“They monitor your vitals and ensure that you feel no discomfort,” his electronic companion advised him. “Now, will you please enter the pod?”
With a sigh, he quelled the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach and did as he was asked. No sooner had he settled than the hatch closed and lights came on around him.
John wriggled himself into a more comfortable position and waited. Before too long, the AI spoke.
“Welcome, John. If you would fold your hands across your chest like so.” A picture of the required position flashed in front of him.
He complied and twisted his head to look around the pod as the seat reclined. His sudden gasp of air exhaled slowly as Remy spoke again.
“The next part of your preparation requires the injection of a nanite-laden serum into your system. You will feel a slight sting—”
Despite a startled yelp, he tried not to move away from the insertion point. The AI ignored him and continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted.
“And it will take a few minutes for the nanites to reach the necessary nerve centers to allow me direct contact with your mind.”
“It’ll what?” he asked, not sure if he believed it—or if he wanted to.
“It is part of the VR technology that was in development immediately prior to Stephanie’s departure from this world. She and ONE R&D Earth were working to improve it.”
“Of course they were,” he muttered, but his tongue felt thick and his eyes heavy. “Am I going to sleep?”
“No,” Remy replied calmly, “but it is necessary to restrict muscle movement so your body remains motionless as you conduct your activities in the Virtual World. You will still feel as if you are moving but your body will be still.”
“Like VR movement is reduced?” he asked.
“Something like that,” the AI answered as John caught sight of movement above his head.
He twisted for a better look at it and winced when a sensor-laden mesh descended toward his skull. It halted and an impatient sigh immediately told him his reaction had been a mistake.
“Please return your head to its original position so I may position the sensor unit correctly. It will not harm you.”
With his teeth gritted—an action that felt oddly stiff to accomplish—he forced himself to comply. “What does it do?”
“It enables my systems to pick up transmissions from the nanites inside your brain and translate your thoughts into the desired actions in the Virtual World,” Remy explained. The boy managed to remain motionless as the device settled over him.
“The net assists in monitoring your vitals and ensuring that you operate within safe parameters.”
Not normal parameters, he noted but he didn’t comment.
“There are similar sensors in the gloves at the end of your armrests. Please insert your hands into them so we may begin.”
John raised his head slightly to look at them, then slid his hands inside. As soon as his fingers reached the tips, the entire thing tightened around him. He jerked back but his hands were trapped.
“I can release your hands if you wish.” Remy’s voice settled into his mind as he started to panic. “You are not a prisoner here.”
Even though he only had the AI’s word on that, he started to relax.
“Thank you, but no. What comes next?”
“You will enter virtual reality,” the AI told him simply and John snorted in frustration.
“Yeah, but what does that look like?” he asked.
“Close your eyes, John.” Despite his unanswered question, he obeyed. “Now, open them.”
When he did, he was no longer in the pod but in a room facing a row of extremely odd-looking outfits.
“Are those jumpsuits?” he asked and studied the one-piece garments warily.
“They are ship suits,” Remy informed him and a slender young man appeared beside the rack.
His dark-brown eyes were flecked with gold and long black hair hung past his shoulders. High cheekbones and a strong jawline accented the narrowness of his face, and he carried himself like royalty.
When his gaze swept over him like a challenge, John took a hasty step back.
“Whoa!” he exclaimed. “Who in the world are you?”
“I am RM018, otherwise designated as Remy. This is how I choose to appear in the Virtual World.”
“You’re the AI?” John asked and his jaw dropped.
He closed it hastily when his companion raised an eyebrow.
“I am the AI. Now, as this is your first encounter with the Virtual World, perhaps you’d like me to explain?”
John nodded and strode closer to the young man. He stretched his hand out.
Remy looked at it, then at him.
“You’re supposed to shake hands,” he explained. “It’s the way we say hello.”
There was a brief flicker as if the AI was momentarily absent before his form solidified and he shook the proffered hand.
“I see,” he replied. “It seems there is much we can teach each other.” He gestured at the room around them. “This is where you’ll customize your avatar.”
The introductory tour took him from there to one of the virtual training rooms. “Magical theory—or, in fact, any theory we deem necessary for you to know.”
The next room looked very much like the inside of a dojo or martial arts training center. “Here, you will learn combat.”
John refrained from pointing out that he could have used combat lessons before he’d had to face the two hunters. The world twisted around them as Remy brought them into what looked like a jungle.
“Not all our lessons will be conducted inside a classroom,” the AI explained. “Some outdoor activity will be required.”
“What world is this?” he asked as he studied the purple skies and the lavender shading of the plants, but his surroundings twisted and he suddenly stood on the edge of a mountain plateau.
“I will enlighten you as training progresses,” his guide told him.
The world spun again and deposited him in a grassy dell where mountains stretched high on one side and a low hill on the other. “Now, call your magic.”
“I can do that here?”
“You can do many things here,” the AI informed him. “And all without destroying the compound you are in.” He made a beckoning movement with one outstretched hand. “Let us begin.”
Chapter Three
“Today, we will find out what you already know,” Remy stated and John stared at him.
It was his second session in the pod and this time, he’d entered it wearing only his undershorts.
“There are more sensors,” the AI had explained, “and they need bare skin in order to work effectively.”
“Great,” he had replied and wondered what reaction he’d receive.
For once, Remy had not asked him if he was being sarcastic but simply refused to open the hatch on the pod until he was ready. A low shelf slid out of the wall to hold his clothing, and he had wondered what other secrets the room might hold.
He didn’t bother to ask, though. The AI had made it quite clear he wouldn’t answer such questions. The first time he had tried, he’d been met with a gentle, “All things will be revealed in their own time, John.”