by Ryan Burnett
For better or for worse the man soon surrendered to the gravity of the moment and lapsed into silence.
I wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily. I said nothing, finally beginning to enjoy myself and the spectacle of this idiot’s squirming. The silence stretched on and the man was now sweating most likely trying to figure out any method of escape.
I cleared my voice again “Well” I began softly…..“GET. TO. THE. POINT!” I shouted. Distinctly articulating every syllable of every word. The silence that fell afterwards somehow managed to be even more oppressive than before. Inwardly I grinned at the cowardly nervous glances laced with tinges of pity and fear the men around me began to exchange with one another. I know what the brainless fucks think about me and my temper but I had decided long ago not to care. Time, money, drive, obsession, those were the only things that mattered. The only things that could bring success and happiness…that and a legacy. In the long run a legacy could prove to be more important than all of those other things put together.
The silence in the room seemed to stretch and warp the passage of time, even as it encompassed the room in the most uncomfortable embrace imaginable. If the peons couldn’t even muster up another stuttering response and speak up, then I would just have to speak for them “Get out of here. ALL OF YOU! Come back when you grow some brains or some balls… I don’t fucking care which!” The silence was replaced by the sound of sliding chairs and opening doors as everyone around me scrambled for the exit.
I was unsure of whether it was because I had vented my rage or the actual vents of the air conditioning system had been opened but the heat had begun to abate a bit and things began to feel slightly more bearable. After collecting my thoughts I recalled the display that I had hidden from my field of vision. As the figures manifested themselves before me once again I quickly glanced over the charts and reports still being displayed detailing my company’s finances. Profits were strong but their appeared to be a slight decline from the previous quarter. An understandable outcome given that almost everyone who could afford Virtual Reality Node already owned one. Once the technology had been developed the product had almost sold itself.
The world had been hungering for augmented reality and virtual workspaces with a voracious appetite and this product had dethroned every single pretender who claimed to offer that experience. VirtuWorld’s rise to prominence had been one string of absolute victories after another. A part of me longed for that time once more just to once again hear the naysayers eat their own words….or to hear the concerned voices of the religious purist who had initially tried to boycott the product slowly become quieter and less relevant. I remember one blogger had even go so far as to denounce me as some kind of demon, I could still remember reading his words
“…there is no way around it ladies and gentlemen, Cid Sitavi’s hot new invention is more than the latest new gadget or toy for the tech market to tempt us with. Despite whatever it is that Mr. Sitavi would like us to believe it is an affront to the Lord himself. Heedless of man’s ever growing need for humility and submission to the word, this snake offers us a black portal into a world of lies and sin. The simple truth my friends is this: The “VRN” is nothing more than a clever trap for your immortal soul. This virtual reality doesn’t just take you from the real world it inevitably takes you further from God and subtly seduces the subconscious in ways too profound for me to even begin to truly impart to you. I for one tremble and the thought that we are now on the verge of an era where the mind is no longer sacred, and I weep for all of the misguided fools who will follow this machine into the maw of damnation. Mr. Sitavi you and all of your customers are idolaters and I will not worship at your alter. You are demons turning from the face of the lord and looking inwards to your own darkness. You tread into realms that man was never meant to go, places reserved for the most holy. Your reach outstrips the grasp of humanity and I for one refuse to be taken in.” My legal counsel at the time had considered filing a charge for libel. I for one had considered the article a compliment.
The most surprising part about developing the node was how easy it had been. The brain was an organ designed specifically to interpret electrical signals and stimuli of astounding complexity, variance, and degrees. I didn’t need to redesign the wheel by inventing a new type of computer all I had to do was find a medium or arbitrator for our natural processors that allowed them to read digital information. After a few key breakthroughs the thing had become market ready so fast that it had all seemed unreal. The knowledge and potential was still fresh and largely untapped. The technology while operable was nowhere near perfected to its fullest potential. The hard part, the part that would require true genius had hardly begun and yet the small minded people who had wormed their way into my inner circle were already satisfied. Every single time I set foot in my office building I was reminding with every word and action that I was surrounded by fawns with no drive or motivation. Their bank accounts were full and their minds were dulled by sloth and the petty tokens of prestige that they could now afford. I shook my head to myself alone in that boardroom. I got up and locked the meeting room door from the inside before willing the finance projection to shut off. Once it had completely faded from view, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to take the deeper mental dive into full VRN immersion.
When I opened my eyes I was still seated but my office chair had been replaced by a golden throne beautifully engraved in a script I could not read but somehow comforted my mind. The arms of the chair ended in oddly shaped and sunken lumps of rounded gold that resembled skulls in the vaguest of senses. The throne room was incredibly vast and lavish with brown and golden banners hanging from the ceiling at irregular intervals, the eastern wall had a series of dark metal studs set into it and from these studs dangled chains attached to the collars of exotic predators.
Lions, panthers, wolves, raptors, and several chimera like beasts that had never actually walked the earth. They paced at the end of their chains, just out of reach from each other and the center of the hall. The savage creatures prowled as if possessed by an actual animal instinct, their eyes shining with what could only be describe as some sort of cruel hunger…. as if they were eager for a careless soul to wander within range of the natural blades they had been blessed with. The western wall bore chains as well although the anchor were much less thick and far closer together. These attached to the collars of beautiful young women all in various stages of sensual relaxation, either smoking exotic herbs out of hookah pipes or massaging each other with delicate oils.
I was clothed in a toga like robe trimmed with gold. Simple and clean but possessing such elegance it would be fit for none other than an emperor. “Emperor Cid Sitavi”. I liked the sound of that much more than “CEO Cid Sitavi”. The latter title still instilled respect, but it lacked the reverence that I deserved. Burning torches were arranged up and down the long stone walls of the throne room at irregular intervals casting strange shadows across the room. Shadows that I would call surreal if I weren’t still aware that none of this was truly real. When it came down to it, even basic designations like east and west had no absolute core meaning here. Only an association tied to a mental reference that allowed me to interpret my surroundings as meaningful stimuli and construct this world to correspond with my desires. Being intrinsically involved in the creation of the VRN technology allowed me to fully appreciate the grandeur of my minds artifice but prevented me from getting lost in the illusion.
With unlimited network access and bandwidth I knew this place was many times more grand than anything the casual consumer could afford. Simulated motes of dust swirled in accordance to automated draft patterns which in term affected torch flicker and shadow display. If I desired to touch one of the chained images on either my left or right I knew that each eye lash or tuft of fur, every stretch of skin or patch of scale would have a feel of its own. Something not quite unique but personalized and varied enough for a mortal mind to be unable to tell the difference. But
now was not a time for entertainment or pleasure. Family came first.
“Status Report!”I spoke, and for a second I desired just to listen to the sound of my own voice effortlessly booming with a deep and glorious majesty, it was a timbre I could never match anywhere but here. One of the girls from the west wall approached the throne swinging her hips in tune with the clink of her chain. Every unclad footstep that her bare feet took echoed as if she were wearing stiletto heels. She smiled as she approached my throne and spoke in a voice like slow roasted cinnamon. “VirtuWorld Security has no pending alerts, neither do any of the satellite locations. Research and Developments Labs A and B have yet to submit progress reports, would you like a summary of expenses this quarter?”
“No” I replied curtly. Money and corporate management had not been a truly difficult concern for quite a while quantifying the fruits of my labor was always satisfying in its own right, it did little to mitigate my anger at the lack of progress in the research labs. “Any news on Alex?” I questioned, aware of the harshness in my voice reverberating all around me… but her beautiful face wasn’t capable of expressing the fear or apprehension my employees inevitably showed when I asked a question that would likely cause them to deliver bad news. Her sultry words did not waver, her body did not tremble beneath the sheer silks. “Local authorities have indicated that while they were appreciative of your very generous past donations, that it would be a waste of both time and effort to locate him based on his criminal record. The locations he would be likely to frequent open up, shut down, and change location on a near weekly basis. They also noted that he is not currently wanted for any crime so the department has no legal reason to force him to return in their custody.”
I frowned as I contemplated the irony. All this time my wealth had worked against me. The money and influence I had exerted over the years to keep my son out of trouble all these years was now preventing me from finding and bringing him in safely. The good news was that if the police could not be counted on I knew I could put my money to work from another angle. If the authorities couldn’t find him someone else would…in this world there were always alternatives solutions, for the right price of course. “What about my other contact?” “The Jack has already delivered a message to the individual Robert Archman. The Jack will be evaluating Robert and if he so chooses, disclosing the chosen information in a public venue tonight” She replied.
“Cost?”I barked out shortly. “The exact records from your instruction to the Jack were “Spare no expense”” when she repeated my words, it wasn’t her voice but rather an audio recording of the message in question. Hearing my own booming voice come out of her pink pouting lips was oddly arousing in its own way... “I hope The Jack can think and show a modicum of good sense here, I will not be fucked around with by some two bit hoodlum.” The girl looked back at him wordlessly incapable of forming or offering an opinion. As silence filled my headspace I reflected how this time the silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. This is how things should be; a perfect harmony with perfect understanding. My words, my will, with no thoughts or expectations or social etiquette dancing around the subject. I asked a question, I got an answer, I said my piece and it was over... Alex had never understood that….. and neither had his mother. But she….she was a different matter entirely… whore that she was. The more I thought about it the more I realized that he was just like her in a way. The lies, the betrayal, the electricity abuse. That was the biggest flaw, the perversion of my own invention as if they wanted to mock my triumph and somehow turn it into a defeat.
In the end though Alex was my son, the other half of my legacy, and a small slice of my immortality…. for now. I needed him back under my watchful eye. He would be returned to me one way or another. Who knows there may even be hope for Alex one day, after he has had some sort of rehab or something. There was very little enough money could not fix. The future could be decided once Alex was safely in the company compound, but as long as he was out there planning didn’t mean shit. It was so frustrating having to handle everything by oneself! The incompetence of everyone else occasionally was enough to make one question their own sanity despite my absolute surety and belief in my ability to overcome any obstacle. I must never forget. Willpower. Dominance. Those were the only true ideals. I smiled to myself slightly wondering how much I had said out-loud and how much I had only thought…before suddenly dawning on the realization that there was no “out-loud” in this place. Not while I was within the confines of my own mind. With the flex of a mental muscle I would be back sitting in my office chair wondering how I could proposition my latest secretary for a blowjob without getting a sexual harassment suit. Now that thought made me laugh and as my thunderous laughter echoed down the halls I concentrated on the sound and the memory of Alex’s mother and why I had kept her around so long. I clapped my hands and the throne room was filled with music, a folk tune with ancient Mediterranean rhythms and flutes. A few bells trilled a long to complete the melody. For some reason this music was the only one that could speak to me, none of that modern stuff that polluted the airwaves and had poisoned Alex’s mind. I motioned for the girl still standing motionless before me to come closer soaking in the vision of her figure, the shimmering flow of her black hair, the palm brown of her skin. I was mesmerized by her each and every tantalizing curve, but I did nothing but watch her approach me until she was agonizingly close, close enough to differentiate the flecks of color in her emerald green irises. When I could bear it no longer I spoke out, “Stop!” and she paused motionless before me as I let my eyes rove once more. In a flurry of motion I grabbed her by her petite shoulders and roughly turned her to the left trying not to control the angle of her body; just her general direction. She was now facing the east wall where my menacing menagerie watched the two of us, their eyes never leaving the throne. I spoke one more time “Walk” and wordlessly she began her swaying dance step towards them. This was a game I had played many times before…it looked like this time her path would first intersect with that of a black and white striped bear. The bear strained against the leash impatient to have the soft fleshy prey in between his jaws. He let out a roar which echoed almost as loud as my own voice, revealing a set of fangs that would look more at home in the mouth of a sabertooth tiger. I smiled to myself, as she drew ever nearer to the monster and leaned back in my throne in order to better enjoy the show.
Chapter 3
Angela
15:28:57
I crossed the raucous halls of the student union in an awkward rush; moving in a strange motion that was something in between a brisk walk and a jog. Ungraceful as it was I didn’t really have an option. I was late. Again….In the lower right hand corner of my vision I saw the floating digital display tick over another minute. The letters changed their tint to red as my VRN started my countdown to tardiness. I swore under my breath, before kicking my feet out of my uncomfortable sandals and scooping them up in one hand and clutching my purse in the other. Ignoring the baffled stairs of my peers (or at least the ones not too busy chowing down on caffeinated slabs) I began a dead on sprint towards the third floor class room.
I didn’t even think about the other students hanging out near the steps, milling about the common area, and just generally being in the way. As I approached the crowd I began to move almost on instinct maneuvering and pivoting on the balls of my feet. Flowing with the momentum of my body through the slight social crevices and twistingly advancing forward. I was hardly conscious of the spinning shuffled rhythmic patterns I made on the fly but ever since I was a little girl I have loved moving like this. Performing arts was a passion of mine and some of my fondest memories were of looking out into crowded auditoriums and seeing my father’s face beaming with pride. Dancing itself had always been a joy to me. Ballet, tap, and ballroom dancing all had a unique place in my heart, but the improvised steps of spontaneously movement were something that just inspired love in my soul.
There were no times to bask in the feeling
as I fought against time. My VRN’s timer told me thirty seconds remained as I approached the staircase, vaulting steps three at a time. Cresting the summit of the last stair I continued my relentless run towards room 3517. I could see the door grow bigger and bigger in my focused tunnel-vison, my arm bangles jangling to a tempo set by my breakneck pace as I neared ever closer my destination before I loudly burst through the threshold…where I was immediately greeted by a surge of laughter from the young teenager’s seated at the desks in front of my scholarly friend and mentor, Professor Yodson.
I smiled as I felt a bit of color rise to my cheeks, and simply embraced the embarrassment knowing that it would be impossible to hide. I performed a small courtesy to my amused audience as I straightened my skirt and began to slip my feet back into my sandals. My dignity taking solace in the fact that my VRN display now read 0.03.26 in serene viridian letters; confirming the fact that I had beaten the deadline for the attendance scan and registry.
“Good afternoon Miss Angela, I’m glad that you could join myself and visiting class 2019 for our chat about the human brain and interfacing with technology. As a matter of fact, since you have managed to capture our undivided attention, why don’t you start off our lecture?” Professor Yodson said, unable to conceal any of the mirth that resided in his voice and distinguished features. He wore navy slacks today and a chroma-cloth suit jacket currently set to display a green-brown tweed color over his navy blue vest. The colors clashed in a way that somehow imparted the impression of higher learning and sagacity. Knowing Yodson, I personally thought it fit the persona of the older gentleman perfectly.
I cleared my voice before replying to him, trying to mask the fact that I was still trying to catch my breath a little bit, “That sounds like a wonderful idea professor”, I turned to the class and began to speak “As you all know virtual reality interfaces work on 2 distinct levels: augmented reality and virtual reality. Both these levels work with a mixture of both external and internal stimuli to create an experience unique to each individual user. Today, Professor Yodson and I have opened a private network for us to explore how our VRN works and give you a basic understanding on what neuro-engineers study on a day to day basis. If everyone would please initiate a virtual reality connection to the network PFY3517, we can begin the main demonstration and lecture” as I finished my speech I found an empty seat in the back. More than a little proud that I hadn’t let Professor Yodson’s on-the-spot request fluster me.
