by D. Levesque
He didn’t want to scare the investors or even the staff over something which might be nothing. The standard protocol was to create a report and send it to all the top managers and investors. But with the new VRMMORPG game about to be released in less than two weeks, he couldn’t afford to have it stalled with an investigation. If they waited, he would be losing millions in funding and would have to push the release date. Sigma Worlds was one of the most sought after games, and the hardware purchases alone were now in the billions. They had sold over two hundred million headsets, and that didn’t even include the over 100,000 full immersion pods.
“Don’t do anything, must be something I forgot to add to my project list. I’ll look at it when I get in.” The doctor knew that he was lying and that he might regret it later, but having spent the last thirty years to get to where he was now, he could afford to take the blame for it once the game was a success. He was the top scientist in Artificial Intelligence, but he’d also been a big gamer in his youth. He wanted to prove that the AIs were able to create a world using VR that would be indistinguishable from the real. Unlike the old VR systems of the VIVE or Oculus that had been around for the last 20 years, this second-generation VR gear worked directly with the brain, and he wanted it to be a success.
“OK, Dr. Phillips, if you are good with it, I will mark it down as regular traffic and close the logbook on it,” said Ian, sounding unsure.
“Thanks, Ian, have a good night.”
Destiny’s Champions
I never really liked this room. I had been living in it for the last year. It was, in simple terms, bland. Four white walls, one window, one door. A standard hospital wardroom. It didn’t even have a closet. Who needs clothes when you live in a hospital gown?
“Come on, Jason, stop being an ass and just sign the fucking paperwork already!” yelled my lawyer Michael.
“Jesus Christ, Michael, you are supposed to be my friend, are you trying to write me off already!” I yelled right back at him.
“First of all, I am your oldest friend, but I’m also your damn lawyer, and I read the contract they are giving you. Hell, I wish I was in your place.” As soon as he said it, Michael’s face changed. I could tell he regretted his comment and wished he could take it back.
“Oh, fuck right off, you prick. Do you think I enjoy being an invalid like this? Do you think I enjoyed being t-boned by some ass who decided it was OK to drive while drunk and disable the AI in his car? Fuck you!” I answered angrily.
“Listen,” said Michael shamefully. “It’s not what I meant, and you know it. You have the opportunity to be able to move out of this "shit hole" of a hospital, as you keep calling it, and start earning money. And it will let you explore something outside these four walls, even if it’s virtual. The company, GFL International, has been helping folks who are not medically mobile experience life in VR for over ten years. I checked them out, and they have been used heavily in the medical field to help the mental health of patients. For fuck's sake, even my grandfather used them the last year before he died to experience nature since he couldn’t get outside.”
“I get it, but dammit, I want my damn life back!” I yelled.
“Ah, and we get to the crux of it. It’s been three years, Jason. You need to understand, and I am saying this as your friend. We have looked at every medical procedure possible, and there isn’t anything out there that will make you walk again. The settlement from the accident gave us a big chunk of money. But that was all spent on the two procedures that didn’t work. Jason, I want nothing more than for you to walk, but because you ran out of money a year ago and are now a ward of the state, you are stuck in this shitty place. So come on and sign the fucking paperwork. You have a chance of a lifetime. They are asking you to be a beta tester for this new VR headset that works somehow with your brainwaves so that you can feel like you are there. And they said your character in this game would be able to walk. They are offering to put you up in a condo of your own, and my God, it's a 5-year contract paying you $500,000 per year. They are giving you a full immersion pod worth $20,000 on top of all that. I had to pay $2,000 for the headset version only. The pod lets you stay in there for longer times, and it takes care of your body. It will even exercise your damn muscles, you bonehead,” Michael said quietly.
“It’s just,” I started sadly.
“It’s just what?” said Michael looking at me pointedly.
“It feels like I am running away and giving up. I mean, the last year feels like I have given up on life. I mean, they even have me on antidepressants since they think I would be suicidal," I said bitterly.
"That's because you tried to kill yourself six months ago, Jason," Michael said gently.
"Honestly, what do you think I should do?" I asked him with fear in my heart.
"Honestly? Take it. You're not yourself anymore, buddy. Even Gwen left you. And don't start with it was the accident bullshit. She tried to make this work, and you pushed her away with your anger. Sign it, Jason. Not as your lawyer but as your best friend," Michael says, looking at me with unshed tears.
Sighing, I think back to the last three years. The accident was life-changing for me. And not in the right way. I had a job that I loved in technology. I had a fiancé who loved me. Who even stayed with me for two failed groundbreaking experimental surgeries. Both failures which used up 95% of the one million dollar settlement money from the accident. Now I was broke and had to take charity from the State.
Taking a deep breath and looking at Michael, I say to him. "Promise to come and adventure with me like old times?"
With relief, Michael responds, "God damn, yes! If I weren't so busy with my practice and had an extra $20,000 for the full immersion pod, I would join you more often. Though because you're going to be beta testing this for this new technology, they won’t be releasing it until months from now. But Jason, the early reviews of this game are amazing. They're saying it's just like being there. Sigma Worlds isn't just flat VR like we usually play. You saw the videos they sent us? Take it."
"OK, where do I sign?" I said, feeling a little nervous and scared.
Looking up from his paperwork, Dr. Phillips looks at his assistant, Joanne.
"So candidate number three signed up finally?!" he said with energy.
"Yes, just earlier today. His lawyer was able to convince him. Why did you want him so badly? It's not like we are short on candidates to beta test Sigma Worlds. Why him?" Joanne asked.
Looking at her penetratingly, Dr. Phillips gauged her loyalty. She had been with him for over twenty years.
"Can you promise me that what I tell you will not reach anybody else?" he said, looking at Joanne with piercing gray eyes.
Looking at him, Joanne could tell this was serious. "I do as long as it's not breaking the law."
Not expecting that response, he laughed out loud. “Oh! Thanks for that Joanne, I needed that with all the stress from the release coming out next week. No, it’s not illegal. You know how we have been testing candidates for their Brain Activity Sync or BAS levels? Out of the 50,000 candidates we have tested, the average is 60% and the highest until now at 72%. Well, this candidate has tested at 98%,” he tells her excitedly.
“Hold on, doesn’t that predict how close to reality the player will fully experience the game? As in not just touch but also pain, scent and tactile?” she asked bafflingly.
“Yes! So this candidate is perfect for testing out the new systems we have in the pipeline. Right now, the AIs have to calculate what a person might feel based on their BAS score. That score will tell the AI in the system how much it needs to reduce the pain and feelings inside the game, so users don’t get overwhelmed”, Dr. Phillips starts excitedly.
“What we are working on for later in the system will allow us to use it to heal mental health patients, since they won’t know they are inside a game. We can build virtual wards, so that we can treat patients who are in a coma. Right now, it’s still pretty new, but the wonders of this system wil
l only benefit humanity.”
“OK, Dr. Phillips, as exciting as this sounds, why can’t we tell anyone else? I mean, it’s great that we found someone who has such a high BAS, but what does that mean for this candidate? Why can’t we tell anyone else about it? Will the game settings need to be modified for him?” Joanne asked.
“I know our AIs are smart, hell they built 90% of the first World themselves and 100% of the 2nd World. Once we built the AIs and entered what we wanted, they went ahead and built the entire thing. I’m worried that if they find out, they will want to study him so much that he will have no freedom. I've met him. He was in a very severe car crash, and he's now in a wheelchair. He’s lost his mobility, and it depresses him. How do you think he will take to being under the microscope all the time? Because if they find out, with the contract he signed, they will have the right to do exactly that. I refuse to do that to him. I’ve already asked our AI Diana to watch over him and to keep me quietly posted on what is going on, isn’t that correct Diana?” Dr. Phillips says, looking up at the ceiling.
“That is correct, Dr. Phillips,” says a very soft female voice. One can almost imagine she is Diana, the Angel of Learning. “I see that he has signed the paperwork and will be put into his pod tomorrow. Do you wish me to facilitate it so that he is helped through the process instead of him talking to one of our standard AIs?” Diana asks.
“Hmm. Good question, Diana. I know that our monotone AI administrators might make him uncomfortable, and I want to make sure his transition goes well. Maybe we can get that BAS number higher,” Dr. Phillips says, rubbing his hands together.
“Seriously, doctor? He is already at 98%. I doubt we can get him any higher. Be happy with what you have,” laughs Joanne, shaking her head at her bosses' antics.
The weather went perfectly with my mood. It was sunny outside, and I felt more hopeful and alive than I did last week. The previous week had been a blur of paper signing and preparing to move into my new condo in a large high rise that was owned by the company GFL International. Most residents were patrons who had purchased full immersion pods and rented space from GFL. It even had its very own security force and nurses on staff to watch over the people in the pods.
The nurse slowly wheeled me from the vehicle that picked me up at the hospital so I could enjoy the sunlight. She knew that I would be indoors in a pod for a long time. It might be the last time I saw the sun for months. I tilted my head upwards to enjoy the sun on my face.
“Did you want to sit outside for a bit before we go in?” asked the nurse.
“Would you mind? Even if it’s only for fifteen minutes?” I asked with a smile on my face. It had been over a year since I’d felt the sun, and it felt amazing. I was aware that in the pod, I would be lucky to get outside in three months. The contract I signed was for three months in the game with a nine-day out rotation. But two of those days were me being tested and prodded. That left me one week where I could do what I wanted. Which, being in a wheelchair, wasn’t much.
“OK, I’m ready now,” I said to the nurse quietly.
The nurse moved behind me again and started pushing me towards the entrance. Once security confirmed my identity in the lobby, they let me pass. At the front desk, I had to go through another security checkpoint, but this time they asked me to give my biometric info such as fingerprints and iris scans.
Looking at the security personnel, I asked, “Why so much security just for this?”
“Well sir, it’s to make sure that your wellbeing is taken care of and you are not disturbed. One of the services that you pay for in this facility is to have someone watch over your body while Diving so that no one can disturb you,” said the young military-type male.
“Diving?” I asked, looking at the nurse with an arched eyebrow.
“Well, it’s not Diving, but the term stuck. Once connected to the pod, it takes over control of your brainwaves so that if you do anything in the game, instead of your physical body responding, it’s your avatar. Since you are immobile and going into the game, staff have started calling it Diving, a term from some of the older sci-fi movies”, said the nurse.
Once all the explaining was finished, the nurse wheeled me into the elevator. The nurse pressed the button for the top floor, which happened to be the 40th floor.
“Isn’t that usually the penthouse in an apartment building?” I asked jokingly.
The nurse looked down at me with a big smile, “Yes. You have been moved to this floor as you are not renting, you are one of the beta testers. The floor has two penthouses, one of which is for you. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living area. And your pod room. The other one is actually owned by Dr. Phillips, who runs the program.”
I turned around in my wheelchair so fast that I almost fell out of it.
“WHAT!!, oh crap,” Grabbing the sides of the chair, I pull myself up. “OK, why the hell am I being put next to the creator of this game?” I asked the nurse, shocked.
“Now, as to that, Jason, I don’t know why. I am only here to watch over you in a nursing capacity,” she says with a secret smile as we waited for the elevator to hit the top floor.
Get your copy here!
https://geni.us/SigmaWorlds1
Thank you for coming to check out my new series. Here is chapter 1 for you!
Book 1 of The Doomsday System
Chapter 1- The Broken Battlemage
The rain coming down my back as I wait for the taxi is cold. My breathing mask comes loose, so I adjust it again. It’s been years since I needed to wear it all the time. Well, more like since everyone was required to wear one. Apparently, it’s worse down near the equator, where the air is so hot that just breathing hurts.
Finally, the taxi shows up, and the back door opens automatically. Getting in, I sit down in the plastic-covered seat, and the door closes behind me.
“Destination, Citizen?” says the metallic voice of the taxi’s AI.
“Paradigm Alpha Building 4,” I tell it, my voice muffled from the breathing mask.
“Very good, Paradigm Alpha Building 4. ETA is ten minutes, is that acceptable, Citizen?”
Sighing, I tell it, “Yes, that is fine.”
The taxi moves into the traffic lane, and I am on my way. Not sure what this is about, but the managers at Paradigm Alpha want to see me, urgently. I have been working for them now for well over twelve years. Earth is going down the toilet; between there being barely any livable places with decent levels of oxygen, the wars going on between China and Russia, and now possibly the USACan coalition getting dragged into it, it isn’t looking good. Folks need an escape, and that is where Paradigm Alpha comes in. Virtual Worlds. Free from war, famines, or even lack of air to breathe.
Looking out the window, I try to remember what the sun looks like. I haven’t seen sunshine in Alaska in over a year. After the devastation of Beijing, when Russia nuked it, the cloud cover has started to envelop much of Earth. Most food is now grown underground, away from any kind of radiation. At least they say that’s the reason, but I think it’s just because we are waiting for the day when all the nukes start to fly. USACan is the last big country that has managed to stay out of it so far.
Europe is defending itself from Russia, which is trying to get a foothold there since they want the land and the resources after the Russian military stripped theirs bare. India is siding with China. The Islamic states have cut off access to all their countries, and nothing is going in or out. Most places on the equator are unlivable, so countries like Mexico, South America, and even the older states like Florida and California are deserted, with barely any breathable oxygen. I mean, there are holdouts, but most of the world now lives near the North and South pole locations. Alaska might be wet, but at least it’s not killer hot. I feel the car stop, and looking up I see that we have made it to Paradigm Alpha Building 4.
“You have reached your destination, Citizen. I have deducted the amount of 32 credits from your account. Thank you, have a good day,” says
the Taxi’s AI, and the door opens.
Getting out, I am back in the rain and looking up at the tall building. This is the fourth major building that Paradigm Alpha owns, and it’s one of their newest and biggest. If I remember correctly, it’s over 100 stories high. My meeting is actually on floor 99. At least the power is on, so I don’t need to climb up all those steps. Though knowing Paradigm Alpha, they most likely have underground generators.
Going into the building, I take off my mask and store it in the side pouch that everyone now wears. It’s like wearing a watch. You never leave home without it. Taking a deep breath and getting clean air instead of canned air feels good. Oh, I am sure the air in here is canned too, but it’s also not a mask on your face. Looking around, I see that there are security personnel near the elevators, and force fields cutting off the area in sections.
Walking towards them, I flash my badge and they let me through. I have one of the rare gold passes, meaning I am someone important. Which I am not really. I am an overworked bug reporter. The fact that I am also one of the rare people who can connect to the VR system at a deeper state means I can find bugs easier. Upper management wanted to make sure I could get to work easier and faster. So gold pass it is. Though, if you look at the salary of the gold pass employees of Paradigm Alpha, I am the lowest. By millions and millions of credits. Honestly, the pay for this job is meager, but it’s paid my rent and oxygen fees for the last 12 years.
Once I am past security, I head towards the bank of elevators and press the button. While waiting I wonder, like I have been since I got the call to come in, what this is about. My boss Max didn’t tell me anything, other than that I needed to come in, and that this was urgent. Probably a bug they found and needed my help to narrow down its impact. In the last 12 years, I have learned to be fantastic at what they call Impact Assessment. Telling upper management what the effect of a bug would be. Especially if it had monetary impact in the real world.