Chapter 4: Entry

The click of my Sedan switching from drive to park was followed immediately by that of my seatbelt being unlocked, and then finally by my door opening and then slamming shut. Perhaps oversleeping was another of my failures. The parking lot was packed, thankfully the contract Sarah provided me with included a parking spot.

Walking up to the slick, slate gray rectangle of interlocking bricks, I noticed a sizable gathering of at least 50 people forming a line leading from one of two entrances.

With only thirteen minutes before launch, I was not too optimistic at my chances of getting in before the countdown hit zero. Perhaps I can call Sarah.. But no, asking for a line skip after such an embarrassing mistake was not the impression I wanted to make.

As I walked towards the back of the line, a fit looking man wearing a suit walked briskly towards me from the unoccupied entrance, holding a thick envelope.

“You are Locke Seleanne?” he asked, though it was more a statement than a question.

“Uh, yea, I am.”

He nodded, and gestured for me to follow him. Not really understanding what was happening, I followed him.

Those in the line gave me ugly looks as I passed, a few even wearing an expression of surprise and recognition.

“I’m Dave, the head of the operation in this location” he said, without looking back.

“Sarah has explained the situation to me. If you need anything, or have questions, you may ask me.” he said, in perhaps the least emotional voice I had ever heard.

After voicing my thanks, I continued to follow in silence, eventually entering the building. The walls were unadorned, and blindingly white, the only furniture in the lobby were a couple of plain looking couches. Dave led me past the help desk, and through an equally bleak hallway with doors on either side every dozen yards or so. It reminded me vaguely of a prison.

Finally, we stopped, and he held up the package.

“Your room is right here,” he said, gesturing to his left “In this package is a couple more documents, as well as your keys to your room”

Before I could reply, he continued in the furthest departure from his bland monotone yet, “Please.. Please don’t lose both of them”

Heat crept into my face, but I didn’t speak, only nodding and accepting the package.

“You know how to use a pod, right?” he asked, his voice returning to a more robotic tone.

“Yea, I do.”

“Though new and fancy, this one will operate very similarly to ones you’ve likely used in the past. Restrooms are at the end of the hall, use the AI to order meals. Have a good one” he said, with no inflection.

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As Dave walked back down the hall, I glared at his back, fumbling to open the package.

Entering, I took in the roomy space, complete with a bed, sink, and an advanced looking pod. The words Oculus Full dive were printed across the side. Looking at an old fashioned analogue clock on the wall, I had about six minutes before launch. It seemed Dave did me a service by being so clipped.

Walking over to the pod, I hesitated before opening the lid. I grabbed my phone and sent Piece a quick message detailing the situation, letting her know I wouldn’t be in contact for a while.

I climbed into the pod, pulling the lid shut behind me. Activating the pod, the hiss of gas entering the chamber was the only warning I got before I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a new room. A perfect square of white with floating numbers against the far wall. The timer read a little over three minutes, so the gas must have worked fast. Wishing there was a chair, I walked over to the far wall, placing a hand against the numbers. They beat like a heart as each second passed. I withdrew my hand, a little repulsed. Turning around, I noticed a chair that had definitely not been there before.

Before I could figure out the strange addition to the otherwise empty room, a panel not dissimilar to Pieces display popped up in the upper right corner of my vision. Except, unlike the display, it was clearly the heads-up display of a VR world. Experimentally moving my head, the display followed.

Focusing on the actual notification, I realized it was an incoming call from Sarah. Moving my finger up to just a couple inches above my eyes, I tried to click the display.

Nothing happened.

Wishing I could answer before the call expired, I tried to-

Would you like to accept Sarah into your waitroom?

Did the pod read intent? Previous models operated in a much clunkier, albeit simpler way. You clicked physically with your fingers, or you looked at what you wanted to click. But reading your mind? Not so much.

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I whipped around, taking notice of a perfect replica of Sarah. Without a frame of reference due to being inside a white box with some numbers, it was hard to tell the quality of the visuals the pod provided. This Sarah was indistinguishable from the one I had called yesterday.

“Quite realistic, isn’t it?” she asked.

“It really is.” I agreed.

“Anyways, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve invaded your privacy.”

“I asked Dave to leave the explanation of the pod to me, but it seems like we are short on time once again” she said, glancing at the steadily decreasing remaining time.

“So the pod can read my intent.. my mind?”

“Yes, part of what makes this pod possible is an extremely advanced AI that parses through each player's mind in order to increase the immersion of the experience.”

“Honestly, one of the most difficult parts of making this dream a reality was proving to many a government that the AI was unable to share personal information.” she said, “But i’m getting off task.”

I glanced at the clock behind her, only a minute left.

“Information that you need to know. Firstly the pod stimulates your muscles, as well as takes care of your defecation and meals. Meaning, if you really wanted to stay in the pod for years straight, you could. However, you are strongly recommended to spend at least 12 hours outside the pod once a week. We know how you gamers can be though, so it is not mandatory.”

I started to speak, but she held up a finger.

“Outside communication while inside the pod is extremely limited. You may call people in a similar manner to a cell phone. But no internet access besides that. This is to slow down meta-gaming, as well as provide a more immersive experience.”

“Now, any questions?” she asked while glancing at the timer. It read 23 seconds.

“No? Great!” she said, striding towards the opposite wall.

“Remember Locke, Daedalus Online is a lot more focused on the individual, so I expect great things from you.”

Before I could respond, she walked through the wall, vanishing.

Suspiciously, I tried to put my hand through the wall once more, to no avail.

What a strange woman… I thought, as the countdown finally reached zero.