“Tom, earth to Tom!” I looked up at my best friend. He had been going on and on about how incredible it would be when this new game started up. Well, lets be honest this wasn’t some kind of a game, but a revolution. At night, instead of sleeping, people internationally would be entering into an entirely different world. I am not talking about a bullshit RPG or another rehash of Final Fantasy, I am talking about an entire new world. A world where no one had access to more wealth or less wealth. Each persons started in this new world naked as the day they were born looking like a twenty year old.

This wasn’t virtual reality either. Many corporations were pursing opportunities in the new world. Betsy was one of my oldest friends. She was a bit of a hippy for my taste, but with my skepticism it seemed to make for some interesting conversation and moments. She was trying to get me to start a support group to protect the NPCs or inhabitants of this amazing new world.

I must have had a hazy look in my eye or smiled condescendingly during her heated diatribe. Her arm raised up warningly and I wiped away my smile with another smug look. Turning into the action, I realized that I was going to miss this interaction when we went off to different schools next year.

“Tom this is important and I know you care about these types of issues. This is slavery, murder rape and a whole host of other dung!.” She never swears. It means that she has to keep a varied and colorful, yet tactful plethora of vocabulary to say your typical cuss words.

“They are not real people.” This was a recurring argument that had left her pissed early this week and I thought we were beyond it right now. “They didn’t create this world, they found it. What if someone came into our world and just started messing with people. Breaking the law, killing, murdering raping - We are like the conquistadors looking for gold, slaves and the fountain of youth.” Her anger was showing and it was intense. Civil rights groups are the sole reason the game world had yet to be unveiled.

The system was not a fancy computer or pod. Its a Nano-chip inverted into your brain stem. They say that once you die in this world you change forever on the inside. Some of the first explorers had suffered death and found themselves unable to access this amazing world. I am not sure whether it was from absence of the heart or mind, but they went crazy and were either committing suicide or locked away in a loony bin. Yeah, I know its not PC to say that so back off.

I pulled out my phone and brought up the gaming news network (GNN). GNN is following the launch and buildup of this incredible new system. I turned on my phone and brought up the Live Feed:

“We bring you this breaking news report. Investment or anticipated investment into the new virtual world has now surpassed one trillion U.S. dollars with Corporations across the United States and Internationally expressing their intention to monetize and profit from the new virtual frontier. Orders for the new V-Tech machine have reached a massive backlog and it seems that new V-Tech cafes are being targeted to insure that all people have access to the wonders of the frontier. “

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“As everyone knows, the capacity to slow down time by 25% or speed up time by 400% - that’s confusing isn’t it. We will have to bring in our expert to better demonstrate how this works. “Don” explain that to us again.”

“Well we could spend all day debating whether time is slowed down or your perception in the virtual world is sped up.” He smiles a little condescendingly and continues, “If I am in the real world and I am reading a book, then it will take me an hour. This same book can be done read in the virtual world in just 15 minutes.” Business are looking to take advantage of this to improve productivity and people are seeing this as an opportunity at an additional 2-3 lifetimes worth of experiences and freedom. “

“How do they do it? I mean this technology is incredible and living additional lives! Our listeners, and this anchor are dying to know?” She arched up her eyebrow leaning forward slightly. Her conservative clothes didn’t reveal much, but the Dr. with all of the secrets behind this new technology could definitely read between the lines.

“I am sorry, but you know we can’t reveal proprietary information. However, I can inform you that the sleeping state or status plays a profound role in how we are able to reach the state for the human mind to operate within the virtual world.” He smiles with his eyes this time at some kind of inside joke and I tune it out.

I wasn’t exactly certain how the virtual world was going to work. Just to get a home sleeping unit costs nearly as much as the average mortgage. More than that certain companies were offering out the units for lease if you worked for them 120 days per week in the new world. That means that you would be responsible for working just like in the real world. The contracts allowed them to control you now not only in your workplace, but in your sleep. I had at first refused adamantly to get involved in such a thing, but I knew I would end up giving in. Everyone has to work right?

Thank God, I heard about how the cafe’s would employees to sign up and work the evening shifts for access to a unit every day. This was the first time that i had been excited about getting a job. The job in the real world would allow me to actively participate in this new world. I wouldn’t get paid a dime, but I would have opportunity only the very wealthy were able to enjoy. I wanted to make certain that I took advantage of this opportunity and beat these corporations at their own game. I wasn’t really certain how that was going to look at this point, but I was going to find out shortly.