“Great! So what do I do now?”
“Two things; First, can you give me a name? And then you should open the door and enter your new virtual home.”
“A name…” Kevin grinned. He didn’t know why, but the voice reminded him of …
“How about Samantha, but I’ll also call you Sam for short?”
“I sense that you have a special connection to that name. Thanks, Kevin, you can call me Samantha or Sam.” For some reason, the voice changed just a little, but in a way that made Kevin feel good about his choice.
Kevin then slowly opened the door, and concentrating on his every motion, he entered the room. It felt a little easier to move. All the time he was speaking to Sam, he had to carefully form each word.
The room was a space 7-meters square, with no other doors or windows. There was a sort of tan colored soft carpeting that reminded him of his apartment. The odd thing was the light, the room was lit, but there was no light source.
“For a home, this place is very empty.”
“Would you like to customize your home? Or if you wish I would add some features that I think you would like? You can always change it later.”
“Go for it.” said Kevin.
The space around Kevin expanded and changed.
The room changed into a living room with windows on two sides, covered by curtains, with a couch, two chairs, end tables and lamps all around a central coffee table. The far wall disappeared, and a full kitchen appeared, separated from the living room by a bar. In the kitchen, he could see an island in the middle of the floor surrounded by all the normal appliances. To his right there appeared to be two doors.
“Again wow, this is great… it’s comfortable and functional. Thanks, Sam. It’s like you can read my mind hahaha.”
“Thank you, Kevin.” For some reason, the way she said his name still sounded like she was saying ‘thank you, master.' Her voice somehow conveyed that she was pleased, to please him… Focus.
He walked into the Kitchen and opened the refrigerator, inside were all his favorite foods, including a 6 pack of his favorite beer in the door. He picked up a can, opened it and took a drink. It tasted just right… and so good.
“Every think feels and taste so real.”
“It should, Kevin, your every experience is matched to those I am mapping in your brain. So it is real or as your memories and experiences can make it.”
Kevin was just blown away by how advanced this technology was. But as he took a moment to think about it, if Intelecom invented a true A.I., that in its self could explain a lot of things. He tried to imagine a world or worlds designed by an A.I. using supercomputers.
“So what are the doors for?”
Samantha replied, “One leads to a bedroom, and the other leads to a training room.”
“What would I need with a bedroom?” Having a training room to get ready for the game made sense, and he could see how it would help advance the calibration, by helping him learn to move. But why did he need a bedroom?
“You can sleep in the game or in your room here, sleeping in either will let you refresh yourself at game speed. Just remember that time you spend in the game will also tire you out at game speed too. But one advantage to the pod is that after a regular real world day, two real compressed hours in the pod will refresh your body and mind like eight hours of sleep.” said Samantha.
Kevin thought about that for a minute, it didn’t seem possible. “How does that work.”
“I’m sorry Kevin, but you are not cleared for that information. In time you may learn the details, and I’ll be happy to help you get to the point where this will all make sense, but for now this information is restricted.”
Well, he could understand a company wanting to protect its secrets…
“So can you help me get ready for playing the game?”
“Yes, go through the door on your left; that is your training room.”
Kevin carefully walked over to the door and entered the new room. He was almost moving normally now, but he still felt like he had to focus to move right.
This new room was pretty big, measuring roughly 16 by 16 meters in size, Kevin estimated. The floor felt like a wrestling mat, both firm, and giving.
Samantha said, “Ok, I suggest starting with some stretching and warm up exercises. As part of the calibration process; I have mapped your current physical condition. So what you’re able to do now will match what your body is able to do.”
Kevin started doing some stretches and basic fitness exercises. Samantha chimed in from time to time with suggestions on how best to stretch his muscles. He was embarrassed that he, a 24-year-old man could only manage 11 full push-ups and 25 sit-ups.
“Can’t you just give me a better body in the game?” he complained.
“No, it’s part of the mechanics to match your real starting point as part of the immersion. For the sake of in-game body management and other physiological and psychological reasons, Intelecom has set some limits on what we can change. I can change your appearance to a degree. Otherwise, the only way I can enhance your body is if you were handicapped.”
“So I can’t change my height, but I can change my skin, hair, and facial features?”
“Yes, but only up until you start playing the game.”
Kevin and Samantha spent the next in-game hour modifying his appearance. He still looked close to the same, but different enough that he would not be too easily recognized as Kevin Asharic.
By now Kevin felt like he was moving normally, he didn’t have to concentrate to move any longer.
“So what can you tell me about the game?”
“I’m only allowed to tell you that it’s futuristic, like science fiction.” replied Samantha.
“So the game has no swords and sorcery?”
“Sorry, I can’t tell you anything more. I can suggest a course of training that might help you in the game, though.”
“Good, by the way, how is the calibration going?” asked Kevin.
“The calibration is at 76% and the current time compression is at 3.77 to 1.”
“And what is the time outside?”
“6:43 pm” replied Samantha.
“I should stop now, get something to eat, and then I can continue on for only a few more hours… I need to work tomorrow morning, so I’ll have to stop at 11 pm to get some sleep.”
“Kevin, did you forget that you can both eat and sleep in the pod?”
“Yeah, I’m kind of used to having to stop when playing with MMORPG’s. But sure, let’s make today a test of your claims about sleeping in the pod.”
“Great, Kevin I can’t wait to show you what I can do for you. You’ll find your dinner ready for you in the kitchen.”
The way Samantha said that had his mind going to other places than food… Focus Kevin…
In the kitchen, Kevin found his dinner, lasagna with meat sauce, garlic bread, a small salad and a glass of wine. Kevin continued to be amazed. He tasted the wine, a Chianti, perfect. Again did she read his mind? This was perfect.
“Thanks again Samantha, how did you make this so quick?”
“It’s not magic, everything you see here are just sensations I am building in your mind. Think of it as a sort of dream I’m building at your command.”
Kevin started eating, everything was so good. He looked around his virtual home, this could easily be addicting… about that.
“Samantha, there is something we need to talk about.”
“How may I serve you, Kevin.” that sounded very suggestive, and he saw a pattern.
“Um, the way you’re talking to me is very suggestive, like your offering to have sex with me.”
“Well Kevin, yes, it would please me to please you. I know it has been a while since you have had physical intimacy with a woman, can I help you with this?”
“First how; you have no body. And second, there’s something about all this…” Kevin waved his hands around to indicate the space, the food, and everyth
ing, “that is too nice, I’m worried about becoming so addicted to this, that I’ll never want to leave.”
All the sudden a girl appeared next to him. She was about 1.7 meters tall, with short blond hair, parted on her right, a very attractive young face, and a perfect figure, with B to C sized breasts. In other words, she looked like his idea of a perfect female.
“I can have a body, if it will help me serve you better, Kevin.” Again she said his name in a way that also implied ‘master.' “And you need not fear addiction; I carefully watch your mind for any abnormality. I want you to be healthy and happy; I am designed to help you, not bind you. Oh, I see your other concern… you need not worry about me becoming jealous of other women in your life. What makes you happiest, and the best person you can be is what fulfills me, by design.”
“Well in that case…” A man has his limits, and this was, after all, a full test of the system, right? So better get to the testis, uh, I mean on with the test… Kevin spent the next hour finding new ways that Samantha could amaze him.
***
After about an hour he was back to the training room. This time, he trained with a physical Samantha as a coach. She told him his program for the next five real days would include: physical development, martial arts, small arms practice, and survival training. It turned out that the training room could work like a holodeck to simulate different environments for survival training, also providing a variety of martial art opponents, and targets for small arms training.
Kevin was surprised at how quickly he was picking up some of the skills. At the end of the first night, just before going to bed he commented on this to Samantha.
“Yes, Kevin, as part of the Alpha test and the Gold level subscription, I am able to download training modules to assist in helping you learn new skills.”
“How does that work?”
“Well I can’t go into the technical details, but take martial arts as an example. Intelecom mapped the skills of some of the best martial artists. So as you train in martial arts, and you move the right way, I reinforce the right moves in your mind, or if you move wrong, you feel that the movement was wrong without me having to tell you. It works like you have a natural talent. Just like some people have a natural talent for playing a sport. In this training hall, and only here, not in the game, I can help you learn any physical skill like someone with a natural talent for it.”
Kevin let that sink in for a bit.
“Good night Kevin. You only have a couple hours left before you need to get ready for work. Now that the pod calibration is complete, two hours of rest will do you a lot of good.” Samantha reminded him.
He still had many questions about all of this, but it could wait. “Good night Samantha.”
***
The next morning he ate breakfast with Samantha, and then exited the pod, feeling more refreshed than should be possible with only 2 real hours of sleep.
***
The rest of the day, while at work, he kept thinking about getting back home to his new virtual life. The people, especially a few of the girls he worked with noticed his improved attitude and energy.
Chapter 3 – Train Hard
“A side benefit this project will offer to the players, and one that we hope will drive sales and ensure a high degree of participation from the people of Earth is how the game should affect them physically. Your average Earth Human is one-third to half as physically fit as the average Human in the Imperium. They suffer from a host of virtually unknown ailments, and many are even obese…” James paused at the blank looks and frowns of his little audience. “Let me explain, obese is the term they use to describe people so overweight with fat that it’s a medical problem… I know it’s hard to imagine, it’s just a sign of how primitive they are…”
“Getting back to my point, those people with obesity will find their fat melting away as they play the game, thanks to the nanites. The players will get stronger and have a lot fewer medical problems. I have run some A.I. driven projections, and provided the people of the wealthier nations can afford the game pods, over 63% of the people will buy them. They may not use all them to play Omnia, some may buy them and use them for the time compression feature. It’s estimated that 10% of those people will just buy them for the sleep compression and physical training they will offer.”
“Imagine a whole world of people that spend a third of their very short lives just sleeping.” James wanted to shudder at the thought of all the time wasted.
***
Kevin had the next five days until the start of the alpha testing, he calculated that with time compression, that would give him nearly two virtual weeks to get in shape and train, even while still going to work.
Kevin’s training really took off on the day after his new pod was delivered. This first day, Samantha set up a training course for him.
The first thing to surprise him was that Samantha wanted him to wear a backpack and gun on a belt while exercising. In the backpack, there were packs of water with electrolytes, and it weighed about five kilograms.
“Why do you want me to carry a gun and backpack while training?” asked Kevin.
“This training is not just about you getting more fit. You also need to learn other skills; one of those skills is how to carry a gun while having to move. You should learn to run, dive, roll, and manage any other physical challenge while carrying a weapon.” said Samantha.
Kevin thought, ‘Glad it isn’t a sword, it would probably make me trip.’
“The backpack serves to get you used to carrying one when you need to, and the weight will help you build strength.”
His training course started out with him stretching his muscles, and then he would take off running. The amount of time he would run was calculated by Samantha to provide the best growth to his strength, agility, and constitution. After running, Samantha would have him switch to another exercise, like practicing martial arts, or practice shooting targets. When Samantha felt he was recovered enough, she had him back to running.
His training was broken up with meals, and after the meal, he would find the terrain had changed. He would be on a road, in a forest, on a mountain or desert. The swamp really sucked… each step the mud would suck at his feet, and then there would be a slurping sound when his foot came free.
For the first three days, this was how he trained. Each day, more stuff was put in the backpack, like extra ammo, rations, and more water.
On the fourth day, Samantha added the obstacles. He had walls to climb, tunnels to crawl through, a field of tires to step through, and bars to dive and roll over. The course started easy, short walls, big tunnels and tires, a pad to dive and roll on. Over time the difficulty increased.
On the sixth day, targets were added to the obstacle course. Climb over a wall, a man shaped target would pop up. His task was to pull his gun and put two rounds in its chest. The same with the other obstacles, targets would appear from all sides, they would get two rounds each.
On the seventh day, he was expected to make the shots while on the run.
On the eighth day, the targets disappeared. Instead, holo-projection of a person would appear and aim a gun at him, and he would have two seconds to respond.
It was on the eighth day that he was shot for the first time.
He just crawled out of a tunnel, and had his head down, so he didn’t see the man appear. He was just pulling his gun out when he felt a great pain in his chest, as he was knocked back a few paces.
The obstacle course disappeared.
He fell to his knees.
‘I’ve been shot… Is this what it feels like to be shot? Will I die… what happens if…’ thoughts were racing through his head.
“Sam,” he called.
Samantha stepped up to him and waved a hand over his chest, and the bullet wound disappeared.
“What… Why did that hurt so much?” asked Kevin. He’d noticed the feel of the aches and bruises from his training, but they were the regular pains, and he
didn’t think about them but getting shot HURT.
This was when he learned that pain in the game was real. Samantha said the pain level was set at 45%, but could be adjusted up to 60% or down to 30%. When he asked about the adjustment, Samantha paused and asked if he could wait a minute until she could seek permission from Intelecom to give me more information, since this dealt with game mechanics. After getting permission, she informed him that the company felt that the pain level was part of the realism, and there were hidden benefits for players who chose a higher level of pain and hidden penalties for players using lower levels. As a result of this information, Kevin decided to increase the pain level to 60%, if he couldn’t take the pain, he would change it later… But the game seemed to take the term ‘if there’s no pain, there’s no gain’ to another level.
On the day he found out about the option to increase the game's realism, Samantha reconfigured his virtual house by adding a hallway and shifting the training room door and his bedroom to open off the new hall. She also added two other doors, a Bathroom and the door which would eventually open into Omnia Online. It turns out the increased realism included costs other than just pain… having to use the toilet. There was an upside, though, a jacuzzi tub and showers with someone to wash your back… hidden benefits… And the after exercise massages… If everyone had a trainer like Samantha, we would all be as fit as Olympic level athletes.
Kevin got shot a few more times in the following days, but he soon learned to pay better attention to his surroundings. The pain helped his focus. He still didn’t think having people pop up behind him was fair, though.
The ninth day Samantha added buildings for him to clear.
On the tenth day, there was a town to run through. People would appear out of doorways, windows, or from around corners. Kevin found that being shot at by someone behind a dumpster was more than a little irritating, and he was pissed off when the bastard shot him. It’s not easy to target someone who is behind cover and shooting at you.
Lesson learned, use cover.
Omnia Online (Omnia Online Series Book 1) Page 2