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Booting Up________________________________

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Simulation Commencing______________________

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in_________________________________________

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3__________________________________________

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2__________________________________________

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Error

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You took off the headset, and reread the instructions. You haven’t made any mistakes, and yet…

You took out your phone.

Maybe it just needed repairs.

You called the company, eventually you heard a lady’s voice on the other side.

“Did it take your blood sample?”

“Did you make sure it scanned your pupil?”

“It recognizes your brain waves, yes?”

She continued going on the standard questions, and to which you always responded with yes. You always found it surprising that this lady might as well have been in some fantasy world right now and yet still had a job here.

The Earth still has to work properly you suppose.

All workers were picked by the government of course.

“And it still isn’t commencing the simulation, yes?”

“Hmm . . . I’ll check in with the customization department, please hold for a few moments.”

Then you heard her voice get cut off by abrupt music, you don’t complain and place your phone back down on the desk beside you. The headset still sat there as you stared at it.

.

.

.

You thought about what it would be like.

You wondered how this headset could possibly hold all the necessities to survive, it came with a manual but you already knew most of it was just lies made up by the government.

Not that there was anybody there to protest, all the people that were legally allowed to vote were in virtual reality.

You admit that the first time you saw your older sister wearing it, you cried. Once someone put that thing on, it was like they got transported to another realm.

The only hope of ever getting the chance to communicate with them was for the government to specially choose them to, though the chances of that were highly unlikely. Or if you tried to take it off of them, but if you did so the headset would inject a lethal chemical into the person’s brain that would kill them instantly.

You hoped she was doing well wherever she was.

.

.

.

The music cut back to the lady.

“Return the headset and we’ll make sure it gets fixed within a week.”

That was all she said before hanging up on you.

.

.

.

You slammed the headset against the wall.