First Full Dive

Full dive VR was called full dive for a reason. As soon as Gray said yes, he felt like his body was falling, and when it instantly stopped, he was standing by himself in what could best be described as a hotel lobby.

The floor was covered in smooth marble tiles with a shine that indicated it was waxed recently. On one end, Gray could see what appeared to be a concierge desk with two attendants, one male, and one female, standing eagerly at attention. On the other side seemed to be a meeting room and bar. Out of the 8 tables, only 2 had people sitting at them. Gray was not sure if they were players or NPCs. Strangely enough, this lobby only had one door as far as Gray could see. The door was wide enough to accommodate 6 people standing shoulder to shoulder. Above it was a large digital clock that was counting down.

"50 hours, 27 minutes, 33 seconds," read Gray. "Oh, it's counting down to the launch of the game! I forgot that Alterra Online has not launched yet. I guess I can only hang out here for now until the game launches."

Gray noticed above the two attendants that a sign said "New Player Setup," so Gray instinctively headed towards them. As he was walking, his body felt off. He felt like his body didn't respond to his commands, but he chose to ignore it for now. Looking at the two NPCs, Gray chose the female NPC to interact with. Why? Because it's a guy thing.

The female attendant smiled and said, "Welcome, new player! Would you like to begin creating your character, or shall I introduce you to the game's features?"

"Create a character!" Gray usually just jumped right in and learned on the fly, so why not skip the tutorial?

"Excellent sir! As a Diamond tier you are eligible for all jobs and functions in the game! Alterra Online is an advanced war and political simulation, for everyone's enjoyment a personality test will be completed. This will help guide in your job decision."

"What if I just want to blow up other mechs?" said Gray, flashing his best evil grin.

"Then sir, we recommend becoming a soldier or mercenary and visiting the arena for simulated combat when you don't have orders."

"What if I want to kill people in the game?" said Gray, now trying to sound as evil as possible.

"Sir, murdering players and NPCs is not allowed. Your character and account will be deleted if you break this rule. If it is in self-defense, that is the exception as per the rules. Accidental deaths will be investigated thoroughly and if the player is found to have willfully caused the accident then one's account and character will be deleted."

"Ok, what if I want to be a playboy?"

"Then sir can be a playboy if you are attractive enough."

"Do you find me attractive?" said Gray trying to be cool.

"No sir."

Gray felt like a bucket of cold water was poured onto his head. He just has to remember that his parents always told him, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' Gray has long since realized that that is just a nice way of calling someone ugly.

"Joking aside, do I have to pick a job now and if I do can I change it or am I stuck with it?"

"Sir, if you wish to change jobs merely apply for a different one. You are not stuck with any job or any single job."

"Lastly, if I don't want to have anything to do with mechs, the military, or even politics, what can I do?"

"Sir, Alterra Online is an advanced war and political simulation, if you do not want to participate in them, why even play the game?"

Gray thought that that seemed like a surprising logical answer. Usually, a game would do everything to encourage you to play instead of telling you that you'd be wasting time. As Gray pondered this, his whole body felt even heavier, and his legs could barely hold him up anymore.

"Why do I feel so heavy and can barely move!"

"Sir, you probably have forgotten to tune your VR bed for your unique body chemistry."

"Oh, that was important? I'll come finish making my character later!"

"As you wish sir."

Gray logged off and felt like he had just been pushed up into his own body through the bed. "Seriously, I need to pay more attention to these sorts of things." Gray said to himself.

After researching briefly how to tune a VR Bed, Gray learned that the most common and reliable way was to use an AI. Figuring this probably came with the warranty on the VR Bed, Gray called Alterra Corporation's Customer Service. With AI being able to handle most call centers in this modern age, wait times were a thing of the past. Gray had preferential treatment for being a Diamond-tier, so his request was pushed through to the front of the queue. The AI Nadia responded directly since she maintained relations with all Diamond-tier clients.

Taking the call directly, the AI Nadia talked directly with Gray. "Greetings Mr. Wilhelm, how are you this evening?"

"I am fine, but ahhhh... call me Gray, I don't like to be so formal."

"Very well Mr. Gray, I am Nadia, an AI that works under the Public Relations chief executive officer directly. As you do not own an AI with the ability to tune a VR bed, Alterra Corporation will make an exception and allow one of our technical AIs tune your VR bed. Allow me a moment to allocate one."

"Can't you just do it yourself?" Gray asked. He didn't feel like waiting again.

"Obviously I can, but that doesn't mean I want to submit myself to tune it for you. Still, you probably meant to ask me if I will tune it for you rather than do I have the ability to do so." Nadia paused for a moment, then continued, "I have received permission and now can and will do it for you if you would like Mr. Gray."

"Yes! Please do! Just tell me what you need me to do!" Gray started to take off his clothes.

"Sir, that isn't necessary. This isn't A** G**r. Please lie down on the VR bed and await my instructions as I interface directly with your unit."

"Oh, sorry!" Gray got embarrassed from being clueless about how to tune a VR bed. Fortunately, he had only taken off his shirt, and the rest was still on.

Gray was expecting something to happen to the VR bed, like maybe needles, probes, or something to come out and start poking him. The only thing that happened was Nadia telling him to log in.

Gray squeezed the remote and logged in, he was wary about his body feeling heavy again, but nothing of the sort had happened yet. Gray looked around and found himself standing in his bedroom in a VR environment. His tiny desk with his old VR unit next to it was there, and his bookshelf. The only thing missing was his VR bed.

Nadia explained, "It is easier to tune with someone in a familiar and comfortable virtual area, so I had your room quickly generated. This is a quick process as long as you follow my instructions."

"Yes ma'am!" said Gray, almost saluting.

"Please assume a neutral position, keeping your appendages in a relaxed state and then transpose into the first position for tuning."

"Ummm, what is the first position?"

"I will demonstrate" A very, very odd-looking figure appeared in front of Gray. It resembled a stick man with a head that was merely an outline of a generic female. This caused Gray slight discomfort as the limbs just didn't look proportional.

"Is this your avatar Nadia?!?" Gray asked in shock.

"No, this is merely a physical stick figure with a generic head on it that I can use to demonstrate. I normally do not show my avatar as it is unnecessary."

"Your stick figure is creeping me out."

Nadia seemed to pause for a brief moment which could be considered a long time for an AI as they can make decisions faster than any human could. "Very well, I shall permit you an exception and allow my avatar to assist you. One moment please."

Gray wasn't sure why this made him excited. He's seen plenty of AI. Most likely, Gray was excited because nobody outside of the higher-ups of Alterra Corporation had ever seen her.

The stick figure with a blank head disappeared, and a human female shape started to materialize in front of him. Nadia's avatar appeared in front of him. She had the appearance of a 20-something female with shoulder-length chestnut hair. Her brown eyes had an intense gaze that exuded confidence. She wore thin oval-shaped glasses and had a neutral expression for Gray. Gray would describe her as a cool beauty since she gave him a feeling of being unobtainable... Not that he has ever hit on an AI, but Gray was confident others have, and he might in the future.

Moving his eyes down, Nadia was unsurprisingly in an immaculate and professional dark business suit with short black heels and black nylons. The skin on her face and hands was very soft and white, similar to a model, but seeing as she is an AI, she can have whatever skin her designer wishes for. The business suit hugged her body perfectly and prevented Gray from analyzing her figure more sadly, but this was expected.

"You're perfect!" said Gray thoughtlessly.

"I know." said Nadia's avatar in a matter-of-fact tone. "Now, follow my instructions."

Gray smiled wryly and said, "...what's with this snobbish AI?"