In the laboratory, Josh was unmoving on the chair while the scientist was panicking. The man rushed toward a nearby table and picked up a grey VR helmet with a big red "Calibration" written on top. 

"How long until they shoot us down?!" He asked out of breath. 

"Relax, man. Just take your time and do this properly. Don't worry. The fleet will behave." Josh reassured him, chuckling. 

Instantly, a wave of relief surged through the man as his whole body loosened up. He then began babbling as he explained the process happily: 

"This thing will detect your brain wavelengths so we can adjust your capsule. This will reduce the delay of every command you use in-game." 

"So you're telling me that this capsule will enhance my reaction speed?" Josh frowned. Even in the future, there was no escaping the Pay to Win model. 

"Yes, but only barely. Alright, close your eyes, and let's start. This will be over before you know it." He was handling a floating panel that had popped in front of him. 

Josh complied and the world went dark before a shiny mandala appeared in his vision: It was colorful, rotating, and shiny. It looked like a magical psychedelic rainbow sent by the god of shrooms itself. 

"Very good so far. Your brain is recognizing and tracking the colors quickly. Most people get overwhelmed a few seconds after it begins." He explained. 

After his sight, all the other senses were stimulated in succession: 

- Josh smelled fruits along with the musky scent that could only belong to an animal. 

- He tasted the sweetness of some apples and oranges. 

- He heard the chirping of birds and the whooshing of the wind. 

- He felt the soft breeze caressing his face. 

- He suddenly felt as if he had been thrown upside down, floating akin to an astronaut in space. This little VR helmet could simulate so much! 

"Wow, you're instantly noticing and interpreting all of this information super fast! If you ever hit a wall while Climbing, you could probably become a pro-gamer instead." The man praised him. 

A Pro-Player, was it? There was once a time in his life when Josh had dreamed of such a thing. But, it felt like an eternity ago and had happened in another world. He could only shake his head in denial. 

"I think my career would be short-lived if that were the case. You know, considering that I'm a Fallen." 

"Ah!" He gasped in regret. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…!"

"Sorry for giving me false hopes or for daring to talk about the topic?" Josh inquired. 

"Both." He uncertainly replied. 

"Tell me, have you personally summoned any Fallen to this world?" Josh asked. 

"Of course not!" The man instantly replied. 

"Then why are you apologizing? If I can't even face the reality of my own situation, then I'm the one with a problem. The issue should be recognized, but don't apologize in someone else's stead." Josh berated. 

The man remained pensive for a few seconds before finally nodding. It was better if he kept working instead, for sure. "Alright, there remains only one thing. It won't take long. Here we go!"

That's when Josh could see an intense flash of lightning appear. The bolt then charged straight at him before burying in his chest. As it did so, he could feel intense pain course through his entire body.

Still, since he knew it was fake, Josh calmly waited for the next part as his skin and organs felt like they were being disintegrated. He could even smell the smoke coming from his body, but he didn't feel death. 

"This is weird. Is it broken? There is no reaction at all from the sensors." The man kept looking at his interface, perplexed. "What about now? He adjusted it." 

Another bolt spawned and drilled inside Josh lightning fast. It was as scorching as the first one and was soon followed by a third. 

"So what are we trying to test with these three things? If you want me to feel how it's liked being cooked alive, then it's a success. I'd say it's quite annoying." Josh remarked. 

"Wait…three lightning bolts?! Scorching? Are you telling me you resisted these without even flinching?! A single one is supposed to bring people to the bring of their mental resilience! How?!" He shouted before stopping everything. 

The man helped Josh remove the VR helmet from his head and unlocked the restraints on the chair. With his freedom back, he began relaxedly flexing his stiff arms. He could hear the man having a mental breakdown. 

"This is crazy. You were supposed to be struggling after a few seconds during the pain test, yet you managed to last so long! How?!"

"Oh, just train some anti-interrogation techniques, and you'll be fine. The trick is to get into the mindset that pain is only illusory. It's hard at first and harder the more distractions there are, but it works." Josh confided. 

"You call such horrible pain a distraction?! There are people scared of this chair just because of this one bad experience! Anyway, with this, we are done. You'll soon receive your capsule and—" 

"Oh yeah, about that. Is it possible to get one that has increased pain?"

"What? Oh, don't worry. With the performance you've shown here, you'll even be able to pick the 100% pain for complete immersion if you want for Climbers' World. Still, I really don't suggest such a crazy thing." 

"I meant higher than that. I'd like to be able to set it above 200% when I train." Josh explained. 

"Above 200%?! Are you crazy?! Actually, I understand, given your capabilities, but I can't do such a thing even then. This is a safety protocol that is common to all VR devices. I'm just a normal technician; I don't have that authority." 

Josh couldn't help but chuckle. He would do what they called a pro-Karen move back on Earth: "Can you call a manager in or something?" 

"Eh, I'm actually part of Phantom. It just so happened that our current workstation is here since this is a huge joint project. Honestly, the only one that I can think of that could do it here is the Tech Queen herself, but it would be suicidal to try and contact her." 

"Why?"

"She's renowned for having a devilish personality and a bad temper. Ever since they discovered problems with the EVE system, there is a rumor that's she's even more irascible." He was shaking just thinking about her. 

"The EVE system? That kinda reminds me of someone I've just seen, but I'm not sure. What does this Tech Queen look like?" Josh asked curiously. 

"How should I know?! The Tech Queen is extremely mysterious and isn't someone that can be met easily. She's at the very top of Universal Tech and only surrounds herself by Killer-robots. We know nothing about her besides that she's a Tech prodigy!" 

Josh stifled a laugh and asked: "What does being a Tech Prodigy even imply?" 

"She came up with the U-Bots for all the city! I heard that she programmed them herself. It's the same for the recent version of the UW. The issue isn't to make it work but to make it work on a large scale without any hiccup." 

"I see, so you're a fan of hers? Hey, we might meet her eventually? What if I try the Bloody Marry trick?" Josh mischievously offered. 

"Bloody Mary?" He asked, completely confused. 

"I guess it's Earth's culture. She's a vengeful ghost that appears once her name is said aloud three times in a row. Just like this: Tech Queen, Tech Queen, Tech Queen!" Josh exclaimed. 

"This is kinda silly, but I do like it. It's nice to see how each world has its customs and folklore stories. In any case, we'll be done with your custom machine soon. Oh, right, where do you want it delivered?"

"D-23, one can't miss it. It's a big forest near Metropolis-D with tons of lazy sloths in it." Josh told him as if that was normal. 

"0_0 Are you pulling my leg right now?" 

"Nope."

"I'm not sure what is worse: the fact that this is completely insane or that I completely believe you?" The technician sighed as he turned around...and froze. 

Next to one of the walls, a youthful woman was standing while listening to their conversation. She was wearing what would have been a Chinese qipao, but instead of the usual flower design, it was pink robots. 

She had long pink hair and a hint of playfulness in her eyes as she stared at the both of them. Instantly the technician understood that something was amiss. He was supposed to be notified of anyone entering the premises. 

This woman had higher clearance than him for sure! That is when he saw Josh's smile and remembered the 3x Tech Queen part. Oh no! He looked at him and whispered: "How long has she been here for?"

"Right before you said something about her having a devilish personality and a bad temper, I believe." Josh was evidently enjoying this. He was just missing a cool drink!

That is when the man seemed to deflate like an old balloon. He just realized that his career was probably over because of a single sentence. But that's when he got another shock. 

Josh looked the mighty Tech Queen up and down before starting a monologue: 

"Pros: You seem relatively approachable, have a nice style going for you with the pink and the cool dress, and you know how to have fun."

"Cons: You have a terrible reputation, and you almost caused the doom of the Black Legion with your EVE system not living up to the expectations."

"So, who are you really? I'm Josh, by the way, but I'm sure you already knew that."

0_0 "....?!?" 

Creator's Thought

What came first: the pink Tech Queen or the pink hologram of the Tech Queen? I couldn't help but picture her leading an army of pink killer robots as she conquered the world. Later I would learn why she loved pink so much. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. I shouldn't have asked.