Prisoners of VR

Gopi arrived at the scene, noticing the approach of an ambulance, followed by a police jeep. He hurriedly got down as his uVR Earth shone green. It was an entertainment uVR Earth, specialised to the task. It was why he didn't carry any cameras with him.

His eyes and ears were better equipped to capture all the details. Gopi observed the security team and focused on one individual that seemed to have the most authority.

The moment he got down, he rushed towards Deepika and inquired swiftly, "Ma'am, I'm from W-News. Care to inform us about the murder here? Is Sir Rahu involved in it?"

"A reporter?" Deepika expressed instant annoyance as she pushed him away, "Not now."

Gopi was of course used to such a treatment as he didn't relent, tailing her as he pressed his questions, "Is DOVA related to this murder?"

"This bast..." Deepika was pissed by the question. She was already on edge upon seeing the gruesome scene. But most of all, Rahu, the DOVA Agent that boasted potent power lay there, slumped on the ground, feeling helpless while sporting an expression bordering despair.

That hit her mental state, hard. After all, if there existed an enemy that could reduce Rahu to such a state so quickly, someone like her would be no different from an ant before them.

When they arrived at the apartment, Rahu jumped out of the moving car and rushed out. Once she parked the car, Deepika chased after him. The window of their separation was less than a minute.

But by the time she arrived at the fourteenth floor, things had already progressed to such a state. None among the security team even understood what had happened. They were all perplexed to see the state of Rahu, one they were supposed to protect.

And as the Head of Security, the responsibility for failure befell her. Deepika didn't have the patience to converse with a damn reporter that spewed a bunch of baseless accusations in the form of questions.

If she were to react negatively, they would portray that as news and give a spin on her job in a negative light. They were frustrating flies, to be honest.

"You said you're Gopi, right?" Just as Deepika was about to rebuke the reporter in anger, Ashok Kumar, the Deputy Head of Security interjected.

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"Yes," Gopi nodded and faced Ashok.

Motioning for Deepika to resume her work, Ashok slumped his hand over Gopi's shoulder, "The situation is very serious at the moment. Sir Rahu is unconscious. And I believe only he can explain everything. So, why don't you wait until then?"

"Then would you care to explain the situation upstairs?" Gopi pointed at the fourteenth floor, "I rushed here immediately after receiving a tip. The scene there...is damn gruesome."

"I won't," Ashok casually patted Gopi, "But, why don't you cooperate with me for the time being? All of us are on edge. So, we might retaliate if reporters start pestering us like flies and impede our work. If you promise to keep them at bay, I'll promise an exclusive interview with W-News."

"You can point your questions to Sir Rahu himself, what do you say?" He stared at Gopi. To be frank, Ashok too was on edge, having never expected Rahu to be in such a situation. But upon seeing that Deepika was in a mentally worse state than him, he decided to solve the reporter's situation, thereby avoiding implicating the situation further.

"Of course, sir. Please leave it to me." Gopi smiled in joy at the promise of an exclusive, "I have recorded and transmitted our conversation to W-News, so I hope..."

"Don't waste our time, brat." Ashok raised his voice and shooed Gopi away, "Follow at the back or something. Don't interfere with our job. Otherwise, W-News or any other broadcasting station for the matter will be sued heavily."

"Of course, I won't interfere with your work." Gopi flinched when Ashok displayed his anger. He then meekly followed the group on his bike, ensuring to record everything and transmit the contents to W-News.

He was shocked when Rahu was boarded into the ambulance on a stretcher. His face was a deep shade of red while blood dripped out of his nose and seemed to have coagulated, forming two evident trails.

'Damn!' Gopi experienced an eerie sensation as he followed suit. It constantly felt like a pair of feline eyes were staring coldly at him, terrifying him.

Gopi looked around and noticed that everyone else part of Rahu's convoy too was the same. That's why they were jumpy all along. Those closer to the ambulance were finding it hard to maintain their cool. Their hands trembled nonstop while goosebumps appeared on the skins of everyone.

The ambulance rushed to the nearest hospital and Rahu was admitted. A team of doctors rushed to inspect his condition as Deepika remained in wait, flustered, 'On the first day of work, something this major happened.'

Upon seeing that her subordinates were feeling pressured by the sequence of events, she sighed and firmed herself, at least to reassure them, "It's enough for just me to be here. The rest of you, patrol the place."

Ashok had remained behind at the scene, accompanying the police and the forensic department to determine what had happened. It was also his job to ensure nothing faulty happens. If someone dared target Rahu, then they might also influence the forensic department to ensure the results of their investigation turns up either faulty or buried.

Twenty minutes later, two doctors walked out of the ward, sighing in relief as if they had survived a storm. Deepika rushed towards them and asked in a hurry, "How is Sir?"

"His life is not at risk." One of the doctors explained, "He has experienced a panic attack. We have prescribed some medication to ease his situation. I advise ample rest for at least a day."

"Thank goodn..." Deepika was just about to heave a sigh of relief when the Doctors stared at the faces of each other and seemed to hesitate. Upon seeing their expression, she became nervous once again, "Is something still the issue, doctor?"

"Well..." One of the doctors stared inside the ward, flinching, "It's suffocating to even approach the patient. It feels like entering a dangerous jungle. Honestly, two of our nurses have already fainted."

He showed his trembling hand, "So, I hope he can be discharged immediately once he wakes up. Even the patients in nearby rooms are getting affected by whatever he's emitting. We are currently shifting all the patients to farther wards, but if the effect continues to expand like this, then the entire hospital will become threatening to the patients."

"I understand," Deepika nodded as she entered the ward, feeling like she stepped into a den of tigers the moment she inched inside, "Keuk!"

"The sensation has gotten more intense." The doctor said and retreated further away.

"I'll remain here and take care of him." Deepika trembled a little as she observed Rahu's condition. She then gazed at the doctor equipped with an uVR Earth, "Please guide me through Augmented Reality. I'll transmit my sight to you."

"That'll be helpful." The doctor said in relief, "Please rest assured that I'll be available until the patient wakes up. Even if I have to leave in an emergency, I'll assign another doctor."

Since Rahu was a DOVA Agent, he was a VIP patient. So, despite their busy schedule, they had to prioritise him. Otherwise, if something were to happen to him, their hospital would have to face public wrath, considering how influential a DOVA Agent was. Even worse, the hospital might get shut down. The doctors were under pressure.

...

"...Ra..."

"...Rahu..."

"Rahu..."

Standing at the peak of a hill and peering over the vast canyon below was Rahu, as a child in his early teens. Faint mist covered the ground, reaching up to his knee, layering most of the canyon, preventing him from observing the ground there.

A faint voice echoed behind him, eventually resounding loud and clear in his ears, stunning him. "Rahu!"

"Mother?" Rahu flinched at the shout and instinctively turned around. But a pair of hands clamped his head and made him look forward.

A gentle voice resounded as the face of someone, possibly his mother peeked over his shoulder, "What are you thinking?"

Rahu was unable to see the source of the voice, but since it was his mother's voice, he wasn't flustered, speaking with a chirpy voice, "Isn't nature wonderful, mother? Look how the mist glides into the canyon and circulates to the top of the hill. I wonder what's the principle behind this?"

"Well, what do you think is happening here?" His mother's soft voice resounded, laden with curiosity. "My son is smart to figure out the cause, right?"

"That...well, I know why a mist forms." Rahu thought for a few seconds and answered, "Maybe the morning climate creates a temperature gradient on the ground surface, which results in this?"

"What about the flow then?" His mother's voice resounded, slightly rigid as compared to before.

Unable to notice the changes in her voice, Rahu pondered the cause for a few minutes, saying in the end, "It's due to the wind here."

"You know..." His mother's voice turned cold all of a sudden, "At the same age as you, your brother solved the mystery of this place. He even derived an equation to explain the volumetrics of the mist and calculated its flow pattern. But you..."

"You can't even figure out its mere cause?" Her voice was cold as the pair of hands holding his head tightened, "If you are dumb enough to not understand the cause for a simple phenomenon of nature like this, then feel it with your body."

"At least, after that, you'll be somewhat better." Saying so, his mother pushed him down the canyon.

"Mother!" Rahu screamed as he fell through the layer of mist, hearing his mother's cold words, "If you lack the smarts, bridge the gap with experience."

Through the mist he fell, accelerating as his surroundings were completely white. It didn't seem any different when he made contact with the ground, for an instant feeling the sensation of his body exploding from impact.

"Argh!" Rahu woke up with a start, panting profusely as his body was drenched with cold sweat. A couple of seconds later, he grunted in pain and clenched his face with his right hand, "Why the fuck did I have to remember her?"

"Dammit!"