Thrill Switch

4

4

LILITH’S SELF-DRIVE crept through traffic toward Coliseum 2.0. It seemed like half the population of the Holos were heading to one event—Senator Rommel’s first virtual rally. Thousands of soapbox preachers stood on raised sidewalk platforms, yelling their three-word slogans at the masses streaming by. Some held signs reading #KillHerBill, a hash tag Lilith had created and now partly regretted.

Lilith could tell by people’s avatars who was there to support Rommel and who was there to protest. The Free expressed their individuality in wild ways: Mohawks, body mods, clip-on augmentations. The Luds looked like they did in the real world—regular people with regular hopes and dreams. Lilith could respect that. There was a lot to be said for normal hopes, fair opportunity, nurtured families, and safety. That kind of life hadn’t been possible for Lilith, but she did envy it. Lilith looked around at the crowd again. This wouldn’t be like Fukami’s fanfests in virtual—it would be polarized chaos. The unrest already bubbled on the street. A group of ragtag paramilitary grunts were hassling two well-dressed women doing their best to stay calm. A giant boy soldier in fluorescent camo slapped one of the women on her ass. The woman flinched away, but another one of the goons slapped her on the ass again from the other side. It was tame behavior for the Holos, but things could easily escalate. Fear and confusion already gripped the women. The scene made Lilith’s blood boil.

‘Q, stop car,’ she ordered her self-drive.

The all tinted-glass vehicle instantly obeyed, to honks of anger behind. Lilith stepped out casually, glad she was still wearing her business avatar from earlier today—an elderly Englishman dressed in a three-piece suit. It grated her that this was still the best look to demand respect during contract negotiations, but if there was anything Lilith knew, it was how appearances created mood and mood set the foundation for all interactions. Her normal avatar, the one she called her true self, wasn’t practical right now anyway. The appearance of Holos celebrity Lilith Lace would cause a flat-out riot in a crowd this charged. Another horn honked. Lilith waved her apologies then tapped the top of her self-drive twice. A steel casing materialized from the vehicle and formed a ramp up and around that other cars could drive over. The Politisphere of the Holos was coded to prohibit flying cars for safety reasons, but that didn’t mean traffic should get too backed up. The small disruption had done enough to cause the paramilitary crowd to look her way, taking their attention from their would-be victims. Lilith turned their way theatrically.

‘Trisha! There you are, Trisha!’ she boomed in her modified, English accent toward the women who had been in trouble. ‘Do you need a lift?’

The woman Lilith had addressed as Trisha looked utterly confused at the use of a name that clearly wasn’t her own. Her friend, a diminutive brunette, caught on immediately though. She grabbed ‘Trisha’ by the arm and led her toward the car.

Lilith smiled a friendly grin, nodding curtly at the women’s harassers, who lost interest almost immediately. ‘Trisha’ and her companion came within a few feet but held their ground, still tentative.

‘Hello, ladies,’ Lilith said, ‘Why don’t you take this car where you need to go. It’ll be safer and easier.’

The small brunette frowned. ‘Are you sure? That’s awfully kind of you.’

‘Seems like you deserve some kindness after those brutes laid hands on you,’ Lilith said in her most appeasing voice. ‘It’s the least I can do. Not everyone in the Holos is so rude, I assure you.’

With that, Lilith tapped the door of her self-drive and it opened. At that moment, a car buzzed over the top of the self-drive’s ramp. The motion made the women step back. Lilith could tell they were still on edge. They must be full-time real worlders, only here to support Rommel.

‘It works like a regular self-drive,’ Lilith said. ‘Just tell it where you want to go and it will drop you at the door. It’s programmed to go to my virtual garage afterward when not in use.’

‘What about you?’ ‘Trisha’ said.

‘I’ll walk,’ Lilith replied, ‘I’m almost where I need to be anyway. Good day.’

With that, Lilith promptly turned and started to walk away with the crowd. The women would feel safer without her avatar standing over them.

‘Thank you!’ The words followed behind her.

Lilith glanced back and waved again, seeing the women enter the car. It detracted its ramp and started crawling through the traffic again. The sight made the knot in Lilith’s chest ease a little. They were safe, for now. Lilith knew only too well the fear of being a target. She’d been one for years where she grew up, in a poor neighborhood of a rough city. People took what they wanted in that life if they were strong. She was physically petite, so the apex predators took all they wanted from Lilith. She could feel their hands groping her even now. The cold of steel pressed against her throat and the disgusting whispers in her ear that if she moved the wrong way she’d never move again. She wouldn’t wish that life on anyone. And yet, perversely, it had made her what she was. From that original terror she’d built a strong will block by block. She had reclaimed her power by recreating her attacks in the bedroom, but with her in control. At first she was disgusted with herself, thinking she was sick in the head. But she’d learned that whatever she needed to do to feel whole, to feel pleasure again, was healthy—as long as it didn’t hurt anyone else. That epiphany had led her into the Holos to recreate and create more depraved acts. To mix them in with her love of music. To perform. In this playground, she always had control. She radiated that power to others who enjoyed watching. At first, Lilith was niche; a novelty. But the combination of two viral phenomena, s*x and K-Pop, had spawned the X-Pop genre. Many tried to imitate, but she was the original, one of the biggest stars the virtual world enjoyed. She’d earned her fortune and regained her sanity in the process. She’d also campaigned tirelessly against domestic and s****l abuse in the real world. Pushed for those burdened with dark desires to only unleash their evil in the Holos. But now those lines were blurred for Lilith. She didn’t know if she was helping the problem or making it worse. Did X-Pop give people ideas? Whip them into spirals of escalating fantasy? Make them want more? Make them want the real experience? Crimes in the real world seemed to be declining but virtual s*x without consent in the Holos was skyrocketing. That’s what the media were calling it: virtual s*x without consent. She called it what it was: r**e. It was why she was willing to hear out what Senator Rommel had to say. These new laws for the Holos might protect victims, but still allow actual fantasy to help satiate and rehabilitate those who needed it. There were, however, some points that made Lilith’s gut churn. Having Mercury instead of SureCoin as the official Holosian cryptocurrency was the main one. It meant less anonymity for her and for others wanting to do as they pleased without feeling like social outcasts. To not be judged for desires that weren’t entirely in their control. Anonymity also protected them against becoming targets of those wanting to harass the same person over and over and over, mobbing them no matter what avatar they took on.

Lilith snapped out of her reverie. She’d made it to the resident’s entry of Coliseum 2.0. Stepping up to the door, she pushed her hand onto the security disk. It read her unique biometric rhythms through her avatar—a failsafe only those who had permission to access the Skybox Apartments could pass. The door opened and she stepped into the lift, using her hand again to select her floor.

Upstairs, Lilith swept into her apartment. It was one of many she owned in the Holos, but the key place where she felt safe. The wide windows looked over the inside of the Coliseum, which rapidly filled with people below. Lilith went straight to her wardrobe and opened up to find her specially-made selection of avatars. She had spares of them at all of her homes. Another one of her business avatars was on the rack. There was also the charity face she dressed in at giving events—a chaste-looking matron in a modest-cut dress. Then there was her. The real her: Lilith Lace. Black hair cut into a short bob, slim yet sensual Korean body dressed in tight, all-black leather, and Stiletto heels that ended in knife points. s*x and power in a five foot five package. Of course, she was all of her avatars really: the businessperson, the altruist, and the b**m musician goddess. She could easily reconcile all three sitting in her true self, but others couldn’t. The real world had trouble with complexity. It was easier to break down appearances and play directly to the audience she was speaking to.

Lilith slid her consciousness out of her business avatar and into her true self. She breathed a sigh of relief. Even dressed in the leather and heels, it was how Lilith felt most comfortable, most in control. She walked across the lounge and over to the windows. The sea of people roiled below—a cauldron ready to boil over. Lilith tapped her wrist and her Feed screen flared to life. She typed out a quick post: LET’S HEAR WHAT ROMMEL HAS TO SAY. STAY CALM. SHOW RESPECT.

A few moments later, the lights in the stadium dimmed. A single spotlight lit the stage. The figure of Sheila Rommel walked out. A mix of jeers and cheers rumbled through the place. A large backing screen flickered to life, showing Rommel at a wooden lectern, dressed in her tweed power skirt and jacket, hair short and pinned up neatly. There was no pomp. No lightshow or Fukami flare. Lilith recognized that this was a statement all in itself. Rommel was projecting that the focus should be on the issues. That this would be truth without spin. Whether that was actually the case remained to be seen.

Rommel cleared her throat and the crowd’s noise dropped enough for her to be heard clearly. Her face on the big screen showed calm determination.

‘Fellow citizens,’ Rommel said. ‘Americans, Holosians, friends in other parts of the world. This is a critical moment in history. A moment where we can choose to live in order or chaos. For too long, evil has been able to run unchecked in this virtual heartland of opportunity. You come here to play and work and enjoy your lives, yet now all you do is look over your shoulders in fear of violence. We’ve turned our backs on this threat for too long. We need to face it head on. To look that darkness in the eye and say ‘no more’. We deserve better than this. We are better than this.’

Rommel paused to let her words sink in, before continuing. ‘Folks, ask yourself right now: am I truly happy? Do I feel safe here? Would I be willing to bring my children into the Holos without worry?’

The last few shouts of protests fell silent at Rommel’s words. It wasn’t a question anyone could easily say yes to. Rommel pressed on.

‘We know that when a country brings in laws to protect their citizens against digital crime, quality of life goes up. America is the very last country to follow this logic. Our state of Las Vegas the slowest of all.’

Jeers of WE LEAD! and FREEDOM! went up from the crowd.

‘Yes, Freedom,’ Rommel nodded, pointing at one of the protesters. ‘That’s the reason you’ve been given by those who run this place to avoid any laws. Those like Senator Fukami, who stands to profit from leaving criminal behavior unchecked. Those people are elites who can afford personal security and digital fortresses inside this metaverse. They buy their freedom. But again, ask yourself, are you really free? Are you free to exist without the terror of being attacked? Are you free of bullies? Free of thieves? Free to call for justice? Do these criminals respect you and your personal freedoms? I say no. You are not free! You live in a prison of fear while they go free!’

Now Rommel’s supporters cheered. The noise was an upwelling of song. Some protesters still tried to have their voices heard, but the tide had well and truly swung in Rommel’s favor.

‘I say enough!’ Rommel slapped her hand onto her lectern. ‘It’s time we show these lowlifes what real freedom is. What real justice is. That common people deserve common decency too. It’s time to put laws in place. We need a way to track these enemies and shut them down. This is what my new bill will do. Give you real freedom again. It’s time we took back our lives! It’s time we had justice for all!’

Clear white words stood out on Rommel’s background screen: JUSTICE FOR ALL.

The spotlight went dark. The noise was raucous. Lilith looked down to see what was happening. The main lights of the Coliseum went on. Rommel was gone from stage. Both sides of the aisle were now turned to each other, yelling, screaming, waving hologram-generated neon signs. They held back on actual violence though. Even the Fukami diehards knew that to attack anyone now would prove Rommel’s point for her. They had to keep the peace.

Lilith folded her arms, thinking. Rommel hadn’t engaged with the Mercury issue properly. She hadn’t talked about how the unique cryptocurrency could trace its users to a verified real-world identity. Lilith shouldn’t be surprised. No politician dealt in nuance anymore. No marketer willingly pointed out the weak points of their product. Lilith stared out the window absently, trying to think about how she might be able to help bring these laws in without resulting in people’s anonymity being sacrificed. She’d have to send Rommel yet another message about her concerns and how they could be addressed. Commit her celebrity to promoting a middle ground for the campaign, if they could agree on it.

Then a reflection in the window caught Lilith’s attention.

Someone was behind her.

Lilith spun. A half man, half spider hung in the shadows. It stepped out, taking slow, deliberate steps toward Lilith.

‘Who are you?’ Lilith gasped, backing up against the glass.

No one could get in here. No-one. How was this even possible? Lilith searched around for weapons, something to defend herself with. She’d let her guard down completely. There was nothing. The creature was almost within reaching distance to her now. She was cornered.

‘What do you want?’ Lilith asked, pulse rising. ‘Who the f**k are you?

‘I am your fears become real,’ it growled, then lunged at Lilith’s throat.

Lilith couldn’t even scream. The grip of the beast cut off all air and all sense of hope.