The Metaverse: Virtual Life-Real Death

by William Kurth

  “And what keeps you on the straight and narrow? What keeps you on our side?”

  “The same thing that keeps you on that side, Commander.”

  “Which is?” Argosi mused, intrigued by the conversation that felt like it was turning into a debate.

  “I took an oath, sir.”

  New Polis, Metaverse

  MD laid in bed for another 20 minutes channel surfing the various news stations. All the talking heads along with their expert panels and guests were clearly clueless. It did provide MD with some entertainment, and it also worked in his favor. The more coverage that his video received the more word got out there. Most people, well at least not anyone with an IQ greater than 75, would listen to these “experts.” Instead, they would follow their gut, which right now told each of them something was going on and that they didn’t want to be next. If they took any solace, it was in the sheer numbers of potential victims—safety in the herd.

  MD felt much better after getting hydrated and taking the Tylenol which had kicked in. He dressed quickly and called for Derek. The servant appeared a few moments later in MD’s dressing room.

  “How may I–”

  “Shut up and meet me out in front of the lobby with the car,” MD cut him off.

  Derek scuttled away as MD finished dressing himself, selecting the auto dress option that was allowed by the realism settings as he was in his personal dressing room.

  Wearing a sharp dark business suit MD walked to the foyer and entered the teleporter.

  Since these were his personal transportation devices, both the limo and the teleport, he could transport himself directly to the limo’s backseat. With the dark tinted windows, no one would see him materialize there and so it was allowed in the realism rules.

  As soon as he was in his seat, he instructed Derek to drive to the building where Alex Reynolds had his office in the downtown district. MD paid little attention to the other cars, pedestrians and general city life going on around him. New Polis was a massive place, but it was still no different from any other big city. After a while all the sights and sounds go unnoticed.

  MD could have teleported directly to the lobby of the building and had considered doing so. MD knew that a record would be kept and even though the chances were slim, given the millions of teleports going on constantly, why take the chance?

  Derek pulled the black Rolls Royce limo over to the curb. The doorman for the building opened the door, and MD rushed past him neither tipping him nor even acknowledging him. Derek drove off to find a nearby spot to wait as his boss rushed through the lobby only to have to wait for an elevator.

  As he stood in front of the elevator doors, MD texted Alex. “On my way up. I’ll let myself in.”

  The response was instantaneous. “Very well, Mr. Swanson. I will be in my office.”

  A few minutes later, MD barged into Alex’s office. He found his loyal assistant busy behind the large desk and a multitude of monitors. MD smiled as he walked around to Alex’s side of the workstation. He slapped Alex on the back.

  “We made quite the impression it seems. That was a great video that you put out. Not too long but enough to drive the point home. Using those bodies will leave a lasting impression to be sure. What are the numbers that have paid now?”

  Alex looked over to his left at another screen with a spreadsheet being regularly populated with new information.

  “As of right now, fifty-seven thousand two hundred and forty-six.”

  MD let out a low whistle.

  “Even if we stopped now we would be Metaverse Millionaires. Any issues with processing the transactions or with the bank?”

  “No, Mr. Swanson. None yet. I increased the staff in our accounts receivable.”

  MD knew he was referring to the T-2’s working at dozens of stations in the next room that would handle the process that collected the fees and issued the certificates of payment to the subscribers.

  “And the bodies of the two kids in the canyon? Have we had any issues with DLS or anyone else trying to remove them?”

  “Yes, sir. They attempt to continually, but I have devoted a couple of our coders to combat it. We let them do it on their end then refresh it, and the bodies return. To anyone at the sight with the bodies no interruption occurs. They haven’t tried blacking out that portion of the canyon yet. If they do we will just turn it back on.”

  Alex paused.

  “Mr. Swanson, I’m not sure that leaving the bodies there is a good use of our resources, however.”

  MD smiled.

  “That’s because you cannot relate to the emotional message that it sends. People, well at least most of them, are not going to use a logic-based decision process to decide if they will pay the fee. In fact, with their busy day, they will be distracted by other things. Many will delete or never open the emails we send them. Many of those will not watch the news or read a news site. We must do things that keep us forefront in their mind. Forefront in the minds of other people they interact with who have seen the video or watch the news. Hence, we stay forefront in the news. As long as those two bodies remain lying out in a public place and unable to be moved, we will be in the news and forefront in people’s minds. Multiplied even more as we leave other bodies around as a reminder of our determination.”

  “Yes, Mr. Swanson. I have to admit, that is a point of reference I had not considered.”

  MD patted Alex on the shoulder

  “That’s why I am the brains of this outfit.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Any word from DLS or any of the vendors trying to reach out to us?”

  “No, sir. No public messages or any attempts to force back an email through the mail server.”

  MD thought as much. He had considered setting up a helpline or even a web page but decided it was better to remain as mysterious as possible. He could communicate with each DLS subscriber individually. He had put in place a foolproof process that collected the payment and ensured the customer’s safety. If the buyer did not receive confirmation of that insurance, there was a link that they could click.

  “Any issues with payments not being confirmed back?”

  “No, sir. I continually monitor the amount of traffic that we receive and bring online additional personnel as needed.”

  “What percentage of our available workforce is engaged?” MD was asking about how many of his T-2’s were currently online and assigned duties.

  “We are at fifty-two percent, Mr. Swanson. About half dedicated to keeping our systems at operational capacity so that we can quickly act if we need to and to guard against any attacks. The rest are taking and processing payments or doing banking transactions.”

  MD nodded.

  “Great work, Alex. I’m going to take a look at the floor then I’ll be in my office.”

  “Very well, Mr. Swanson.”

  MD turned from Alex’s desk and to a door behind the desk, pushing it open. He walked into a room that looked like it went nearly the whole width of the building. Row after row of desks with large monitors lined the room. Half of the workstations were occupied by what to the human eye would look like people at their place of work. MD knew however that all these “people” were T-2’s who, while lacking the personality and sentient consciousness of T-3’s, were nonetheless incredibly good at what they did. Each acknowledged MD as he marched by them, either verbally or by some gesture.

  MD walked through the floor hoping that he would have enough of a workforce if things got complex. At the other end was his private office with expansive views of the streetscape, in sharp contrast to Alex’s meager view of the alley.

  MD glanced back at his dozens of workers.

  Give me an army of these, and I could rule the Metaverse. He thought before closing his door.

  Centennial Airport, Denver, Colorado

  Argosi, Callum, and Wu along with the tech named Matt who Argosi learned was, in fact, the Tech Supervisor walked from the VTAL to the FastJet. Wu and Matt wheeled Wu�
��s “coffin,” as they called it, down the ramp of the VTAL and onto the FastJet, muscling it through the doorway.

  The rectangular box was the size of a coffin but with straight sides and a dull gray finish. That’s where any similarity ended, however. Inside was the hydration chamber that infused Wu’s skin with moisture and made micro repairs. According to Wu, it was like getting a body scrub at a spa where his skin was exfoliated, moisturized, hydrated and restored. Different settings and options were selected depending on the condition of his skin and the treatment to be applied.

  Before leaving, Argosi put Parker and his team to work meeting with DLS and their vendors. Parker also had some agents looking into any financial trails, either into the Metaverse or out of it as well as in-world cash transfers and deposits. All of the money from the fees that Reynolds and company were collecting had to be processed and then moved somewhere. Argosi hoped he would have some answers when he met with the group tonight after he went in-world.

  Wu, physically present with Argosi, was simultaneously in-world networking with the DLS staff trying to remove the bodies. Or rather the avatars of Michael Collins and Daniel Simpson from the banks of the Colorado River, along one of the most popularly traveled portions of the canyon.

  While it did bother Argosi that the bodies were visible to anyone that wanted to go to that location in the Metaverse, it wasn’t somewhere he wanted to devote resources. But the FBI and other authorities and agencies were deluged by angry people demanding the removal of the corpses. It didn’t help that the location had become a bit of a tourist attraction for curious people. The most maddening thing was the people who went there to take gruesome photos, posing with the bodies even moving them this way or that to get a different angle.

  What the hell was wrong with people? Argosi fumed to himself.

  As soon as the FastJet went wheels up, Wu unstrapped and headed to the coffin fastened down in the back. Matt had the lid open already. Argosi was curious so he slipped back for a quick peek as well.

  A clear substance floated inside, about a foot and half deep and ran the length of the box.

  Argosi was studying the box, the strange looking Jello-like fluid and some of the controls, as Matt brought the whole thing to life from his tablet. Argosi hadn’t noticed that Wu had undressed and was standing beside him.

  “Excuse me, Commander. I need to enter it now.”

  “Certainly Wu, let me get out of your way.” Argosi turned, surprised to see Wu bereft of any clothing.

  Wu was an anatomically correct animatronic. Argosi wanted to ask but didn’t really want to know if everything was functional. More than that he was stunned at how real, and life like Wu looked. He was completely indistinguishable from any other twenty-something fit and live human male.

  Argosi narrowed his eyes as Wu laid down on the gelatin substance that initially supported his body. Slowly however Wu sank into it as the substance swallowed him up, totally covering him. It was eerie to see Wu suspended in the material, his pupils wide, arms at his side and body motionless.

  “It’s okay, Commander. I’m not dead. Even if I look that way.”

  Argosi was stunned to hear Wu’s voice from the speaker built into the underside of the top of the “coffin.” No movement had taken place from his mouth or any other gesture from his body. It was bizarre. Particularly because the thing looked so like a real live human.

  “If you need to talk to Robert while he is in there you can just video-call him, Commander,” Matt said as he closed the cover.

  “Thanks, Matt.” Argosi went back to his seat and decided to close his eyes for the forty-five-minute flight. He half dozed, trying to sort through all the things he had seen and learned in the still young day.

  Airborne over San Diego, California

  Argosi’s eyes popped open as he heard the pilot inform them that they were on final approach into Naval Air Station North Island and would be landing shortly, arriving at Halsey Field. The airfield was part of Naval Base Coronado on Coronado Island just across San Diego Bay from San Diego International Airport. Argosi was glad they could use this airfield. The FastJet could get in and out quicker. The same with the VTAL waiting for them on the ramp.

  Argosi looked back and saw Wu running a towel through his hair before putting on his shirt. Wu smiled at him, looking refreshed. His skin looked shiny and had a glow about it as if he had just exited a steam room or sauna.

  The FastJet made a straight in landing on runway 18/36 from the south. The aircraft exited the runway, turning onto the taxiway. Argosi could see through the window that a VTAL was waiting for them just off the taxiway near some other government FastJets. The aircraft came to a stop, and Argosi and the other agents walked off it and then the fifteen meters to the VTAL which had its engines running. The group walked up the ramp and shown to their seats by a crewman. Before the ramp even closed the VTAL was airborne and racing towards the crime scene.

  The VTAL raced out over the water, and Argosi saw one of the United States newest Aircraft Carriers. The tower in the center of the nearly 6 acres of flat deck was smooth and rounded like that of a submarine. That was part of the design since the carrier itself could submerge and hide itself and its entire air complement under the waves, providing both stealth and protection from long-range missiles.

  The VTAL covered the bay quickly and raced over another aircraft carrier from a bygone era. The USS Midway looked small in comparison to the latest generation docked across the bay from it.

  The VTAL flew over Interstate 5, joining it just to the west and south of the San Diego Zoo and followed it to where it intersected with the Cabrillo Freeway. It turned north to follow it so as not to overfly the Zoo and spook some of the animals. The aircraft followed the Cabrillo Freeway up to where it intersected Richmond Street where it veered and followed it for a short while before banking to the right over a school and then flew to the intersection of University and Centre where it went to treetop level before it entered a tight circling approach to the landing spot.

  Argosi could see police cars blocking the street and yellow lines cordoning off the building that housed the H-Pod facility. Down the street outside of the yellow lines, Argosi could see the News Trucks parked, their satellite antennas extended. He made a mental note to avoid going anywhere near them and was glad when the pilot set them down in a parking lot out of their view.

  The ramp lowered, and the group led by Argosi went down it. Argosi immediately recognized the man coming towards him, his hand outreached.

  “Commander Dominic Argosi, as I live and breathe.” Shouted Special Agent in Charge Harold Martin over the VTAL engines that were winding down.

  Argosi took his hand shaking it warmly as he continued walking towards the doors to the H-Pod club and quickly introducing the team accompanying him.

  “How the hell have you been, Harry?”

  “I was doing good until this crap happened. You cannot believe the calls that I am getting. The thing is my team is here doing all the field stuff, but we don’t have any expertise into Metaverse investigations. Everyone from the police chief to the mayor, to the DA, to the governor wants answers I can’t give them. And then there is the media. That’s why I’m so glad to see you, my friend.”

  “And I thought it was because you missed me,” Argosi said with a chuckle before turning a little more serious.

  “I’m afraid you will have to keep talking to all of them and doing the best that you can. I’m not here to meet or speak with anyone—especially the media. I just want to talk with you, your guys and the CSI people. I have limited time here, and then I am going to Boulder to look at that crime scene on the way back to the office. When I get back, I am going in-world. So you’re on your own.”

  “That’s ok. It’s probably better this way otherwise you might start barking at them like a caged dog,” Harry said with a laugh that Argosi shared.

  They both knew each other from back in the day, kicking ass and taking names, when they worked
the Tactical Teams together. Harold Martin, like Dominic Argosi, was an operator. Both felt a bit like a fish out of water now.

  Harry showed Argosi and his group the H-Pod area where the deaths happened. Some CSI people were working around two H-Pods across from each other. The robotic arms of each of them held both pods at an odd angle on the floor compared to the others that all were upright. Both pods were open and other than the angle looked ordinary.

  Argosi’s group followed Harry as he walked towards a wall with yellow crime scene tape in front of it. As they neared the barrier, Argosi could see the dark stains of what he knew to be blood.

  “This is where Micael Collins landed,” Harry said and then pointed to a spot just beyond a pedestal that held a control console that similarly had more tape around it.

  “That’s where Daniel Simpson landed. Both bodies were removed just a few hours ago by the Medical Examiner.” Harry looked down at the spot where Michael fell before raising his head and meeting Argosi’s eyes.

  “The chief coroner himself came out. After examining the bodies, he said that it appeared to him that both boys had been crumpled up like a piece of paper then uncrumpled and ejected from the pods. Everyone here at the facility is telling me that’s impossible that the injuries must have occurred when they fell out of the pods which for some unknown reason sped up to a speed that was crazy—something else they say isn’t possible—but was witnessed and is on video. So, I’m not so sure about their assertions at this point.” Harry paused to take a breath.

  “Then there are what are apparently burns seared into the I-Suits they were wearing,” Harry added.

  “And the video Harry? What do the victims look like when they come out of it?”

  “Well we have not done a frame by frame yet Commander, but when you slow it down, you can see that both bodies come out looking like their limbs are not naturally straight where they should be and that sort of thing. I have CSI trying to string all the video from all the cameras together to see if the kid with the compound fracture, I think Daniel, if that injury is visible as he ejected from his pod. Unfortunately, his flight out of the pod ended quicker than the other victim, so there is less video of him before he impacts the console. The other kid flew farther and hit this wall here.” Harold said, pointing first to the console then to the wall near where Argosi stood.