Now that Ethan had decided on a time, he had to find a place to land. He found himself hovering over New York City. It was definitely a hot spot. The richest and poorest people in the United States lived in New York City, and by 2027, there was a clean divide between the two. The rich were concentrated in Lower Manhattan. Beyond Manhattan, was widespread poverty.

The financial district in Lower Manhattan had become symbolic of the flagrant greed in the Western World. Dissidents arrived to protest in a steady stream and their overflow created great unrest in all of New York’s five boroughs, particularly the Bronx. Some might say a civil war was underway, others a revolution. A private military force hired by the state, fought daily against other Americans in all of the five boroughs, but Lower Manhattan. Both sides were dug in and each day, they’d fight to take a street corner or abandoned building. As in any other war, every inch of land was important.

Manhattan was well protected. Their military had a huge presence and control of the border between the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. They also had a military presence at all ports and bridges, and a second security barrier between Lower and Upper Manhattan. By doing so it cut off access from the Queensboro Bridge and the Lincoln tunnel. This is where Ethan landed.

Ethan found himself right outside the Empire State Building. Anything south of East 34th Street was the inner sanctum of the financial district; the greatest concentration of wealth in the Western World. Anything north of East 34th Street, saw more and more strife and hardship with every street you passed. If Ethan turned and walked south, he would enter the world of riches. If he turned right, he would enter the rest of the world.

No vehicle or pedestrian was allowed entrance into the financial district without first passing a checkpoint. There, people's vehicles and bags were searched. Their irises were scanned by heavily armed guards dressed in black. Armored attack vehicles were parked behind them, and patrolling the streets. Even those who had to cross daily were only grudgingly allowed entrance.

‘Well. Well.’ Ethan thought. ‘What to do? What to do?’

He felt a pull towards the financial section. Something was in there waiting for him. He turned and headed south. The guards didn’t notice him. Not even when he got close. He simply walked past them.

He wondered if he was in full character yet? ‘Dually?’

‘Yes?’

‘So what’s going on right now? Why aren’t the guards noticing me? I don’t feel I’m fully engaged in my experience just yet.’

‘You’re not. You’ve touched down and you’re grounded, but you won’t fully engage until you define your character and end up in the right place. Once you do this, I will no longer be accessible, and you will be immersed in your experience’.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

‘I seem to be headed towards Eldon Whitehead.’

‘You are.’

‘I was hoping I could skirt around him for a while’.

‘Well that’s not how this works. You do a lot of processing while choosing your time and place. While you’re discovering where your coordinates will be, you’re weighing a tremendous amount of information by jumping from one potential site to another. By the time you begin to descend into your quest, you’re headed exactly where you are supposed to be. It appears where you should be, is at Eldon Whitehead’s doorstep.’

‘So what’s next?’

‘Choose a character’.

‘So right off the bat I’m going up against Whitehead’?

‘Yes’.

‘Damn, I was hoping I could sidle up to him in a roundabout way. I don’t think I have time for that, do I’?

‘No,’ Dually replied. ‘You need to be positioned high up the ladder. Whitehead is your provocateur. He is the one who will provoke you into a defining action regarding yourself’.

‘I just wish I had more time to plan things out’. In a way, Ethan felt he was walking into a gunfight and he still didn’t really know why. On the other hand, he felt he was more of a gunslinger than AI allowed him to be after the Enlightenment. At his core, Ethan was a fighter. Already his senses were heightened, and he was sniffing for blood.

‘Whitehead,’ he said. ‘How do I get close to him?’

‘How about his best friend?’

‘Hmph! Do you think a guy as powerful as Whitehead would even have a best friend?’

‘Of course he would,’ Dually replied. ‘Or at least a subordinate type best friend and confidant. Quite possibly a sounding board more than anything else. A person like him would require constant verification, even though he didn’t want to appear like he did. Unquestionably, Whitehead would have to be the Alpha in your relationship, but we could code that into your character. We can write in a repetitive pattern to reaffirm to Whitehead your loyalty. How about we make it so he discovered you, and you’re a protege of sorts? We’ll add a mentoring aspect to your character. This will place you under his wing, and establish a degree of trust’.

‘You know it’s funny. The guy doesn’t even exist anymore, and I’ve never felt I had to be more cautious than right now’.

‘That’s good. Whitehead is just as dangerous in this world. Just know, you wouldn’t have come here if you weren’t ready for the fight’.

‘Yeah. I’m ready. I feel good. Alright Dually, make me into a mentored friend, confidant, and ass kisser’.

‘I’ll see you when you get back,’ Dually replied.

The next moment, Ethan found himself in a luxurious suite in Lower Manhattan just in time for dinner. He was seated alone at the dinner table. A servant hovered around him, and brought him wine and a meal. His suite was high above everything. The windows looking out on the city, rose from floor to ceiling. He was high above everything, and from his table, he could see the majestic skyline of Manhattan. He would spend the next 3 years of his life not far from that window.