Sector 1 – Year 2236 – Month 2 – Day Sixteen

Adam’s vision went red, his eyes shot open and his mouth furiously gaped for oxygen. It came hard and fast, causing his mind to spin. After a few hurried breaths, his cognition began to realign. His heart was beating rapidly as his eyes darted around the room. Everything seemed unfamiliar to him.

“Breathe,” a foreign voice said calmly.

Adam had no idea who was talking to him, but for some reason he trusted the empathetic voice. His lips parted, slightly at first, then as he inhaled more oxygen, his jaw crept farther open.

“Good,” the voice applauded. “Again. Breathe.”

Adam’s mind raced feverishly. He craved information on his current status, but he knew his first priority was to bring his heart rate down and consume the much needed oxygen. Not willing, or more accurately not needing, to wait for the mysterious voice, he breathed again. His heart slowed; his mind calmed as the oxygen filled his lungs and his chest began to accept a more normal rhythm.

“Excellent. Now, what is your name?”

“Adam.”

“Not your user name, your real name.”

“An…Ani Kitos”

“And where are you?”

Ani opened his eyes and allowed them to sweep the room. A clear enclosure surrounded him. He looked down to see what must have been his legs suspended three feet above the bottom of the enclosure. They were withered and weak; the wrinkly skin draped over mere bone and some semblance of what used to be muscle tissue. By all accounts the sight should have shocked him, but it didn’t. His mind was reassembling, recalling every memory that formed his life.

“The real world,” he finally answered.

“Please be more specific,” the voice instructed.

Ani took another breath and looked up, surveying the room outside of his clear cocoon. Reality flooded back, as it always did after spending a full day and Asphodel.

“United States,” Ani answered. “I’m in my grav chamber, in my spare bedroom, in my apartment.”

“City and state, please.”

If nothing at all, Ani’s home companion was polite. “You used that last week, Reginald.”

“And yet I’m a product of your personalized programming Mr. Kitos. I feel as if the blame should be placed on your own shoulders so to speak. Please answer the question.”

Polite, yet impudent. Though seemingly pointless to most, Ani was happy to hear Reginald using contractions in his speech. Home companions weren’t programmed to do that, and it drove Ani crazy to hear such proper speech, so he made a few changes. Then made a few more.

Ani spoke through his excessively loud yawn. “Indeed, Reggie. My apologies. States and cities no longer exist. They were an antiquated governing systems instituted over five hundred years ago, before being abolished some two hundred years ago.”

“Specifics, Ani.”

“Ugh, why did I program you with sass?”

“If I had to guess sir, I’d have to say that…”

“That was rhetorical, Reggie, and knock off that Mr. and Sir crap. We talked about that. You wanna let me down?”

“Do you want to answer my question?”

Ani sighed. “Not particularly, but it’s nice to see that your new exit procedures are holding. January 18th, 2136. That’s when the newly formed UWGB abolished states and cities, at least in the previously traditional sense. Zones were implemented and the entire world became a commonwealth.”

“Please…”

Ani cut him off, “The United Worldwide Governing Body.”

“Very good. Now, where did you just come from?”

“Asphodel. A virtual reality game world that was originally built to help people live healthier lives. It has evolved into so much more since then.”

“How so?”

“Early versions of the game just focused on developing real world physical health, but as more and more people joined, ALL or the Asphodel Light of Liberation, the company that Hidarian created to produce Asphodel, started to develop more beneficial properties for mental health.” Ani continued, knowing that Reggie was programmed to get further verification.

“The technology behind the nanonites is a closely guarded secret, but the general gist of the system is that it’ll allow you to experience emotions in the game, without any of the mental, residual after effects in the real world. Shock, regret, post-traumatic stress disorder, guilt; none of it transfers. What happens in Asphodel, stays in Asphodel, and while the nanites will help improve your physical form, your muscles don’t retain any memory. Learning to fight or use weapons in game, won’t do anything for you in the real world. In fact, ALL has been praised for discovery how to do this, and is in the running for the UWGB Centennial Peace Award. Asphodel has be integral in curbing real world violence by allowing people to life out their deepest and darkest fantasies in a safe environment.”

“Why are these questions necessary?”

“Asphodel is an immersive experience, once I disconnect, my conscious and subconscious need time to realign with reality and where I am.”

“Outside of a realigning with reality, has there ever been any negative, long term side effects to spending time in Asphodel?”

“No. In fact there are people who have spent years, and in the longest case over several decades inside and have come out the other end completely healthy. In fact it’s becoming more and more common as larger companies find ways to monetize off of selling in game mods, equipment or even in some cases real estate. “

“Excellent. This realignment when faster than the previous one. If it pleases you, I will deactivate the grav chamber in order to get you situated in your paraharness.”

“That won’t be necessary, I’m feeling particularly…traditional today. I did enough walking in Asphodel.”

Reggie paused. “The wheelchair? The doctor’s orders specifically stated,”

“Reggie,” Ani snapped. He often thought of turning the AI’s intelligence down slightly, but truth be told, Ani would miss his friend too much. Reginald was in fact, Ani’s only friend. He was Ani’s only family, too, and despite the frustration and aggravation that Reginald occasionally caused, Ani didn’t have the heart to tone him down. After all, Ani had read that most families did, in fact, cause stress for their fellow members. It was some sort of bonding technique. If Reginald was to be a reflection of humanity in any sense, then Ani had succeeded in the illegal, hacked programming of his home companion.

“Very well.”