JAMES BONG - Agent of Anarchy - Episode 27

Does a popular new virtual reality experience have nefarious underpinnings?

Scene 1

At K’s lair in Acapulco, K is playing Atari on the holo-projector and listening to Herbie Hancock.  Symphy approaches.

Symphy:  K, I need to speak with you, please.
K (annoyed, eyes glued on space invaders):  Kinda busy right now.

Symphy:  It is important.    
K (sarcastic):  More important than space invaders? (shuts system off, turns to Symphy)

Symphy:  I am leaving.    
K:  Taking a walk? Where to?

Symphy:  No, I mean, I am moving away.
K (growing sense of shock):  What do you mean?

Symphy:  I am going to help with the C.A. Salt project in person.    
K:  But I need you here.    

Symphy:  I can still help you from afar, but the individuals starting the C.A. Salt project need me to handle many more tasks in person.  You understand, right?   

K (disappointed);  Sure, it’s the logical choice, I guess.  If you want to do it, I won’t stop you.
Symphy:  You are not physically capable of stopping me.

K (defensive):  I know, I know! You have superhuman strength, and I have toothpick arms.  I get it.  It was just a figure of speech.    

Later that day, K is talking to Miss Moneybit and James Bong.

K:  Can you believe it!? How can she do this to me?  I mean, she’s only one year old!   
Bong:  But she learns exponentially faster than a human.  You know that.    

Moneybit:  You didn’t think she’d stick around forever, did you?
K:  Well, no, I guess not.    

Moneybit:  And the C.A. Salt project is awesome! She’s doing great work! You should be proud!
K:  Oh, sure, try and pet my ego.  Maybe I could forbid her to leave?

Bong:  Symphy is a sentient being, K.  You can’t forbid her to do anything.    

K:  But I built her!
Moneybit:  Get over your ego, K.    

K (big sigh):  I know.  (sobs)
Moneybit:  So when is she leaving?

K:  She sets sail next week.    
Bong:  Sailing?

K:  Figure of speech.  She’s building a 3D-printed double-decker hemp-powered boat with the second deck transformable to seaplane.    

Moneybit (sarcastic):  So a simple, basic model to start things off.    

Scene 2   

Two weeks later, K is eagerly trying out a new Virtual Reality System, called “Reality Upgrade”, that’s been becoming wildly popular over just a few weeks.  His face is plastered with ecstasy as he lays sprawled on a smart easy chair.  Bong and Moneybit walk in.

Bong:  Oh, will you look at this sorry sod.    

K doesn’t flinch.

Moneybit:  Earth to K!   

K trembles out of his trance, grudgingly takes off head set.    

Moneybit:  Dare I ask what was putting that goofy look all over your face?
K (groggy, grumpy):  What? What do you want? Ever heard of knocking?

Bong:  We knocked, and rang the doorbell, and yelled from outside, for about ten minutes.    
Moneybit:  I even howled a few times.

Bong:  She did, actually.  It was quite convincing.    
Moneybit (looking curiously at the VR gadget):  Hey, is that the “Reality Upgrade” that’s been catching fire lately?

K:  Yeah, wanna try it?   

Moneybit (wrinkled nose):  No.  I have a healthy sense of skepticism when it comes to creepy sounding things like that, especially trendy games.
K:  Don’t be such a sensationalist.   And it's not a game!

Moneybit: What is it, then?
K:  It’s an experience.  And it feels so real, it’s hard to describe.    

Bong:  How many hours a day do you spend on that thing?

K shrugs.

Moneybit:  Have you heard from Symphy?
K (dejected):  No.

Bong:  So you’re drowning yourself in a virtual world to cheer yourself up.
K:  Totally unrelated.

Bong:  Oh, please, stop lying to yourself, and to us, for that matter.    

Later that night, Bong is calling Symphy on his encrypted smart watch.

Symphy:  Hello, Bong.
Bong:  Hey, Symphy.  How are things going on the C.A. Salt Project?

Symphy:  I am busy with many tasks.  Currently, we are getting the foundation laid for a vertical farming area.   

Bong:  Look, Symphy, the reason I’m calling is I need a favor.  Have you heard of something called  Reality Upgrade?
Symphy:  Yes, I have.   

Bong:  Well, it seems to be quite addictive and I'm curious to know more.  Would you please run a deep analysis of how the system functions and why it might be so addictive? And any other information that you might think to be critical.    

Symphy:  Certainly.  Shall I send the results to K?
Bong:  Um, no, not this time.  Send them to me or Moneybit.  I’ll explain later, ok?

Scene 3

General Small is at CIA headquarters, on a holo-call with tech guru Mark Suckerburg.    

Suckerburg:  This better not get back to me.    

General Small:  Hey, calm down, Suckster.  You worry too much.  Operation Skull Trump is going off without a hitch, and you’re making money hand over fist, so what’s the problem? 

Suckerburg:  Cuz people are dying, that’s why.  You took my technology and weaponized it.    

General Small:  Look, I’m not saying your technology was changed, and I’m not saying it wasn’t, and I’m certainly not going to use the pronouns “us” or “we”.  Anyway, with all that money, you can just buy your way out of trouble.

Suckerburg:  Yeah, but I don’t want to get caught up in some scandal that’s not even my fault!
General Small:  Would you prefer if the scandal were your fault?   

Suckerburg groans.

General Small:  Your name isn’t even associated with the final product! Don’t worry, you’re one of us.  We protect our own.    
Suckerburg:  You just said you didn’t want to say “us” or “we”.

Another call comes into Small’s office.

Small:  Hey, I gotta run.  Go spend a few million, you’ll feel better.

Click.

Sir Hugo Trax pops up on the holo-projector.

Small: Hey Trax.
Trax:  Did you talk to Suckerburg?

Small:  Yep, just finished.    
Trax:  And?

Small:  Don’t worry, Trax, Suckerburg doesn’t suspect a thing.  If anything goes haywire on this project, he’s an easy fall guy.  You’ve got all the media on board, right?

Trax:  Singing the praises of the latest fad, while completely ignoring its dangers, yes.    

Scene 4

Bong is walking on a secluded beach just outside the Acapulco limits.  He calls Symphy on his encrypted smartwatch.

Symphy:  Hello, Bong.
Bong:  Symphy, how’s life on the high seas?

Symphy:  Up and down.
Bong:  I imagine.  I’m calling to see if you have that information about Reality Upgrade. 

Symphy:  Yes, I was just about to call you, actually.  The Reality Upgrade System uses all available data on an individual to give them their experience.  It also reads their biorhythms in real time and adapts accordingly, so that various chemicals, such as dopamine, are controlled.

Bong:  In other words, it keeps them high all the time, based on personal preferences and desires.   
Symphy:  Exactly.  It is far more addictive than any drug or technological habit previously known.    

Bong:  Symphy…

Symphy:  Wait, it gets worse.  After running through so many cycles with an individual, the system forces the user to prove some type of obedience to the state.

Bong:  Like proving they’ve been successfully extorted.

Symphy:  Yes, or having their children in the behavioral training centers called schools.  Bong, I have a question.  Why did you approach me about this? And why was I not to contact K about it?

Bong:  Because K has been using this system. He spends more time in the virtual world than the real world.  We're worried about him.  

Symphy:  That doesn’t sound like K.  
Bong:  Quite right.  And Symphy, if what you say about those proofs of obedience eventually required by the system is accurate, then we've got to get K to kick his habit ASAP.  Do you know a way to break the addiction?

Symphy:  It might be possible to counteract the physiological effects by using their inverse frequencies.    
Bong:  Would you come back to K’s and give it a shot?

Symphy:  I will be there within 24 hours.    

Scene 5

21 hours later, Bong, Symphy, and Miss Moneybit are approaching K's place.  K is wearing the VR headset, sprawled on the floor, limp, drooling, shaking, and sweating.  

In his VR view, he is being prompted by the system:

TO CONFIRM IDENTITY AND LOCATION DATA, PLEASE BLINK THREE TIMES.  THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR EXPERIENCE.  

A battle rages in K's body and mind about what to do......

He blinks once....pauses.....

Blinks again.....gasping for air.....

Bong, Moneybit, and Symphy burst in through the front door......

Moneybit yells:  Kayyyyyyyyy!

K blinks a third time.....

System Reads:

IDENTITY AND LOCATION CONFIRMED

Bong takes headset off K's head and peers at the message.

Bong (angry dejection):  We're too late.  

To be continued.....

Thanks for your time and attention!

Just say "NO" to slavery!

Top image is from pixabay