"Hey, it's Eve. Please leave a message, I'm kinda busy at the moment."
That was the response that Seth got from his endless phone calls to his sister. Seth sighed and tried to redial Eve's number for the seventh time.
Eve worked the morning shift in the restaurant that day and should have been back home by now, yet there was no sign of her and no messages left by her telling Seth and Adam she would be late.
"It's past three o'clock already and she is not back."
Seth worried for her elder sister, knowing the kind of person she was, he feared she might have gotten into trouble trying to do shady deals just to earn money.
"She'll be back, Seth. Chill, it's Eve," Adam tried to comfort his younger brother and make him see why anxiety was not the solution to the problem.
"But have you tried calling Anna, you know, her friend from work?"
Seth shook his head and glued his eyes to his mobile phone as he dialled up Anna's contact.
Adam drove himself to the centre of the room and picked up one of the gamepads.
"By the way, come let me whoop your ass, boy."
Seth chuckled as the phone rang in his ears. "You can never."
....
....
Ring, ring.
Anna's phone rang out loudly and vibrated on her table. She had gone to a cafe that was near to Neu-Ron to wait for Eve.
"What took her so long? It's been hours now."
She picked up the phone, taking a peek at the caller's name. "It's Seth."
"Hello, Seth."
"Hello, Anna," Seth answered, struggling to hold the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he played a video game.
Adam was ruthless and took advantage of Seth's short handicap. He mocked his younger brother, Seth, while keeping his promise to whoop Seth's ass. They were playing the Re-Evolution Soccer 2222 (RES '22) and Seth was losing the football game with the score at three goals to one.
"What's up? Are you with Eve?" Seth asked, "She's yet to come home. Just wanted to know if she was with you."
"Yeah, I was with her. She's doing this beta testing thingy for Neu-Ron Enterprises. So I'm still waiting."
Seth felt betrayed after hearing what Eve was up to. He could not believe that Eve signed up for the beta testing program without telling him even though she knew how much he wanted that game, Alderix.
"Are you serious? She signed up?"
"Yeah, she did. She's in there right now."
"Thanks, Anna. We just wanted to be sure she's safe. Bye."
"You're welcome, Seth. Bye."
Anna cut the call. "That's so cute," she remarked, blushing. She loved that Eve's brothers really cared for her even though sometimes Anna really worried that her friend does not care for herself enough.
She glanced at her gold sprayed wristwatch, smacking her lips impatiently and tapping her feet on the floor.
"What taking so long? It's already 3 pm."
....
....
"You will be entering the world of Alderix now. Everything you will need will be provided by your Synapse gear, built to answer you on request and make clarifications of any doubts. Because the Synapse links with your nervous system, all you have to do is think about what you want."
Every one of the interested participants were provided with an obsidian Synapse gear. Eve admired her gear, it was beautiful in black colour and matched remarkably with the black leather jacket and the pair of black jeans trousers that she wore to the program.
She put on the gear and clicked the button that was to the side of her Synapse to turn it on. She looked like a hot biker girl with the overall outfit, and her long snow-white hair provided an admirable contrast to her all-black attire.
Eve inhaled and exhaled, releasing the tension that built up in her body and mind. She relaxed herself in anticipation for the beta test.
The silvery linings on the edges of her Synapse beamed with white light and shone, brightening up and adding a touch of magnificence to the obsidian gear.
Beckwell was indeed a man with an exotic taste. With him, everything had to be right and just the way he imagined it.
[ 00h : 00m : 06s ]
"You will be entering Alderix soon," Beckwell notified the participants as he glanced at the giant screen that served as a timer for their mission.
[ 5 ]
[ 4 ]
The CEO of Neu-Ron had given his participants all that they needed to know about their journey to the seemingly virtual world of Alderix, and all he expected from them on return was good reports or at least something that would help with his research.
[ 3 ]
[ 2 ]
"Good luck," he said, giving the participants a thumbs up. The timer hit zero across the minutes and seconds sides of the timer and the program was initiated.
[ 1 ]
[ 0 ]
"Let the beta test begin."
The transparent glasses that came with the Synapses dimmed and turned into black shades and a set of blue prints appeared on them, with the prints being only visible to their respective players.
A message appeared on their shades and triggered the feeling of excitement in the potential players.
<< Welcome To The First Launch >>
"This is amazing."
Eve was already feeling like she had left Earth behind into another world for adventure. The euphoria was overwhelming and she was becoming impatient.
Eve and her brothers played games on consoles but she had never experienced a virtual reality game before. She did not have the money to get one, not at the expense of her brothers' well-being.
<< Would You Like To Proceed? >>
<< Yes >> << No >>
She remembered that Beckwell told them that they did not need to voice out any commands to their Synapses as a thought of whatever they wanted would suffice. Eve did not waste time before thinking the word 'Yes' in her mind, but nothing happened. There was no response from the program.
"Yes," Eve answered. Another set of prompts popped out after she had chosen to proceed.
<< Player Has Activated 'Bonding' >>
<< Initiating Synapse-Nerve (S-N) Link >>
<< S-N Linking: 10% >>
<< S-N Linking: 40% >>
<< S-N Linking: 70%...90%...100% >>
<< S-N Link Successful >>
<< Bonding Initiated: 12% >>
Eve felt a tick at the back of her neck along with a sensation of something sharp travelling down her spine, she jerked a little from the sharp discomfort that endured for barely a second. The feeling localised and settled in her lower back.
<< Bonding Initiated: 68% >>
That was the feeling from the ongoing Synapse-Nerve Link. The Synapse gear was connecting to her nervous system to allow the ease and transition of command to the Synapse from voice to thought, just as Beckwell had told them earlier.
A successful S-N linking guaranteed that Thought Command function is activated during the course of a player's gameplay while still reserving the Voice Command for players who preferred to use them in certain situations.
<< Bonding Initiated: 100% >>
<< Bonding Complete >>
<< Switching Mode Of Command From Voice To Thought >>
<< Switch In Mode Of Command Successful >>
"Oh! That's why nothing happened earlier. Oh my gosh! This is truly amazing. Never thought virtual reality was this incredible. Seth and Adam will go insane when I tell them about it."
Eve could not wait to share her amazing gaming experience with her brothers but then she realised something.
"Oh, wait! Seth will kill me for not letting him come along in the first place. Jeez! But I cannot keep it to myself. Tch! Might as well give up my life for them to hear my story."
<< Integrating Mind-To-Synapse Command >>
<< 0%...20%...40%...60%...80%...100% >>
<< Mind-To-Synapse Command Integration Complete >>
<< All Programs Of Category 'Alderix' Accessed And Integrated >>
<< Beginning First Launch In 5 >>
For some reason she could not confirm, Eve's heart began to pound very fast and her blood raced from the adrenaline rush of the new experiences that she was anticipating. She felt so good, a feeling that her depressing life made her forget.
<< 4 >>
<< 3 >>
<< 2 >>
Eve could no longer wait to make the jump into this virtual world.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered.
<< 1 >>
<< 0 >>
<< First Launch Successful >>
Eve had shut her eyes during the jump into Alderix out of fear and at the same time overwhelming excitement, all in anticipation of entering Alderix. She wondered what Alderix had in store for her.
After a few minutes passed, Eve slowly opened one of her eyes, squinting to adjust to light from the sun and using that eye to glance around to be sure that she was still alive. She saw the new environment she was transported to and could not recognize it.
It was an unfamiliar expanse with flourishing grasses and the warmth of the sun before noon touching down to the ground.
She opened her second eye and was smitten by the scenery that she laid eyes upon. An expanse colour by green from the grass and yellow-orange from the sun. It was a capitvating sight, even better when the wind moved past and allow the grasses danced in the direction it went.
"It's beautiful."
A voice rang in her hand that interrupted her, forcing her to turn back and to her sides instantly. She saw nothing and no one behind her. Eve was alone in this vast land and stood there, looking around and confused.
"What was that?"
She was a bit slow but after putting much thought into it, she realised that the voice was familiar.
It was the gentle feminine voice behind the Synapse.
<< Welcome, Participant Of The First Launch >>
<< Participant Has Been Tagged With A Number >>
<< Participant Is Player #157 >>
<< Welcome To Alderix, Player #157 >>