Cherreads

Gaia corp and it’s semi-degenerate founder

Jeezy_1898
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Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Back in 1996 with an Inspired Inventor-Based System — What Could Go Wrong?

Chapter 1: Back in 1996 with an Inspired Inventor-Based System — What Could Go Wrong?

Location: Unknown

Time: Unknown

Ugh, my head hurts.

The last thing I remember was playing a real-time strategy game on my beat-up PC, trying to hold the line while some overpowered AI nuked my last base into the dirt.

Ding.

What the hell was that?

I cracked one eye open. The air smelled like antiseptic. Cheap blinds filtered gray light across the sterile walls. My body ached like I'd been hit by a truck—or maybe a train.

I turned my head and saw a calendar tacked to the wall.

January 11, 1996.

Weird.

Ding.

Again? Okay, what's going on—

Then, suddenly, something blinked into view in front of me.

Inspired Inventor+

Points: 195

Missions

Inventory

Skills

I blinked, startled. It wasn't on a monitor. It wasn't even on a wall. It just… hovered in my vision, like some augmented reality overlay—except I wasn't wearing a headset.

Was I hallucinating?

I focused on the screen, and almost like it read my mind, the Inventory tab expanded.

Inventory:

Basic Engineering Kit

Beginner's Tiberium Research Notes

Fusion Battery (Miniature)

Field Ration x5

Mysterious Blueprint (Unanalyzed)

Unknown Automaton Blueprint – "Twin Series A-0" (Locked)

Requirements: Robotics Lv.3, AI Core Access, Exotic Alloy Materials

Status: Adaptive Evolution Enabled – subsystems will unlock as relevant skills improve

My eyes paused on the last entry. A detailed 3D model spun slowly above the words—a humanoid machine. Graceful, curving limbs. Smooth plating. Unsettlingly lifelike motion.

I didn't recognize it. Not from any show, movie, or game I remembered. It looked... alien, yet elegant. Military-grade, no doubt. A combat chassis disguised in art.

Where the hell had this come from?

I tapped back and opened the Missions tab.

Tutorial Mission: "It's Just a Scratch"

Use your system to craft or repair a minor object with real-world tools.

Reward: +5 Points

Unlocks: Design Draft Lv.2

Bonus Objective: Access your current identity.

Reward: +10 Points

Unlocks: Partial System Memory Integration

Failure Condition: None — this is a tutorial. Just try something.

Okay... something simple.

I scanned the room. On the bedside table lay a clipboard and a busted pen. A classic spring-snap ballpoint, cracked near the clicker.

I grabbed it. The familiarity of fixing something gave me a weird sense of control. I opened the Engineering Kit, and—somehow—tools phased into my grip. Sleek, futuristic. Compact. Nothing like the clunky stuff from RadioShack.

I used them without hesitation. Muscle memory? Maybe. Within seconds, the pen clicked smoothly.

Ding!

+5 Points Earned

Skill Unlocked: Design Draft Lv.2

Tutorial Mission Complete

I grinned.

Then the door creaked open.

A nurse entered—late twenties, glasses, clipboard, and a mildly startled expression.

"Oh, you're awake! That's a relief."

She stepped to the foot of the bed and skimmed the chart. Her brow furrowed.

"Huh. Says here your name is Jonathan Carter. Age: fifteen. Picked up by an ambulance just outside a backroad town. Collapsed, dehydrated, mild concussion."

She looked at me. "Do you remember anything?"

I hesitated. Jonathan Carter wasn't my name. Not originally.

But something inside me shifted, like puzzle pieces sliding into place. Memory that wasn't quite mine but felt… real.

I gave a slow nod.

She looked relieved. "You'll be out of here in a day or two. Social services will come by, probably tomorrow. For now, just rest."

She smiled faintly, then left.

The system chimed again.

Bonus Objective Complete

+10 Points Earned

Partial Memory Integration Unlocked

Current Identity: Jonathan Carter

Status: African-American, age 15. No known relatives. Legal ward of the state.

Origin: Unknown rural location. No current school enrollment. No existing medical records.

Notice:

Fusion Battery (Miniature) is compatible with early 90s microelectronics.

Blueprint "Twin Series A-0" evolution progress: +2%

Skills may now be purchased using points:

Skill Tiers Unlocked

All skills range from Level 1 (Novice) to Level 10 (Master).

Higher tiers may exist, but are currently inaccessible.

Available Categories:

Academic (Chemistry, Math, Physics, etc.)

Engineering (Robotics, Systems Integration, Structural Design)

Exotic Knowledge (Tiberium Research, Advanced Energy Theory, Unknown Fields…)

I stared at the ceiling.

So, fifteen years old. In 1996. No family. No records. A clean slate.

And a system that could teach me anything—from high school chemistry to building futuristic weapons, and more, even things I didn't understand yet.

And the strangest part?

I had a feeling this world wasn't quite the one I remembered. Details felt off. Media references. Historical assumptions. Small things. I couldn't place it yet—but I would.

And when I did?

I'd be ready.

[Chapter 1 Complete – Word Count: ~1,050+]