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| Tsv-05-100 Alternatives Chapter 1: Knight to king's Base 4.5 Chapter 2: What Reality is this? Chapter 3: The Hisorian Way Chapter 4: Fresh Air and Exercise Chapter 5: Stranger in a Strange Land Chapter 6: Point Man Put to the Test Chapter 7: The VR and the Videodrome Chapter 8: The Tem-Space Variant Returns Chapter 9: The Amazing R-Wing Chapter 10: The Lunaside Vacation Chapter 11: The Lunaside Hiso-Courts Chapter 12: On Space, Time, and Parallel Alternate Realities |
Tem-Space Variant 5:
Alternatives
7. The VR and the Videodrome They visited the village tree-line sector of the city, at the northern edge of the sea. It was a casual business zone with shops, cafes, restaurants, and night clubs. There were also a couple of arcades that had VR com-terminals. The larger structures included 2 museums, a hiso-court, a concerteum, and the videodrome. There were 3 steppes beside the sea. The first and lowest was beach-line, parkway, and water-lodge. The second steppe had all the small shops and businesses, and the third steppe had the larger structures, such as the concerteum and the videodrome. It was customary to begin at either the northern or the southern edge of the village and make ones way up the roadways and paths to the higher steppe. They entered the southern edge of the village, picked up a few interesting items from a curios shop, followed the curve of the roadway up around the northern edge, and stopped at an arcadeum before heading up. The arcadeum had 8 virtual-reality stations for interactive access to the virtual realm. The virtual realm was tied into the internet and everything the Free Information Act had available. If there was any info about the whereabouts of Rem, it could be found through the VR station. The VR units were set up in partitioned sound booths, side by side, in pairs, so that 2 close friends could share the same ride. "We're in luck," she said, "the 2 at the end are open. Let's get them before someone else does." She led him along the soft carpeted corridor, to the 4th open doorway, and inside. The minute they stepped inside, a blue light appeared over the doorway, signifying that the booth was occupied. In the 4 meter square space, there were 2 dark bronze and black leather and synthetic recliners, equipped with VR head-gear and foot and arm-pads for full-sensory stimulation. Against the wall before both recliners were com-link stations, for manual-control and selective programming, and reviews. Lisa pulled out a plastic key-card, and stuck it in a slot. The blue light appeared on a video-screen, against a space-scene of endless night. "We're in," she said. "Know how to handle one of these?" "I think so," he admitted. "If it uses the Hiso-base, I've got a good idea." "Right," she agreed. "Then, strap in. The timer is running. We've got 20 minutes. If that isn't enough, let me know and I'll cue another 20." They climbed into the VR units, strapped themselves into the recliners, attached the head-gear and arm-gear, and adjusted their eyes to a scene in space aligned by high-tek symbols in gray metal cast. "We're at the edge of the complex," she said. "See the symbols at the edge?" "Yes," he affirmed. "Where to?" "Either Delta-five," she said, "or Tri-Vee. Tri-Vee still does a pretty good job covering the Hiso-stats. Rem once worked with Hiso-codes, so there might be a lead." "What's delta-five?" he said. "That's a bit more dangerous," she said. "Mak, if you weren't under par, we could do it. The only risk is in wasting some bit of credit, of course. The one good thing about it is that it could be a real time-saver. The Tri-Vee might take longer." "Another Hiso-court, by any chance?" She nodded and smiled, "As a matter of fact, you could call it that. Only it's VR, not real. After the court, the escape can be a real cliff-hanger. Ever do any flying?" "By VR?" he said. "Once, just before I crashed." She laughed. "Well, we can play pilot and co-pilot, and make sure we don't go too fast." "I'll work the brakes," he volunteered. "Fine, and I'll give us the push," she said. "Ready?" "Ready," he said. She touched one of the symbols to the left of the edge and a Virtual aerospace cockpit appeared around them, with dark space ahead. There was the sound of jets behind and beneath, and the star-fix ahead began to change. "We're moving," she said. "Can you access navigation?" "I'll give it a shot," he said, looked at the symbols on the console, found a large round circle with a blue square in the middle and another circle inside the square. He touched the circle, and a screen appeared on the console. Madkro worked with it and located another set of symbols below the screen. He used the symbols to check the navigation logs. He found the Hiso-court records listed be-side another symbol, located the symbol, and touched it. "We're adjusting course now," he said. She paused and sited into the depths, to see that he was right. "Great," she said, "I'll give it some speed." She gave it speed and they zeroed in on a star surrounded by planets. They passed by the star and zeroed in on the fourth planet. It was Earth-like but not Earth. It was a planet called Siroh. They went into orbit about the planet, and made a docking with a large satellite space-station. "How do we find him from here?" Madkro said. "The symbols," she said, and he focused upon dark blue symbols encircling the forward dock. "Take your pick. Try navigation again." He checked the navigation files, found a square with triangle in it, and touched it with a virtual finger. The doors to the circular port opened, and before them was a court-square with blue symbols on light blue and gray squared cubicles. In the cubicles were basic information access stations. Madkro accessed one of the stations and within a minute, he had something. "It's just a lead," he admitted, "but it's better than nothing. What is Lunaside, by the way?" "Lunaside?" she said. "Is that the lead?" "That's it," he reported. "It says the last report Rem filed was published by Lunaside Innovations, just 2 years ago." "Interesting," she admitted. "But Mak, Lunaside Innovations is a Federal level agency, attached directly to the space-program." "Yes, that is interesting," he agreed. Suddenly a red light appeared in one of the symbols, at the upper-left of the screen, and Madkro reported it. "I see it," she said. "Our 20 minutes is almost over. Shall we go for another 20?" "Yes, let's do it," he agreed. "All right," she said, "but we may have to take it to the next level, if we don't duck out and start back in space." "Next level?" he said. "It's good Hiso practice," she said. "When I said fly, I meant fly. Let's at least take a look, then we can decide." "All right," he agreed. She added another 20 minutes, and the level changed. They were suddenly looking into a high-altitude frame upon the planet, with islands and bodies of water. "When we see the Hiso-courts on the land," she said, "we jump, and fly to it. Don't think of it as real. There is no gravity. We can fly to it like birds of a feather." "I understand," he said. "Ready when you are." She touched the proper symbol, in the light blue edge of the screen, and said, "Now!" They jumped out the window and flew directly into the depths of the planet. Their course had already been set by the symbolic selections, so they just relaxed and let the wind take them to their destination. They flew down over the water, then swooped over the trees inland, across the green paradise of forest and parkways, the hills and the mountains, and slowed upon approach to a great city-dome structure. Seconds later, they landed in the colorful parkway field, at the base of the great Virtual planet-structure. "Here it is," she said to him, "The Hiso-court of Records and Memory-base Zeta. Shall we try a door inside?" |
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