Maximilian interlocked his fingers under his chin as he perused the chessboard. The noise of the New Year's Eve party was distant as his opponent placed the white pawn in the middle of the board. He had lost nearly every game since June. Something that irked him.

  "You have a tendency to overthink," Hank started. Sometimes, you have to take the leap of faith and make the move." Maximilian looked up at the forty-year-old man and sighed. The unofficial campaign advisor had become a staple no matter where they went. Maximilian had no idea how the man had brought a different chessboard on every trip or how he managed to get them inside with no one noticing.

  "It's easy to say that but that doesn't help. I can't imagine how many possible chess moves there are—"

  "Let me stop you there. There are two kinds of chess players. Those who can do it by feel and those who can do it by plan. I am more the former while you want to be the latter. Have you read the book I gave you?"

  Maximilian picked up the black pawn and moved it forward one space. An opening he had read in the very same book. "I did. However, the campaign stops have made it hard to devote time. Ashanti would have both our heads if I wasn't prepared because of our game."

  Hank chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He gestured for a waitress to hand him yet another glass of wine. He took another glance at the board and made another move. "So Mr. Governor what will your first order of business be?"

  Maximilian stared at the board but before he could make a choice the glass door slid open. The roar of the party washed over the pair along with the unmistakable form of Ashanti. The businesswoman wore a black two-piece suit. She had a cell phone placed against her right ear as she spoke to someone in Mandarin. The woman took in the scene for a fraction of a second before she ended the call.

  "Why is it that the rest of us are in celebration while the man of the hour has snuck off to play games?" Her tone made it clear that she didn't want nor need an answer. Maximilian gave the woman his full attention.

  "You know I don't care for parties. Is there someone I need to shake hands with or another group with something they need me to look into?"

  Ashanti sighed and placed a manicured hand on his shoulder. She applied just enough pressure that it would be felt through Maximilian's suit without doing any harm. "No, thankfully those people have gone home. The only ones left are your friends, family, and loved ones. The people who want to see the man and not the position."

  Maximilian smiled and glanced at the chessboard. "She's right. We can finish this game another time." He placed his hands and his knees and then stood up.

  "Fine with me. We will add this game to my win column." Hank chuckled before he turned his attention to the glass of wine in his hand.

  Maximilian's blank facial expression was his only reply before he turned and followed Ashanti. "You've been on the phone all day. Is there anything I need to be aware of?"

  She gestured to her phone screen and specifically to her notes app which now had over two dozen entries. "Nothing I can't deal with on my own. It's everything needed to ensure you can take office without a problem. As long as you manage your public image."

  Maximilian nodded as they entered the hotel room. The noise of the party washed over him like a wave. He briefly considered going back outside just to avoid the social atmosphere but he decided against it. Ashanti was right in that these people were here to see him and unlike everyone else, it wasn't a job. The least he could do was be present. He reached the staircase and was inundated with cheers and applause as if he was a celebrity though in a way he was. He smiled at everyone as Ashanti fell into step behind him. A glance at his watch told him that it was eleven forty-five. It was almost time to bring in the New Year and with it a new life. He could barely believe everything that had happened. The primary, the debates, the social media tour all of it was easy. A set of steps that needed to be completed to win but now that he had. It was like he was adrift at sea. He knew that the next step was to pass laws or rather enforce them. However, the line between what the Governor was able to do and what he actually could do was blurrier than ever.

  When they got to the bottom of the stairs Maximilian looked up at the large flat-screen TV. He couldn't tell which of the New Year's Eve party channels it was and he didn't really care. The 2030 glasses looked just as ridiculous as the ones from last year. He briefly wondered why they still made the cardboard versions. It shouldn't be that expensive for a higher-quality version by now. A tug on his sleeve brought him back to the present moment. "Come on." Ashanti began as she pulled him behind her. He smiled at every face as they passed until they stopped in a few feet from the TV. "You should give them a speech before the year ends."

  He stared at his campaign manager in slight annoyance for a moment before he turned his attention back to the crowd who now stared with expectation. He took a breath and put on a campaign-winning smile. The TV timer showed that we had less than five minutes before the ball would drop. Which meant this would have to be a quick one. "Hello everyone." He raised his hand to quiet the crowd as he searched for the right words. "This has been a long year. One filled with heartbreak and wonder. One where I made a promise to work toward change. A promise that I would do what I could to improve a small piece of the world. That promise was a lot more difficult than I thought." Maximilian modestly smiled as laughter spread through the crowd. "Despite that, you all have been here for me. And for that, I am eternally grateful." The clock ticked to eleven fifty-nine and he held up a hand to quiet them down. "Enough talk. Here's to a new year and fresh opportunities."

  He reached out a hand as Ashanti passed him a glass of white wine. The countdown began and as the crowd moved closer. He watched with only a little bitterness as couples began to pair off. He had accomplished a lot during the last year but love hadn't been in the cards. He turned to Ashanti who raised her glass to the TV. The countdown had begun and the ball made its way down. The crowd began to count and a storm of emotions filled Maximilian. Chief among them was excitement.

  "Nine" The crowd thundered as Maximilian reflected on what he had done and what he wanted to do. "Eight, Seven, Six." He glanced over the few friends and family members that were in attendance. The absence of his mother and father settled on him like a weighted blanket. He did his best to get them here but the snowstorm cancelled nearly every flight.

  "Five!" Maximilian turned his attention back to the TV. The countdown filled the entire screen. He pushed his worries to the back of his mind. He allowed the excitement to sweep him along.

  "Four!" His voice joined the countdown as the ball sank toward the ground. "Three, Two, One" The room exploded in raucous applause as several champagne bottles were popped. "Happy New Year!"

  The couple embraced each other as he looked around. His excitement was momentarily dampened by a new emotion. One he chose not to deal with at the moment. One that he couldn't deal with. Instead, he smiled and pulled out his phone. He was halfway through his mother's number when he saw the signal was out. He tried a few methods to reset it but nothing worked. Just as he was about to restart the whole thing something happened. The world went quiet. It was so sudden that he was worried something had happened to his hearing. It wasn't until he tried to speak that panic sat in. He couldn't move. Not only that but nothing was moving. The clocks, TV, even the balloons all of it had stopped as if someone had pressed pause on the world. From his position, he couldn't see out the window but he felt confident that the effect wasn't localized to this room. After all, why would anyone want to do that? Someone who could stop the world would have no need for someone like— That thought was interrupted by a voice. It was cold and unfeeling dissimilar to the voice assistant in his phone.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Network Integration Initialized

  Welcome to the Multiverse

  Not only did the words make no sense, but they were in his head. Before he could process that the world changed. The hotel room was gone, replaced with boundless white. He tried and failed to move. Have I finally lost it? Or perhaps there was something in the wine? Who would want to poison him though and why now? His thoughts raced as he considered every possible solution. Each theory made less and less sense but there was nothing he could do. Hello? He thought at the voice. He hoped it would return to get rid of the uncomfortable silence. This was akin to torture. Yet, nothing he did worked. Neither shouts nor threats brought the voice back and he had started to wonder if he had just imagined it. When the voice returned it was just as emotionless as the first time.

  Greetings Citizens of Planet Earth. Earth has met the minimum requirements for introduction into the multiverse. Assimilation has begun. Please Standby.

  Once again he tried to speak with the voice and once again he was ignored. He was pretty sure he hadn't gone insane. The voice was real and it was doing something. There was no way for him to know what assimilation referred to but he didn't think it would be dangerous. Or at least not immediately so. There would be no point in the voice's explanation if it just killed everyone. If anything it sounded like we should be thankful. Or at least not upset about it. If anything it reminded him of a video game's loading screen. Lo and behold the voice returned this time with a different message.

  Analysis of Earth complete. Mass Unranked, Energy Unranked. Earth has been deemed insufficient for normal assimilation.

  The voice's grade of Earth almost felt personal to Maximilian as if it was his grade. Intellectually he knew that wasn't the case but it did nothing to make him feel better. Were the environmentalists right? Had they fucked up the planet bad enough that some deity had arrived to punish them for it? He banished those thoughts a moment later. The voice didn't sound angry. If anything it was indifferent, as if it were a neutral observer. He had no idea what energy meant. There was no way Earth could be ranked that low in terms of electricity. If that was the case then we had seriously underestimated what existed out there. It was a stroke of fortune that we hadn't found anyone in all of our attempts. He mentally shuddered at the thought. It felt like a phantom gun had been aimed at the back of his head and he hadn't realized. As if to take his mind away from what could've been the voice returned. This time it gave its longest address yet.

  Due to insufficient Mass and Energy Earth will be combined with additional planets going through initiation Calculating new values. Improved values. Mass: Early Rank 3, Energy: Early Rank 3. The topography of the planet has been randomized. Spawn points have been generated. Fauna upgraded to provide a suitable challenge. Link to the Multiverse has been initiated. Tutorial Protocol Initiated. The Genesis Protocol has begun.

  Once again Maximilian found himself equal parts confused and irritated. The voice refused to provide additional information which left him in the dark, or rather in the white in this situation. There was nothing he could do about it so he focused on his mental state. Whatever came next he would need to keep his wits about him. Panic and fear would do nothing but slow him down. He lost track of time as he stood or rather floated in the endless white when something changed. He couldn't put his finger on it. The white seemed less dense than a moment ago. He tried to focus on it but either he had imagined the sensation or what was gone. Either way, he mentally prepared himself. The voice still hadn't returned which meant it was likely done. Just as he finished that thought the world changed. His feet found solid ground as he worked to clear the white from his eyes. When he could see again what he saw made him gasp. He was in the middle of a platform. The platform had to be at least twice as big as an aircraft carrier. Further, he was no longer alone. People appeared in pillars of light one after another. He lost count of how many there were within a few minutes.

  That wasn't the oddest part. There were fantasy races here. Or rather other races. There was a group of people that looked like treants from mythology along with harpies, lizard people, and what looked like mermaids. Each of the races had been divided into their own zone but other than that it seemed random. The humans that were scattered about all around him were not at the New Year's party. Better yet they all came from different areas of the planet. Soon the platform was filled with conversations in languages Maximilian couldn't understand. He didn't need to understand the languages to figure out what was about to happen. There was no authority here, nothing to counter the panic. He was about to look for somewhere to hide when pressure descended on the platform. It felt like a giant hand pressed down on them ready to crush everything. Maximilian froze and the pressure abated. Or rather the pressure on him did. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several others collapse to their hands and knees.

  The pressure lasted a few more moments before it disappeared. The departure was so sudden that Maximilian briefly believed it had never been there. What the hell? Did the air become solid? No, if that had happened he wouldn't have been able to breathe. Let alone feel it. He also shouldn't have been forced down. Was it the voice? That thought sent a chill down his spine. If the voice could manipulate space like that then what couldn't it do? Further, could it have just crushed them? Maximilian took a moment to calm down and then he started to make some observations. First that confirmed that the aliens weren't responsible for the voice. Several of their people had been forced to their knees and a few still hadn't got up. Second, the voice didn't want them dead. He had already made that assumption but it was nice to have further confirmation. Third the platform wasn't the only thing here. In the distance, he could see a city. At least something that looked like one anyway. The buildings were all uniform as if someone had sculpted a city out of a single piece of metal. Only it was far too perfect. No human could've made that and he assumed the same was true for the other races. At least he doubted the tree people could get that detailed.

  All of this came together to a key assumption. That either the voice would appear to give them instruction or someone else would. Initially, he believed their biggest danger was each other but the voice wouldn't allow that. At least not yet. Sure enough, he had just finished the thought when another pillar of light formed. This one appeared in the very center of the platform. Several people stepped out each one was about five feet tall with thick brown beards. Their beards were tied in a way that reminded him of Icelandic people or the Vikings. It took his brain another moment to make the connection. "Dwarves." They were fantasy dwarves. A set of massive war hammers would've sealed the comparison. Only they didn't have the same build. Two of them did while the third was a bit more scrawny. Still, the scrawny one was bulkier than most humans he knew. All three looked like they could've been Olympians if they put their minds to it.

  The pillar of light disappeared a moment later and the largest of the dwarves cleared his throat. The dwarven leader passed his gaze over the five crowds as if assessing there worth. When he had enough he opened his mouth and began to speak. His voice boomed throughout the entire platform. It was so loud that Maximilian could feel it in his bones. Maximilian looked around and was surprised to see that everyone could understand him. Even the other races. It wasn't until the dwarf finished his sentence that Maximilian gave him his undivided focus.

  "Alright, you fledglings welcome to the Tutorial."