When Jax Ryker's senses started to come back, his life went into a tailspin. Despite feeling lightheaded, he forced himself to rise off the cold, rough ground. Above him, the sky had turned dark, dreary gray. The normal buzz of his office had gone, and the stench of decay had taken its place.
"This must be absolutely terrifying," Jax exclaimed as he wiped away his tears. He tried to make sense of his sudden transition from fixing a malfunctioning generator to dozing off in this desolate setting. Everything about it—the cold air, the gritty, broken dirt under his fingers—proved that this was real.
He looked around him. Pitted with jagged pebbles and gnarled, lifeless trees, the landscape seemed desolate. None of the usual suspects, such as birds, animals, or insects, were there. A depressing, lifeless light emanated from the sky, casting itself over everything.
"What the hell..." The sound of Jax's voice was strange and scratchy. Standing up, he saw that his clothing was dirty and covered with filth. He couldn't help but wonder how he had arrived at this point and what "here" actually meant.
Jax took a long breath and began to make his way. The unsettling silence made every step on the rough ground feel almost audible. He couldn't stand still since he had no notion where he was going. He was required to respond.
His mind's nodes whirled. He was in his workshop fixing an old generator when his memory faded. Now he found himself in a confusing wilderness, unable to recall his journey there. He had to focus on staying alive.
A need for sustenance, hydration, and protection was immediately apparent to Jax. Reminding him that it had been an unknown amount of time since he had eaten, his stomach made a noise. He had to make sure he was indeed alone before anything else. Searching the horizon for any sign of motion, he instead came across immense nothingness.
Damaged pavement, perhaps from an old road, replaced the parched dirt as Jax proceeded. He figured it would lead him to a good place, so he followed it. The road was in a state of disrepair, yet it still showed signs of a past civilization.
A distant building finally caught Jax's eye after what felt like hours. The small gas station was mostly in ruins and engulfed in lifeless plants. The first sign of life, except for utter desolation, was there.
With caution, Jax moved forward. While he pulled it open, the door swung flimsily on its hinges and made a creaking sound. There was a lot of dust and gloom inside the gas station, as well as old, rusted shelves and shattered furniture.
His focus was captured by a subtle rustle in the distance. With a beating heart, Jax frozen. It was not just him.
"Hello?" he asked, his voice steady but with a rasp quality. The only sound was the incessant rustling, but no one spoke. With his eyes straining to adjust to the dim light, he ran to find out where the noise was coming from.
As Jax turned the corner, he saw a man crouched over a pile of debris. Although it seemed strange, the figure was actually human. Its movements were unsteady, and its garments were ripped.
"Hey!" Jax let out a piercing cry. A bedraggled stranger with wild eyes peered up at us. It looked more like a ghost than a human being.
Unexpectedly, the man let out a low growl and sprang at Jax. As his reflexes kicked in, Jax dove just in time to escape the man's clutches. With his pulse racing, he stumbled backwards. Something perilous was lurking within this survivor.
As Jax sought for a weapon, his mind raced with ideas. He swung a splintered plank of wood at the guy. The man merely lurched backward after the terrible crash.
After Jax's exhaustion set in, an unusual energy surged through him. It was as if something had been set free inside of him; his lucidity was piercing. Raising his hand, he unleashed a surge of energy that slammed into the man and sent him flying across the room.
What Jax felt in his hand surprised him. What was that just? The power was strange and yet somehow familiar, as if he'd always possessed it.
The guy moaned and tried to stand up, but Jax was having none of it. Paying close attention to the strange force, he unleashed yet another surge of energy, sending the man crashing to the floor. On this occasion, he remained seated.
Jax, gasping for air, stepped back as he tried to process what had just transpired. He had connected with an unseen power that seemed both natural and potent, but whose nature he still did not fully comprehend.
A holographic interface appeared before Jax, and it briefly came to life as he tried to calm his rushing thoughts. A number of tabs and options were displayed on the screen. Jax began to investigate the UI out of pure curiosity.
World Chat was the first tab that he noticed. As word spread among the survivors, a deluge of texts began to flood in.
With the subject line "Has anyone figured out the best way to find water?" one message sought an answer.
According to another source, there are still supplies at the Sector 7 trading post.
Another warned, "Be cautious among the old ruins. There are hostile entities lurking."
Jax realized that there were other beings in the universe besides himself. With one billion people already living here, the World Chat has become an indispensable means of communication and information gathering.
The Trade Center tab was so located by him. He might use the system to trade supplies for points. The portion he came to was called "System Manufacture," and it required points to see. To increase Jax's survival chances, the procedure may end up endowing him with characteristics more typical of adults.
The tab for the Trade Center was chosen by Jax. A tally of the accessible resources and things, along with their respective point values, appeared. A first aid pack, food, water purification pills, and other necessities were part of the basic survival gear he picked up. He stumbled onto a piece of a map that showed potential supplies and locations in the area.
When he confirmed the transaction, the notification "Transaction Complete." appeared. A single point is deducted. "The Survival Kit has been added to the inventory."
Jax realized he couldn't spend all his time at the gas station with his newly acquired goods. He had to discover more about this new world, find more resources, and learn more about it.
He entered the desolate countryside and beheld a faint glimmer of light on the distant horizon. It was hardly visible, but it pointed in the right direction. Jax turned around one last time at the gas station before heading toward the light, ready to take on whatever came his way.
The voyage had only begun, and Jax was about to discover the impact of the Golden Finger on his exploration of this peculiar new world.