Limitless Seas, Epilogue

We've reached the end of book 1! There's still a lot for me to do, editing, story tweaks, and the like will take some time. I expect the book to be released before the end of the year, barring any unexpected delays. What am I working on next? Well, this week I'll take a couple of days for a breather (and to play the new WOW expansion) before I jump back in with Derelict book 3. I also have the Cat Core book that I like to tinker with in between my main series. Whatever I decide to start on, I'll have it posted here for you to peruse. Thank you all for your support.

Epilogue.

“Trey, can you and Lou join us in the meeting for a bit,” Chairman Raines asked over his comm.

“Not a problem, we’ll be right there,” Trey replied. It took him a moment to find Lou, who was neck-deep in analyzing the latest data from the AI. He waved Lou over and they walked up the hallway into the chairman’s office where a virtual conference was taking place with the gaming division.

“Trey, Lou, thanks for joining us. I wanted an update on the new program. I’ve heard from the gaming division and they were very pleased with you offering to help out with testing out some potential new game features,” Chairman Raines said. Trey pulled up the information on the new model of medpod as well as the patient that was testing it. Some of the data was bittersweet for him, his own father’s experience inside Limitless Lands had helped to shape this new process for patients with extreme brain injury and mental degradation.

“Yes, we have one patient currently being treated in the newest medpod model, Mr. Craig Larson, who was a retired business owner and Navy veteran. He was the victim of a tragic accident at a shipyard that left him with extensive brain damage. His condition was critical, but after initial treatment is considered guarded and he continues to respond well to the treatment protocol,” Trey advised.

“I understand this treatment protocol includes a complete immersion into the game world?” Raines asked. It had been a tough call for them, nobody on the team liked having the patient believe he had died and had been reborn in a new world. Their experience with his father and other patients with brain damage or disease led the AI to suggest this method as a means to prevent cognitive overload when they suddenly remembered emotional moments in their life, preventing the very real risk of permanent memory loss.

“Following Doctor Greenway and the AI’s advice, the patient is completely separated from his previous life, some benign experiences that would be useful to him in-game were transferred over, including his knowledge of business and his naval experience, but by and large he thinks he has been reborn into a new life. When his treatment is complete, we will reveal to him that he is actually inside the game world, but until the damage to his mind is repaired, we need to keep him in the dark about where he is,” Trey said.

“What does his playing the game have to do with helping him? I know our other patients agreed to play inside Limitless Lands, most of them wanted to keep themselves entertained. Mr. Larson thinks he is living this for real and as we know, the game can be brutal,” Raines asked.

“As with our other mentally impaired patients, Mr. Larson’s mind is being supported in part by the AI. A substantial portion of his frontal lobe was destroyed in the accident and the AI, Clio, is having some success remapping the information she receives from him being in the game onto other undamaged parts of his brain. Without this treatment, the patient would lose the ability to speak as well as most motor functions when he recovers,” Trey explained.

“Since we’re trying to make this a realistic experience for him, what happens when his character dies for the first time? It’s going to happen sometime, I don’t think we’ve had anyone make it past level ten without dying at least once,” Raines asked.

“Clio reports that she has several contingencies worked out for when this inevitably happens, and many of them will give us the opportunity to test some new game features. Lou can give you more information than I can as far as the new feature testing is going,” Trey said.

“Okay, Lou, I’m satisfied we’re taking proper care of Mr. Larson, what has he been unknowingly helping us to test?” Raines asked.

“Ohh, really cool stuff, sir. We have an entirely new zone called the Free Isles that will feature more seafaring possibilities as well as underwater environments for the various racial types we plan to implement. Mr. Larson, or I suppose he’s Captain Larson in the game, is now a privateer and has engaged in shipboard, undersea, and land-based interactions with the new zone and the NPC’s living in it,” Lou advised.

“What about other playtesters? Won’t he encounter them and inadvertently learn he is in a game?” One of the managers from finance asked, Trey had almost forgotten there nearly a dozen other folks on the call.

“So far there aren’t any other players in the world. The AI wanted to use his interaction to help build the rest of the content before we flood the place with testers. She likes to let the world cook a bit and see how the NPC’s develop, she has them pretty much autonomous now, they function separate from any scripts and are much more realistic,” Lou said.

“So how long is he going to be sailing around on his very own private server? We need to go to market with the expansion at some point,” Raines said.

“Oh, not too long, the AI has just about finished building out the NPC dynamics and the various world features. We did receive a request from a family member of Mr. Larson’s who wants to join him, or at least observe him, in-game. The AI believes she can work to make that happen without any risk of memory loss, something about making the new character total different from anything that Captain Larson would remember from his old life,” Lou advised.

Trey had been a bit surprised then the request from a Sally Burman had shown up in his to-do box. Apparently, she was the only surviving blood relative of Mr. Larson and they were estranged for many years. Their lack of interaction over the last several decades as well as new character features that Clio was implementing made it possible that having her in-game shouldn’t be a risk to Mr. Larson. His daughter had met the woman while volunteering at the hospital and pushed Trey to let her play when he happened to mention it over dinner.

“Anything else that we plan to implement using Mr. Larson as our personal alpha tester?” Raines asked.

“Oh yes, we’re going to see about mixing some more advanced technology into the world and Clio has set some things in motion that should have Captain Larson experimenting with the new features before too long,” Lou replied.

“Good work people, keep me up to date on how the new features and zone are shaping up,” Chairman Raines said as they concluded the meeting. Trey had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing how the AI was going to tie all the new features together and more importantly, how Mr. Larson would react to them.

***

Sally looked down at the gaming rig, a little intimidated by the whole thing. She had been prepared to check out and head home but had received a message a couple of days ago informing her that Qualitranos had no only approved her request to interact with her brother in the game, but they were also going to provide her with a top of the line rig to enhance the experience. The hotel staff hadn’t been all that happy with her setting up the game pod in her room, but after hearing why, the manager moved her to a slightly bigger, and more expensive, room.

Now that all the barriers had been removed that prevented her from seeing Craig in the game, she was having second thoughts. Curiosity overcame her anger at her brother, and Sally closed the pod around her and entered the virtual world. The startup video completed, and she found herself once more inside the little emporium with the tiny man behind the counter.

“Oh, you have arrived, Clio has been waiting for you,” the dapper man told her, holding back the curtain that led to the small room at the back of the shop. Just like before, the old woman was seated in a chair, having tea and biscuits.

“Ah, Sally, so good to see you again, take a seat. Did you decide whether you wanted to enter the game server your brother is on?” Clio asked. The old woman was so realistic, it was hard to believe she was just an AI.

“I believe I will, you mentioned there might be some kind of restrictions?” Sally asked. The AI had been guarded in their last conversation and implied there might be restrictions with her due to Craig’s treatment.

“A few, I have been granted release to give you information on your brother’s physical condition. He is improving and his condition has gone from critical to guarded. One of the reasons we were so reluctant to allow you any interaction with your brother was due to a quirk in the memory repair method we use. When damage is repaired and a patient recalls a particularly emotional memory, it can cause a backlash effect that blocks some memories from every being reconstructed. To combat that, we’ve severely limited what your brother remembers,” Clio said.

“So, if I see him in-game, he won’t remember me?” Sally asked.

“Correct, but there is the danger that someone well known to the patient can trigger early memory recall just by familiar mannerisms and speech patterns,” Clio replied.

“Well, what do we do to prevent that from happening?” Sally asked, worried this conversation was going to be a long and roundabout way to tell her she wasn’t going to see Craig.

“I can actively suppress some things, but I believe I have a compromise that might help both of us. Your brother has chosen a rather unusual race for his avatar in-game, let me show you,” Clio said. She brought up a screen showing some strange snake creature battling some pirate looking people.

“That’s my brother? Which one, the snake guy or the pirate?” Sally asked.

“The ‘snake guy’ is your brother, it is a race called a naga, and he seems to have taken well to it,” Clio said.

“I bet, it must be easy for him since he could be such a snake here in the real world,” Sally snapped back.

“Oh, I take it you didn’t have the best of relationships?” Clio asked.

“That would be putting it mildly, we haven’t talked in a long time,” Sally replied.

“How long?” Clio asked.

“None of your business ago, that’s how long,” Sally said angrily. She didn’t need to be lectured by a computer game.

“I’m not trying to offend you, it’s just that your relationship can have an impact on our options in-game. I don’t mean to pry into your personal business, but I have an obligation to do what is best for the patient under my care,” Clio said apologetically. Sally took a moment to cool down, if airing their dirty family laundry could help with Craig’s treatment, she was willing to share.

“Fine, we had a big family disagreement decades ago and I haven’t talked to my brother since then. I may hate him for what he did to me and my husband, but he’s the last family member I have, and I would like to see him at least once more, well, you know. Of course, when I see him in-game I don’t know if I’ll hug him or strangle him. Just tell me I don’t have to play some snake lady,” Sally said.

“No, you don’t have to play a snake lady and now you have me curious how your first interaction with your brother will turn out. I will require that you select a character avatar that is something decidedly non-humanoid to prevent any inadvertent memory triggers, which, along with your lack of recent contact, should make your interaction safe for his treatment,” Clio replied.

“Fine, what do I have to turn into and when do I get to see my brother?” Sally asked. She didn’t really care what form she took in-game but was kind of creeped out by snakes and spiders.

“I’ll have you in-game soon enough, though there will be a tutorial to get you familiar with how things work in the Limitless Lands. As far as what race you will play, tell me, Sally, how would you like to become a dragon?”