But she found her traction socks treading on cold linoleum tiles and her eyes scanning putty-gray walls. She looked right then left and found herself in an endless but otherwise mundane hall. “Amazing. Public hospitals look depressing even in virtual reality.”
Leaning on the wall railing, she began her precarious walk down the hallway.
It was slow going, but no one else was in the halls, thank God. And after a few moments, her mind began to race with the possibilities of her escape.
Her desktop had given her access to the code governing her room. So maybe there were other portals with greater access. Maybe, if she could hack into one of those, she could escape.
But where to go? Logging out of any virtual environment would leave her a synthetic brain stewing in the liquid dark of some government neuroserver. She thought of being trapped in a silicon skull with no sensory input and shuddered.
But there had to be other virtual worlds. “I mean this is the frickin'
future,” she grunted to herself. “The gaming geeks alone must have created a billion online worlds. Maybe I could—”
The squeaking of sneakers made her look up.
It was a forty-something nurse—short, dumpy, blonde, crimson press-on nails. “Honey, are you lost?”
Stephanie’s heart rate accelerated, which was dumb because she didn’t have a physical circulatory system. “I think they gave me the wrong medicine. Do you know my medication?”
“Oh, honey, let’s go ask your doctor. Do you remember your doctor’s name?”
Stephanie shook her head. “How long have you been logged in?”
The nurse smiled. “I don’t know the answer to that, but I bet your doctor does.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Fine. What’s your favorite color?”
“Sugar, I’m going to let the doctor answer your questions. Do you know your doctor’s name? I can page them. And it’s written on your bracelet.”
Stephanie hid her bare wrists behind her back. “You’re not real, huh?
You’re a demon.”
The woman put her head to one side. “I’m sorry?”
“Are you a program?” Stephanie asked, exasperated.
The nurse smiled the same smile. “Let’s ask your doctor. Can I see your bracelet?”
Stephanie pulled a prescription out of her pocket. “Dr. Jani told me to give this to you.”
“Oh, good,” the nurse said and took the slip and the data file it represented. A loud hiss filled the air and then the woman froze into perfect stillness. She wasn’t even breathing.
“Nice nails,” Stephanie muttered as she shuffled past the program.