THE MOMENT
Ryan opened his eyes while he was still in bed. He was awake, but he felt as if he'd been awake for hours. He wasn't even remotely tired; instead, he felt like he could think more clearly than ever. And he was thoroughly rested, as if he'd had the best sleep of his life. It was a whole new day, and the clarity brought along a realization.
Like an ingrained habit, he sat up in his bed and made a flicking gesture with his wrist to summon his Slate. A 2' x 2' pane of glass appeared in front of him and displayed his full stats and blank character info, because he had yet to create his AlterNet character.
"Alright, that's pretty impressive." He nodded, then dismissed the Slate with a wave of his hand. It disintegrated into dusty white nanoparticles that vanished before landing on his plaid comforter. He was still coming to terms with the full realization. Not only did he clearly understand the system he had access to now, he was also given the knowledge that it wasn't just him. His entire Earth had changed somehow. Everyone had access to the AlterNet system. He didn't remember expecting it the day before, but he had the knowledge at some point before he woke up. The realization was there waiting for him. "I wonder if I have to go in to work?" he considered his options as he wandered into the bathroom to start his day. He was washing his face when a subtle, sharp chime dinged in his ear, and a text notification appeared in red letters in the top left corner of his view. He looked at himself in the mirror, but the text wasn't reflected. [Attention Employees: Your company has been purchased by Sharp Development. Do not report to your office until requested. We will be conducting interviews in batches. We at Sharp Development understand this is sudden, and you have been awarded 12 months of tax-free pay in the meantime.] "Aw, neat," Ryan chuckled to himself. "I guess I have the day to explore now." The realization he'd had was still growing deeper. It was more than just the system; that part was almost mundane in comparison. The world was different now, and he wasn't the only one affected.
"I should call-," His ear started ringing again as a familiar picture of a very attractive woman appeared in his vision.
[Calling: Chelsea] "Whoa, that was too easy," he laughed. He hadn't even finished the thought.
"Hello?" Chelsea's sleepy face appeared in a small window. She still had her eyes closed, and her head tilted on the pillow. It was likely she didn't realize he could see her.
"Wake up," Ryan smiled. "There's something very important you have to realize."
"What?” She asked with a groggy voice. He watched her eyes flutter, then open wide as she sat up. “Oh wow,” she grinned as the same realization struck. He watched her summon her Slate with the same wrist gesture he'd used. Then her head tilted back in surprise. She focused directly on him, then narrowed her eyes.
“Oh god, you can see me?” she asked. Ryan nodded silently. “That's going to take some getting used to,” she sighed. Then her attention drifted to something else. “Oh hey, I have the day off,” she smiled. They didn't work in the same office, but Ryan also realized he wasn't surprised.
“Me too,” he smiled. “Wanna do brunch?”
“Oh! Yes!” Chelsea nodded. “There's a new Sharp Bistro we could try!”
“There is?” he had to think about it for a moment. But as soon as he did, the realization was there. “Oh yeah,” he nodded. “That sounds perfect for today.”