Dream Storm Online
Page 15
Brad looked up and saw the first officer looking at him through the window. Why was he staring at him? Why wasn’t he out there looking for Joey? It disconcerted him.
“Mr Bradley?”
“Err… yes, yes of course. Whatever it takes to find Joey.”
“If you’ll just come this way sir, follow me.”
Brad followed Officer Jones into a third room in the trailer. It was smaller than the others, and the windows had been covered with black out blinds. Aside from the light emanating from the TV, the room was pitch black.
“Please sir, if you would,” said Officer Jones, pointing to a black leather chair facing the television.
As he sat down, Brad noticed a couple of headsets on the desk in front of him. Just as he was about to ask what they were for, Officer Jones spoke.
“As I said in the main room, this is a new technology that we’ve introduced this year. Missing children are common at these kinds of events, and previous research has found that taking the parents back to the scene of the disappearance can help to trigger memories that can help us find their children. Do you game much Mr Bradley?”
“Game? Not really. I mean, I used to when I was a kid. But I’ve not played anything for maybe ten years.”
“Well, it’s very straightforward and anyone who has played before should pick things up pretty fast. Plus, I will enter the simulation with you and guide you through everything. How long would you say it’s been since Joey disappeared?”
“Maybe an hour,” Brad replied. The words seemed to remind him that he should return to the park and start looking.
Officer Jones typed a few figures into the keyboard, and passed Brad one of the headsets. “Now, when we enter the park, things will be different, and this can feel a bit disconcerting to some people. You may notice some people in the simulation who didn’t travel here with you and Joey today, and you may notice certain things stand out. If there’s anything strange that you notice, I want you to let me know so I can make a note of it. Sergeant Black will be following up on my notes as I write them down.”
“Okay…”
“Now the researchers who created the software that we’re going to use have designed it to feel a bit like a game. I can tell by your face that you think it’s a stupid idea, and I did too at first. However, you’re going to have to trust me on this when I say that it works. When tested in real life situations, over 90% of missing children were found.
“You won’t level up, or receive quests like you would in a traditional game, however you will be led in certain directions based on how you react and the things that happen. The simulation will change course based on your experiences, your memories and everything that happened here tonight, and if you seem to be fighting the simulation or going in a different direction to what it requests, I will redirect you back onto course. I will be there with you every step of the way, and if you have any questions or feel uncomfortable, just let me know and we can come straight out. Does everything make sense?”
“Yes,” replied Brad. He wasn’t especially keen on the fact the game would be able to read his memories. He’d heard of virtual reality, of course he had. Game had a special offer on the Rift the Christmas just gone. But it hadn’t been this involved… had it?
“Great. If you want to pick up the headset closest to you and put it on, I’ll start up the software. Let me know when you’re comfortable and we’ll head in.”
Brad did as requested, and was surprised to find how comfortable the headset was. He’d expected to have some wires attached to his temples, or be placed inside some kind of scanner so that the software could see what was happening in his brain. The effortlessness of the headset didn’t make sense, and it seemed, to him at least, like some kind of futuristic design that shouldn’t be legal.
With Officer Jones watching him intently, though, he had no way of refusing without make himself look suspicious. He would never hurt his son, but he didn’t want the officers thinking that he would when they should be out there looking for him.
“I’m ready,” Brad replied.
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