The first time I noticed anything wrong was on my drive to work. It was 5:30 a.m. and I was on the freeway driving to work. When the music on the radio started to get a lot of static, this might not seem like a big deal but since I was listening to a CD it was odd and strange. It only lasted for about 10 seconds then it went away. I replayed the song over, not because I loved it, to see if the static was still there. Perhaps it happened when I downloaded it or burned it to the CD. But no static was gone. Strange. The second thing I definitely noticed and did something about.
I was halfway through my day at work. My job consists of answering phone calls all day long about Y2K. What's that you ask? GOOGLE IT. I was part of a company that installed, maintained, and troubleshot users who bought our software. All our software did was update computers so they would not have any problems come January 1st, 2000. It was a boring and soul-sucking job. But, I was fresh out of college and needed something so I could move out of my parent's house. I had a degree in computer science. I could write code very well. But, I was a woman. So, no respectable company would hire me. And, that is how I came to be sitting in that cubicle.
It was June 11th at 10:47, why do I know the exact time? Because I was staring at the clock waiting to go to lunch when my vision went black for a second. Then the strangest thing happened, I was all of sudden looking at what looked like a BIOS system loading up. I shook my head and closed my eyes but it remained. I was watching the progress bar creep up to 100% and the person on the phone call I was on started yelling at me. Asking if I was paying attention to HER problems. I quickly hung up on her and got up. My boss was quick to tell me to sit down and get back on the phone. I could not see him as all the words and symbols were blocking most of my vision. I ignored him and started walking to the restroom.
When I got to the restroom after only tripping twice and running into someone once, I went into the handicap stall and started to take deep breaths.
“What the Hell,” I said out loud.
I continued to watch the progress bar until it finally reached 100%. Then a series of windows started appearing. Everything was in strange symbols so I could not understand what I was looking at. I continued to wait and breathe until the windows stopped popping up. Then they started to close until only one remained.
The symbols were strange and like nothing I had ever seen before. Then they changed and kept changing. Each time they changed they seemed to be turning into letters of the alphabet. Soon it was just a garble of letters. I continued to wait as it seemed like I was supposed to do something. Then the letters started to form words that I recognized.
Hello Human. If you can read this please say yes.
I was dumbstruck. I could not say anything and the only thing that came out of my mouth was “Uh”
UH not recognized please say yes or no.
“Yes”, I said meekly.
CONGRATULATIONS
You have been randomly selected to defend your world from the Silastic Empire. If you choose to accept this responsibility please proceed to the following coordinates.
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I stared at the words for what felt like hours. It seemed to be a set of coordinates. I figured it meant I was supposed to go to this place. I left the restroom stall and splashed water on my face. I looked more pale than normal. While most girls wore nice business suits in the office, I wore a pair of khakis and a nice polo shirt. Some of the guys thought I was a lesbian but I just did not want to wear clothes that would make me uncomfortable. My blonde hair was shoulder length and I always kept it up in a ponytail. I dried my hands and face and left the restroom. About half way back to my cubicle, my boss stopped me.
“What is wrong with you,” He asked. His face red like he was about to lose it on me.
“Sorry, I had an emergency,” I replied
“That is no excuse to hang up on a customer,” He yelled. “I want you in my office in 5 minutes. We are going to do your weekly evaluation. Let's hope you still have a job after this!”
I rolled my eyes and pushed my way past him. As I did he went flailing back like I was a muscle-clad brute who just shoved him with all my force. He went tumbling down the aisle of cubicles and knocked over a few partition walls. I looked on with horror and surprise.
“What just happened,” I said to myself
I ran to my cubicle and grabbed my bag. As I ran out of the building I took a look at my boss. He was bleeding from cuts and it looked like his arm was broken. I ignored everyone telling me to stop as I ran through the doors to the parking lot. I got in my car and screeched out of the parking lot. I kept driving mindlessly wondering what had just happened. How had I done that? I have never been strong enough to push back, let alone through a cubicle wall. I finally stopped at a gas station to think. The coordinates were still displayed.
“Why not,” I said the prompt.
“Can you give me any more details,” I asked.
More information will be provided once you have reached the coordinates and accepted the terms of service.
“Well, that is helpful,” I said as I sighed.
I decided then that I had nothing to lose. If I went back to work, or even home I was certainly going to be arrested for assaulting my boss. I pulled up to the gas pump and went inside I needed gas, some snacks, and a map.
After filling up my car I opened the map. Luckily it had latitude and longitude on it. After studying the map for a few minutes it seemed the coordinates were taking me out to west Texas. I took a bite of the nasty convenience store hotdog, put the car in drive, and hit the road.
The drive was uneventful I was constantly looking in my mirrors sure that a police car would catch up to me and arrest me. But, I never saw a police car the whole three and half hour drive.
Following my map I turned off the interstate and went south about 45 minutes. I got near the “x” I had put on the map designating the coordinates, they seemed to be in the middle of a field. I parked my car along the side of the road and got out. The heat was unbearable. I thanked my dad for fixing the a/c in the car last week. I stood there next to my car trying to decide what to do next.
“You've gone this far, might as well keep going,” I said to myself.
I got my backpack out of the car and put my bottle of water and chip bags inside it. As I was closing the door to the car I had a feeling like I should take a jacket. Strange I thought its 100 degrees outside. I closed the door and the feeling persisted. So, I opened the truck, took my high school letterman jacket out, and looped it through my bag strap. I made sure my car was locked up and set off toward the middle of the field.
I looked around as I climbed the fence and did not notice anyone around. Who was I kidding I was in the middle of nowhere Texas the only things out here were coyotes and rattlesnakes. Both would live to make a meal out of me if they could. I cut my hand on the wire fence as I was climbing over it. I winced and looked down at the palm of my hand. Blood pooled in my palm from the deep cut. I wiped my hand on my pants and looked at it again. What I saw was bizarre. I saw the skin actually regrowing and mending the wound. What normally would take weeks happened in a couple of seconds. It finished healing and I rubbed it with my thumb. It did not hurt and it did not feel or look like I had ever cut my hand.
I had to know what was going on now. I trudged through the field toward my destination. I was noticing the grass of the field sway and the wind on my face when all of a sudden I felt like I had just walked into a wall. I rubbed my forehead from the impact and noticed the coordinates in my vision had disappeared. I got to my feet and reached out and felt for what I had run into. I suddenly felt something. It felt smooth and cold like I was touching my car on a winter day. I walked to my right, keeping my hands connected to the mysterious invisible wall. I could feel no change in the metal, it was flat and smooth. Then a prompt appeared in my vision.
Do you accept the Terms of Service?
Yes or No...
“I haven't seen the Terms of Service,” I shouted at the invisible wall.
You would like to review the Terms of Service before accepting?
“Yes”
And then row after row after row of words started to fly by. I started to get dizzy and sat down. I mentally wished the words would slow down and to my surprise they did. I even figured out how to go back to the beginning and scroll through at a pace I could understand. The words seemed to be a standard contract between myself and something called the Silastic Empire. It seemed per the rules of the Galactic Controller, or The System for short, Earth was granted on native to defend the planet from invasion.
I kept reading but most I did not understand. I came to a section called Enhanced Natives and was amazed by what I read. It seemed that I was given “attributes” than normal humans. That would explain the injuries to my boss and my hand healing itself in seconds. It also explained that I could get stronger and improve my attributes in the future. Although it did not tell me how. I finally finished the document around sunset. I stood up and said “yes, I accept the Terms of Service.”
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