Chapter 1.02 THE FIRST BATCH

Chicago, IL

Friday, May 2nd

Kyle McCoy strolled out of the NeXus cafe, where he had just watched Neurolink’s showcase with his buddy Shaun. Seeing that his friend’s parents owned the place, Kyle felt an obligation to watch special events at the FIVR cafe. Since his parents’ and sister’s death four years ago, Shaun and his parents had been a second family to Kyle. The two college-age teens had geeked out over each announcement together today. As Kyle waited at the local Public Transit Center (PTC), a low chime sounded off in his head. Kyle mentally acknowledged the alert.

[William McCoy Is Calling]

The words ‘William McCoy Is Calling’ flashed across the center of his vision, letting him know it was his uncle. Kyle currently had one of Neurolink’s older Holo Implants that allowed augmented vision and sound, replacing the need for a phone and personal computer. Kyle connected the call, and his uncle’s voice popped up inside his head.

“Hey, kiddo, I thought you’d have called by now. We just finished watching the live stream. Your aunt and I made a bet on how long it would take you to contact me. And dammit, I lost. Thank you very much. Now I’m Zoey’s taxi driver for the next few weeks. Anyway, I figured I’d give you a call myself.”

“Sorry, Uncle William. You can blame public transportation on that one. I should have been home twenty minutes ago. But, you’re right, I would have contacted you the minute I got home. I’ll be signing up for my pre-order as soon as the site goes live. I’m going to need you to transfer some credits if that’s alright with you. I can cover the rest with what I’ve earned from Realms.”

“I knew you had to be getting income from somewhere else. You haven’t asked for anything out of your trust fund all year. What did you do, get lucky with a legendary drop or something and sell it?”

”I stole the deed to a little town and took it over. I’ve been using the rental income to live off of.”

“Ha! You’re just like your mother. While your father worked his ass off, your mother and her little group of friends made more money than he did selling in-game items and currency.”

“Weren’t you one of her little friends?”

“Well, yea. How do you think I was able to pay for your aunt’s schooling and this damn house. I was just trying to convince her to let me get the new upgrade before calling you. Being able to play while I sleep means I won’t be neglecting my stay at home fatherly duties. Maybe I can join you on your escapades this time.”

“Let me know if you do. I haven’t spoken to the guild yet, but I’m thinking of doing my own thing this time in Fantasy. I’ll be a lone wolf thief robbing from the rich and helping out the needy.”

“Ah, you sound so much like your mother. How's college treating you? Finals coming up soon, right? You still keeping your grades up while you spend all your time at that FIVR cafe?”

“Yea, I’ll be on the Dean’s List for my entire first year. Classes will be over in two weeks. So, if I can get the new Implant, that leaves me with the entire summer to play. Not to change the subject, but how are auntie and Zoey?”

“They’re great. Zoey is so excited to be going to kindergarten in the fall. She's really looking forward to meeting kids around her age. Being the last child born in our district has been rough on her. The next kid close to her age is two years older and on the other side of the division. So she hasn’t had any friends. In the kindergarten program, she’ll get to go into the city and meet the other kids her age from the Chicago area.”

“I’m excited for her. Tell Zoey and Aunt Rebecca I said hello, and I love them. Let them know I’ll try to visit for dinner once school is over. And I’ll let you know when I need the credits once I find out which batch I’m in.”

“Yeah, about that. We’ve already contacted the lawyer. Both of us think the level of maturity you’ve shown this last year was the last major milestone to prove you’re ready for full access to your trust fund. With our recommendation, I doubt the lawyer will rule against it.”

“Thank you, Uncle Bill. I really appreciate the gesture.”

***

Kyle McCoy’s Apartment

Thursday, May 9th

Kyle laid back in his bed watching a gaming news channel through his Holo Implant. Most of the last hour was on Realms and the upcoming Fantasy. Every few minutes, he would glance down at his email notification icon, hoping for the lottery email. The first invitations had gone out three minutes ago at noon, and his inbox was still empty. Feeling it was now unlikely he’d be in the first batch, Kyle decided to get up, put on some clothes, and head over to NeXus FIVR cafe.

Twenty minutes later, he was out the door of his one-bedroom apartment. After a short walk to the PTC, Kyle caught the next bus to the cafe. As he sat down in his seat, a chime alerted him to an incoming email, and he immediately acknowledged it.

[US:IL:0085987- Neurolink Batch Information]

Kyle jumped out of his seat and yelled, “Yes!” His uninhibited excitement drew more than a few amusing laughs from bus riders. Kyle quickly sat back down, somewhat embarrassed, and opened the email.

Dear Kyle McCoy,

Congratulations, you have been selected for Neurolink’s first release batch with your registration ID of US:IL:0085987.

Below you will find the address to contact a representative who will schedule an appointment for implantation and assist you with any questions you may have.

[8310:b0ea:7274:7e8b:b4ae:49c0:0e4d:b5b5]

Regards

JANUS

Entering the NeXus, Kyle looked around for his buddy, Shaun. Finding him, Kyle made his way down one of the many aisles of capsules. He silently stood nearby while Shaun tried to flirt with a cute teenage girl he was helping get into a FIVR capsule.

“You know if you just tell them your parents own the place, they would crawl all over you to get that ‘boyfriend owns the place’ discount,” Kyle commented after the girl was squared away.

“No way, man. Then it would be about the discount and not about my boyish charms,” Shaun responded.

“So I got an email a little while ago. Want to guess what it contained?”

“You got another offer and scholarship to a random college you didn’t apply for?”

“You know I get those all the time. No, this one was extraordinary. I’ve been selected for the first batch of the Delve Implant.”

“Either you were born with the luck of the Irish or have a golden horseshoe tucked away in your ass, man. But, seriously, congratulations. At the wages my parents are paying me, it’s going to be a while before I can afford an implant.”

Kyle spent the better part of the next hour following Shaun around, conversing about various topics, before finally deciding to hop in one of the pods. It was time for him to log into Phantasmal Realms and let his guildmates know of his plans.

Local | Area | Guild | Party | Steguard | Shadow’s Den

[Flea]: Hey guys, has anyone heard from Elen or Iron yet?

[Sinn3r]: Hey Flea. Negative. They still show away for the last six months.

[Flea]: Damn. If anyone gets in contact with them, let them know I'm going to be getting the new Delve Neurolink this week and then moving over to Fantasy. Also, Pinky, you on?

[Trog]: She’s on vacation with her parents, now that school is over. Congratulations, and damn you, I pulled the fifth week lot.

[Flea]: Thanks, Trog, and it sucks you have to wait five weeks. Hey Sinn3r, I’m going to send you my contact info. Would you please give it to Iron and Elen if you can get a hold of them?

[Sinn3r]: Sure thing, kid.

[Flea]: I’m going to give the guild my two holdings. I’ll send Pinky my pet collection. I know she’ll kill me if I leave without giving it to her. It's been great playing with you guys. Look me up in Fantasy once you get there. Sinn3r will have my contact info. Take care, everyone!

[Guild System Message]: Flea has handed over control of the following holdings to The Star Crossed. Shadow’s Den Inn, in the village of Steguard. The village of Steguard.

[Guild Alert]: Flea has logged out.

[Sinn3r]: Holly shit!! No wonder he always had gold to spare. How in the hell did he have the deed to the village of Steguard?

[Zeru]: You didn’t know, man? He swiped the deed from the mayor’s chest while the mayor was flirting with Pinky. When the mayor started working with the Nords, the town’s people found out and executed him. Flea just strolled right into town with the deed and claimed the mayor’s position. Hey, I’d check the basement of the Shadow’s Den right away. I’m pretty sure that’s where he kept all the good stuff.

[Sinn3r]: Well, damn, we're going to have to thank him! This will help solve our member and gearing problems for a long while.

Logging out of Phantasmal Realms, Kyle couldn't help feeling a little sad about leaving the game. He recalled so many different experiences over the years, most of them good. But all played a part in helping him become the well-adjusted person he was today.

Well, for a gamer, he chuckled to himself.

After saying his goodbyes to Shaun and his parents, Kyle headed home.

***

Neurolink Medical Faculty #42

Monday, May 13th

Kyle hopped off the bus and walked the half-mile to the Neurolink Medical facility. As he drew closer, he could see more than a hundred people standing around the entrance. While pushing his way through to the door, he heard a few shouts directed at him.

“You in the first batch, bud?! I’ll pay you twenty thousand credits to swap batches with me! I’m in the third batch!” some random guy yelled.

“I’ll pay you more!” another yelled.

Kyle turned around, looking for who yelled at him. Spotting the older gentleman speaking to him, he replied.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I wouldn't pass up this chance for anything.”

Turning back around, Kyle walked through the door of the facility.

The cute receptionist at the desk smiled and greeted Kyle as he walked up. After checking his name on her list, she nodded and pressed a button on a side display. A few moments later, a young nurse came and led him to a waiting area in the back. Six others were already seated around the small lounge.

The ones there before him slowly began to be called into the back, with new arrivals replacing them every five to ten minutes. When it was Kyle’s turn, the same nurse came to collect him. He followed her into what looked very much like an early twenty-first-century barber’s shop. The two barber chairs in the room were currently occupied by a boy and woman, both of whom were called in just before him. Two men with electric shears worked on the task of shaving their heads clean of hair.

“Please take a seat, and one of them will be with you shortly,” the nurse said.

After getting his own head shaved, Kyle was led to a different lounge area, where he waited an hour. Then another nurse, another escort; only this time to the basement. He was ushered into a changing room, where the nurse informed him to remove his shirt and anything metallic, then place them into the locker.

“Do these count as metallic?” Kyle asked as he tapped his temple area.

The nurse smiled warmly at the joke and said, “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of those.”

Next, he was then given a green hospital gown. Placing his shirt into the locker, he slipped into the long cotton garb. Leaving the changing room, he entered what looked like a sterile surgery room and sat in a chair next to a long table.

Five or so minutes later, an older gentleman entered and introduced himself as Doctor Alfred Reed. The doctor took a seat near the same table and began to explain the implantation process.

“You’ll lay face down on the table with your head in the hole at the top, much like a massage table. However, I will need to strap down your head and upper torso to prevent you from accidentally moving during the procedure.”

Dr. Reed then picked up a fist-size device from the metal tray next to the table and showed it to Kyle.

“This tool will do most of the initial heavy lifting. It will detect your current Holo Implant and center itself over the implant. Once I’ve confirmed it's in the correct position, this button here will start the device. It will then disinfect the target area and make three small incisions to create a flap. I will peel the flap back and manually sever the old leads’ connected to your visual and auditory centers. With that done, I will remove the old implant. Then, close and seal the flap with healing nanite gel and a skin bandage.”

He next grabbed a much larger device attached to a swimming arm extending from the side of the table, then continued with his explanation.

“This here is the latest in implantation technology. I will lock this one above your head once in position. It will disinfect and then cut a small flap at the base of your skull, about two inches below the old implant location. Once I confirm the area is good to go, the device will grind out a socket and drill sixteen holes for the nanites to create the nanocarbon tubes that connect to your brain. The device will then place the implant into the socket and fill it in with a gel to regrow the bone around the implant. Once you fully heal, the implant will be undetectable under your skin.”

With his explanation done, Dr. Reed invited Kyle to lay on the table. The surgeon then sprayed a numbing agent on the back of Kyle’s head, momentarily sending chills down his spine. The entire procedure took less than ten minutes. The noise and slight vibration while grinding the socket were the worst parts.

Dr. Reed finished by applying a thin-clear membrane material to the back of his neck, covering both flaps. The doctor informed his patient not to remove the membrane as it would eventually fall off on its own. Kyle was told to wash the area with simple soap and water over the next two weeks.

He had Kyle lay in his current position while they waited for the nurse responsible for transferring his old implant’s network and account information to the new one. Laying there, Kyle found himself somewhat depressed now that his vision’s augmentation was gone. He knew it would return in a couple of weeks, but that seemed like an eternity to him at the moment.

Once the nurse showed up, she began asking him a few questions. Using a small handheld device, the nurse had all of the old implant’s information transferred quickly to his new implant. Asking her what they would do with his old implant, she explained all used implants were broken down and recycled to safeguard the user’s sensitive data.

The nurse handed him a bottle of pills with his name and medical information. She explained they were anti-rejection meds combined with an extra supply of nanites meant to help jumpstart the creation of nano carbon tubes. Kyle was to take them three times a day over the next two weeks.

Handing the young man an old school smartphone, the nurse explained his contacts and info were all transferred to the phone so he would be able to remain connected. He would need to use the old fashioned device until his implant was finished with its activation process.

An hour later, Kyle was cleared to leave by the nurse and escorted out a back door to avoid the crowd up front. Hopping on the public bus, he was back home and in bed within an hour.