Chapter 14

The feeling of logging out was not as pleasant or straight forward as when Nathan logged in. First his visuals turned into a tunnel of light straight out of a sci-fi movie. Then it faded to black, and he ‘woke up’ suddenly very aware of all minor pains that had been suppressed by the system. It also took longer than he was comfortable to admit before he remembered that he couldn’t move his legs. For just a second or two he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t able to just vault out of the pod. The realization that just a few hours without his disability would make him forget it was sobering.

He shuffled around a bit trying to decide how to proceed.

“Nathan? Are you back?” he heard someone say, and the head of his assistant popped over the edge of the pod.

“Hey, Richard. Yeah, I’m here. Could you give me a hand here?”

With the assistance of Richards, Nathan was able to transfer from the pod to his wheelchair without too many problems. As they had practiced earlier, with the right technique he should be able to do it himself, but it was much smoother with the help.

“Thanks,” Nathan mumbled while he rolled towards the kitchen area. “You want something to eat?”

“I could make you something if you want? If you let me know approximately when you will log out, I can prepare meals beforehand,” Richard offered.

“We can try to establish a schedule when I am a bit more comfortable with all of this, but not today,” Nathan grunted with his head inside the refrigerator. “Today I want to feel useful enough to create my own sandwiches.”

Richard sat down at the breakfast bar and watched as Nathan prepared and served him some slices. “So how was it? Did you have fun?” he asked when Nathan finally joined him at the table.

“It was... strange. It really is very realistic. Indistinguishable from the real world, if not for some peculiar effects related to the game. And the way all pain disappears... That in itself is comforting, and probably worth the cost. Just to read a book or walk the forest in peace and tranquility.”

“That sounds great! So, you think the game will be a success?”

“It’s too early to say if the realism in the game will turn people away or be a selling point, but I have no doubt that the technology itself will appeal, or even be addictive,” he mused. “For good or bad...”

“For good, surely!” Richard laughed. “I can’t wait to try it myself. I’m saving up for a pod, but even with the company discount it will take some time. Not like they are available any time soon, either. Sold out for the foreseeable future, they say.”

“If that’s the case, maybe they will not need the publicity from my adventures after all. We’ll see, I guess. I can’t really see how it will be interesting to follow my exploitations.” He let out a sigh. “It will probably be canceled pretty quick, so I guess I should consider saving up for a pod myself.”

“That reminds me,” Richard exclaimed, “the director of the series, one George Walton, was quite insistent to meet you. If you have time now, I could check to see if he’s available?”

As he had some time before he had to be online again, Nathan agreed. Richard made some calls, and a meeting was booked. They had to move over to the office building, where there was a selection of meeting rooms.

On the way in they also got Nathan a personal access card. His fast-track employment hadn’t allowed them to create one earlier, so he’d used a temporary one so far. The card only gave access to the first couple of floors, but he also needed it to get into the apartment.

The meeting room was decorated with vibrant colors and unconventional furniture, probably meant to stimulate creative thinking. Nathan was not impressed. It all looked a bit too chaotic.

It probably suited the man he was to meet better, as George was quite vibrant, himself. In his early forties, he dressed as if he was younger, wearing stonewashed white jeans with a tight pink and white shirt with flower prints. He’d accessorized with an expensive-looking beige scarf and a diamond earring. He had short blond hair with frosted tips on top of a narrow and emaciated face.

“Which one of you are my new star?” he asked brusquely as he entered, his demeanor clearly favoring the answer to be Richard.

Nathan almost took some pleasure in disappointing him. “That would be me, I suppose. Nathan Noble, good to meet you.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

George gave Nathan a quick once-over, unable to hide his displeasure. “Hm... Well, I suppose we are lucky you don’t actually have to look like yourself in the game. Did you go with the traditional strong hero look, or the more roguish anti-hero look?”

“I don’t really know,” Nathan answered with a confused look. “Perhaps a mix? Perhaps neither? Besides some minor changes from the different stats – and functional legs – I’m identical to the real me. Shouldn’t I be?”

George got a look as if he was swallowing a lemon and plumped down in one of the chairs. “Not good. Not good at all. I know this is all last minute and all, but I was hoping you at least had received some instructions... or had some common sense. If you are going to be a hero, you need to look the part! Have you seen any of my movies? I’m sure you have. Then you know what kind of leading man I'm used to working with.”

Nathan looked perplexed at Bruce for some help.

“He probably means ‘Space Shark’, ‘Space Shark 2: The Sulfur Shark’ and - what was the zombie one called again?” Richard asked.

“Why, ‘The recurring dead dirty dozen’!” George sputtered. “A Masterpiece. Award winning, even.”

“Wow, that’s a mouthful. Sounds like quality, for sure, but I’m afraid I don’t go to the cinema too often, so I must have missed them,” Nathan said with a straight face.

“Straight to streaming, I believe,” Bruce interjected.

“You should see them, but suffice to say, what the audience want is someone young, pretty and sexy, preferably with a minimal amount of clothes. Add some action and explosions, and it’s a winning recipe.” George sighed, leaned forward and pinched his nose. “I guess will have to make the best of it. Ok, first things first. You’ve been playing, what, four hours now? What have you done so far?”

“Not much, really. I fought some goblins, found a village, tracked some goblins and hunted some rabbits. There have been some strong muscled scantily clad players, though.”

George got a hopeful look. “That is good! Did you team up with them?”

“No, they got brutally killed before I was able to introduce myself.”

“Oh,” George deflated. “Even so, you have the right idea. If you, the leading actor, is somewhat bland, that can be elevated by colorful sidekicks. You need one sexy female companion, one sexy male companion, one funny sidekick for humorous banter and comedic relief, and ideally also some sort of mentor or father figure. I also need some romance, so you should try to butter up one of the sexy ones. Preferably the woman, but either or both is fine. We’ll also get someone to write some edgy one-liners and catchphrases that you can use. You focus on recruiting other cast members, and then we can plan other changes as soon as we get feedback from the test audience and see what our demographics look like. I don’t know exactly how things work in the game, but it goes without saying that any big decisions – for example how you look or how you develop your avatar – have to be approved by me going forward. Any questions?”

Nathan considered what George had said. “Yes, one question, and one statement. Question first. Are we allowed to include everything and everyone I meet in the series, or do I need to inform the players around me that their actions might be broadcasted to the whole world?”

“I have been told that it is explicitly stated in the EULA that Immersion Inc. are allowed to use players likeness and actions for commercial purposes. When we go on air the cat will be out of the bag and everyone will recognize you, but until then I leave it up to you to decide who to tell or not. It is something that could be used strategically to get the right people to tag along, as players who want to get famous are often also capable of creating a lot of entertaining drama.”

“I have a question as well,” Richard chipped in. “What will the series be called?”

“Why, that is a given, isn’t it? The show will be called ‘Immersed’,” announced George. He got to his feet and looked at his cellphone. “I think we are more or less done here, and I have important stuff to do. My assistant will set up a daily meeting where you can report your status going forward, starting tomorrow. If you’re not totally incompetent, I will make you as famous and successful as I am!”

“Yeah, about that. Listen, you seem like a nice guy and all,” Nathan lied, “but none of that stuff is going to happen.”

George looked up from his phone with a confused look. “What do you mean ‘none of that stuff’?”

“Well, everything. I’m not going to do any recruiting – at least not based on those criteria. I'm not going to do any romancing. I’m not going to throw around silly prewritten jokes. I’m not going to run any of my decisions past you, and I’m definitely not going to attend a daily status meeting. None of that stuff.”

The room went quiet.

“You quit? After the first day?” George finally asked.

“Oh, no! I’m going to do exactly what I’m hired to do. Play the game however I see fit, without any instructions or constraints.”

George’s face got red as Nathan talked. “The nerve... One would think a disabled person like yourself would be happy to have a job at all. We are throwing you a bone, and you spit in our face? No! You are fired!” he sneered.

“I doubt that” Nathan contested confidently. “I’d be very surprised if you have the authority to fire me.”

“We’ll just see about that!” George fumed.

“We will. Anyhow, I think we are more or less done here, and I have important stuff to do.” He looked over at Richard who looked very uncertain about what had just happened. “Shall we?”

They promptly left but could hear George barking on his cellphone as they walked away.

“Are you sure that was a good idea?” Richard asked as they left the office building and started towards home. “He is the series director after all, and probably has a lot of pull. Even if he can’t fire you, he can probably make your life a lot harder.”

“We’ll know soon enough what that joker can do.”

“Good title, though. ‘Immersed’. I like it.”

“I do too. So not all bad, I suppose. For now, I think it’s time to get back to work.”

They went back to the apartment, and Richard helped Nathan into the pod.

“Depending on how long this session will be I might not be here when you return, but I will be close. Just give me a call if you need me.”

“No worries,” Nathan said. “I’ve managed a long time without any help, and while I appreciate it, I'll be fine without. See you tomorrow”.