“I can’t believe you’re coming with me to sign up for Athanasia!” Rowan exclaimed while trying to keep up with her fast pace. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean creating a mind-copy is a big decision.”

Cassidy didn’t slow down, “Absolutely.”

“You know I could just look for them myself, right?” He told her. “I mean you’re about to have a part of you permanently inside another world, that concept scares a lot of people.”

She turned the corner and saw their destination, the entrance to the Trinios building. “It’s my parents, Rowan,” she continued without looking back at him, “if they are in there, I have to be the one to find them.”

Rowan grabbed her shoulder to stop her from entering. “I’m serious CG. There are some things you haven’t had time to think about. The version of you that you’re about to create will never go to college, never see certain friends again. And that’s just the immediate future. If you ever wanted kids, you’re mind copy will never be able to have any.”

Cassidy’s stomach sank, but she forced the sensation away. “I don’t care, I need to find my parents. Besides, I’ll still be able to share memories.”

He shook his head, “It’s not the same, you know that.”

Cassidy gave him a flat stare, then turned to open the door into the building.

“CG?”

Still holding the door open, she stepped aside to give him room to go inside first. When he refused to move, she sighed. “I have to do this Rowan,” she told him with a haunted look in her eyes, “it’s like a piece of me has been missing since they died. I won’t insult you by saying you wouldn’t understand, I know you do. But if I don’t do this, I’ll never be able to sleep again without knowing I tried everything I could to find them.”

Rowan gave her a sad smile of understanding. “Okay, I just had to make sure.”

Cassidy returned his smile, then shoved him playfully forward through the door into the lobby of the Trinios building and followed him inside.

As soon as she entered behind him, holographic projections assaulted her senses. They dominated every wall depicting fantasy scenes from within the game. In one, a handsome man with bright orange hair conjured a ball of lightning in one hand before throwing a storm of electricity at a horde of oncoming monsters. The scene changed. Next, a beautiful woman with chocolate skin and pointed ears leapt through the air with an enormous battle axe, ready to strike down a giant. Wrenching her gaze away from the displays, Cassidy noticed a clerk, a girl about their own age, studying them from behind an enormous desk with the Athanasia logo displayed in bold letters across the front.

“Welcome adventurers.” The young woman greeted them. “How may I help you today?”

They approached the desk together. “We would like to sign up for Athanasia, please.”

The clerk gestured at a wireless data transfer pad on the desk in front of them. “Please fill out these forms. We’ll get you into the game and sharing memories with your very own Eternal by tonight.”

Cassidy waved her smart-ring in front of the pad, and a holo-display appeared in her palm with the form to fill out. Rowan was bouncing on his heels in excitement as he waved his smart-ring over the pad, generating his own form.

They filled them out together in silence for a few minutes before Cassidy broke the silence with a question for Rowan, “What’s an Eternal?”

“That’s what they call mind-copies in Athanasia, no one inside the game likes referring to themselves as a mind-copy.”

She nodded and returned to filling out the form. It took about ten minutes for both of them to complete it and hit the submit button.

The woman behind the counter accepted them with a smile and tapped a few entries on her own holo-display, but after a few seconds she frowned in confusion. “My apologies, but there appears to be a restriction in place for Miss Grey preventing her from having an account created.”

Rowan frowned. “She’s banned? She’s never played. Hell, she only turned eighteen a few months ago.”

“Sorry, but I’m not sure. It’s not a ban, but an account hold pending communication with the head office. I’ve never seen this kind of restriction before.” The clerk told them.

Cassidy shared a look with Rowan, and he raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘I told you so’. If her parents were part of the AI development team for this game, that was an excellent sign they were on the right track.

“Who do we have to talk to?” Cassidy asked.

The clerk’s smart-ring flashed, showing an incoming phone call. “Excuse me a moment, please.” The woman turned to answer it. She spoke a few quiet words that Cassidy couldn’t make out. The clerk listened to the voice on the other end, then they watched the young woman’s face go pale.

“Yes, ma’am.” The clerk stuttered, then pushed a button. A large holo-display burst into existence above the desk, three feet wide and five feet high. The image of an older woman in her fifties materialized in the air, although her age hadn’t diminished her obvious beauty. She had perfectly straight, jet-black hair down to her shoulders and prominent cheekbones. But the hardness in her eyes hinted at something ugly underneath her good looks. A smile flashed down at them, but it was a smile carved out of icy stone. The kind of facial expression someone practices in a mirror with the intent to intimidate, not to set anyone at ease.

“Cassidy Grey, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Norma Dagget. I’m the CEO for Trinios.”

“Um, Hi.” The effect of the large holo-display and the severe-looking woman was intimidating, she felt like a child caught doing something wrong even though all she was doing was signing up for a game.

“What business do you have here today?” Norma Dagget asked.

“Well…” Cassidy hesitated and looked at Rowan for support but only receiving a shrug in return. She nervously cleared her throat, “Well, I found out my parents helped develop some aspects of Athanasia and they could be alive in your game. Since they passed away when I was young, I would very much like to see them again.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of your parents’ deaths, Miss Grey. Why do you wish to talk to them?”

“Why do I want to…?” Cassidy trailed off in disbelief, “They’re my parents. I haven’t seen them in over ten years. Who wouldn’t want to talk to their parents if they discovered they could?”

Norma pursed her lips. “I see. And you have no designs to gain proprietary company technology from them?”

“Oh, I get it now,” Cassidy said. Norma was worried she was here to steal her parents’ secrets and sell them to the highest bidder. “No, nothing of the sort. I only want to see them again.”

Norma looked down at Cassidy and studied her like a bug in a jar before speaking again, “I’m not inclined to grant you access, Miss Grey. The Gaia AI technology is unique in the world and should your parents pass the knowledge on how to develop that technology on to you, it could threaten the future of this company.”

“Gaia?” Rowan blurted out. “Your parents made her? Holy hell!”

“You mentioned Gaia before, who is she?” Cassidy asked him.

“The world’s only AI capable of creative thought,” his face was bright with excitement as he explained, “she’s amazing, the ultimate god of Athanasia. The game world is completely controlled by her.”

“Your companion is correct. It’s a remarkable achievement in AI development that we haven’t been able to replicate since your parents’ success. So, Miss Grey, my answer is no. I can’t risk any information your parents may have falling into a competitor’s hands. Therefore, I will not grant you access to Athanasia.”

“Wait! Surely you can make an exception in this case.” Cassidy’s mind whirled, she couldn’t let her search for her parents end before it even began. “Your reaction tells me you are aware my parents do in fact exist within the game, and I’m sure they must have requested to contact me, yet no one ever notified me of these attempts.”

Norma looked down her nose at her. “Mind-copies have no legal rights, Miss Grey. We are under no obligation to fulfill their wishes.”

“No, but…” Cassidy’s thoughts raced. “But, I’m not a mind-copy. I do have rights, and I’m sure a judge will be sympathetic to a girl who just wants to talk to her parents again.” She paused, then added, “In a very public court case. Where a lot of people will learn exactly who my parents are, and what they accomplished while alive.”

Inwardly, Cassidy cringed at the direction she took in trying to convince Norma to allow her to create an account, but kept her face as impassive as possible. She almost didn’t believe it was possible, but Norma’s face grew even colder at her words.

“Is that a threat, Miss Grey?”

“Not at all,” Cassidy continued, “but if you were to allow me and my foster-brother access to your game, we can assure you of our silence if we learn any proprietary trade secrets.” Her legs felt unsteady, but her voice was under control at least.

Norma Dagget frowned in thought, and several seconds ticked by before she turned her eyes to the clerk. “Please make a note that Cassidy Grey and,” her eyes swiveled to Rowan and raised a single eyebrow in an unspoken question.

“Rowan. Rowan Wormer.” He volunteered with a start.

“Cassidy Grey and Rowan Wormer,” Norma continued turning back to the clerk, “are permanently banned from ever creating an Athanasia account.”

The clerk’s eyes went wide, but she bowed low to the image. “Yes ma’am.”

The call disconnected and the large holographic projection of Norma Dagget flickered out of existence, leaving Cassidy and Rowan staring at the empty air with their mouths open in disbelief.