Chapter XXII

There had been enough moments during the Mew hunt that had scared the shit out of me. I was far from comfortable with half the things I had to do. I never planned on facing my fears and insecurities, for years I had found a perfect balance to live with them in peaceful coexistence.

But nothing had prepared me for the dread and agony I would feel that night. Actual fear of death. I had no idea what chills and trembling was, until I woke up to loud knocking. It was the middle of the night and I thought someone was at my door.

When I walked towards the door, the knocking came from the other side of the room. A silhouette on my balcony was bashing against the windows. It was Riley, but not the happy-go-lucky Riley I knew.

When I got closer to the balcony door, I saw eyes of distress, a face that seemed to be begging for help. I quickly opened and let her in.

"What's the matter, what happened?"

"Don't talk, please listen!"

I wanted to comfort her, but she slapped away my hand.

"No! Anything can trigger her."

"Riley…"

"Don't say her name! Don't talk, please!"

Freaked out about whatever bad trip she was on, I took a few steps back and with a hand gesture I offered her to take a seat on my bed.

"Listen, please. My name is Mia. Mia Cooper. I have seen you in my apartment visiting her. She is not real. She is a hostile delusion. But she is taking over. The intervals, they are more frequent and longer. Now she changed the codes, locked me out of my devices and in my apartment. You need to help me. Please, help me, I beg you."

I tried to remember the picture of Mia Cooper I found online. Was this a fucked up joke, a social experiment by Riley? Or did I just get involved in the craziest shit imaginable.

"What… ehrm, what do you need me to do?" I asked.

"Take me to my professor. Kian Merritt, he lives in Port Moody."

I nodded and asked her to follow me. When we walked past Riley's apartment I felt the urge to tiptoe, as if Riley was still in there. My mind couldn't process all of this.

With my smart device, I unlocked one of the self driving cab capsules in front of the building. It was filled with trash and smelled like used condoms. It was the only way for me to reach Moody tonight.

"I won't talk, but please, if you can explain a bit more, that would be very welcome."

The girl next to me kept her gaze on the floor, afraid of "triggers". After a moment of careful silence, she started reciting a mantra.

"I am Mia Cooper. I am a Social and Behavioural Sciences student at UBC. We are testing Gregarious Games' new neurological VR gear. Last year I researched the risk of dissociative identity disorders. I invited my OASIS avatar to the real world. I monitored her with hidden cameras in my apartment."

She sounded more artificial than Riley ever did. I guessed this was her way of avoiding these triggers she was scared of.

"First she only sat on my couch, sometimes watching television. Gradually she expanded her presence. When I tried to contain her, it was too late."

Stuff like this was supposed to be an urban legend. I knew stories about people spending too much time in the OASIS, then jumping off roofs thinking they could fly or were immortal.

There were even people actively looking to get brainwashed. It was a kink, the idea of falling victim to a hypnotic curse. Men claimed it changed their sexuality, even their gender. Some of them were happy about it, others went around warning kink seekers to draw a line there.

In any case, to me it felt like these people just needed an excuse to embrace a side of them that was already there.

If Mia told the truth, she created Riley in the OASIS and then invited her into her own brain. She claimed she used the rumoured new VR hardware for it.

As subtle as possible I looked up the picture I had found of Mia. It would mean that Riley lost a lot of weight for Mia, cut and dyed her hair, got contacts, a new wardrobe and started using make-up. Maybe even piercings, tattoos and fillers in her lips.

A screen showed our expected time of arrival in Port Moody. We just crossed the Fraser and I hoped we would arrive in time before the situation got even more bizarre.

Mia didn't talk, had her gaze locked on the floorboard. She tried hard not to close her eyes, for some reason. As if she wanted to be as blank as possible.

The cab monitor flashed and some commercials started rolling. Passengers couldn't turn them off, nor escape the accompanying sound.

"Thank you for choosing Uber, now here are the latest headlines by Starz News. Starz News, reporting Canada relies on," a voice yelled in the car.

Mia brought her hands to her ears.

A female voice brought us up to speed with the latest murders in Metro Vancouver. There also had been an accident in a factory, killing several employees. And of course hockey results.

I didn't pay too much attention. I started accepting Mia's story as truth and now overthought the consequences of that. Did I assault her when we kissed? Was Riley really evil, or were there two sides to this story? Could a virtual person have their own side to a story?

In Starz News' showbiz segment they were discussing the hottest trends. All of a sudden a familiar beat started playing.

"There's just one prey. One prey worth chasing. One trail worth tracing. That prey is you. And I pray, and I pray. Don't lead me astray…"

The girl next to me brightened up the moment she heard Idiota.

"You're already mainstream, you sell-out!" she yelled. "Wait, what the fuck, where are we?"