I.
12:35 p.m.
Jack was wearing his favorite outfit: worn-out jeans, dark blue t-shirt, and a local baseball team's cap. His walk was slack, but steady. His feet were kicking the air at each step, and his arms, swinging around him as if he was dancing. Not that he knew how to dance or do any physical activity for that matter, but his growing confidence needed an outlet. He was always mentally singing a song, but this time it was one he didn't like and he couldn't manage to get out of his head. That annoyed him. But the gun hidden in his shirt reminded him he had an important mission to accomplish, and he couldn't afford to get distracted by foolish mind tricks.
He dissimulatedly looked back, a habit that he was trying to carry on, since the games got much harder to win. The first time he was hit from the back he was surprised; the second, he was mad at himself, because it wasn't a new stratagem anymore. He always had to look back now, even though this was an entirely new scenario.
He slowly started to get more aware of his surroundings-something that he should've done since the beginning-and they were quite unusual. The afternoon sun was high in the sky, and the summer heat was making his forehead get wet. The streets were crowded with people, but they didn't seem to notice Jack, minding their own business. They didn't look like AIs, anyway. The windowed buildings were strangely bright, reflecting the sun light and blinding the eyes. The weak wind gently teased with the trees, which slowly swayed back in a perfect choreography. Jack looked to the trees more intently now. They seemed to be greener than usual, to have more life, to be… more real. These were definitely features he was hoping to encounter in this new game.
Another striking new situation was that he was alone, and he had no radio to call for backup. Too bad! He liked his partner in his previous attempt to play this game. It was amazing how Artificial Intelligence had evolved to emulate almost perfectly someone's actions and interactions with the environment. He wondered what this game had prepared for him.
A sudden gust of wind caught Jack by surprise; then, as quickly as it came, it dissipated. What were his objectives again? He wasn't sure. He got too distracted. He made a mental note to himself to be more careful in the future about his mission's goals, but the answer couldn't be far. He vaguely remembered buying something in a store, but couldn't figure out what, where, or what for. He was reaching the downtown area now, where the International Government buildings were located. He looked back again. No one was following him.
There was something strange with the set of buildings that lay in front of him, but Jack couldn't pinpoint exactly what. He entered one of the buildings to locate his contact, agent Phillip. He had to clarify his orders, or else he wouldn't get anywhere. Mr. Phillip was the International Government agent designated by the game to give instructions to the players, whenever they needed. Although this was an entirely new setting, he was sure this was the place to find him. He past through the revolving doors and looked around, trying to find his way.
"What is the room for Mr. Phillip, please?" - He asked the lady from the information desk, "He's waiting for me."
"What's his department, sir?"
"What do you mean, what department? THE Mr. Phillip!" - Jack was confused; he didn't have to be that specific before. But he was told that things are never the same.
Offended by Jack's rudeness, the information desk lady gave him a sharp look. "Let me see if I find A Mr. Phillip in the building." - Jack quickly realized the he was being impolite; he shrugged. He didn't care that much. AIs were supposed to help him. After typing a few words and waiting for a few moments, a blinking message appeared to her. "Sorry, there is no Mr. Phillip here."
How can he not be there? He had reported to Phillip on his previous mission. Amazed by the information, Jack walked out of the building. With him gone, he would have to find other sources, other links. He would have to call everyone he met before to decipher this new mystery.
"Of course" - he exclaimed more loudly than he realized. It was clear for him now: his mission was to locate agent Phillip.
With his disposition invigorated, he started thinking on his next move. Suddenly, a dark BMW, with tainted windows stopped in front of the International Government building. A tall, well-dressed man with sunglasses came out of the car and was looking suspiciously to every direction. Definitely an AI, Jack thought. Then, four more men got out of the car, three were tall and heavy, with the same dark suits, and the other man was and wearing a blue suit. The body-guards clearly were protecting that agent. Time for action, Jack thought.
Jack approached the blue-suited agent, ignoring the body-guards, inquiring for the whereabouts of Mr. Phillip. He was immediately hindered by one of the body-guards, while the agent was still going toward the building. Looking for his badge in his pockets, Jack tried to catch up with the agent, but now two of the other body-guards were blocking and pushing him. He fell to the ground. He saw the body-guards proceeding with the agent, but one them was still threateningly waiting for him. He knew the game was supposed to be difficult, but this was getting ridiculous. Inflamed, he got up and, not having found his International Police badge, demanded to talk to the agent. The brute body-guard pushed him again, and told him to get lost. Jack went for his gun.
It all happened too fast. Shots were heard, people were screaming and running, and the automatic sirens from the buildings were on, activated by the gun fires. The blue-suited agent, along with his body-guards, ran for the safety of the building. Jack couldn't see anything but dark.
II.
11:40 a.m.
"Wow!" - Jack exclaimed.
A dark screen was showing the words 'Game Over' and instructions how to improve his skills. It was the best game Jack has ever played. It felt like he was playing it for hours. No wonder he felt tired.
Taking off his virtual reality helmet, he got up from the bed. These Helmets provided much more comfort than the previous consoles of virtual reality. He could just lie on his bed, while his mind entered a world of action, fun, puzzles, or whatever the type of game was. Rubbing his eyes, he glimpsed Alex's still face on his computer monitor. It was his friend's message about the game he had just played, and he mentally decided to call him later that day to thank him. He couldn't call now, because he had to follow Alex's own advice and buy the game's training sessions, an extension that would allow him to play better next time.
Jack pulled open the curtains of his bedroom. The brightness outside of the window disoriented him for a moment. Adjusting his eyes, he put on his old jeans, changed to a blue shirt, and grabbed his wallet. With his cap still in his hand, he stormed out of his room. The game store was just a few blocks away, in twenty minutes he would be there and back again. Just the thought of playing it once more made his blood run hot and fast in his veins. It was a perfect Tuesdaymorning.
When he was just about to leave, he heard someone shouting his name.
III.
9 a.m.
In a room, illuminated only by the outside morning sun, a call was waiting to be answered. Wakened by the noisy call alarm, Jack turned on his computer screen and, yawning, hit the answer button.
"Jack! Wake up, you lazy alligator," said a familiar voice booming out of the computer speakers.
It was Alex, his good old friend. They were high school best friends and kept in touch during college. Alex now lived in New York, working for VirtuallyGames, the biggest virtual reality game developing company nowadays. The advantage of having a friend who works in this type of business is automatically becoming its beta tester number one. Jack didn't want that as a career, but he didn't mind one bit to satiate his addiction for the games and to make a few extra bucks at the same time. Jack would usually answer that he was changing careers when someone asked him what he did for a living, but it had been several months since he moved back to his mother's house, in the Midwest, and never seemed too interested to try and get an interview for a job. He wouldn't follow his mother's advice to get a job in another law firm. "Too boring," he would say.
"Alex! It's you," Jack was rubbing his eyes, "do you know what time it is?"
"Here we've been working for hours already. Anyway, I thought that you'd like to be the first one to test our new game. It's the sequence for International Police Agency. There are tons of new features. Can you test it?"
"You don't have to ask twice. Just send it to me." - Jack was instantly fully awake. Alex has been promising this new game for months.
"I already did. Just download it to your Helmet and you're good to go."
"Alright! Will do!"
"Oh, just a few pointers." - Alex advised him, before he could hang up, "Whenever you're not sure what to do next, go to the International Government building and ask for Agent Phillip. He's your contact. You always have to report to him."
"Why wouldn't I know what to do?" Jack asked, in a melodramatic tone. He wasn't really mad at his friend, just the opposite, actually. His ecstasy grew at every new challenge he would have to face in the new game.
"Sometimes the game doesn't tell you everything. Part of the fun is having to figure things out by yourself," Alex said with a proud voice. He too couldn't hide his excitement about the new edition. "You have a partner now. You'll love this feature. He'll always be there for you, but learn how to use him."
Jack couldn't believe it. It couldn't get any better.
"And one last thing," Alex added, "you never play the same scenario again."
That should add extra difficulty, since Jack couldn't try a new approach to the same situation. Every time he died in the game, he would start over to face a new situation.
"If you die too many times, and I'm sure you will, buy the original International Police Agency training sessions. It will help you develop some skills for this one."
They said good-bye and Jack started downloading the new game right away. The bar gradually moved towards 100 percent. "This is a big one" - he thought. Playing with his fingers, he watched his computer monitor, while the bar reached half way through. If he was a cat, he'd be dead by now.
Forgetting to eat breakfast, he put on his Helmet and started the game. The download was complete.
IV.
12:15 p.m.
"Jack!" His mother called. "Where are you going?"
"To buy a new game, mom," Jack's mother didn't know the difference between a game and an expansion. That was more than enough information she needed. He thought that if he had said he was going to buy training sessions' expansion for the new version Alex had just sent, she would ask for even more explanation about it, which would take time that Jack wasn't willing to waste.
"Another game, my son! Why don't you try to find a job, or even go back to college, if you want… but games? You play games all the time now."
"That's what I like to do, and besides, Alex pays me for playing."
"But why don't you find a real job?" His mother asked, not expecting an affirmative answer.
"They are boring. Now, if you excuse me, I have a game to play," Jack said in a final and decisive tone, frustrated for wasting time.
"These games are so real, Jack. They play with your mind and could even be dangerous. You are getting so alienated from the world that you don't leave the house anymore, you don't talk to anyone, except Alex." His mother felt she wasn't keeping him much interested in the conversation and was losing the argument, but she wasn't about to give up yet. Those stupid shooting games were definitely changing his character, and messing up with his brain. "You never talked to your grandma again… You never talk to me," she said, already sobbing.
"I'm going out, aren't I?" He said, finishing the discussion and going for the door. She was getting so emotional that Jack felt sick. He didn't want to talk about that; because the longer he talked, the lesser he'd had fun playing the game. He left the house and slammed the door, but he heard his mother opening it again.
"One of these days," yelled his mother, following him out the house, "you'll be out here in the real world and you'll think you're in one of your games. Then," she added, crying now, "you might get yourself killed."
Ignoring his mother's words, Jack left the house. He looked up; it was past midday. The sun was high and dry, and everything was too bright outside the house. He put on his baseball cap, shading the blinding sun, completing what it was his favorite outfit, which he didn't wear for a long time. A gentle wind greeted him, welcoming him to the streets as he rushed to the game store.
V.
12:30 p.m.
The training sessions' expansion came in a novel package. It was a gun. "That's a clever idea," Jack thought. The old-fashioned nine-millimeter-like gun looked very real, except for the connector cord which plugged directly into the Helmet. The cord would come out, though, for easy handling. He paid the cashier for the expansion and hurried out of the store.
Heading home, he analyzed his new acquisition. Holding the gun with both hands reminded him of the game. Its thrill was suddenly back in his mind. His heart was pounding faster and his hands were sweaty. He could feel the adrenaline rushing in his body. He quickly concealed the gun under his t-shirt, visualizing being the character in the game. He adjusted his cap down, loosened his shoulders, and steadily continued walking home. He found himself singing 'Born to Be Wild' in the back of his mind. He was not particular fond of that song, but he thought it fitted for the occasion. A most exciting adventure was waiting for him.
