by Dawn Chapman
“Have you thought about going on quests?”
I knew A.I. would set these up for players, but what kinds of quests would I like? To be honest in my life right now I liked the sound of it all. I wanted to do everything I could.
Miles’s information about the world was so interesting, by the time the plane landed on the now private island in the Philippines, I found myself exhausted but thrilled to be a part of this. I wanted to play the game right now.
Miles, however, had other ideas. “You’ll get to meet Leaton soon. Then you’ll have some quick tests before we lot you in. It’ll be done in stages over the next couple of weeks. You’re actually one of the first thirty, number twenty-seven to be precise.”
“Does that make a difference?”
Miles looked away. “Algorithms, that’s all I’m going to say. I’ll show you to your room where you can rest up. Dinner will be brought to you. There are movies in the system if you’re not tired, but after dinner, I think you’ll sleep well enough. Then I’ll call to wake you at seven.”
I yawned, but I really didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to see the facility, meet all the staff, maybe the other players, and learn more. I was so unprepared for this. They’d probably been playing games with their friends for years. I felt so out of it.
However, Miles departed, leaving me with my bag and nothing else. I did try the door only to find it locked. I pulled on it, harder and slapped on the door until my hands went red. This scared me a lot. I hated being locked up. I sucked in ragged breaths and wiped the tears from my eyes. This was more about Andy than anything else, pure frustration.
They served dinner alongside another video and a brochure, which I flicked through. It explained more of the differences between Puatera’s gaming systems and some of the others on the market. I found this fascinating. Most immersion rigs were haptic feedback suits, some of them even changing temperature. Even the neural link tech was only a limited sensation. Puatera’s suits were the first full-sensation tech of its type, and I really was impressed. I hoped it would feel as good as they publicised it up to be. Or I’d consider going home early.
Chapter 3
Had I expected the bed to feel so silky against my skin and soft underneath me, I think I would have wanted to stay here forever... not just the six months. A gentle alarm woke me. I stretched and reluctantly got up to dress, not wanting to leave the comfort of the bed. There was going to be some kind of testing today.
Man, my brain was on overload with all the info Miles had given me, but I felt like I was finally ready to try this. Nervous, I tried the door again finding it unlocked, but I didn’t open it. I just stared at it and then returned to sit on the bed. Tears welled up, and I pulled my knees to my chest. What the hell was I doing?
I heard a knock at the door, and it slid open a couple of seconds later, and Miles was waiting for me. He wasn’t wearing a suit this morning, just slacks and a shirt. I could see the designs of a tattoo peeking through his shirtsleeve.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Sleep was great, thank you.”
“We need to do some tests before you have your breakfast, then I’ll take you for food. Is that all right?”
I nodded. I then wondered if I’d been locked in my room after all or had it been me.
The corridors Miles walked me down were ordinary, much like any hotel might have, slick walls and carpet, but then it entered a slightly different side of the complex. The walls turned white, and there was no carpet, just vinyl flooring, which I didn’t mind either. My high heels were replaced with soft sports shoes for travelling, and they squeaked across the floor. By the time we reached the first doorway, I felt a little nervous. I wondered what type of tests there would be and how I would react.
Miles stared at me before he palmed the panel and the door opened to a small room. There stood a male nurse in blue scrubs, a woman in a beige skirt, white shirt, and boots, and a lady in a white lab coat and slacks. The woman in beige introduced herself as Jane. She was the woman I’d spoke to on the phone. She somehow gave me a warm and genuine vibe, but I was too embarrassed to speak about things. I tend not to open myself up to strangers, as it felt extremely uncomfortable for me.
The woman in the lab coat, who I assumed was a doctor, held out her hand out. As soon as I shook it, she said, “I’m Doctor Duo. There aren’t many tests. Just general health and fitness examinations, and we’ll take some blood, and have you do a few running exercises, as easy as it sounds.”
“Okay.” I gave her a nod.
I was weighed, and my height was taken. They worked out my body fat, bone density, muscle, and water ratio, with a 3D scanner. I wasn’t shocked at my weight, but my muscle mass and bone density could have been better. The doctor actually asked me if I liked dairy products and said they’d organise my nutritional diet around their results to make sure I gained in all the right places. I hoped it meant I might come out of the six months toned and sexier than I was now. After the exertion, I felt mentally taxed and frumpy, though I knew I was fairly fit but on the skinny side.
Doctor Duo walked me into another room where she asked me to do some exercises on the treadmill and soon had me worked up and sweating. I’m used to running and have been for most of my life. My general fitness levels weren’t all bad, but maybe I had let it slide a little. If only I had been to the gym more and not just the last month.
When the treadmill stopped, Jane handed me a bottle of water. “Well done. They’ll let you know all your results in a few minutes. If you want to shower off and wait in the sitting room, there’s a shower second door on the left, and I left you some new clothes. With your virtual shopping accounts, I think we got the sizes right.”
When she left me, I finished the water and went for a shower. It was nice and refreshing, and the water here seemed to melt all the stress away.
My stomach grumbled as I towelled off and got dressed. Waiting in the sitting room, I hadn’t been in there long when Jane came in with a tray of food. It smelled lovely, fresh eggs and toast.
“We already have a sense of what you’ve been used to eating. Sorry, social media allowed us inside some of your more personal moments,” Miles said.
I laughed. “So, you think I like eggs and toast in the morning because of my social media?”
Miles smirked. “Especially after a workout. It will do you good.”
The doctor came in a moment later and moved to sit before me. “You’re a very healthy young woman.” She smiled. “You could do with more muscle instead of a few pounds of fat, but all in all, you’re one of the better shaped and healthiest we’ve checked out so far.”
I grinned and shoved a piece of toast in my face. Miles laughed at this.
“I think we starved her for too long, though.”
I swallowed. “Sorry, but I didn’t really eat much yesterday with the breakup and a hangover. This is the first decent meal I’ve had.”
Miles frowned. “I’m sorry. You should have said something. I would’ve brought you more.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. I think I would have just thrown it up.”
“Well, we’ll give you a moment to eat your breakfast, and then I’d like to take you to where your pod will be stationed. There’s a room for each of you. Did Miles explain it all?”
“Very thoroughly,” I said, trying my best to remember the entirety of our conversation. I allowed myself to smile at her. “I’m looking forward to getting settled and seeing what things I can achieve in the game.”
“I believe this is your first time playing anything?” Doctor Duo asked with a slight smile.
With a mouthful of buttery eggs, it was hard to talk, but I tried. “Yes, but I listened to Andy and his friends most Saturday afternoons. I think I have a good grasp of what to do and what not to do. Mostly, I just want to have some fun and learn things. Be someone different for a while.”
The doctor nodded. “Shall we?” She gestured to the door, and I realised
I had nothing left on my plate.
I still wondered what the hell I was doing. Six months dedicated to this game, to a different way of life—would people follow me online? Would I be interesting? What would happen if I just continued to die and never learned anything at all? This cost a lot of money for it to be wasted like that.
“I can’t back out now, can I?” I asked, hesitating in the doorway.
For some reason, I looked to Miles. Jane glanced at me and then to the doctor. It was the doctor who answered. “Of course, you’re not under lock and key, Emma. You can leave us at any time. Just go back to your life and don’t worry about it.” So I hadn’t been locked in my room? Maybe I just hadn’t tugged hard enough on the handle. I sighed and put that down to my stress levels.
The fact was I didn’t want to go back to my life. Something was pulling me towards the door. I needed to experience it. And if I could escape my life, and be someone else, maybe I’d learn who I really was, who I wanted to be in the real world.
So I spoke, “I’m fine, let’s go. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this all works.”
The doctor smiled, and we took a lift down to an entirely new section.
Then we found my doorway, room 27. Generic and tidy. There was a bed, bathroom, a fridge, and a TV station with a computer system. Miles waited outside, and Jane showed me inside.
“You can be logged in for as long as seven days,” she said, “which will be equal to three weeks in-game. After that, you’ll need to log out for a full day where we will check you over and get some real food into you.”
“Is there anything else I really need to know?”
“After your first two days, those who subscribe to our channels will be able to pick players to follow. This helps pay the bills too. The more followers you have, the higher your payout as a percentage when you leave the game.”
“I had no idea I’d be watched…” This worried me a lot. Once inside, would I be able to forget and still play or would I constantly be worried about taking a bath or using a toilet?
“There’s some privacy, hence the two-day delay on streaming.”
I released the air in my lungs. “How did you know I was worried about it?”
“The look on your face.” She laughed.
I was taken aback when Jane showed me into the next room. “This is where you’ll spend most of your time.”
It was five feet wide and maybe eight feet across. The floor seemed to be made of black rubber. There were also several silver rings and square ports at opposite ends. It looked like a weird kind of sunbathing spray booth.
“Your suit is on the bed. If you want to change, we’ll get you inside and maybe have a short test run?” Doctor Duo suggested.
I glanced at Jane, whose face lit up. “Don’t worry. I’m assigned to the first thirty players. I’ll be around while you’re in the room. There won’t be any other access but the Doc, maybe one of the nurses, and myself. We’re a small team here.”
I shook my head. “I’m just nervous and excited.”
Doctor Duo moved to the side, and I went to the bed to pull out the suit. It felt wonderful, and I wondered how it might be against my skin.
I called out, “No underwear?”
Jane was the one to reply. “No, commando is fine.”
I stripped off, shrugging out of my pants and shirt, and then stepped into the suit. I thought it might be difficult to get into, like a wetsuit, so tough that you had to wriggle in, but it wasn’t. It slid over my calves and legs as if it were made just for me, like every tiny crevice in the material fit me. I pulled the sleeves on, and with the toggle at the back, managed to zip it up. I wanted to see what I looked like, but there were no mirrors.
I moved back to the main room and the open doorway of the pod room. “How does this all work, really. I mean I can’t not pee or... you know?”
“Once you’re inside, the room itself will take care of all of it. Some VR systems like using pods, but for our trials, we like full access, so it’s an open room.”
I laughed, but it was a nervous one. “How can a room take care of all that?”
Jane ushered me inside and towards one of the far walls. “Here you go.” She pulled out a long thin wire with a male attachment at the end. “You’ll feel a little discomfort as the node attaches to the back of your neck and lower back, but once it is, all body waste products will be filtered through the system. You’ll get all the nutrition and water you need to survive, and the waste you produce is taken out exactly the same way.”
I pondered this. It sounded like some kind of dialysis. I only knew about those because my nan had kidney failure. “Okay, I think I understand most of it. I’m ready to give it a try,” I said.
“There are two depressions in the centre of the room. They’ll glow when you move inside and place your feet on them. The room will take care of the rest.”
I stepped inside, seeing the floor glow. I wanted to turn and run then, but Jane’s smiling face encouraged me in a way I hadn’t expected it to. “It will be all right, Emma. We’re just outside the room. When or if you have had enough, use your left hand to pick Exit to the right of what you’ll see across your eyes. It will be like looking at the world. With a text box to help you, you can wave the box away at any time, but mostly, it will give you all the info you’ll need.”
“Thank you, both.” I stepped inside the depressions. The floor indeed felt spongy, like rubber. There was a faint glow from the centre where I should place my feet, so I did. I turned to face them, watching the glass door slide closed as they left the room, and then their faces vanished. The room darkened until I couldn’t see anything at all.
Then I heard Jane’s voice. “We’re initialising the A.I. now. Breathe in deep. There’s a slight anaesthetic in the air, so when you’re connected to the system for the first time, you won’t feel it.”
I held my breath at first feeling the air change in temperature, and although I couldn’t see anything, I did smell it. Then I forced myself to relax and breathe in deeply. “The A.I. will only do the procedure when your body is relaxed.”
That was when I felt myself float into the air. I almost choked and laughed aloud. Then I heard something else, a whoosh, and felt someone or something cradling the back of my neck, tilting me backward. I tried to move but found I couldn’t. I panicked only for a moment and then felt pressure at the back of my neck. And then, my whole world went black.
I peeked, and a white mist surrounded me. Then a voice whispered, “Akillia, please open your eyes.”
I forced them open. The mist surrounding me replaced the dark with brightness as I was now in a blank white room.
Chapter 4
The room appeared to be a holding area. It transformed from white to being just a grey box with a light blue grid, marking off regular intervals of some unknown measurement. I admit I was sort of disappointed. I mean, this was early beta, but I was still expecting some sort of visuals. A field, a house… something. It made sense, though. Why waste resources on a tutorial that will probably change several times before the product would reach the main market. My opinion would matter, though, right? These were always the last things to make it into the final product, but they held beta trials because of opinions.
“Welcome to Puatera Online!” said a booming disembodied voice. “I am your Tutorial God.” He laughed, and I cringed on the inside. Too corny. His voice was deep and rife with authority, reminding me of my parents when they would lecture me. “Before we drop you into the world, you should get acclimated to your new environment. Please walk and look around—jump, crawl, frolic, run, and otherwise, go crazy dancing about in your new body while we calibrate the settings.”
Look around? Not much to look at. I looked at myself, really expecting not much more than floating hands at this point, what with the lacklustre surroundings. I was smooth and pale, like a robot or a mannequin, but I definitely had a body. So I jumped, crawled, frolicked, and generally, ran about
like a lunatic. This actually felt good.
“Thank you. Now, for fine motor controls, please mimic the following movements.” Images of various gestures and yoga poses appeared in front of me on shimmering ethereal screens. I copied each one to the best of my ability. Which is to say, I copied them perfectly, a feat I never would have accomplished in the real world for most of the yoga poses.
“Perfect. You get a gold star.” An actual gold star appeared in front of me and flew onto my chest. I giggled in surprise.
“On to command prompts, and then we throw you in the deep end. Don’t worry. We’ll give you a swimsuit first.” Everything about this experience just made me so giddy with excitement. At least they tried to put a little entertainment into this bare-bones experience. “To issue a command, just click your tongue first, and then say the word or phrase. Try it now to call up the system menu. Say System Menu, but without the word say.” I clicked my tongue and said, “System menu.” Another ethereal screen sprang to life in front of me. There was a list of items with a button to the left of each one, creating bullet points.
The Tutorial God spoke up again. “You can either push the buttons to make your choices, or you can use a command prompt and say the menu item. If the system menu is closed, simply saying the menu item as a command prompt and it will select the item and issue forth that screen, saving you valuable time. You can call up any status screen in the same manner.
“Many actions within the game require specific gestures and/or command prompts to activate. Please be aware other players will still see and hear what you are doing. The game will always hear and recognise a command prompt, no matter how quietly you speak it. Remember that, too, when you want to be sneaky.”
The screen before me closed automatically, and several mannequins popped up from the ground. They were all dressed to resemble the various starting races in the game. I had heard there were ways to unlock other races to play, but they cost much more money than I had. As I looked at each mannequin, a screen appeared above their head with a bunch of stats on it.