Unidentified Funny Objects 2 by Robert Silverberg

Author:Robert Silverberg
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: UFO Publishing
Published: 2013-10-03T00:00:00+00:00

THE PROGRAMMERS WERE EAGER to let Dena experience the Totality system. Six of them fussed over her in the white-walled, gadget-filled showroom, getting her preferences on fantasies or favorite programs down on a roll-up screen monitor, accessing her social media to download her friends list, and fitting the surprisingly light headset to her face.

The gray patch was translucent, but it bothered Dena to have something so close to her eye.

“Stop fluttering your eyelids!” Caitako said. “You’ll forget all about it in a moment.”

“I can’t,” Dena protested, batting away the technicians’ hands until someone sat on her lap to stop her.

Then they turned it on.

“Oh, my everliving God!”

An endless plain of grass and wildflowers surrounded her. Birds flew, chirping musically. Huge, white, fluffy clouds rolled overhead. A gorgeous dark-skinned man, muscled like an ancient god, rode up beside her on a white horse. He plucked a bunch of grapes, glistening with dew, from a vine that suddenly sprang up from the ground and took one perfect, round purple globe from the bunch. He leaned over toward Dena with a knowing, wicked smile. She opened her mouth, waiting for the grape’s cool, wet shape to touch her tongue.

“It is baffling!” K’t’ank’s voice interrupted her. She felt his tail whipping against her internal organs. “It is not natural! Stop the illusions at once!”

Dena blinked. Through the hazy image of the divine man and his horse, she saw the Totality employees and the lab.

“That is absolutely amazing,” she said. “I felt as if I was there. Wherever there was.”

“It’s the greatest system we have ever made,” Perugio said proudly. “We’ve sold over eight hundred million units.”

“I do not like it,” K’t’ank said.

Dena removed the light band from her head.

“I can see how it would overwhelm reality,” she said. “Is it possible there was a system malfunction that caused Mr. Smedley to see something that wasn’t there?”

“Never. You get used to it in a short time,” Dario Lopez said, polishing the eyepiece and putting the headset back into a pure white carton. “You’re always aware of what’s real and what isn’t. It’s why we made the background lens gray. It sticks out.”

“Well, check the system and get back to me,” Dena said. “I am finding no reason why Mr. Smedley would have jumped off a building, not when he had a set of mint 1977 Star Wars figurines to come home to.”

“Will do, Detective,” Perugio promised. He leaned toward her. “Um, Dr. K’t’ank, can I, uh… do you have email in there?”

“Most certainly!” K’t’ank said. “I would be pleased to add you to my correspondents. I am very active in staying current with connections.”

“It keeps him quiet at night,” Dena pointed out dryly.

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