Official Intelligent Beings: How Our Devices Became Us, And The World Consumed Itself Read Online Free

peace and acceptance?”
    Jagz stuttered, trying to formulate aresponse . “I, uh, well, the thing is…”
    “It’s quite alright. I know that deep down it’s not acceptance you strive for; it’s not about growing followers; it’s about finding out what else is out there, pushing forward, seeking truth. All I am asking is for another few moments of your time and for an open mind. After that, you’re free to go.”
    Jagz followed Mr. Herd to a vault that appeared to be guarding the world’s largest safe. The door was a shiny pearl white. Beside it was a screen, which, upon approaching, asked President Herd to stick out his tongue . “Your tongue please sir.”
    “I know what you’re thinking. Why the tongue and not an eye or thumb? Years ago it was discovered that the most secure way to identify someone was not by fingerprint, but by tongue, seeing as how one’s taste is what makes someone truly unique in this day and age. Since we rarely use our tongue to taste real food anymore, it is one of the most protected and pure parts of our body. No two tongues are remotely alike. ”
    Just then, the doors slowly began to open, revealing a room surrounded by mirrors. As Jagz walked closer to the glass, he saw something he had never seen nor imagined staring back at him, eyes sharply locked on his, as though the figure was waiting for him.
                 
    “Fear not. This is a one-way mirror system and he, well we believe him to be a he, can’t see us. I know you are probably shocked in disbelief, but what you are seeing is our first contact with a living and breathing alien.”
    “I don’t know what to say?” Jagz said, trembling with fear and excitement.
    Just through the glass in front of him was a large creature unlike anything he had ever seen before. The bluish-gold creature must have been well over 9 feet tall, with 4 huge hands, 15 fingers on each, eyes like diamonds, no hair on his entire body, and not an ounce of fat on him.
    “Do not worry about trying to process this. Once your brain has adjusted to the fact of life beyond our planet, beyond our solar system, you will begin to realize why I have brought you here.”
    “No matter how settled my brain gets, or how much I stand here staring at a life form from another planet, I doubt I’ll ever understand what the hell I am doing here, so why don’t you just go ahead and start filling me in before I lose it.”
    “No need for that, Jagz. And besides, you are perfectly safe and protected. This life form goes by the name of Ani Rudh—at least, that is the closest to what we can pronounce his name in our language. We have been studying and speaking with him for a few days now and we feel confident that he is of no threat. Unlike some of the others that he speaks of from his planet, he is simply a messenger”
    “A messenger? For Websakes. If he is only a messenger, I don’t even want to know what their warriors might look like.”
    “As I said, you have nothing to fear. He does, however, have a message for us that is a very real threat to the human race as we know it.”
    “So why, in your right freaking mind, have you brought me here, and, what the hell are you, of all people, the head of a WebWork doing with an alien locked up web knows how deep underground?”
    “It’s a bit of a long story, as you can imagine. What’s important to know is that he requested you , specifically.”
    “There is no freaking way.”
    “I know that it sounds crazy. When we first got into contact with him, he told us that his race, the Phrells, have been searching the universe for years in hopes of finding a planet to inhabit since exhausting their own planet’s resources. Unfort-unately for us, they have finally come to understand that Earth is that place. They plan to take over and will stop at nothing to do so.”
    “And can they?”
    “Well, Ani Rudh says that he left long before his planet’s army to scout a potential world to inhabit. Now that