Estranged

Vana

A hand threaded through his—dainty, soft. They had stopped, still amidst the flow of oblivious shoppers. Aliyah looked up at him. In that look was understanding and patience, an openness that evoked calm. Whatever anger that had boiled up in him settled and vanished. She raised her brows at him in a silent question, and he nodded back. They were here for a reason; no point getting worked up so early on.

“And if you found out the righteousness was a farce, then why do you still live by it?” she asked, pulling him so they continued on their way.

“Because…evil people can do good too if it furthers their purpose. It doesn’t stop the good from being good.”

She squeezed his hand lightly as they drew up to the elevators. “That’s what counts. That’s what you should hold on to.” Grinning, she drew him sharply, tugging him so they just slipped through the shutting elevator doors.

They rode up to floor thirty, following the directions on their MiraLinks, striding past food courts, boutiques, and various other stalls in the mall. It had been five days since his gambit had failed; since he and the Seven had been unable to find common ground. Which wasn’t far from what he had expected. There was one reason the Seven had refused to negotiate—his lack of bargaining power. A niggling problem they were about to solve.

Aliyah brought them to a halt before a stall. A beaming purple sign—four concentric circles—covered the centre of two black doors, a mirror of the image in the address beeping on their MiraLinks. She took a deep breath. “If she’s willing to come this far, Gringe, then it’s serious. She’s serious.”

“That’s what I’m betting on.”

The interior was a lobby, with black walls with slim tubes of purple light snaking along their edges. An attendant sat at a desk in the far corner. To her left was a row of four devices that looked like dentist’s chairs. At the top of the chairs were helmets with thick cables extending from their bases and winding down to and over the floor into outlets in the wall. The attendant rose, greeting them with a warm smile. “Welcome to Vana. Would you like to make a booking right now, or do you already have passes?”

“We’ve got an appointment.”

“Great. Please use the bio-scanner right there.”

Gringe and Aliyah took turns feeding their thumbprints to the scanner, both of them receiving green glows of acceptance.

“Beautiful. Rhinde will see you to your booth.”

A dark man emerged from the entryway about ten paces from the desk, an equally gentle smile on his face. “I am Rhinde. If you would kindly follow me.”

They went with him down the entryway, walking past doors and through branching hallways with the same décor as the lobby. Rhinde brought them to a stop before a seemingly random door. He handed them a pass—a small black card with purple trimmings. “Please enjoy your journey through Vana,” he said, bowing before leaving them.

“You ever done this before?” Aliya asked a nervous edge to her voice.

Gringe chuckled as he held the pass to the door and it slid open. “Once, back in Level 2. You’ll be fine.”

The booth was small. Save for the bench seats built into the side walls, only two other things awaited them: the devices from the lobby—two sleek, leather chairs with helmets at their tops. They took up the centre of the booth, five spans at most separating their sturdy square bases.

Aliyah beheld the one closer to her with apprehension. “So we just get in and wear those?” she asked, nodding at the helmets.

Gringe already slid off his shoes, clambering onto the plush, reclined chair. His feet dangled over the edge, but otherwise, it was a comfortable seat. Reaching over his head, he grabbed his helmet. It was a bit weighted by the cables attached to it and had two springy probes on the inside. Gringe glanced over at Aliyah, who was already in her seat but less eager to wear the helmet. “Would it help if we did it together?”

“Alright,” she answered, relaxing a bit.

Gringe moved with exaggerated care, unable to hide a creeping smile as he wore the helmet. “If you pay attention clearly, young miss, you’ll find that it doesn’t bite.”

“I’m going to kill you once we’re done here,” Aliyah gritted back, but she also wore hers. When it fit snugly on her head, she asked, staring up at the dark ceiling, “Now what?”

“Now you close your eyes,” Gringe said, looking out the corner of his eyes at her. He saw her take a deep gulp first, before shutting her eyelids. He added, “And now, be calm.”

***

A sea of shiny white sand feeding into an actual sea, guarded over by a high sun. The slight taste of salt in the air. Strong gusts of wind that sent their airy clothes on a mad flutter.

Caught between panic and awe, Aliyah blurted, “Wh-what is this? How does it feel so real?”

Vana is a wholly immersive virtual reality built-in with a myriad of locations said to have been common in the world before New Earth, before the war. Like this one, a beach. Born in Level 2, once a resident of Level 1, and also a former agent of the Royal Family’s Secret Service, Gringe had had cause to learn of what beaches were and what they looked like. Aliyah, on the other hand, he doubted.

Toes wriggling delightedly in the sand, she beheld the water, eyes glinting at each lapping wave. Her long dark hair streamed behind her, dancing as freely as the yellow beach sundress she wore.

Gringe said nothing, but he watched, intently. He allowed her to enjoy the moment, as he too did.

Then a dot appeared in the corner of his eye. He whipped to the right to find a figure in the distance trudging in their direction. “Aliyah?”