Life was normal, that is until everything changed. Once it changed there was nobody under the illusion that things would ever be the same again.
It's not that unusual a story, one minute you're doing something and then the next you are suddenly doing something else. If anything it would be weird to think a person would only ever be doing the same thing repeatedly, but that's beside the point.
The year is 2152 AD, technology and society have made leaps and bounds into the unknown, bringing upon the world a time of unmatched prosperity. Of course with prosperity, people start looking for new forms of entertainment and relaxation.
Back in the 21st-century, programmers around the world began to develop and market what could be reasonably called the first true virtual reality consoles. Not that it was a new idea even back then, people had always been dreaming of an escape from their everyday life, a chance to be someone different, someone important where their past and identity only mattered so far as to how many amazing feats they had achieved and had yet to achieve.
The first research into virtual reality started back in the previous 20th century, with the early onset of computers that took up a whole room and helmets that had to be attached to the ceiling and computers by large heavy cabling and sturdy frames.
Computers kept getting smaller and more powerful, technology opened up what was considered fantasy and turned it into reality. By the time of the early 21st century came about, it was becoming common to see families own not just a single computer, but one for each.
Costs dropped, sizes shrunk, then they began to grow again, performance soared to the skies like fireworks on the 4th of July and by the time the 22nd century came about, personal computers had begun to contain processing power on par with early 21st century super-computers.
Games that were once only able to layer a flat texture image onto a model were switched out for those which built worlds through volumetric rendering, screens were replaced by headsets, then glasses and then finally contact lenses. One could use their personal machines at any given time without offending a person they were conversing with, or having to worry about people watching what they were doing over their shoulder since there would be nothing to see regardless of how hard certain governmental agencies had tried.
The value of AR Lenses in the business sector shot up nearly overnight.
Businesspeople could fine-tune contracts and propositions without ever having to leave the room or schedule a second meeting. Architects could see a Live-4D rendering of their blueprints and project being assembled before even having to order the necessary materials for construction. Sales clerks could display holographic displays tailored to each individual's tastes and only have to pull out the goods upon confirming a sale.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
People could keep up to date with the news of the world on any channel that existed, without having to be in a location furnished with a physical television or radio set. One could even pay travel agencies for a virtual tour to famous locations around the world without having to physically be there. But now I'm just rambling on and on.
Catching up on the current day, the world started to crave more elaborate forms of entertainment, games were still not yet living up to their full potential and one individual knew this all too well.
2137 AD, A mysterious genius programmer known only by the name Minami, bought out and merged numerous upstart companies into what was to later become the world's foremost authority on the study and application of Alternate and Artificial Reality Engines.
Her origins, identity and aspirations are known only to a select few. How could this person seemingly come out of nowhere and take the world by storm, only to disappear into obscurity a mere 7 years later. It was almost as if they had never existed in the first place.
During those 7 years, the company developed many products for all sectors of the market, but only 1 was to become their crowning achievement.
The PRB or Pseudo-Reality Bridge was a supercomputer and networking system born from the genius and talents of the mysterious Minami and the world's foremost experts in the fields of Quantum Mechanics. It's capabilities put all the supercomputers before it to shame as if comparing a top-performance machine to a calculator.
Running completely under its own power with no need for radioactive materials left the world stumped, some even speculated it was not actually a machine at all but a living organism.
The use of this marvel of over-technology you might ask? unknown.
Why? Now that's an easier question to answer. The Crash is why. Before anyone had the time to question the purpose of such a device the structure of the world had been over-written.
Everything up until the launch was fine, the problem however came the moment it was connected to the world grid and turned on. One moment everyone is watching the broadcast of the event live, the next all machines seemingly cease to function and the populace lay passed out cold on the ground.
One would later wake up and see nothing but a world of darkness, fog and a single message suspended in mid-air. Above a mirror holding no reflection but the clothes on their back, as if they weren't there at all read a simple yet terrifying message.
Welcome
Your World has been Connected.