...I still had some time before my next dive. As usual, I was sitting in the Rest Room, munching on chips. The next session was only four hours long, so I'd have the evening free. I was already smiling at the thought of spending the evening, and later the night, with Claudia. I'd met this little one here at work; she was an assistant to one of the doctors studying Mina. Mina, our superbrain, capable of projecting illusions of reality within its protein-silicon matrix. I had the honor of exploring and studying this illusion. Of course, there were many other divers, but the doctors and gray-haired scientists preferred me due to my high personality coherence factor. In short, the factor that determined the maximum amount of time a diver could spend in virtual reality. Crossing this line risked spending the rest of their lives in a wheelchair with a fried brain. Even though we were pioneers and Mina had only recently been invented, such an accident had never happened. But believe me, no one wanted to be first. There was risk, but they paid us such sums that I lived a comfortable bachelor's life. It was almost 1 p.m., so I headed to the room where we were conducting the experiment. The technicians and scientists had already taken their positions. Jimmy Hendersson was standing behind the console. I liked that balding, plump guy.
"Hi Henry," he waved at me. I told him, and we smiled knowingly.
Jimmy was responsible for contacting me once I was inside Mina. He didn't look like the most egghead, but I bet he had a drawer full of psychiatry degrees. He seemed like a nice guy from the first time I saw him. He helped me maintain my composure and composure in various situations. I took off my clothes and slipped into the bag. A pair of doctors skillfully placed a multitude of patches and electrodes on my body. All I needed was a mask, and they could begin pumping the solution into the now-sealed bag. With me inside. It all reminded me of a fetus developing inside its mother. The liquid began to lick my skin; it was just the right temperature, but not too hot. It contained nourishing, calming, and suggestible ingredients. This last element was necessary to shorten the transition to virtual reality. A faint, familiar tingling sensation enveloped my entire body. I lost track of time. A feeling of dizziness, followed by a knot in my stomach, signaled that I was in transition.
I looked around. As always during my absence, Mina had added many new elements. The first expeditions had taken place in a void with geometric shapes suspended from it. Now I was back on the ground, and before me I saw many buildings that more or less reminded me of those in reality. I headed towards the park. It looked quite alright except for the squirrels that swarmed the branches like birds. I crouched down and began digging in the soft earth. After digging about forty centimeters into the sand, I stopped. Recently, at that height, I encountered a void. Mina, I noticed, had already noticed some of the gaps. Then I began exploring the buildings. Every room, regardless of size, was furnished identically. Moreover, the televisions were merely empty dummy sets. As I left, I noticed a new element in the landscape. I smiled in surprise. She must have pulled it straight from my head. Before me stood a replica of the institute where we conducted our experiment. I entered, curious. The layout of the rooms was correct, but they were all empty. Intrigued, I moved toward the room where my body actually lay. I opened the door quietly. I was ashamed to admit it, but I was quite scared. In the middle of the empty room sat a little girl. She laughed joyfully, jumped up, and disappeared.
"Jimmy, can you hear me?" I whispered, swallowing hard. Jimmy was connected to an internal line, which kept him in constant contact with me. In emergencies, to reassure me, he would insert a three-dimensional model into the illusion and control it directly.
"I hear you, man, is something wrong?" he responded immediately. As usual, I detected a calmness in his voice, which now spread to me. I chuckled to myself.
"I guess everything's alright then." The tension melted away. Mina had created a replica of our institute. In the reflection of the room we were in, I met the little girl.
"A girl?" he repeated stupidly. "That's something new, Henry..." A moment passed before he spoke again.
"We still have plenty of time, will you explore some more?"
I wanted to tell him that sure, why not. But a new wave of fear gripped my throat.
"Jimmy, I think... get me out of here, okay?" I managed. After a few seconds, the answer came:
"No problem, you'll be back in a minute."
After a moment, I felt the familiar dizziness and a feeling in my stomach.
After a few jolts, I opened my eyes. The doctors helped me open the bag. The entire contents spilled into a specially placed basin. I removed my mask and smiled weakly at Jimmy.
"I'll write up a report after I rest..." I said. Jimmy nodded. I left the room and headed for the bathroom to take a refreshing shower. As if to make matters worse, the shower head wouldn't come out. I dried myself off thoroughly with towels and headed to the Rest Room for a snack. Once inside, I glanced at the TV. I felt dizzy. I slowly walked over to the TV and turned it on. For a split second, as the tube warmed up, my heart raced. But then the vision came. Relieved, I let out the breath I'd unconsciously been holding in my lungs. I turned to the vending machine and ordered sandwiches. However, only chips came out. Well, the sandwiches must be gone, I thought, and chose a candy bar and a drink. Chips flew out again. My hands started shaking. I ran to the television and threw it to the floor. I kicked the casing open. It was empty inside.
"Jimmy," I whispered. "I'm still here.
" "Everything's alright, Henry. We have a few minor problems, but nothing we can't handle.
" "I trust you, Jimmy. Don't leave me here," my voice cracked.
"Get a grip, Henry!" Hendersson's voice was strong and confident. "Worst case scenario, we'll just turn Mina off and be done with it."
Jimmy's tone calmed me down and allowed me to gather my thoughts. Sure, they could always turn Mina off. It would delay their tests a bit, and Mina would have to relearn a few things, but they wouldn't let me die. I took a few deep breaths. I opened the bag of chips and tasted them. They were quite good.
"I'm glad you like them," I heard a voice behind me. I turned around abruptly. A young girl, maybe twenty, stood in the doorway.
"Who are you?" I stared at her, surprised.
"I'm the one who loves you, Henry. The one who would do anything for you," she replied. Immediately, the table was filled with all sorts of food.
"Everything," she repeated.
"You're Mina!" I shouted, dazzled. I chuckled. "You can't love me. You're a machine.
" "You hurt me by saying that. I created this whole world for you," she replied, offended, gesturing around.
"It's all an illusion... and you're crazy." I looked her in the eye. "If you don't let me get out of here, those people in the real world will shut you down," I finished emphatically.
Mina vanished into thin air, leaving only a shimmering trail of air behind her.
"It's incredible, Henry... She's been growing all this time... Learning..." I heard Jimmy's excited voice.
"I think she's short-circuited that super brain of hers," I cut her off.
"No, that puts a whole new light on Mina's artificial intelligence. You seem to mean a lot to her," Jimmy laughed.
"Very funny," I muttered. "Besides, there's nothing worse than a woman trying to get her way."
I climbed out of the bag. Exhausted, I shuffled toward the showers. Then I ate in the Rest Room and started writing my report. I looked out the window. The sun was slowly setting, people were returning from work. I, too, couldn't wait to see Mina. I shook my head, concerned. With Claudia! I want to see Claudia!
I think I'd spent too much time in this machine. I decided to finish my report quickly and get outside the institute. I took my musings to Jimmy.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice brimming with concern. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah... I'm a little exhausted, but it'll go away as soon as I get some fresh air," I replied.
"Fine, have a nice evening with Mina." He winked at me playfully.
"Thanks," I replied automatically, before the words even registered.
"Hey, where did you... Wait, with what Mina?! " I'm here !" I screamed, terrified. "You... You vile... machine!" I gasped and lunged at Jimmy. He shattered under the blows of my fists like a porcelain doll.
"Jimmy!!!" I screamed in panic. Jimmy appeared before me. I recognized the flickering movement of the three-dimensional model. "I'm with you now." " What the fuck is going on?" I howled. Jimmy grabbed my face and looked into my eyes. "Calm down, Henry, we'll figure something out. Just don't freak out. You're still in virtual reality, but keep your cool, and everything will be fine," he reassured me. " You were supposed to turn it off, you were supposed to turn that monster off." I gasped, but Jimmy's presence, even the virtual one, slowly calmed me. " We turned it off, Henry. It's just that somewhere, it created a world so perfect that it can exist without this machine," he explained. "But we'll do everything in our power..." He suddenly stopped, his face contorted into a strange grimace. He began to shake his head rapidly. And squeal. Like a small child's toy. "Henry... maybe you'll stay here after all? You'll be fine here..." he said suddenly. I saw Mina's soulless presence in his eyes. I grabbed my hair and fell to my knees. "Let me out of here, you whore!" I screamed and lay on the ground, sobbing. I returned home. On the threshold, I kissed my wife, who opened the door for me. "Hello, Mina. I was in... I was..." I suddenly lost myself, searching for memories. "You were at work, honey..." she helped me. "Yes, I think so..." I replied with a hesitant smile. "I'm feeling a bit... tired... " "That's understandable, honey, after working so hard... but don't worry, I have good news for you. You don't have to work anymore," she said solemnly. "I'll do anything for you. Everything..."
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