"So, 16, huh. I remember my 16th Birthday; my parents took me to DC so we could see the Library of Congress. I was so excited." Molly, my mom's coworker, sighs wistfully; I stare at her out of the corner of my eye and hunch over slightly. This was going to be a long 30 minutes.
We finally pulled up to the building, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Molly had spent the last 10 minutes prattling about the essay she wrote in 5th grade that her parents still have framed.
"Oh! Would you look at that? We're already here. Time sure flies fast when you're having fun!" Molly cheered. I gave her a strained smile and gathered my things, double-checking that my Card was still in my purse.
"Okay, well, um, thanks again, Molly. I enjoyed hearing about your, uh, essay. Bye!" I threw out as I opened the door and stepped out.
“No problem Alissa, have fun!” She called and drove off. I huffed out and sighed, I felt kinda bad, but in my defense, she had spent the first 15 minutes talking about her trip to DC and the library of Congress. She went on and on about the smell of the library, the feeling of knowledge in the place, and on and on…
I shook my head and focused on the building in front of me. It wasn't that impressive and looked like your average office building. I entered the building through the sliding doors and was greeted by a voice chirping, "Scanning, no possessed technology found. Deactivating security protocols!" I rolled my eyes. After a while, it got repetitive. I get why they're important, but at this point, most if not all of the Aliens (or now called Archetypes-A through Z.) have been forced into the Virtual World.
I moved forward to the desk and waited for the receptionist lady to finish what she was typing. "Hello, Welcome to Pod control F-21. What are you here for today?" she asked me. Her voice was calm and kind. I smiled at her and pulled out my new Card, setting it on the countertop.
"I'm here for my first Entrance," I answered. I could hear the excitement in my voice. I blushed and looked down. The lady's face lit up, and she grabbed a tablet from her desk, then flipped a switch in front of her as she stood up.
"How wonderful, follow me, and I'll show you to a pod and tell you everything you need to know," She moved out from behind the counter and gave me a blinding smile before leading me to a door to the right. When the door opened, I was shocked to see rows upon rows of Pods.
"It's always a shock to the newcomers when they first see the Pod room. It's quite a sight. That screen monitors everyone's vitals, and if there's ever a problem, it sends out the necessary alerts." with a smile, the lady pointed up at a large screen on the wall to the left. She continued to speak as she tapped at her tablet and led me through the maze of Pods.
"As you might know, Pods were created to be the bridge for the human consciousness to the Virtual World. Let's see, Pod 15 in quadrant C should be empty- and yes, it was cleaned not even an hour ago." She looked up from her tablet to examine the number painted onto the Pod next to us; she hummed and then began to walk to our left.
"When you enter your Pod, you will settle in, and when you're ready, call out Begin! When you do, the system will activate and release a gas into the Pod that will knock you out, don't worry, it's completely safe; once you are asleep tiny sensors will be placed on your body, and your adventure will begin! I'll leave the rest of the explaining to the AI." When she finished, we had come to a stop in front of a Pod. She gave me a reassuring smile and placed her hand on the Pod, pushing slightly before stepping back.
I watched, my excitement growing as the top of the Pod rose, revealing the inside. The inside of the Pod was designed to conform to an individual's body and lay them down in a horizontal position.
"Card, please," a hand entered my vision. "Oh, uh right, sorry," I stammered. I quickly handed it over and watched as she leaned into the Pod and inserted my Card into a small slot blended into the Pod's sleek black front.
"Whenever you're ready," She stepped back with a smile. "I can take your items and put them into a locker if you'd like?" She asked. I nodded and handed my purse over. I wiped my sweaty palms against my sweat pants and climbed into the Pod.
Once I had laid down, the Pod slowly closed. It was pitch black, and I took a shaky breath as the surface under me began to change to fit my body. It was comfortable. Can you see me, dad? I'm doing it. I will become A Pro Arena fighter just like you and make you proud. "Begin!"
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