Tech-Nostrum by Derek Berg

Author:Derek Berg [Berg, Derek]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Booju Publishing
Published: 2017-10-19T23:00:00+00:00

16

The foyer of Dr. Torch’s mansion has been isolated from the rest of the home, a square entryway with closed doors on all four walls. Against one wall, near one of the doors, there is a virtual reality booth, a state-of-the-art machine. It, the VR booth, looks like a blue-and-glass telephone booth, clashing with the contemporary feel and theme of the manor.

Dr. Torch has recovered from robo-mania and embarrassment. He has refocused on his primary objective. And he has not been shamed into covering his bikini body.

“You are my guests,” he says, “and I want you to consider yourselves as such. And it is my pleasure to accommodate you and offer you the latest in virtual reality overlaying.”

Torch gestures to the booth, and the booth lights up.

“At my insistence, you will enjoy the ambiance you find most pleasant to you. The furnishings of the house will match the furnishings of your subconscious desires. My home will bring you maximum pleasure during your stay. It will embrace you. So, if you please, one at a time into the booth, it only takes a few seconds.”

“Okeydokey,” Mary Ellen says.

Bobby looks at her, alarmed.

“Okeydokey?” he asks.

“I’ve heard about individualized VR, and I want to try it.”

Mary Ellen takes a step toward the booth. Bobby stops her with a gentle touch.

“Hold on,” he says. “I’ll go first.”

Bobby opens the folding door of the booth and puts his head in. There’s nothing in the booth, no phone, no phone book, no bodily fluids. He removes his head.

“May we decline?” he asks Torch.

“The house is boring, Mr. May, cluttered and poorly decorated. I insist that all guests use the available technology.”

“Why a booth? The hotel didn’t have a booth.”

“The hotel’s VR is less precise. When we use the booth, the house has the ability to pinpoint our most detailed wants.”

Bobby puts his head back into the booth, and then he pulls it out again.

“I’m claustrophobic,” he says.

“What is your aversion to virtual reality, Mr. May?”

“I don’t understand it.”

“It accesses your mind. It sets the mood according to your needs. It presents the visual landscape you find most appealing.”

“That’s what it does, but how does it do it? Does it hijack my optical nerves? Does it flood my receptors with endorphins? I don’t buy that it can discover my fleeting tastes. I think it must be more like drugs. Instead of giving me what I want, it makes me want what it’s giving me. Am I right?”

“It’s technical.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“Who cares, it’s cool,” Mary Ellen says. “Get in, will ya?”

Bobby steps in and closes the folding door. There is a red light, then there is a green light, and then the door opens automatically. Bobby steps out.

“It looks the same,” he says.

“Reality is altered within all the areas of the house excluding the foyer,” Dr. Torch says.

“My turn,” Mary Ellen says.

Mary Ellen steps into the booth.

“You didn’t have to tell her everything,” Torch says to Bobby. “I thought we were in this together.”

“You thought wrong. OK?”

“OK.”

Mary Ellen steps out of the booth.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.