Perspective Engine One

3 - Team-Building

I walked down the soft blue corridor and ran my hand along the furry wall. It was plush, dense, and curly like poodle fur. Childish curiosity led me to lean in and sniff the wall. Was that a shampoo I smelled? A better question, what the hell was that curiosity?

Sure is a strange place.

I turned the round knob of the white door and found a small square room. The furry blue ceiling, walls, and floors continued into the room beyond the corridor. In the middle, were three men dressed in black suits sitting at tan computer workstations. None of them had shoes and socks on. I felt fear and anger growing as I appraised the strangers. How do I know I can trust anything or anyone in this…thing?

The one in the middle stood. He was tall and thin, clean-shaven and pale. He brushed a long strand of brown curly hair that fell in front of his eyeglasses. He was rather cute, I decided. Even if he was evil.

“Madison, I am Paul, Remedy Specialist,” he smiled as he extended his arms and bowed, “Welcome to The Upgrade Room.”

“Paul, huh,” I squinted at him doubtfully. His height seemed about right even though he seemed a little thinner. “You wouldn’t have happened to be one of those assholes that blasted me up with tranquilizer, would you Paul?”

Paul’s face darkened as he shook his head. “How do you expect them to trust us when you…you know what, never mind.” He sighed. “I’m sorry you endured that Madison. No, I was not one of those bastards or as you put it, assholes.”

Hmm. Now he was cute and kind. “Okay,” I said, accepting his answer. “Are you a fake A.I. person?”

“We’re as human as you,” Paul said, poking himself in the chest. I could see he liked to use his hands when he talked. He was cute, kind, and real. “Let me show you.” The suited man walked toward me from around his desk, his long skinny feet leaving weighted impressions on the fur floor. I found myself smiling as he casually approached. Then grew furious when he took a knee and handed me a damn lollipop.

“There you are, little girl,” he said, then stood and walked back to his desk. “We will ensure you have a better experience with Perspective moving forward.”

“I would have you know that I am a twenty-four-year-old woman!” I yelled, before covering my mouth. I had forgotten that today was my birthday. “I’m twenty-five today.”

“Oh? Well, happy birthday, Madison. The Prospective engine should have a birthday gift for you then. However, allow me to correct you, you are not twenty-five.” He leaned over his hidden computer screen with a finger pointing at the monitor. “In Perspective, you are nine, well, now a ten-year-old girl. So, you shall be treated as such.” And here I thought I liked this guy.

“Okay, whatever Paul.” With all the things he just said to me, I decided that I needed some answers. “What is The Upgrade Room? You said the system has a gift for me? And who are those two?”

“Whoa now,” Paul clapped his hands together and held them in place. “Let’s slow down, Madison. One thing at a time. We can get this out of the way first.” He flared his hand in circles toward the first of the other two. “Introduce yourselves, gentleman.”

“Hullo Madison, I’m Bill, Memory Specialist.” Bill was a graying, balding, barefoot man in a matching black suit with dandruff on the shoulders. He sat to the left of Paul. Bill didn’t stand, but only waved from his chair, as his toes wiggled in the fur at his feet. Before I could reply the other man spoke.

“I’m Hal, Inventory Specialist.” Hal was a teenage boy with black hair that covered his eyes. Kids these days. How the hell can he see? Hal could have been a few years older than the Prospective engine had made me. Hal held his hand like a gun at me with something on his finger—

“What the heck!” I said, dodging as a rubberband flew by my head.

“Good reflexes pipsqueak,” Hal smiled. I gritted my teeth at the slur. He’s one to talk. I could literally crush him in the real world.

“Now Hal, what did we say about shooting at clients?” Paul said, with a condescending tone.

“Suck it, Paul,” Hal replied, this time aiming his finger gun at the Remedy Specialist. The rubberband flitted with a snap and popped Paul in the temple.

Paul shook his head with a sigh before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose

“So you’re saying I’m able to get a few things to protect myself from those creatures.”

“Right, unfortunately, you are of the Beginner Class, which means you only have a base remedy, that birthday gift item, and a single memory from your life.”

I considered the three things that he mentioned. I’d have to ask him about each of them because all this stuff felt so foreign to me. “What’s a base remedy?”

“The base remedy is from the Physma you encountered in that ‘Welcome Room’. When you defeat Physma, you internalize the ‘remedy’ of the affliction which becomes an offensive, defensive, or utility power.”

I considered the idea of defeating something. I hadn’t defeated anything in my life except a warm box of extra cheese pizza. “What’s about the memories?” I asked.

“A memory,” Bill said, crossing his legs under his desk and then wiggling his toes as he spoke, “can be just the thing you need to handle what Perspective throws at you. Memories can be manipulated to change your perspective of situations. It’s why I strive to remember everything in my life. Even though I regret not asking Louise to marry me… I still remember the good times we shared. Even though I regret—”

“Here we go,” Hal said with a sigh. The teen looked ready to aim a rubber band at the old man.

“Oh hush up boy, you wait until you have regrets that keep you awake at all hours of the night,”

Bill said, before glancing at me and then Paul. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

“We all have a lot of regrets, am I right?” I smiled uncomfortably. “It’s okay to share.” The older man rested his chin on his palm and looked past me speculatively. These guys felt…real.

“Did you give her the memory from Perspective yet, Bill?” Paul asked. He looked at me. “Perspective will provide the memory, you only need to hope that it’s a good one.”

“Oh that’s right,” The balding man said, scratching the stubble on his chin. “Sending it now.”

“Paul, you didn’t turn on the interface yet,” Hal said, his fingers clicking away at his screen.

“I didn’t? Crap.” Paul said, leaning back over his computer. His hands glided frantically over the keys. I looked between the three men, as they all seemed to work hard on my behalf. What is this place?

Above there was a loud beep. “Upgrade Room staff,” a woman said over the speaker, a different voice from Dr. Lee, “please release the clients to the first phase.”

“I already sent over her birthday gift from Perspective, so she’s good on my end,” Hal said, “Piece of crap item if you ask me.”

“No item is a piece of crap,” Bill said, “and the memory is also uploaded.”

Paul tapped several keys and then lifted his finger theatrically to tap a final button. I nearly jumped out of my skin as a glowing panel appeared in front of me:

[ Beginner Class ]

[ Remedies: 1 ]

[ Inventory: 1 ]

[ Memories: 1 ]

[ Missions : 0 ]

“Okay, you should see your Beginner Class interface. It’s bound to change as you grow, choosing new classes and all, but for now, this is what you get.” It tracked my eyes it seemed, as I looked up and down it still appeared in sight. Even when I closed my eyes, there it was, glowing like an alarm clock in the night.

“How do I get rid of it? It’s literally blocking my vision.”

“You can make it smaller, just reach for it and use your fingers to adjust it like a touch screen phone.”

I reached out my hand over the red and blue information bubbles, then pinched my fingers to shrink it as small as possible, then placed it on the left in my vision.

“That will take some getting used to,” I said.

“Eventually you’ll barely know it’s there,” Bill said.

“Well, just command it to give you what you want when you want it.” Paul said.“Ask it to show you your Remedy.”

Open Remedy? I saw a new box pop into my vision and there was a feeling that I could press this button with my mind to activate it.

[ Cure for Xenophobia ]

“How's the cure for xenophobia?”

The old man and the young man looked at the Remedy Specialist quizzically as Paul’s grimacing face betrayed his thoughts. My heart dropped at the sight.

“Yeah, she’s brain dead,” Hal said. “Send us to experiment sixteen, Perspective,”

“Wait, is this not good?” I said, eyes darting with worry. “Why is this not good?”

“Utility remedies are, well, a mixed bag,” Paul said. “That specific one does just about nothing for combat. It just allows you to feel comfortable with the unknown.”

“Damn,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “And the memory?”

“Don’t open it!” Bill shouted, nearly jumping out of his seat. Everyone looked at him as brushed his black blazer, settling himself down. “Sorry for getting loud. Only use the memory if you feel hopeless. They won't come back.”

“Okay,” I said with an uncomfortable nod.

Paul adjusted his glasses. “You want to avoid all Physmas in this phase until you come back. The good news is you won’t be alone, other clients should be able to protect you. Hopefully, Perspective will be kind and it will give you better remedies and accessories during the next phase. Now let’s see that item.”

Hal chuckled to himself.

Hmm, open inventory? I thought

A long list of empty spaces appeared in front of me. My eyes widened at the sole item in my inventory. I tapped the air and a twelve-pack of AriZona Iced Tea appeared in my arms.

“That was your birthday gift?” Paul said, turning to Hal.

“Told you, man,” Hal said, “crap.”

“I…well, I agree with Hal,” Bill said, his voice concerned, “what is Perspective thinking?”

While they all seemed perplexed and bothered by my gift. I was shameless.

“Wow, thanks Perspective!” I said, leaning to the side to pull a bottle of iced tea from the tight plastic wrap. Once I retrieved it, I lifted the remaining eleven bottles still held together by the plastic casing. Place in inventory? I thought. The eleven bottles disappeared. “Easy enough,” I said, twisting the plastic top but struggling to open the bottle. “I have these small child hands, so infuriating.” I put the top between my molars and bit down with a twist until it satisfyingly snapped open, a little of the sweet liquid spilling on my scrubs. I knocked half the bottle back immediately. “That hits the spot,” I said.

As I savored the sweetness of my favorite beverage, I considered if this strange experiment may have been a decent place to spend my twenty-fifth birthday. To hell with the idea that I’m a ten-year-old, I am a grown woman! With lived experiences!

I looked up and realized the three men were staring at me.

“Damn she’s really into that tea,” Hal said, as the three of them burst into laughter.

“What?” I said. “I love sweet tea!” They continued laughing as I grew embarrassed. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to have it ever again after being dragged into this thing…”

“Okay okay, well sorry to interrupt tea time Madison, but you have to start the phase.” Paul said.

“Wait wait, what about the last prompt, it says missions?”

“Ah, completely forgot about that. Perspective will assign missions based on how things are going during the phases. They’re mostly optional, but if you receive these, that means Perspective is paying attention to your progress. If you complete these, Perspective will give you bonuses such as items, remedies, and classes. ”

“How could you forget that?” I asked, bewildered, “that sounds like a great addition to the simulation.”

“We often try to forget just how manip — no — how suggestive, Perspective can be. Now, back through the door, you came.” He raised his hand, palm side up, to usher me towards the door from where he stood.

“Wait, why do I feel defenseless?” I said. “They said Perspective was very dangerous.”

“Because you technically are,” Paul said. “At least you have your tea. Savor the enjoyable moments because this experiment is intense. Find some friends when you get in there. Let them know you’re not ready to fight yet, but perhaps you can help in other ways.” Paul said.

“You got it, Paul,” I said, holding my bottle up in celebratory cheers.

“Remember to remember,” Bill said, with a rueful smile.

“Good luck kid — don’t snap just yet,” Hal said. The teen stood from his desk and saluted. There were rubber bands all down his wrist. I waved at the three, realizing it was the first positive experience I’d had in this place. I turned to the white door and opened it. Sunlight poured into the room. Warmth from the blazing sun above embraced me like an old friend, the cold sterile room I’d woke up in a distant memory.

“This Perspective thing is pretty interesting,” I said.

“It is,” Paul said from behind his desk, loud enough for me to hear. “See you again kiddo,” I walked out. As the door shut behind me, I heard Hal say:

“Perspective really hates some people huh?”

Before I could even consider his comment, my eyes sparkled as I took in the scene in front of me. Ahead, a busy construction yard bustled with life. I had to cover my nose and mouth with the dense cloud of dust in the air. A tiny orange excavator dug into a mound of dirt, while a cement mixer parked in the distance perpetually spun.

If I hadn’t known I was in VR because I was a damned pre-teen, I would have thought I escaped the artificial psych ward. My eyes immediately shifted to the sound of a loud jackhammer. A faceless man with the power tool drilled into a concrete floor with ear-splitting strikes. No face…Must be artificially generated content. I took my attention off the site to see there were dozens of children standing on the outskirts, wearing familiar scrubs with socks.

These were the other suckers who got roped into this weird thing. Someone is going to lose a toe at this rate. The few faces of the clients I could see seemed bewildered and afraid. The sounds of the construction yard stopped as if they never were. A woman’s voice broke the silence, her voice loud and filled with cheer. As she spoke the words dropped in front of me like a Star Wars movie.

“Welcome to the first phase of Perspective’s fifteenth experiment! My name is Elanor, manager of the treatment team, I am thrilled to lead this experiment. I know you, the clients, have been dying to meet one another. Apparently, Perspective thought this year’s team-building activity should be…you guessed it! A building activity! Clients, you will need to make three friends who will accompany you through the next two phases of the experiment. I imagine some of you will click. I imagine some of you will ick. But whatever it is, you better make it quick. Perspective has chosen to be cruel on day one. You will need to survive two full days in this phase, and I can promise you, you will not be able to do it alone. There will be a temporary timer in your interface. You won’t need to sleep a wink, so you better get to work! Here are some barriers: One of your Big-Three Physma will return to your body during this phase just to slow you down. We hope that Physma doesn’t make it harder to make friends. If it does, you need to figure it out! Perspective says you’ll have to think like Noah in this phase. Build fast and build well or you will certainly drown. Last, but certainly not least, everyone get ready to face your first Physma in battle!”

‘Your Big-Three Physma will return to your body’? What does that even mean? As soon as Elanor finished speaking, the bright sunny day grew obscured as massive gray clouds rolled in fast, darkening the sky. The machinery stopped operating and the faceless workers disappeared. Then, new clothes popped onto me in the blink of an eye. I recoiled at the sudden shock of the instant change. I had a hard hat and goggles on my head, with a ventilated mask covering my mouth and nose. My scrubs were exchanged for a bright orange vest, thick tan overalls, and black steel-toe boots. I felt ridiculous. A large blue circle spinner appeared above my head. My Big-Three afflictions were split evenly into three spaces like a pie chart.

Social Isolation, Morbid Obesity, and good ol’ Bipolar Disorder.

I glanced around the construction yard to see that all the other children or rather, clients, also suffered the same fate. A red needle popped on the wheel and began spinning fast and faster. My heart thumped as my eyes followed the tiny red needle, which slowed until it finally stopped on a slice of the pie.

“Damn it,” I said, as one-hundred extra pounds engulfed my ten-year-old body.

[ Beginner Class + Morbid Obesity ]

[ Team: 0 of 3]

[ Remedies: 1 ]

[ Inventory: 1 ]

[ Memories: 1 ]

[ Missions : 0 ]

[ Time until Phase One completion: 47:59 ]