On the side of the highway Jason sat transfixed by the blue screen floating in front of him. Questions like 'How', 'Why', and 'What' were streaming through his thoughts as fast as they could go. Jason sat in his truck for a while just lost for words before he was able to begin processing the situation. But before he could start planning out his next moves another *bing* sounded off in his head.
Attention
Further inquiries regarding the situation can be addressed by verbally stating or thinnking your question addressed to "System"
Jason could only blink willing this new prompt to go away before he got lost in his head again, and to his surprise it winked out of existence in response to his will. Taking a step back from the situation emotionally Jason began to plan out his next course of action like he had learned to do so many years ago.
Jason checked his surroundings to makes sure that no one was around and that he was still safe, being on the side of the highway and all. 'Okay no one around, not a prank...' How someone would pull off a prank like this Jason did not have the inkling of an idea. Jason got out of the truck and began inspecting his vehicle and even himself. 'Everything looks good, I don't have any head injuries and the truck has just as many bumps and scratches as before...' Having inspected both the environmental and physical aspects of his current circumstances left Jason with only one more option: mental. Jason audibly groaned as he contemplated the idea that he was having a mental break and losing his mind.
Jason has always been a practical person, even when he was growing up which in a way set him apart from the other kids. Not to say that Jason did not have friends growing up or was weird or anything. For the most part Jason had a very normal childhood and was fortunate enough to be born in the United State of America, meaning even as a boy he had some advantages most of the world would never see. This just meant that Jason had to repress a part of himself in situations the normal adolescant, teenage, and young adult male found himself in. One of his most recent examples of this being his college diploma. One of the biggest hippocricies Jason found in modern America was the educational system. With technology developed to the degree it is, how is it that people are still going into a lifetimes worth of debt to obtain a piece of paper stating that they know what they know. All the information being taught to these individuals is freely given on the internet, granted Jason does acknowledge the dilemna of fact checking and other ill-savory facets that come with blind belief for anyone looking for information.
'Am I crazy? Would a crazy person ask that, surely not right?' Needless to say nothing in Jason's general psychology class prepared him to self-diagnose whether he was crazy or not. Reverting to his tried and true methods over the years Jason applied reason to the situation. Jason could think of really one way to test whether he was crazy or not without anyone else around.
Feeling like a complete idtiot Jason mumbled out "Uhhh.. System... Hello?" Nothing. Relaxing and feeling tension that he didn't know he was keeping in his shoulders relax. Jason sighed "What is going on?"
Earth is currently undergoing evolution as it is welcomed into the System of Galaxies, better known as System. Earth is currently in the Cocoon Phase which protrects larger populations of the planet's dominant species for a limited period of time to allow for a safer environment to experience the earlier stages of evolution.
Blinking, Jason instantly felt the tension return to his body. 'Okay, not a joke.. real, the blue boxes are actually a thing... at least to me, I need to get home and check on Will. Maybe he is seeing these things as well. I really hope I am not the only one cause that would mean I actually am crazy.'
From the time he began checking his health and sanity only a few minutes have passed. Despite the short time Jason was still a little surprised when he tried to start his truck and it would not start. It took him all of a second to remember the stall out and reasons why he was now sitting on the side of the highway. But due to the complex emotions he was feeling at the arrival of the blue screen, it had completely slipped his mind. Jason was never one to fret over situations that he could not control so this mental lapse and the implications that he may be affected more than conciously sort of pissed him off. 'Come on man, you have been in simlar situations before, kind of but not really. Get your shit together and lock it down. Get home, check on Will, then figure out whatever the hell this blue shit is.'
With a shake of his head and a grunt Jason took stock of his situation. He was only two miles out of Rutherford. Looking on both sides of the highway he did not see anyone coming and this was a particularly clear and straight stretch of the road. 'Well nothing to it but to do it I guess'. With that Jason locked the truck and began walking in the direction of Rutherford.
To say Jason was physically fit would be an overstatement. However, he was by no means out of shape either. Moving deliveries from a store to the truck and vice versa at its destination is a pretty physcially intense work environment. Thus Jason was never forced to designate a specific portion of his day to running long distances and lifting weights to stay in shape. So a two mile walk back into Rutherford while annoying was not a daunting task.
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What was worrying for Jason was the idea of his little brother Will roaming around the town possibly with blue screens popping up in front of him. Will was 17 years old and the only family Jason had left that he spoke with. He and his brother were raised by the most amazing woman that Jason has ever had the privilege of knowing, their mother. Carol Vince raised both Jason and Will on her own from the beginning. Jason's father was in the military serving over seas when he was killed in action. Carol moved to Tennessee shortly after his death with Jason to be near her sister. A mere two years after Carol had been living in Tennessee her sister shows up on her door step with her new born baby asking for Carol to look after it for a weekend while she spent some time with her boyfriend out of town. Carol never saw her sister again. Shortly after realizing that her sister was not going to return Carol moved the now two and a half year old Jason and his new born cousin, who everyone has long since thought of as my brother, Will to Rutherford. Jason grimaced as a particularly painful memory surfaced.
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Jason was 21 years old and into his third year of college. He was home for the holidays and his mother sat him down at the table while the 14 year old Will was playing with a new game he had gotten in his room. "Jason I have been meaning to speak with you about something for a while now but haven't really been able to build up the courage to say it." Carol said while simultaneously looking me in the eyes and grasping my hands between hers. "I am so proud of the man you are becoming and what I was able to do for both you an your brother."
With a confused and anxious look on my face I responded "What is going on mom? You have rarely been this lovey dovey before and never out of the blue. Its kinda weird." Is all I could get out as I inwardly squimed and my moms lips continued to curl upwards until she was eventually chuckling at my last statement.
"Oh honey," she said as she brushed what I assumed were tears of mirth out of her eyes "never change that attitude of yours. While some may find it off putting and you may find it hard to get a girl without being a little "lovey dovey". Your ability to evaluate situations without emotion or regret is one of your biggest strengths."
She went on to explain that she had been diagnosed with late stage breast cancer and while there was treatment options they were to expensive with to little chance of recovery. I immediately dropped out of school to come home and help despite her objections. She was gone the following winter.
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Punching his fist into his opposite palm while he walked Jason still had issues with his memories of that time. Anger, grief, sorrow, and much more. Seeing as he had quite the walk ahead of him Jason wanted to get his headspace pointed in a new direction. Planning, Jason was always good at making a game plan. Whether or not he stuck with the plan or called an audible for varrying reasons Jason always liked to go about his day with a plan in mind. What route was he going to take to what houses, how was he going to pack his truck so that he could easily get the package he required. Things like that are what took up most of Jason's headspace when he was moving from place to place. It was rare for Jason to get to a location and not be able to hop out of his truck and go to work at that moment. It was a simple thing but Jason loved efficiency. So with the introduction of this new "System" Jason wanted to be able to plan. Planning required information which the System seemed more than happy to give so Jason had his plan while he was walking. Questions, lots of Questions.
Having no idea where to begin Jason decided to keep it simple and see where it got him. 'System, what are you?' he thought figuring that would be an easy one.
The System, or System of Galaxies, are a collection of hospitable planets with sentient dominant species.
'Huh, learned almost nothing there, lets try... System, what are these blue boxes in front of me.'
The 'blue box' as you so barbarically called it is a combination of mana and thought directed at members of the System by representatives designated to help further develop System worlds and their inhabitants. A more appropriate terminology for these complicated forms of communcation would be 'notificaiton'.
'Did it just... no surely not...' Jason was lost for words so much so that he stopped walking. If he wasn't mistaken the blue box just in a round about way insulted him? Shaking his head to get back on track because he was actually making progress towards the town as well as what was happening in his head. 'Insult aside, System what do you mean by 'further develop System worlds and their inhabitants'?'
System assimilation is triggered by multiple factors. The evaluated pique intelligence for a larval designated species or the evaluated pique population for a larval designated species are the main two reasons for assimilaiton. Upon assimilation System worlds undergo an influx of mana in order to encourage developement beyond the physical and intellecutal limits of the larval phase. While dominant species have the advantage of being able to harness this mana, they are by not means the sole benefactors.
'Okay so the stuff that first popped up just a little more detailed. I still feel like I'm beating around the bush.' Jason thought to himself as he kicked a loose piece of asphalt. 'Hmm what to ask next... well lets go with... what is mana?' Jason thought figuring if he just kept asking questions about subjects the system told him about he eventually would be able to figure out something or another.
What is mana indeed...