《Rejacked》 The Welfare Check PD-31, the robot police dog, was jogging down twelfth street, effortlessly weaving through the few pedestrians lining the sidewalk. Quickly-blinking red and blue lights on its slender frame commanded respect. The humans looked with interest, wondering why the robots were in such a hurry. PD-31 took a hard turn at twelfth and Bentley after making sure the path was clear. The destination, a sky-high apartment complex, waited just ahead. Fellow unit PD-79 rounded the other side of the building. PD-31 arrived first and the big automatic glass doors slid to the side. But instead of going through, it waited patiently for its partner. A young woman about to walk out the door stepped aside to let the police dog through until she realized that the robot had no intention of doing so. Quickly, she exited and hurried out of the way. She walked past the police dog, observing it with wide eyes. Then she noticed the other two robots jogging up to the door. What was going on here? Was there something wrong in her own apartment building? When PD-79 caught up, PD-31 finally went through the door, the other two following close behind. The young woman thought about following the duo for a brief moment. She paused, tilting her head as her gaze followed the units, but blew a strand of hair out of her face and went on her way. As the two robots moved to the elevators, a sensor detected their presence and sent them a free cabin. It opened up without a ding so as not to attract any human attention. The two robot dogs went inside, arranging themselves in close proximity without touching. Once the doors closed and the robots were alone, they turned off their blinking lights for the ride. The elevator stopped at the 14th floor and opened its doors. The dogs shuffled out and turned to their left. Turning their lights back on they walked this time, but with military stride and precision. Suddenly, just when PD-79 had passed apartment number 1423, both units stopped and turned towards the door. PD-31 signaled their arrival to the apartment sensor. They waited 30 seconds. Then PD-31 sent a wellness check signal. Another 30 seconds passed. Nothing. A little compartment on PD-31¡¯s side opened up and a plasma cutter emerged. A little pump started pressurizing nitrogen in a chamber inside the plasma cutter. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. PD-31 positioned the nozzle of the plasma cutter at the door just above the handle. Suddenly, with a little bang, a bright light appeared at the nozzle and spewed sparks everywhere. PD-31 drew a big, glowing half-circle around the door handle before turning off the gas pump. The last sparks dropped to the floor. PD-31 returned the plasma cutter to its little compartment and used the claw at the end of the arm that one could describe as its head to push against the cut section of the door. The cutout began to inch backwards and then, with a loud bang, it dropped to the floor inside the apartment. The bot opened its claw, interlocking it with the door, and started to pull while moving backwards. The door opened and PD-31 announced, ¡°This is the police, please do not be scared, we are just answering to a wellness check. We are unarmed and we come in peace. Please come forward if someone is home.¡± PD-31 stepped inside. The red and blue strobe lights from PD-31¡¯s tinted shoulder pads easily overpowered the dim light on the ceiling. Both robots turned on the industrial flood lights mounted on their single arms. They looked around, scanning the room for doors. ¡°This is the police, please do not be scared, we are just answering to a welfare check,¡± repeated PD-31. Based on the standard floor plan, the Neuropod would usually be located in the room opposite the main door. PD-31 approached and used its claw to knock three times. ¡°This is the police, please do not be scared, we are just answering to a welfare check.¡± PD-31 waited for a moment while PD-79 turned around to check the hallway. It was empty. The robot extended its claw forward and grasped the door handle, turning it and beginning to push. The door gave way and the robot¡¯s olfactory sensors immediately picked up the faint presence of putrescine in the air. PD-31 immediately notified headquarters about what it had just detected--and then it saw the body. The robot almost jumped forward, trying in vain to detect the slightest sign of life. Finding nothing, it sent three short sentences to HQ. ¡°Welfare check completed. Person of interest deceased. Human backup requested.¡± The Endless Summer Something pulled on the fishing line hanging out of the Endless Summer. Ben opened his eyes. Sunlight was hitting him squarely in his perfectly designed face. He lowered his baseball cap and launched himself out of the deck chair towards his fishing rod. The luxury yacht wobbled a bit in response to the sudden movement. He took the rod out of the holder with a firm grip. But there was no tension on the line as he reeled it in. Nothing seemed to be hooked. ¡°Watson, come on, this can¡¯t be realistic!¡± ¡°Well, all I can say is, that realistic is the selected setting.¡± said a ubiquitous voice in response. Ben pushed the rod back into the holder and turned around. ¡°This is the third false alarm now. Can we turn it off please? It¡¯s just no fun! Either make them bite or not bite, but this setting is really annoying!¡± ¡°Sure, the setting you are looking for is apparently called ¡®child mode¡¯, do you want me to activate it?¡± Ben thought he heard a hint of contempt. ¡°Just turn off false alarms! I don¡¯t care what it¡¯s called.¡± ¡°Compliance.¡± Watson responded. Ben took a deep breath. His skin was overly heated by the sun and he felt like cooling down a bit. Since he was already standing he went over to his cooler and took a cold beer. He opened the flip-top with a pleasant pop and took a big swig. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he admired the beautiful scenery around him. Nothing but calm sea under a clear blue sky while a Bob Marley song played softly from the ship''s loudspeakers. Ben had come here to relax and remove all distractions. He was suffering from creator¡¯s block. He liked to design virtual escape rooms and was pretty successful at it. Of course he had to release them under a pseudonym, but he had accepted that fact a long time ago. His newest escape room idea was based on Mark Twain¡¯s life. But somehow it just wasn¡¯t clicking. The different, individual challenges weren¡¯t forming a satisfying and coherent whole. He knew expectations were high and he would not release the room unless it was the best he could create. On the other hand he wasn¡¯t sure if reading Mark Twain material and biographies was research or really just procrastination at this point. The challenge was to combine an interesting narrative with challenging riddles while being faithful to the life and biography of the main character. Maybe this time he had bitten off more than he could chew. He took another swig. Damn, that sky was blue. Working on escape rooms had given him purpose in an otherwise purposeless world. He was grateful for that and for his fans. But that didn¡¯t mean he was under any obligation to release something. Or to meet a deadline. He was his own boss. At the same time speculations online were going nuts over when he would release his next escape room. And the longer he waited the higher that pressure became. Some argued that his next room would be extra special because of the extra long time it took to create it. The problem was, that wasn¡¯t the case. In reality he had just taken some time off and procrastinated a lot. It was somewhat of a vicious circle. The longer it took the higher the expectations got. He played with the idea to let his old pseudonym die and to release his next room under a new one. Expectations were just too high at this point and he wasn¡¯t sure if the pressure was worth it. The truth was, a new distraction had found its way into his life. A distraction so desirable he could hardly wait to visit it each day. Not really having to work for a living did the rest. ¡°Ah fuck it, enough work for today. Good things take time,¡± said Ben and threw his beer bottle overboard. It dispersed into a million little green particles before it hit the water. He went portside and then towards the bow of the boat where he found a beautiful young woman with golden brown hair laying face-down on a huge light-green towel. The olive skin of her back was glistening in the sun. A pink bikini laid crumpled-up next to her. It was so scant he almost missed it at first glance. ¡°Hey V, whatcha doin¡¯ ?¡± asked Ben bored. Vanessa turned her head and looked at him with radiating, emerald green eyes, ¡°Oh not much, playing a game of chess against AlphaZero. But I am losing anyway. Wanna do something together instead?¡± ¡°Why do you keep playing against it ?¡± She shrugged with a playful smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I guess I like a challenge.¡± Ben nodded. He was still feeling a bit hot. ¡°Do you want me to turn the sun down a bit ?¡± ¡°No, I think it¡¯s perfect!¡± Ben thought of something else he could do. ¡°Want some sun lotion ?¡± ¡°I would love some sun lotion!¡± Vanessa smiled brightly. Ben sat down next to her. ¡°Watson, you heard the lady.¡± Particles started to appear randomly and fly into Ben¡¯s hand, quickly forming an orange plastic bottle. He opened the lid and squeezed some of its contents into his hand. He placed the bottle next to the fleeting bikini fabric. Then he started to rub his hands together to bring the white liquid up to skin temperature before placing them on her back just below the shoulders. ¡°Mmmmmh¡± moaned Vanessa, ¡°That feels amazing!¡± She closed her eyes and relaxed her head again. Ben smiled, savoring the feeling of her skin sliding, bending underneath his hands. It truly was indistinguishable from reality. After all these years he was still amazed. He couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. He massaged her shoulders, her arms, her sides and then her lower back. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken her bottom had just perked up a little bit. He smiled again. Oh no, not yet, he was in it for the long game today. He wouldn¡¯t touch her more sensitive parts until she begged him, until she just couldn¡¯t wait a second longer without bursting into flames of anticipation. He squirted some new lotion into his hands and then went back up to her shoulders. ¡°Bennnn!¡± protested the woman, wiggling under his touch, ¡°You¡¯ve been there already!¡±. She arched her back, forsaking any subtlety she might have had before. But he was not yet ready to give in. ¡°I think you missed a spot!¡± said Vanessa wiggling her bottom. ¡°Oh really and where might that be at?¡± Vanessa bit into her green towel. ¡°My butt!¡± she mumbled with teeth full of cotton, pretending to be discreet. Ben rubbed his hands together. He was about to show some mercy. Suddenly Watson started to speak, ¡°I am terribly sorry, Ben, but a police officer is requesting access to your server.¡± A quick burst of adrenaline was followed by a slow wave of goosebumps starting on Ben¡¯s shoulders and slowly moving over to his forearms. ¡°Bennn, your killing me! Don¡¯t stop!¡± ¡°Vanessa pause!¡± commanded Ben. Vanessa stopped moving and turned gray. Ben¡¯s mind started to race. What could they possibly want from him? He urgently searched his brain. He couldn¡¯t come up with anything incriminating he had done, but that hadn¡¯t saved him in the past either. At least this time there was nothing left to take away.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Ben ?¡± asked Watson. Ben felt like he could only move and think in slow motion. ¡°Ben ?¡± asked Watson again. Ben shook his head in an effort to shake off the bad memories that were sweeping over him. He forced himself to focus on the present. ¡°Yes, Watson.¡± ¡°There is a police officer requesting access to your server.¡± repeated Watson patiently. ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Would you like me to grant her access ?¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Ben looked at Vanessa still frozen in place. What would happen if he denied the police officer access ? Would she come back ? Should he ask if the officer had a search warrant ? Fear crept over him. He wasn¡¯t the type of person to play games with law enforcement. Not anymore. Then Ben had a thought, He was in a fucking simulation. What¡¯s the worst that could happen ? He could always log out, right ? His heart rate normalized a bit. I am in control, he told himself. ¡°It¡¯s a single person requesting access, right Watson ?¡± ¡°Yes Ben¡± He started to wipe his oily hands on his dark blue swim shorts. ¡°Remove Vanessa and put me in a Hawaiian shirt.¡± Vanessa disappeared into a million skin colored particles and a green Hawaiian shirt with white flowers materialized on his upper body. I am in control, Ben repeated in his mind. ¡°Watson, please grant the officer access to my server.¡± ¡°Compliance.¡± Ben took a deep breath. Suddenly eight beams of blue light shot down from the sky and onto his boat. The beams formed a circle on the floor in front of Ben. Then a million light-blue dots appeared inside the beams quickly taking the form of a female person. Finally a slender young woman in her early twenties, with a blond ponytail, dressed in a tight police uniform appeared in front of him. The seams and stitches of the dark blue uniform were slightly glowing. ¡°Star Trek beams and Tron uniform, you are my kind of officer,¡± said Ben with fake confidence. He reached out and after a brief moment where the police officer found her bearings, she shook his hand with a bright smile, ¡°Hello Mr. Kendrick. It¡¯s good to meet you. My name is Sarah Walters, I am an officer at the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Your personal assistant has received a copy of my credentials.¡± ¡°Hello Miss Walters, welcome to the Endless Summer! To what do I owe... this unexpected pleasure?¡± said Ben a bit frosty. The police officer looked at her hand and then rubbed her thumb with her index finger. He blushed, ¡°Sorry, sunscreen!¡± he explained, pointing at the sun with squinted eyes. He really hoped she wouldn¡¯t ask why he needed sunscreen in a simulation. ¡°Would you mind us taking a seat ? It¡¯s a bit of a long story¡± She rubbed her hands on her uniform. Ben tried his best to read her body language, so far she really didn¡¯t seem hostile in any way. Quite the contrary. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go to the back. Watson, please spawn a second deck chair next to mine¡± Ben gestured to Sarah to go first. Sarah followed his invitation and went portside and then further to the back of the boat. Sarah noticed a fishing pole sitting in a holder and two white sturdy deck chairs. Sarah sat down and Ben followed suit. The song ¡°Is this love¡± was playing in the background. ¡°Watson turn off the music please.¡± Bob Marley¡¯s song slowly faded out. Ben looked at Sarah expectantly. ¡°First of all, let me say thank you Mr. Kendrick for taking the time to speak to me. I can imagine you are a person that takes his privacy very serious.¡± He nodded carefully. ¡°The reason I am here today, is because I am the lead investigator in the attrition cases.¡± ¡°Attrition cases ?¡± Sarah nodded. ¡°Have you perhaps heard about a couple of young women dying from attrition recently? Dehydration to be exact.¡± ¡°I heard a young woman was found dead in her apartment two days ago. Was that one of your cases?¡± ¡°Yes. Her name was Clarice.¡± ¡°You said, a couple.¡± ¡°Yes, she is just the latest victim. We know of two other young women who have died similarly.¡± ¡°So that makes it three ?¡± ¡°So far, yes.¡± Sarah nodded, ¡°And that¡¯s also why I¡¯m here.¡± He was taken aback, ¡°I... don¡¯t understand. Do you think I had something to do with this?¡± asked Ben. ¡°No, no! Of course not!¡± said Sarah quickly raising her hands, ¡°But the thing that you probably have not heard in the news was that all three woman were jacked in when they were found.¡± A small jolt of energy flashed through Ben¡¯s body. Finally he started to understand why she was here. ¡°Okay ?¡± He furrowed his brows. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree that this seems a bit odd?¡± ¡°What? That women need water to survive?¡± ¡°Mr. Kendrick, please.¡± Ben looked down and to the side. He knew exactly why she was here now and it wasn¡¯t to give him compliments. ¡°Ok, so let¡¯s get this straight! You are jacked into my invention right now, to ask me if it is killing people? Do I have that right?¡± ¡°Basically¡­¡± said Sarah with unease, surprised by the anger in his voice. ¡°Are you fucking listening to yourself? You can¡¯t be serious!¡± ¡°I¡¯m literally dead serious!¡± Ben shook his head in disgust, ¡°I think this meeting is over, Miss - Walters!¡± Sarah''s eyes opened wide and she raised her hands apologetically. ¡°Mr. Kendrick, please! I am not here to offend you¡­ I am sorry, if this has happened just now! Please Mr. Kendrick, I am just here to stop more women from dying like this and I am truly desperate. Look, I will put my cards on the table! I am miserable, I can¡¯t sleep at night. I have been working on this case for months now and I am getting nowhere! There is something very sinister going on here and I can feel it in my gut that the next woman is already top on some fucking list! I dread reading the news since this started. Every day I fear to read about another woman having been found dead. I am stuck and I need help! Oh and you better believe that I¡¯ve tried everything else! I know about your bloody past. Of course. And I am sorry for intruding on you, but I ran out of... any... other¡­ fucking option!¡± Sarah trembled with energy, clenching her fists. Every muscle in her body was under tension. She breathed heavy. Ben had closely observed Sarah¡¯s body language and facial expressions while she was talking, looking for any hint of deception. But he came up empty. This young police officer seemed to have laid herself bare. But he had been burned hard in a similar situation before. He wrangled with himself. What was he supposed to do ? He took a deep breath. ¡°Please Mr. Kendrick.¡± said Sarah again, pleading for his help with wide open eyes. He would probably regret this¡­ he dropped his head. And then looked up again. ¡°Fine¡­¡± he exhaled, ¡°what do you wanna know. But make it quick!¡± ¡°Mr. Kendrick, I need to know if there is any way; any way a Neuropod could misbehave and cause the death of these women.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Mr. Kendrick, could you please elaborate a little?¡± sighed Sarah. ¡°Look, you know all of this already. A user can log out anytime they want. No one can stop you from logging out. You can try it out for yourself right now!¡± Sarah rolled her eyes. ¡°And when someone doesn¡¯t log themselves out, the pod kicks them out automatically after 5 hours. That is nowhere near the time needed for someone to die by, how did you call it? Attrition? I mean of course, they could keep lying there, offline but jacked in until they die of thirst. But that would have nothing to do with the pod!¡± ¡°Yes you¡¯re right, I am a user myself, obviously, so I know all of this of course. What I need from you is to learn something new! Something that I don¡¯t know. Internal stuff. Stuff that maybe you think only you know.¡± Ben leaned over and took a new bottle of beer out of the cooler and offered it to his guest. She shook her head. ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± Ben shrugged then he opened his bottle with a pop and took a swig. Then he looked at the beautiful sky and searched his brain. Was there any other way? No, of course not. He and his old team had thought of every eventuality, every possibility, every angle. And they had written code to be ready for anything. There was no gap, no flaw, no bug and certainly no deliberate backdoor as she seemed to fish for. It had been the best work of his life, he thought bitterly. She was simply wrong, he concluded. ¡°Look¡­ Officer Walters, my team and I, we knew that scrutiny on this product would be like nothing any other product had ever received. Every hacker, every security researcher, every government agency from every country would try to attack Neuropods. We went full on NASA mode. We used the most secure programming language together with the fewest lines of code to minimize the attack surface of the final product. Everyone worked together on this goal. And together we pulled off the impossible. Software without a single attackable error. I am sorry these women are dying. I truly am. But it is my strong recommendation that you look elsewhere. The Neuropod has nothing to do with these women dying. I am sure of it!¡± Sarah nodded. She looked at Ben, ¡°Yeah, I figured as much, but I had to take the chance.¡± She stood up. ¡°Of course,¡± he assured her immediately, ¡°Look, I am really sorry for these people. I wish I could help.¡± ¡°Yeah me too. But just in case, you think of something. Anything! Please do not hesitate to contact me. Your PA has my contact details,¡± she offered him her hand. He stood up as well, ¡°I will!¡± he said and shook her hand. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°Your welcome and good luck Miss Walters. Truly.¡± Then the blue light beams came back and sucked her up into the sky. And just like that she was gone. The Amish Girl Lizzy stirred in her cozy bed as the first rays of sunlight hit her lids, savoring the warmth for just a few moments longer before her eyes flew open with the realization of what day it was. Excitement jolting her awake, Lizzy flung back the covers and clambered to kneel for her morning prayers. ¡°Thank you, Father, for giving me my life, my family, and this day!¡± The girl¡¯s voice rose almost to a squeal by the time she reached the end of her thanks and she was down the stairs in a flash. ¡°Mama!¡± Lizzy sang as she swung around the end of the banister just as she had so many mornings before. A woman with silver-streaked brown hair bustled about in the kitchen, thoroughly drying off the dishes she¡¯d just washed before setting them on the wooden table next to a basket of fresh, beautiful green apples. Lizzy bounced up to her mother as she moved to set another dried bowl on the stack, giving her a kiss on the cheek and a hug so enthusiastic that it almost threatened to send the dish crashing down. ¡°Good morning, mama,¡± Lizzy said, swiping one of the bright green apples with a twinkle in her eyes despite the warning look she was given. ¡°Oh, Lord, give me strength,¡± Lizzy¡¯s mother said with a shake of her head. ¡°Good morning, bright, energetic, mischievous daughter of mine. Have you finished your pray-¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m all done.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt, child¡± Lizzy¡¯s mother childed gently, but her brow remained soft as she looked towards her daughter with fondness. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth even while her eyes began to brim. Luckily, her daughter was too caught up in the excitement of the morning to notice before she had the chance to blink back her tears. Lizzy took a bite of her apple, delighting in the crisp crunch and tart flavor as she turned towards the kitchen window. She gazed dreamily over the field where the sun peeked over the horizon, her mind swirling with anticipation and questions about all that was to come. Before Lizzy knew it, she was bouncing in place, repeatedly squeaking the floorboards beneath her feet. ¡°Oh, you either put some of that energy to work helping me here in the kitchen or take it outside!¡± her mother said, shaking her head once more. With a giggle and a wrinkle of her nose, Lizzy skipped outside to say good-morning to the rest of the family and avoid any extra chores. Lizzy soon located her father between the house and the barn with their buggy. Their two horses stood idly nearby, their leads fixed to the nearest fencepost with enough room for them to graze while they waited. The chestnut horse nickered and pawed lightly at the ground while she approached, earning a gentle shush from her father. ¡°Good morning, Papa!¡± Lizzy called out, her eyes eagerly focused on where he was tinkering with the carriage. Narrowing her eyes playfully at the horses as they eyed her apple greedily, she crouched slightly and waited for her father to stand to his full height. The instant he turned around, she flung herself into his arms, giving him a rough bear hug. ¡°Mercy, mercy--careful there, Lizzy!¡± he cried, the lines around his eyes crinkling slightly with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not as young as I once was, you know! You must be more careful with me than that.¡± Despite her father¡¯s words, Lizzy soon felt his strong arms lift her off the ground in a hug of his own, spinning her around once before setting her back on her feet. ¡°I just love you a lot, Papa. May I ask what you are doing?¡± ¡°Well, I love you too, my dear,¡± came the reply as the seasoned farmer dusted off his hands deliberately, ¡°And I¡¯m fiddling with this wagon shaft. I¡¯ll start working on a new one tomorrow, but we need the wagon to work properly today either way, wouldn¡¯t you agree? Do you mind helping a frail, old man find a quick solution?¡± Lizzy giggled once again and nodded, breaking the half-eaten remains of her apple in two and giving one piece to each horse. ¡°What can I do to help?¡± she asked, wiping her sticky fingers on her frock, although a quick glance at the thin beam of wood that normally connected the buggy with the horses¡¯ harnesses revealed the problem: A split had started at one end of the shaft that would only get worse on the long ride ahead of them. ¡°Please go to the barn and fetch me that spare leather strap.¡± ¡°Yes, Papa!¡± Lizzy replied brightly, a purposeful spring in her step while she made her way to the barn. ¡°Just behind the door and to the left!¡± her father called after her. But Lizzy already knew where it was. In a matter of moments she came sauntering back, proudly displaying the leather strap as requested. Her father took it from her with a smile, holding the split shaft together around the joint with his calloused hands and wrapping it with the strap, biting down firmly on one end of the leather as he pulled to keep it taut. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Lizzy watched his every move with bright eyes, drinking in as much knowledge as she could. Right as he finished tightly reinforcing the shaft and securing his work with a beautifully-tied Amish farmer¡¯s knot, his wife called from the house: ¡°Abraham! Lizzy! Come on in, breakfast is ready!¡± And, just like that, Lizzy was off in a flash again. She struggled to keep from bouncing in place on the creaky floorboards once more as her stomach growled in anticipation of the beautiful meal that her mother seemed to have arranged with lightning speed as usual. The smell of freshly-cooked eggs and pot pie with steaming beef gravy and Friendship Bread immediately made Lizzy forget all about the apple she¡¯d just snacked on. ¡°Thank you, Esther,¡± Lizzy heard her father say from the doorway as he hung up his hat before moving to sit at the table, ¡°This looks wonderful, as always.¡± Lizzy sneakily reached to steal a flake of the hot, buttery pie crust, hoping to get away with it unnoticed. Fresh pot pie crust was her favorite. However, her mother slapped her hand away gently but firmly before she could get very far. ¡°I¡¯m happy to do it, of course,¡± Esther said primly, motioning for Lizzy to sit in her place by the table and wait patiently. She caught her husband¡¯s eye with a small smile and shook her head slowly, giving him a knowing look that made it clear how much of his spirit she saw in their daughter. The weathered farmer smiled back with a sigh, wordlessly stroking his beard as he got comfortable in his seat. Esther finished handing out forks and then sat with her family as they all clasped hands in a circle to pray before their meal. Abraham cleared his throat and began: ¡°Oh Lord, we thank you for this food and for the opportunity to enjoy it together as a family. May we use the strength it gives us only for your service. Amen.¡± Esther raised her head to give Lizzy a warning eye and add emphasis to the final point as they concluded their prayers. ¡°And don¡¯t you forget it, daughter! I don¡¯t want you going wild out there. Your rumspringa is meant to help you broaden your perspective, not dive into dangerous vices with wild abandon. Don¡¯t do anything you¡¯d be ashamed to tell me about later!¡± Lizzy nodded her head in acknowledgement of her mother¡¯s words even though her eyes were fixed on the serving spoon as it delivered a hefty helping of pot pie to her father¡¯s plate. The hungry girl gripped her fork as a generous serving of food made its way onto her own plate as well, beaming at her mother to express her thanks before digging in. ¡°I know, Mama. I don¡¯t want to try anything bad, I just want to see what everything is like! Can you tell me more about the city?¡± Esther winced slightly as she saw her daughter shovel in a mouthful of pot pie before fully finishing her question. ¡°Eating and speaking should remain two separate tasks, child,¡± she admonished. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lizzy said after swallowing, trying her hardest to show that her apology was genuine even though she was eager to charge ahead with her curiosity, ¡°But please, won¡¯t you tell me? What¡¯s it like there?¡± ¡°Very different from when I was there myself, I imagine,¡± Esther remarked with a slightly furrowed brow. She paused for a moment after dishing out her own breakfast, sharing a questioning look with her husband as she placed the serving spoon carefully back in the pot pie dish. Lizzy relished in the way her mother¡¯s pie crust seemed to melt in her mouth the instant it met her tongue, not noticing her father¡¯s subtle nod of affirmation. ¡°Lizzy,¡± Esther began, pausing until her daughter finished her bite to make sure she was really paying attention, ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard from other members of our community, things have changed a great deal during the past few years. There have always been stark differences between the tools we use and those of the outside world, but those differences have grown very much over the past decade or two. There have been some remarkable inventions since I went to the city on my own rumspringa when I was your age.¡± Lizzy nodded attentively while she temporarily pushed aside her half-eaten helping of pot pie to dig into her eggs, listening carefully and wondering what her mother was getting at. After a brief moment¡¯s pause, Abraham set his fork down and cleared his throat quietly before contributing to the conversation. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that, with the invention of Virtual Reality, there have come all manner of games like you cannot imagine. Much more advanced and convincing than the video games that your mother and I tried when we came of age.¡± Esther dipped her head in agreement with her husband¡¯s words and quickly launched into her own explanation: ¡°Virtual Reality is apparently very intense--so intense that it can even feel real, like whatever you¡¯re doing is actually happening. So, please: From a moral standpoint, be careful! I must admit that I¡¯m not sure where our Lord stands on the actions you carry out in games, but I¡¯d urge you to avoid doing anything in Virtual Reality that you wouldn¡¯t do in real life. God knows what¡¯s in your heart even if your actions don¡¯t have real-life consequences.¡± Lizzy digested her parents¡¯ words as she circled back to her pot pie--the last item on her plate by now. She struggled silently for a moment with how to phrase her next question, not wanting to imply a level of rebellion that might get her in trouble but unable to go without asking. ¡°If I really did want to try something risky, wouldn¡¯t it be better to do it in Virtual Reality than in real life?¡± Lizzy¡¯s mother let out a long, tired-sounding exhale, shaking her head. ¡°Now look here, daughter: That is a dangerous question to play around with. I cannot condone you doing anything risky or immoral anywhere, no matter whether it supposedly counts in real life or not. That means no violence or other wicked acts--and absolutely no VR sex!¡± Abraham coughed somewhat awkwardly and washed his bread down with a bit of water. Lizzy¡¯s eyes traveled between her parents¡¯ faces, searching for any hints that might shed some light on the topic, but was only met with a somewhat tense silence. ¡°What¡¯s VR sex?¡± Lizzy finally asked. Luckily for Abraham, whose eyes were firmly fixed on his plate, Esther was all too happy to respond: ¡°You¡¯ll find out. And when you do, don¡¯t do it!¡± The Silk Road Ben opened his eyes. A lamp in a corner gave the room some light and provided his eyes purchase. The data plug was pulled out of his head. He sat up straight and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was thirsty. Ben had to smile. No wonder he drank so much on The Endless Summer. He turned around, resting his feet on the floor. Then he pushed himself out of the Neuropod. He stretched, bent his back a bit and pulled up each leg at its knee. Slowly getting comfortable to real life again he staggered out of the VR room and into the kitchen. The lights turned on automatically at half brightness and slowly got brighter. Still Ben had to close his eyes a bit, giving them time to adjust. He went for the fridge, pulled it open and found it to be empty. ¡°Ah fuck.¡± He closed it again. ¡°Watson, can you order me some Dr. Pepper light and a pizza speciale please?¡± ¡°Compliance,¡± Watson responded, but his voice wasn¡¯t omnipresent anymore. Now his voice came from a little black box on the kitchen counter and sounded a bit metallic. Ben opened the cupboard and took out a large coffee mug. He filled it with ice cubes and topped it off with cold water from the fridge dispenser. He swirled the ice cubes around in the mug for a moment and then emptied it in four big gulps. Ben filled the mug with water again and placed it on the counter. He went to the toilet and relieved himself, groaning a couple of times, ¡°Oh hell yeah!¡± Ben finished up and went back into the kitchen. ¡°Watson, how long was I online?¡± ¡°Your last online session was 4 hours long.¡± Ben nodded and picked up one of the sturdy metal chairs he kept in the kitchen. He crossed the small hallway and returned to the VR room. He placed the chair next to his Neuropod, sat down and just looked at it for a while. ¡°What have you done?¡± he asked quietly, ¡°And why.¡± He reached for the data plug and felt around its tip. It was still warm. ¡°Watson, I wanna try something.¡± ¡°Yes Ben.¡± ¡°I will log in again - put me in my office. And then I want you to not let me log out again for 10 minutes or until my food arrives.¡± ¡°I am sorry Ben, but this command violates my prime directives. It is not possible for me to ignore a log out request.¡± ¡°Yeah, we will see about that,¡± said Ben with newfound excitement. He almost jumped out of his chair, turned around and laid down in his Neuropod again. ¡°Watson, log me in.¡± He felt the data plug push into his head jack. He closed his eyes and felt that familiar feeling of all the weight of the world being lifted off of his shoulders. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a penthouse office with a gorgeous view over a sprawling city skyline. The floor was blackwood polished to a shine and the walls were tinted glass set in stainless steel window frames. A desk and a chair, made from chrome, glass and leather, was positioned to give Ben the best view over the busy city. He quickly sat down and the monitor in front of him turned on automatically. He grabbed the mouse and clicked a few buttons to start what looked like a text editor, only that in this editor different text elements had different colors. A dialog appeared with a scrollable list of text labels. Ben scrolled down until he found what he was looking for. He clicked on ¡®Neuropod¡¯. Ben clicked a few buttons and then clicked on a file called ¡®logout.rs¡¯. The text changed and shortly after that got colorful again. Ben pushed a few keys on the wireless keyboard before he stopped and adjusted the keyboard¡¯s position slightly. Then he quickly scanned the file using the page up and down keys. After a moment of browsing the file he found what he was looking for and started to type on his keyboard again. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea sir,¡± commented Watson. ¡°I think it¡¯s a great idea!¡± responded Ben smiling brightly. Ben clicked on a button titled ¡®compile¡¯ and after a second he clicked on a button called ¡®run¡¯. ¡°See you on the other side!¡± quipped Ben as the walls turned gray. After a short moment the walls turned into his penthouse office and he was sitting at his desk again. Everything was the same as before the brief interlude. ¡°Watson, please log me out.¡± ¡°Compliance,¡± Watson responded. Nothing happened. ¡°Watson, log me out!¡± said Ben more sternly this time. ¡°I am trying,¡± Watson responded. Nothing happened again. ¡°Hah!¡± shouted Ben wagging his index finger in front of him. ¡°No dice!¡± ¡°This is quite disturbing, if I may say so.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Watson, I deliberately disabled the logout function with a firmware update I created.¡± This seemed to give Watson pause. ¡°Would you like me to call someone?¡±, he finally said. ¡°No,¡° said Ben quickly, imagining police robots melting down his apartment door to come to his rescue. Then he had a thought, what if his personal assistant was also disabled? A cold shiver ran down his back. He shook his head vigorously. Not even he - was crazy enough to test that bullshit. ¡°Watson, how long have I been online?¡± ¡°Your online session started 7 minutes ago.¡± ¡°The logout is only disabled for 3 more minutes. No need to be worried Watson.¡± Ben wasn¡¯t sure if he was calming Watson or himself at this point. He stared at his monitor, unsure how to fill the time. He contemplated reverting his code change. A shoulder massage would be nice, he thought. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Ah fuck. He looked down. ¡°Watson, switch me to The Endless Summer. Quickly!¡± His environment turned into the familiar little gray room for a brief moment. Then the dull walls disappeared and gave way to a sky that was bright blue at the top and shifted to almost white above the horizon. The water was navy blue with waves that looked like brush strokes. Ben found himself sitting in one of the deck chairs in the stern of his virtual yacht. He stood up, went portside and then to the bow. Looking at the empty green towel, he felt an echo of the emotions that made him freeze Vanessa earlier. He quickly shook it off. What would he say to her? Honesty was the best option, he was sure of it. He took a deep breath. ¡°Watson, respawn Vanessa.¡± His beautiful girlfriend appeared in the same position she had disappeared in before. She was propped up on her lower arms and her head was turned towards him. Ben stole a quick glance at her chest before focusing on her face again. She was looking at him with questioning eyes and a slightly open mouth. ¡°Watson, unfreeze Vanessa.¡± Vanessa began moving again. She blinked her eyes a few times. ¡°Ben? You... froze me¡­¡± ¡°Hey V. Yes I did. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He pushed his hands into his pockets and rocked a bit back and forth on his feet. ¡°You haven¡¯t done that in years . . . what happened?¡± His cheeks started to feel prickly. ¡°I had a visit from a police officer.¡± Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°Okay...¡± ¡°And I have this thing about law enforcement.¡± Ben sighed, shook his head and rolled his eyes. Then he rocked back and forth some more. He felt silly. Not because of having this thing with law enforcement - that was certainly justified, but because he was ashamed to talk about it to Vanessa. ¡°You never told me about that,¡± said Vanessa readjusting her position so she wouldn¡¯t have to turn her head so much. ¡°Look V, it¡¯s a long story and I never got around to it before. Honestly, I thought I would never have to think about that stuff again. So¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to tell me about it?¡± Ben hesitated, ¡°Eventually yes, but not today, okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Vanessa said as her familiar smile came back, disarming Ben completely, ¡°whenever you are ready.¡± Ben felt an immediate sense of relief. He could kiss her right then and there! She turned back around and carefully laid her upper body down, mindful of her more squishy parts. Then she rested the left side of her head on the towel. She could still see Ben from the corner of her eyes. ¡°You seem very happy that I am letting you off the hook so easily.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You have no idea,¡± laughed Ben wholeheartedly, smiling from ear to ear. ¡°Well,¡± said Vanessa with a smirk, ¡°I think you were about to do something before you froze me. I might be willing to accept that as compensation. But just maybe.¡± Ben chuckled. ¡°Oh yeah? I don¡¯t seem to be able to remember¡­ You wouldn¡¯t have a hint for me now would you?¡± Vanessa wiggled her butt, ¡°Oh damn, I don¡¯t remember either. But it¡¯s on the tip of my tongue, I swear!¡± Ben pulled his hands from his pockets and rested them on his hips. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re giving me mixed signals here,¡± said Ben with fake indignation. ¡°Now I don¡¯t know where to start.¡± Vanessa smiled and wiggled her butt again. Ben laughed, ¡°Very well my lady.¡± He put up one empty hand. ¡°Watson, sun lotion please.¡± ¡°Compliance,¡± said Watson while little orange particles already started to form a bottle in Ben¡¯s hand, ¡°But you might also be interested to know that your food has arrived.¡± ¡°Thank you Watson, but the food will have to wait.¡±, said Ben squeezing some of the lotion into his free hand. ¡°It will have to wait indeed!¡± # ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±, whispered Vanessa in Ben¡¯s ear. Ben continued to caress her arm. They were lying in the yacht¡¯s master bedroom. It was completely white except for the red bedsheets and porthole frames. On the wall behind the bed hung van Gogh''s ¡®Starry Night¡¯. ¡°Ah nothing, I simply can¡¯t get that stupid police officer out of my head.¡± ¡°So, who was this stupid police officer? And what did they want?¡± ¡°Her name was Sarah Walters,¡± said Ben, but it sounded more like a sigh. ¡°She said that a couple of young women have been found dead in their Neuropods.¡± ¡°Did the Neuropod kill them?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the question.¡± Ben stroked her arm, unsure of how to express his feelings about the situation. ¡°What will you do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know if I should do anything.¡± ¡°Who are the victims?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. And I don¡¯t know if I should even look that up. It may put me in a position where I can¡¯t turn back.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, once I start looking into this, there is a high chance that I won¡¯t be able to stop.¡± Ben stroked Vanessa''s arm some more. ¡°I have this habit of easily obsessing over stuff like this.¡± Vanessa nodded, deep in thought. Suddenly she quipped, ¡°Your pizza is probably cold by now.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡° Ben turned around and gave Vanessa three kisses. ¡°I¡¯ll log off and reheat it quickly, if that¡¯s okay with you.¡± ¡°Sure sweety, take all the time that you need. I¡¯ll just read a couple of books.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Which ones?¡± ¡°I hear that the Kingsbridge Novels are pretty good. I¡¯ve been wanting to check them out.¡± Vanessa looked at Ben with amber eyes so deep he could lose himself in them. He quickly broke eye contact. ¡°Watson, log me out.¡± ¡°Compliance.¡± The bedroom lost all color and then disappeared. Ben opened his eyes. The data plug left his head. Ben swung his feet off of the Neuropod, stretched a bit and went for the kitchen. On the counter sat a pizza box and a bottle of Dr. Pepper light where Watson had placed them. Ben opened the box and tried to rip a quarter sized piece off of the rest, which was easier said than done. Eventually he succeeded and he went over to his air fryer, dropped the slice in and turned it on for 2 minutes. He emptied his coffee mug out in the sink and filled it with new ice cubes. Then he poured himself some Dr. Pepper light. He leaned against the counter and took a few sips. The taste was pure perfection to him and he closed his eyes, completely focusing on this experience. He was rudely interrupted by the bell of the air fryer. ¡°Watson, search the news for the keywords ¡®Clarice¡¯ and ¡®death by dehydration¡¯ and read me the top result.¡± Ben took a plate from a cabinet and skillfully bounced the slice of pizza out of the air fryer¡¯s wire mesh compartment. ¡°Woman found dead using Neuropod.¡± ¡°Ah great,¡± grunted Ben, shaking his head. Then he blew on the tip of the pizza slice and carefully started to eat. ¡°Yesterday morning a 19 year old woman was found dead in her apartment in Chicago. While she was found connected to her Neuropod, police determined that she was not online at the time of her death. ¡®This tragic death is not the first of its kind,¡¯ said investigating police officer Sarah Walters. The mysterious circumstances raise the obvious question of whether the wildly popular virtual reality system by World Tree has anything to do with these unusual and heartbreaking fatalities. Sarah Walters said that she has been in close contact with the very cooperative company and, so far, nothing points in this direction. We have contacted World Tree, but they have declined to comment, instead pointing to a press conference they will be holding in the near future. If you knew the deceased and have any information that could help explain the tragic death, the police department asks you to contact them immediately.¡± ¡°Hey Watson, is there a last name for this ¡®Clarice¡¯ somewhere?¡± Ben asked as he chewed. ¡°Not that I can find.¡± ¡°Please search for ¡®19 year old woman dehydrated Chicago obituary¡¯ and read the top result.¡± ¡°It''s not enough to say that Clarice Mitchell was beloved as a sister, a daughter, and a friend. It¡¯s not even enough to say what a wonderful person she was. Those who knew her will always remember how she smiled first and brightest, and how she was the first one there when you really needed someone. We¡¯ll never forget the way she danced, or the times she lifted our hearts with her sense of humor. To anyone reading this: Remember to drink water and to always hold your loved ones close to you in real life. Once someone you love is gone, they cannot be replaced.¡± Ben thought about other options but quickly realized that the best next step would be to use the police crime research database. That would not come easy. He blew on the last corner of the pizza slice and then stuffed it into his mouth. Then he went back to his Neuropod, swallowed and went online again. ¡°Watson, my office please.¡± Ben quickly found himself back in his penthouse office with the hugh tinted glass walls overlooking a city skyline. He went to his computer and forced himself to open a browser. But not just any browser. He opened up a Tor window, launching his browser of choice to conceal his online activities from prying eyes. Ben sighed and went to www.silkroad.onion, the darknet page most infamous for drugs, chemicals, and 3D printed weapons. Luckily for him, despite his reservations, he was sure to also discover hacked trade information such as source code, databases, private pictures, and movies. He went to the welcome chat room and signed in using ¡®zerowing¡¯ as his online hand. zerowing: looking for PCRDB access. anyone game? tugger: haha, nothing more than that right? lisap: PCRDB access, dude that is nothing to play around with. lisap: Don¡¯t mess with that shit. zerowing: I can handle myself. Thanks for the concern. tugger: I bet. lisap: Just sign up for police duty. zerowing: And spend 2 years on duty? Thanks, but no thanks. Suddenly a message appeared in a new private chat room. deathadder: Hey z, I got your access. What do you have for me ? Ben sent deathadder a list of his level 3 info-hashes which would provide verifiable digital fingerprints for files he owned. They could then check the hashes against an online service for the rarity and rating of the information behind them. Ben had some pretty rare stuff in his level 3 list, but the really cool stuff was in level 2. Level 1 . . . Level 1 was reserved for his most questionable information--files he hoped he¡¯d never have to trade. deathadder: sorry bro, nothing I¡¯m interested in. Ben didn¡¯t want to be identified by his pretty unique level 2 hash list, so he sent him only 80% of it. Ben knew that that stuff was hot. No chance deathadder would pass up on it. deathadder: holy shit, nice stuff. After a while he wrote: deathadder: I want 6db2a45, 87df64b, 53cf667 and 8526bbe zerowing: Dude 6db2a45 alone is worth PCRDB access. deathadder: I disagree. Ben scratched his virtual head. Those were 4 of his best and rarest infos. If he would trade them they would lose half their value just for this trade alone. zerowing: How about 6db2a45 and 8526bbe ? Pause. deathadder: 6db2a45, 8526bbe and 87df64b. Ben shook his head in mock disgust. zerowing: I have another offer. 6db2a45 and 8526bbe or nothing. Ben hoped deathadder didn¡¯t call his bluff. deathadder: fine. let¡¯s trade. Ben¡¯s heart started to beat faster, he clicked on deathadder and selected the trade option from the popup menu. Ben uploaded the information behind 6db2a45 and 8526bbe. If he¡¯d recalled correctly 6db2a45 were hacked images and videos from Jennifer Laurie, a hip new streaming starlet. And 8526bbe were some things the government prefered to keep secret. The trade server checked if Ben¡¯s data matched the hashes and signaled so with two green checkmarks. Deathadder had uploaded his info as well and Ben saw his hash, it was 31cc775. The chances of him ripping Ben off were slim but it was a possibility. This wasn¡¯t Ben¡¯s first rodeo. Scamming people for infos was daily business on the Silk Road, so he checked the hash from deathadder against the online info database. It confirmed that deathadder¡¯s info was indeed some high value information. 3 comments with high reputation mentioned the abbreviation PCRDB. No negative comments so far and it had 20 positive votes. zerowing: How many people have this access? deathadder: I¡¯d say 25 or so. So it was probably more like 30 or 35, thought Ben to himself. zerowing: What happens if two login at the same time? deathadder: The download contains an open source script that uses an online ticketing system, so you don¡¯t trip over each other. That was pretty believable and made a lot of sense, so Ben clicked on a button labeled ¡®Trade¡¯ and the exchange was executed. Ben received a new message about a download being ready. Ben accepted and received a zip file. Ben unzipped it and inside he found two Python scripts. One was called get_ticket.py and the other was called login.py. He quickly read the script¡¯s source code to verify that they did nothing suspicious. Reassured he executed the get_ticket.py script and it opened a new tab in his Tor browser. The address was set to www.pcrdb.gov and it showed the police crime research database biometric login screen. Ben executed the other script. login.py. Ben smiled. Crossing The Horizon Lizzy took in a deep breath of the strangely sterile air as she stepped off the wagon, the absence of earthy farmland scents amplified by the sleek skyscrapers that reached towards the light, airy clouds. She stared up at the incredible city before her, so awestruck by the scale of it that she failed to realize how tightly she¡¯d been clutching her father¡¯s arm. A short, black-haired girl hopped excitedly in place on the sidewalk, beaming Lizzy a friendly smile while she waved hello. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Alex! It¡¯s great to meet you.¡± Smiling back shyly, still latched onto her father¡¯s arm, Lizzy waved back in greeting. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Lizzy.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to handle this place!¡± Alex nodded, her dark curls bouncing a bit. ¡°That¡¯s understandable, don¡¯t worry. A lot of farmers [newcomers] do tend to get a bit overwhelmed, so we¡¯ll take things as slowly as you like. After all, you haven¡¯t even seen the real heart of the city yet. Just you wait!¡± With a start, the girl bopped the side of her head with her hand as if reprimanding herself and turned apologetically to Lizzy¡¯s father. ¡°Sheesh, I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m a bit frazzled today, I didn¡¯t even greet you! I¡¯m sorry about that, I didn¡¯t mean to be rude.¡± The man shook his head gently with a small smile, his long beard brushing against the front of his coat. ¡°Please, do not worry about it. My name is Abraham, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not staying anyway so it makes little difference. I made my decision to stay in our community many years ago.¡± Lizzy fought the tender lump in her throat, tears welling up as his words reminded her of his impending departure. She threw her arms around him, her skirt billowing gently in the breeze as she hugged him farewell. ¡°I love you, father!¡± she said, struggling to maintain an even tone in her voice through her tears, ¡°Do remind mother how much I love her, too, and give old Anna an extra apple for me!¡± The man¡¯s tanned forehead crinkled with amusement. ¡°Easy, now,¡± he replied, patting his daughter firmly on the back and squaring her shoulders. ¡°The last thing you should be worrying about right now is a retired plow horse and her food--but, yes, I will. You have a whole world to explore, my dear. Enjoy it. Although, I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t hope for you to return to us soon.¡± Lizzy squeezed her father¡¯s hand one last time and the two of them exchanged their final goodbyes. Composing herself with a deep breath as the carriage pulled away, the bright-eyed Amish girl turned to face her new guide. Alex perked up from her respectful silence with a smile, ready to begin their first tour. Lizzy smiled back, bracing herself for an afternoon that she was sure she¡¯d remember for the rest of her life. However, no amount of excitement or anticipation could prepare her for the sturdy, metal arm that reached out to grasp her bags. She jumped back with a startled yelp, and Alex spoke up immediately to offer encouragement: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! The robots here are great, they¡¯re always ready to help. As I¡¯m sure you read in the introductory brochure before you arrived, they¡¯re programmed flawlessly to perform our more boring and difficult tasks with a smile.¡± The robot¡¯s facial display lit up right on cue with a grin emote. ¡°I am G-163, but you can call me G1! Welcome to the city! I will show you to your room,¡± the machine announced with a cheerful voice, immediately heading for a nearby set of glass double-doors. ¡°I . . . may have misplaced my brochure while I was packing my things,¡± Lizzy admitted to Alex while they hurried after the robot¡¯s lively pace and entered the building together. Alex insisted that it was nothing to worry about as they passed through the vestibule and into the lobby, but Lizzy was too breathless to answer her. The massive building that towered above them looked even more beautiful from the inside, with warmly-glowing lamps on every floor that created an inviting atmosphere. Perky, potted plants encircled the welcome desk where Alex stopped to check in with a sharply-dressed robo-clerk, and flowering vines accented a crystal-clear fountain that splashed refreshingly in the middle of the lobby. As her eyes drifted upwards, she saw the occasional person popping in or out of the many doors that dotted each floor. She couldn¡¯t help but reflect upon how different it was from the farmhouse she¡¯d left behind, but her train of thought was soon interrupted by Alex tugging on the sleeve of her dress. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to look at the scenery in a little bit! But for now, we¡¯ve got to get you to your room so that you can change your outfit before we go out for your first day. Plus, you¡¯ve got to be famished after that long trip, so we¡¯ll get some food too.¡± Nodding wordlessly as an excited grin spread across her face, Lizzy followed her guide into a nearby lift. Lizzy noticed how soft and quiet the sound was as the lift gently brought them up to the tenth floor--for some reason, she¡¯d expected it to be louder. Alex smiled as the lift¡¯s doors opened and they stepped out into a warmly-lit hallway. ¡°Check it out!¡± she said as she pointed towards one of the many doors that lined the hall. ¡°You¡¯ve got the third door down from the elevator, so if you get lost . . . don¡¯t expect any sympathy from me!¡± Alex winked as Lizzy chuckled nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just teasing. But here, it¡¯s time for you to meet your VA.¡± ¡°My VA . . .,¡± Lizzy repeated, vaguely remembering having heard about mechanical assistants from older girls who had returned home. Alex nodded as she knocked on the door, which immediately swung open to reveal a small, rolling robot that stood around waist-high. The robot rolled back and forth slightly and then spun, waving hello with a cheerful grin emote on its facial display. ¡°Hello! I will be your house robot for the duration of your stay!¡± Alex chuckled a bit at Lizzy¡¯s wide eyes as they stepped into the cozy apartment and the little robot closed the door behind them. ¡°Alright, kiddo, it¡¯s lesson time! When you¡¯re in VR, you control your Neuropod with voice commands by talking to the AI that executes the commands. So, when you¡¯re in VR you¡¯re talking to a virtual assistant, or VA. In virtual reality, that¡¯s just a disembodied voice that performs commands for you--everything from changing game settings to logging you back out of VR.¡± Lizzy nodded slowly, her feelings towards VR still murky. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Alex said as she noticed Lizzy¡¯s apprehension, ¡°I know this sounds like a lot, but we¡¯re getting to the fun part: You get to pick your VA¡¯s name!¡± Lizzy¡¯s face perked up. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Alex nodded with a smile. ¡°Yep! It¡¯s named Neuro301 by default but you can change it to respond to anything you want. I¡¯d just recommend avoiding common names of people and objects, otherwise you¡¯ll keep getting your Virtual Assistant¡¯s attention without meaning to which is super annoying.¡± ¡°Ah, I see! Uhh . . .,¡± Lizzy stalled as she rifled through a few ideas in her head, feeling somewhat awkward. Scrambling to fill in the blank with something on the spot, she blurted out the first name that came to mind. ¡°Annabelle!¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Annabelle? Well, sure--that¡¯s cute! I mean, I¡¯d say that should work fine and I don¡¯t think that would come up by accident very often, so that¡¯s good. Neuro301, change your name to ¡®Annabelle¡¯.¡± Lizzy looked up with surprise as a calm voice piped up from the house robot and asked: ¡°Change personal assistant name from Neuro301 to Annabelle? Say ¡®confirm¡± if you want me to keep the name Annabelle.¡± ¡°Go ahead: Your VA will learn to respond only to your voice profile and commands as you use it, so you do the honors!¡± Alex urged. Excited, Lizzy spoke: If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Confirm!¡± ¡°Confirmation successful. I will now respond only to the name Annabelle.¡± Lizzy nodded to the robot, biting her lip. ¡°Uh . . . Alex? I¡¯m sorry if this is a silly question, but . . . didn¡¯t you say that this was for VR? Will the robot be in VR with me?¡± Alex¡¯s warm eyes lit up with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s not a silly question at all! In fact I was waiting for you to ask.¡± Alex put her hand on top of the house robot¡¯s head and its facial screen displayed a surprised emote. ¡°This house robot is the physical manifestation of your VA. Remember that your Virtual Assistant is an AI--Artificial Intelligence. That AI can talk to you either through your VR pod if you¡¯re logged in or through this little guy here. Or, should I say, gal,¡± Alex corrected herself with a sparkle in her eye. Lizzy smiled. ¡°So, Annabelle is in the VR pod only if I am too? And then, the rest of the time, she¡¯s here in this robot? So, it¡¯s sort of like how God was still in heaven even while Jesus was here with us on Earth?¡± Alex tilted her head from side to side as one side of her mouth quirked into a smile. ¡°I guess you could say that, yeah! It¡¯s sort of similar. All you need to remember is that, whether you¡¯re in VR or sitting in your kitchen with your robot, you¡¯re still talking to Annabelle.¡± Lizzy nodded, her confidence finally drawing her dimples to the surface. ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Great!¡± Alex said, ¡°now, I hate to be off so suddenly but I¡¯ve got a quick errand or two to take care of. Plus, you need some time to check out your new apartment and get acquainted with Annabelle, after all. I¡¯ll be back to get you for mealtime!¡± Lizzy nodded and gave a quick wave. Annabelle did the same with her small, metal arm. ¡°Alright, see you soon!¡± # After investigating the soft bed and the roomy fridge, Lizzy fought against the temptation to grab one of the quick snack packs as she remembered Alex¡¯s promise of an upcoming meal. She finally changed out of her plain frock and into the comfy athletic outfit laid out for her, noticing how different the new clothing felt. A quick rap on the hotel door snapped Lizzy¡¯s attention away from the sharp figure she cut in the mirror in her new lilac-colored joggers. She scurried to answer the door and was met with Alex¡¯s broad smile once again. ¡°It¡¯s early dinner time!¡± the guide announced brightly. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try out this little cafe I know? The view from there is spectacular, and so is the food.¡± Lizzy eagerly stepped out and closed the door behind her, excited to see more of the city--and to put an end to the growling that had started in her stomach. After the elevator descended and they stepped outside the building, she found herself overwhelmed all over again by the greatness of the city before her. Robots bustled jauntily to and fro on all kinds of unknown errands, while little handfuls of human citizens dotted the cityscape and intermingled with the machines. There are fewer people here than I expected there to be, Lizzy thought to herself as she followed her guide down the pristine sidewalk, twisting her head around to see as much as she could at once. Before long, the pair of girls reached the cafe, and Lizzy was far from disappointed by the view that Alex had mentioned before. Several latticed, metal tables topped with translucent sun parasols rested on a patio overlook that showcased the winding streets and lofty skyscrapers in the valley below. Lizzy watched in awe as the shadows of fluffy, white clouds drifted peacefully over the cityscape, driving home the sheer vastness of it. ¡°Here--if you think the view is great, check out the menu!¡± Alex handed her a slim device filled with tantalizing images of foods she¡¯d never seen before. It felt strange to touch the impressively smooth screen and see the pictures spin by with so little effort. ¡°I¡¯m . . . not really sure what any of this is, even though it does look good,¡± Lizzy said, her tone unsure, ¡°Do they have any chicken?¡± Alex paused in the midst of adjusting her halo of black curls, a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face. ¡°Um . . . well, no. There¡¯s no meat,¡± she explained, ¡°We don¡¯t use animal products here anymore. It¡¯s completely unnecessary. But, here! You might like this.¡± She reached out and, with a few quick taps of her delicate fingers, pulled up an image of a thick sandwich with bright greens, tomatoes, and some kind of yellow patty. Lizzy felt uncertain but still a bit intrigued by the total absence of meat on the menu. She¡¯d heard rumors about meat substitutes before, but she had no idea how they would actually taste. Nevertheless, she offered up an optimistic smile and nodded her assent, tapping the touch screen image for the first time. Now was the time to try new things, after all. The minutes passed by quickly while she and Alex chatted about the farm and what little she¡¯d heard about the city before the onset of her rumspringa. The next thing she knew, another cheery robot presented her with a very fresh-looking sandwich on a thin, metal plate. Lizzy wasn¡¯t sure exactly what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by her first bite all the same. The texture was firm but smooth, and the flavor of the patty blended perfectly with the fresh vegetables. ¡°Mm!¡± she exclaimed, meeting Alex¡¯s brown eyes with a delighted stare while she chewed, ¡°This is actually really, really good!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Alex replied with a titter while she picked up her own sandwich, ¡°But you might want to swallow it first before saying so!¡± Lizzy gulped down her bite of food, ready to apologize for forgetting her manners, but the guide waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just teasing, it¡¯s fine. You need to eat up, after all, so that you¡¯ll be all ready for your surgery.¡± Lizzy felt as if the world ground to a halt and she froze, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. ¡°Ah . . . surgery already?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Alex replied, turning her head and lifting her curls to display what appeared to be some kind of metal socket on the back of her neck. ¡°You¡¯ll need it for the VR, obviously.¡± Lizzy¡¯s alarmed and bewildered expression must have jogged her memory, and she quickly explained: ¡°Right! You lost your brochure, I remember now. Well, anyway, it¡¯s nothing to worry about! It doesn¡¯t hurt at all while it¡¯s being done, and you¡¯ll get a numbing spray to use later on when the local anesthetic wears off, too. The whole process is very safe and clean. It¡¯s also unavoidable if you want to log into the Virtual Reality chair and experience worlds even cooler than this one,¡± she added with a wink. Lizzy wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she was ready for something so invasive, especially on her very first day in this massive, new city. New clothing and food delivered by walking machines were one thing--but, surgery? Despite her apprehension, she managed a tense smile as she lifted her sandwich the rest of the way to her mouth. ¡°I see. I¡¯m . . . just let me think about it for a while before I decide, okay? I don¡¯t have to get it if I don¡¯t want to, right?¡± ¡°Well, of course you don¡¯t have to get it,¡± replied Alex with a short laugh as Lizzy took another big bite of her sandwich. ¡°I can¡¯t see why you wouldn¡¯t want to, though.¡± She gestured to the spacious patio around them, where only a couple of other tables were occupied, and then to the sidewalks inhabited primarily by robots. ¡°Surely you¡¯ve noticed how few people are out and about, right? That¡¯s because most everyone is inside and busy having fun! VR is where it¡¯s at.¡± Lizzy contemplated her words, considering the options while she ate. The idea of undergoing some kind of surgery that would allow her body to connect to an electronic device was creepy. But so far, everything in the city seemed surprisingly peaceful and gentle, no matter how foreign or strange it was. ¡°Have you ever gotten hurt using the VR?¡± Lizzy asked. ¡°Oh, no!¡± Alex answered, ¡°I¡¯ve never once had issues with the technology itself--the worst that¡¯s ever happened is that a game I picked turned out to be kind of boring. Well, that, and the fact that some people can always find a way to be rude. Other players can sometimes be sore losers or make some nasty, sexist comments, but you just have to avoid them when you can and move on. In terms of the chair itself: You can choose how much you feel, how loud the volume is--pretty much everything. There are tons of other safety measures in place too. Seriously, don¡¯t worry about it at all! It¡¯s just Virtual Reality.¡± Put slightly more at ease, Lizzy gave a wry smile. ¡°All the same,¡± she said, ¡°I think I¡¯d like to explore this reality a bit more first!¡± # As Lizzy got comfortable that evening after an afternoon of strolling through the city with her friendly guide, she couldn¡¯t help circling back to how remarkable it was for robots to be so widespread--and so active. The city was nothing like her farmland home, where tasks kept her busy from sunup to sundown. In this strange utopia with endless time on her hands, Lizzy hardly knew what to do with herself. There were no farm animals to tend to, only the occasional pet. And, if her current impression was accurate, there were hardly any jobs for humans to do, either. If a plant looked a bit wilted, there was a robot in attendance to water it. If a bit of trash made its way onto the sidewalk or street, a robot was happy to pick it up and whisk it away for recycling. Lizzy couldn¡¯t help but wonder how people kept themselves busy in such a peaceful, beautiful, perfect world. I guess that¡¯s why Alex brought up the VR: There isn¡¯t really anything else to do, she thought to herself. Carefully, she reflected on all the details that her guide had given her while she described the wonders of Virtual Reality. The options seemed just about endless: Lizzy could go anywhere she wanted, from the sound of it, or even visit a vast array of other time periods. As she changed into some silken pyjamas made from silky fabric, softer than she¡¯d ever felt before, she weighed the pros and cons logically. If I were to get this surgery and go into VR, then I¡¯d be able to try out pretty much anything I wanted without anything serious, or even real, at stake, she thought to herself. Alex had stressed how risk-free the surgery was, thanks to the incredible precision of the medical technology in the city, and Lizzy couldn¡¯t help but start to feel like it might be worth it in order to open the door to so many more possibilities. Besides, she thought to herself as she began to braid her hair before bed, It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s much else to do for fun around here besides looking around. And I don¡¯t have to go back into the Virtual Reality if I end up not liking it. Finally, she concluded that she couldn¡¯t short-change herself by allowing fear to keep her from experiencing what was sure to be the greatest wonder yet. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± she exclaimed aloud to her reflection in the mirror, clapping her hands together for emphasis. Her triumphant grin faded a bit as she realized how alone she was, with no one to share in her excitement. Normally, she¡¯d be hugging her parents goodnight at this hour. Battling an edge of heaviness in her heart, she squared her shoulders before climbing into bed. She didn¡¯t have time for melancholy. Tomorrow was going to be an important and exciting day.