I stood there for a second trying to figure out what to do. I didn’t fully understand what giving someone full rights meant. Was it just my logs and records? Or was it everything? I had no clue at all. Should I try and take it back really fast? I could imagine a bead of sweat forming on my forehead like what you saw in the movies except here in the simulation of space everything was perfectly cool and regulated. Still made me think I was sweating though.

She just stood there staring off into space for a while. I cleared my throat after I couldn’t take it anymore and she blinked, coming back to me.

“Oh! I am so sorry! I have never gotten to see or read such interesting things!” She said as she turned a bright shade of pink.

What the heck did I just do? Give her my browsing history? Now it was my turn to turn a shade of red and I wasn’t about to try to bring up or explain anything. So I just stood there and acted like I knew what I was doing.

“So… I noticed that you have some settings and unsafe openings in your system. With your permission, I will make your settings the same as mine so you will be safe like me. My father is head of security for a Core so he knows the best settings to keep me safe. I think it will help you as well… since there is only one of you.” She said as she brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, not making eye contact with me.

Ok, now I had to know what I had just given her access to.

“Yes, please. I would appreciate it if you did that for me Elaya. I honestly haven’t been through my settings or really even know what I am doing in that regard.” I answered, feeling a bit sheepish. Maybe I had been worried for nothing?

“Oh, and I also made it so that you can’t give full access to anyone ever again, or have anyone gain access to your data….. besides me if you wanted to give me access again…”

She said that last part pretty quietly.

“Umm… ok, thanks. Did you get the recordings that you needed?” I asked, “I mean, you know, of everyone being introduced here?”

“Yes. Thank you,” she said with a strange smile before turning and looking at her team. She noticed their occasional looks and let the colors go from her hand.

They gave her a strange look as if they were wondering what was going on but upon seeing that she was safe and not upset they went back to their work with gusto.

“The purple color blocks everything, even people in the same simulation from seeing or hearing anything.” She said as if reading my thoughts.

“Oh, that makes sense,” I said before a thought occurred to me. “Can everyone do that?”

“What? Block all data being recorded by the Core? Not likely. There are only ever so few of us that hold these certain keys. My dad has many keys and he gave me three. One of which I gave to you. Maybe I will come by sometime to show you how to use it properly.” She said with a knowing smile. “Since I know where you live now.”

As she was saying these things I noticed that her hand flickered in and out of the yellow and purple colors as though she was intentionally blocking anyone from hearing what she was telling me. I guessed it meant that what she gave me was a secret or at least one that she wanted to make a secret.

I got the hint and decided to not even think or act like we were trying to keep something secret. “Since you all are here it looks like my job here is done,” I said with a smile and nodded to the other three scientists when they heard my words. “I will see you later then,” I said with a wave, maintaining eye contact with Elaya for just a couple of seconds before turning and heading a few feet away. “Oh, ZV-1, it was nice working with you too!” I said as I turned around and willed a travel disk under my feet.

“The pleasure was mine Guest Kevin. Perhaps I can now continue on my journey once these scientists are done with their studies. It has been far too long that I have been in this system.”

ZV-1 said as I tapped the disk with my feet. I tried everything I could think of to get it to turn on and take me home. I tried imagining my simulation space with Tutor standing near the endless bookshelves. Nothing worked. I even whispered “Disk on!” several times.

I was busy looking down at the disk when I noticed a set of shoes come into view. Elaya’s small sneakers. I looked up and found her giggling with her hand covering her mouth.

“What? I don’t know how to get this thing to work.” I admitted.

“This is a job site silly, you have to essentially clock out or state that you have completed all the surveying and research that you have come to do. Speak or will to ZV-1 that you are done and it will sign off on your work history. Each job, regardless of IO and as long as you achieve something important, pays at least 100 cr. Just know that the system can’t be cheesed as you would put it, There has to be something gained by the system for it to pay you anything.” She said as she floated back and let ZV-1 hover closer.

Since I didn’t trust myself to will ZV-1 anything after my last snafu I decided to simply say that I was done surveying and doing science at this location. I didn’t want to will ZV-1 my soul or something by mistake.

“Your performance was beyond exceptional Guest Kevin. In fact I think you broke a record with solving one of the oldest mysteries in this galaxy. You are cleared to return.” ZV-1 said as my disk lit up.

I couldn’t help but get a big cheesy grin on my face.

“Oh, and I am not 16 years old. In fact, I am a little bit older than you.” I heard Elaya say right before I was pulled away.

What had she seen when I gave her full access?!?!