1 Hylo

At the close of the century in 2090, a new technological advancement was achieved. The HYLO corporation out of Switzerland created a Neural Overlay that made it possible to synchronize the human brain with virtual environments. Before this, Virtual Reality consisted of having to wear cumbersome goggles or helmets, the effect being mostly visual. The Neural Overlay brought humans into Virtual Reality.

The Neural Overlay impacted several industries worldwide. At first, it was mostly in the recreation industries; parks, vacation resorts, and casinos seemed to shut down overnight. Everything was better in virtual reality. You could go camping on the banks of the Nile and not have to worry about crocs, bugs, or anything else bothering you. Want to date a movie star? You could design your own girlfriend or boyfriend.

While many people were able to control their baser impulses, a small portion of society was unable to. The immersion into a virtual fantasy life was too much for them. The initial Neural Overlay had no safeguards against addiction and no way to limit the brain's stimulation.

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Nine-year-old Quinn sat on the counter in a messy apartment in Las Vegas. His thick black hair hung in his eyes, a sign that he hadn't been to a barber in months. His dark eyes darted around the living room, trying to find something to fill his time while he watched his mother play. The time she spent playing had been slowly increasing as weeks and months passed by. It started with only an hour or two a day but progressed very quickly when Ella Riley decided to become a professional gamer.

"Mom..." Quinn Riley glanced at the figure on the couch. She wore a virtual gaming headset that was rigged for full immersion. The boy knew from experience that this setting meant his mom was completely unplugged from the outside world.

He dug one hand into the cereal box he held and fished out a handful of corn flakes. This was his favorite seat in the studio apartment; he could watch his mom play from here. She lay comfortably on the sofa in the living room; a neural net slid over her short black hair. The bones in her arms and shoulders were more pronounced than they should have been, a sure sign that she barely ate.

Quinn put the box on the coffee table and ran into the bathroom to wash his hands; he left the door wide open, so he could keep an eye on her while he worked the soap into a lather. Dirty hands were one of the many things that could set her off. He tried to remember all of her pet peeves so that she might stay a bit longer. He rinsed his hands and then dried them off with the hand towel.

After a few minutes, the woman started to wake up slowly. She slipped the neural net from her head and stood up, her sunken eyes finding the boy right away. "I don't know why I have to stop the important things I'm doing just to come back here and take care of you." The dark-haired woman scowled at the boy as she headed toward the bathroom.

His expression never changed; he followed her and stood outside the door, even after it slammed shut in his face. "I tried to stretch the food longer this time. Can you stay for a while?"

The woman exited the bathroom a few minutes later and walked toward the kitchen to grab her purse. "Can't you wash your hands without getting water everywhere? It would only take you a few seconds to dry the counter."

Quinn silently added 'drying the counter' to the list. "Sorry, Mom."

"I'm on an important mission. Do you know how long it's going to take me to get groceries?" Without another word, the woman left the apartment.

Quinn watched her leave; he was careful not to say anything. His mom would get mad at the smallest things nowadays. He only had a few minutes with her every day, so he wanted to make the most of it. He glanced at the front door, instantly regretting that he hadn't followed her. "I'll flip the cushions." He quickly flipped them over and then ran to the linen closet to grab a fresh pillowcase.

She returned a few minutes later but didn't notice the flipped cushion or clean pillow waiting for her. There was also a cold bottle of water and a small nutrient bar sitting on the coffee table that hadn't been there a few minutes earlier.

Quinn followed her into the kitchen, his brown eyes trying to see through the bag she carried. "What did you get?"

Ella dumped the bag on the kitchen counter; it was mostly snacks and heat-able food packs. It was evident from the lack of variety that she hadn't been paying attention when she made the purchases. "I've wasted nearly half an hour on you." Ella's gaunt face was already showing the strain of not playing.

Quinn stared at the items for a moment; there was no birthday card or treat of any kind. He stepped closer to the thin woman and hugged her waist as she tossed the empty bag in the garbage. "Let's play cards, mom, or go for a walk." Quinn didn't understand why, but he did realize that Virtual Gaming was making her sick.

"Get off me, Quinn! It's your fault I had to leave; I want to stay in TAP and not come back!" Her voice raised as she started to get angry.

Quinn sighed; he'd told himself that he wouldn't say or do anything to make her mad this time. "I want to spend time with you. Maybe next time? I definitely won't eat as much, Mom."

"You're the biggest mistake of my life, "her dark eyes were filled with anger as she looked at Quinn. "If the food runs out, head over to Ben's apartment. " She didn't say goodbye; she lay back down on the sofa and slipped on the neural net.

Quinn waited until she logged in, and then he moved onto the floor next to her. He closed his small hand around hers. Sometimes she said mean things, but almost always, she would return after a few minutes and say she was sorry. He stared at the clock on the wall, any minute now.

HYLO Case Study: Ella Riley

Cause of Death: Heart Failure caused by Severe Dehydration and Malnutrition

Survived By: Quinn Riley (son), Elaine Riley (mother)

Ella Riley was an avid player in a new game released two years ago, The Assassin's Path (TAP). The subject had shown signs of severe addiction in the months before her death. Her inability to separate virtual and reality caused her to reject the real world. She vanished from the game a few minutes after her body died. Her teammates in TAP alerted officials that there might be a problem.

As the Neural Overlay integrated humans into Virtual Reality, an entire industry seemed to blossom overnight. This was aided in no small part by HYLO's other VR contribution, Exodus. Exodus was a VR platform. A stable foundation from which you could launch into whatever Virtual Reality you were looking for.

[10 Years Later]

*Di, Di, Di, Di.*

The alarm clock sounded promptly at 0600, an obnoxious beeping that pulled Quinn from a deep slumber. He sat up slowly, turning until his bare feet touched the carpeted floor of his small apartment in Las Vegas. Holding his head in his hands, he smoothed back his shoulder-length black hair and took a band from his bedside table to tie it up. No one used alarm clocks anymore; many people didn't even sleep. It was a crazy world.

Quickly he tossed on a t-shirt and shorts as he made his way toward the door. Stifling a yawn, he slid on his running shoes and exited the apartment. His comfortable stride carried him efficiently down the Vegas strip. There were small signs of life here and there as the city started to wake up.

Vegas was a casino town, or at least it had been before Virtual Reality became so prevalent. Now, most of the casinos were either boarded up, torn down, or re-purposed for office space. Las Vegas had unofficially died.

The young man stopped at a playground a few miles from his home. Ignoring the overgrown weeds, he gripped the monkey bars and started doing pull-ups. This had once been a school playground but was awaiting a bulldozer that would reallocate the space for a public park. Schools had become virtual. It saved money on buildings and enabled true international classrooms.

An hour later, the tired-looking nineteen-year-old returned to his apartment. He tossed his clothes into the hamper as he padded silently toward the cupboard for a bagel. "I need to pick up some groceries." He took a seat at the dining room table and flipped on the table's HUD (Heads Up Display). "Display Exodus raids."

INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE

Quinn frowned at the display, sighing to himself, "How hard is it to update today's upcoming events? I better log in so I can earn a bit before school. Shit… I hate Exodus."