“That is correct, Dr. Phillips,” says a very soft female voice. One can almost imagine she is Diana, the Angel of Learning. “I see that he has signed the paperwork and will be put into his pod tomorrow. Do you wish me to facilitate it so that he is helped through the process instead of him talking to one of our standard AIs?” Diana asks.
“Hmm. Good question, Diana. I know that our monotone AI administrators might make him uncomfortable, and I want to make sure his transition goes well. Maybe we can get that BAS number higher,” Dr. Phillips says, rubbing his hands together.
“Seriously, doctor? He is already at 98%. I doubt we can get him any higher. Be happy with what you have,” laughs Joanne, shaking her head at her bosses' antics.
The weather went perfectly with my mood. It was sunny outside, and I felt more hopeful and alive than I did last week. The previous week had been a blur of paper signing and preparing to move into my new condo in a large high rise that was owned by the company GFL International. Most residents were patrons who had purchased full immersion pods and rented space from GFL. It even had its very own security force and nurses on staff to watch over the people in the pods.
The nurse slowly wheeled me from the vehicle that picked me up at the hospital so I could enjoy the sunlight. She knew that I would be indoors in a pod for a long time. It might be the last time I saw the sun for months. I tilted my head upwards to enjoy the sun on my face.
“Did you want to sit outside for a bit before we go in?” asked the nurse.
“Would you mind? Even if it’s only for fifteen minutes?” I asked with a smile on my face. It had been over a year since I’d felt the sun, and it felt amazing. I was aware that in the pod, I would be lucky to get outside in three months. The contract I signed was for three months in the game with a nine-day out rotation. But two of those days were me being tested and prodded. That left me one week where I could do what I wanted. Which, being in a wheelchair, wasn’t much.
“OK, I’m ready now,” I said to the nurse quietly.
The nurse moved behind me again and started pushing me towards the entrance. Once security confirmed my identity in the lobby, they let me pass. At the front desk, I had to go through another security checkpoint, but this time they asked me to give my biometric info such as fingerprints and iris scans.
Looking at the security personnel, I asked, “Why so much security just for this?”
“Well sir, it’s to make sure that your wellbeing is taken care of and you are not disturbed. One of the services that you pay for in this facility is to have someone watch over your body while Diving so that no one can disturb you,” said the young military-type male.
“Diving?” I asked, looking at the nurse with an arched eyebrow.
“Well, it’s not Diving, but the term stuck. Once connected to the pod, it takes over control of your brainwaves so that if you do anything in the game, instead of your physical body responding, it’s your avatar. Since you are immobile and going into the game, staff have started calling it Diving, a term from some of the older sci-fi movies”, said the nurse.
Once all the explaining was finished, the nurse wheeled me into the elevator. The nurse pressed the button for the top floor, which happened to be the 40th floor.
“Isn’t that usually the penthouse in an apartment building?” I asked jokingly.
The nurse looked down at me with a big smile, “Yes. You have been moved to this floor as you are not renting, you are one of the beta testers. The floor has two penthouses, one of which is for you. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living area. And your pod room. The other one is actually owned by Dr. Phillips, who runs the program.”
I turned around in my wheelchair so fast that I almost fell out of it.
“WHAT!!, oh crap,” Grabbing the sides of the chair, I pull myself up. “OK, why the hell am I being put next to the creator of this game?” I asked the nurse, shocked.
“Now, as to that, Jason, I don’t know why. I am only here to watch over you in a nursing capacity,” she says with a secret smile as we waited for the elevator to hit the top floor.
Get your copy here!
https://geni.us/SigmaWorlds1
Thank you for coming to check out my new series. Here is chapter 1 for you!
Book 1 of The Doomsday System
Chapter 1- The Broken Battlemage
The rain coming down my back as I wait for the taxi is cold. My breathing mask comes loose, so I adjust it again. It’s been years since I needed to wear it all the time. Well, more like since everyone was required to wear one. Apparently, it’s worse down near the equator, where the air is so hot that just breathing hurts.
Finally, the taxi shows up, and the back door opens automatically. Getting in, I sit down in the plastic-covered seat, and the door closes behind me.
“Destination, Citizen?” says the metallic voice of the taxi’s AI.
“Paradigm Alpha Building 4,” I tell it, my voice muffled from the breathing mask.
“Very good, Paradigm Alpha Building 4. ETA is ten minutes, is
