The rain plopped down on the old prius, the sky gray as a tired old computer screen. I'd heard Seattle was nice in the summer, but no one warned me about this never-ending rain when I moved here in the fall. Took me a couple of weeks to drive up from Alabama, mainly 'cause I wanted to see the sights. Now my truck's full of trinkets and pre-order bonuses from my gaming days. Used to get cool stuff with those pre-orders, but not anymore. I thumbed my Witcher necklace under my jacket, hoping Mom didn't toss out the rest of my gaming gear. Moved here for two reasons, one was 'cause I wanted to see more of God's country, driving my Chevy from coast to coast. Won't be doing that again anytime soon. My Chevy guzzled gas like Mom guzzled wine, but it was handy. Had a mattress in the back, solar panel on the roof for power, and an electric pot for cooking. Been living out of it for weeks, dodging cops and finding safe spots to park.
But the second reason was because I wanted to make video games. Kinda cliché, I know, but gaming's my thing. While Dad watched NFL downstairs, I was upstairs playing games. He was a gamer too, so he didn't mind. My buddies around here call me "Bubba Gump" 'cause I sound like that character from a old movie.
Got a job at Dungeon Dynamics Inc., playtesting a game called New-Life. It's been passed around more than a hot potato, but now it's making waves. John Carmack's the big boss, a legend in gaming. Signed up to get my brain scanned for NPCs in the game, hoping it'd be a game-changer. While lost in my reverie, my Uber pulled up with a few electronic dings, signaling our arrival. I wish I could say I exited the car with speed and grace, but with my hefty frame, it was more of a struggle. Dieting and exercise were tough living out of a truck, okay? With a heavy sigh, I hoisted myself out as best I could, catching sight of my reflection in the glass building. Mom always warned my sweet tooth would catch up to me, and boy, did it ever. Weighing in at a solid three hundred and eighty pounds, more gut than muscle, I let my hair and beard grow long to hide my chubby features.
Thankfully, I had some friends who let me use their showers, and I didn't skimp on shampoo, thanks to my four sisters. But deep down, I wished I'd take as much care of my body as I did my hair. Heading to the street corner, I waited with the growing crowd of eager folks. When the light changed, we rushed across the street, partly in excitement and partly to escape the rain. Somehow, I managed to make my way to the front, holding the door open for those behind me. We were all headed to the same place, so there was no rush. Following the others into the lobby and up the escalators, we soon found ourselves in the brain scanning section of the building, where we took our seats in a clinic-style waiting room. With about thirty of us in total, the room buzzed with excitement and gossip.
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I couldn’t help but smile as I pulled out my phone, glad I don’t have to drive in the city. After browsing through memes and catching up on a web comic, I decided to do some digging. After the great flop that was the Metaverse, formally own by Facebook, Microsoft hired John Carmack on the condition that he would work on VR exclusively. He himself was hosting this event, at least on paper, so there is a decent chance in meeting the man. He’s hosted several Q&Rs on live streams and in the Metaverse before and had mentioned a great break through in full dive technology still in its infancy. As I was reading along, I couldn’t help but realize the room went silent and tore my face away from the screen.
There stood the living legend as he gazed at us through narrow glasses with that side smile. His old DOOM t-shirt displayed underneath his fancy jacket with one hand clutching a tablet. His hair had thinned and grayed over the years, but he still had that spring in his step, not bad for someone in his nineties! “Good evening, everyone! I’m glad you all could make it in today. It seems we have a lot of people in line and there’s only one chair, so I’ll go ahead and explain the procedure. It’s a very quick process. All you need to do is sit in the chair, I ask a few questions, and then we let the overclocked gaming computer do the work, making a computer model of your mind. Takes maybe twenty seconds once its all said and done? Alright, when I call your name follow me to the back. Steve Gump?”
“Oh, that’s me!” I exclaimed excitedly after remembering I signed up as my alias again, it was more of a habit now. Carmack seemed to get the joke.
“Any relation to Forest?” he asked, his smile widened.
“It’s a inside joke.” I answered shyly, still starstruck. He chuckled as I followed him to the backroom about twenty-by-twenty feet big, where a high-tech looking salon chair sat against the back waiting for me. He gestured for me to have a seat and I have expected him to strap me in like Lawnmower man but instead he walked over to his desk with a fancy tri-monitor set up where a server rack was hooked up to a computer with glowing rainbow lights. Of course, he would RGB the hell out of it, why wouldn’t he?
“Alright let’s go ahead and get the questionnaire out of the way, you are Steve Gump, correct?”
“No, uh, Steve Murphy, sir.”
“Eh, I like Gump better. And you’re from Huntsville Alabama?” he asked as he typed behind his desk.
“Yes, sir.” I said proudly.
“I see, you’re a perfect fit! Born on May tenth, twenty twenty-four. Flat neurograph version three. Alright, all files are in order!”
“This doesn’t hurt, does it?” I asked as a dome lowered above my head, making my slightly nervous as it began to hum.
“Only as much as having your picture taken.” He assured.
“Some folks still think that gettin’ you’re picture taken will steal a part of your soul.”
“Oh, is that so? Let’s see if we can prove them wrong, say cheese!” He said and my vision suddenly became jittery like a television tuned to a dead channel. Then there was a bright flash of light that gradually faded into darkness.