Complete Atopia Chronicles

Everyone’s reality skins fused and melted together as they entered, producing a confusing kaleidoscopic mash-up around the entrance as they stopped and looked around before fanning out inside.

Some parents were arguing with their kids to merge their realities with everyone else properly, arguments that were erupting into tantrums from both sides.

Bob looked around for somewhere quiet to talk. Organ grinder music had started up, somewhat macabrely, and little monkeys dressed in evening suits appeared, scuttling between the assembled guests, handing out information packs for the evening. Drinks and snacks floated and bobbed in refreshment islets between everyone. Bob took my arm and led me to a bench off to one side, under the shade of some saw palmettos.

“Jimmy, I know you don’t have many friends,” said Bob, his voice hushed now, “and I know it can’t be easy for you.” His voice trailed off as he searched for words.

“Okay, first thing, quit with the splatter skins, those were funny when we were little but it’s a bit odd when people…” he started to say, and then the head of one of the nearest adults suddenly shattered in a gory explosion of brains and skull fragments as if hit by high caliber rifle fire.

The headless, bloody victim continued to pick up a drink that floated by and poured this into its gaping neck wound. I smiled awkwardly. Bob glanced at this and looked back at me, shaking his head. I switched it off.

Bob looked up at the sky and then back at me.

“And I know you’re the king of the rag doll, but nobody wants to play that stuff anymore, get it? Stop asking people if they want to come inside your body with you, it’s starting to get weird.”

I nodded. I knew this but I couldn’t help it. I promised myself right there I’d stop.

“We all know you’re this specialist at finding cracks in the pssi system,” he continued, “but you gotta stop sneaking around. We’re adults now, and adults don’t sneak.”

Of course we weren’t and of course they did. I nodded again, regardless.

“So, you’ll quit sneaking into people’s bodies when they’re not looking right?” He waited for me to nod, and then added, “Look, why don’t you come out and try some surfing with me, whaddya say?”

“Sure Bob, you’re right, I mean, yes of course, I’d like that,” I mumbled, anxious but grateful.

Bob had always been nice to me, but this was the first time he, or anyone, really had had a heart to heart with me. The territory both scared and excited me.

“So you’ll come surfing?” asked Bob, smiling toothily at me now.

“Yeah sure,” I said, and smiled back.

He gave me a little punch in the arm. I guessed we were buddies now.

“Okay cool. So about Cynthia, look, she’s a girl, and girls want you to open up, be sensitive. I mean, I can tell you’re sensitive.” He laughed, looking into my puppy dog face. “Okay forget that.”

“She said she wanted to see something fun,” I suggested helpfully.

He looked up and considered for a moment.

“Yeah, girls like cool stuff. Perfect! Just open up to her a little. Why don’t you show her some of the stuff you’ve been working on at Solomon House? That should impress her. Girls like smart guys.”

“Do you really think so?” I asked. I had some new neural interface models I had been working hard on testing with Dr. Granger, who had taken a keen interest in my abilities.

I kept the models in my personal work space and hadn’t let anyone in there before. My private worlds were very private. After finally escaping from the clutches of my mother and father I hadn’t let anyone near me, emotionally or physically, and spent most of my time alone with my proxxi Samson and our simulated friends.

“Sure, open up a little, she’ll love that.”

Bob laughed, winking at me, and then raised his eyebrows, giving me a little poke with one of his phantoms to indicate something behind me. With a shake of his head he waved me off from turning my head around.

Instead, I snuck a peak behind me without turning my head, overlaying part of my visual channel with a local wikiworld view, and saw Cynthia coming up behind us. She noticed my ghost checking her out anyway.

“Go get ’em Tiger,” Bob said encouragingly as he got up to leave. “I’ve gotta go and catch my own sweetheart.”

Bob and Nancy had been intertwined since they were kids and had grown into the pssi–kid power couple. He walked back to the gathering crowd to leave me and Cynthia alone.

“Hey Cynthia,” Bob said playfully as he walked past her, looking back to wink at me again. Cynthia smiled at him and turned her gaze towards me. I began to sweat profusely.

“Hi Jimmy,” came Cynthia’s singsong voice. She skipped the last few steps up to me. I was dumbfounded for what to say, so I said nothing and smiled weakly. “So, what’s up?”

“Not…not much, how…how are you?” I stammered.

My mind went blank.

“…Cynthia,” I managed to stutter out after a few seconds of agonizing silence.

“I’m great!” she replied brightly, smiling shyly. “How’s your research going?”