Implantation

Six months later, Osman and Jing’s flight was the last to arrive. Ash flew in shortly before to the same terminal, so she met them at their gate. “Everyone else is here,” she said. “They will meet us just past security.”

“Anyone have luggage?” Osman asked.

“No. They told us not to bother, and it looks like everyone listened.”

Karmen waved and shouted as soon as they came into sight. Ash ran over and hugged the larger woman. “You ready for this?” Ash asked.

“As ready as I can ever be without actually knowing what it is all about.”

“I am so excited,” Zara said. “I cannot believe they actually gave us a run slot.”

Three weeks ago, the team learned that Drazu Challenge accepted their application. Their flights had been paid for, and soon they would start their journey.

Their ride pulled up to a nondescript building. The only sign was for Freedom Office Park. “They said to click this link when we arrive,” Osman said.

A door opened and a young man in slacks and a polo shirt walked out. “Team Osman?”

“That’s us.”

“Hi, I am Will. I am your integration coordinator. Please follow me.”

“You are with—”

“Hush, we can talk about all that inside. This way, please.”

Will led them deep into the office building. They ended up in an office suite. There were chairs around a conference table. There was a kitchenette in one corner, a large screen on the wall, and several closed doors leading off the main room of the suite.

“Welcome to Drazu Challenge implantation pod 1,” Will said. “If you are up to the challenge, this will be your home for the next week.”

“Implantation? What do you mean?” Ash asked.

“Right, let me go over everything. You realize that you will be getting new VR hardware as part of the challenge?”

There were nods all around. That was one of the few details of the challenge that was publicly acknowledged.

“Behind each of those doors is a medical pod, one for each of you. With your consent, we will spend the next week integrating the new hardware into your body. Our hardware is state of the art. Several military organizations buy from us.”

“Let me guess,” Zara said, “you can’t tell us who.”

“Oh, I could.” Will chuckled. “They would not like that though, and you really really would not like the results of their displeasure.”

He continued, “If you make it past this week, the hardware is yours to keep, whether you ever play Drazu Challenge again or not.

“We do benefit from giving you the hardware. Our hardware has the latest in classification technology. It can literally stop you from thinking about classified information except in the contexts where you are supposed to use that information. Drazu Challenge does not use that mode, and that feature could not be turned on without your permission.

“However, we do use the next level down. You will be unable to talk about what you face in the challenge. We would not want you spoiling the surprise for anyone else.”

“So that’s how you do it!” Jing said. The challenge agreement had a draconian non-disclosure clause. The agreement made it clear they would be physically unable to spill the game’s secrets. Jing and Zara had been assuming drugs would somehow be involved.

“Yes. I will go over the game rules. If you start, we will implant the hardware. The game introduction and all your play will be confidential.”

“Okay, so how does it work?” Osman asked.

“Your entire team must agree to start together. When you all enter the pods, implantation will begin.

“If anyone leaves this week, you forfeit the challenge. If you make it past this week, then Drazu Challenge will replace your sleep time. You will literally dream the game. You will of course wake refreshed and well-rested.

“You can turn off the game at any time. If the game is off, you will simply dream as normal.”

“I thought Drazu Challenge was a short game. You are saying that we can keep playing this as long as we like?” Karmen asked.

“Yes. Some people talk about the challenge as this time here in our implantation suite. That’s definitely the phase at which most people get weeded out, but if you get far enough in the challenge it can change your entire life. If you like the game enough, we might even offer you a job.”

“What happens if only one of us wants to stop playing?” Ash asked.

“You all have to make it through your time at our facility. After that, any of you can play. There’s a catch though.

“You can only earn points on a night when your entire team plays. Advancing in the game will be nearly impossible without those points.”

“But if a team member stops playing, they can come back later?” Zara asked.

“Yes.”

“So, there’s no way to quit permanently? Your team members could always try to convince you to come back so they could advance?”

Will nodded. “As Ash said, you can stop playing, but your team can always ask you to come back.

“You must have realized by now that we challenge you as players in just about every way you can imagine. You can support, cajole, and even beg each other. You decide how far you are willing to push each other to get ahead.

“On the other hand, your team can always be there for you. We will never ask you to betray each other. You can always communicate with each other no matter where in the Drazu universe your characters are.

“Your commitment to your team is a permanent commitment. Your play is recorded. Everyone on your team will have access to all your footage, no matter how compromising.”

“Your team cannot share that compromising footage, can they?” Karmen asked.

“No, it is protected.”

“There’s another thing you should know,” Will said. “You play as yourselves. Your character names and appearances will be the same as your real life appearances. We find it makes the game more intimate—more vulnerable.”

“Vulnerable doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Karmen said.

“Perhaps it feels better if I say that we think it makes things more challenging—more hard core,” Will said.

He continued, “It is not as bad as it sounds. We invent avatars for your characters. Only your team will see you playing as yourself. Everyone else sees an avatar.”

“All those people running around with Drazu Challenge pendants have actually done this—had the implants, shared whatever the game makes you do with their team, had your implants stop them from talking?” Karmen asked.