Chapter Nineteen

Mego was hopelessly lost.

Despite the hour-long orientation, she still had to ask a friendly Sergeant, who directed her to the entrance of Virtua-tivity & Sensology on the fifteenth floor.

Those aren't even real words.

In stark contrast to the Med-levels, the V&S department felt more like a high-end clinic with its smooth walls and waxed bamboo floorboards.

Wandering around, she was surprised to see cubicles go from opaque to crystal clear with the touch of a button.

Where are the Tote bags and essential oils?

Eventually, Mego found the 'Haptic Plant', a large, open-plan room composed of smoky grey panels.

Bubble-shaped immersion pods were studded on one side and attached to fat rubber cables snaking down from the ceiling, while lilac neon strips stretched around the walls..

A stern-looking blonde woman in a green visor and red smock stepped to Mego's side with a simple clipboard.

"Help you?"

"I am looking for Doctor Poop-in-well?"

The woman’s mood darkened. "Excuse you?"

Mego handed her the yellow note.

Upon reading, the woman relaxed slightly and even found herself amused.

"That cheeky bitch." She said, with a wisp of a smile. "I am Doctor Poppelwell, you must be the esteemed Ms Kinugawa. You'll be in pod five."

Mego followed Poppelwell to a doughnut-shaped console, surrounded by an array of monitors and studied her reflection in the blackened glass.

"What goes on here?" Mego asked.

"Virtua-tivity. Don't ask, it was a focus group thing. Here, we devise several simulations, such as Capture the Flag, base raid, or any other related stealth activity. People come to learn new skills or sharpen old ones. All isolated without guidance. It just happens, a custom program has been ordered especially for you."

"Why me?"

"A certain higher-up reckons you are lacking in some departments."

"I’m supposed to be a test pilot.”

The doctor uttered a dark chuckle.

"Oh, you thought it was that easy?"

"I'm in the top ten, which means..."

"It means you got a foot in the door, nothing more. We're not in the business of hiring any old gamer; it doesn't work that way. Anyone can use a cheat code, mod or hack. This place is used to test their true skill. I am the gatekeeper, and I know all the tricks." Poppelwell lifted some papers from her clipboard. "First things first, you need to get suited up. Go through the yellow door on the right."

"Suited up?"

"You need a Haptic suit for the program, then all will be revealed."

"I'm getting tired of hearing that." Mego said. After ten minutes, she returned wearing what looked like a wetsuit housing large sockets down the back. It felt as if someone had sprayed rubber onto her body. "So what's next?"

"Come with me."

They strolled over to one of the five black pods, its walls overlaid with glossy white slats.

In the centre stood a circular, omnidirectional treadmill, near a VR helmet with a flip-down visor. Poppelwell plugged large black cables into Mego's spinal ports before handing over the helmet. Satisfied, everything was locked in place, the woman left the room in complete darkness. After twenty seconds, the interior went 'clunk' as a grid of bright green lights filled the area. Megodback crackled through hidden speakers.

"According to someone who shall remain nameless," She said. "You need to complete this before any real flying can take place. 'Call it a tutorial or ‘Some nerd crap' her words. Anything that goes wrong will result in an emergency evacuation."

"I reckon I’ll be having one of those anyway."

"She said you would make that kind of a joke."

Mego pulled on the helmet and flipped down the mask; she could see a single green line speeding toward her from the horizon.

Suddenly, Mego's body jerked as everything fizzled into a new reality. She had arrived on a clifftop under a brilliant blue sky.

Once again, the visuals were so immersive that she couldn't tell how any of it could have been computer-generated.

A cool breeze prickled her skin; the weight of the sunglasses felt natural, and even the new climbing gear felt bulky on her frame.

In front, Mego saw a flimsy rope bridge tied to a couple of poles and buffeted by crosswinds.

Out of sheer panic, she turned around only to be blocked by the side of a mountain, bringing on an immediate bout of nausea, causing her to sink into a ball.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Mego said to herself. "I need to get warmed up."

There was no response.

Isolated without guidance, those were the rules.

Mego gathered herself and faced the bridge. It took all her strength of will to peek over the edge, where Gossamer clouds drifted over a patchwork of fields. Stepping back, a finger of ice felt its way up her spine; as breathing became erratic, chopped into hard gulps.

"Nope." She said. "Nope-nope-nope."

The next few hours were a chaotic pantomime of trial and error.

She often retreated to the bridge, freezing completely or pacing around. Not once did Mego venture further than six feet from the edge; she could only stamp her feet in frustration.

I'm better than this.

The more Mego ran back to the start, the more annoyed she became. Slowly, she managed to brave the howling elevation, focusing on the red ribbon which marked the halfway point.

Slow going at first, Mego kept it steady and calm.

Every advance felt like a victory, a promise to herself that no matter how many imaginary outcomes, she would not break.

Gripping both sides of the bridge, she closed her eyes and counted...one step...two steps. There’s the wood that always creaks. Ignore it. Three steps. Four steps. How many more? It could have been thirteen or fifteen; it varied. If only she could block out the moaning winds and the ominous sway of the bridge itself.

Seriously! Who needs to cross this high up?!

Keeping her eyes closed, Mego slid her hands across the rope and felt something silky and thin. It was the ribbon.

Checking to make sure, she popped one eye open and glanced down. A palpable relief washed over her as she saw her giant psychological hurdle overcome. One she would bask in for a full twenty seconds, before slowly crouching into a ball.

Something blared, and the pod door opened.

"I had to stop it," Poppelwell said. "You were going to be lying there all day."

"I nearly had it, I was so close.”

"Look. These fear programs are designed to test your limits. No one gets them right the first time. I would be annoyed if you did, because you'd have wasted my time. I saw your battle in the game; you were mercurial. All you have to do is find that version of yourself."

"Thanks, but I don't know how to get it back."

"Be it as it may, the longer you wait, the more you keep everyone back."

“Everyone? Really?”

“We can’t have late arrivals in the top ten. It’s go together or none at all.”

"I understand," Mego said, heading to the dressing room.

"Also, tell your Mom she owes me a twenty.”

Mego smiled grimly and paused at the doorway.

"Do you know how to get to the Dorms from here?" She asked.

"The Burrows?" Poppelwell said. "Oh, Hun, you've got a walk ahead of you."

***

The Burrows were three perfectly round gateways that led into the depths of the Space Station. Mego waved her palm in front of a reader pad, and the third set of double doors slid back with a faint whirr.

The ramp sloped down toward a brightly lit tunnel, with overhead struts forming a vertebra-like structure, making her feel like she was walking through a giant snake. The tunnel swung right and met with an avenue of doors, each ringed in neon numbers from five to fifty.

Mego's dorm was number nine, right near the end.

Stopping at the entrance, a blackened smear caught the edge of her vision. A shape so fleeting, it snagged on the mind's eye like an angler's hook. She could not be certain, but it seemed to be some sort of Cow-Skull in a dark robe, one which wavered nearby, before dissipating quickly.

Keep it together.

She flashed her palm against the electronic pad. The door slid back to reveal the Scots woman from the Canteen.

"S'up, roomie?" The woman said cheerfully.

"Ah, balls!