Jink sulked out of the practice hall in a cloud of gloom and paused at the top of a majestic flight of marble steps that led down to an expansive quadrangle of meticulously manicured grass. He heaved another long, low sigh as he leaned against an enormous stone pillar covered in ostentatiously ornate carvings. The rays of the setting sun Adara streamed from directly across the quad, causing Jink to squint. The squat boxy building directly across the quad was backlit as one large black shadow. As he waited in front of the tall, heavy double doors that were entrance to the practice hall for his eyes to adjust to the abrupt change in lighting, Jink realized that he had left in such a hurry that he had forgotten to log out of the practice scenario. His GIM card was still inside the game table!
Every child when they became of age at 30 received their God Identification Module, which came in the form of a thin black metal card. The GIM card became an all purpose device that was indispensable for any functioning member of modern society. The card was synced directly to a microchip implanted behind the right ear of every baby at birth. This, along with a multitude of other biological markers, ensured that the card was only accessible by its proper owner. The stringent security measures associated with each GIM card was necessary because each contained every shred of information about an individual. It acted as proof of identification and criminal record. It was a wallet, as it was connected to each individual's bits account, the currency of the day. The card was constantly receiving biological input from the microchip implant behind the ear. With a swipe of a thumb, one could see everything from basic vital signs like heart rate and blood pressure to the existence of any foreign pathogens in the blood stream. Right now, the microchip could read that Jink was sad and frustrated so it stimulated his pituitary gland to signal for the production and release of endorphins. The card in conjunction with the microchip acted as phone and headset. When the user made a phone call, audio was relayed through the chip and it seemed as if the speaker was coming from within the listener's own mind. The sensation was a bit disconcerting at first, but listening to music in this method was highly enjoyable, as if one's very soul was reverberating with the melodies. Of course the card had a pop up holographic interface that allowed one to surf the internet, stream music and video, and all of the other wonderful distractions of the modern world. The GIM card could be used to sync and store an almost unlimited amount of information. Because the security of the cards were infallible, most people used their GIM card as the key to access their homes, vehicles, safes, or any other private property. Most importantly of all, the GIM card allowed one to plug in to any and all of the virtual environments. The game tables used in the practice session just now were one example of these such virtual environments.
Jink hesitated, trying to decide if he should go back in to the practice hall. He didn't think he could bear the shame of it. He'd have to enter again through the large double doors, flooding the hall with sunlight that was now shining directly on to the face of the practice hall. Then he would have to walk back past all of the other game tables under the disapproving gaze of Professor Pent for disrupting the exercise. Might as well nail a neon sign to his forehead that says 'kick me, I'm the worst'. Jink thought that he probably should have stayed through the rest of the exercise, quietly observing and taking notes. He might have picked up a trick or two. But he just couldn't take any more of Darul's snide remarks. He was this close to jumping on to and across the game table to drop kick that shit eating grin clear off of his smug face. No, better not go back in, Jink reasoned as his emotions began to flare again. There was no way Darul would let him come and go quietly if he were to show his face at TR-21 again, and he did not trust himself to hold it together either. Anyways, he knew that Kumandi would grab his GIM card for him before he left. His friend was quiet and reticent, but he never missed a detail. And he was loyal. Since they were children, Kumandi had always been the one that mellowed out Jink's explosive hot temper.
Jink circled back around the large pillar he was leaning against, as to shield himself from the sun and resigned himself to wait for the class to let out. He studied the ornate carvings a little more carefully than he ever had before. Jink had passed by and seen this pillar many times before coming in and out of the practice hall, but he had never really scrutinized the scenes immortalized upon the stone. This pillar was one of six identical columns arrayed across the top of the marble steps leading to the entrance of the majestic building. They held up a stone awning high above. The engravings depicted men and women in flowing robes clambering over each other and jostling for position on a net of dense meandering vines that reached up the length of the pillar. Each figure was unique in the arrangement of its limbs that locked and intertwined with its neighbors' in silent struggle. It was clear that the sculptor had taken painstaking care to endow each character with unique features. No two figures could be said to be exactly the same, and there seemed to be no repeatable pattern or order to the mess of flailing limbs and leaves, save for one detail. Each and every person wore a very similar expression. Their faces were upturned, gazing with greedy hunger up towards the top of the column that was shrouded in shadow.