The Discussion (Part 5) The End

I get in the TessT2Autopod and am met right away with a menu. Looks like I will get that whiskey today after all. I put in the address of the VR Headquarters and it starts to move as I take my first sip. Again no charge, so the rich don’t even have to for much. I start to hear more digs going off like crazy. New followers, they have noticed my balance. I see comment after comment come up all so nice. None of them watched my dream. Most are bots just hoping for an upvote. Pugnacia this might have been too much. I see we are five miles away from the VR headquarters. I could just leave, she gave me enough to live off. No someone with this much power. I better at least hear her out. The last thing I need is to be on one of the blacklists.

Right as I walk through the doors I am greeted by the Pugnacia’s assistant. She rushes me upstairs and into one of their private VR rooms. She tells me to login as myself they have added me to the system. I tried to ask if I could speak to Pugnacia here but she told me she was waiting on the roof where I last saw her. I am not sure what I am getting myself into here but I put on the VR suit and get in the rig. These rings are nothing like the dream rigs. This is made for me to be awake and able to move in any direction. I know this would cost more steem than I made last year. I put the helmet on and log in.

The system takes a few minutes to create my model. I see that my account has access to anything the VR system gives out. I start to wonder more and more what it is she wants me to do. I see that my only friend in the system is Pugnacia and wait while it says I am joining her session.

“You’re here Cheese it’s about time we have to hurry…”
“It’s Cheeze, and why should I help you? I know DreamVision is going to take over the blockchain steal all the steem power. What does that matter to me? I have enough now to be fine and if you can give this away like it is nothing well then why do you care?”

“The A.I program we run choose you Cheeze. It has been analyzing all the dreamers at DreamVision. To find the person that had the right desires to help us. That person was you. I have seen this coming for a long time. I have to stop it and you know why you just don’t remember.”

“What don’t I remember?”

“This isn’t the first time we have talked Cheeze. Think about it hard you know me, don’t you?”

Pugnacia walked closer to me. Her name was in the back of my mind I just couldn't remember. Then she pulled me close and gave me a deep kiss. I start to feel something happening in my mind. Memories start to fly before my eyes. Pugnacia came to me years ago asking for help. I had agreed years ago to her plan. As the kiss ends I also see that this is not the first time we did that.

“Pugnacia what did you do to me how did I forget all that?”

“We had to put a block on it all. DreamVision can see into your mind when you are logged into their rigs. If they know you even knew me they would never have let you keep working there. We put some code on you BrainMeld that gave us a backdoor into their system. It has been a race to see who could control the other’s first.”

“So what do you need me to do now to help?”

“I need you to take me into a dream with you. The backdoor we opened is too small. I have a way of opening it but I need you to stay connected say in a dream while I work. We have set up our system so you can log in from here. But you will have to do a waking dream”

“Are you insane? In a waking dream if I die my mind dies with me. At the same time, I have no control over what will happen in the dream. My subconscious will take over. It could put us on a beach or just falling to our death. That kind of dreaming is banned and you know it.”

“It is the only way for me to be sure we can finish the work. If you are in a normal dream you can wake up at any time. If you do before we finish our work then it will be for nothing. Dreamworks will be able to see what we were trying to do They will close our only way in. We need to to be awake so you can force end it when you need to. Our VR system will work in your dream you can protect yourself. We have given you everything we have. We doubt your dreams can compete with the game worlds we create.”

“You don’t know me as well as you think Pugnacia.”

I start to check the inventory of my VR system. She is right there is so much here it can deal with almost anything. I can’t possibly think up a world this can handle. can I?

“Alright I will do it but only if you still have the same plans for Dreamvisions steem power. Yes we will split it up to the list we showed you and @gardengnomepubs will still get the most. Why them again?”

“I use to write before I became a dreamer. Let’s get started then,”

I use the VR system to connect to the Dreamvision system. I paid the fee to do a stream and then launched the brianmeld. Newer ones don’t even let you do this. I see the world around us start to change. Next thing I know we are sitting on a beach alone.

“Very nice Cheese, let's hope we just stay here. I am starting the hack on their system.”

“It’s Cheeze”

As I speak things start to change. Dammit I need to stay calm. As the world comes into focus I can see we are on a city street. There are people walking all around us. We walk along till we find a bench to stop on.

“Well, this isn’t so bad how is it going Pugnacia?

“It is going to take a least a few hours to overpower this system. Let’s try and stay here for now.”

“I will do what I can.”

Okay, just stay calm. We are just in a city with people walking around. Nothing else is going on just normal people, right? I hear a scream and turn towards the sound. I see a woman being attacked. There is a group of people and they are eating her?

“Really Cheese, zombies you think about zombies?

I pull out the unlimited ammo handgun, grenade belt, and a combat suit with an energy blade. I look over at Pugnacia and she still looks the same as before.

“I can’t do anything else major while I work Cheese. I can try and follow you but I have to make sure they don’t catch what I am doing.”

I hear more screams and see that the number of zombies is growing. It is time to move. I grab Pugnacia by the hand and start to run pulling her along. We run across a few zombies and I use the energy blade to take care of them. We continue to look for a place to hide. I can hear screams all around us and they are getting closer. As I start to use the gun to deal with a bigger group I can tell we are going in circles. This city isn’t very big. The gunfire starts to draw a big group so I toss a grenade and run into a big park nearby. As we enter it gets bigger than it should be. I spot a rope ladder to a tree house and we head up it. Once inside we pull it up.

“Not bad Cheese I should have it soon.”

“Let’s hope we can just stay here.?

I can hear the zombies walking around in the park. I resist the urge to stick my head out of the window. It seems like this is going to work. I feel a buzz. Shit, a downvote. If I get many more the dream program will kick us out. Ding, Ding some of the bots from before are countering it good. Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, crap I need to do something. I head over to Pungnacia and give her a deep kiss. I press her body against mine. Zap the DreamVision system fines me. But the buzzing stops as the world starts to change.

“What are you doing Cheese?”

“Turns out people are watching and they didn’t like us just sitting around. Let's hope this gets us into a pleasant dream.”

The new dream starts to come into focus. We are back on a beach but this time we are not alone. Around us is what seems to be a rave. There are beautiful people all around us in each other's arms. Others dancing and not one monster in site. I change out of the combat gear and join the dance. Pungnacia dance is more just a sway. Too busying working. So I turn to focus on the others and join in. The dance continues for what feels like ages. I am starting to forget what I was doing when someone grabs my arm and pulls me away.

“I got it Cheese let’s go”

I shake my head and remember what is going on.

“Okay let me end the brainmeld”

As I go into the system and give it the shutdown command I can see the world around me start to change one more time. I see a world that looks so bright and happy as the dream ends.

“I was able to get their private keys and change all their passwords it is over Cheese they won’t be able to take over the blockchain”

We are back in the VR world and I can see the headlines already out. On the news feed. “DreamVison hacked all steem power delegated away to other accounts” we did do it and she kept her word.

“Let’s get out of here Pugnacia. Time to talk in the real world”

“I can’t Cheese I am sorry but my assistant will explain”

With that, I am logged out of the VR system. I get out as fast as I can and wait in the room for her assistant to arrive. At last, there is a knock at the door.

“Come in”

“Hello, I have been told you might have a few questions for me.”

“Ya, why can’t Pugnacia come to talk to me in person? I don’t get it. I just helped her save the world and she can’t make time for me?"

“Well I can take you to see her if you like but you won’t be able to talk. Please follow me.”

That doesn’t make any sense but I start to follow the girl. What does she mean I can go see her but won’t be able to talk to her. We head up to the top floor and enter a office with a name on it. Pugnacia Arabesque AI.

As we enter the room I see Pugnacia laid on on a table in a case with a few tubes in her arms.

“Miss Arabesque feel very ill last year. We figured out a way to put her mind in the VR world while her body is in a suspended state. You can’t tell anyone about this. We told the world she is out new AI modeled after Pugnacia Arabesque. The truth she is a living AI. If the world finds a cure she might be able to come back. But we are not hopeful”

I walk towards the glass case and look in on that face. The memories that rushed by so fast. Could I have loved this girl? I turn and walk away.

“Thank You I will be going.”

I start find a new listing for a apartment on the east side. I buy it and for the first time see how high my balance is. I won’t have to work again that is for sure. I arrive to the building and have to prove to the doorman that I own a unit before he will let me in. I enter the room and sit on the couch. Not sure I will get use to a place like this. Then again I won’t spend much time in it. There is a knock at the door.

“I am here to delivery and set up your VR unit sir.”

“Thanks set it up right over there in the living room.”

“This is a top of the line system sir are you a famous gamer?”

“No kid I just have to go see about girl”

Image by @EdibleCthulhu