Prisoners of VR

Seated within a private aircraft meant for his exclusive use, Rahu pondered in silence. An uVR Earth had been replaced and somehow, it was a success. Even though the DOVA Agent he fought against, named Rakshat Gupta was weak, that was only in comparison to him.

At the end of the day, he still exercised the complete powers of a DOVA Agent. So, if he wished to exercise his powers on the public, none could stop him.

This was especially true since before he revealed himself, no one would even assume that he was a DOVA Agent in hiding. It was unlike the case with Rahu or any other DOVA Agent. They were public celebrities. And plenty of spy organisations paid attention to their every move.

But as for Rakshat? He was completely in the shadows. It was terrifying.

'I need to interrogate him later.' He thought and commanded Deepika, "Ensure no news regarding his capture is spread around. Put the cyber team on watch on the internet. The moment any news regarding him comes up, delete it.'

There was no guarantee that Rakshat operated alone. There could very well have been someone else on the flight, silently observing everything. So, if they were to publicise the details, Rahu would indeed be put on the spot.

Even though Rakshat was an illegal DOVA Agent that had somehow gained control over Talgat Musabayev's uVR Earth, the gadget was still an item securely kept in Kazakhstan as part of their treasury.

So, if news of this were to reach them, the Kazakhstan government would obviously pressure him to transfer Rakshat's custody over to them. Things would become troublesome if that happened. He wouldn't be able to pry into details regarding the forces targeting him for the secret he possessed.

"It's a mess from the first day onwards." He muttered and peered out the window. The case he had to attend was in a different district. Therefore, he was commuting by flight.

Unlike on the ground, there were few variables to guard against in the air. Moreover, it was hard to target an electronic device blazing through the skies at tremendous speeds.

The window of opportunity for anyone attempting to do so would be small, since they would most probably be targeting from the ground. As Rahu was already guarding the aircraft's electronic circuits, it was easy to defend against.

But despite that, he disliked travelling in an electronic instrument. Thirty minutes of journey later, the flight landed at Coimbatore Airport.

12:05 AM!

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The authorities had already arranged a means of transport for him. Upon seeing that, Rahu patted one of his security members, watching him enter the transport, partly disguised as Rahu.

Once the transport sped away, Rahu accompanied Deepika and exited the airport just like everyone. They got into a car she had rented and drove towards the target hospital.

"It has been a long time since I last visited this place." Rahu muttered as he observed the bustling streets, "It has developed a lot since back then."

"You did two years of your schooling here, right?" Deepika asked.

"Yeah, though we had to shift to New Delhi when my parents became part of Pomegranate Corporation's core research team." He exhaled softly at the cooler climate of the place. The sky was dark and soon, it started to rain.

The car arrived at Tulip Hospital, the place where the target had been admitted. Without wasting any time, Rahu arrived at the respective ward and stared at the target's parents seated on a bench with dispirited gazes.

"You are..." The attending nurse stared at Deepika and Rahu in confusion.

"We're here to examine and treat Suraj." Deepika displayed her ID and pointed at Suraj, the patient that refused to come out of his Virtual Space.

"C-Can you really treat my son?" Suraj's father noticed their arrival as he stared at Deepika and asked with a tinge of hope.

"Can you explain what happened first?" Deepika questioned, "We'll be able to solve the issue if we know the details beforehand."

"That..." He gritted his teeth and spoke, "Actually, Suraj didn't even get our permission when he underwent surgery."

"That should be impossible." Deepika retorted, "Without guardian acknowledgement, the surgery wouldn't be scheduled in the first place. Moreover, the entire procedure costs 40 crores. You think that's the kind of money a kid can gather?"

"Please hear me out," Suraj's father exhaled a soft sigh before explaining, "His grandfather acted as a guardian to see through his surgery when I and my wife were out on a business trip. We returned in a hurry when we heard the news of his passing. And once we arrived, we saw our son like this."

He sobbed, "After contacting Pomegranate Corporation, I managed to receive guardian rights to enter his Virtual Space. But my son became an adult legally yesterday. With that, my guardian rights expired. So now, I can't even talk to him within the Virtual Space."

A youngster legally underaged would have a guardian to oversee their uVR Earth use. This was installed as a protective mechanism to ensure the child doesn't become addicted to Virtual Reality. But, guardian rights were a clause that automatically expired immediately after the user became an adult, reaching the legal age of 18.

Therefore, Suraj's parents couldn't do anything when he holed up in his Virtual Space.

"I'll take it from here." Rahu patted Deepika's shoulder, motioning for her to protect him as he entered the ward and sat next to Suraj. He stared at the unconscious individual that seemed to have lost some weight.

His uVR Earth's light morphed from blue to jade as it unleashed a brainwave. But this time, once the resonant frequency had been attained, Rahu focused the effect on himself, gradually inducing whatever Suraj's brain was experiencing onto himself.

Thump! Thump!

He felt weak, a sign of lethargy seething from the depths of his mind, and pain, one brought about by frustration, anger, and ultimately, unbearable sadness. It was what Suraj was feeling at the moment, suffocating Rahu with the intensity of emotions.

Induced Reality-Inverse Perception!

Induced Reality was a two-way street, with the control of flow in the hands of the DOVA Agent. Usually, when Rahu used it, he was imposing his will on the target, inducing their brain to perceive the Liger that was just a figment of his imagination.

But now, the flow had been switched. So, Rahu was feeling what Suraj felt and experienced.

'Dammit! This shit's horrible as always!' He grunted, feeling breathless as his surroundings morphed.

There was a house adjacent to a river that cascaded past the cliff as a waterfall. The grass was luscious while faint water vapour sprinkled into the air, creating a breathtaking atmosphere. This was the classic setup for a Virtual Space, a default setting if one might ask.

The entrance to the house seemed locked. The door didn't budge. When Suraj's father used his guardian rights to enter the Virtual Space, he could only arrive at the meadow. He tried to break down the door but was unable to do so.

That was why he couldn't meet with his son that had holed up in the house. No matter what he did, he failed. Time ran out during his attempts as Suraj became an adult. He was kicked out of the Virtual Space immediately after that.

But for Rahu, the case was different as he entered here through Suraj's perception. Therefore, he arrived in the living room of the house and stared at the figure of Suraj seated on the couch, playing a console game, focused on the large theatre-sized screen.

FIFA 2046!

Suraj was playing the latest variant of the ever-popular game, displaying intense focus as he was manning a weak team against the strongest. It was a true display of skill, and also an indicator of the number of hours spent on the game.

Even though Rahu had arrived nearby, Suraj didn't seem to notice his arrival until his game concluded. For a moment, he was stunned to see Rahu, but following it, he raged, "Can't you leave me alone?"

"Let me die in peace, please!"

"Are you good at FIFA?" Rahu asked as he took a seat on the couch casually. He then pointed at the screen, "Wanna play a match?"

"Bro, you look like someone that hasn't played a video game in years." Suraj seemed rather interested in the offer. After all, what gamer would refuse a challenge?

"Well, you're true. The last version of this I played was FIFA 2034. But still," Rahu snorted smugly, "Only the graphics have changed. The gameplay remains the same."

"I can easily wipe the floor with you."

"Here," Suraj threw a console at him and turned serious, "I'll see if you have the skill or not."

It was a furious match, at the end of which, Suraj won by a large difference. Cracking his neck, Rahu commented, "Alright, I've warmed up now."

Suraj stared at him in silence and commented, "I won at eleven goals versus two."

"That's normal, I was warming up." Rahu shrugged and taunted for a rematch, "Or are you that scared about losing?"

"Fine, I accept." Suraj started a second match and lost, having scored one goal versus Rahu's three. He stared at Rahu's smug attitude and went ahead with the third match, getting into a tie. He finally scored a goal through a penalty shootout.

"You're good!" Suraj commented, sporting a bright smile as he stared at Rahu, fist-bumping. The two already considered each other as bros, for they had bonded through the game.

"Shall we head out now?" Rahu asked calmly, "Being in your Virtual Space for so long is dangerous to your health."

"I know, bro." Suraj expressed his pain, "But at least, I won't feel my death as long as I remain here. I can continue enjoying life until my last moment. I want to die but I dislike pain. So, this is the best method."

"Your parents are worried." Rahu said, "So come out for some time and alleviate their concerns. They haven't had a wink of sleep in the past three days."

"My parents are worried?" Suraj stared at Rahu with an incredulous gaze as his eyes turned hollow, muttering without an ounce of emotion, "That can't be true. The reason I holed up here is because my entire family died in an accident."

"I couldn't bear to live without them. So, I wanted to accompany them to the afterlife by dying a slow death here."

"What?" Sweat dribbled down his back as Rahu shuddered, "If what you're saying is true, then,"

"Who the heck are the two people waiting outside?"