Beta Test
Copyright© 2026 by AlexNikolas
Chapter 1
The beautiful woman shook her head slightly, making the diamonds in her earrings sparkle even brighter. Her full red lips curved into a slight smirk, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she spoke in a pleasant voice:
“You’re mistaken. There’s no catch. All the terms are described in detail in the contract and will be strictly followed on our end.”
Tom scratched his chin. His intuition told him something was wrong. People just don’t pay twenty thousand dollars to take part in a game beta test. He read the payment terms again and muttered:
“It seems way too tempting. Twenty thousand for agreeing, plus five hundred dollars for every day of play. It’s just hard to believe in such generosity without a reason.”
The brunette fixed her hair and tilted her head slightly, smiling radiantly once again.
“You’re being suspicious for no reason. There is a reason. You’re one of the best gamers on the planet, with huge beta-testing experience. That’s why we invited you to test our new game. It’s an MMORPG with completely unique gameplay.”
She leaned forward, and her large breasts pressed against the table.
“You’re incredibly lucky. In the truest sense of the word, you will achieve immortality. And what kind! Living forever while doing what you love most! You love games, don’t you? You love to play?”
Tom nodded without taking his eyes off her charms. He licked his lips and objected:
“But that’s not my immortality.”
“Whose is it, then?” The woman spread her hands. “Your consciousness will live forever as long as the game exists. And as you will soon see, it will remain popular for many decades. Even after that, you will live in data centers, testing new games.”
“I don’t like the part that says I won’t be able to influence the game in any way, which means I won’t be playing either,” he sighed and looked up at her face.
“This part says that, as a Consciousness Donor, you won’t be able to help your clone. But his consciousness will be an exact copy of yours. That means you will be the one playing,” she spread her graceful hands, making her blouse stretch temptingly across her chest. “And you won’t need any keyboards, mice, joysticks, or buttons. Your consciousness will directly control the game.”
Tom drummed his fingers on the table, trying to figure out what exactly bothered him. Her words were logical and clear, but the doubt wouldn’t go away.
“And I’ll be able to watch him in two modes?”
She smiled broadly, revealing two wonderful dimples in her cheeks.
“Of course. In third-person mode, you will watch your character from behind and above. It gives you a great view. Well, you know that yourself. But you have never experienced immersion mode.”
“I’ve played virtual reality games. I’ve tried every headset, capsule, and harness.”
She raised a hand in a dismissive gesture.
“That’s completely different. In immersion mode, you won’t just see what the character sees. You’ll feel everything the character feels. Smells, touches, pain, and pleasure.” At the last words, she winked and slid the pen toward him.
Tom opened the last page where he was supposed to sign and hesitated again.
“However, if you don’t want to, we won’t force you. We have hundreds of candidates waiting for interviews. You were among the first we invited because of your reputation as a gamer. You know games, and you know how to play them, so it will be easier for your clone. He will know what to look for to give us good feedback.”
Tom brought the pen to the place where he needed to sign and asked:
“Twenty thousand right away?”
The woman placed a stack of cash on the table.
“And five hundred dollars every day while your clone is in the game. However, you cannot stop his participation in the game for at least three months. After that, if you like the contract, it can be extended.”
Tom licked his lips. The money was pretty good after all. He could quit his job and live only for the game.
“One last question,” he said, getting ready to sign. “What kind of world is waiting for me? Fantasy?”
The beauty licked her lips, glanced around, and nodded. Then she replied:
“I can’t reveal that secret, but you’ll see everything with your own eyes soon enough. By the way, the headset you’ll receive costs forty-seven thousand dollars. And you can keep it after six months in the game.”
Tom swallowed and signed the document.
“Excellent. They’ll take you to the laboratory building now.” The woman pressed a button on her desk, and before he could put the stack of money into his pocket, the door opened.
Another stunning woman in an immaculate white blouse and a short black skirt gave him a friendly nod and said:
“Sir, please come with me. I’ll take you to your capsule.”
“What, right now?” Tom asked in surprise.
“Why wait?” the woman in charge of the office replied. “The consciousness matrix extraction takes three days. Neither you nor we have any reason to waste time.”
“All right,” he said, getting up. “Lead the way.”
As he followed the woman, whose figure was pleasant to look at, he glanced around with curiosity.
The administrative building was a typical office building—glass and concrete. Wide windows offered a view of the surrounding area. The Appalachian Mountains made the landscape beautiful. The tree-covered peaks were glowing with red and gold autumn colors. A few clouds decorated the endless blue sky.
The impression was spoiled by the tall concrete wall with barbed wire surrounding the complex, and by the guard towers with spotlights at the corners.
They went down to the first floor by a resonant staircase and turned into a wide gallery with large windows.
A security guard walked past them, leading two guard dogs on leashes.
“You have serious security here,” Tom muttered, impressed.
The woman turned her head and smiled.
“We protect our secrets. Many people want to get their hands on them. China and France above all. But you have nothing to worry about. We’re almost there.”
She opened a door and led him up a metal staircase.