Holy Blood Prologue

Hey Guys! So I started this last month when I was dealing with a writer's block and it took off running, and I mean sprinting. I will probably be putting Revenge on tentative hiatus or I might not, we'll see... This will have no effect on Dungeon Robotics so no worries there. This story will be released first for my ten and up patrons. I have been trying to find something for them and so I will be doing a three chapter gap for now, after this one. 

Prologue

The Presidential seal appeared on every TV connected to every type of media throughout the United States. Rumors had been building for months and it appeared the public was finally getting an answer. The Madam President appeared as many presidents before her, with a solemn face.

“Good Morning, My Fellow Americans. As many of you are aware, eighty-nine percent of the world signed the Upload Directive as of seventeen hundred hours yesterday. For many of you this will be a passing message that has little to do with you, but for anyone that has an acquaintance in the correctional system it will have a much bigger impact on you.” 

The President glanced down to check her notes then back to the camera, “For all prisoners with forty plus years, they will be sent to the World of Guilin via the new Consciousness Transfer Alignment Gear. With the C.Tag a person will live the rest of their lives on the world of Guilin.”

An image of a helmet that covered most of the head came up on the screen, it was connected to a myriad of computers that had an image of a planet on them. For those that played video games they would recognize the login screen present which overlaid the planet. A variety of figures stood around the screen that wore a diverse array of armors and clothes. 

“The process succeeds with a ninety seven percent rate. The first batch have already been there for a year and no adverse effects have been reported. There is no return and the Upload will begin in a week, so all families should make an effort to see their relative if they meet these criteria before this deadline.”

“I want to remind that the option is open for all terminal ill and fatally injured to be sent to the world of Guilin, there is a special area that the convicts are unable to enter that they can spend as much time as they would like for the rest of their lives. Of course, they are able to explore the world of Guilin as they please as well. I have been informed that the world of Guilin in nearly twice the size of Earth.”

The President went on to explain many more things about the world and the procedure that the convicts would receive. Many people were of mixed opinions, but they just didn’t have the will to argue or protest anymore. The last century reduced protests to making memes on the internet and the current generation refused to actually address the problems. People just didn’t care anymore. 

In the United States alone there were nearly ten million people that met the criteria and would be sent to Guilin. Their removal would free up a tremendous amount of funds and would help the United States pull out of the recession it was suffering through for the last twenty years. Similar statistics were quoted around the world from nearly every other country. 

When the President was done, a man came forward. He was old, at least in his seventies. Even with that being the case, there was an energy that seemed to pour off of him. He smiled towards the cameras before he made his statement. His long white hair and beard immaculate. 

“Hello, my fellow citizens. My name is Alfred. As many people are well aware, I am the creator of Guilin and the worlds like it. For the past two decades, many people have used Virtual reality technology to escape this world that is rampant with crime, poverty, hate, and apathetic tendencies,” Alfred said with bright eyes. 

“Many people might say that it is cruel to send our fellow humans out of this world, but I say otherwise. Many of these people have only harmed and taken for themselves. I will admit that there are many that might be innocent. Our history has extensive examples of people being falsely accused, after all. Not to fear, my technology allows us to scan the very memories of a person and determine if they are truly innocent or not. Over the next few months we may see innocent people finally free from their accusers, which is a blessing. 

  “As a lot of people might be wondering how sending criminals to basically play a game for the rest of their lives is a form of punishment, allow me to explain. This directive uploads a person’s mind into the digital world essentially keeping them alive. Their bodies will be sent to a reprocessing plant in nearby cities which will turn their bodies into nutrients for the farms,” Alfred said then glanced down at his notes. 

“Some people might be wondering why we should give prisoners immortality. This is because we have found a way to pull what we have labeled as potential energy from the digital world they will be sent to. A single person amounts to about a car battery worth of energy a day. So, while their minds will be able to live forever, they will be providing us with the energy needed to reclaim this wasteland of a planet.”

“Finally, for every person that is entered into Guilin, we are willing to give a stipend for each family member remaining if they so choose to use it. With our space reduced to the Domes, this is the best alternative to outright killing these people. Unfortunately, our society can no longer support these institutions,” Alfred said with a tone that brokered no argument.