Ghosts of ARCADIA: A sci-fi mystery by Ramsey Isler

Author:Ramsey Isler [Isler, Ramsey]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2013-11-22T05:00:00+00:00

The Revelation

I fell for a long time.

I’m not sure exactly how long it took, but it was tortuously long. I hurtled into nothingness, wondering what would meet me at the bottom of this abyss. Would it be a pile of sharp rocks? Giant shards of glass? A saw-toothed creature ready to devour me? The possibilities were endless. The fear was incredible.

But ARCADIA had no grisly end in store for me. The sensation of falling gradually ceased. My sense of balance was restored; it felt like I was upright again. My feet touched virtual solid ground. The blackness of the pit I’d fallen into was replaced with green and red lights. I was back on the platform in front of the tiles. They were floating back into place, and it looked like Sandy was getting ready to give it another go. Sage looked miserable. Looking at his face just deepened my own displeasure with this place, and I decided I needed an immediate break.

“I’m going to log out for a bit,” I said. “I need to get some air. I might be back on later. If Sim is ready, I might send him out to play with you guys if you’re still on.”

“Cool,” Sandy said. Sage just nodded and gave me a halfhearted wave goodbye.

I logged out and took a few deep breaths before I grabbed my keys and headed outside. It was early evening on a Friday, and San Francisco’s weekend night scene was just coming alive. Happy people were out and about, going places to eat and drink, seeing various forms of entertainment, and in general enjoying all the city had to offer. This was real life. This was what ARCADIA could not replicate. At least, not yet.

I decided to go to one of my favorite bars down the street. I planned on getting a quick mojito and a chat with the friendly bartenders before heading back to my apartment. I got into the place, ordered my drink, and sat in my favorite corner spot at the bar. The bar had just installed new 3D holographic projectors and there was a basketball game on. The action was displayed in the air over the heads of the bartenders. It was a holographic field that was about ten feet long, six feet deep, and three feet high. It wasn’t the best resolution (the players were a little fuzzy) but the bar regulars loved it. I wondered for a moment what might have happened if ARCADIA could have been used to stream live games in full fidelity.

It was a close game and the second quarter was just starting. I decided to order a few bar snacks and settle in. I hadn’t had a chance to be in a group of partying people in a long time. I figured I should enjoy the old fashioned kind of group activity for once.

Hours passed. The game went into double overtime. The bar crowd loved it. When it was finally over I’d eaten about two dozen chicken wings and I had a nice buzz going.

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