Cheryl Atkins grew tired of the daily hum-drum drudgery of her sterile, perfectly organized virtual life.

She pulled off her neural connectors and stepped up outside to the surface …

A hot and dry wind caused her eyes to itch and her vision to blur. She coughed because of all the dust, but she kept wandering …

The neighborhood streets were full of broken glass, fragments of chipped concrete, and litter strewn everywhere. A lone hover car flew by, a top-of-the-line model. She waved, but the occupants ignored her and entered underground into their domicile.

Cheryl returned home.

“Where have you been?” asked her younger sister, Jennifer.

“On the surface. Why do you ask?”

“Are you crazy?” Jennifer gasped. “There’s nothing outside!”

“Unfortunately …” Cheryl nodded and frowned.

“Sis, just plug in like the rest of us. You can hang out at my new Tropical Planet resort. It’s super clean and fun!”