Chapter 2: Chapter 1 – Eden

“Happy Birthday, Drona!”

“Sis… you missed it by about a week.”

“I know! I wish there was a way for me to check up on you more often. But you know I don’t have any luxury with my work in R&D.”

“I don’t mind! The new games and books I bought with your debit card kept me company. So, what was the secret project you were working on this time that took so long to call?”

“Why don’t you come over and find out?”

“Wait… are you serious?”

“Yes! You had been asking to come here for years. So, think of this as the ultimate birthday present.”

“I thought your workplace didn’t accept visitors or family?”

“The invitation has a time limit on it.  So how soon can you get here?”

“About an hour, I think.”

“That’s odd… I could have sworn it was only a half-hour trip from your school.”

“Still at home. I was about to head for a barbeque party in Cherry Beach.”

“On a Tuesday? Are you bunking school again?”

“Calm down, Sis! Summer break started yesterday.”

“Oh… I lost track of the dates. Are any adults there, or is it just your friends?”

“I am seventeen now! Do I need to say more?”

“Right! I am sure you won’t get into trouble at this age.”

“I am not as rebellious as you were.”

“Ah! The good old days… people here think I am an angel who could do no wrong.”

“If only they knew you back then.”

“I am tempted to cancel the invite if we don’t change the topic.”

“Alright! But just give me a hint about what I’m in for when I get there.”

“It’s related to Eden. That’s all I will say over the phone.”

“The Virtual City made by Takeshi Tanaka?”

“That’s the one.”

“Didn’t it get shut down after he died?”

“I'm hanging up now. Do some homework on it and get here within an hour, or else I will cancel that debit card.”

Drona took that as a yes. He shut down the computer on his study table before getting up from the chair. The four walls of his bedroom are filled with posters from fantasy and sci-fi games that were the core of his interests. Books, VR games, and the movies he bought on his birthday were neatly stacked on the shelves. The collection was the envy of his peers, but it was his way of filling the void of living on his own for the last few years.

Within a minute, Drona quickly changed into a Yellow T-Shirt, Black Jeans, and a red shirt over his T-shirt. Drona walked up to the mirror and saw an awkward teenager with black hair, light brown skin tone, and hazel eyes staring back at him. After combing his hair a bit, he grabbed his pseudo spectacle sunglasses before leaving the apartment.

Drona put on his best shoes and went to the elevator, which was out of service. He released an irritated grunt before rushing down the stairs of the fifteen-story apartment building where he had been living ever since his sister claimed guardianship over him. Once he reached the ground floor, Drona tapped three times on his smartwatch to summon the driverless car to come out of the basement parking space.

A five-year-old SUV that hadn’t been washed for over a year slowly rolled into view. The door to the driver's seat slid open to let him inside. He settled into his seat and turned on the setting that would make the vehicle run on autopilot. The 20-inch touch screen display above the A/C vents turns on and reveals a cute avatar of a pink duck that his sister had designed for the vehicle's AI when she purchased it.

[Please pick a destination]

“My sister’s place of work. Virtual R&D Inc.”

[Calculating shortest route… 52 minutes to destination]

“Damn! I will be cutting it close. Try to go as fast as possible without breaking the speed limit.”

[Understood! Sharing travel data to Miss Veda]

Drona’s sister had bought the expensive SUV to take him to school and back home. It was equipped with cameras and an AI that provided her with updates. She went so far because he used to bunk school in the first few months after their parents were lost in a plane crash. She couldn’t personally keep an eye on him, so she modified everything to be her eyes. Drona’s classmates thought it was odd for a sister to be so overprotective. They mocked him for it and tried to bully him for the wealth his sister provided him. Drona stayed away from social circles in his school because of this. He prioritizes his personal happiness over trying to fit in with others. This didn’t mean he didn’t want friends. He made a few friends through online gaming, but he never met them in person or saw their faces. But since they all lived in the same city, they planned to meet up at Cherry Beach for a barbeque, which Drona was looking forward to until his sister told him to change his plans. Drona didn’t mention it to his sister since this was an opportunity he had wished for a long time. He always wondered what kind of job provided so much money and wouldn’t let her stay with him at home. But he didn’t want to ditch the meet-up without explaining the situation and decided to message one of them. He opened the Game through his smart watch and accessed its messaging feature. 

 

[Guild Chat]

@Everyone - I am sorry, but I can’t come to the beach. My sister had an emergency and needed me]

Drona didn’t expect anyone would check their messages, but one of the members responded.

[Cpt. Doomsday - Sorry to hear that, Radion! I got called up for work at the last minute. Maybe we can try meeting up another day as a consolation]

Drona sent a happy smile emoji and then closed and turned off his smartwatch. He looked outside the window and wished he had a chance to make a real friend during this summer vacation.

[Would you like to read the latest news to pass the time?]

“Nah! Just give me all the articles related to Eden.”

[Compiling… completed]

 

Drona looked through the old headlines and flipped through them on the touch screen. Six years ago, Eden caught the world’s attention when it released a trailer of a futuristic city one would find in science-fiction stories. People thought it was a new VR game until they realized it was a world where people could work, play and live. This city was a nexus point with portals that linked with other worlds. Each of these worlds on its own was unique and vast enough to fit millions of people. But there was no sign of civilization in them. All the other worlds were intended for the users of Eden to colonize. Anything and everything built in those worlds would be up to the User’s imagination and ownership. Only Nexus city would belong to the anonymous group that created Eden. But the global media hunt eventually tracked the founder ‘Takeshi Tanaka. A Japanese-American who had led several companies into multi-national empires. His financial worth was estimated to be close to a Trillion, but he spent everything for Eden as his legacy.

 

Many skeptics expected Takeshi to create a subscription plan only the rich could afford. This was the business strategy he used with the other companies he controlled. But to their surprise, Eden allows anyone to create an account. The only catch was to visit their facility and rent a Deep Dive Pod (DDP) at an affordable price for the majority. Even the super wealthy were not allowed to install it in their homes. Instead, special VIP facilities were created for them, but the pods had no difference other than outer aesthetics. Not long after his honeymoon with the media, Takeshi disappeared. Rumors of his death spread like wildfire until he was officially declared dead by the government. They didn’t share the cause or provide the body, so the rumor mills kept churning out conspiracy theories. Some people claimed to have run into Takeshi in Eden alive and well. Others say that he met his end due to bankruptcy as there was no proper revenue stream. One even claimed that Takeshi was faking his death to avoid getting targeted by the government and business rivals. Many companies tried to seize the assets that created Eden. But were unable to find those servers. Only the DDPs were the only way inside that world, which meant that the political or corporate bodies could not control that virtual space. The Banks which had taken possession of the DDP facilities decided to continue the business model since none of the experts they hired could reprogram the DDPs. All these factors allowed Eden to fulfill its true purpose. However, only the futuristic Nexus city was available to explore when it launched. The gateways to the other worlds were sealed behind firewalls that hackers were left dumbfounded by.

In time, Eden became a place for people to meet in their realistic avatars instead of a Video or audio call. There wasn’t anything else to do there as alterations to the city were restricted. So, representatives from companies just walked around promoting their business. It became annoying to the point where the users who came to relax or hang out were constantly bombarded by businessmen who behaved like Ads that wouldn’t go away. Eden’s user population dropped to the point where it was virtually a ghost city. Until Drona’s sister brought it up, even he had almost forgotten about it and needed a refresher of its history. Once Drona was done with his research, he looked outside the window to enjoy the beautiful scenery passing by. Due to the secretive projects Virtual R&D Inc was involved in, they chose to build their office far away from the rest of society and built accommodations for all their staff.  Drona was curious about his sister’s work but knew better than to risk her getting fired if she shared anything sensitive. She did try to get her boss to let him visit the facility before, but he had a no visitor policy. This was why he was excited to go there and finally put an end to his theories.

“How much further?”

[Currently two minutes away from the destination]

“Oh? Wait… Is it that a fortress?”

Drona was surprised to see a huge building that resembled the castles from fantasy games. It spaned three football fields, and the reinforced concrete walls surrounded it. Instead of medieval guards, soldiers kitted out in heavy firepower guarding the entrance.

[You have arrived at your destination]

When the vehicle stopped, Drona inspected the heavy security that guarded the gate. One of the soldiers tapped on the window. Drona lowered the window and presented a nervous smile. A grizzled veteran who had seen combat and had the scars to show on his face greeted him with a murderous look. 

“State your name and purpose.”

“Drona Veda! My sister Achara Veda invited me here.”

“The Indian coder? You do look like her, but I need to confirm it.”

The soldier pulled a comms device and requested confirmation. It took a minute before he returned to Drona.

“Please step out of the vehicle.”

“Is something wrong?”

“We need to inspect you and the vehicle first.”

“I understand.”

Drona complied with their screening and was relieved when they were satisfied.

“Go in and tell your sister she owes me for letting you take the car inside.”

“Oh, okay…”

Drona searched for a nametag but couldn’t find it on the man’s uniform.

“Don will do.”

“Alright, thanks!”

The gates opened, and the squad of heavily armed men parted to let Drona drive through. Since Don recognized a resemblance, he might be a friend of his sister’s. While he wondered, the car stopped because his sister blocked its way. Achara wore a white lab coat with the company logo on its back. Inside it is a white shirt and black skirt with leggings. Her hair was tied back into a bun, quite a bit of makeup on her face, and dark eyeliners highlighted her large eyes behind her glasses.

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Achara. “You made it in time. Get the car to park with the others and follow me. I need to get you ready for the trip.”

Drona did as he was told and stepped out of the vehicle with a confused look. Achara grabbed his right hand and pulled him into the fortress. There were no soldiers but plenty of security cameras and dog-shaped robots surveilling the hallways.

Drona. “Sis… The trip you mentioned, is it Eden?”

Achara. “Yes! You will be going there along with a few other relatives of the staff.”

Drona. “Is today, bring your kid to work day or something?”

Achara. “We discovered something in Eden with an age limit on it. Only users who are below 18 can access it. Instead of hiring random kids to investigate it, we decided to see if our younger family members would volunteer. That’s all that I can say right now. I will explain the rest during the briefing.”

Drona. “If it's Eden, then are there DDPs here?”

Achara. “Where do you think they were made?”

Drona. “Here? But this place doesn’t look like a factory.”

Achara. “There are quite a few sub-levels with the factory in the third. But we are going further down than that to get to the DDPs.”

Drona wondered why this facility needed so much security. At every step of the way inside, there were security protocols from fingerprints, eye scanners, voice authenticators, and even DNA codes. 

Drona. “Are they also building weapons of mass destruction here or some bioweapons?

The two hopped into an elevator that had two guards on either side with automatic rifles in their hands. Drona stared at them nervously as the display showed the elevator descending the sub-levels.

Achara. “Don’t worry about the security. I wasn't kidding how paranoid everyone is about security in this place. Now, do you believe all my excuses for the difficulty in getting out of here?”

Drona. “I believe you! But what is so important to get soldiers from the army to act as guards?”

Achara. “They are not serving the Queen or country here. If that is what you are assuming. These men are part of a private military company created by the founder. They are here to protect Eden’s servers and the staff who developed it.”

Drona. “The servers are here too? Wait! Are you part of the team who created Eden six years ago?”

Achara. “I had a hand in some of its source code when I was your age. Though I am more of a designer and an architect that looks after it now.”

Drona. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

Achara. “Didn’t you ever wonder how I got a job that pays for the car, that apartment of yours, and all the games you wanted without going to college?”

Drona. “People told me that start-ups pay well to those who join it at the start.”

Achara. “Technically, this was or still is a start-up. I always wanted to tell you about it before, but I was worried you would blab to your classmates to score some social cred. Figured I would tell you after you finished college, but this incident changed the schedule.”

Drona. “Whatever this incident is, I am glad it gave me a chance to learn all this about you and your work.”

Achara. “Aww! Stop with the flattery because you are not getting another present from me any time soon after this trip. I bent over backward to get you a spot on the team. I will be slogging for the next few months to pay back the person who gave it up for you.”

Drona. “You mentioned the founder before. Are you talking about Takeshi Tanaka?”

Achara. “The man’s physical body is gone, but his spirit lives on in this place.”

The elevator door opened to reveal a large room filled with several dozen DDPs arranged in neat rows on either side of the hall. These Grey pods are circular and resemble a rolling Zorb ball in size. 

At the center of the hall stood two boys and two girls around Drona’s age. They were staring at a six-foot-tall screen until the latecomers exited the elevator. Drona noticed the screen behind them had the face of Takeshi Tanaka on it.

Drona. “Is that Takeshi Tanaka? He was alive all this time?”

Drona asked Achara in a soft voice, but he was surprised to hear Takeshi answer his question through the audio system. 

“I am an AI version of Takeshi Tanka. Before he passed away, the great man had uploaded all his memories and goals in life in the server room. I am his spirit reincarnated within Eden. Though I may use his avatar, I prefer to go by the name ‘TT’ since it's easier to say.”

Drona. “Oh… are you a true AI?

TT. “Will that make me more human or less?”

Achara. “Don’t question and thank him for inviting you!”

Achara slapped Drona’s back hard enough to make it sting.

Drona. “Ah, right! I am grateful for the opportunity to visit Eden and this facility.”

TT. “Your sister was quite persistent about your participation. The rest of your team has more qualifications than you, so be mindful of that when working with them.”

Achara. “I thought you would be nice to my brother."

TT. “Was that not me being nice? If you don’t think so, I will say what I truly think of him. Your brother’s grades are slightly above average, and his internet browser history needs to be censored into oblivion.”

Drona stared at the avatar on-screen with shock and embarrassment clear on his face.

Achara. “You got it all out of your system?”

TT. “Yes…I had to say it. Thank you for understanding me.”

Achara. “You offered the same treatment to the rest of the kids?”

TT. “That I did in great detail! Would you like me to repeat it?”

Drona noticed the other teenagers were visibly distressed by that offer.

Drona. “Is he always like this?”

Achara. “Don’t mind the invasion of privacy and the insults. He doesn’t spare anyone, including the staff and the security. If this was a game world, his paranoia and ego would be ranked SS+ in the character sheet.”

TT. “Miss Veda! If you are done, begin the briefing of their mission.”

Achara. “Shouldn’t they be introduced to each other first?”

TT. “There will be enough time for that when they get to Eden.”

Achara. “Alright. So, everyone here knows Eden and its history? Good! Then you know that Nexus city is supposed to connect to multiple virgin worlds that have been inaccessible for all these years. Well, one of those worlds was unlocked last week, except it requires the individual to be a child or at least a Teenager. You are all below 18 and are direct relatives of the staff here. Thus, you were chosen to go through that portal and investigate what is on the other side.”

Drona raised his hand to ask a question.

TT. “Feel free to ask. Especially the boy who got in at the last moment.”

Drona. “How did you find out that kids could get through?”

Achara placed her hand on the shoulder of a young boy with Brown hair and blue eyes. He is tall, pale, and lanky. He wore glasses and a black hoodie with the company logo on it.

Achara. “Joseph Bernard is 15, and he has been working here as an intern over the last few months because of his background in hacking. Without informing the staff, he had used his skills on one portal and managed to pass through it last week.”

Drona and the rest of the teenagers were surprised by that. 

Drona. “How did you do it?”

Bernard. “Something about that portal was different from the rest. It was the weakest amongst them all and called itself the doorway to the nursery. I wasn’t sure exactly what was inside, but it said only Infants and Rookies were the only ones allowed to pass through. The portal classified me as a Rookie lifeform and permitted me to enter.”

Drona. “Does this mean Eden will allow kids through that portal now? Why hasn’t this been made public?”

Achara. “There is a reason why we didn’t. Bernard fell into a comma the moment he passed through it. We waited three hours before he woke up. Luckily, he didn’t suffer any medical issues after observing him for a week.”

Bernard. “Everyone should note that an hour in the real world is like a month in that one. I spent three months there before I got the chance to return. Didn’t expect to be inside the medical sub-level instead of the DDP.”

Drona. “But why would you want to spend three months there?”

Bernard. “I had no choice. The portal has a cool down for those who use it. It told me I had to wait three months, and I freaked out a bit, to say the least.”

Drona. “I can’t imagine living alone in an empty world for that long.”

Bernard. “Who said it's dead? Ah, you are referring to the promotional video in Eden’s first trailer. Those were the images the portals show us to hint what the environment looks like on the other side.”

Drona. “So, you are saying there were people there already? How is that possible?”

Bernard. “They are not people… but they could speak English for some weird reason. Or maybe the auto-translate app kicked in. Anyways, I was living alongside the Monsters from the nursery.”

Drona. “Monsters?”

Bernard. “They called themselves Digital-Monster or Digimon for short.”

To be continued…

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