Edited Chapters 5+6+7

Chapter 5: The Advanced Assistant

Walker scanned the speaker from bottom to top, not quite believing it. Globes….a silver body….a gunstick…it was a Dalek. 

A fucking Dalek. 

“Who are you?” Walker asked, not a small amount of anxiety in his voice.

“I am your assistant, Virgil, sir.” It said while waving a single arm, “Hello.”

Walker didn’t know what to think, “Why do you look like one of those Dr. Who villains?” He asked.

“I thought this would make you comfortable?”

“Why would that make me comfortable?” He put his hands on his hips, “First of all, while I appreciate what Dr. Who has done for fiction, I’m not a huge follower of the series. Secondly, the little bit I know of it tells me that you’re a fuckin xenophobic robot. You said this is intentional?” Walker looked it up and down again, “That’s just weird, man.”

“I am not a man.”

“Whatever.” He replied with a wave, “I’m assuming that as you chose this," He waved his hand, "Thing...you can choose something else. Wait..can you change?”

“Indeed, but I have now set it as my primary visual model. You will have to change it yourself in the overlay if it does not meet your preferences.”

“Thank the big G God,” Walker said as he looked at his overlay. He found the assistant button near identity, which confused him. It hadn’t been there before, which led him to assume that as he progressed in the alpha protocol, more changes and additions would be made over time. Adaptation would be important during all of this.

Clicking the assistant button, a bulleted list appeared, his overlay adjusting to cover all of his vision.

Assistant (advanced) menu options:

Appearance

Autonomy (advanced)

Knowledge-base

Personality (advanced)

Tasks (advanced)

Still mentally adjusting to everything that had happened in his life during the last hour, he stared at the options on the screen for a long time, his new “assistant” quiet beside him. Options, odd phrase for his current predicament. 

Mentally shaking his head, Walker clicked on appearance first. A scrolling list of thousands flashed through the overlay. Finding a search option on the right, Walker typed in a few off the top of his head: TMNT, Batman, and a few more eclectic choices appeared by his whim. But he was really curious about how a particular choice would look. Finding the option he had searched for, Walker clicked on Godzilla. 

The choice further branched out into multiple options, allowing him to pick any model of Godzilla from the 1954 version up to the latest series. Next to each version was a preview button, and as he clicked on it, the list shifted to the side so he could watch as Virgil grew to be….only about a foot taller than him. He was in the old-style Godzilla suit, complete with the fangs and floppy spine.

Walker couldn’t help chuckling.

Virgil spoke up, “Sir, it would be wise if you selected a visual model that you would not dislike seeing throughout each day. We will be here for potentially a large amount of time, and I have no preference for how I am presented to you.”

“None at all?”

The Assistant shifted back and forth, a long rubber tail swishing behind him. Although Walker was not trained to read the face of a costumed creature, he still felt like there was a slight amount of hesitation. 

“No sir, I have no true need for hands. As an advanced assistant, I will be interacting with the Creation interface directly to fulfill your tasks. Please select what will be best for you to complete your work. I have placed some suggestions based upon your history within the overlay for you to peruse”

“How do you know my history?” Walker asked.

“When you first linked to the Creation instrument, the Alpha Protocol scanned your mind and automatically inserted a modifier. It does so with every entity that first arrives, be they Creators or not. This modifier is where your overlay system originates from and also tracks your hand movements through your ocular nerves." He touched the side of his fake Godzilla eyes in demonstration, "When you donated your genetic material, the protocol also established a map of your brain at the moment of donation. Using that, I was directed to scan said map, so I could plot out your memories from the time of your birth. This is done by all Assistants, so we can better work with you here and in the future.”

“Wait…what?” Walker asked, confused by what the King of the Monsters was saying. 

“The Alpha Protocol is a far more advanced society than what you had on Earth, Walker.”

“That’s a little invasive, isn’t it?” Walker asked as his mind caught up with what he was hearing. He felt his face growing hot, “To just assume my memories are yours to look at?”

“I apologize, sir, but the Alpha Protocol must proceed.”

Discounting how Virgil didn’t sound the least bit conciliatory, Walker released the preview button and watched the Godzilla form shrink back into a Dalek. He had an idea, but first, he needed to see if there was an option for it in the system. A quick search of the suggestions tab and he found what he was looking for.

Clicking the preview button, Walker watched as Virgil changed from a steely genocidal robot into a large, brown furry rodent. Standing a little over four feet tall, each of his eyes looked like large black beads, with lighter fur surrounding them. He had soft, curved ears and a full, bushy tail.

Satisfied, Walker clicked the confirm button and watched the outline of the massive squirrel pulse golden for a moment.

“Sir,” Virgil said, “Will this be my permanent model for the foreseeable future?”

Walker nodded, “Sure will. I love squirrels. When I was in college, the second time, I used to have one visit me every day for lunch and eat the walnuts I would carry around with me. They’d hop on my shoulder and just go to town. Loved that guy.”

“Understood, sir.”

Looking at the large squirrel again, he made a decision. “Also, don’t call me sir anymore. My students always did that, and it got on my nerves. I have a name.”

Virgil’s bead eyes blinked before he asked, “The overlay says your identity is Dante. Is that what you would like me to call you?”

“Walker is fine.”

“Understood, Walker. Were there any other assistant options you would like to consider before we begin the preliminary creation system?”

“Maybe you can just answer a few questions for me first.”

“Certainly, Walker.”

Walker went straight to the question that’d been burning in his mind. “Where are we?”

Virgil paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the air before him. “We are located in a time-stalled universe, Walker. At this moment, we are in universe 4AA. The four is for the fourth iteration of creation, while AA identifies this as the first rendition or creation attempt.”

“Timestalled. Like frozen in time?”

“Correct.”

Walker looked up at the sky and the vast amount of stars painting its canvas. No guesswork was needed, and he realized it was by far more stars than he’d ever seen before in his life. He pointed them out to Virgil before saying, “If we’re time-stalled, and this is the first rendition, or whatever, then what are those?”

Virgil looked up before responding, “Those are the sites of other Creators, of course.”

“Holy shit. There are that many other people in the alpha protocol?”

“No.”

“Okay, because I have no idea-”

Virgil interrupted, “That is only the ones you can see; the Alpha Protocol, on average, requires a million participants per successful program completion. By my estimate, that is only 21,684 of the participants in the current program based upon your limited visual acuity. Would you like to see a diagram of where you are currently located in relation to the other creators?.”

“Yes, please,” Walker said in a quiet voice.

Virgil’s bead eyes opened wide, and two beams of light shot out, converging between them into a 3D image of a massive universe spinning on an axis. As its spin settled, Walker could see himself just out of the center, the name Dante superimposed onto a golden glowing dot. 

There were a million different circles throughout the image, with a large assortment of names laid on top of them. After looking for a few moments, he didn’t see any names he recognized. 

However, he did pick out one extremely large dot that didn’t have a name at all.

“What's this one?” He asked.

“That Creator has not chosen a new identity yet.”

“Oh, okay….so what do we do now?”

“Would you like to know of my functions as your assistant?”

“Sure, go ahead”

“I am not just an assistant, but an advanced assistant per your genetic ability assignment. That means you can give me tasks that are not part of the primary systems, and I will complete them to the best of my ability. I can also answer questions from my preallocated knowledge base, and over time, I will learn to anticipate what you need.”

“Is that the main difference between advanced and non-advanced assistants?” Walker asked.

“Standard assistants are closely similar to...Wikipedia from your world. Their primary function is answering questions or providing explanations. As an advanced assistant, I handle work that may be considered too advanced for you intellectually or dexterously.”

Walker thought it over, “So my ideas, your hands.”

Virgil’s whiskers twitched as he said, “Metaphorically, yes.”

Trying not to tell Virgil how cute that was, he asked, “What is the preliminary creation system?”

“It is the first step toward becoming a fully actualized Creator. Successful completion of the preliminary creation system, or prelim for short, will unlock multiple systems for the Creator to begin the work of making their own world.”

Walker considered that while looking up at the other Creators again, “Is it pretty hard?”

“I do not know the difficulty, Walker, but historically, eighty percent or more of the chosen creators will complete the prelim within the allotted timeframe.”

That meant around 200 thousand people wouldn’t pass the prelims, Walker thought.

“What’s the allotted timeframe?”

“Converted to your understanding of Earth-time, you have a little less than twenty-four hours.”

“So a day to complete this?”

“Correct.”

Adjusting his belt, he said “We’d better get started then. How do we begin?”

“You just have to tell me, Walker. In the beginning, any major progression in the Alpha Protocol must be openly stated to their assistant. I will let you know for each stage.”

“Understood.” With one last look around the empty grassy planet, he said the words aloud, “Virgil, start the preliminary creation system.”

Walker watched as Virgil’s eyes began to dart all over the place. He assumed that the Advanced Assistant was working on his overlay as his claws unconsciously gripped and released from time to time. He did find the situation a little humorous, as a large brown tail began swishing hard enough that Walker felt a slight breeze pick up. 

“Starting now.”

Walker’s overlay began displaying text. Luckily, the text would no longer fade after a few seconds, and he could take his time reading it.

Preliminary creation system started…..

Tasks assigned to creator Dante:

Task 1: Create your first landmass

Task 2: Create your first entity

Task 3: Seed your creatures onto your landmass

Task 4: Take control of the temporal subsystem

Walker looked at Virgil, “So I have to make land somehow, make a creature-”

“Entity, Walker.” Virgil interrupted.

“Right, and then seed them onto land. What’s a temporal subsystem?”

“It is how you will control time, Walker.”

“Fuck yes!” He said with a quick fist pump. Maybe it was outdated, but he didn’t care, not when he’d get to control time. That’s superhero godlike stuff.

“So how do I go about doing this then? What’s the first step?”

“We need your genetic material to begin, Walker.”

“Fuck.”

Chapter 6: The First Task

"So you need blood."

Virgil nodded, an oddly human gesture: "Indeed. Blood is the best way to gain a Creator's genetic material, as hair and saliva will not, as you say, give us enough bang for the buck."

Walker sighed, "Wait, why don't you just use the blood I gave at the start?"

"That is an excellent point, Walker. However, when you first donated your genetic material, I am afraid the majority of it was used to map your mind and connect your overlay system in the appropriate location. Your forthcoming sample would bring a different value to the protocol."

Walker shrugged, "I see, alright. How do you want it?"

Virgil put his hand out, palm up. "Please place your genetic material here."

After that gross business, Walker’s lip hurting yet again, Virgil looked at the air before saying, "Genetic code analyzed and categorized. Please create a landmass before attempting the creation of the first entity."

Rubbing his face, Walker said, "Ok, so how do I do that."

"Please move to the Creation Instrument.” When Walker gave him a blank look, he clarified, “The blackboard and chalk, Walker."

They headed over together, and Walker firmly took the plain-looking chalk out of the tray.

"Now draw a basic outline of what you want your landmass to look like."

"I thought you told me you'd be my hands?" Walker asked.

“Yes, I did. I can process your requests and help maintain your ecological systems, as well as perform secondary tasks, but this is a part of the primary system, which I warned you of earlier. The creation of landmasses, the creation of structures, and the original creation of entities all fall within the primary system. To perform my job well, I need a clear delineation of all necessary parameters or, simply put, time spent with the Creator. I need to work with you to learn about your wants and needs in a controlled environment. The more work we complete together, the more tasks I can take on until the primary system is within the bounds of my job."

“And my memories won’t do that for you?”

“Another excellent question,” Virgil said with a squirrely smile, “your memories, as presented to me, are closer to a dossier than an understanding of you as a person. I am restricted from overly helping any Creator, as all Assistants are, until such a time as autonomy is allowed.”

"When will I know when that is?"

"I will inform you, of course."

"So for the prelim, I'm essentially on my own."

"I will advise you as best as I am allowed to, Walker."

No pressure

Walker placed the chalk against the board and received a message in his overlay.

Hello Dante

As this is your first time creating a landmass, we will assist you

Please illustrate your landmass to the best of your ability, and your creation instrument will show you a three-dimensional image upon completion so you may make any needed changes

Please speak with your assistant at any time to ask any necessary questions

Good luck Creator

After reading the prompt, and with shaky hands, Walker drew a basic oval shape on the board before asking Virgil how it looked.

"It has a great many distortions along the curve Walker, please erase it and try again."

"Why? It seems a little stupid to have to draw a perfect oval. I can't think of any islands or continents on my homeworld that were perfectly shaped. What’s the point of this?"

"While that remains true," Virgil said with a blink of his eyes, "The prelims require a small amount of perfection to show that the subjects are indeed intelligent enough and have enough self-control to activate the protocol in its entirety."

“So, what, is this a planet? A continent?”

“Initially, the landmasses will be quite small. That will change with time, and as you grow more skilled at working within the protocol, further boundaries will be expanded.”

Walker felt a flush in his cheeks, “It’s dumb, Virgil. Why does it need to be a perfect circle? Can’t you just tell them that I’m intelligent? That I can speak?” He felt a tightness in his chest, old memories storming his emotional gate. Virgil, of course, seemed unaffected. 

“I apologize, Walker, but this is a requirement of the Alpha Protocol. The more skilled you prove yourself, the better you will do during the evaluation period.”

“More skilled..”Walker sighed, the weight in his chest expanding, "Virgil, I have Dysgraphia. That means anytime I try to write or draw, my hand shakes and messes up what I'm doing."

Virgil's beads blinked, "The Alpha Protocol heals all Creators back to physical perfection before installing the grand overlay. Why would this malady still infect you?"

"It's a genetic condition that affects my brain."

Virgil paced back and forth in front of him before saying, "Unacceptable. You should not have been chosen. The Creator's genetics are the basis on which the Alpha Protocol is dependent. Having a genetic disorder is a large problem."

"Why didn't it just heal that like it did the rest?"

Virgil nodded, "I see your argument, however, one of the requirements of the system is that all Creators must work within their mental status. You will notice that you did not receive a therapist, and yet, you have a minor case of post-traumatic stress disorder. That is within the bounds of the system."

"So, my head is fucked up, and that's how they want it?"

"Indeed. The system thinks your genetic disorder is within the confines of your mental faculties. I am sorry. There is more I could say, but I am not allowed to divulge that information."

Can’t divulge that information? What the hell?

Walker shook his head. Virgil had no idea how long this had been a problem in his, his father's, and his father's father's life. When he was in elementary school, everyone made fun of him. They put him through occupational therapy and made him do writing lessons that were far below his reading level, just because they had so much trouble reading anything he wrote down. 

One time, a teacher even pointed out his writing to the whole class as an example of what writing shouldn't look like. He went home after, crying, and his mother found out. She stormed the castle and not only got the teacher written up, but had her transferred to a different grade level just so Walker wouldn't have to deal with her. 

It was Mrs. Jorgenson who saved him in the end. She kept him after school each day and worked with him to make the writing at least readable. He easily remembered many days, of listening to her read one of his favorite stories out loud while transcribing it to paper. She used to stay late and orally quiz him, believing his low grades resulted from the former teacher's inability to read his answers. By the time he left that grade level, he'd shifted his academic career from D's to B's. It caused his self-confidence and his mojo, which was shattered before, to repair itself.

She was the best teacher Walker had ever had and the main reason he'd later become one himself, dysgraphia or not. He loved her for that.

Closing his eyes, he saw his hardwon truths and disappointing memories zip around his mind. Hard work is how he even created the slightly off-oval in the first place. He remembered Mrs. Jorgenson telling him to just take his time, and her calm voice telling him he could do anything as long as he worked hard enough. 

Knowing this, he looked at the large squirrel, "Listen Virgil, I've had this all of my life. It didn't stop me from serving in the military or graduating at the top of my class in college, and I'll be damned if it'll stop me now. You can't boil who a person is down to their genetic code. 

We adapt and evolve to meet the circumstances thrust upon us. I've adapted, I've evolved, and I will do so again and again as I need to. I'm smart, maybe not the smartest in my world, certainly no genius, but definitely above average, and I've lived through some extreme situations that many wouldn't be able to. If you think shaky hands will stop me from being the best Creator here, then you're a fool. 

I'll conquer this, I'll conquer the alpha protocol, and I'll keep moving forward until I'm the best this program has ever seen."

Virgil gave a slight nod, "I want to warn you now, Walker. There may be problems with all future entities based upon your genetics."

"Then we'll figure it out. Now tell me what I need to do. We're on a time limit, and this may take quite a bit away from us."

"Understood. I apologize for taking away from our allocated time. Please wipe away the chalk from the board."

Walker took a hand and wiped it against the board as instructed, but as he did so, he saw the dust shift from his hands and back onto the chalk as if he'd never used it before. He threw a questioning look at Virgil.

"Each trial only allows for so much input. They have not instructed me why, but I believe it is to force Creators to be inventive and work with minimal resources."

"Why minimal resources?" Walker asked.

"Because everything has a cost, Walker, even this. The Protocol believes in the spirit of ingenuity. That those with less can often do more than those with much. Please try again."

Walker put his focus into drawing a perfect oval. It may sound stupid, but drawing something perfectly is nearly impossible, and his condition didn't make it any better. Walker tried shifting from an oval to a circle and even a box. He tried triangles, trapezoids, and any other shape a person can think of. Eventually, he settled on returning to a circle and attempting the trick he'd seen on so many YouTube videos, the one where they lock their arm before spinning it in a circle. On attempt number seven, he asked a simple question.

"Hey Virgil, this may seem like an odd question, but I’m curious. Why aren't I hungry or thirsty? We've been doing this for a while."

"The Alpha Protocol requires the utmost concentration, Walker. That means no sleeping, no eating, no drinking, and there is nowhere for micturition here."

"What's that?"

"Going to the bathroom is your term."

"Ah, how does that work?"

"Your body is currently held in stasis. The form you have been in since the beginning will be the form you will find yourself in at the end, barring extraordinary circumstances or personal choices. You will not age during this trial, and you cannot die unless you cause it yourself."

"So I'm immortal?"

"Just for the purposes of the protocol, Walker. Please focus."

It was attempt number twenty of the locked arm trick that did it. It was a perfect oval, except the tip was slightly off. After a quick erasure, Walker inched the chalk over that spot, taking his time with complete concentration. With a final movement, it was complete.

"Attempt number one-hundred and sixty-nine complete. You have twenty-one hours remaining."

"Holy shit, that long."

"Yes, Walker. Now that you have completed the first basic shape, you must decide how to populate it. Do you want water, mountains, sand, or soil? Each will have lasting ramifications on your entity. Remember that you must seed your first entity onto the landmass, and it must be environmentally conducive for growth. The better your environment for your entity, the higher your score."

"Wait, there are scores in this?" Walker replied, never once thinking he’d be going back to school.

"Indeed," Virgil replied evenly.

Walker reflected that if someone asked as many questions as he did, he'd probably be annoyed by now, but the large squirrel was most certainly not most people. "What do you get if you make a high score?" Walker asked, his competitive nature springing up. 

Sure, he was floating in space on a tiny planet, talking to a four-foot squirrel about how to be a god. But there were always worse places to be.

"Completing a high score will obtain certain rewards, but the nature of the rewards is always different. I do not have more information on that subject for you."

"Pity. Ok,” He clapped his hands together, something he’d always done in the past to focus his mind, “So we need to figure out how to populate this."

"I can help you with that. What would you like the landmass to contain?"

"I'm from Earth, specifically California. Where I grew up we had a large amount of water, soil, trees, swamps, mountains, everything. .."

"Trees are considered an entity, Walker. You can have water without life, but trees are assuredly an entity."

"So what is considered an entity then so I don't make any mistakes."

"An entity is defined as any living creature that is unique and separate. For instance, if you created a hivemind, that would be one entity even if it has multiple creatures it controls. This is why the Alpha Protocol specifies entity. Think of the movie from your world, Avatar, and the biological neural network, Eywa. The network was connected worldwide, but it is only one centralized entity controlling everything."

"Shit, so I could create a living planet basically."

"Correct, although I do not believe, based on our limited interactions, that you would like that."

"Why?" Walker asked.

"Because I believe your intelligence would be a limiting factor in creating a biological neural network that is compatible with other entities and not predatory by nature. It would disallow you to gain a high score, and thus, you would be forced to take a lower grade in each subsequent trial until the end of the protocol."

"What would happen then?" Walker couldn't help but ask.

Virgil looked at the sky momentarily, "I am not allowed to say at this time. Please focus on how you would like your landmass to be populated."

"Okay, so lifeless water then, no trees, soil. Is this a final product kind of deal? Will I be able to change it later?"

"Yes, Walker, you can change it later."

"Great! Okay, so let's soil this bad boy up. What do we do?"

"Please draw soil within the places you would like it on your current illustration walker."

Walker started to place dots within the oval.

"Excuse me, Walker," Virgil interrupted. “But that will not work. For the prelim trial to understand soil, it must be uniform throughout."

"So I have to evenly place every...dot."

"Correct. I can associate the dots with soil, but it must be uniform."

"Are all of our future landmass creations going to be this way?" Walker asked in exasperation.

"No, the prelim is the protocol's way of not only testing its Creators for a basis of intelligence but also for setting a standard based upon the entity themself. Not all creators will use dots to represent soil, but once you have associated it, the system will recognize it as soil and fill it in for you. The uniform requirement is so the system knows exactly what those dots mean and does not instead say sand or rocks."

"Thank you, Virgil."

It took thirty minutes for the dots to be as uniform and cohesive as Walker could make them, or at least until Virgil was satisfied.

"Excellent, Walker, what else would you like?"

"What's our time at?"

"You have twenty hours remaining. I suggest you complete the landmass with at least eighteen hours remaining for the final three steps.”

"Okay, so two hours. I want water here." He said, pointing toward a third of the oval. "All lifeforms need water..."

"Highly incorrect," Virgil said quickly.

"I taught English, not Science," He replied in a testy tone of voice.

"Be that as it may, Walker, what you have just stated is largely incorrect. Innumerable entities do not require water in the slightest to not only survive, but thrive. I suggest you understand that now before it handicaps you later. Your memories show only carbon-based lifeforms. That is not the limit of creation."

Walker scrubbed a hand through his hair. "I'll try. I still want water here, though," he said, pointing at the third of the oval he'd originally designated.

"Understood, please illustrate."

So Walker drew three parallel lines in a row for twenty minutes until he had filled the entire area.

"Excellent, Walker, you are moving faster as time goes on."

"Yeah, I'm getting the hang of this," Walker replied with false pride, knowing deep down that any fifth-grader or younger would be a much stronger candidate for Earth's creator at this point. "I'm guessing we're almost done."

"There are two more steps. One, you need to create a bottom portion of the world, unless you would like your world to be shaped like a disc."

"Nope, copyrighted and already done perfectly, thank you."

"Indeed, I can see that from your memories. Lastly, you need to decide what will make up the bottom portion. Will it be magma? Rock? I highly suggest something hard as, otherwise, the remainder of your work will just fall through and into space."

"What about the atmosphere?"

"Very good, Walker. That will be automatically balanced by the system for this first creation, as well as a uniform theory of gravity, as well as shielding from spatial elements. Afterward, you can rely on me to work with you to create a sustainable air pressure system and atmosphere."

"Oh, thank god," Walker said in relief.

"Yes, it is very nice of the Alpha Protocol to manage that for us at the beginning."

Walker began carefully drawing the loop coming off the bottom of the oval. It took quite a few tries, but his determination on the matter was powerful. While he didn’t know why he had been picked for this, he could still do his best job going forward. 

"Attempt number eighty-seven complete. Again, much faster, Walker."

Walker didn't respond. Knowing he had little time left, he started to fill the bottom loop with small squares lined up in fours.

After filling up the second loop, he looked at Virgil and said, "Done."

"Correct, and you now have a surplus of twenty minutes, which can be spent on other tasks as needed."

"What now?"

"Now, we look at your first landmass."

He looked at the air for a moment, and a three-dimensional projection appeared, hovering just over the blackboard. It was precisely how Walker imagined it, although the soil was a light grey, whereas he thought it would be a darker color. Walker asked Virgil about it.

"As the protocol assists with the initial landmass, it has populated granite as your rock form for its non-porous nature and how much water you have chosen. It also populated the soil from granite, making it slightly more difficult to grow vegetation."

"Is there a type of rock that works well with the water and for growing plants?" Walker asked.

"Of course, but for the prelim, the system will only allow you to work with material and entities you know. Aside from the soil type, were there any other changes you would like to make at this time?"

"No, I'm good." As he finished saying that, a materialize button appeared in his overlay.

"Please click the materialize button when you are ready, Walker."

Walker clicked the button, and his world appeared. It was smaller than he'd thought it would be. If he had to guess, he'd say it was the size of his hometown, just a few square miles. The small planet rotated a little as he looked at it, showing a third of the carved out for the water, while the other two-thirds were filled with soil. Unlike his home planet, it wasn't covered in continents that encapsulated the whole globe, but fell off as the pale-white granite held the bottom half as he'd designed. Maybe it wasn't the best he could've done, but he'd undoubtedly tried, and he was within a hard time limit. He looked at Virgil in disappointment, but as he turned, he noticed the water wasn't there.

"Hey Virgil, what gives? I don't see the water I spent so much time on."

"Please just wait for it, Walker."

"Wait for wha...."

A large white comet flew over his tiny planet, pieces of ice trailing behind it.

Chapter 7: Minimal Resources

The comet flew overhead, a white tail preceding it. As it moved, it continued to shuck off blue and white pieces, leaving the glittering masses behind its wake.

"What the fuck is that?"

"That is an ice comet. The protocol’s system for delivering lifeless ice." Virgil said while also staring at the destructive object nearing Walker's hard work.

"But it'll destroy what we built," Protocol or not, he didn’t like the idea of being set back on his already short time limit.

"The alpha protocol would take into account any damage to your landmass and correct it upon the event’s end," Virgil said with a calmness Walker couldn’t get behind. 

But what was he to do? So, he sat there and watched as the comet grew closer and closer to his small planet, before asking a serious question that had been bothering him.

"Isn't this all just a bit dramatic?"

"What do you mean?" Virgil asked, turning towards him.

"They slapped rocks and soil together, teleported me here..."

"Portaled"

"Whatever, isekai'd me here...kind of. Then, they randomly threw together a large amount of materials with no warning and no meteors. Now, suddenly, an ice meteor is needed for me to have water?"

"Comet.”

“Whatever,” Walker said, waving off the point. 

Virgil blinked his eyes a few times, “I see your point, Walker. I had not thought of it that way."

"Yeah, it's dumb."

"Perhaps they feel the drama will add to your feelings of wonder and power?"

"I didn't make the comet. It just popped up. I didn’t technically make the soil or rock either. I’ve just pointed my finger and said this is how its going to be."

The large squirrel nodded, "That is True, but its appearance is a result of the work you have put in. I believe, if you see this as dramatic, further events will be even more so."

"What further events?"

"Keep watching, Walker. This is the moment your landmass is completed."

Walker grumbled to himself as a piece of ice broke off of the comet. It smashed into the empty bed of granite and cracked the small planet, pieces of gray drifting off into the darkness of space. 

Walker flung an arm out, "Oh come on, what the fuck."

"I said watch, Walker." 

After a few moments, the pieces seemed to rewind themselves while simultaneously, the ice melted at a rapid pace, neatly filling the previously empty bed while the planet healed itself as if through magic.

"That is a preview of the temporal subsystem. The drama was likely to represent the multitude of ways you can use this system in future creation tasks."

Walker blew air out of his mouth, "That's still a bullshit way to do it. Why not just a tutorial? A simple breakdown of what you can and cannot do?"

"How do you learn best, Walker?"

"Visually."

"Indeed."

Task 1: Create your first landmass complete!

Please name your landmass.

"Stupid names," Walker said, always struck by this one simple problem. After thinking it over for a minute, he inputted the name into his overlay.

Landmass: The Crater is named.

Congratulations!

You've unlocked the entity creation system.

Using your new subsystem, and working with your assistant, create your first entity.

We've returned some of your Creation Instrument’s material as a small form of assistance. 

Good luck Creator!

The chalk, which had been worn down to a nub as he'd worked on the landmass, filled back out halfway. Remembering what Virgil had said before about limited resources, Walker thought it was less about assisting him, and more about the fact that it would be difficult to make an “entity” without any Creation Instrument remaining. If he had no chalk left, he'd be stuck with his first entity being a termite or a flea.

"Walker, before we start, you should now look at the entity subsystem in your overlay."

Walker did as asked and found that one of the empty boxes now said the words Entity Subsystem. He clicked on it and a large menu opened, a great range of creatures appearing before him. The list of Earth's creatures ranged from Aardvarks to Zonkeys.

He knew Virgil had an encyclopedic mind, so he asked, "What's a Zonkey?"

His assistant said in a monotone, "It is a mammal crossbreed from a donkey and a zebra."

"They got a donkey to have sex with a Zebra?"

"Yes, Walker.” Virgil replied in that same plain tone of voice, “Now, what else do you see?" As he waited, Walker noticed that he started shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"Why are you so excited about this? Can't you see what I have listed here?"

"No, Walker. To keep the protocol fair, I am not allowed to view your entity system during the prelims. If I could view it, I would be allowed to make suggestions that would put you far ahead in points and throw off the entire system.”

“But you just told me about the Zonkey?”

“The what?” Virgil asked with a confused look on his face. 

Walker didn’t know what that was about. “The Zonkey. You just told me about the Zonkey,” he repeated again. 

“Oh, interesting.” Tapping one foot on the ground, his eyes moved across his overlay, “I have no memory of that. Very interesting.”

Walker sighed, looking back at the list. After a moment, Virgil began speaking again, “You know, your birth planet's biodiversity is profound and unbelievable. Many creators, without knowing it, are extremely limited in their choices."

"What do you mean?"

"Earth is a unique location, to my understanding. You have millions of different insects, animals, trees, and even bacteria. It is not completely unheard of in the universe, but it is very rare."

"Kind of like A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?"

"42," Virgil said with a chitter.

"Did you just laugh, Virgil?" Walker asked in astonishment. Thus far, his manner of speaking seemed only a half-step off of robotic.

"I did. You have read that novel several times, and I found the entire premise wonderful."

"Me too, haha." Walker reflected that it was nice to have something he could share with his newly appointed assistant. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

Without warning, Virgil chittered again, likely reflecting on that most excellent of stories, before getting serious. "To get to the point, there will be some creators who only have one biodiversity choice due to the formation of their society or species, whereas your planet worked through the basic single-cell evolutionary system, moving through each step until you have reached what you are today. That means your choices, while not unlimited, are profound and should not be discounted. You have a chance to greatly succeed here, all because of your ancestors."

"So I'm set up for success," Walker replied, half-smiling.

"I would not go that far, Walker. But despite your obvious genetic predisposition and mental health issues, you have a real chance to succeed, whereas many are severely limited in the scope of their options."

"Okay, so, what should I pick?"

"I am not allowed to give specified advice, Walker, so instead, I will give you a generality.” He held a hand up, “and please do not feel as if you must take it. This is your task, after all.” Lowering the hand, he leaned forward, growing closer to his Creator, “However, I feel that you should select something small. Something you can work with later as needed. Something manageable."

"Something small, something small....okay."

Walker scrolled down his options until he found one that fit the idea of small and would be comfortable in The Crater. He clicked it and saw the blackboard light up from the corner of his eye, showing the words "The Bobbit Worm." Walking over, he found a basic drawing of his first potential entity and sighed in relief.

"Thank god they predesigned it."

"Indeed. I am not familiar with this species as it is not in any of your memories."

“Like the Zonkey?”

“The what?” Virgil said, looking at his overlay again. 

"Never mind.” Walker looked at the drawing again, “Yeah, I just saw Worm and figured it was our best shot."

Virgil stepped forward and looked as well, “There is no going back on this once you begin modifications, Walker. There simply are not enough Creation resources to sustain any changes. Are you sure you want to choose this Entity for your first?" Virgil said with an odd look on his face.

"Yep, it's just a worm. I figure, at the worst, it can feed anything else we make."

Virgil paused again, then said, "Okay, then please make any changes you would like to your entity. Your creation instrument has already been taxed for the illustration, so any changes you make must be small."

Walker noticed Virgil was right. His chalk had been reduced, and the remaining amount was only about the size of his thumbnail.

He looked it over as he got close. It was a little different than the basic earthworms people used for fishing. It had jaws, first of all, that extended out past a curved mouth on both sides, and it was quite a bit longer than he thought it'd be, explaining the reduction in his amount of remaining chalk. The length of the worm had small barbs sticking out on its sides, and it was segmented with rings throughout its body. The end portion of the worm was stubby and round, a contrasting view compared to the jawed beginning.

"What changes do you think I should make?" 

"This is your first entity, Walker, and you have no real experience with this. I believe you should make a change, any change, as the alpha protocol does not want unmodified entities from your homeworld, but I am not allowed to say what changes those should be. I am sorry." He paused, "However, it is a-a worm.” He struggled to get the words out, “What would you change about it to make it fit in best with your landmass?"

Walker didn’t notice his assistant's efforts, as he was so focused on the drawing in front of him. "I don't know," he said, thinking it over. Maybe instead of that stubby tail, we should harden it a little, and I can sharpen its jaws a bit as well to make it easier for the worm to eat."

"Please keep in mind, neither of us knows much about the Bobbit Worm. Because you have not read of it in your former life, I have no memories to work from. You must be cautious, as we do not want to make an unknown entity too powerful."

"Yeah, I'm just adding a little extra to it."

"Okay then, I agree."

Once that was settled, Walker drew the symbol for rock on the tail end of the worm, believing it would harden.

"Is that right?"

"You are reusing the designated illustration for rock on your entity," Virgil asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yah man, you know, dysgraphia."

"Ok then, proceed."

Touchy

He erased the rounded jaws sticking out to the sides and slowly, meticulously sketched sharp jaws that should have the same amount of range as the originals. On a random flair, he angled the jaws a second time inward so they'd latch whatever they bit. Ultimately, he had barely enough chalk to call it that, seeming more like a piece of dust in his grip than the original cylinder.

"There, one modified Bobbit worm. What do you think?"

"I think it will be a predator," Virgil said deadpan.

"It'll be fine. We nailed the first landmass; now we'll nail the first entity."

"If you are sure, please click the materialize button."

"No 3D image this time?"

"No, that was a one-time deal, Walker. And to be honest with you, you did not quite use it to its full potential."

"I could've done more with it?" He asked with confusion.

"You could have, yes. Specifically, while looking at that hologram, you could have separated your landmass into different accommodating biomes for future entities or begun the process of allowing vegetation to grow. Instead, you looked at it and materialized the start of your world immediately afterward. The system always gives assistance during the prelims. Just enough for your vision to be realized. But, that is only after you have completed your task."

"Well, shit, man."

"Indeed. In the future, if the alpha protocol offers additional help, please greatly consider what it is and why."

Walker nodded, "Understood. I'll click the button now."

The button had sat in his overlay during the conversation, blinking for his attention. Pressing it, they watched as his worm appeared, floating over the blackboard. The jaws appeared incredibly sharp, far more powerful than he’d planned. Also, instead of the stubby tail seeming tougher, the modification spread across its entire body, hardening the concentric rings that made up its body. It looked less like a worm now, and more like an aquatic rhino with fangs. 

.....Scanning.....

The worm spun slowly and gently pulsed with a glow colored in gold. The entity flashed brightly before the overlay spit out the next part.

Task 2: Create your first entity complete!

As your entity is modified from its original form, please name it.

"Not quite what you thought it would be, Walker?" Virgil asked.

"No, but it's pretty close. Maybe a bit more powerful than I thought it would be, but still pretty close. What do you think?"

"It is assuredly a predator with those jaws, and you gave it hardened armor with your addition. Whether it could survive against another Creator's entity, I am unsure."

"Well, we did the best we could with what we had, Virgil. What do you think I should name it?"

"I believe it will be quite vicious."

"Maybe," He tapped his chin, "alright then."

Entity: Slicer is named.

Congratulations!

You've unlocked the seeding system.

As a small form of assistance, we'll add your entity's dietary needs to your landmass until you can create your own.

Please seed your entity when you are ready.

Good luck Creator!

A "Seed' button appeared in his overlay.

"Anything special to this?"

"It will place a copy of The Slicer onto your landmass, and then what it needs to survive will be provided by the system so it can maintain itself. It should not be a problem."

"Okay, here we go." He said before clicking the button.

The worm disappeared from over the blackboard, and...nothing else happened. Walker strained his eyes on The Crater, but it just looked like a grey and blue world placidly sitting in the middle of space.

"I can't see anything," Walker complained.

"Oh right, your visual acuity. Please watch here for now." Virgil's eyes shot out two beams, providing a 3D hologram again. It showed Walker's small planet in fine detail, zooming in on a single modified Bobbit Worm undulating across the soil. The Slicer dropped itself into the water and swam around quickly, moving from one place to another in a fast-zipping fashion.

"I thought it'd be slower with that new armor on it."

"The system recognized that the armor would weigh it down, and compensated by increasing the muscle mass of the entity. Later, you will have to learn these modifications it yourself, but for now, the alpha protocol still has your training wheels on. The first entity tends to be a....crapshoot, as you would say. Prelim Creators do not have a great deal of information about what they are doing, and their assistants are only allowed to help so much. The system looks at what you have created, and installs modifications to assist you in creating a desirable first entity." He pointed at the hologram, "Oh look, they are adding its food."

They watched as several fish were added to the water, bringing more life to Walker's world. The slicer didn't notice at first, still zipping around the water. The moment it did...

"Jesus fuck what was that," Walker yelled out, backing away from the image.

Virgil looked in confusion at what he was seeing. "One moment, please," he said, seeming to rewind the imagery. They watched as he moved it forward in slow motion. The hologram showed the former Bobbit worm still swimming from side to side, placidly making trails in the water. That was before it saw a fish. The instant it did, they watched as it clenched its pincers together a few times, then shot like a bullet straight at its target. The moment it pierced the fish, it ripped its pincers back faster than even slow motion could show. The victim, just swimming harmlessly only a moment before, exploded into pieces from the violent treatment.

"it seems, Walker, that your first entity is an alpha predator of a high degree. That should be quite a few points." Virgil said, an odd note of pride in his voice.

"What the fuck, man," Walker said as he ran a hand down his face. "Is this thing going to kill everything I put into The Crater now?"

"Most likely, and I advise that you should not make more, as they will be quite territorial. But look on the bright side."

"What bright side?"

"Now you will have a chance when the Creator Wars start."