It sounds odd saying it, but humanity needed a break. They needed something in which they could just not think about everything that's gone wrong for a while.

As sophisticated and advanced as we’d become before the war, there simply wasn’t anything anyone felt worth rebuilding or expanding on. Years of neurons being fired off in the brain with every new experience we had grown accustomed to, made us mentally incapable of being impressed. Every new experience was, ‘been there, done that’.”

Until Open Source was created.

The ads say it all:

Open Source is a new form of escapism and entertainment that allows everyone the opportunity to delve into the imagination through the neocortex. Unlike virtual reality–requiring large headsets enhancing only what can be seen and heard–Open Source grants a full, immersive experience for the entire consciousness. Once connected to the Synergy Drive, people can visit any World among the collective imaginations.

It was incredible, but not enough to last.

Within five years, tech corporations seized and bought Open Source and rebranded it with new rules, regulations and owners. Their version, Open World, was released to everyone around the globe; offering the Synergy Drive installment for free or reduced prices. They made sure everyone could be a part of it.

Within a decade the power of all the major tech companies superseded governments, and within fifteen years since the founding of Open World, politicians were replaced with CEO’s.

You’d think I’d be happy; for the first time in several years, people almost everywhere were united as one under Open World. This was a new form of enlightenment; giving all those connected an opportunity to learn and grow from one another.

Unfortunately, I remain unconvinced. I know there is something dark and sinister happening around the edges of the mind and that few, if any, are willing to acknowledge it. I do not have the proof to unmask Open World for what it is, but that day is fast approaching.

Those things that were once pure, good, and true will return.

But first, everything hidden in shadow must be seen by all, even if it means allowing it to reign over us. When the time comes, every one of us must recognize evil for what it is; so that we know what must be cast from the light.

-Lincoln Kimball, presiding Watcher Foreman