Michael

We've been leisurely walking for about 40 hours straight through the woods of what is known as the Cretia province of Sandaria. The distance covered and time traveling a treat compared to how much we've pushed before coming to this little continent. This pace actually constitutes a time of rest and reflection on the journey so far, or enjoy the present with the friends I have made.

This kingdom is mostly occupied by humans and the towns we've passed since stopping at the hotel embassy at Flagstaff seem relatively tame. There are a few dwarves and a single elf I've seen but the people here keep their distance from us in most cases. Mirabilis says it's because of a war that is still fresh in the people's minds and the reputation the tribesmen got from it.

I don't really mind, plus I've gotten a lot of interesting stories on Saya from our escorts and particularly Andrew. I look around trying to spot them in the woods but the only one I can spot is Henrietta walking at the head of the small procession with Saya, Stacey and Lavender at her sides, Cyrus has gone of to scout with the other tribesmen. The rest of the escort spread out ahead and at the flanks as we cover the back ourselves.

"I kept all kinds of information in my virtuality when I was still on Earth, a lot of them guilty pleasures since a personal virtuality cannot be hacked or monitored by any third parties. Which basically guaranteed privacy.

"People have entire encyclopedias at the speed of a thought that we can actually read with our eye implant as we carry out mundane tasks like email, send messages, watch videos on the cybernet or even on the parts of the internet that are still running. This was our normal in my time, the 'cybernetic age' 2100 was being christened by the mass media of my time, distinctly different from the internet age of the 21st century." John continues with his story which I am now starting to pay attention to.

"Wait wait hold up, what's a virtuality again?" Edward asks, probably for my benefit since I'm only half following everything they are talking about so far.

"That's a tough one to explain." John says with a sigh, but its a leisurely walk on a well travelled road through the mostly quiet Sandoria kingdom. There is no rush and the hyperalert edge of danger seems to have passed with our arrival to this part of the world.

"What year were you alive on Earth again?" John asks me directly. He knows I'm the only one behind in this conversation regardless of it being Edward that asked the question.

Both Dewan and Wiley have been following everything with ease despite them not having received a 'modern' Earth education. I'm yet to meet any person on Gaia from the Conclave that doesn't seem to have an I.Q that could rival any Ph.D graduate at the very least.

"I ascended in 2007."

He nods, "imagine an imperceptible storage system that is not in any hard drive anywhere but you have access to all this information with the speed of thought at all times."

"Like a cloud?" Max says looking at John.

"Exactly like a cloud drive! But think more literally as well, this information isn't stored on any external device but through the neural implant is sort like information kept at the periphery of the brain. I don't know, its hard to explain and I'm no tech specialist but suffice it to say you have access to information you store in a virtuality and it slcannot be hacked."

"OK, I'm with you so far."

"Anyways I was just saying that being here on Gaia I'm fully off line for the first time in my life. There I'd no cybernetic, no internet, hell there is hardly any technology of any kind. I can see you want to talk Wiley but magitech doesn't count in the example I'm making." John says seriously.

"Yet yesterday I realised I still have access to all the information I had in my virtuality on Earth."

"Come again now?" Max asks leaning forward to get Johns attention, but he didn't hear wrongly.

"And its not even just my Virtuality Vault I have access to either. My eye implant has been working for months now but it's been different. I can see things, things I shouldn't be able to see.."

"Things like what?" Wes saying startling us having come from nowhere to be suddenly walking behind us.

We look at each other before John starts talking again. He mentions how he can sometimes see people's auras, how he can see in infrared, how he can see people's strength quantified in numbers like in a virtual game he can use to determine power.

He isn't sure how accurate it all is since he has no idea how it gets to these values but he sees Wes as the most powerful individual in our current traveling party, followed closely by Henrietta then Saya then Dewan. He seems to be able to store things into his virtuality again even without access to a cybernetic network.

Most importantly for him is the access to the Self option which he again has access to.

Self

John Marks Ranger

Ascendant from Earth

Location : Gaia

Time : Gaian Time

Health : Superb - resting H/R 80bpm

- vitality 100%

- Breathing 20 BPM

- Energy 90

Agility : 18

Perception : 24

Reaction : 21

Strength : 16

Stamina : 28

Mental Acuity : 20

Resilience : 15

Aura : refreshing

Virtual Storage : unlimited

Cybernetics : virtuality

: cybernetic eye

: subdermal body armour

: refreshing

Skills : refreshing

Details : age, height, weight, muscle tone, percentage body fat, hormonal levels, body temp, fatigue, hunger, eye features etc.

*Average Earth Human rating is 8 .

*Average Earth Human rating for active male at peak physical condition is 10.

*Average Gaia Human rating for mundane slave is 15.

*Average Gaia Human rating for active male at peak physical condition is 25.

"Its like I can see within myself in detail and tell what's going on." He says trying to explain to us what it is he sees when he evaluates himself.

A whistle rings out alerting us to potential danger. We are all instantly alert with hands on weapons as we look around. We are passing through a narrow forest road hemmed in at both sides by tall trees that create perpetual twilight on the woodlands floor even in this sunny day.

"Be ready," Henrietta says unnecessarily as she moves forward to stand in a clear opening whilst looking around.

An arrow flies towards her from one of the trees and all hell breaks loose.