Wow! I actually have ideas on the next chapter right after posting chapter 3! Oh, joy! Since no one has reviewed yet and i have chocolate i will write away! Sorry if it seems a wee bit slow, but i have to explain important stuff. Still don't own lotr...sadly. and due to mentioning the Matrix, i suppose i should say that i don't own that either.
"This here is where all the magic happens." Said Joe. Joe was serving as a guide to the building. He was gorgeous, but that was beside the point. What was to the point, he was motioning towards a chair. Kaddie was distinctly reminded of the chairs in The Matrix. If they were indeed chairs, they were strange chairs at that. They were some kind of cross between recliners, massage chairs, beds, those things in hair salons, and lawn chairs.
"So what, you just sit there?" Kaddie inquired. Joe nodded. "Basically." Kaddie wished he would take off his sunglasses. The building was dark, so she could see no reason for it. Plus, it was difficult to read people when you couldn't see their eyes. Bending down over the chair, Joe indicated a box-shaped thing on the base of the chair.It vaugely resembled a miniature floppy disk drive.
"The chip you've got goes here. After the chip has been read, you sit down. The straps on the armrest go around your wrists. They partly serve as restraints, but mostly to read blood pressure and heart rate. Are you following this?" Kaddie imagined that he was inquiring because of the dreamy, dazed look that had been on her face. She nodded quickly.
"Good. Now the bowl-shaped thing that sits up here is what causes you to see things in the simulation. Now, it's important to remember that, no matter how real things seem, it's all in your head. Cause and effect based on your actions and the programming. Clear?" Kaddie nodded again.
"O.K. then. Just a few more things. The simulation starts at a specific point in time, however, before that, you'll choose your character. It's different for every simulation, but in this one, it's a screen hanging in midair that'll allow you to choose physical aspects of who 'you' are. After you finish that you'll enter the simulation. At the point in which you start, there is going to be a man who is referred to as 'The Programmer.' He's essentially the brain of the simulation personified as a physical form. If anything goes wrong, you have to go back to the point at which you started, to find him. He'll know the cause of the problem, and be able to counter it. Also, there are certain items which serve to force you out, and end the simulation. Let me show you."
Crossing over to one of the monitors crammed into the room (and nearly tripping over one of the electrical cords littering the floor in the process), Joe brought up a series of pictures. The first was of a copper coin. The coin was circular and well-polished with an intricate picture of a crane on the front. The picture slowly revolved and displayed a golden harp gracing the back. The gold and copper contrasted in a beautiful way. There was no writing on either side. The next picture was of a green stone. Its color was deep, dark enough to pass for black. The surface was shiny and it was engraved with a series of runes. Kaddie recognized them well enough from The Hobbit. They read: Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole. Below the inscription was a horizontal line that looked as if it cut deeply into the stone. That would be easy to remember. The last picture was of a knife blade. At least, it had been. It was a fragment that looked big enough to fit into the incision of the green stone. Turning to Kaddie,Joe explained their purposes.
"The stone and metal fragment work together. You may have noticed that the fragment looks big enough to fit into the incision in the stone. That's because it does. When inserted, you need to lever the metal back until you feel a click, at which point you'll be thrown out of the simulation. The coin is used in case you lose the stone, metal, or both, and vice versa. All you do with the coin is squeeze. Any other questions?"
There were no questions that came to mind about the simulation. Kaddie had heard most of it before from her father, who had explained The Programmer, choosing her character, and the failsafe items. However, gazing at the room, which was small to begin with, Kaddie felt oddly claustrophobic. Monitors, whirring machines (which looked like computer towers), and electrical wires were in such abundance, it was impossible to move without bumping, tripping, or stepping on something.
"What's all this for?" she asked, gesturing around.
"Just to enhance the simulation. These," he said pointing at the machines making the whirring noises on the left side of the room "control what you feel, while those," this time pointing at the right side "make adjustments—the effects of your actions. The monitors display what you see to whoever is in the room."
Nodding again, and now feeling much like a bobble head doll, Kaddie handed the chip to Joe and sat in the chair. She heard the gentle acceptance of the chip in the drive and the whirring machines became louder.
"Ready when you are," said Joe.
Feeling a little anxious, Kaddie nodded her head yet again.
"Ready."
Joe crossed over to a keyboard connected to a monitor and computer and typed in several commands. Kaddie felt a light tug at the base of her neck as she entered the simulation and another world entirely.
I am using Joe as an incentive for you (yes you, Queen Arwen) to review. Trust me, he's all yours and you can have him if and when you review quickly. How dare you say no to Joe?
