Virtual Fantasy

Some things were still impossible in the real world. Even if it had seen its better days technology-wise, a place built off a game engine could still do more than even the wildest imaginations of late BNG-era architects and city planners.

The roads curved upward on the horizon, so it felt like you were standing on the ring of a planet. A green sky bathed the place in acidic, dreamlike wonder. People walked on buildings, and dropped from heights without being hurt. The rides were something else altogether- without the risk of injury, it didn’t take someone with a degree in mechanics to make the most exciting ride they could imagine, all without the risk of their crazy nightmare design ending up like the X Dreadnought.

“Where are we?!” Frankie kept looking all around but couldn’t take any of it in.

“It’s not real, silly.” Katie felt a little sad to say it.

“I can…” Frankie curled her fingers, looking down at the moving digits of a body resembling hers. “Move my body, but it’s like I don’t feel it all the way…”

The moment she looked up, she saw the inside of Katie’s eyeball.

“AH!” The digital visitor fell back, while her sister just laughed.

“Sorry.” She giggled. “I was just trying to get a good look at your face, it’s a little off.”

“I saw the inside of your skull, you jerk! There wasn’t a brain in there, so it seems fine in that aspect!” Yelled Frankie in return for the accidental scare.

Katie put her hand through her own arm. “I guess we can just phase through each other here, yeah… I guess that’s a good call.”

“Good until you see someone’s tongue inside their own mouth…” The throughly creeped-out girl shook it off as she stood.

“Where to first? I wanna ride some of these rides, they’re cool.”

“No time for rides, Kate. MASCOT first, yeah?”

The elder sighed.

“Fine. But promise we can go on at least one before we leave?”

“Sure.”

Frankie realized that, whenever she closed her eyes, she could see a menu, complete with a map, that she could interact with. She hated that they took even the darkness of her own eyelids from her in this overloaded landscape, but she still found it to be a helpful addition when she learned that by simply closing one eye she could have a perfect map on her at all times, listing the location of the local MASCOT and all the guests, no less.

The walk to the trickery-filled employee wasn’t long, but Katie had to stop pretty often to stare at the scenery. She was particularly interested in one of the trees they passed by dotting a sidewalk.

“You alright?”

“It just looks funny.”

“The tree?” She gave it a once-over. “Seems fine to me.”

Katie shook her head.

“As neat as this all is, it’s just… missing something. Part of me is honestly disgusted by all of it, interested as I am…”

“I say take it for what it is. You might see the difference more than I, but it is just a game at the end of the day. It couldn’t be perfect.”

Katie forced a small laugh. “Yeah. Guess not.”

Frankie meant to keep walking, but she should’ve known something was up when one of the little other guest dots on her eyelid map starting heading towards her at an incredible speed.

“VILLAINS! You might’ve escaped my boss… BUT NOW I’VE TRACKED YOU DOWN!”

Inio Nodell pointed at Frankie in a way that she didn’t need to see in order to know she was gonna have to take some time out of her day to stomp this loser.

She yawned at the marketing-department hero.

“Alright, make your bet already. Which one are you again?”