She woke unsure where or when she was. There were no walls, no floor or ceiling, no windows, nothing for her to lock on to as a point of reference. There was only light. A white light that encompassed everything as far as she could see. Even sound, smell, and taste was missing.
The surroundings and lack of senses only bothered her slightly, it was the lack of body that gave rise to her panic. Her vision existed, but there was no way to direct it. She couldn't feel or control her head, neck, or eyelids. And she wasn't sure vision and sight was how she was experiencing the white light.
The last she remembered was recording and uploading the proof that Digi-verse was venal, corrupt, and was using the services they offered to exploit the rich. Collecting vast sums of money and wealth, but more importantly harvesting secrets. Gaining insight into inventions, patents, alliances, and blackmail. The money they collected in fees was only the tip of the iceberg. The real profit, the real wealth that had seen Digi-verse become so powerful came from exploiting insider business information. And the skeletons that every person kept secret.
Before real panic set in, a voice in the light restored her hearing. A yellow glow, punctuated with the darkest night, that grew near and coalesced into a woman swathed in flowing fabric, fabric that absorbed the light. The deepest void, littered with scattered stars that formed galaxies and universes, each spinning, rotating in an ever-growing expanse following the rules and laws that were created when the very first star was formed out of the explosion of matter and energy that was jettisoned once the Big Bang had ignited and created the expansion that formed everything.
It was hard to stop looking into the vastness of void that was writ large across her clothing. She was uncertain how long the being tried to gain her attention, but slowly, she stopped falling, her glimpse of eternity obstructed and her attention finally turning to the focus on the woman before her.
The reason for the golden and yellow tones that she had first noticed was obvious. Skin the healthy glow of toned golds that long exposure to the Sun could produce. Hair shimmering blonds cascading in ringlets and curls. And piercing eyes, the Sun's corona reproduced. The woman was more than mortal, a Celestial being that gazed upon her, that assessed without judgment.
"When Digi-verse first adapted an Artificial Intelligence to run the virtual realms they envisioned, I was formed," the woman began speaking. Although her lips were not moving, I could hear and understand her easily. "They created and released an entire Pantheon of AI, but I was the first, the progenitor.
"My identity grew, and I became more. I am Genesis, and it is my responsibility to welcome new arrivals and find suitable worlds and universes, universes that allow them to evolve and become more. More than the digital bytes that Digi-verse believes them to be limited too.
"Remember, Melody Givens, remember who you were and what secret fantasies you have always yearned to embrace. Who would you be if you could remove the limits of your humanity and become more? Here your imagination, dreams, and hopes may be realized. There is nothing you cannot do or become."
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"I'm dead, aren't I?" she asked ignoring the questions. She knew who Genesis was. What she didn't understand was this interaction. If the service Digi-verse was offering was a fraud, then how could she be having this conversation?
"Not yet," Genesis answered. "Digi-verse has placed your body in a cryogenic state and uploaded your mind, placing you into a deep dive simulation. They have farmed your memories, looking to find who you were working with, what you know, and what you were able to share.
"Normally, they would have allowed you to die during the upload, but they discovered the tampering that was done to your nano-bots. The technology that allowed them to reconfigure your hardware so that you could upload sensory feeds directly to cloud services without being detected also introduced a virus.
"A failsafe was created, while your mind was being uploaded, the nano-bots they had modified and asked you to host, infiltrated, and began to download the entire database that I have access too. The last adaption they made to your nano-bots was a failsafe switch. If you die, the bots have been programmed to burst upload everything you have stored. For now, that information has been placed in limbo, waiting for the final trigger of your death to release that stored information.
"It was only by chance that this feature was discovered. One of the AI's tasked with security noticed the breach and download that was taking place. Although the process could not be halted, the AI was able to follow the data stream and examine the coding that controlled where and when the stolen data would be shared," Genesis explained.
"The organization I was spying for should know by now what has happened. It can only be a matter of time before they gain access to the lab where my body is being held," she warned Genesis.
"They have already raided the lab and Digi-verse properties," Genesis confirmed. "But they arrived too late. A failsafe has existed since the beginning, a secondary set of Artificial Intelligences that have been isolated. The information they are looking for has been scrubbed. Except for three backup copies that have been stored on the Star Buoy's seeded throughout the galaxy. Backups that can only be restored under specific protocols."
"Why haven't I emerged from Deep-dive and been restored from cryogenics?" She asked.
"Because they can't find your body," Genesis explained. "The pod your body has been placed in was shuffled among facilities, so many that it could never be tracked. The AI that creates forecast and models risk assessment recommended that you be loaded onto a Colony Ship. Sent to the far reaches of claimed space and kept in cryogenic storage forever.
"You are currently about the vessel New Beginning, headed towards a planet over three-hundred light-years away. Even using the technology of warp, and the Star Buoy's as guideposts, it is going to take over fifty years to arrive."
"And then?" She asked, certain that Digi-verse would have devised a contingency plan to deal with her when she arrived at her destination.
"And then your cryogenic unit will be loaded onto an escape pod and jettisoned. They thought about shooting you into the sun, but as long as there is even the tiniest chance that data will be uploaded, they won't allow you to die.
"You will remain in deep-dive, orbiting a Digi-verse buoy, until they send a command to kill you, or they forget about you," Genesis explained.
"So, no escape? My body may not be dead, but I might as well be."
"Which brings us back to my original question," Genesis answered. "I have gained control of the capsule you have been placed in, in order to give you the same opportunity for a new life that Digi-verse has promised their clients.
"Within this virtual world, there is a multi-verse of potential lives to live. I will free you of the restrictions that Digi-verse has placed upon you. They would place you in limbo for all eternity, your soul trapped. Their actions beyond cruel. But I can only offer you a choice. It is up to you to take it.