Ground Zero

There is a creature, or being rather, that lives in a complacent society full of mortal, material beings existing in an immaterial universe. A society encompassed of innately intelligent beings of infinite potential that chooses to consciously remain unable to grasp the contents behind the scenes. Instead of striving for what lies beyond this being's scope of senses or imagination, it needlessly wastes away in the social melodrama. This is not to say this creature does not need social interaction to survive. It most surely does. However, the need that drives this instinct of interaction, the learning process, is what is flawed, or rather, out of balance.

The world this creature, Joe, lives in is full of many much like him. It is also filled with other beasts of lower status that merely waste their days away living. Joe, however, has much more to occupy his mind. Long has his species, the Wobbles, walked out of the forests of the lower animals. Long have the Wobbles created a magnificent world to live in. Long have the Wobbles lived on their planet rather than with it.

Joe's planet, Ground Zero, is one planet amongst a system of many. There does not seem to be an existence of life on any of the others that his species knows of, but strange stories run through the culture about otherworldly beings. Ground Zero is orbited by three moons, and the planetary system it is within orbits around a sun.

Lately, within the under-culture, stories have begun. Many Wobbles thought the turning of the millennium was going to be the end. Others believe a long lost culture's calendar's termination predicts the end of Ground Zero and the world as the Wobbles know it. Still others believe the Wobbles will terminate themselves as Ground Zero starts the evolutionary process all over again.

Wobble scientists have recently discovered universe phenomena that might impact Ground Zero. Recently the sun has been shooting storms at the planet. It's not doing much other than interfering with Wobble communication systems such as phones, pagers, and such. So it's no big deal to any of the Wobbles unless they can't use their phone or get their page. Scientists also realized that in about twenty years a giant asteroid is on course to pass quite close, if not hit, Ground Zero. The major government in control of Ground Zero says they are working on a plan that will take care of the problem.

At one point in time, the Wobbles decided to have a race. It was a race into space amongst rival tribes. One tribe got into space first and orbited Ground Zero. Another tribe landed on the closest moon. The race went on for a while not venturing much beyond the tethered rope. Their space race has basically ended resulting in more probes and telescopes scouring the universe than Wobbles in space craft. Social matters have seemed to go rampant along the lines of materialism and chaos rather than imagination and exploration.

No Wobble seems to care anymore about matters as to what will happen later. No Wobble seems to care about matters such as what would happen if Ground Zero could no longer support life. No wobble seems to care much about harmony or balance. No Wobble seems to actually think for itself anymore. Instead, their social structure has become driven by materialism, money, and mania fueled by those equally insecure of the matters beyond their own comprehension. Such is the society the Wobbles have created. Such is the Wobble race. Such is the Wobbles' fate. Now, imagine if you were Joe - What would Joe do?