Unknown Depths

Chapter 2: Invitation

According to Vivian, the main brain was doing a huge reform to the whole healthcare system for some reason. She and the others in the said sector are having a huge shift of duties similar to when she was suddenly transferred to a different department back in college. Vivian laments why it is she who has to encounter this kind of thing again.

“It is not just the healthcare sector that is facing the sudden changes.” Diane narrated the weird things that were happening back in the company before she was fired.

There were great changes in the economic flow of the city-state and the companies are undergoing huge reforms. Bosses were having headaches and pressing pressures that they became bad tempered and created errors. Before Diane left, there were like ten other people fired due to them being in the wrong place and at the wrong time. It is imaginable how bad things are with the bosses going all rabid.

“What the hell is happening in this city?” Vivian looked very constipated hearing that the weirdness was not only in her field she was working on. “This is way too strange. There should be another 50 years before something drastic like this happens. You know the constitution has spelt it outright that drastic changes are not allowed to let people be adjusted well.”

“Who knows? Remember that there are exemptions for that.” Diane did not want to think or even talk about that. Instead she asked Vivian if she had also received a parcel from WIC.

“Ah, I received one a month or so ago,” Vivian said as her tone became a little up beat. “I did not know that virtual reality had become so powerful that I really thought that I was really in a different world entirely.”

“True,” Diane says as she shares the sentiment. “What is your Virtual ID? Maybe we could meet over there and play together.”

Vivian happily gave her ID. Afterwards they spent time catching up with each other. Due to Diane working in district A, it was almost impossible for them to even call each other because of the big difference in schedule between them. Taking advantage of the time to gossip about a few things they heard on the side about people they knew and some insider secrets in their field.

When Diane finally arrived home, she then took a bath and did not bother with dinner as she and Vivian ate together as the time had gotten so late. Though she laments spending money because of the suddenness of their meetup, she altogether thinks once in a while something like this cannot hurt.

Going to her bedroom, she picked up the virtual device and connected to it. As promised to Vivian, she would be adding her to her friend list as soon as possible. Feeling a little vertigo, she fell asleep as her consciousness went to the virtual world.

The virtual world that the WIC made was similar to the world they knew. It is only that it is less technologically advanced and things are a little inconvenient, especially with how things are often manually done. Though it is not a problem for Diane as she likes to be hands-on most of the time.

As intended, she called out the panel to add Vivian as her friend. She searched for her ID then sent the request. Afterwards, she enjoyed her time playing around in the virtual world.

Diane’s way of fun was dull to most people. More than anything else, she liked to be hands-on, which was a contrary trait for someone like her who was expected to be more of a brain person. The existing social strata that her society has made sure that she does not have a choice of who she will be in the future.

She always calls herself a fake elite for climbing so high above where she desires herself to be. If her life does not only depend on herself, she might have the chance. But she does not live only for herself, thus she throws caution to the wind and is someone she does not want.

Therefore, in the world made by the technology of man, she set herself free and tried all sorts of jobs in this false world that required manual labor and strength she was born with, something the real her cannot do at all.

She did handicrafts, carpentry, masonry and other heavy work for the last few days she was there. Today she aims to be a mercenary who does all actions. This was one of the few professions she and most people of her generation were not familiar with.

There are no such things called mercenaries, soldiers or even guards in the world they are living in. At least in the city she is in.

Everything that involves these high-risk jobs is basically non-existing as robots and the A.Is are in charge of these. Law enforcement was in fact also heavily reliant on the non-feeling creations of man. Other than the some things that robots and artificial intelligence cannot do, humans have no need to do anything that could endanger themselves.

Experiencing the adrenaline of hot-bloodied combat in the scenarios made possible by the virtual world, Diane knew that this is what her life was missing all this time. If this type of high-energy life was possible in their world, perhaps Diane would choose this as her life. Although dangerous, it makes her feel alive and unprecedentedly at peace.

If only… she really got the chance.

But Diane knew and had always known after that incident in her younger years that she had long lost the right to choose. To fulfill her part of the deal and to not be ostracized by the rigid and systematic life they all had, Diane had to let go of her dreams.

Spending a few more hours, Diane left the virtual world and called it a night.

Unknown to her, as she was in her dreamland, her A.I issued a few blinks before it died down. Her TV turned on and a series of words were written there.

[Name: Diane Grace]

[ID serial number:....]

[…..]

[ Physical Fitness: passed]

[Adaptability: Passed]

[Mental Fortitude: Passed]

[…..]

[...stimulation acceptance: Passed]

[....]

[Final Assessment: Passed all tests]

[....]

Next Assignment: Into the Test Site]

After those words appeared, the TV then turned off and the whole room regained its peace.

When the morning came, Diane felt like everything was off somehow. There is nothing that stands out in her home at the moment. But she did not know what was wrong in her own home.

Her phone suddenly sounded, which made Diane stop digging through her collection for a movie to watch. She took her phone from the table in front of her and saw that it was an invitation from WIC. As a new user of their newest product, she and other lucky people were invited to a program made by their company.

The email was actually long, but she skipped to the end to read what the prize of the game was. Looking back, she should have read it all to know how suspicious this program was. But when she thought of it, everything was already too late.

Reading the rewards section when she found it, Diane felt strangely attracted to it. Even though it should not even take her eyes on normal days.

But maybe it was because she was unemployed and felt that her life was too unstable without a steady flow of income. The reward of fortune was so immensely fragrant to her that she did not hesitate to reply to her participation. A mistake she would always lament for days to come.

Because anyone in her situation will inevitably be tempted as she is. Unemployment is a real sinking quicksand that if you do not pay attention or enough effort to get out of it, you'll stay there and be a real prey of the more undesirable side of society. Knowing and seeing the reality of this, Diane listened to the devil's whispers and voluntarily threw herself into the literal deep hole with no known way to get out.

The efficacy of the other side was so strong that a reply was given to her in just a few hours. In the follow-up email, an electronic ticket was attached along with some instructions about what she should prepare with. Which was not excessive in Diane’s cognition, it was more in line with her usual routine except she had to add more exercise for some reason.

She then remembered Vivian. The red-haired also has the same gadget as her. Curious if she also received the same invitation as her, Diane messaged her to ask her.

Vivian replied to her that she had not received any invitation of sorts from the WIC in return, asking her why she asked. Diane had no qualms and replied to her that she had received an invitation that morning. Much to the other side’s envy, Diane did not care as much. After all, Vivian once did something like this when they were in college, so what comes around will really go around.

“So what was it all about? The invitation was?” Vivian said as she switched to a holographic video call, causing Diane to place her phone on the table for the hologram to be properly displayed.

“There is nothing much in the email that says about it.” Diane went through a quick skim and saw there was indeed no indication about whatever the project was. “It might be some confidential thing or something. If I guess it right, this might have something to do with the government given that I received the invitation just after I used the gadget the WIC gave away.”

“Regardless, you are lucky.” The holographic image of Vivian really shows her envy. “Whether it is an invitation because of WIC, the government or of both of them, it is a rare opportunity that everyone dreams of.”

“True.” Diane agreed at this point, but personally did not care about it much. Her dreams do not lie there, so other than thinking she is a little lucky or something, she really cannot produce feelings others may have towards her opportunity.

“I’m curious what it could be,” Vivian said. “Share some info about it when you get the chance.”

“I’ll try. But in exchange, please deflect our old classmates from harassing me when the time comes.” Diane readily replies, as she really does not want to deal with the nosy people she is unfortunately acquainted with.

“No problem.” Vivian has a sly face as a huge secretive smile forms. “As long as you hold to the end of the deal I have no objection to being cornered by those guys. By the way, is there anything you might need me to do with you before you go? You know, favors and stuff.”

“Speaking of which, can you supply me with those nutrient solutions or pills? I’m not asking much of them, just a handful that could last a month or so.” Diane blurted out, having this nagging feeling about preparing something like that before she goes to the designated area. It feels ominous that she can’t help speaking out and act appropriately as her current self can.

“Why do you need them?” Vivian unnaturally looked at Diane. “There is no emergency that requires you to hide some of those.”

“I want some with me. Remember I said that I lost my job? I want to cut down on my expenses as much as I can. The nutrients came out of my mind as a perfect solution for my plight, so I’m trying my luck if you could provide me with those. You know how rare they are on the shelf when they are not in demand. In fact, I have inquired about a few pharmacies, but there is no inventory of them so far. ” Diane partially lied. It’s true that she wanted to save some money and she did inquire about them a while back, but the purpose of them to her now is for something else entirely.

Knowing that there might be so few people who have instincts like her, Diane is not too idiotic to expose more than she already had as she was growing up. Vivian, whom she is having a conversation with, is not someone Diane herself wants to share in such talks. Vivian is too risky to be confined to secrets and everything.

As if understanding her, Vivian perked up with Diane’s words. “Right, it will take you a while before you can find a new job. Don’t worry about that, I could provide some for you. Although the production of them is practically small, those that could last a year or so in a container are still available. The price of them is quite cheap at the moment, so you don’t need to pay me for it. Give me a day or two, I’ll be dropping them by later.”

“Thank you Vivian.”

“Don’t sweat it. See ya later!”

The holographic image of Vivian then disappears from the view and Diane no longer has the mood to continue watching a movie. Restlessness is strumming inside her and she wants to move around to flush them out of her system. It was a nostalgic feeling for her. The last time she felt this way was years ago. That time when she and her siblings were orphaned by that freak accident.

She did not have much memory about it. The doctor said that she was so traumatized that she pushed the memory of the incident deep within her mind. And considering that, out of the three siblings, only she is deemed relatively functional for normal life. That spoke volumes of how bad things were back then.

Perhaps due to the nostalgia she is feeling, Diane decides to drop by at the asylum to check on her siblings before she leaves for the invitation. It had been more than five years since she had seen them after that incident.

She really did not think much of them due to how busy she was after she graduated, nor did she have time to see them. But she did single-handedly pay for their expenses since she was eligible to earn her dues. Half of her salary goes to them, in fact, to pay off the years of them not paying and to make sure that even if she is helpless and penniless, her siblings are safe and well-cared off. As the eldest, this is her responsibility and duty.

Other than being responsible for them, Diane lived for them. As long as her siblings are fine, she will continue to struggle in the suffocating society they live in. And for them, she is willing to do anything for them.

But even if Diane has planned for it and is ready to act immediately, she has to go through a very rigid process just to see them. So she asked her A.I to book her an appointment as well as give her a visitation form. Diseases and illnesses were almost non-existent in their technologically advanced society. Mental illness is treated with state-level security for some reason. So to visit them requires quite a long list of requirements and paperwork, but nothing a few days of processing will grant her.

Seeing them will make her feel like she did the right thing.

Disconnected as they might, they cared about each other in the strangest of ways.