Eve and Anna approached the tower that was the Neu-Ron company, it was so high that Eve could not see the top of it.
They had gone there straight from the restaurant. Such a golden opportunity was rare and Eve did not wish to take it for granted.
"Woah!" she exclaimed, her mouth gaping in awe and her eyes beaming with surprise from the allure of the tower.
Beckwell was one of the world's wealthiest men and the strongest believer among them when it concerned the survival of mankind, and Eve caught a glimpse of that belief in the majestic structure that stood strong in front of her.
She sniffed the collars of her leather jacket and looked around and then at Anna. She started to doubt if she wanted to opt for the program that Anna told her about.
"Come on, Eve. You can't back out now," Anna pleaded with her.
"This is free one thousand bucks and all you have to do is play the game. And you love playing games, Eve!"
Eve lowered her head and sighed. She exhaled deeply once more and as if she had her resolve refreshed, Eve raised her head and peered forward to the entrance of the company.
"Let's go, Anna."
"But..."
"But what, Anna?"
Anna fearfully pointed at the two men that stood watch at the entrance.
"The guards."
"Come on. Let's go. It's not like we are robbing the place."
She moved towards the entrance with Anna following closely behind.
They had summoned the courage to walk through the entry door only to be stopped by two tall, hefty men in tight black T-shirts, dressed like military men on undercover missions. Eve and Anna stopped and glanced up to look the men in the eyes.
"What do you want?" one of the men asked, his voice was deep and threatening.
Anna gulped her saliva and took slow steps to go behind Eve. Eve stood confident in front of the men and show no fear. There was no reason to show fear, there was nothing she had not faced in her life that the presence of two men will threaten her.
A young lady who started to care for her brothers when she turned fifteen. Eve had known and tasted the hard life to its fullest.
"We are here for the beta testing program."
The men sized them up, looked at each other and laughed loudly.
"You?" one of them mocked her.
"Yes, us."
Anna leaned in and whispered to Eve. "It's just you, Eve. I don't play video games, remember?" she said.
Eve maintained eye contact with the men and took two steps closer to them.
"Just me then," she said.
The security guards read the situation, realizing that Eve meant every word of what she had just said, they shifted to their sides and made a path between them for her to pass.
Anna smiled, blowing kisses at Eve and jumping in excitement. "Good luck, girl! Go kick some ass and get some cash."
Eve turned to see her overjoyed friend and shook her head, she was a tad embarrassed but still happy that Anna gave her such an opportunity and went as far as coming with her to Neu-Ron.
Eve nodded and raised a clenched fist. "I will," she said before walking through the company's revolving door.
....
....
Gregory Beckwell, the man of the year. The man who was known throughout the entire world for such a magnificent discovery. The brain behind the discovery of Alderix and the chief executive officer of Neu-Ron Enterprises, one of the world's largest technology companies.
Beckwell spearheaded the project along with a few of his friends from the top one percent of the world's wealthiest that he had and together they formed an idea and brought to life the vehicle that transports humans into Alderix, a gear called Synapse.
A Synapse is a gear built to look like a gas mask with round netted outlets for breathing and a transparent glass that serves as a screen for visualizing the prompts that pop up; the shape, design patterns and styles were dependent on what the players request to be built for them. In the case of Eve and the other individuals who had come to Neu-Ron to take part in the beta testing program for Alderix, they were getting the first model of the Synapses that came in a fine glistening coal black colour with silvery linings on its edges and around the outlets.
The obsidian Synapse gears were the first models ever made and were called the 'Obsidian Alpha'. They served as the template for other models that were produced.
Beckwell and his team of genius scientists and developers were able to tap into Alderix and recreate the manner of their travels in such a way that made it into a virtual reality massive multiplayer roleplaying game (VRMMORPG) with infinite possibilities and the world of Alderix serving as the setting for the game.
....
....
Eve was astonished to dumbness by the magnificence of the Neu-Ron company. The interior was made entirely of smooth and finely carved glasses and the floors of the company were dressed with a material that looked like tiles and reflected the image of a person walking on it.
"Must be nice to be this rich," she said, talking to the large banner of Gregory Beckwell's face that hung down at the reception.
"Hello and welcome to Neu-Ron, how may we help you?" the receptionist inquired of Eve, her fine feminine voice pulling Eve back to the real world.
Eve gazed blankly at the receptionist - a young beautiful lady with lowcut hair that she dyed red - before recalling her senses back and shaking her head.
"Hu-huh? S-sorry," she stuttered, "I am Eve. Eve Snow and I'm here for the beta testing program for Alderix."
"Welcome, Eve. Will you be participating as a player or a supervisor?"
"Whichever of the two pays more, to be honest," Eve answered in her mind since she could not say such things out loudly.
Unfortunately, the ticket that Anna had secured for her clearly had the words 'Participating As A Player' boldly written on it in Comic Sans font and so there was no room for her as a supervisor during the beta testing program.
"Player, I guess."
Eve handed the ticket to the receptionist, who took it and looked at it closely before bobbing her head.
"Player it is," she said, marking the ticket with an indelible ink. Her fingers raced through the keys of her keyboard and Eve's details that she was inputting manifested on the computer screen in a matter of seconds. She knew her job and was equally fast at it.
"Here you go," she said, handing Eve back her ticket.
"Good luck."
Eve smiled and adjusted her leather jacket.
"Thank you."
....
....
She was ushered into a hall, where men and women filed up like they do in the military parades.
Contrary to what Eve had in mind, the people who showed interest in beta testing for Neu-Ron were much. With that sort of incentive, every Tom, Dick and Harry of the lower class in Tophill State was sure to find their way to Neuron even if they have to force or sneak their way in.
"For a thousand bucks, I'm not surprised this much people are here already."
It was quick and free cash and all you had to do was play a video game for some time.
Gregory stepped out and onto the stage, taking his steps leisurely and majestically until he reached the podium. He adjusted his suit and buttoned up a few of his buttons before clearing his throat to speak.
"Hello, everyone," he said, his voice spreading out through the mic.
"Welcome to the first beta testing program for Alderix."