Science Fiction

IG

Earth: Year 2433:

by Sajitha Prematunge

"I've never had much luck with love." said Trisha putting on the head gear reluctantly. "But this is VRIG, it's different." Said Alexandria. "What's VRIG?" asked Trisha. "Virtual Reality ideal Guy or Gal - depending on the user." said Alexandria giggling.

They were clad in white in a barren, white room; the only objects were the headgear and the long black leather easy chairs they lay on. "O, I don't know about this...." before Trisha could complain any further a virtual image came in to their view.

They were in a room brightly lit by the morning sun. It was by the seashore and she could hear the sound of the thrashing waves. "Oh my God!" Trisha exclaimed seeing the man in front of her. He was also clad in white. "He's my dream guy!" she shrieked.

He was fair tall with blue eyes and curly blond hair just like Trishas.

"I told you. VRIG is really something isn't it! You should see mine." Said Alexandria looking at the same man. "Brown skin, sharp dark eyes, sort of ancient Mexican." Trisha was puzzled. "Yours?" "Yes, but you can't see him as I can't see yours...." Alexandria explained. "You see, the soft ware is amazing.

Only you can see your VRIG. The sensors on your head set manipulates the brain waves so a hologram is created of your IG using the information gathered... So is it everything you ever wished for?" "Everything except the extra butt." Said Trisha frowning at the image of the smiling man. "Ha.... ha..." Alexandria laughed.

"That's Piets handiwork. He's the profiler. He edits the IG profile using the results of the psycho scan we were asked to take by the VRIG company, few days ago. He does the final touches..." Alexandria smiled at Trisha "Thus the extra butt. It wouldn't be interesting if your VRIG were everything you ever dreamed of... I'll be in the next room, come Vasques" said Alexandria beckoning to her VRIG and disappeared through a wall of the room leaving Trisha alone with her VRIG.

Trisha sighed and opened her month to greet her IG. Just then Alexandrias head popped out of the wall again. "And another thing. Sometimes Piet likes to watch. So behave yourself." she wagged a finger at Trisha mischievously and re-disappeared in to the wall.

Trisha found her VRIG addictive. But sadly it was short lived like all other virtual reality gizmos of the day. "Am I boring you Trisha?" asked Steve, Trishas VRIG. "No Steve, go on." He was telling her about how he became a scientist.

It's funny she wondered. Why the hell did she ever want to marry a scientist in the first place. Scientists are unfeeling and insensitive. She knew; her brother was one.

Sometimes she found herself being rather unfeeling and insensitive herself. Now she found it hard to believe that she could live with someone like that.

She realized that she has constructed her imaginary IG so it would fit her parent's expectations. But what about her, what did she want? To her surprise her mind went blank. She had no idea what she wanted. Suddenly Steve blurred and disappeared in to thin air.

"My IG disappeared, what's up with that?" complained Trisha to Piet. Piet looked like the average computer geek - thin with jet-black hair and goggle like, fat-rimmed glasses.

"Well, you're altering your IG." Explained Piet. They were in his apartment where he also worked on the IGs. It was a dingy room with low light. But the room was surprisingly neat. There was a computer and hundreds of microchips in neatly labelled plastic containers, a note pad and sharpened pencils lying in a neat row on the table.

"And....." Trisha waited for a lengthier explanation." And you can't have a virtual reality IG before you make up your mind." "So what does she have to do?" joined in Alexandria. "Concoct a new IIG." replied Piet. "IIG?" asked Trisha.

"Imaginary IG" Alexandria explained. "It'll take a while..." went on Piet "I've seen this happen. Once you see your IG in virtual reality most people realize that that's not what they really want.

That like any human psychological phenomenon it's subject to physical, cultural, religious in your case family - influences." Trisha's face turned red with embarrassment 'what would he know about her'.

"The head set is programmed to read your thoughts, remember?" said Piet as if he was reading her mind. "O.... K, she'll work on her IG you just try to work out a profile." Said Alexandria sensing Trishas embarrassment. "First you give me an IIG" said Piet sitting back to work at his computer.

"Is he always this...." Trisha fought for the right word " blunt?" "He was just being open." Said Alexandria, walking out of the apartment. "Oh, by the way did you get a load of that chip? cool ha?" "What chip?" asked Trisha. "The chip on the back of his neck" "Oh.... my... God! Trisha came to a halt. "So he's an android!" Alexandria nodded.

Androids weren't out of the ordinary. The industry boomed after the 2290s labour force deficiencies. But androids like Piet were rare. Without the chip there was no way of telling the difference. Some were even programmed to possess human emotions.

Under normal circumstances Trisha wouldn't have worried about not having an IG. But since she realized that her old IIG was not what she really wanted shed grew anxious.

She called Piet several times to ask if he could do a profile without her help. Finally he had to explain to her that in order to do a profile she had to get a psycho scan and no amount of psycho scanning would be of use if she had no positive IIG. But upon much pleading he suggested that he could try a new gizmo on, her, but that there were no guarantees. When she got to his apartment he was sitting on a chair with a note pad and a pencil.

"So where's the new gizmo?" "This is it. "Said Piet waving the note pad "That's the new gizmo?" Said Trisha reproachfully. "Well, you wouldn't have come all this way if I told you I was gonna psycho analyze you, would you? besides the psycho scanner only picks up info not emotions." He did something that resembled a mile. "No one's gonna psycho analyze me." said Trisha adamantly."

To be continued next week

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