You are a Volunteer. You will need weapons to fulfill your role in The Collective.

Tell me more. What is the role of a Volunteer in the Collective?

The Collective is the most advanced, fully immersive, shared virtual platform for human consciousness.

It is an exciting new frontier and state of the art living space for all mankind while Earth’s greatest minds work to solve the many challenges currently facing the Earth.

Volunteers have been tasked with removing invasive entities from The Collective so that future waves of virtual settlers can enjoy their new home.

A shared virtual platform. Are you saying this is some form of cyberspace? The metaverse? I am inside a computer simulation right now?

The Collective can be thought of as a metaverse, yes.

So my mind is in some kind of program. So is this body my… what is the correct term… my avatar?

You can think of it as an avatar, yes. But we prefer to call it your True Self (™).

You said we. Who is we?

Reality Incorporated, the owner and operator of The Collective - “Live your best second life.” (™)

That name meant nothing to me. Why should it have? I couldn’t even remember my own name.

Where is my real, physical body right now?

Outside of The Collective, your physical body is in a state of peaceful suspended animation.

Suspended animation. But where precisely? What is the exact location?

You have insufficient system privileges to access that information. Please contact your system administrator.

Who is my system administrator?

You have insufficient system privileges to access that information.

How can I contact my system administrator?

You have insufficient system privileges to access that information.

Can you contact my system administrator for me?

I am unable to help you with that, as I am only a virtual assistant and do not have the necessary information or abilities.

I saw this conversation becoming circular. I had a thousand questions, true. But I also felt overwhelmed by the myriad cosmetic options hovering in front of me–each with its own price.

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The amount of customization options and sliders from cheekbones, neck width, nose bridge depth, earlobe length, body mass, facial hair, body hair, eye color, eyebrow arch degree, and many more sent a streak of panic through me. I had to get out of there.

I quickly selected bald, a free hairstyle option.

Bald hairstyle selected. Selection confirmed. Would you like to apply this change?

Yes. Yes.

I rushed through the remaining cosmetic options, choosing the default brown eye color and some free eyebrows. I also kept the default voice, which apparently I had been using–a bland androgynous rasp that faded like vapor soon after passing through my lips.

Show me the clothing options.

As an entire new array of menus spread across the space before me, I quickly found that there were no free clothing options, and precious few within my limited budget. That isn’t entirely true. The basic footwear was free.

After some time, I selected the basic black coveralls for 200 Crypt.

Now I was bald, tan, genderless, and wearing black coveralls.

I wanted to get this over with. Find some answers.

Visual customization complete. Now accessing weapon options.

Right.

Another array of menus flooded my vision, each one detailing a specific weapon. All of them were locked, and the only ones I could afford were a baton for 100 Crypt, a push dagger for 200 Crypt, or a small handgun for 300 Crypt (ammunition sold separately).

300 crypt for a gun and 10,000 for a penis. Huh.

I only had 300 Crypt left. A gun without bullets did not seem useful. I was also hesitant to spend all of my Crypt, not knowing what else faced me in this strange reality.

I noticed some accompanying text and selected the ‘push dagger’ option to learn more about it.

[A push dagger is a type of dagger that is designed to be used for thrusting attacks. It typically has a short blade with a triangular or square cross-section and a cylindrical or rectangular hilt. Push daggers are often made of steel or other strong materials, and they may have a guard or knuckle guard to protect the user's hand.

Push daggers are typically used in close-quarters combat, and they can be effective for stabbing an opponent through clothing or armor. They are also relatively easy to conceal, making them a popular choice for self-defense.]

I still did not understand what I would be needing a weapon for. The Concierge had mentioned invasive entities, which felt both vague and ominous. The only thing I could think of in a simulated world would be a sort of computer virus. Was I supposed to stab or shoot a computer virus? None of this made sense.

I decided to learn more about the ‘baton’ option.

[A baton is a short, heavy stick that is used by law enforcement officers as a compliance tool and defensive weapon. It is typically made of wood, rubber, or plastic.

Batons can be used in a variety of ways. Police batons are typically used to strike or jab a person in order to subdue them.]

Something about the concept of ‘law enforcement’ made me hesitant. I could not explain why.

I made my selection.

Push dagger selected. Selection confirmed. Would you like to equip this weapon?

No. I do not think I need to ‘equip’ it right now.

Push dagger will be stored in your Equipment. You can view it at any time, and equip it under your personal Equipment menu.

Hmmm. Now what?

If you are finished with weapons, we can move to the final step of your orientation, the Volunteer Program options.