A bus stopped and two girls got off. One was a short, chubby blonde girl, with brown eyes and glasses. The other had black hair, cut just above her shoulders, with a bright blue mesh across her forehead. Her eyes were blue, about the same tone as her mesh. She was wearing a white t-shirt, with a stylized drawing of a blue jay on it, a black leather jacket, black jeans ripped at the knees, and black and white sneakers. Floating next to her was a small drone, with a camera pointing at her.

"Well, here we are, guys!" said the black-haired girl, looking apprehensively from the drone to the building across the street.

The blonde girl was focusing on the drone. She seemed to be able to make it turn towards the building just by looking at it. Above the entrance was written, in large golden letters, "GOODMAN MEDICAL CLINIC".

The black-haired girl had airpods in her ear and through it, she heard a robotic voice read out a reply, "Magneato says: Looks a bit smaller than I expected, but respectful."

Then another reply, "Wonderman says: Just go in already, BJ, my anxiety is killing me."

And another, "Sephymoth says: G-zuz, what a dump."

"What?" she argued, "The hell're you talkin' about? It's all clean and well-kept."

"Mamasboi says: Yo, ignore him, baby girl. Sephy just talks shit about everything to make us think he swims in cash. The place looks legit af."

"Sephymoth donated 50 tokens: I AM rich, you broke ass bitch. Mamasboi is jelly. ;) I'm just looking out for my girl."

She laughed at them, then asked the blonde girl, as if just to be sure, "Hey, Cynthie, this is the place, right? This is where you got linked?"

"Yep," she replied, "this is it, Jane. And, for the record, it's not a dump." Though she didn't have anything in her ear, she had clearly heard all the replies, and, in a joking tone, added, "Should I ban Sephy from the stream for being such an ass?"

Jane chuckled, "Nah, Sephy's just being Sephy." Then, she brushed her blue meshed hair aside with her fingers, took a deep breath, and announced, "Okay, guess I'm finally getting LINKED! Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Cynthie told her, "not that you'll need it. It'll be over before you know it, trust me. The procedure's super simple and quick."

The robotic voice added, "Magneato donated 10 tokens: Good luck, BJ. Don't forget to ask them about the tentacles."

"Sephymoth says: Good luck, BJ. Can't wait to see you IVR."

"Mamasboi donated 20 tokens: Good luck, babygirl. Finally, we'll get to see you play some VR games!"

"Wonderman says: Good luck, BJ."

"Thanks, guys. Hope to see you in VR soon too, Sephy. Thanks, Mags, I'll be sure to ask them about the tentacles. Wonderman, Mamasboi... all of you, thanks for all the support. Alright, let's do this, bitches!"

With that, they crossed the street and headed into the building.

Jane Brogan, known online as Blue Jane, or BJ for short, was a small-time streamer who only played older games, like Alan Wake 5, Hogwarts Legacy 4, and Final Fantasy XX. In fact, she was a small-time streamer BECAUSE she only played those older games exclusively. This was due to the fact that all the new ones were IVR, meaning "in virtual reality", and to play them she needed an implant known as the Soulink, which, unlike her friend Cynthie, she didn't have... yet.

The Soulink was a revolutionary new chip they surgically inserted into your skull that allowed you to connect your brain directly to any and all electronic devices. It was how Cynthie controlled the drone, and how she heard all the replies on the smartphone in her purse. Cynthie was short for Cynthetica, her online handle, as well as Cynthia, her real name. She was Jane's best friend, her streaming moderator, and the one who had finally convinced her to go to the clinic.

The only alternative to the implant was a VR gear set, with the visors and handheld controllers. But even the most basic sets would cost Jane a kidney. Meanwhile, she was struggling to pay the rent of the tiny little apartment she shared with Cynthie. And those old VR sets were quickly becoming obsolete anyway. They only allowed you to see and hear things in VR. The implant, on the other hand, allowed you to feel everything, the wind in your hair, the warmth of the sun on your skin, a cold drink in your hand, the smell of flowers... That's why Jane was there... to get her implant... finally... in spite of herself.

The Soulink was the latest innovation to come from Neurotech, one of the many companies that belonged to the richest man on Earth, the eccentric, the polemic, the loved, the hated, the one, the only... Melon Husk. Now, like most things the trillionaire did, it was surrounded by hysterical hype and contentious controversy. As always in the hyper-polarized world Jane lived in, there were two camps... and ONLY two. Either you were in favor of it, or against it. There was no middle ground, no wiggle room, no moderate opinions or voices of reason.

On one side, you had the people who had gotten the implant... which was most people. They sang its praises with feverish devotion. Gamers in particular were going absolutely apeshit over it, saying it was like jumping into a wonderous new reality with every new game that came out. But even some old grannies were enjoying the benefits of the implant, being able to meet their overseas grandchildren in family-friendly VR sites.

VR, by the way, still meant "virtual reality", but with the advent of the Soulink, it gained a whole new meaning. VR meant THE virtual reality, a whole new universe of worlds to visit, explore, and conquer.

The tech was barely half a year old and already many were addicted to it. On social media, some even called it "better than reality"... Which, to be fair, with reality getting worse with each passing year, wasn't that much of a stretch. But it wasn't just VR that people were going nuts over, AR, or "augmented reality", was a huge thing too. You could see all sorts of things pop up on your "mental HUD", projected into your brain. Walking down the street, you'd be able to see weather forecasts and people's names hovering over their heads, if they left it visible to you. In malls, you'd see all the features and prices of the products in floating menus. Even at home, you could see the doorbell cam or the baby cam before your eyes, without having to get up from the couch. Virtual ads were placed over every building, and you couldn't go to a single sports event or pop concert without seeing commercials in your face every five seconds... downloading a good adblocker was a must.

The world was changing, and it was changing fast.

And all that was just on that "pro" side. On the "con" side, you had the naysayers. Skeptics questioned the Soulink's safety, the possible side effects, and long-term damage to the brain. Apparently, there was a whistleblower, someone who had worked in the development of the chip, and who was going around saying it had been approved for public use much too soon. Of course, no one cared, the benefits and convenience of the Soulink blinded everyone... or almost everyone. There were some who called the Soulink elitist, for excluding those who couldn't afford it... even though the implant itself was free. Yeah, you didn't have to pay a dime. All you had to do was show up at one of the authorized clinics, as Jane did, and they'd do the implant procedure on the spot, free of charge. Melon Husk wanted a Soulink in the cranium of every last human being. The more people "linked", as he put it, the more he'd cash in on advertisement and whatnot. Some people called the implant racist... mostly white people. Others said it was transphobic, and others yet called it detrimental to traditional family values. It seemed like everyone had a reason to hate on it... but everyone... sooner or later... got themselves linked.

The fact of the matter was that, six months after launch, half of the world had already gotten the implant. And those who hadn't were beginning to fall behind. Working in an office without a Soulink, was like running a marathon without a leg. Many companies were switching to VR altogether, cutting the cost of having a physical space in an expensive real-life building. VR concerts made more money, with people from all around the world logging in to watch them. Movies were being moved to VR cinemas... business meetings, conventions, governmental diplomatic events... you name it, it was going virtual. And parents simply loved the fact that there were no shootings in virtual schools. Like the smartphone before it, there was just no stopping the Soulink.

And so... eventually... reluctantly... Jane found herself standing in front of that authorized clinic...

She was one of those who believed in waiting it out, letting everyone else get their Soulinks, and seeing what happened to them. In the beginning, it was all blue skies and sunshine, but then... some people had problems, their brains rejected the chip. For them, it just didn't work. Then, others reported having migraines. And there were a handful of documented seizures too. But all the problematic cases combined added up to less than zero point one percent of the implants. Melon Husk called it an "unprecedented success"... which, as cruel as it was for the people with problematic cases, it kinda was... Still, Jane was one of the skeptics... at least for as long as she could afford to be. Barely anyone was watching her streams anymore, except for a few loyal fans... and of course, the ones who just watched her because she was a cute girl. In the end, she gave in and followed Cynthie's advice to go and get linked before she ran out of money to pay the rent.

Jane knew she wasn't even all that cute to begin with. She was what she called "run-of-the-mill cute", meaning her sex appeal was pretty average. She had average boobs, average hips... an average ass... Some streamer girls had these enticingly sexy voices... Her's was, you guessed it, average... Also, she didn't like showing off cleavage, and she never got into any spicy content, like some of the other girls. Jane liked to believe she got her viewership because of her quirky personality... not that it set her apart all that much either. Truth be told, no matter how she looked at it, there were a million other gamer girls like her... and every single one of them had a Soulink.

"Come on, Jane," she told herself jokingly, "there's nothing to it. It's like they say in the ad, just hop on in and get linked... more like get fucked." She quickly turned to the drone, raised her hands, and told her viewers, "I'm joking, I'm joking. Okay, I'm going in... and letting them slip a freaking chip into my brain. What could possibly go wrong, right?" She chuckled at herself and entered the clinic.

Cynthie followed her in, piloting the drone, "So dramatic..."

"Magneato says: Hang in there, BJ. It's going to be okay."

A woman at the reception counter smiled at Jane as she walked in. "Hi, I see you don't have a Soulink yet. Are you looking to get one?"

"You can SEE I don't have an implant?" she wondered, not really all that surprised.

The woman saw Cynthie with the drone and inquired, "Are you filming this?"

"Oh, actually, we're streaming," Jane explained, "Is that okay? I just thought I'd share this moment with my guys. They've been trying to get me to get linked for a while now."

"Well," the woman replied, "you can stream for now, but you can't take phones or cameras past this desk, okay? Company policy, I'm afraid."

"That's fine," Jane accepted.

"Yeah," Cynthie agreed, "I'll just hang with the guys in the waiting room."

"Answering your question," the receptionist replied casually, "Yes, I can see you're not linked yet. All Soulinks pop up on my HUD while I'm on duty... It's kinda annoying actually. You know, you're the youngest girl I've seen walk in here without an implant in a while. I thought everyone your age already had one. I'm Rosa by the way."

Jane appreciated the woman's honesty. She introduced herself, "Jane. Well, Rosa, I'm a little late to the party, but... I just can't afford not to have a Soulink anymore... not if I want to be a game streamer anyway."

"I see. How many people are watching you, anyway?" Rosa wondered curiously.

"Not a lot," Jane admitted sheepishly, "I have just over 200 followers, but since the Soulink came out, my viewership plummeted... At the moment, I have only 37 viewers."

"Well, hopefully, that'll all change after today," Rosa smiled, "So, do you know how this works? Or do you want me to walk you through it?"

"I did some research," she revealed, "and I think I'll just go with the basic thing. I know you'll have a ton of plans you're gonna try to sell me, deluxe, premium, executive, or whatever, but I just want the free plan."

"Gotcha," the receptionist quickly accepted, "I won't bother you with all the salesman BS, then. Let's get right to it. The basic plan covers the Soulink chip, the implant operation, and a year's worth of maintenance, all free of charge. After the first year, any issue related to the implant will be considered by law a health issue. That means Neurotech will no longer be under contractual obligation to tend to you. You'll need some kind of health insurance to cover for any expenses you might have. Do you understand?" she asked in a very kind and considerate way.

"Oh, right, yeah, sure," she assimilated the information.

"Now, the operation itself is quite simple," Rosa continued, "You'll lay on a table facing down, and they'll apply a local anesthetic at the back of your neck. It's kinda like being at the dentist. Then, the chip will be inserted into your cranium through the base of your skull. Sounds scary, I know, but it's really quite quick, believe me. It'll be over before you know it."

"So I've been told," she said, shooting a look at Cynthie.

Rosa went on, "Your neck will feel numb for a while... Oh, we don't recommend driving for at least an hour after the operation. Did you drive here?"

"Nope," Jane replied, "we don't own a car, so... Not a prob."

"Good," Rosa nodded, "Once the operation is done, you'll need to do some basic maintenance on the patch for a few days. It's a tiny little cut, but you'll need to keep it clean and well patched and it's at the back of your neck, which is literally a pain in the neck because you can't see anything back there. If you can get your friend here to help you, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor. I had to do mine alone... Ugh! Anyway, the doctor will show you what to do." She paused and then added, "After that, you just have to wait twenty-four to forty-eight hours for the chip to connect to your brain. You'll start to see a white circle filling up like a loading bar. When it's filled, you're connected, just like that. From then on, the Soulink will guide you through the first steps, setting up your profile, connecting to your devices, and all that jazz. It's all very intuitive."

"Sephymoth says: Ask about the tentacles."

Rosa couldn't hear him, so Jane repeated the question, "Oh, I read up on the chip. So, it has these... connectors, right? They look like little tentacles, or whatever, that grow out of it and connect to the spinal cord or something. How does that work? Does it feel weird? What happens if it connects the wrong way?"

"Oh, I never heard of the connectors connecting the wrong way. You see, it doesn't matter how it connects, because the chip is smart, it automatically detects which connections are visual, which ones are audio, tactile, and so on... As for how it feels," Rosa thought about it, "Personally, I didn't feel a thing... I mean, the cut itched a lot, not gonna lie, but other than that... The chip is such a small little thing. You must have seen the commercial, a little cylinder, like a tiny little pen, only about an inch long."

"Yeah," Jane confirmed, "with tentacles growing out of one end..." At that moment, she realized that Cynthie was keeping suspiciously silent.

Rosa smiled, amused with her description, "Where did you hear this tentacle story? Is that what your viewers told you? They're not tentacles."

"I see," Jane glared at her friend and then the drone, "Looks like someone's been trolling me."

Cynthie just smiled and shrugged, "Hey, it wasn't my idea."

A slew of replies came in on the stream, commemorating the success of the scheme.

Rosa laughed at the situation and then suggested, "Look, if you feel uneasy about it, maybe you should ask the doctor, I'm sure he'll know more about it than I do. Doctor Goodman, he's a cool guy," She pulled up a form from under the counter, placed it in front of Jane, and handed her a pen, "So, are you ready?"

She stared at it for a moment, "Yeah... I'm ready." Taking the pen, she proceeded to fill the form out... then signed it.

"Wonderful," Rosa celebrated, "Please, have a seat, I'll see if the doctor is ready. Should be just a minute."

Jane hadn't noticed it before, but Cynthie and her were the only ones there. She was probably the last one in the whole city to get linked... or the country. She glared at the drone again, "You guys are such jerks," she made a funny voice, as if imitating them, "Ask them about the tentacles." But then she smiled, it was all just friendly banter, "Are you happy now that I made a fool of myself?"

Rosa came back out not a minute later and waved her over.

"Well," Jane told her viewers, "see you all in a sec."

She waved them goodbye and followed Rosa down a small hallway to an even smaller operation room. Doctor Goodman was polite enough, but he seemed eager to get the whole thing over with and wasn't much for conversation. And, when she realized it, she was walking back out to the reception, with the new feature already in her head.

"How do you feel?" Cynthie asked her.

"I couldn't go through with it," Jane lied to the drone, "Sorry guys... I just couldn't..." She waited for the outrage to build up a little.

One after the other, she listened to the exasperated comments.

Then, she laughed and told them the truth, "No, I'm joking. I DID do it, I totally did. I'm linked. Look," she showed the patch at the back of her neck. "See? I kinda feel like my head's gonna fall off... My neck's so numb, you know? And it was so quick too, I'm still a little dazed, to be honest... Can't believe I have a chip in my head."

"Told you it was quick," said Cynthie.

"Mamasboi donated 25 tokens: Welcome to the mind control club."

She laughed, "Yeah, the government should be taking over any day now."

"Sephymoth donated 10 tokens: Not the gov, it's Melon Husk that controls you now. We're all Melon's marionets. O.o"

She went back and forth with them on the bus and all the way back home. The cool thing about losing all those viewers due to not having the Soulink was that, the ones who stayed, were a little more like actual friends. They spent hours just talking shit to each other, watching stupid YouTube videos, playing retro games and laughing. She got a handful of new subs and even made a little extra cash that day. It seemed getting the implant got everyone hyped for the next few days... including her.

"Guys," she told her viewers, "I gotta go... Thanks for everything. It meant the world to me that you guys were there for me today. I'll be on tomorrow, if all goes well. And in a couple of days, maybe we'll be playing Realms together, huh? Or Focus, or Alpha Racer... or Star Faction... Can't wait to get into all those games... Anyway, see you all tomorrow. Bye-bye."

That night, after the stream, Jane lay in bed thoughtfully. She was about to catch back up with the rest of the world in one big rush.

Looking at her phone, she taped on the WhatsApp icon and wrote, "Hi, Dad. I did it, I got the implant. I'm linked. So far, so good. Luv u!"