“They spend the rest of their lives experiencing joy and excitement in the SRU and when their bodies give out and they pass on, they fade out of the SRU just like everyone does when they log out. This way they remain at peace until the end without experiencing the physical pain that accompanies death.”
I was beginning to put the pieces together and interrupted.
“And you want to hook me up to the SRU in order to let me live the remainder of my life without feeling the pain of my demise.”
Mr. Evermoss could hear the hurt and sarcasm in my voice. He placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezed it gently, and removed it while shaking his head.
“No,” he stated. “Not quite. What I am offering you is the other part of this research. We have offered it to every person who has undergone our tests, but they have all refused. You also have that right, but I request you hear me out first. The other thing we are researching here is called PPC, which stands for Permanent Player Character.
“All of our tests have shown positive results, but we haven't been able to get anyone to agree to becoming a PPC. Basically, a PPC is a neurological copy of yourself. You would stay in the SRU through the remainder of your life in this world just like the others in this unit, but instead of being logged out when you die, your entire mind is copied into the SRU and saved so that you can continue to live your life as a character in the game. Memories, personality, thought process, everything you are is copied into the SRU so that it isn't just a copy of you in the SRU. It is you.
“Of course, you would still be a player, meaning that if you died in the game you would resurrect at the last city you visited. Your SRU life wouldn't end like NPC lives end when they die. Basically, you could continue your life far beyond the time that you have left as your avatar doesn't age and will continue to exist in the SRU for as long as there is an SRU.”
I processed what Roland was saying slowly. That was when a seed of doubt and mistrust formed, and I had to voice it. “Is this just some scheme to keep me working as a hacker deterrent even after my death?”
Shock formed on his face for a brief moment, but he regained his composure quickly and responded, with slight hurt in his voice. “Of course not. That never crossed my mind. I offered this to you simply because Aurora came to me in tears and begged me to do something to help if I could.”
He left me feeling ashamed at myself for a brief moment, then he confirmed my suspicions. “Of course, if you were willing to continue your work for SimTech you would be compensated.”
Seeing the anger on my face, Mr. Evermoss went on the defensive, lifting his arms like a barrier. “Now, please hear me out. I honestly wasn't considering using you or anything of the sort, but since you brought it up, I had a sudden thought. Just as you have the right to turn down becoming a PPC, you also have the right to refuse this offer.
“Officially, once your physical body dies, you are eligible to receive your life insurance policy and your ten-year employment contract is void so you no longer have to work for us.”
“Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “What do you mean I am eligible to receive my insurance policy?”
Mr. Evermoss gave me an impish grin and pulled out a document he had hidden underneath his suit jacket. “This is a document you can use to change the beneficiary of your life insurance policy. I see here that you currently have a charity listed to receive your funds, but if you become a PPC you will be able to list your character as a beneficiary and the money can then be given to you in SRU currency.
“Anyway, as I was saying,” he continued as if I hadn't interrupted. “You will be able to continue your life in the SRU if you choose to become a PPC, but you don't have to work for us. If you do wish to continue your employment you will receive your full compensation, tax-free, in SRU currency. It will be the exact employment you are currently under. You can live your life normally in the SRU and only need to be in employee mode when Aurora notifies you of a hacker.
“I won't pretend that we don't need you, Lisa. You are the best programmer I've ever seen and the best bet we have to stop hackers. I'm not trying to swindle you. You are free to accept both offers, just the PPC offer, or neither if you are so inclined, but please take some time to think about it before you make a decision. I'll be awaiting your response.”
He then walked away leaving me to my thoughts.
I refused to be taken back to my home by the scientist. Instead, I took the time to walk around headquarters, taking a long route home to clear my head.
What Mr. Evermoss said was tempting. I wasn't ready to die yet. My life was just starting, well technically my life in the SRU was just starting. I had no life outside of the SRU. Lisa Hampton had become my secondary being. She had no family, no friends, and she had no life beyond work. She was basically a vessel which housed Valkyrie's personality while Valkyrie slept.
My entire life was the SRU and I lived it well. My SRU family consisted of Aurora, Merissa, and Zephyra. My friends and relationships spanned species. My battle skills, crafting skills, magical abilities, and everything else I'd worked so hard to build up would simply disappear when I died. On the other hand, what had I actually accomplished in my human life outside the SRU?
By the time I made it home, I had made my decision. I would participate in the PPC program and continue my employ with SimTech. I was surprised it took me as long as it had to come to that decision. Once I had, it seemed like it had been the only natural choice. How could I let the real me disappear just because Lisa Hampton was dying? How could I abandon my work when I was the only person SimTech could depend on to defend against hackers?
I chose to leave my life insurance policy in the hands of charity. I didn't need the money as my store provided me a steady income and I was going to be making one million gold coins a month in SRU currency as a game master due to the conversion rate.
Two days after making my decision I was lying in one of the hospital beds in the PPC Research Center while they hooked up all the necessary wires to monitor my status. Once everything was hooked up, and my IV was attached to give me my liquid nourishment, I felt the bands of my SRU-visor encase my head for the last time.
As everything went black, in that brief moment between leaving this reality and entering my reality, I bid farewell forever to Lisa Hampton.
Author Notes
Thank you for reading the first novel in the Virtual Me series, Valkyrie. I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider leaving a review and rating on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews help the author by providing feedback and they also help readers determine whether a story is something they may be interested in.
Virtual Me is not a series of novels that follow a single protagonist through multiple adventures. Instead, it is similar to stories like Piers Anthony’s Xanth novels in which each novel is separate and can be read as a single story. Characters from one story may show up in another, but each story is a standalone novel with a different protagonist.
I am currently working on the second Virtual Me novel and hope to have it out soon. However, I’m also finishing up two other novels that will also be parts of duologies. One is called My Damned School Days: Body and the other, The Gemstone Chronicles: Transformation.
My plan is to have both of these novels available by April or May as both are in the final stages of editing. Once those are completed, I will focus on the second Virtual Me novel, Nighthawk.
I would also like to thank BOBooks for creating the beautiful cover art for this novel.
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