Chapter 3: Tutorial
Before I took a step in, I was stopped.
“This is unusual but I’d recommend taking off your necklace. Metal might interfere with the experience.”
I nodded and placed my necklace on the chair. I walked back to the egg, stepping in uninterrupted.
Putting the headset on I started to hear the doors close. Weirdly I didn’t feel claustrophobic. The screen was greyscale, showing a live feed of the outside.
“Hello Mr. Zinc can you hear me?”
“Uh yes sir.”
“Great you will be moving slightly so don’t panic.”
Like he se said, the machine started to tilt back. This is like the advance VR rigs.
“You’ll be pulled into a waiting room, just follow the instructions that will appear in front of you.”
His last words faded out and I found myself in a room. It was a white box with just me inside. Shortly a screen appeared in front of me. It was asking me for a full body scan. It didn’t help that the only answer was yes. Clicking it I started to feel really warm. The sensation spread across but never reached my face.
Then the room transition into an empty dance studio. Another screen popped up.
Scan complete.
The window closed itself and I was left to look at my reflection. It was my body with a picture of a stoic face. Luckily, I didn’t smile, I wouldn’t be able to look at myself. I tried smiling but my face never moved. I was able to move everything else, but not my face.
While messing around another screen popped up.
Joining room in 30, 29, 28...
When it reached zero, the room transformed into a big field. People started to appear next to me. It was a mass tutorial instead of a 1 on 1 lesson. All of us were in this big open field. A screen popped up in front of me. Looking around at others, they were staring in front of them too. It was a short video explaining how to stand at attention and proper form.
In the sky a timer started to tick. I don’t know when it got there but the noise definitely drew our attention. It started at 5 minutes and dropped fast. Luckily, I knew most of these movements. When the timer reached zero, the short video went away. In its place was a screen asking me to recite the movements.
When I was done with the impromptu test, a new instructional video took its place. The clock in the sky reset but it was followed by pictures of people. The way they were taken was similar to the ID. Assuming I failed the check-up, would my face be up in the sky too?
I doubled my efforts on listening in the next video. Like the last one it ended with a knowledge check right after. Performing the movements, I looked at the sky when I was done.
There was no countdown this time. Instead, a video of a near naked man checking himself out in the mirror was played. I looked away to save myself from secondhand embarrassment but the video followed my eye sight. I could barely make out some others doing the same. We were trying to dodge the video but the audio was as clear as the sky.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Look at yourself John, you got this. There is no one like you. Look at your body, we’re perfect.”
He started to flex and kiss his arms. Then possibly the worst thing, he started to kiss his reflection. His tongue was sloppily licking the poor mirror. Ahhh no the sounds please stopppp.
After the video ended, I was more mentally strained then anything. Tortured to watch a cringey, embarrassing, and downright horrible memory of someone. I don’t know what they have on me but I do not want to find out like this. I cannot fail, I’d rather die than being forced to relive something cringey.
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In a dim room, a machine was opening up. Seconds later a man slowly sat up. He looked like a vampire coming out a long slumber.
Thank the world that the torture is over. I never ever want to experience that shit again. Looking around I was in a semi-familiar room. A monitor was flashing, I was about to move when I noticed I was sitting. Huh, I thought I was standing up. Wait where's my clothes?
It felt weird but I started to walk over to the screen in my birthday suit. There was a brief video explaining that the embryo had a liquid that eroded the clothes to stimulate the movement in the tutorial. Why did they give us clothes to make them useless?
The end of the video recommended showering and changing into a new pair of clothes. Looking near my coat there was everything that I left before I went in. Walking over I started to take inventory.
Bag check. Tablet check. Shoes check. Necklace check. On a small table under my coat was four items and clothes. The portable charger, a watch, a survival kit, and relatively thick and plain book. Well, I did change out of all civilian clothes now. I should take the shower before I touch anything, I still feel a bit slimy.
Looking around a bit I saw a curtain in the corner. I opened it and sure enough there was a shower, similar to that at a gym. There was a small touch screen in the wall that had a 5-minute timer with a big button labeled “Start”. Taking a further look around the small space there was amenities. With everything understood, I pressed start and showered with the timer counting down.
Even with the relatively short time to shower, I still felt way cleaner and way better overall then I did out the Embryo. I wiped myself down and the amenities, then head back to change. Putting on my uniform and stuffing my bag with everything else, I noticed the monitor blinking. How did he know I had my necklace?
Walking over fully in uniform with my bag in hand I took a look at the monitor. A new item appeared, a cable leading into the screen. I took out my tablet and plugged it in. When the monitor stopped blinking and turned off, my tablet had a new map on it.
The lights then cut off and the room started to rise. Quickly I unplugged the tablet and took the cable. I’m taking everything in this room with me.
Looking around in the dark, slowly light was getting in. I started to open the drawers in the desk hoping for something lying around. It’s like they knew and there was nothing in the drawers, completely clean. While doing a final check, the room was fully above surface. Knowing I couldn’t waste any more time I grabbed my stuff and started to follow the map.
There were others, most likely the same people who were ‘tortured’ like me going in the same direction. On my way, more and more rooms were surfacing. Eventually we all ended up in another massive room with a huge screen on a wall. It was like an itinerary, with our names instead of destinations.
I had it easy, going to the end I looked at the bottom. Sure enough, I found my name.
Kon Zinc Group 8
With that I took a look at the other side of the room. Big signs with numbers were propped up, 1-10 each with its own seating area. I made my way to my number and was glad to see I wasn’t the first. I took a seat closes to the number and did a quick count of the seats. 30 seats, 10 groups, so a total of 300 recruits.
I noticed that everyone here and anyone coming in were all guys. Something I didn’t pick up when I was walking here. With my bag on the ground I grabbed the phone and wallet box, putting my tablet in. I started to set them both up. Luckly the phone was unlocked, completely untouched. I followed the startup guide, surprisingly the guide had an email specified to me. Is everyone else's like this?
I entered my email [email protected] with my password ******. With the sign in done, I entered my old address and finished the setup. I took a look at the time 14:16. Holy shit we spent 5 hours inside that torture chamber. I linked my watch to my phone then put my trash away. I know I saw a watch on some soldiers so I put mine on my left wrist.
I looked up and over at the seats, I counted them and myself. 15 in total, all guys. I looked back to the itinerary and saw another big group of people, most likely the girls. My prediction was right when the first one came over and took a seat.
It didn’t take long for all areas to slowly fill up.