'Who am I? I am Carter Hayes. A failed method actor. And a soon to be dead man.'
Carter dropped on the ground, drowning in his own blood. The bullet had entered his throat. His time was near.
The innocent girl came to his side, "Carter! Don't die! Don't die, please! We're almost there!"
Finally, his time had come. The time to truly be a hero. To do something that was real and not a script on the screen.
'Show time!'
Carter grabbed the girl's hands, "Go! Escape! Don't trust anyone. Not even the cops. Change your name. Never speak a word of this.
Live your life!"
The girl teared up. She held his hands tightly. Then she nodded.
The girl got up from the mud and ran away.
She disappeared behind the hole underneath the wired fences. Then there were footsteps.
In front of him was a gang of criminals. The leader knelt down and pushed the hot gun barrel onto Carter's forehead.
"You forgot something, actor. In the real world, you are no hero."
Carter laughed. Blood shot out and splashed onto the leader's face.
In his final moment, he wasn't afraid. He had only regrets.
'At least I got to finish my scene and die like a hero… What would be the best thing to say as my final words?'
"I'll be back!!" Carter spat blood onto the leader's face.
Then he died.
But his soul lived on.
Carter took a huge gasp and sat up. He was no longer in the muddy field in his world. He was somewhere else. An unfamiliar, strange place.
He was inside a futuristic room with lights as bright as the star. His right arm burned like there was a hot piece of coal inside it.
Carter looked over to see a blue jewel embedded in his arm.
Then, floating windows appeared out of nowhere.
Carter confusingly looked at the floating window in front of him. Then he looked out the glass window.
Carter stood up clumsily. He almost fell. His legs felt like noodles. But he managed to get to the glass window.
Carter saw a futuristic world without limitations. Flying vehicles dancing in the air. A moon so close to the surface that it might crash down at any moment. Buildings so high it could reach the stratosphere.
He was no longer on Earth. Carter had entered another world. The Prime World.
The highest realm ruling over countless weaker dimensions. And he was chosen as a Primer. People that jumped to free dimensions to gather its resources and find a way for the Prime World to colonize it.
For three days, he was measured and assessed by the scientists of Cyber Runner, a small faction inside the Prime World. This faction snatched souls from lower dimensions and put them into mindless clones.
This allowed them to mass produce Primers to use for their conquest. Most were weak and expendable Primers like Carter, without any combat prowess to them.
But Cyber Runner didn't care. They only needed numbers.
Carter was then put into a group with six other Primers. Each more intimidating than the last. He was the least capable Primer amongst the group.
They didn't treat him well and named him 'poop boy'. A degradatory term for Primer that couldn't do anything except cleaning the poop other Primers had behind.
The other Primers threatened him but they couldn't do anything to harm him. The Cyber Cores in their arms made sure of that.
Cyber Runner forced all of their new recruits to work together. However, that might change once they entered the lower dimensions, where the surveillance of the Cyber Core was no longer effective.
Carter returned from a briefing with other Primers. They had just learned about which world they were going to. It was a world filled with creatures called Terrors. Evil incarnations that treated humans like livestock.
"You better beg me to save your life now, Carter… Or else you're going to die when we enter Terrorstate." A muscular Primer said.
Carter ignored him and got back to his bed. Terrorstate was the name of the upcoming world.
"Heh! Arrogant bastard! Just wait until we land at Terrorstate. I'll show you who's boss."
Carter pretended to sleep.
The Prime System was an innate system that was granted to every citizen in the Prime World. It's the main measurement of power and served as many other necessary functions for the Prime Citizens.
But Carter had a second system. A system that attached itself to him just right after he got to the Prime World.
[INFINITE SKIN SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[Cyber Runner World detected]
[System Ghost acquired]
The Infinite Skin System. This was a much more secretive system. No one in the Prime World knew about its existence. Carter had verified that for the last few days.
Additionally, it didn't need Carter to interact with the system window to control it. He could simply control it with his thoughts.
'Appear, Skin System!' Carter thought.
[INFINITE SKIN SYSTEM]
[HOST]: Carter Hayes
[Owned Skin]: Cyber Slave; System Ghost.
[Equipped Skin]: Cyber Slave
'Show me the details of Cyber Slave.'
[Cyber Slave]
[Rank]: None
[Star Level]: None
[Ability]: None
[Skill]: None
[Item]: Cyber Core (Mortal)
- Cyber Core (Mortal): Can't be removed using Mortal power. You are being watched by Cyber Runner's scientists 24/7. They can torture and kill you at any time. This item cannot detect the Infinite Skin System.
'Heh. Sly bastards. Wanting to control me. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. Show me the details of System Ghost.'
[System Ghost]
[Rank]: Awaken
[Star Level]: 4
[Ability]: Ghost Presence (Awaken)
- Ghost Presence (Awaken): Cannot be detected by scientific surveillance or scanner. You cannot be recognized.
[Skill]: Level 3 Hacking (Awaken), Level 10 Free-Running (Mortal), Level 1 Disguise (Awaken).
[Item]: Ghost Clothes
- Ghost Clothes: Can transform at your will.
System Ghost. A skin designed purposefully to become a ghost inside this futuristic technology dependent society. It would be his card to be free from this enslavement.
But Carter didn't try to use it. Not yet. The Cyber Core in his arm was still there and he couldn't be sure if the Core would alarm Cyber Runner once he changed skin.
There was a much smarter way to do that.
As effective as the Cyber Core was, it couldn't penetrate world barriers. As long as Carter was in another world, it couldn't deliver information back to Cyber Runner.
That would be his time. And that would be his freedom.
'Just wait… Freedom shall soon be mine…'
After making sure the Skin System was still there and wasn't detected by Cyber Runner's countless examinations, Carter closed his eyes and slept.