Telepresence

UNIT #6.2

Released: 10 May 2018

Listened: 4/15/23

We’ve got Sam back now, but even he can’t bounce back immediately, so both he and the VR headsets are taken to a secure, offshore location for analysis. Osgood figures out that these are some seriously advanced VR, that in fact transport the wearer’s consciousness to another dimension. But it should be safe, because VR, right? So Shindi, Josh, and Osgood go to reconnoiter, And they find a blasted, burnt-out Earth, that doesn’t seem to have the same level of tech as whoever made the headsets. There are also dangers in the form of local wildlife, but also cybernetic monsters, and it seems that the danger they pose is quite real. Josh and Shindi get to do their military thing, except of course they have no gear or weapons, but they still have their tactical minds. Naturally, getting them out isn’t nearly as easy as they thought it was going to be, because something has been waiting for people to use the headsets. While all this is going on, Sam is supposed to be recovering in sickbay, except he’s not doing as well as he should be. That’s because he’s not as disconnected from the VR network as he should be either. Something’s still got a grip on him, and it’s trying to establish a bridgehead in our dimension. Basically, this is a “middle story,” where our heroes think they’re figuring things out, only to discover that oops, things are more complicated than they thought. It’s fine, but it’s treading water.