulled out his AR2 machine gun. We were both feeling nervous a bit...
Suddenly, a bandit popped out of a hole. Creeper_lover212 shot him to death, but then another one
came out. Pocman2 shot him, then a few were coming out.
"They're over there!" One said.
"This is OUR town! Get outta here!" Another one shouted.
Creeper_lover212 put away his AR2.
"Creep, what are you doing?" I said, surprised.
"They might think we're Griefers." He whispered.
Pocman2, however, couldn't hear us from that range and proceeded to shoot one, then the other. We
started fighting them ourselves, and eventually I took out my Gravity Gun and sealed the hole.
"Pocman2!" I shouted. He heard me. "Hold your fire! You could attract Griefers!"
We kept moving until we saw a large building. Looking at it, I'd say it's probably 90 by 128
blocks long and wide. It stood there, collapsed from its original form, slightly tilted a bit to
the left. It was about 75 blocks high, with the "Aperture Laboratories" sign on the top.
"The generator is somewhere in there. It's very deep underground, though." Creeper_lover212
informed me. "We must get in there and administer a high-energy recharge. This has to be done
every week, or else the field could weaken and let the griefers escape."
Believing his authenticity, I followed him. With my pickaxe I broke through an air duct's exit.
"We can go in through here. Have you got a water bucket, Creep?"
"Yep. I came prepared."
We went in the air duct, got to a deep fall ledge, and Creeper_lover212 put a water bucket right
there. After about 10 seconds, he retracted the water, and we both jumped in.
We landed in what appeared to be a small server room, it had only one light on so it was hard to
see. There was a chest, which contained a flashlight. I grabbed it and turned it on.
"All right, I think we have suitable light. Let's get moving." Creeper_lover212 said.
We went down the dark hallways, old test chambers, and then there was an open door.
"I'll go look," I said, "and if somebody's attacking me, I'll say 'w'."
I went through the door, but instead of another hallway I found an observation room. I looked
through the glass seen in test chambers, and then something good caught my eye: an Aperture
Science Miniature Intradimensional Wormhole Spawner, in other words another name for the famous
Portal Gun. It seemed as if the Griefers didn't even search the whole sector, else they would
have taken the device and escaped the dead city.
"Did you find anything?" Creeper_lover212 requested.
"Uhh..." I replied, "...no, nothing of interest. Let's move on." I couldn't let him find out
there was a portal gun. Better safe than sorry, and I didn't trust him too much.
We walked down the hallways up until we hit a door with the Authority symbol on it. It was
obviously the Electromagnetic Reboot Force Field Generator.
"All right," I said, "here's the generator. Let's recharge it and then get out of here."
Creeper_lover212 pulled out a Level 9 Cardkey and opened the door. We went through and then he
closed it. The generator stood right in the middle of the room.
Creeper_lover212 proceeded to open up the generator and insert a cell. It took about 5 minutes
for it to finish recharging. It was starting to get late, it was 1730 hours SST and we had to
leave soon. Before I left, however, I saw a door open.
"Creep, I'm gonna go see what's down here." I told him. "It'll be but a minute."
"Okay, but hurry up."
I went in that room, and it was just a storage room. It contained Weighted Storage Cubes to hold
down buttons, and a Weighted Companion Cube. I thought that I could keep the Companion Cube as a
trophy, so that I could remember the time when I went to Goldencrescent and survived. However,
when I broke it, the cube didn't drop itself.
It dropped the Planner Bench.
When I picked it up, it immediately reminded me of the times I had as a Programmer. This was the
exact city we formed the Programmer aliance, where we scrapped the old technologies, and where we
created new ones. This block was our main weapon, and it helped us serve other survivors by
dealing enough harm to the Griefers to give the others more time to escape. That, actually
explains the reason as to why Aperture was driven to the ground: we knew there were Griefers
inside, and we plunged mortars through the building to kill them and to stop them from getting
sensitive information. One griefer escaped.
But when I flashed back, I immediately knew who that griefer was.
I ran straight back to the door, and Creeper_lover212 was waiting for me. But instead of opening
the door and us looking for a way out, he just stood there, until he finally spoke.
"Congratulations, Chaim," he said, "we recharged the generator. I'm gonna let you in on a little
something. I've been manipulating you since you opened that helicopter's cargo. You're just a
tool for me, and now I no longer need you. For that, now I must DESTROY YOU!"
He switched on his hotbar to an electricity charging weapon, and he discharged the device toward
me, but I quickly pulled out my gravity gun and the beam went straight to the gravity gun's
nozzle instead of me.
"What the...?!" Creeper_lover212 exclaimed, very surprised. "This is not possible!!!"
"Creeper_lover212, for the last time..." I spoke in a very enraged voice, ignoring all other
possible threat, "...my name... is CHAINMANNER!"
With that, the gravity gun charged up to the point that it couldn't take it anymore, and it let
out a huge burst of dark energy.
Creeper_lover212 was killed in the blast, and my player was stunned for about ten seconds. When
my screen was no longer motion blurry, I took one peek at the devastated room, and I knew that
this meant the Griefer's Arrival all over again for sure.
"No..." I started, "No... NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The force field generator was obliterated. This spelled disaster for the entire server once more.
I quickly rushed to the test chamber with the portal gun and I broke the glass. I jumped down
with haste, then I picked up the portal gun and teleported myself back to the hallway. I sprinted
down the way we came, up until I hit the ventilation shaft. I shot myself a portal back at the
entrance, and I made it out of the building, but by the time I was there it was already too late.
Griefers knew that the force field was disabled, and they began their escape. Players in big
mechanical suits, gunships, heavy armor, and creeper striders were progressing to the Outer
Lands. My first thought was Pocman2, and I hoped he wasn't caught in the crossfire.
Luckily, I still saw his sniper rifle's beam. I shot a portal to where he was, and then to where
I was, then he came through.
"Chain," he said, "we need to get out of here!"
I was totally speechless for the moment, but then I showed him the portal gun. He then realized
we could survive after all.
With a broken window big enough to pop a portal through there, I shot an orange one there and a
blue one underneath me and Pocman2, and we left. Somehow, I conveniently found a pedestal right
in that room. I shattered another window facing north. I placed the pedestal right there, set
down my portal gun on it, and I told Pocman2 to go looking for redstone wires for me to hook up
the pedestal to my computer.
With him gone to do that, I immediately placed my computer on a desk. I linked up to the Rednet,
and I contacted JHG0 as fast as I could. He, however, started me off first.
"Chain," he said, "why are you in the dead city of Goldencrescent?! You could get killed!"
"It doesn't matter!" I hastily replied. "We came here with that Authority helicopter, and since
it's the duty of Creepcraft, I figured I may as well do our new hunters a favor and recharge the
Electromagnetic Reboot Force Field Generator. We found a technician stuck in the trunk of the
chopper. We charged the force field generator but it didn't even matter, because he was a
griefer."
JHG0 was horrified at the news of this. He lightened up when I told him good news, though.
"Listen, I managed to find Aperture Laboratories' famous and highly coveted Portal Gun. We have a
pedestal and if I remember right, you have a program to shoot the portal gun at a specific angle,
correct?"
"Right! I'll transmit it to you, but hurry up now! It'll take a while to calculate the
coordinates, and I have a feeling the Griefers have good transportation methods."
JHG0 sent me the program, and Pocman2 came back with the wires.
"Good job! JHG0 sent us a program for us to shoot a portal at a very specific---"
My speaking was interrupted by an explosion coming from outside. It shot until a pile of gravel
fell from the roof. I quickly connected the wires to the pedestal, ran the program, and went to
the top.
"Wait here, Pocman2." I said. "I'll be okay, don't worry."
I got to the top of the roof, and when I stood there I looked directly at the monster I would be
fighting. The Creeper Strider. It launches TNT cannonballs that explode upon impact, and if you
think that's overkill, guess what. It also had machine gun turrets, and to make things even more
difficult there were griefers with machine guns flying on jetpacks.
The enemies shot at me. With quick thinking, I pulled out my Supercharged Gravity Gun, then I
shouted a few terror-inducing words.
"I'm not afraid of you!" I yelled. "Bring it!"
The fight began. I grabbed a jetpack enemy with the gravity gun, and I threw him at another one,
killing them both. The Creeper Strider hurled a block of primed TNT, and from 32 blocks away I
grabbed it and delivered it straight into a triad of griefer enemies. The one that survived
received a huge shock straight through the chest. The Creeper Strider kept gunning me down and
launching TNT. I attempted to punch a hole through its head, but it had no effect. I kept trying,
until I used the first trigger by accident when it shot a cannonball toward me. The TNT block
exploded at the Creeper Strider's leg, and that's when I realized its weakness: the base. Every
TNT ball shot was redirected toward its legs. When I plunged the last cannonball through the
monster, it couldn't take it anymore and finally collapsed into nothing.
Man, that was the best fight I ever had. I felt like I was truly in the game.
I didn't have time to enjoy my work, because more jetpack griefers were coming. I kept pulling
and throwing them with my new toy until Pocman2 called me, saying that the portal gun finally got
a match and found coordinates set at a city very far away.
Once I was done killing all the enemies, I went back to my computer. The portal gun fired a
high-energy shot, sending the shot flying at the speed of light. It got to the destination within
seconds. Then I took the gun and shot a portal through the wall. Quickly, I took my computer and
the portal gun, and then Pocman2 and I left the dead city of Goldencrescent.
We escaped the terror. We were safe for the time being.
I looked down at my gravity gun, which lost its supercharged state.
"Well," I said, "it was good while it lasted. If only there was a way to re-charge it!"
I didn't have time to enjoy the grace period very long. My computer received a message from JHG0,
reminding me that the Griefers were running amok.
"Good job on escaping the dead city, Chainmanner and Pocman2," he spoke, "but we've got a major
problem. They're heading directly toward you. Without attacking the nearby cities, unless they're
in their way."
"What?!" I responded, with serious confusion. "But why? Why aren't they doing what they normally
do and destroying everything they can?"
"Take a look out a window and you'll realize why."
I went to the room's window that we got transported to, and one look outside proved to me where I
am, and how much is at stake.
We landed straight at Capital Prime. The biggest city in the entire server, and the Authority's
base of operations.
Chapter 7: The Truth
"And to think that the griefers are heading right to our direction." Pocman2 said. "If only we had the old, lost Planner Bench."
At first I hesitated, but I knew we had to use it if we had any chance of stopping the Griefers.
"Pocman2..." I said, "...I have it."
He, for a second, didn't believe me, but when I showed it to him, he had a little bit of hope.
"Chainmanner," he said, "we can use this to stop the Griefers. We could actually save Capital Prime! We need to go out and---"
"We can't leave the city," I said, "the Authority might catch us. Being Programmers is bad enough, and having our main weapon is impossible to explain. Even if we did get out and close up on them, what weapons would we have? The gravity gun is no longer supercharged, you just escaped from prison in an orange jumpsuit, and the Griefers could already be here by the time we leave Capital Prime. We have to fight them here, Pocman2."
He was very disappointed.
"Well then, I suppose we may as well tell the Authority that a horde of Griefers is approaching their base of operations," Pocman2 stated, "and that we're their only hope."
With that, he ran straight out the door and down the hallway.
"Pocman2, no!" I yelled. But by then he was already gone.
Authority, Griefers, Bandits, what did it matter? All I knew was that I was in for it.
But there was one hope left.
I sent JHG0 a message, knowing that he himself used to be a Programmer.
"JHG0," I said, "Pocman2's gone. He went to tell the Authority that there's a whole army of Griefers coming our way. But it's not hopeless. I have the Planner Bench."
"Really?" He replied.
"Yes, and you too used to be a Programmer, so we're gonna need to get you out of that room. If I understand it right, you have a teleporter there to warp any entity inside it straight to Capital Prime."
"I do, but I only use it for transporting food and minor supplies. Humanoid entities have a 35% chance of death upon use, and you know about the deathban mechanic."
"I think it's still worth the risk. Where's the destination location?"
"That's the thing..." JHG0 said, as I realized slowly it was bad news.
"It's in the Citadel."
I wasn't surprised about this. I had a feeling any method of instant transport would be under control by the Authority.
"So it's directly in their base of operations," I said, "how will you be greeting them?"
"Look," JHG0 said, "If I teleport there, they will know I'm working with you, and possibly terminate me, or even worse."
"What could possibly be worse, JHG0?"
"Look, I don't have time to explain. The Griefers are expected to arrive in about an hour and a half with all they've got. I have no choice but to take the chance of the Authority catching me, because I have no physical power here in my control room.
"Signing off. If I die in the teleportation process... good luck, and may the Force or some crap like that be with you."
With that said, he left me.
Well, that's it. Didn't matter if we'll be in the hands of the bandits, Griefers, or the Authority. We still had not much hope.
But wait a minute... what's that block occupying my one inventory space? That metallic one? Just the planner bench.
The planner bench!
This was my only hope. OUR only hope. If we engaged the block in one last duel, we could fend off the Griefers, save the Northern Wasteland by defending Capital Prime, and perhaps create an alliance with the Authority.
I had to get this word out to them. I slammed the room's door open, and ran down the hallway.
But when I got to the elevator, Authority forces were waiting for me. They knew I was here. And they came with Pocman2.
"I'm sorry, Chainmanner." He said regretfully. "I got troll'd."
Instead of pulling out his SMG and shooting me, a soldier said:
"We're not gonna kill you just yet. You two are coming with us."
The troop transported us to the top of the Citadel. We spent more time trying to negociate with the Authority than we did for getting ready.
When we made it to the emperor's office, we were greeted by he himself. His name was HIDDENW0RM.
"Well, what's this?" He stated. "A group of Programmers? Well, looks like the first one wasn't enough."
I knew he was talking about JHG0. He got caught when he warped here.
"Hidden," I said, with plenty of nervousness in my hands, "we're here to converse with you a deal."
"A deal?" HIDDENW0RM said. "Was I even a threat to you in the first place?"
"Hidden," JHG0, just entering the room with multiple guards following and pointing their guns, "we know about the message. The one from this so-called 'Duketown.'"
HIDDENW0RM paused for a second to recall what we were talking about.
"Hidden," I said, before his "second" was up, "we know you want us terminated."
"Look, it doesn't matter now." Pocman2 chipped in. "What you need to know is that the Griefers have escaped the dead cities and are coming for Capital Prime."
"The important thing is that they're heading DIRECTLY here." JHG0 continued. "They're not doing what they would normally do and attacking everything in their way. But we can stop them. Together.
"We, the Programmers, want to join with you, the Authority. There are about 4500 griefers coming to clash over your base of operations. If they win, Hidden, then the entire Wasteland could be crippled. This is bad news for everybody on this server. We can help, however. We have the Planner Bench, and we know enough on Java to protect Capital Prime.
"So what do you say, Hidden? Do we have a deal?"
Hidden stood a short while to think. He then got on the intercom, and said the following message to all cities:
"Attention all Authority-controlled cities. Prepare for lockdown. The Griefers are coming for Capital Prime. Do NOT attempt to impede their progress or else your population could be targeted."
He then turned toward us and declared a conclusion.
"Forget it. I'd rather accept our fate that work with you."
I was in absolute shock. The emperor who held his position and maintained the Wasteland, was ready to risk it all.
"That's it?" I said angrily. "That's your logic?"
"Shut up and be glad that you're alive." HIDDENW0RM replied.
"Is this what it's come to?" I persisted. "Is this the world I fought for?!"
"Maybe not," Pocman2 whispered, "but it's the only one we have left. Remember the oath we took when we made it to Creepcraft: if we go against the Authority, it would be to go against the Overlords."
At that point, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Then I go against the Overlords."
With that, I quickly ran to the side of a guard. The other 2 guards tried to shoot me but ended up shooting their comrade. I picked up his AR and gunned down the other two guards. At that point, HIDDENW0RM got on the intercom and demanded backup, but Pocman2 smashed it, and JHG0 managed to lock the door into the office.
"Looks like you're all outta time, Hidden." I declared, training my gun on him. "All right now, you're probably gonna die either way, whether it be me who kills you or the Griefers, so start talking. What do you have that they might want?"
"This IS the base of operations of the Authority... were you dropped on your head a lot as a child or something?"
I squeezed my gun more on him.
"All right, all right!" He said. "We've got something important locked up deep below the ground. I was never told what it was, all I know is that it has a special security clearance to it. Not even I am allowed to access it."
Guards started pounding on the door, ineffectively.
"Uhh, guys?" JHG0 said. "We'd better hurry up..."
"Then what use are you to us, then?!" I took my temper up a notch. "That's the only thing that's going to stop me from putting a few bullets through you now and here!"
"Go on, shoot me." HIDDENW0RM's finally said. "You'll never win, anyway!"
With that, I let go and pushed him against the wall. Then I shot 3 bullets in him, after which he fell to the ground. That's when I realized why the government wanted us dead.
"Oh, developer Notch." I explained. "They wanted us dead to prevent us from becoming like the Griefers! Our knowledge could have been used for destruction and chaos all this time!"
"save the philosophising for the shrink, Chain." JHG0 said in a let's-rush-now tone. "We need to go. Now."
Authority soldiers were starting to weld open the door. With HIDDENW0RM and 3 guards dead, there's no way we could ever become friends with the Authority or do so much as explain what happened.
The Griefers were getting closer to us. We spent about 15 minutes, and they were expected to arrive in an hour and a half.
"Loot the body, Chain, and let's get the heck outta here." Pocman2 rapidly said. "The more time we waste, the less time we will have to get prepared."
Chapter 8: Evildude
I quickly searched HIDDENW0RM's fallen items on the ground, and I found a level 16
keycard. JHG0, Pocman2, and I went to a level 13 transporter that would take us to the
ground. When we got to the ground, we ran to the nearest coffee shop. Not the best place
to be, but at least the Authority wouldn't check there for criminals on the loose.
"No chance of making a truce with the Authority now." I whispered to Pocman2 and JHG0.
"And with the Griefers coming for Capital Prime, we need to act now."
"Don't worry, Chain. I've got an idea." Pocman2 whispered back.
Pocman2 got up and then talked to the owner of the coffee shop.
"Sally, we're gonna need to borrow your basement. Is it OK with you?" He said to her. She
agreed and allowed us to stay there.
We went down the basement and found an assembly table. I placed the planner bench next to
it, then I began looking through the class files of certain mods.
Something wasn't right, though. I remember looking through the exact same files a few
months ago, but they just were not the same, even though once a mod is published, it is
final. It apparently was the same for Pocman2.
That's when the horror struck us.
"We don't know it anymore!" I exclaimed. "We forgot all our knowledge of Java!"
JHG0 looked at us with terror himself. If we didn't have any weapons to be able to
program, we wouldn't stand a chance.
Still, I tried to look around for some form of hope; I wasn't ready to give up the
civilian population of Capital Prime without a good fight.
"JHG0, you've worked in the Wasteland Control Terminal, which involved control via Lua,
C#, and Java programming. Can you help us out here?" I told him.
"I'll do my best," he said, "but I can program maybe a few guns or so. Anything further
will have to go by the Overlords before we can make them."
"That'll do for self-defense. But we need some serious firepower if we are to stop the
Griefers. I'll go look around town for a greater weapon that could save us, in the hopes
it won't engulf the entire city."
With that, I left the coffee shop.
I kept to myself and looked out for Authority Enforcers in the streets. By now, I'm sure
that the guards in the Citadel have penetrated through the doors of HIDDENW0RM's office,
found him dead, and have started a search through the city.
I walked down an alley, made a few turns, and ended up on the more industrial side of
Capital Prime. It looked normal, and had the same industrial sounds going on that I'd hear
any place, but something just wasn't right. I felt as if there was some sort of enemy
presence. I never knew what it was that made me go deep into the zone. All I know is that
I did.
I paced slowly through the alleyways in the zone. It was a second nature to turn my head
around and watch for hazards and enemies. Then suddenly, right when I snuck to the middle
of an 4-way intersection, I saw an Authority Enforcer chat with somebody else. I quickly
moved back and got behind a corner of the wall of which they couldn't see me behind, and I
listened to their conversation.
"Do you maintenance guys not keep the generators running here?" Said the Enforcer.
"Yes sir. It's just that somebody or something is consuming too much power, and we need to
conserve our resources." Said a technician.
"Enough excuses. We have an entire city to manage, and we can't afford disruptions like
these."
"But dude, I just can't explain why so much power is being spent."
"Just. Get it. Done."
Perhaps whatever is using so much energy might lead me to what I'm looking for, I thought.
I crossed the street while nobody saw me. I stopped at a metal grate, at which I pulled
out my Portal Gun. Being quick, I shot a portal through the bars and then at the wall,
then I went through. But those were the last shots of the gun; there's no turning back
unless I find some fuel for the gun. I figured that I landed in the power plant. It was
safe not to sneak for a while, but I kept on the lookout for Enforcers. I wasn't sure why
they would be here, but if it makes even the Authority cautious, I should be too.
I walked down the hallways. It wasn't long, however, before I heard voices again. I was
hearing workers chatting together about usual events, gossip, so on so forth. But when I
walked back down, I heard Enforcers talking as well.
Both types of people were coming closer to my position.
I decided hesitantly that I'd take my chances with the technicians calling for help,
instead of risking getting shot by the Enforcers. With all my spirits up, I dashed toward
the engineers and I punched them as much as I could.
Nothing happened. They didn't move, they stopped talking, it's as if they were just static
models and this was singleplayer. That's when I realized what it was.
It was a lag strike! This gave me a chance for me to escape. Thinking fast, I took out my
pick and I dug into the metal bars of a vent shaft, then I placed them back and I ran as
far in as I could to prevent the enemies from seeing me when the server became responsive.
After 10 seconds of absolutely nothing happened, the server restored to normal movement.
If it weren't for the lag strike, I would not have been able to escape. It seemed,
however, as if it was intentional. No spike I've been through had that power and length,
and I would normally have disconnected because of an End of Steam error, or the system
would have thought I was speed-hacking. Either way, I had to go on.
Sneaking through the tunnels, I had to zig-zag and go up and down ladders. At some point,
when I was able to confirm there was nobody in a room, I broke the vent opening and went
in. This was some sort of furnace room. The heat was high and I needed to find a suit to
put on or else the heat could kill me. The heat would start affecting me in about a few
minutes if I didn't have protection. I stepped out into the open, from beneath a supply
shelf. I needed to run. I needed to save myself and Capital Prime. But before I could do
anything, a door leading in here opened and I quickly ducked back behind the shelf. Once
again, two technicians. They were talking to each other.
"Let's go check the geothermal generators. We need to check them ourselves at least once a
week." Said the first worker.
"Before we go in there, there's something I think I should say." The second one said.
I listened casually, hoping that by some chance, this would be interesting, if not
important to my survival.
"Did you hear about what happened to Creepcraft?" Said the second person.
"Yeah, I heard. Those bandits are getting pretty smart..."
"Bandits, they say. This will also cut off our supplies of uranium and lava."
"How did it happen, though? And by who?"
My breath intensified. Not to the conversation, but the heat.
"By a citizen and a prisoner, word on the street says. I'm pretty sure the Authority is on
the hunt for them."
"There must be something special about them... am I right?"
"I don't know, but I heard they were gone to the Dead City."
The effects of the heat were getting worse.
"Dead City, you say? I wonder how the Griefers never left there."
"Oh, but they finally have."
"Well, this is bad. Not only does this mean our safety might be compromised, but---"
"We'll also have to be working double time for the Authority."
"No crap."
I thought that they were about to leave and that I was so close to saving myself, until I
heard the few words that marked the fate of not only me but that of the first person.
"Just one minute." Said the first worker. He was on to something. "How do you know that
the Griefers escaped the---" He didn't have time to finish his sentence.
The second technician pulled out a pistol.
And then he plunged 3 bullets into the innocent worker.
"Because you're too late." The technician spoke to the dying player.
The enemy then left. And the worker expired.
I quickly grabbed the dead worker's heat-resistant suit and wore it. I saw a socket on the
wall allowing for computers to be plugged in. Placing my computer right there, I got into
contact with JHG0.
Tried to, anyway. There was no response from him, and Pocman2 didn't have a computer. I
was so desperate for their help, but I needed to find the enemy among the workers, and I
needed to stop him before Notch knows what. I still needed to know what was going on among
my friends, but I had no choice but to assume they're okay and go for the enemy.
Either way, I never saw Pocman2 or JHG0 again.
Chapter 9: Running down
The Griefers were sure bad enemies to cross, but up to now I never knew just how bad they could be. They were among the populations. Even though time was againt me, I couldn't help but think, "Are my other comrades Griefers in disguise?" I certainly hoped not, for they were good players in the war, but I was not going to take chances and send out a communication to them. I didn't have much time to lose, anyway. My conversation with the Authority, my travel in a restricted area, and my eavesdropping of the conversation cost me, what, 45 minutes? Did I even stand a chance of stopping the Griefers at this point?
Even if I didn't, I don't have anything to lose now. This makes me their biggest threat.
I didn't have any time to waste. I broke my computer and ran straight through the door. Because of the suit I was wearing, workers immediately considered me as one of them. I was actually surprised that nobody heard the pistol shots, but that wasn't what mattered now anyway. I did, however ask them which way the traitor went, and they pointed me in the direction I was going. I saw him walking down the hallway, then turning left.
"Hey, wait for me!" I shouted.
I ran to where he went, but the hallway abruptly terminated at a brick wall, not too far from the intersection. There were no exits in that area.
I took out my pick and almost started digging through the brick wall, but a worker stopped me from doing it.
"Don't dig into that sector!" He said. "It's contaminated, and you could kill us all if you let the hazard through."
That was a dead giveaway to what happened to the Griefer. If the radiation, or infection, or chemicals, or whatever the Nether was in that area, spread as fast as that player depicted it, then he couldn't have possibly gone there. So obviously...
"Therefore if you entered there, you would be--- hello?" The worker said, while I was not paying attention to him.
"He teleported!" I exclaimed.
"...what are you talking about?"
"He turned down here, I swear! There's no way he could have gotten out without passing the intersection, which he didn't."
"You've got to be kidding me." The worker was annoyed, probably thinking of me as some sort of n00b. "The Authority has seized ALL teleportation technologies. It's just not possible."
"Listen to me, dude," I grabbed the worker's protective armor, "we NEED to find him."
Of course, he wouldn't have believed me if I told him that the enemy was actually a Griefer, so I had to make up a semi-believable lie.
"He's... wanted by the Authority." I told him.
"Really?" The worker responded.
"Yeah, that's right." I said. "He has a bounty on him. The Authority originally wanted him captured, but since he's too dangerous, they now placed a bounty on his head."
"Interesting... what did he do?"
"Some say he's a Griefer, others said he's a bandit. Either way, he stole valuable short-distance teleportation technology, and the Authority wants it back."
"What are they offering in return?"
"Full stack of blocks of emerald. Enough to pay the rent of a flat for about 2 real-life years. Help me, and we'll split it evenly."
The worker undoubtedly chose to help me.
"Keep your eyes on the lookout." I said to the worker.
That we did. We peered in every missing block, air duct, and workspace we could find, in every corridor in the area. We had no luck, and I realized we were probably not going to find him. After 5 minutes of searching thoroughly, the worker gave up.
"Screw this," he said, "he might not even be in this facility anymore."
I wasn't going to leave easily, though.
"We can't just let him go." I replied. "He's very important, and he could be dangerous."
"He freakin' TELEPORTED!" The worker exclaimed. "Okay? We can't get him as long as we have it, and he could be anywhere in this facility. I'm not even sure if he is in this facility anymore!"
"Look, I can explain my reasons."
"If the Authority can't catch him, what makes you think we can?"
He finally hit me where it hurts. I can't hold my alibi anymore.
"All right, I confess." I answered. "He's a Griefer."
"You've got to be kidding me." Replied the worker.
"Now, I know this is confusing and sudden, but I just went through a TON of stuff to get here. He could bring his entire army and crush Capital Prime if we don't do something NOW!"
"How can you be so sure? I thought Creepcraft City took care of the issue.
"Even if he's not, we can't take the chance of a massive breach. It could---"
I didn't have time to complete my sentence before the enemy came right behind me. He was poised for the killing blow all this time, and it's surprising why he did not just do it before then.
"So here's the former Programmer Chainmanner. Good to see you again." The enemy told me.
Then I realized who the enemy was.
"Why, treball3?" I asked angrily. "5 months of fighting the Griefers, and I never expected you to join them."
"As if I'm telling you my reasons to warn the other people in the other Server."
"What other people? What the Nether is going on?"
"Did you not read what I wrote? You won't get anything out of me. And this WILL be the last time you ever hear from me."
He switched to his teleporter. When the 1-second chargeup was complete, though, I immediately realized what it was. I ran straight into him, and when he activated the teleporter, I went along with him to the top of the citadel.
He accidentally dropped his teleporter and I picked it up in time before he did.
"You only live once, treball3." I threatened, as I pulled out my pickaxe. "That said, you can save your life by telling me what your army is doing to enter Capital Prime."
He just gave me an annoyed look. "Do you think I made it this far to let you take down all my hard work?"
"You won't respawn after this, and you'd find no better future in the hands of the Griefers. Tell. Me. Now."
"I'd rather die." He responded.
I wasn't planning to let treball3 live anyway. Since I took his teleporter away from him, and that last time I remembered the ground around it being unguarded, I was planning to rely on the items he had to help me find out what the Griefers were planning.
"Right then," I said, "die you shall!"
Then I hit him straight off the edge.
But what I didn't realize was that the citadel leaves a layer of liquid unobtanium (a rare metal) in the event a threat is loose, which is several times more lethal than Lava, capable of killing even those in Protection IV enchanted diamond armor. It also irradiates items, so if there was any chance that items survived I would not be able to get them without a MOPP-4 Hazmat suit.
Seeing as I had no other plan, treball3's teleporter still had enough juice in it for a few more shots. I took it and I teleported to the coffee shop that Pocman2 and JHG0 were at before their strange disappearance.
Suddenly, 3 Authority Enforcers spotted me in the middle of the street. Out of reaction, I ran into the coffee shop to see it devastated. I found bullet holes, floating blocks, and items left on the ground. There had to be some kind of fight, but I didn't have time to try and figure out. I fled into the basement and, using my pick, broke a block of stone and placed it against the wooden door. I was safe... temporarily.
It was pitch black in the room. I pulled out my flashlight and I looked for the Planner Bench. I found it, used my pickaxe one more time before it broke to obtain the bench, and then...
"What the Nether happened HERE?!" I looked, as I was horrified to see that a huge tunnel had penetrated a wall. As if something huge dragged the two to their deaths. Seeing as my only other option was to surrender to the Authority and be imprisoned for the rest of my life on the server, if not executed, I walked down the tunnel, grasping my flashlight for my life. The tunnel made a few turns, until I came across a big hole in the ground. I pointed my flashlight down, and it appeared to be the central data library; only high-commanding officers have access to it. If I could look down there, there may be some hint as to what I can use to stop the Griefers. Knowledge is power.
But at the same time, it may be the last thing I see. I can survive the fall, but how will I get back up?
CRACK! The door that was held by a stone block was broken down. I took my chances and I jumped down the pit to the data library.
I shone my flashlight around the area. Hard drives, video discs, PDAs. The server had a major history, as it lasted since late Alpha Minecraft.
Very few PDAs were recovered from the incident, and they were also taken from us upon entering civilization. The Authority was using them to look for answers. PDAs were designed to be used mainly in the UAC, the former company I worked with before the Invasion, which ended up being the source of the invasion. The best minds worked there, so I knew there had to be some chance of me finding a way to destroy the Griefers.
I started looking through the UAC-PDAs. They had nametags attached to them, so they were easy to identify.
"Let's see now," I mumbled to myself, "there's gotta be some information in one of these. Let's see now. These are the PDAs of Tomix12, AeroPvP, randomsauceabcd... oh look, here's my PDA. I'll take it just in case. Anyway, there's also the devices of DrJackson96, oHaiiChun..."
Bingo. I found right what I needed.
"Hey! iChun's PDA!" I exclaimed, surprised to know that he was on this server, in the same company, and that somehow we never met. He's the creator of the Portal Gun and Gravity Gun, and many other mods. If he was on this server, he definitely had to have made a major contribution.
"All right, let's see what this has here..." I said to myself, taking the UAC-PDA.
I turned the UAC-PDA on and, noticing there was a video disc in the PDA, navigated to the Downloaded Videos section to see that there was a recent video log that iChun had made, a few hours before the invasion. I played the video, which went like this:
"This is the video log of UAC worker oHaiiChun, dated 29th of May, 2011. After about 9 hours of work, foreman Handpants of the Delta Authority has denied us the allowance of the creation of the BFG 9000."
I paused right there. BFG 9000? The ultimately destructive weapon from Doom made by the company with the same name of mine? I needed to keep listening.
"The denial of creation has sparked quite some criticism. Most people are annoyed about this preventing full syncronization with the Union Aerospace Corporation from the video game Doom, but the military was likely desperate and needed the BFG. Anyway, in case the boss will change his mind, I will keep the programming code for the BFG on my PDA. It is important to know, however, that the chip inside the BFG's shots is highly magnetic, and that an EMP will make the injury radius a lot big---"
The video ended there, as the rest of it was corrupt. But that was everything I needed to know.
Just as I put away the UAC-PDA, however, I caught sight of another one. I looked at it, and it was JHG0's UAC-PDA. Right on the edge of an even deeper pit. I shone my flaslight down it, but I could not see a bottom.
I took his UAC-PDA, and I downloaded all the information on it to my PDA that I took from the shelf. It also happened that Pocman2's data was on it as well. Even if they didn't, their memory lived.
"Rest well, comrades." I said to myself, with their data in my control. "I'll make good use of what you left me."
After that, I took iChun's UAC-PDA, opened up the Notes program, and I got to work on replicating the BFG 9000.
After a few minutes of fast typing, the BFG was complete. I received a copy of it when I was done programming. But then I realized the truth.
"Oh, Notch! How long was I waiting for?!"
When I realized what time it was, it was already too late. 10 minutes earlier, the Griefers have already breached the city. Luckily, I still had my teleporter with me. I used it and I teleported to the surface, after which I was glad the Griefers didn't see me. I looked on, horrified to see what was happening. Building were blown up, the streets were on fire. Lava emerged from the Server Trade Center. Authority soldiers and civilians were shooting hopelessly at the enemies. At the end, no civilian should have survived the fight. But somehow, the big citadel's walls of unobtainium were still held together.
"All right, Chain, think now, think!" I thought to myself. Megacreepers were storming the streets, and if I used my BFG 9000 on them, all that would happen is a waste of plasma cells. There was, however, one thing that caught my attention in particular. An Authority soldier was holding a gravity gun; the same one I used in the Dead City. He placed a block next to a redstone torch, then tossed it at a megacreeper. The megacreeper actually took damage; the only thing powerful enough to penetrate such armor would be an EMP.
Hey!
iChun mentioned that BFG shots combined with EMPs will increase the injury range. I knew I could use this to destroy the Griefers once and for all, since the Authority had explosive block caches throughout the citadel.
Now there was only one question left: how would I get there?
Chapter 10: The Apprehension
I started to doubt myself in this. On the one hand, there probably weren't any innocents still alive in the
mess, and this was my one and only shot and stopping the Griefers once and for all. On the other, both my
Portal Gun and my teleporter were out of energy, so how was I going to escape once I blew everything sky-high? How would I even enter the citadel?
I certainly couldn't do it with those Griefers roaming the streets, who, every few minutes, just felt like
blowing themselves up, yet not with their allies in those structures. I was surprised at how they didn't blow each other up.
Exactly what I needed to know. I took another good look at them, and saw something in common about them.
They were wearing uniforms, armor, or whatever that was. They could identify each other from a mile away.
I needed to grab one of their suits. I needed to look like them, because they all look the same to me.
But I had no weapons to quickly kill one of them with, and chances are they would have taken me down even
quicker if they did so much as suspect a survivor was around. I could use the BFG 9000 on them, but I only
have one canister of BFG cells, and I need all 4 shots in order for it to be used at its maximum potential.
I was at an impasse. I couldn't make a move without losing something in the process.
I didn't have time to plan even more, though. As soon as I finalized my decision, which was to try to sneak
all the way to the nearest weapons shop and think some more there, somebody came up behind me and held a sword to my back. I assumed it was a griefer, but as opposed to killing me on the spot, he said: "Turn around and don't try anything stupid, or you'll die so fast you won't even see it coming."
I complied, but it was rather strange as to why he didn't do what griefers almost always do. Especially
considering he was wearing a shirt and tie, not heavy armor like the rest.
"Everybody, I have the last programmer alive right here." He shouted to his teammates. "Mission successful.
Cease fire upon the remnants of the city."
Him telling the rest of the griefer army to stop shooting at their targets made me realize this was no
ordinary griefer... if at all! As they stopped shooting, the "griefers" marched in groups and circled us,
pointing their weapons at me.
"Who the Nether are you?" I asked him.
"Don't you see, fool?" He replied. "I'm the gamer who lead the forces to bring down the Authority."
"I thought Griefers aren't considered gamers. Just sociopaths who like causing pain."
The player scoffed. "Of course they aren't. So, do you actually think they're smart enough to bring down the
core of the evil in this server the same way I did without using Nodus?"
"You destroyed the server in the way griefers would."
"Every player knows how to do what we did. I don't even like those fools who 'do it for the lulz.'"
Confirmed. He is not a griefer, and neither is this army I've been trying to eradicate.
Epilogue:
"But if you and your army are not Griefers, why did you cause all this damage and all this pain?"
My fingers got tense. "Why did you eliminate all those other players who are just like you?"
"Players? That's what you see these NPCs as?" The person responded.
I was surprised. "NPCs? So these aren't real people behind computers?"
Straightening his tie, he explained it all to me.
"There never were any civilians in this server. Nobody here was innocent. I wasn't innocent. You weren't
innocent. My army wasn't innocent. Your team of programmers wasn't innocent. And for sure as Nether, the
Authority was not, never was, and never will be innocent. You think I would have unleashed this entire
attack, devastating this world, if I knew there were people here that truly had nothing to do with this? I
have morals, and to begin all this from the UAC was the hardest decision I have ever made while playing
Minecraft. Until I realized the truth."
"Well, then tell me. What is the truth?"
"The truth, Chainmanner, is that there appearances can be deceiving, and that there is nobody to trust.
Especially not with your life."
"If that's so, how do I know I can trust YOU?"
"You can't."
"Why should I be listening to you, if I can't trust you?"
"You can stay in this hell hole if you want, and dedicate the rest of your stay on this server to being
policed if you really want. I don't care."
"Then why are you letting me live? Just so that I can spread the word to people who don't even know we
exist?"
"I'm doing it because I want you to help us. To keep fighting against the Authority. It's not all gone."
"Why do you want to fight against the government?"
"Government? That's what you see it as?"
"What is it in your eyes, if not a government?"
"Anything but. I'm surprised you're still defending them even though you've probably seen all their
propaganda and totalitarianism.
All right, let me clear this up for you; you really expect that the government is a room of politicians that
make decisions for the better? It's not. It's an elaborate system on top of a system. You take one system
out, another replaces it. There's no way to fight it, and even if you think you're griefing the system,
you're still a part of it."
"So that means---"
"That there is no democracy. No president. No decisions for the better. They feed you lies because it's what
you want to hear. Because you can't handle the truth."
"And they kept saying that you guys were griefers..."
"They knew who I was. They can recognize my skin from a mile away. I was one of them, but now I'm their
resistance."
"So it was all a cover up for the truth."
"Within minutes of me going rogue, they seized control of the media and told everybody, you people included,
about the incoming threat. The bigger the lie, the more people will believe it."
"Why did you target me and my team, though, if you have morals like you say?"
"Because you guys were working for the Authority. They kept telling you that you guys were doing it for the
better, when in reality, it was just to boost their superiority and power. If I never intervened, you never
would have taken the red pill."
"All right. I think I told you enough. Now, follow---"
"I have one more question, though." I took a deep breath. "Why would they run an empty server if all they
wanted was power?"
"Where do you think I came from? A deserted wasteland? How do you think I found my entire army, then?
There was another server. It was populated with thousands, thriving, and overall successful. But within
months, war waged. So many real players were killed, it was hard to imagine how this even started.
Why it ever existed, I'll never know. I do know, however, that some people managed to escape the chaos
through a portal. An inter-server portal. Something I've never seen before.
The Authority, the first people to enter this world, wanted to be in power to ensure that it would never
happen again. Originally. Later on, their methods became devious, and their goal was clear; to create a new
world order in the way they see fit. Not in the way that was right.
"Now, come with me, or I'll leave you to a battle you have no chance of winning."
I followed the player, with the soldiers synchronously following his movements. He got to a section, drew a
shovel, and dug into the ground. He showed me the way to a player-sized chamber.
He opened the door. "Go on, get in."
"You've got to be kidding me." I told him, annoyedly.
"There's nothing left for you to do here. All you can do is get out of your virtual reality gear and wait for
your time to come again. Technician, get over here!"
Seeing as I had no choice, I stepped into the chamber. A member of the player's army came out, with a PDA and
some wires in hand. Plugging the wires into some sort of panel, he typed into the PDA. After a few minutes,
he pulled the wires out, and stowed away his PDA.
"ID is defined, coordinates are stored, emergence time is entered, and the chamber is activated." Said the
technician.
"Excellent. Good work."
The player closed the metal door on me.
Before I took off my VR goggles, he said one last sentence to me.
"I'll see you when I see you, comrade. Not too early, not too late."
Please give a reputation point if you liked the story!
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
Keep in mind not to make any sudden changes in style because after a prologue like this a wrong continuation could destroy a story (I am just putting that out there, I am not implying that you will change).
Thanks for the feedback!
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
I bookmarked this so I can come back to it.
Sudden changes? Like what?
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
Here's the second chapter:
*The name was a typo, it was intended to be Chainmanner.
Chapter 2 (through the screen of Chaimanner*):
It was another Minecraft day in the industrial city of Creepcraft. The city has stayed in its
peace and quiet for a while. The city has formed an alliance with many other factions, and it
scrapped the old technologies that were used in the old times. We were all told safety was
guaranteed here, but the Authority here knew that safety could not be promised; we all had to do
take risks, and those who were "too afraid" to get a job were banished.
Luckily everybody I knew had contributed, yet all I know is that the Authority didn't have their
minds focused on expansion of the town and of their alliance.
Well, what does it matter? I'm out of the situation, and as long as I don't poke the bear, it'll
all be fine.
Today was a day off from all of our jobs, and I spent it by taking a stroll around town. It was a
more or less normal day, considering it's always noisy from all the industral equipment,
especially those involved with mining. Many people seemed to be enjoying their lives in the
city... all except me.
I was a Programmer, to this day we're referred to as Nerds or Geeks. The art of Programming was my
life. It saved me and my friends, and it kept me through the hard times that lead to this. I just
could not understand at that time why it was illegal to use our knowledge in good faith. But there's a law and I had to stick with it.
When I thought reflecting on this couldn't make my day any worse than it already was, it somehow did.
When I got to my street at 1900 hours Server Standard Time, a cop was right there.
"Excuse me, sir," I said to the officer, "but I need to get home. This street is the only way."
"Sorry, dude," he responded, "but orders restrict me from letting anybody in."
"Do you happen to know why?"
"Well, it could be a breach in the security by bandits, but that rarely ever happened. Other than that they never tell us."
"Okay then."
There was a Counter Trolling Unit squad entering a building, and then after a few minutes they'd leave, possibly because the building did not have anything they would want, and then go to the next one. I was worried as hell that they might have all of a sudden changed some of their laws and they are now searching and confiscating equipment or something of the sort they find incriminating.
With me being a former Programmer, the last thing I want is for some evidence of my history that I forgot about to be left in my room. Thinking fast, I went down to the next block and climbed up all the ladders, and I did a parkour to the top of one of the buildings with the help of the balconies and ladders. Then I found a large metal bar sticking out from the edge of the top of the building and I jumped off that pole and onto a ladder, then I skipped on the balconies and to my room.
Boy, was I lucky. It appears that they didn't search my room at all. I got away scott-free for the time being, but a written book I found in my mailbox proved one of my comrades didn't...
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
Also, I'll terminate it at around 10 chapters or so, because some content might belong in another story.
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
I name it as the first chapter so that people are forced to read it to understand what's going on.
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758
My fan fiction of the game: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1957118-programmer-my-first-fan-fiction/#entry24096758