“But it’s virtual reality.” Helen pretended to frown. She understood what was going to happen but it didn’t hurt to hear the doctor’s version of the truth.
“The simulated reality is virtual but your trainer is real. You already know that. He has to be, or you won’t be able to get real instructions when you’re in your remote viewing state.”
“Oh, I know I don’t seehim—it’ll be my blond god but still, do I have to call him something?”
“Miss Roston, we’ll get to that as soon as we start this program. Right now we don’t even know whether you two are in sync.”
Helen grinned. “Doctor, I’m in control of this hottie in my head. How in sync do I need him to be?” Flyboy chuckled as the doctor tried to remain serious. She turned to Derek. “You make sure he’s still naked. I want to see the goods before I agree to have you guys mess my mind up with drugs.”
The reference to the more serious aspect of the experiment brought a quick nervous nod from the young programmer. Helen gave him a soothing smile. Ironic, really. She was the one who might go psychotic and she had to comfort the poor guy. She looked at the goggles in her hand. This was it, the final phase before…
She could feel her heart beating faster and she glanced up to see the doctor looking at her closely. Like she was some mouse in his lab, she bet. Oh well. She had agreed to this. She took in a deep breath. Fear, especially of the unknown, was normal.
A beep distracted her. Flyboy reached for his back pocket. He gave a sigh. “Damn. I have to go, babe.” He stood up. “Call you later? Drinks? Massage?”
Helen wrinkled her nose. “I have to go to philosophy class. Want to come along?”
Flyboy shuddered. “You’re kidding me.”
Her smile was devilish. “Come along and find out,” she invited.
Flyboy shuddered again. “You win, Hell.” The beeper went off a second time. “Got to go. Later.”
Helen nodded to Dr. Kirkland and held out her arm. She remained quiet as he read her statistics to his assistant. The goggles sat in her lap, their gleaming surface reflecting parts of her face. Such a little thing with such power. She had done VR before but this was going to be different. This time, unlike the CAVE, someone was going to be in her head. Remote viewing was weird enough. This was going to be one step more into her strange new role of supergirl.
Fifteen minutes later, she was strapped into the sensor jacket, sitting on the VR chair. Derek looked at her expectantly. Dr. Kirkland adjusted the headgear.
“Ready when you are, Miss Roston.”
Helen nodded. “Ditto.”
She knew what to expect. At first it would be dark, like a movie theatre. Without the sensor jacket, she could see a whole movie on a huge screen all in her head. Then, when they turned on the switch or whatever they called it, she would experience virtual reality in a training facility, all her movements guided by the sensors. It wouldn’t be the same without the CAVE’s special sen-surround elements, though.
She’d been thinking a lot about this. The training in the CAVE was for him to test how her mind worked. That was why he kept pushing her buttons. That was why he was always in control. This time, in the Portal, it would be different; she would be controlling the missions with her remote viewing. It seemed that her secret trainer was preparing himself to deal withher.
One more difference than the CAVE. He’d be closer now, too. He’d be in my mind.Anticipation squeezed the pit of her stomach.
She glanced around in the darkness. A few seconds went by. “I don’t see anything,” she said out loud.
“Hang on one more minute, Miss Roston,” Derek said in her right earpiece. “Still trying to get the signals right.”
Helen rolled her eyes behind the goggles. Idiots. They were going to fry her brain cells before she got to see her yummy dream guy.
Fried brain cells for a naked man in your head. Who’s the idiot?
Helen jerked in her straps. Whoa. It was still dark, but that was definitely not her voice. There was no shadowy figure, though. She coughed. “I think I hear something,” she said out loud. “Derek?”
“Okay. That’s good. Keep trying.”
“Keep trying? Keep trying what? You’re the one who’s supposed to know what’s happening!”
Silence. Helen waited for a moment, then sighed. Obviously the doctor had told Derek to shut up. She peered into the darkness. Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Should she say hello out loud? Uh-uh. No way were they going to witness her making a fool of herself talking to nobody. She was going to think this conversation, see whether that worked. As in remote viewing with her guide during the CIA training sessions, she moved her lips and spoke silently. It usually took several minutes before the internal conversation became “normal” enough where she wouldn’t be aware of the need not to talk out loud.
“Yoohoo!”she called, in her head.“Yoohoo, naked guy, wherever you are!”
Silence.
Helen made a face.“Dammit, I know that you can hear me!”
