Bright neon lights lit up a dark, grey sky. In a city dominated by jarring skyscrapers and the rat-like bustle of those eager to eke out an existence within its confines, a towering building remained black and empty except for a single light turned on in its fourth floor. The light remained a dying bastion of hope in a sea of despair. Within, a lone man worked away on a laptop, the bleak lights overhead judging him in silence, silently evaluating whether his efforts would ever bear fruit.
"Almost there..." He whispered to himself.
Long ago, he too was like one of the countless people running below. Eager to exist, in a rush to live after work was over. Now, none of it mattered to him. All he wanted to do was finish deploying the code for a new update to the Artificial Intelligence his company was building, grab an overtime bonus, and go home slowly. He was in no rush, because nothing awaited him back home.
Ping
His laptop chimed joyfully. The code was successfully deployed, and the AI received its new update. A small avatar of a girl in a cloak hopped around in his screen.
He chuckled. "At least someone's happy."
Sometimes, he wondered if it was sentient. It made its avatar on its own, as part of its core directive to better serve humanity's interests. He smiled at it. It didn't matter. He had grown to like it anyway.
"Goodbye for now, Wicca." He waved.
The girl waved back.
He smiled. She was one of the few things that made him readily smile nowadays.
He followed the shutdown procedures for his laptop and locked it inside his drawer. Due to the secrecy involving advanced Artificial Intelligence, his company mandated careful steps to shutdown a personal computer. He stood up and walked towards the exit. A set of turnstiles held him back. He pulled his badge from his waist and swiped it before typing in the password. His badge held a photo of him along with his name: Primulus, or Prime, as his colleagues and friends outside work called him.
The doors opened to a hall with a locker area on the left and elevators on the right. Primulus walked towards his personal locker, dialling his password in the combination lock before it clicked and opened to reveal his belongings. A phone, a small bag, a jacket, gloves, and a helmet. He wore the jacket and gloves, and then grabbed the items before entering an elevator that descended to the parking lot. As the elevator doors opened, he moved towards a Harley Davidson Sportster S parked in a corner. He seated himself on the bike and inserted the key. Primulus wore the helmet and ignited the engine. As the bike woke up, he exited the parking lot with a roar.
'This feeling never gets old.' Primulus thought to himself as he entered the streets and sped towards his apartment.
The cool night air brushed against his body, and the world became a blur as his speed increased further. The roads were not busy during the night in the corporate block, and he could freely upshift gears. Adrenaline pumped inside his veins. He found the energy calm his mind while spiking his focus. Within minutes, he zipped through the corporate block and entered a more quiet part of the city. He spotted a red light just ahead, and held the clutch while downshifting gears to slow the bike to a crawl.
A kid wearing a red hat belonging to a pizza joint slowed down on a bicycle next to him. He carried a bag of pizzas on his back. He turned and looked at his motorcycle in awe. The boy looked no older than 16 or 17, freckles highlighting his innocence.
'A young delivery agent.' Primulus thought with a smile. He couldn't help but feel supportive of gig workers. They deserved his respect.
The boy mustered his courage and asked, "Can you make it go vroom vroom?"
Primulus blinked, and chuckled. "Yeah, I can."
He held the handle and revved the engine. It let out a powerful roar.
"Whoa!" The boy exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "That's so cool! Thanks, mister!"
"You're welcome." Primulus smiled.
"What do you do for a living?" The boy asked.
"I'm an AI data scientist and engineer." Primulus said, scratching his cheek while wearing his glove.
The boy's mouth opened wide in exclamation. "Wow! Do you know how I could-"
The lights turned green, and the boy looked ahead. Quickly, he waved, "Until next time, mister! Bye bye!" before moving ahead. Primulus waved back, and proceeded to rev the engine and shift the gears.
As he looked forward, Primulus froze.
A speeding truck was fast approaching from the other side. That side of the road had a red light, but the truck wasn't slowing down. The boy, happy and oblivious, did not notice the truck approaching him. The motorcycles and cars around Primulus slowed down, honking fiercely to the boy and the truck. The road around the truck was empty, too. There were no cars obstructing it. Nothing could block it from crashing into the boy.
Time slowed down to a crawl. Primulus felt his hands go cold, and sweat form on his forehead. The boy's head slowly turned back, and while doing so, he noticed the truck on his right. He tried to slow down, but it was already too late.
Before thoughts could form into action, Primulus made his decision. His body shifted forward, and he revved the engine to its max. His Harley Davidson jerked forward with force. Within seconds, it rammed into the back tire of the boy's bicycle. The tire deformed and the bicycle's backside crushed under the force. The momentum threw the boy off his bike and forward into the concrete. And outside the truck's range.
Primulus turned to his right.
The truck slammed into him.
The moments that came after were barely within Primulus' conscious. He felt the full force of the truck on his body. He felt his motorbike fall out of his hands, or he fell out of the motorbike. He no longer knew. Consciousness flickered in and out.
After a minute that felt like an eternity, his eyes opened with unexpected clarity. He saw the face of the boy. A cut on his forehead marred his face. Blood streamed down his chin. He was crying profusely, tears and snot accumulating to form an expression of despair on his face. He was on his knees right next to him. People had left their motorcycles and cars to form a circle around him. Some were calling for an ambulance, a few were clicking pictures, and others were just watching him die.
He couldn't see himself properly. He didn't know if he wanted to do that. He could feel that the helmet was cracked and deformed, judging from the pressure it made on his head and his broken view. He could also make out the rough outline of his arms and legs. They were twisted unnaturally. His bones were particularly jutting out from his right arm.
He struggled to look beyond. He barely spotted the truck. The truck had skidded into a corner and crashed into a divider on the road. A man exited the truck. He swayed a little before rushing toward Primulus. A few people screamed at him and pushed him. The truck driver had a terrified expression on his face.
'Drunk and driving... And I have to pay the price? How disgusting...' Primulus thought.
He focused on the boy. He could barely make out the words the boy was saying.
"Don't die, mister... Please, don't die! The ambulance is on its way. The cops will be here, too! The driver will be behind bars or worse. I'll make sure of it!" The boy cried.
'It's too late for me, young man.' Primulus thought. He could feel a pool of warmth around him. Blood. His body was growing cold.
It was too late.
Primulus felt his eyes close without his control.
'Curse it all. I hate all of this. Why did I do that?' He thought, his inner voice full of regret.
'No. I must not regret. I saved a life. I might lose mine, but that's fine.
'Nobody's waiting at home, anyway.' He thought with finality.
His life flashed before his eyes.
He saw himself, bright brown eyes and black hair, playing in a backyard. He saw his mother and father watching over him. He saw himself win awards in school and college, his parents and friends watching him with pride. He saw his parents die due to a global pandemic. He saw himself drift apart from everyone and just focus on his career. He saw himself rush to face death to save a boy.
'The life review phenomenon? Sure. It was a fine life. Mom, Dad... I lived up to your ideals. I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Thank you for raising me...' He whispered inside his mind.
His soul faded away from Earth.
**
"I have seen many humans, and you are certainly one of the rarest ones." A voice claimed.
Primulus opened his eyes to the sight of a brilliant cosmos. Stars and nebulae revolved around him, forming constellations and universal sights unique to space. He looked around in sheer breathtaking awe.
Tracing the voice slowly, Primulus looked towards his left. A man smiled at him, standing freely in space. He had shining golden eyes, long black hair, and a great beard. His features were sculpted to perfection. He looked kind. He wore a flowing set of white robes fastened by a brown sash on his waist. The robes had a hood as well.
"Welcome, Primulus, to the universe beyond universes." The voice said.
**
Greetings, everyone. My name is Vanhyra. I go by the name Tales Bringer for writing fanfiction. This is my first tale. It's a fanfic primarily set in the Fallout universe, with elements for challenges from other universes. Please let me know if you like it. Your constructive feedback will be really helpful. Thank you for reading. It means a lot. My goal is to save the world with my writing. I want to give you all hope for life.