The middle-aged woman appeared without any warning or explanation. Barry had stumbled back so quickly he'd fallen on his side. The strange lady was standing right in front of him, wearing a pretty dress in bright, summery clothes. She had shoulder length ginger hair and wore a bright smile on her slightly freckled face that deepened the lines around her eyes. Looking closer, the woman reminded him of his aunt, but something felt off. He noticed her eyes were just a little bit too intense, almost fanatical. Somehow, her voice also sounded off, as if it was coming from every direction.

"What the-"

"As one of the first 100 humans to unlock your PE module, you'll be given additional rewards!"

She continued without pause, giving no sign that she'd heard him. Though she was looking in his general direction, it was clear that she wasn't looking directly at him.

"Hello? Wait! Can you please-" He tried to say as he scrambled back up to his feet.

"For having killed a creature in a dark orange zone, far beyond your tier, you'll be given additional rewards!"

Barry tried interrupting her again, without success. She was rattling off his rewards now, names and numbers which were meaningless to him.

"In addition to the Value bonus, you will also be given the rare reward of a mentorship! Your mentor will be with you shortly."

Shaking his head at the nonsense, he got up and moved away from the canyon, noticing that her eyes weren't tracking him. He walked up to her from the side and went to put his hand on her shoulder, but it went straight through. He gaped, slack-jawed, as he moved his arm again and again through the woman, noticing the lack of resistance and watching how she distorted. It must have been some kind of recorded projection, straight out of a sci-fi movie.

This raised a lot more questions, but it was also a clue. Unfortunately, not a clue that brought him back to any reasonable conclusion. Was he no longer on Earth?

Yet, here in front of him was the image of a human, wearing a perfectly normal outfit. Also, it did not seem to make sense for a world to have both dinosaur-like monsters while also having futuristic technology. Perhaps someone with advanced technology could have somehow moved him here, but moving instantly across space, or time, should be impossible.

He still caught the last words before the lady disappeared.

"Remember your training to ensure proper use of your PE Node! Once Value is spent on Stats or Abilities it will not be refunded, so choose wisely! Happy hunting!"

Her face never changed from that infuriatingly cheerful expression.

"What training? What are you talking about?" Barry wanted to shout, but the words came out as a wheeze as he clutched his chest in pain. He was no medical professional, but he'd bet good money that some of his ribs were broken.

Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore his growing headache and think through the possibilities. The evidence that he was not on Earth was growing. His chest tightened at that realization and he had to take a few breaths to push down a growing wave of panic, not wanting to face it.

But it had been night when he… left, and here it was midday. The landscape did not look like anywhere on the planet. Nothing similar to that steroid-infused mutant rhino existed on Earth. They did not have the technology to produce such a clear image and sound.

Another deep breath in, holding for a moment, then letting it out slowly. The woman had spoken of hunting, of a dangerous kill and great rewards. It had even spoken of a mentor? That was consistent with… Nothing he knew, actually, except perhaps video games. He sighed. There were only completely absurd conclusions available to him. Perhaps it was a dream after all?

Opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings again, feeling the burning sun on his face, seeing the mountains to his distant right and the dark abyss to his left. There was a growing, throbbing pain in his shoulder and a stab of agony from his chest with each breath. His headache was getting worse and he felt faintly nauseous. Dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, possible concussion, definitely dehydrated. Still, it all felt too real.

The unexpected sound of a man clearing his throat made him spin around. Floating about 5 feet off the ground, there was a small old man with a long, white beard and pointy ears, positioned with his legs crossed and hands resting on his knees. The old man, about half the size of a normal person, seemed to be studying him intently. There was a smirk on his face and an intensity in his gaze that would have normally made Barry uncomfortable.

"Another recording? Hopefully some useful information this time." Barry murmured.

"A projection, not a recording. I'm known as Pokka. You've been honored with my training services as part of your rewards." The old man answered in a high voice, speaking quickly but clearly. He seemed unusually happy to be informing Barry of this, as if there was a joke that he wasn't in on.

Barry stared at him, trying to parse what was happening, but his thoughts were slow, distracted by his aching body. He was covered in patches of sand where it had stuck to him, from his short, black curly hairs down to his formerly white sneakers. His navy sports jacket showed a spot of puke, still wet, and was torn in several spots, the largest hole near his right shoulder revealing a dark bloody spot on his white undershirt. There were nasty scrapes across his neck and left cheek, also covered by spots of sand. A line of muddy drool was still hanging from his bottom lip, which he hadn't even noticed. His right arm was hanging limply by his side, blood slowly dripping down his hand, while his left was clenching his broken ribs.

"Why are you not rejoicing?" Pokka asked with that same positive intensity.

There was another silence. Barry's mouth moved as if to start speaking, but broke off each time, until he finally shook his head, deciding to ignore the question.

"Do you know where I am and can you help me get home?"

"Home? Foolish child, have you ignored all of the…" Pokka paused for a second, then continued,

"Ah. I see what happened. But how did.. Oh. A small oversight. Well then, I will have to be the one to share this information with you. It would normally be done more carefully, given how frail human minds can be, but I'm afraid I don't have such delicate sensibilities."

Pokka cleared his throat and seemed to settle in, though he was still just floating in the air.

"There are other sentient species out in the universe. Some are able to reach each other and, as such species are wont to do, many of them have been at war. In recent times, a new enemy has arisen, posing a threat of such magnitude that most others have joined forces against them. Despite these joint war efforts, the Ulm have continued to advance. It is likely that Earth will come under direct threat in a decade or two. For planets with species so weak and primitive in technology as yours, INUU policy is to empower you. Defending you is not a viable option - they can barely defend themselves - so you are instead given the means to grow stronger, defend yourself and eventually join the other members in the war effort."

The words had come out so fast, Barry had barely been able to process them. Pokka only paused for a few breaths.

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"Wait, please," Barry interjected, "Just.. You're saying I'm still on Earth? Where exactly?"

"I can't give you a meaningful answer to that, as your planet has been changed completely. The empowerment process, by necessity, leads to a thorough transformation of the entire world. So thorough and comprehensive, that you should indeed not be able to recognize this as your old planet anymore. You will learn more over time, but I can tell you that it's become much larger and considerably more dangerous.Your former cities are gone. You can consider it as a complete re-rendering of Earth."

Barry stared out in front of him, mouth agape, eyes turning glassy.

"You may consider this bad news. But there is also good news!" Pokka continued cheerfully.

"Most people will be able to enjoy the benefits of advanced technology, and will grow capabilities that would have been impossible before. Diseases and wounds may be healed through advanced technology, people will grow stronger and faster and will be able to manipulate energy through the use of Abilities."

"I can't go back home?" Barry's voice was quiet, his face carried a light frown, uncomprehending.

"If by home you're referring to a house, then no, all your old infrastructure is gone."

There was not the slightest sign of sympathy on the old man's face.

A wave of emotions passed through Barry, so closely intertwined he couldn't tell them apart. It was like experiencing the five stages of grief all at the same time. He felt dizzy and decided to sit down, staring at the sand while he gathered his thoughts.

He took a long moment before looking up and asking, "Who are you? How do you know all these things?"

"As I said, I will be training you, but you may also see me, in part, as a representative of the INUU, which is essentially a joint war council formed by various nations." Pokka answered.

Barry didn't say anything, instead just staring glassy-eyed in Pokka's direction.

"I'm not sure what you're doing, but it doesn't seem very productive. If you have no further questions, shall we get started on your training?" Pokka prompted after a while.

The young man frowned, his jaw tensing and gaze now sharpening on Pokka.

"You're telling me you've basically destroyed our entire civilization and now you want me to just, what, go along with anything you say? Fuck that. You're part of this. I can't verify any of what you're saying, except that you've transported me against my will and nearly got me killed. What the hell have you done to our planet? Where are all the people? My family.."

Starting off angrily, his voice had gotten more desperate as he spoke, breaking at the end. He wiped tears from his eyes and looked around, glaring at the foreign surroundings. With considerable effort, Barry got up, limped to the closest tree and carefully sat down with his back against it, angled so that the tree would provide some shade from the burning sun. The black bark was so rough he could feel it poking through his jacket against his back.

Of all the potential, equally absurd scenarios, this must have been the worst one. He could not go back home. Nobody could. Not only had he been taken and placed into this new, changed version of Earth, but the rest of humanity along with him.

"Where are they?" Barry asked, voice cold now.

"Who are you referring to?"

"My family. And all the other people, I suppose, but them I care about most."

"Well young man, I cannot share anyone's exact whereabouts, but I can tell you that other humans are still undergoing the onboarding process. They'll only be released in about 48 hours. Unless they were airborne at the exact time of integration, in which case they may have ended up in a similar situation as you." Pokka stroked his beard pensively at the last part.

"Onboarding process?" Barry twisted his head to look at Pokka with a deep frown.

"An explanation of the basics of this new world. The benefits of the PE Node, the Value system, how to browse the interface, how to interpret the zone colors and tier levels. Don't worry about missing out, I'll share the same information with you."

There was another silence, filled with only the sounds of Barry's labored breathing, which was growing faster. The thought of his family being dropped in this godforsaken desert in two days twisted his stomach.

"What happens then, after the onboarding?"

"They'll be released into light green zones. Those are the least dangerous areas, barely life threatening even for beings as weak as you."

"Barely life threatening? There was a giant monster here, nearly the size of a fucking schoolbus-"

There was heat in his voice now, volume rising, but Pokka cut in, still speaking quickly and cheerfully with that high-pitched voice.

"Oh, this is not a light green zone. There was an oversight in the program responsible for identifying and moving people. You were more than 1 meter off the ground during the scan and.. Well, let's say you weren't moved in the way you should have been. But we shouldn't dwell on that detail." Pokka waved his hand dismissively.

"We shouldn't-" He started speaking, but choked on his own words, too angry to speak clearly, needing to take a pause before enunciating the words slowly, speaking with a strained voice as if through grinding teeth.

"What zone did you bastards put me in?"

Barry was staring at him intensely now, brow furrowed and jaw clenched. He was taking large, forced breaths, in through his nose and out his mouth. His left hand was repeatedly clenching and unclenching.

"Dark orange." Pokka answered with a smile, watching Barry intently.

"You fucking-" Barry growled between heaving, panicked breaths, eyes wide, tears starting to form.

"You've killed me."

"It is true that your odds of survival are extremely low. But if you follow my instructions, you may.."

He zoned out the words, losing control over himself. The anger had been building in his chest like steam in a kettle, growing urgent and dangerous, now mixing with panic as he recognized what was happening. It had been a long time since he'd felt this dangerous cocktail, boiling up from his stomach. The pressure kept rising until it was overwhelming, filling his chest, pressing down on his lungs until he couldn't breathe.

His home was gone. Everyone was going to die. His family too. He imagined his father, standing in front of his mother and little Jasmine, futilely trying to shield them from a monster coming straight at them.

He started to hyperventilate, each desperate breath causing another stab of pain to his side. The rhythm continued, faster, each quick gasp followed by a painful sting. There was nothing he could do. Never mind the monsters, he was going to choke to death here in this godforsaken desert.

The agony continued for far too long, until he whispered, imitating Dr. Schulz's voice, slow, patient and confident, "You know this. You've handled this before. You'll manage it again now. Follow the steps".

He closed his eyes, moving his good arm down, pushing his fingers down into the sand, focusing on its warmth. Becoming more aware of his body, feeling his legs on the ground, the tree in his back, Barry then started focusing on his breathing. First just 2 seconds in, 3 seconds out, then a bit longer on the next one.

He rubbed some sand between his fingertips, letting the feeling of physicality fill his awareness. The other thoughts needed to go, it was just him, sitting here. He had control of himself. Another slow breath in, five seconds now, letting it out slowly, and the urgent pressure finally receded.

As he got his breathing back under control, the anger and panic faded. He kept sitting there, focusing on his breathing as the emotions faded away. His thoughts felt clearer now, like there was a bit of distance between him and what was happening.

What was he going to do? Walk to the cliff, jump down, wake up relieved and never go to sleep again. No, that wasn't a rational thought. He had to think of the outcomes. If he was dreaming and woke up, all would be well. But in that case, he'd eventually wake up anyway. If he wasn't dreaming, if that deranged, floating old man was telling the truth, he'd jump down and be dead forever. The only reasonable option was to carry on as if this were real.

He had a moment to sadly reflect how he didn't feel any awe or wonder at the situation. If someone had told him, just a few hours ago, that a probe had found some insignificant bacteria on Mars, he would have lost his mind with excitement. Now, aliens were real and they'd come to Earth, only they'd come as arrogant colonizers, throwing everything into chaos.

He pushed down on the anger. It wasn't helpful. He had to focus on what mattered right now.

That his only source of information was now a floating projection of a disturbingly out-of-touch elderly man, was disturbing, but for the time being it was all he had. The old man - Pokka - had said that his family would be safe for two days. His foremost priority then, was clear.

"I need to find my family," he said with determination, opening his eyes.

Pokka observed him briefly before answering, "Your first priority should be to seek shelter and heal. The chance that you will survive decreases every minute you don't spend empowering yourself and moving towards shelter."

"I don't have time for that Pokka, there are only forty-something hours left until they're thrown into this ridiculous world."

There was some panic in his voice again, a desperate kind of urgency. He couldn't stand the thought of being delayed, of arriving too late and not being able to help.

"I hope this stupidity is only temporary, caused by your wounds. A concussion seems likely.. The journey there will take months, not hours. You will have to prepare and train well to survive the trek."

That was new information. The old man knew where they were, and it was very far away. The journey would be dangerous. So, they wanted him to embrace their system and fight random monsters like an adventurer from the stories?

A flash of anger went through him, at the thought of having to dance to their tune. That, at least, he would resist as long as he could. But one point he couldn't help but agree on - if he had months ahead of him, then he could not start his journey dehydrated and wounded. He needed some time to heal and formulate a plan.

"Fine, lead the way to the shelter."

Pokka needed no further words, immediately starting to float along the ridge, fast enough that the injured Barry, moving with a limp, could barely keep up. Now that the adrenaline had mostly worn off, each step was agony. He tried to distract himself by focusing on where he placed his feet, aiming for pockets of sand where he could, mindful of the vibrations.

The silence left him time to think, which caused a clump of worry and stress to form in Barry's stomach, fed by recurring thoughts of his parents and Jasmine. How would they deal with this? Jasmine was quick to learn and she liked playing video games. It would be more intuitive for her, so hopefully she'd be able to help their parents out. His father would doubtless be trying to protect the both of them, his mother likely trying to help anyone she could. She was kind like that.

He squeezed his eyes shut, as if that would stop the tears from leaking out. They'd be alright, he told himself. They had to be. He'd get there as soon as he could.

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