It was 4 in the morning.

  A freezing Mitchigan morning, as I sat in my car, hesitant to open the office of the company I'm employed at this month.

  As a freelance programmer, I moved between companies as required, learning new skills to stay current and relevant.

  I looked at the dark building before smacking my head on the driver’s wheel of the car, once again checking my [System] to view my status.

  Why do I keep looking at it?

  The military promised my [Battle Scared] status would fade, but after 15 years of visiting the Veteran’s Care, it still lingered.

  I also regretted choosing the "voluntary" Curse of Sealing when the docs discharged me for combat injuries.

  And to make matters worse, my subclass had stopped progressing.

  The Merican military messed me up and dropped me like trash when I was no longer useful to them.

  I banged my head on the steering wheel again and sighed before stepping out of my car into the dark, snow-covered parking lot.

  Walking towards the large gray-drab building I worked in, I noticed a bright light in the sky.

  Ray: [What is that?]

  I spoke out into the world, like someone would answer this early in the morning.

  Ray: [Wha… that's a… ah shit.]

  I tried to dive out of the way of the incoming meteor.

  The last thing I remember hearing sounded like DC/AC's “Bats into HIFL”, moments before I saw a bright light, and heard a ringing in my ears, followed by darkness.

  —————

  I woke in a small cage, my vision blurry, except for a message I could make out in the corner of my eye.

  {System rebooting, please wait…}

  The cage was open topped and outside it, I could see two colossal figures.

  I think I heard sobbing from one of them.

  Unknown Male(surprised): [He… he's glowing!]

  Exclaimed the larger of the two figures.

  The smaller of the figures slowed in their crying and leaned to peer at me.

  Unknown Female(ecstatic and surprised): [He's alive!]

  The smaller one spoke in a distinctly feminine voice.

  Unknown Female(ecstatic): [Our baby is alive!]

  The smaller figure happily exclaimed and picked me up out of the cage.

  Baby?

  What the heck was happening here?

  At that moment, a window appeared before me.

  {Welcome to Our game.}