Down, Not Out

My name is Michelangelo Sun, I was born in 2044, and I just turned 18. I dropped out of school, hoping to start being an entrepreneur with all the time I would have free, but my business ideas never took off. I was currently working at a warehouse, unloading and loading trucks, but that wasn't going to last long either. 

I was currently sitting in my boss's office, listening to them explain to me what a 'model employee' looks like, and how I am not meeting standards.

"You show up late every day, and when you don't you don't even show up at all. Your performance is always 'okay', but it's never 'great'. Also your phone, you're always on it, looking at the stock market. Do you honestly think you're going to be able to actually make any money off of that? Sigh... The company feels like you're not a worthwhile investment, so we are letting you go."

Ah, I just lost my job. However I wasn't too bothered, since I would just find another one, but I did have to worry about my bills.

As I left the building I began browsing on job sites, looking for a new job. I had troubles keeping jobs, because it was usually some job I simply accepted to pay the bills, nothing that I ever really felt passionate about.

"He was wrong about one thing though, this crypto will be my ticket to success!"

I noticed the crypto I invested in, DuckeCoin was currently worth 200% what it usually is, so I instantly put all of my savings into it. I would just ride it out for a little bit, then sell before it drops...

Oh... It dropped... It keeps dropping... I looked at my wallet, and noticed that I was in the red. So far in the red, that if I cashed out now, I would barely have enough to buy myself a meal at a fast food joint...

I threw my phone as hard as I could at the ground.

"My life is BULLSHIT! I TRIED SO HARD AND IT JUST NEVER FUCKING WORKS OUT FOR ME! OH NO MY PHONE!" 

I crouched down and gingerly picked up my phone. I turned it over slowly, praying in my heart that at least a little bit of the screen would be visible, however my expectations were shattered worse than my phone.

The battery was handing on, and all the inner workings were spilling out like the phone had committed seppuku.

'It's over.' I thought to myself.

I couldn't afford a new phone, and without my phone I couldn't apply for jobs online. I had a slight case of social anxiety so the idea of going into a business and asking for an application was dreadful. 

I dragged my feet home, in a state of hopelessness, walking through an alley just so I could get home even a minute sooner.

It was while I was walking home that I noticed a truck roar past the end of the alley I was walking towards, hit a bump, and keep going. When the truck hit the bump, I saw a box fall out of the back, and roll into the alley. 

Curiously, I decided to go over and see what was in the box. I was reaching down towards the box when-

*HISS*

I saw a black cat dart by the alley, and run off down the street. Scared, I had pulled my hand back, but once it left I collected myself. I continued reaching down to the box, and I grabbed it quickly. I decided to hide the box in my jacket, and scurry home like a little rat. If the truck stopped and the people noticed the box was missing, they might accuse him of stealing.

****

When I got home, I hurried inside and closed the door shut. I locked the door, and closed the blinds, worried someone might see me. 

As I sat down on my dilapidated bed, I held the box in my hands. I didn't know why, but I felt like whatever was inside was going to change my life forever... Like the feeling I had that told me to drop out of high school.

Although that did change my life, it was for the worse, but I felt like this time was different. As I cut open the tape with my keys, a bright golden light began seeping out of the box, making me even more excited about what could be in the box. I opened it further, and what lay inside surprised me.

'A phone!'

It was just what I needed, although it looked a little odd, I didn't really have any room to complain. It was from an unknown brand, with no markings on the outside or on the box, and it was already turned on it seemed. I took it out of the box and watched as it began the start up process. The logo on the screen was a golden dragon, surrounded by clouds, and what looked like a huge golden gate in the background. 

'At least it looks cool? It's a little heavy but otherwise it fits in my hand perfectly.'

As I was inspecting the phone, the phone finished booting up and I went through the process of setting up the phone. When it came to my name, I simply put my first name, Michelangelo. It then turned on, and I began to look through the functions. It functioned just like a normal smart phone, however there were a few apps installed that I had never seen before. I clicked on one of them, a random one with a world as it's icon, since I thought that might be an internet browser.

However once the app booted up, I realized it wasn't a browser, but a game instead. I figured the company must be trying to promote a game they also made, like how solitaire was installed on everything, so I began to play it. 

The first screen was a myriad of galaxies and stars, with one a world forming before my eyes. It felt like hundreds of millennia went by in a second as a whole new planet appeared in the middle of the screen. I then clicked on the planet, and the view zoomed in on the planet. I was then shown an option called 'manifest', which confused me, as it was the only option I ended up clicking on it anyways. 

It was then that my vision went black.