Leveling Up

Man versus Computer in search of the next level

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the line: "You don't belong here."

Leveling Up

“At the next neural junction go hard left.”

“Roger that,” Mike thought back to his control team.

The team only saw the double-blip on the screen; the computer’s translation of the conscious affirmation from the unconscious man floating in the isolation tank in the middle of the room.

It’d been more than two hours since they had initiated the subroutine that allowed Mike to bypass the mind-walls in his lower consciousness. They knew from experience that the next wall or unknown obstacle, was only a few more miles of neural-path away.

“Release subprogram Gamma-23 in two, one…now!”

Again the two blips. He was nearly there.

Everyone in the lab could feel the excitement. Soon, they would find out what stood between them and Enlightenment, whatever that might be. Maybe today would be the day. Or maybe, it would just be another obstacle along the path.

Coincidentally, today was the tenth anniversary of Discovery Day; the day mankind confirmed the universe was all a computer simulation. Ten years ago, man came face-to-face with the fact that there was no reality. Everything was a ruse.

And then a strange thing happened – life went on as usual.

That was the same day that project Level Up had begun.

If life was a computer game, it was human nature to try and win. For ten years they had been trying to reach that point in the game where they could Level Up; where mankind would upgrade to an improved version of himself.

“You should see the next obstacle soon.” Blip. Blip.

The door opened as Mike’s mind approached.

A well-armed, giant beast rumbled out and roared, “You don’t belong here.”

Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip.

At the signal, the killer subroutine was released.

A moment later the doctors heard Mike’s voice from all around…”I’m in.”

Word Count 300