The prompt arrived exactly an hour after Ella dismissed them. Nico was hyperventilating next to an old tree furthest from the group. The prompt surprised Nico as it came from nowhere. He momentarily forgot about the smart lenses and almost jumped. He then composed himself immediately and thought about it.
"I came all the way here, but I don't know if I can handle such an extreme test. And even then, in the off- chance I win, I don't know if I can handle being an executive." As if he'd made his mind, he willed the context box to select "NO" as an answer to "Is your participation confirmed?" question.
Nico felt a slight regret. This was an interesting way to go about life and job hunting. But he knew he was out of his depth. Choosing to refrain from participating might seem cowardly but he knew his limits the most.
A bright red error message appeared after he pressed "NO". He was returned to the original question. Once again, he pressed to decline. The error appeared almost immediately. He thought that it might be a glitch in the system, so he looked around if anyone was experiencing the same. To his surprise, that wasn't the case. He saw at most a dozen people walk away from the garden marking their refusal.
"What is happening?" On his third try, something else appeared next to the error notification. It read as follows:
"Error: Applicant has been directly recruited, the option to refuse has been retracted. Recruited applicants are prohibited from opting out."
"What the heck."
The time to drop out – which was just 10 minutes, passed very quickly.
Ella appeared once again, but this time, she was in full – body picture mode. She wore a white dress that accentuated the curves of her body – something which Nico felt uncomfortable about. She looked too realistic but so inhuman.
"Hello, aspirants. The total number of participants has gone down from 110 to 90. We are sad to see them go, but in Rosen, quitters deserve nothing."
"I have noticed that some of those recruited have tried to decline. I apologize but as stated, you are prohibited to do so. Recruited individuals have been given a personal chance by Rosen to participate. There are no boons for being recruited, only, that someone from the company has deemed that you deserve to be here. And within Rosen grounds, Rosen is Law."
Once again, Nico felt like Ella was glaring at him. What an unusual feeling.
"Please take a rest. This mansion is very comfortable, and we are sure you'll find the stay relaxing. We will begin the transfer of consciousness tomorrow morning."
Robert approached the unusual young man he was ordered to manage. He'd read his files. A lady from the main office had recommended Nico on a whim. He'd admitted to the boy that he disapproves of his participation. But rules are indeed rules. Once chosen, you can not decline.
He was curious about this Laura person who appeared and disappeared from the Philippine branch right after Nico's interview. But he'd heard about how people from the main office, especially those given the authority to choose, are all very mysterious. To his knowledge, this was not unusual for those who kinds of people.
Carrying Nico's light duffel bag, he called out. The young man looked crestfallen. He had his head hung low and was hunched. Even a child would understand that Nico really wanted to leave.
"Hey kid, you wanted to refuse, I gather." Commented Robert. "You seem a bit down."
"Hey old man, yes. It is as you see. Who knew my fate was sealed the moment I met that damned woman." mumbled Nico.
"Don't let her hear you that. No, actually – " Robert drew closer. "Don't diss her again. Who knows, maybe she's watching. And putting someone like her in a bad mood would make your experience a whole lot worse."
"Are Rosen people petty?"
"Some can be very."
Nico sighed. He reached out for his duffel bag only for it to be yanked away by Robert. "You need to rest. Let me carry it for you."
"Thanks." Nico whispered gratefully.
Contrary to what Ella said, Nico was unable to rest at all. He was jittery and anxious. He wasn't usually like this – he'd faced worse embarrassments and pressure. There was something about this selection process that made him a tad unsure. Maybe because he was here no longer by his free will – or that he was simply overwhelmed by it all.
"Nico, you should sleep." Said Robert while covering his eyes with a hardbound book of Sherlock Holmes' adventures.
"I can't. This entire thing is so unusual. Why am I even here?"
Robert did not answer. He grew tired of Nico prancing around for the past half an hour. He'd offered to serve him some light dinner but man refused. Nico heard some ruffling.
"Catch." yelled Robert. Nico grabbed it skillfully from the air and saw that he was given a bottle of sleeping pills.
"Take one, it'll knock you out for at least 10 hours. Don't worry, you won't die."
Gulping and realizing his need of it, Nico downed one pill and laid on his bed. The effect was almost instantaneous. Sleep washed over Nico as everything around him turned black.
The next morning, Nico was awoken by the sound of rhythmic knocking. "Room service!" said a voice from behind the door.
Robert opened it and let two men carrying two sets of breakfast platters into the room.
"Ah, I haven't had one of these in ages." Exclaimed Robert. "An English specialty. Come on out of bed Nico. Have some of these delicious Ulster Fry mix."
"Uls what?" asked Nico groggily, desperately trying to shake off sleepiness.
"Just come."
The breakfast was indeed delicious. Tea was also served, and Nico helped himself a lot of it. He'd always been calmed by tea. Besides, this was authentic English tea. It hit different.
A notice again appeared in Nico's field of vision. The sudden intrusion made him jump while also realizing how he forgot to remove the contacts before he slept. Weirdly, however, his eyes didn't seem tired or dry at all.
"Good thing you didn't remove the lenses. Missing your messages is a big no, in Rosen."
"You have one, too?" asked Nico, surprised.
"Of course, everyone who works there has one. The entire tech is semi – organic. After a day, it'll completely mix with your corneas. It has a lifespan of 2 years and are very efficient solar powered electronics. Of course, if you fail this process, it will be deactivated and will fall of naturally. The same goes for the earpiece. Notice how it disappeared?"
Nico nodded. It was a little discomforting knowing that something will fuse inside his eyes in the next few hours but as Robert said, common sense does not apply in Rosen.
Nico thought about it. Had he gone insane? 2 days ago, he was just enjoying a disgusting cup of instant coffee in Manila, now he's in England to enter a virtual world designed by Rosen Technologies – and that if he succeeds in the task they provided, he'd become an executive at Rosen. It almost felt like a dream.
"Hey, Robert, slap me."
The slap came the moment Nico ended his sentence. It was so fast, he looked at Robert confused and confirmed if he indeed got slapped.
"You did that a little too fast, Robert."
"Nonsense, boy, this isn't my first rodeo. I've slapped many aspirants before."
Nico wanted to retort. That wasn't what I meant. And why was he bragging about assaulting applicants, anyway.
"Go get dressed. The Transfer is in an hour. I need you in your best game."
"Aight."
Nico found himself standing in front of a glass wall, and beyond the wall was an impossibly white room. There were 20 people together with him patiently waiting for something to happen. For a moment, the lights dimmed, and Ella appeared wearing a different set of clothes.
"I wonder why they took the trouble of dressing an AI up" mumbled Nico.
"I can hear what you're saying, Mr. Garcia." said Ella, breaking Nico's reverie. Embarrassed, Nico apologized. Wait, why am I apologizing to a computer. Now he was more embarrassed.
"Anyway, good morning to you all. We have separated you into groups at random. There is no meaning to it. In front of you, and behind me is a room where all of you will be staying."
"These capsules-" cylindrical containers that looked like small MRI machines rose from the floor. There were 20 of them. "will house you the entire time during your stay."
"This is some XAO shit" whistled an African – American applicant. He was a large man with a strong build.
Nico chuckled. He'd thought the same. The African – American man noticed this and gave Nico a thumb's up. "A fellow man of taste!"
"Ahem." Ella coughed. "Please enter the capsules, I will explain the other details inside the transfer system."
Nico and the others did as told. Some hesitated for a bit but ultimately entered. A gas enveloped the capsules, some panicking.
"Relax. This gas contains nanomachines that will link your brain to the VR world. As such, you'll be able to move freely as you would in the real world." Said Ella as a matter of fact.
Nico took a deep breath. This is it, he thought.