Phadia
Tomato Goddess
Reymond, 11:59 PM
He had never been the social type. Reymond had been jokingly called "antisocial" for most of his life. He was a lone wolf who valued his personal space.
But it wasn't so much that Reymod was antisocial. He just preferred being alone; a classic introvert.
He wasn't, however, a typical glasses-wearing nerd with no social skills. In fact, Reymond was almost the complete opposite.
He was cold, methodical, and calculating; a buff young man, almost jock in his appearance. He was proud of his physique; it was something he'd obtained naturally without the Implant.
For the most part, he despised the Implant. It had done much good in the world.
With everyone having received the Implant for free, even homeless people could enjoy the comforts of all-encompassing VR.
Yes, the Implant allowed for VR to be felt with all the senses.
Too cold? Light a virtual fire.
Too hot? Escape to a virtual mountaintop.
Hungry? Pick from a myriad of meals and snacks, bookmark your favorites, and choose your "custom fill time" allowing you to feel fulfilled instantly if you wish.
The VR world had unlocked something wonderful; something that Reymond simply couldn't understand. While VR was great and all, Reymond saw it for what it was.... a massive fake.
Sure, you could hold your child in VR, feel the warmth of their skin on yours, smell their scent, and hear their breath, but at the end of the day, when you switch off the Implant and UnLink, that child will disappear.
Reymond had heard the horror stories of real-life children being neglected and even starving to death because of a mother's preference to the VR child.
There were more stories of people pursuing something into the street, only to be hit by an oncoming vehicle.
To Reymond, the VR world was a beautiful but dangerous lie.
However, Reymond knew it was a necessity to delve into the world of the Implant at times.
Want a job? You bet your employer will check your VR profile.
Want a better education? You must complete certain VR advancements in order to pass even the most basic entrance exam.
Want to date? You can bet there are eager singles checking out your VR profile at this moment!
And while Reymond disliked the Implant for many reasons, he was still able to enjoy the perks of it all.
The New Year's Countdown was particularly amazing.
As he settled onto the couch, watching the light show dance around his room as the countdown ticked down, he took a moment to appreciate it all.
10.... 9... 8.... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
Until everything went dark.
At first, Reymond assumed he must have UnLinked by mistake. Flipped his hand in the gesture to kill the VR; see the world for what it really is. He must have pressed the Switch.
Then he realized that couldn't be the case. His body lay limp on the cold hard floor. What had happened? Moments ago, he'd been on the couch.
Grunting, he struggled to get to his feet, but something heavy was on top of him, pinning him down. Pain tore through his shoulder and one of his legs with each breath.
At that point, Reymond knew something was very wrong. In a panic, he reached for the Panic Button around his neck, pressing it violently.
He should never feel pain in VR. Something was horribly wrong. Something, he figured, that would be rectified once he UnLinked.
Yet, as his finger pressed the button over and over, the pain only increased. The celebratory cheers of the people in nearby flats had turned into moans and cries of pain.
Something was very wrong.
"Hello....?" he called out, hoarsely, trying to get a better look at the world around him.
"Can anyone hear me?"
As his dark eyes scanned the world around him, it became clear that he was no longer in his flat. In fact, he appeared to be in some type of.... cave? The world around him was dark and dusty
covered in boulders and bits of rubble. Twisted rebar, hunks of concrete, and remnants of his life in the flat lay strewn upon the ground before him.
What was this? Had there been some kind of explosion?
He had never been the social type. Reymond had been jokingly called "antisocial" for most of his life. He was a lone wolf who valued his personal space.
But it wasn't so much that Reymod was antisocial. He just preferred being alone; a classic introvert.
He wasn't, however, a typical glasses-wearing nerd with no social skills. In fact, Reymond was almost the complete opposite.
He was cold, methodical, and calculating; a buff young man, almost jock in his appearance. He was proud of his physique; it was something he'd obtained naturally without the Implant.
For the most part, he despised the Implant. It had done much good in the world.
With everyone having received the Implant for free, even homeless people could enjoy the comforts of all-encompassing VR.
Yes, the Implant allowed for VR to be felt with all the senses.
Too cold? Light a virtual fire.
Too hot? Escape to a virtual mountaintop.
Hungry? Pick from a myriad of meals and snacks, bookmark your favorites, and choose your "custom fill time" allowing you to feel fulfilled instantly if you wish.
The VR world had unlocked something wonderful; something that Reymond simply couldn't understand. While VR was great and all, Reymond saw it for what it was.... a massive fake.
Sure, you could hold your child in VR, feel the warmth of their skin on yours, smell their scent, and hear their breath, but at the end of the day, when you switch off the Implant and UnLink, that child will disappear.
Reymond had heard the horror stories of real-life children being neglected and even starving to death because of a mother's preference to the VR child.
There were more stories of people pursuing something into the street, only to be hit by an oncoming vehicle.
To Reymond, the VR world was a beautiful but dangerous lie.
However, Reymond knew it was a necessity to delve into the world of the Implant at times.
Want a job? You bet your employer will check your VR profile.
Want a better education? You must complete certain VR advancements in order to pass even the most basic entrance exam.
Want to date? You can bet there are eager singles checking out your VR profile at this moment!
And while Reymond disliked the Implant for many reasons, he was still able to enjoy the perks of it all.
The New Year's Countdown was particularly amazing.
As he settled onto the couch, watching the light show dance around his room as the countdown ticked down, he took a moment to appreciate it all.
10.... 9... 8.... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
Until everything went dark.
At first, Reymond assumed he must have UnLinked by mistake. Flipped his hand in the gesture to kill the VR; see the world for what it really is. He must have pressed the Switch.
Then he realized that couldn't be the case. His body lay limp on the cold hard floor. What had happened? Moments ago, he'd been on the couch.
Grunting, he struggled to get to his feet, but something heavy was on top of him, pinning him down. Pain tore through his shoulder and one of his legs with each breath.
At that point, Reymond knew something was very wrong. In a panic, he reached for the Panic Button around his neck, pressing it violently.
He should never feel pain in VR. Something was horribly wrong. Something, he figured, that would be rectified once he UnLinked.
Yet, as his finger pressed the button over and over, the pain only increased. The celebratory cheers of the people in nearby flats had turned into moans and cries of pain.
Something was very wrong.
"Hello....?" he called out, hoarsely, trying to get a better look at the world around him.
"Can anyone hear me?"
As his dark eyes scanned the world around him, it became clear that he was no longer in his flat. In fact, he appeared to be in some type of.... cave? The world around him was dark and dusty
covered in boulders and bits of rubble. Twisted rebar, hunks of concrete, and remnants of his life in the flat lay strewn upon the ground before him.
What was this? Had there been some kind of explosion?
