… as Dr. Mendez completed his rundown of the modern knowledge, he started to ramble about modern scientific theories regarding the energy such as where it came from, how it functioned, and how it could be used.

Gareth soon began tuning him out and watching what he was doing instead. It seemed most of the modern theories were wrong. Granted, it was probably unfair of him to judge. After all, he had a livening portion of that entity within him. It gave him a rather distinct upper hand.

The idea of an apprenticeship was something that Gareth had never really considered before… after all, as an orphan who was pretty much self-taught. He had no formal education, and his prospects were minimal. He had expected to go through life as a base laborer of some sort- a valued position to be sure, but nothing with near the prestige of a Researcher!

As Gareth watched the doctor conduct his examination, he observed the equipment. There were things he’d never seen before. He noticed that one of the monitors seemed to be running a scan of ambient energy levels. ‘DEE, are you certain that you can’t be detected?’

*Yes, Gareth, the most they should be able to detect is…*

[BEEP! Chirp!]

One of the computers let out an audible alarm. Dr. Mendez rushed over the screen, “Yes! Yes! This is unbelievable! I’m sense minute energy fluctuations in the background energy around you!”

Gareth was alarmed, ‘DEE?’

*Don’t be concerned. Some variation is normal in the background energy. It may be slightly more than he is used to seeing, but it shouldn’t be enough to raise an alarm.*

“Gareth! Do you see what this means?! Something about what occurred near the park must have fundamentally altered you somehow! Maybe…” Dr. Mendez began scribbling some notes on papers and then ran over to another computer, “No. No. That doesn’t make sense. Hmmm.”

Gareth watched with trepidation. Though DEE hadn’t been wrong before, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be wrong now, “Um, Doctor? Is everything ok? Am I safe?”

“What? Oh, yes. Of course you are, nothing to be concerned about. I just… well, I can’t very well go into that right now.” Dr. Mendez hesitated, “Gareth, I’m going to need to keep you for observation.”

Gareth’s eyes opened wide in the fear that something had gone horribly wrong, “What!? Why!?”

“Here is what I’m seeing. Background energy in your proximity occasionally spikes. This isn’t normal for living beings on earth. Since the cataclysm, occasionally animals have been found with something similar, but typically they are… well, how should I put it? Biological organisms don’t seem to be able to handle the mental strain placed on them when they’ve encountered some level of energy integration. I’m concerned that you may collapse into that state.” Dr. Mendez frowned in mild concern.

Gareth new that he had to play along, though he was rather certain through DEE’s explanations that this wouldn’t happen to him. He widened his eyes in faux fear, “What? Am I going to die?!”

Dr. Mendez chuckled, “No, nothing like that. In fact, at this time I don’t see any cause for concern. In fact, if we can figure out how this happened, it could be a huge boon for humanity.”

Gareth furrowed his brow, “How so?”

Dr. Mendez thought for a second and sighed, “Since the cataclysm, humanity has been learning and growing in completely new directions from the olden times. However, and this isn’t generally public knowledge, we’re falling behind the rest of the universe.

“Other organisms have shown signs of adapting to and using this energy, but humanity… there is something about our genes or bodies that prevent us from making this change. Yes, it may generally be devastating to other organisms at this point, but I’m afraid that in due course they may begin to actually harness their new powers.

“In fact, less that a kilometer from where we found you, we found a squirrel that had shown signs of a somewhat beneficial variation. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get more info as the poor things was dead. There were signs though…

“Well, I suppose that it doesn’t hurt to tell you about the rest of the situation. Someone died earlier today near an alley close to the park. It is my theory that this squirrel, whatever it’s abilities may have been, somehow managed to overpower and kill a human armed with a knife.”

“What?” Gareth’s face was a wash of confusion and shock. The confusion wasn’t faked. Of course, he knew about both the dead man and the squirrel, but the doctor had somehow blamed that little squirrel for the incident. If it wasn’t such a giveaway, Gareth probably would have started laughing out loud!

“I know!” Dr. Mendez shook his head, “A squirrel, Gareth! Could you imagine if it was something else? What if a mountain lion managed to get a similar ability? Or a gorilla? Would anyone stand a chance!

His passion began to build, “But if humanity managed to gain a foothold on this power, if we managed to harness it- yes, I know we’ve got running water and computers, I mean on a more fundamental level. Could you even imagine?

“We could possibly summon lightening from our hands! We could transmit communication to others with a thought! We could create weapons that would need no ammunition! It would revolutionize the progression of humanity! It could ensure our survival no matter what might come next! We could regain control of our world! Gareth, I believe you could be the beginning. For the sake of humanity, will you help me?”

Gareth was tempted, but froze up for a moment, ‘DEE, what are your thoughts? I’d love to help humanity, but this seems like a risk…’

*The risk is minimal at this point, Gareth. To be honest, humanity could use some help with its advancement in my opinion. It could even help us. While I may be smart, I don’t have all the necessary knowledge to understand the depths of human physiology and psychology. Besides, as we grow most of humanity should no longer be able to contain us against our will. My only concern is whether we’d have the freedom to go to places in order to absorb more particles.*

Gareth nodded his head, “Doctor, I’d love to help humanity, but I need to make sure that we’ve set some boundaries. Would I be free to come and go as I please?”

This time there was no hesitation, “Certainly! You aren’t a prisoner after all, and you have rights as a human.”

“Alright,” Gareth thought again for a moment, “Would I be under surveillance?”

“No. Certainly not. That would be highly inappropriate. I would ask that you move into a living quarters here at the base of the Central Bureau for Energy Management though. That way we could keep an eye on you, just in case.”

Gareth nodded and considered other questions, “Well… I guess that I’ve only got two more questions then. First, what is the pay and second, when do you want me to start?”

Dr. Mendez smiled at that answer, “Hah! Fair enough! Your pay would be 25,000 credits per year as an apprentice. It should be noted that amount is tax free since we work in a government segment that is solely dedicated to the advancement of humanity. All medical, dental, and retirement is provided. We could start you as soon as the paperwork goes through, so probably the day after tomorrow. Would that work for you?”

Gareth’s eyes opened slightly wider. That was a huge sum of money for an entry level position. He could easily survive on 1/3 of that amount! Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city was only 150 credits per month, and that was for a luxury one with a full bathroom and kitchen, and he didn’t even need to pay rent because that was being provided for him!

Gareth didn’t hesitate any longer, “It’s a deal!”