Prisoners of VR

Chapter 5: VRMMORPG: Worldcraft

8th June 2048; DOVA Headquarters, New Delhi!

10:00 AM!

On the busy Monday morning, the staff were overworked as usual. With the new laws regarding uVR Earth being launched by the Government one after another, they were busy accommodating all the necessary requests, and also…damage control.

Calls resounded one after another as the uVR Earth of everyone blinked nonstop. Even though the cubicles of every one were wide apart, the sounds of discussions filled the place.

But, the noise resounding from the Chief’s room trumped all.

“You…bludgeoning idiot! Did a rat eat all your two braincells? Are you that bored?” A middle-aged man with a bulky frame slammed the table, causing the pen holder on it to spill out its contents. He grabbed a bunch of papers and threw them on Rahu’s face, glaring at the latter.

Pointing at his receding hairline, he bellowed with a reddened face, full of embarrassment, “Look at this! I have a hair loss because of you. Seriously! One of these days, I’m going to die of blood pressure. Remember that you’re the primary reason!”

His uVR Earth blinked as a screen popped before him, signalling that he was currently in a state of hypertension, prompting him to cool down. The notification only served to further infuriate him.

Rahu Sastry didn’t say anything from start to finish, silently tanking the verbal abuse by his superior.

“Haah! What should I do with you?” The middle-aged man slumped on his recliner, exhausted, “I must have sold my country in the past to get a dumbass subordinate like you.”

“Worst of all, you’re a strategic resource valued by the country.”

He turned silent after that, closing his eyes as he took long breaths, spending more than ten minutes to calm down. The room was dead silent during that time.

Finally, he downed a glass of water, exhaled a sigh, and stared at Rahu, asking, “Did you really have to leak Saurav’s brain activity data to his mother?”

“You do understand how horrified a mother would be once she realises she was the one that pushed her child into hell?”

“I know,” Rahu closed his eyes, “…by experience.”

“Right…” The middle-aged man swallowed the statement he wished to convey, asking in defeat, “So, why did you do it?”

“I wish to prevent cases like Saurav in the future,” Rahu stated honestly.

“But your actions implicated Anubha Tiwari. By lodging a complaint against Pomegranate Corporation, she will face the Government’s wrath, and by extension, the world.” The middle-aged man felt a headache as he recalled the amount of paperwork he had to do the previous day as a result.

Rahu met with Anubha on Saturday when later in the day, she lodged a complaint. The police hadn’t filed an FIR yet and seemed to be dragging the case when a reporter sniffed it up. Once the news was broadcasted, the police had no other choice but to file the FIR.

In the end, the middle-aged man had to step in to protect Anubha Tiwari. Otherwise, who knows what would happen to her? But as a result, his weekend was ruined.

“I implicated her, yes. But, thanks to the news about her son’s death, people would become more aware of the negative consequences of using the uVR Earth.” Rahu said, “It’s a perfect gadget, yes. But it too needs to be used in moderation, just like the rest of our body.”

“And that…needs to be made common sense!”

“Your method is still wrong,” The middle-aged man frowned, “You pushed a civilian between the teeth of a titan.”

“Is there an alternative then? Had I not done this…” Rahu crouched forward as he applied pressure on the table, “Will it be okay when more students die, just like Saurav? The cases we saw last month alone number in the double digits. But as the deaths were from average students, the media exposure to the news of their demise was minimal.”

“As more people become equipped with the uVR Earth, such cases would only spike.”

“So what?” The middle-aged man stared Rahu, dead in the eyes, “No one can spot the spread of uVR Earth. Neither you nor me…”

“Not even our country.”

“uVR Earth is a 17 trillion US Dollar project. The entire world has invested in this. We are surfing on an unstoppable tsunami at present. The one that lets go of the reins would be left to drown in the wave of development.” He continued with a solemn tone, “So, anyone that opposes the idea is going against the entire world.”

“Not the entire world, just the elites.” Rahu retorted.

“And these elites practically run the economy.” The middle-aged man snorted. “You too are a part of that group.”

He then sighed and began to put the pens back in their holder, saying, “You’re smart enough to understand the trend. You’re way too deep in this shit to attempt swimming against the current.”

“I’m not against the spread of uVR Earth. It’s the next phase of our evolution. I understand,” Rahu shook his head, “I only wish to advocate its pros and cons and raise the awareness of the people towards it.”

“Well, as long as you understand that, I can save a few more of my hair strands.” The middle-aged man ruffled the drawer nearby and took out a memory card, placing it on the table, “You breached the confidentiality clause by handing this to Anubha Tiwari. I had to go through a lot of trouble to retrieve this.”

“I know you wish to help the people. But, don’t do so by violating the clauses that protect us. Even our government won’t be able to save your neck by then.” The middle-aged man said in worry, “There are only 42 DOVA Agents in our country. So, plenty of intelligence agents would be watching your every move,”

“Especially since you’re #6 among us.”

“I’ll be more careful in the future.” Rahu bowed in apology and turned around, intending to leave, “I’ll resume work now.”

“Wait,” Saying so, the middle-aged man took out a file and presented it to Rahu, “Look into this.”

“What’s it about?” Rahu flipped through the file and was stunned, enough to drop it on the table, “Is this true?”

“Why would I show it to you otherwise?” The middle-aged man expressed his annoyance.

A couple of seconds later, Rahu sighed, “I was expecting Pomegranate Corporation to launch it sooner or later. It is high time they did this.”

He nodded in understanding, “So, that’s why they’re heavily suppressing all negative news regarding uVR Earth.”

“Yeah,” The middle-aged man nodded, “Once the VRMMORPG, Worldcraft is released next month, the attention of the entire world would be shifted to it. The entire game is free real estate for fame and fortune to anyone that loves decent gameplay.”

“Is that why they are handing out uVR Earths at subsidised rates?” Rahu said in alarm, “It currently costs 40 lakh Rupees. That’s not a sum of money a middle-class household can afford unless they were to invest all their savings into it.”

“And once Worldcraft is released, the price of uVR Earths might spike to even twice the rate. The production simply wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demand.” He continued, “Even when subsided, it would cost more than what it does now.”

“Yes, that’s why all banks would be rolling out loans with cheap interest rates towards it.” The middle-aged man nodded, “The economy would shift to Worldcraft. So, it creates a decent possibility to repay the loan within a year or two.”

“Only if you are successful in Worldcraft,” Rahu sighed, “Otherwise, you’ll be repaying it for a couple of decades at the very least. Moreover, whether to farm money or simply grind for rewards, if one spends too long in the game without ample rest in reality, their brain would deteriorate over time, just like Saurav Tiwari.”

“Which is why, once Worldcraft launches, I want you to represent us and play the game.” The middle-aged man said, revealing a wry smile, “Continue advocating through the game about the dangers of prolonged uVR Earth use. If you become famous there and become an influencer, people would listen to you.”

“Why do I need to play a game to do that?” Rahu retorted as he pointed at the memory card, “I can make the headlines tomorrow. A DOVA Agent breaking the confidentiality clause? That’s enough to make prime-time news.”

“Once charges are pressed against me, I can reveal the problems with uVR Earth through the press.” He concluded.

The middle-aged man stared at his explanation with a poker face, “Tell me something you’ll actually put into motion. I know you’re not someone that would risk his life just to prove a point that can be buried overnight.”

“Anyway, whether you wish to do so or not is entirely at your discretion.” He said suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Rahu frowned, for as a DOVA Agent, all his actions were answerable to his superior, the middle-aged man before him that was the head of DOVA, Neeraj Vora. So, when he was given free reins, it only made Rahu nervous, getting a bad feeling immediately.

“Am I being deported?” He asked, glaring.

“Close enough,” The middle-aged man, Neeraj Vora sent an email to his uVR Earth, “To prevent you from making a mess in the Capital, you’ve been appointed Chief of the DOVA Branch in Chennai.”

“You’re getting transferred to your birth city.”

“Chief of the Chennai DOVA Branch? Are you messing with me right now?” Rahu slammed the table, “Isn’t #2 the Chief there?”

“Not anymore,” Neeraj Vora yawned as he motioned for Rahu to leave, “Shyam will be visiting our neighbouring countries as a diplomat. Tensions are kind of rising already. Things will get messier once Worldcraft launches. So, we need a diplomat to polish our diplomatic ties.”

“He’s indeed an expert in the field,” Rahu nodded, sighing as he accepted the transfer order, “So, when’s my date of joining the Chennai Branch?”

“I didn’t mention it to you?” Neeraj Vora laughed, feeling like he had become a tad younger after venting steam, “It’s tomorrow.”

“So, hurry along.”

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