2 – Good Luck

Andy wanted to sit down and stew over the weird-ass messages that had somehow been sent directly into his eyes. He wanted to fume over his ruined phone or the broken AC unit in his trailer. He wanted to get on his motorcycle and spend a few of his dwindling stack of dollars on something to eat and a big damn coffee. Heck, he wanted to find a way to get ahold of his mom again.

Instead of all those things, though, he was pounding on his neighbors’ door, forced to mediate their lousy relationship—again. It wasn’t that he was great friends with them. Honestly, he probably would have just called 911 if his phone had been working. He’d seen them go at it, though, and if no help was coming, he couldn’t stand by if they were getting stupid again. He’d just feel too guilty if one of them got really hurt.

“Open up, dammit!” He gave the door a few more good whacks. Finally, he heard stomping feet approaching, and then the door opened. Larry stood there, eyes wide, face wan. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. “Where’s Tina, dude? I heard her scream. Do I need to call the—”

“Bro!” Larry shook his head, waving a hand. “It’s not like that, man. Something’s wrong with her. She just got sick as hell all of a sudden. She’s not right, dude. Man, she’s sweating like crazy—her damn eyes are red like every vessel broke! Can you call 911, man? Both our damn phones stopped work—”

“Relax, Larry,” Tina said from behind him. Andy couldn’t get a clear look at her, but she seemed really pale. “I’m just sick. I need to lie down. Andy, thanks for checking on—” She broke off into a fit of coughing that faded as she staggered away from the door.

Larry’s worry didn’t seem to have lessened at all. “Can you call an ambulance, dude?”

It dawned on Andy that he was struggling to hear the man. Larry was practically shouting, but the howl of the wind in Andy’s ears was overbearing. Moreover, he felt cold, which was a distinct impossibility when you lived in Tucson in June. While part of his mind worked on the improbable idea that all three of their phones had just given up the ghost, he turned to look at the storm clouds rushing over the desert to the east. He rubbed his bare arms, shivering.

“Bro! Can you call ’em, or what?”

Andy shook his head. “My phone blew up!” Just then, an amazing display of weird, purple-pink lightning filled the sky, dancing in dozens of forks as near-simultaneous peals of thunder cracked so loud that Andy threw his hands over his ears. “Dude, sorry! I gotta get inside. Ask at the manager’s office for a phone!” He turned and ran for his trailer, suddenly confident that lightning would rip through him at any second.

Maybe Larry called after him, or maybe he didn’t; all Andy could hear was the storm and his pounding heart as he leaped up the little set of steps outside his door and slammed the door shut. “Damn!” His little travel trailer, anchored though it was, shook and rattled in the wind. “Holy shit!” Was this how he was going to go out—blown away by a freak storm? As the lights flickered and then went out in his trailer, he looked down at himself, naked except for a pair of old basketball shorts. He wasn’t ready for all this shit!

He ran to the little bedroom section of his trailer and dug through his laundry piles for a semi-clean pair of jeans and a fresh T-shirt—a black one with faded red lettering advertising a local sports bar. He wasn’t even sure when he’d gotten it. He pulled on a pair of socks and jammed his feet into his sneakers, wanting to be ready to run for it if his damn trailer blew over or something. “Shit! My bike!”

He ran to the door and pushed it open, only to be blasted by sheets of near-horizontal rain. He pulled the door shut and cussed; there wasn’t any place he could move his bike anyway. He’d have to hope it was too heavy to blow away. Imagining that his trailer might actually blow over, Andy went back to his bedroom and picked up his motorcycle helmet. With a shrug, he put it on, fastening the buckle under his chin and slamming the visor down.

With his head protected, he returned to the living area and sat on the old, beige- and brown-striped sofa. It was strange, sitting there, listening to himself breathe behind the dark-tinted glass of his helmet’s visor. He felt cut off from the world in more ways than one. He had no radio; he had no TV. Why would he when everything was on his phone? He had an old laptop somewhere, but it was definitely not charged. Besides, his phone had been his internet connection.

So, he sat there and stewed, worried about his mom, worried about his idiot neighbors, and worried about his few belongings. Of course, behind it all were the unsettling messages that had floated in his vision as though he’d been plugged into some kind of VR machine. “Which I very much am not!” he announced to the inside of his helmet.

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Almost as quickly as they’d whipped into a frenzy, the gusts began to lessen, and his trailer gradually stopped shaking. “Huh.” Andy flipped up his visor. The sudden end to the storm was a little anticlimactic. He was about to stand, but then more of those weird words floated in front of his eyes. A paragraph formed and then an arrow, indicating something more:

***Congratulations, Earthling! Mana has propagated the local ether, and you are being fully integrated into the System. Please select the next message with either a thought or gesture, and then confirm the information on your STATUS page.***

Andy stared at the screen for a long time, maybe as long as five whole minutes. He had to be losing it, right? A status page? He’d wasted plenty of days playing games. Was that it? Was he in a coma or something, dreaming he’d been inserted into one of his games? As his hot breath filled the partially open cavity of his helmet, he knew that was bullshit. This was too real. There were too many sounds and smells—details—for this to be a dream.

Despite those thoughts, he gripped his hands into fists a few times, testing the realness of the feeling before he stared at the little yellow arrow, and the “System” message floated away, revealing another:

STATUS:

Name: Andrew “Andy” West

Species: Human

Active Class: Unclassed

Level: 0

Experience toward next level: 1%

Mana: 2/10

Perception: 5

Will: 4

Strength: 6

Vitality: 8

Speed: 6

Improvement Points: 0

Notable Skills or Spells:

--

***Please confirm that your name and species are listed correctly, as this will ensure the System integration hasn’t failed.***

While he sat there staring at the game-like status screen floating in front of his eyes, Andy was faintly aware of sounds outside—crashes, distant yelling, and the patter of rain on his trailer’s roof. Despite the alarming nature of some of the sounds, he couldn’t find it in himself to look away from what was happening before his very eyes. How the hell would some “System” know what his name was? Why was it pointing out the fact that he was human? Wasn’t everyone?

The answer was obvious but so stupid that he couldn’t accept it yet: the “System” had called him an Earthling and welcomed him. It was new here, which meant it came from somewhere else—somewhere with beings other than humans. He was glad it was only asking him to confirm his name and species; he had no idea if the other numbers were correct. There were two floating icons beside the message: a green check and a red X. He stared at the green check, and a new message appeared:

***Congratulations, Andy, the System has integrated you! If you ever want to see your status screen in the future, just say or think, “Status.” Select the forward arrow when ready!”***

Done being flabbergasted, Andy stared at the arrow, and then another message appeared:

***Andy, this is an “explain it like I’m five” lesson about what’s happening to you. Your world has been located and integrated by a multi-dimensional entity known as the “System.” When the System found your world, it decided it harbored life worthy of its integration. In order to do so, it connected mana flows to your local space, which means big changes are in store for you and the other denizens of your world.

“Mana” is a term that the System has determined will be easy for you and the other English-speaking denizens of your world to comprehend. Essentially, it is a term used to refer to a type of energy that propagates through the spaces between dimensions. It defies logic and physics and can be used to work “magic.”

The System is very adept at gathering and using mana. It will help you to improve yourself by awarding you a certain kind of concentrated mana that you can use to refine your physical or spiritual being, your ability to work magic, or your notable skills. It will award this concentrated mana to you as “improvement points.”

There are many ways to earn improvement points, but the most straightforward way is to gain levels. You can gain levels by completing quests, slaying enemies, or discovering new things. There are other ways, but the System wants to keep those a secret for now. The System will display your “experience” as a percentage to mark your progress toward a new level.

You might wonder, “Why has my life become a game?” The answer is simple: the System studied your world and learned everything about it. It found that humans, the most advanced species on Earth, do well when motivated by point systems like this. You aren’t the only species like that! The System is well-versed in this sort of thing, as it’s very common in the multiverse, so rejoice; you’re in good hands.

You might be wondering, “Is the System a God?” The answer is no, but it is an entity beyond your ability to understand. Don’t try! Instead, focus on what you can do: gain levels! Do not suffer under the illusion that the System loves you. It does not. Many of your fellow humans have or will have mutations awakened; many will no longer consider themselves human. As you have violent clashes with those other species, be aware that the System has no preference for who emerges victorious.

Andy, if you explore and succeed, you may encounter beings who are more knowledgeable about the System. You may be awarded knowledge, yourself. Ignorance is best defeated by action. This is the end of this semi-customized transmission. Good luck!***