by Paul Ormond
For a moment nothing happened and then a voice came in over a loud speaker. “Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to be a part of the future?” the voice asked. The crowd responded with wild cheers and a thunderous applause. Robert Chapman descended slowly from the ceiling, and the crowd began to cheer more and people pointed up as he made his entrance. He paused for a moment and then the music began again. “Welcome to the MIndHIve tech convention,” he boomed to the audience. The inReal tech was capable of projecting his voice so he didn’t even need to use a mic. The crowd roared in approval and Robert began to circle above the audience as he slowly descended to the stage. He came to a rest on top of the glowing cube. There were more cheers and applause. Robert jumped off of the cube and walked around and waved in every direction.
After he shook a few hands he stopped walking and stood for a moment with his head down and his hands flat at his sides. He suddenly looked up and raised his arms in front of him. He made two fists and then raised his arms straight up in the air. From the cube behind him a massive purple orb rose up in the center of the dome. Its glow lit up the faces of everybody in the room.
Mitch looked on in shock. This must have been the power generator that Drak had spoken of. He hadn’t been lying after all. Mitch still had no idea what happened to Drak, but he clearly hadn’t been able to carry out his plan. He toyed with his phone in his pocket. He wondered if they could sense him now.
After several moments of applause, Robert raised his hands and gestured for everybody to be quiet. The people sat back down in their chairs and a hush fell over the room.
“Once again welcome to our MindHIve convention,” Robert said. “As you can see there are a lot things to talk about. I’m sure you are all wondering what this thing behind me is and what the heck it does. We’ll get to that shortly. But we need to talk about all of you first. You are all here because you’ve done something extraordinary and it is our hope that you can use our inReal technology to further your development.” Robert said as he stalked beneath the massive glowing orb.
“Now, how exactly are we going to get all of you onto the inReal system? Well, let me tell you that we have come up with an incredible solution,” Robert said as the crowd applauded. “All of you here today were issued a fancy new Hi5 phone as you entered the convention. I’d like all of you to take out those phones now.” There was moment of shuffling as everybody took out their devices. “Every one of these devices is inReal ready and we are going to activate each of these phones right now using a brand new technology that I‘m sure will blow your minds. Now, I’d like all of you to hold out your phones just like this,” Robert reached into his pocket and held up a phone for all to see. Everybody copied what Robert was doing. Mitch followed suit and he held his new Hi5 phone up like everybody else. He kept his other phone in his pocket. He could feel it against his leg.
Music began to play in the hall again. It had a slow rhythmic feel. As the music played Robert began to swipe to his right with his hand above his head and the sphere slowly began to rotate. “Ok, everybody keep holding your phones up. Do not be afraid. Everything is perfectly under control,” Robert said as he started to swipe faster and the massive orbs rotation began to accelerate. Soon the orb was spinning at a phenomenal rate. As it spun, glowing strands began to appear within the orb. They wrapped and coiled all around each other until a massive purple ball of light sat inside the opaque sphere. The crowd oohed and awed at the spectacle that was unfolding before them. “What you are seeing now, for the first time ladies and gentlemen, is inReal at its purest form,” Robert said as he stopped accelerating the orb and then turned to face the crowd. “This massive ball of energy is generated within the core of the inReal generator and from this generator we can activate the inReal capabilities of each and every device in this auditorium. People prepare to be amazed and please don’t panic. I’ll repeat it again, everything is perfectly under control.”
From the ball of light thousands of purple tentacles began to extend out into the audience. They slowly reached out and began to make contact with the phones people were holding up in their hands. The strands of light wrapped around each individual phone and elevated them into the air before the person holding it. There was a quick flash of light and the tentacle of light retreated leaving the phone hovering in mid-air. The first few people began to snatch their phones out of the air and were attempting to activate the phone then and there. “As your devices are activated I will warn you not to attempt to use inReal at the moment. We will be unlocking the device’s capabilities in seminars throughout the day. Your devices are inReal ready and we will be going through the process of syncing your phone with the InReal network during the orientation process which will be taking place after our opening ceremony,” Robert said as he looked out on all of the ecstatic faces in the crowd.
Mitch was hesitant at first, but he decided it would look strange if he didn’t participate with everybody else. A tentacle reached out and took the phone he held in his hand much like he had seen Drak do in the cave. That whole experience felt like a lifetime ago. The people around him jumped for joy or looked around in disbelief at what they were seeing. The gigantic dome was filled with an intricate network of glowing strands of light. Despite the mass of people in the audience the orb managed to make short work of the crowd and before long the tentacles began to retreat into the sphere. Soon the purple ball of light sat motionless in the spinning orb. Robert raised his hands over his head and crossed his arms. The orb immediately stopped spinning. The rhythmic music slowed and Robert looked out at the crowd.
Suddenly within the orb appeared an enormous projection of Robert’s head. Three more identical projections appeared on the other sides of the orb allowing Robert’s face to loom over everybody in the audience. “I know that you are all beyond excited to get out of here and start learning how to use your inReal devices, but I’ve got something incredibly important to tell all of you before we begin our orientation sessions,” Robert said. His massive face seemed to be looking into each and everybody’s eyes as he spoke. “The security and safety of every single participant in this event is of the utmost importance to myself and to the MindHIve team that has assembled here to pull off the most incredible tech event the world has ever seen. We have taken every single precaution necessary to ensure your safety, but we still can’t account for everything,” he said as he looked around.
Suddenly his face disappeared and it was replaced by a massive projection of Robert’s full body. His real self could be seen walking below the orb and the projection appeared to be a perfect reflection of Robert’s movements and gestures. “I’m going to tell all of you here today something that nobody in the world knows about as of yet,” Robert said. His face was tense and stern. “Last night, in this very dome where we have all gathered today, there was an incident. Some people, it would seem, do not want this event to go as planned. One person in particular had a plan to break into this very facility and sabotage our equipment. This terrorist had a plan to kill all of us and destroy all of the work that so many people have poured their lifetimes into creating,” Robert said.
Robert’s figure disappeared from the orb and suddenly an overhead view of the same stage that Robert was standing on appeared inside the orb, except there wasn’t a massive glowing cube or any people in the audience. “This is actual footage of last night’s incident,” Robert said, as the floor began to open up just as it had a few minutes before. The cube began to rise and Mitch could clearly see Drak standing before the cube. His device was engaged and he seemed to be trying to activate the generator. “This brazen individual with murderous intent, broke into this very facility and tried to destroy the main power generator. It was an act of terrorism and it will not be tolerated,” Robert said. In the projection Drak could be seen looking around while the strike force members slowly pulled out of the darkness and circled in on him. “This terrorist thinks that he has the right to force his opinions and viewpoints on the world, and he f
elt that the best way to get his point across was to murder all of you. Now don’t panic. The MindHIve security system had already detected this individual and he stupidly walked into our trap,” Robert said as the camera showed Drak crouch down. The strike team began to close in and then suddenly there was a burst of light. The projection cut to images of Drak in restraints being lead down a hallway. The camera showed Drak’s face up close. He stared into the camera with a blank expression on his face. Mitch’s heart raced in his chest. What did they know, he wondered, probably everything. He looked around to see if any security guards were closing in on him.
“Ladies in Gentlemen, I’ll have you know that the MIndHIve security team easily apprehended this individual and he is currently in custody. The culprit has admitted to everything and he acted as a lone wolf. Believe me, nobody will be compromising the security of my guests or this event. I’d like you all to give a warm round of applause for the MIndHIve security force and the men and women that make this bunch the greatest security team the world has ever known,” Robert boomed out at the crowd. People rose to their feet and cheered madly as the security team rose up above the crowd and slowly circled the dome again. They waved and bowed as the crowd roared their approval.
A close up of Drak’s face appeared in the orb again. “As for this guy, well, don’t worry. We’re about to hand him over to the proper authorities and they will make sure that he is taken care of,” Robert said as the crowd booed and hissed. “Once again people, we take the security of this event very seriously. Any threat or hint of violence will be investigated to the full extent of our abilities and I assure you that we have the finest assets in the world to assist in keeping you safe. I wanted to tell all of you this before you heard it somewhere else. You are safe in our hands, everybody. That brings us to the conclusion of our opening ceremony. Thank you for coming. This is going to be an amazing week. We are so pleased to have the greatest minds in the world under one roof and I can’t wait to see how all of you are able to apply the inReal tech to your work,” Robert said and the crowd roared with approval. “As you leave the auditorium you will need to scan your pass. Upon scanning your pass, you will have activated a small inReal chip within the card. The pass will display the information you need to know, so that you can find your orientation group. Just follow the corresponding color and you will find your destination,” Robert said as an image of the event pass appeared in the orb. A hand could be seen scanning the pass and the pass began to pulse with a soft light.
“The pulsing light indicates which dome you are to report to. As you exit the auditorium you will see multicolored lines of light displayed on the ceiling of the connecting corridors,” Robert said as the glowing lines were displayed within the orb. Pulsing arrows could be seen indicating which direction to follow. “Once you reach your assigned dome, scan your pass again and you will be guided to the gathering place for your orientation group.” The orb showed a group of people gathering within the dome under a glowing MindHive sign.
“If you have any trouble at all, please do not be afraid to ask any of our wonderful staff. They can be easily identified by their bright blue MindHIve shirts,” Robert said as the display showed a group of smiling staff members waving out at everyone. “Let’s have everybody slowly exit the auditorium. Just to keep some semblance of order, we are going to ask that each section exit in turn. When the lights begin to flash in your respected section, please slowly make your way to the nearest exit and scan your pass. Now, let’s start the process.”
The lights in a section across from Mitch began to flash. The people in the section got out of their seats and made their way out the dome. More sections began to flash and the audience slowly filed towards the exit. Mitch’s section began to flash and he shook his head and grabbed his backpack that was jammed with all types of merchandise. The image of Drak’s face flashed in his mind. At least he wasn’t dead, Mitch thought. He had no idea what they were planning to do with him. Mitch still couldn’t understand why Drak had done what he had done, but it seemed that they had interrogated him and they said that he acted alone. It was almost as if he had turned himself in, but why? How could getting caught be a part of his plan? The only possible explanation for Drak’s action was that he did it to protect Mitch. If that was his plan then Mitch had massively misjudged him and the current situation.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The hallway surrounding the dome was jammed with people and above them a rainbow of flashing arrows guided the way to the outer domes. After Mitch had scanned his badge at the station, his ID began to pulse green and he could see the green line with arrows indicating the direction he was to follow. People thronged all about him and there was so much excitement in the air. As he walked among crowd, he couldn’t shake out the image of Drak standing defiantly before the soldiers out of his head. He knew that it hadn’t ended in the auditorium. He had seen Drak shoot out of the dome with his own eyes and the hole in the roof stood as evidence that it had really happened.
Mitch still couldn’t understand why Drak had done what he had done. The entire time Mitch had known him had never done anything reckless or foolish, and charging into the MindHIve complex to destroy the generator was exactly that - reckless and foolish.
If Drak was trying to protect him, and if he had willingly sacrificed himself to that cause, he was either absolutely insane or he was telling the truth about the Masters and the invasion. Mitch could feel the weight of his phone in his pocket. If Drak had been telling the truth the entire time then that phone was the last thing standing in the way of the mass enslavement of the human race. It was either that or Drak was the insane person that Mitch had thought he was all along. There was only one problem with the latter theory: Drak was perhaps the smartest and most incredible person Mitch had ever met. If he was nuts he certainly hadn’t acted like it.
He felt horrible about what he had said to Drak before he left. His heart hung heavy in his chest as he walked among the crowd. Above him the pulsing arrows continued to guide the way. He had no idea what was going to happen next, but he knew that he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He hadn’t been captured or detained, but he was deep within the belly of the beast and there was no way out as far as he could see. If he bolted now they would be onto him. Even if Drak had protected him by turning himself in, whoever was watching must have had some suspicions about him. He pulled his hoodie over his head, knowing full well that it probably wouldn’t hide him from the complex’s ubiquitous security system.
Like it or not, he had to go forward no matter what fate awaited him. He sighed again and looked up. He saw that the green arrows were still flashing over his head. He readjusted his backpack on his shoulders and followed along with the bumbling flow of humanity that surrounded him. Before long the green arrows indicated that Mitch should turn to the left and he soon found himself entering into a different corridor. This ceiling of the new hallway was completely green and a stream of arrows flowed towards a door at the end of the hall. There was a small throng of people at the entrance way. Everyone was eagerly scanning their passes and entering into another massive dome.
Mitch waited his turn amidst several people. He stepped to the next available scanner and his pass binged once and then changed color again. This time his pass was purple and it displayed the letter “W”. Mitch entered into the dome and was taken aback by the sheer size of the open space. The entire dome was filled with a strange array of ergonomic computer work stations, bean bag chairs and other worldly lights and displays. There were several levels that overlapped each other in intricate ways and people could be seen milling about on each floor. Overhead stood a forest of lighting that was both intimate and immersive. Mitch couldn’t help but be wowed by the level of detail that had gone into creating such a space. Beyond the terraced work station stood stacks of strange blue capsules.
Above him and below him were several trails of light. He saw the purple trail lead off to the right and he followed it past several glowin
g walls that displayed shifting images fading in and out of each other. There were pictures of surreal landscapes and black and white portraits intermixed with animated shots of the MIndHIve logo. The images were interjected with inspiring quotes of all kinds. It seemed that MindHIve was pulling out all of the stops in order to get peoples creative juices flowing, and in spite of the anxiety that Mitch felt deep inside of him, he couldn’t help but feel a little intrigued about what the day would bring.
Kiosks along the walkway that the multicolored trails followed displayed different letters of the alphabet above them. As Mitch walked past he saw groups of people gathering before the kiosks scanning their badges. Soon Mitch saw the letter “W” and he stepped up to the Kiosk and scanned his badge again. The bell pinged softly and he was greeted by a cheerful young lady wearing a blue MindHIve T-shirt.
“Welcome to The MindHIve tech convention. My name is Cindy and I will be your liaison and inReal guide,” she said as she peered at his badge. “Mitch Mythic, well isn’t that a cute name? Hey, aren’t you that crotch shot guy?” she asked with a smile.
“The one and only,” Mitch said while trying to force a smile.
“Well, we’re glad to have you with us, Mitch Mythic. This is incubator “W” and it will be your home base for the next week. Please head on in and make yourself at home. If you are hungry there is a snack and beverage section to the left. Go make yourself a coffee or a kale shake and grab a comfy chair. It looks like everybody is almost here. We’ll start the orientation session in a few minutes. It’s going to be an inReal day,” Cindy said with a toothy grin.