Mark
Empty. That's the only word that came to mind upon entering Lillian's room. No pictures. Decorations. Nothing but a duffle bag under the bed and the furniture provided by the testing facility. He thought back to what he found in her file, the despair that haunted her eyes in the photo. Seeing her in person, her eyes had gotten a little brighter, a contrast of honey gold and pale aqua. They were mesmerizing.
Lillian turned her gaze away first, her focus shifting to her visor. There was a twitch of her ear, barely detected beneath the long strands of brunette and silver. "Is this about the glitch last night?"
Mark blinked. He cleared his throat, cheeks flushing warm. "Ah Yes, um. I'm in charge of keeping track of your game progress and investigating any reports you might file. I would like to ask you some questions. If you don't mind." Mentally, he scolded himself. Anyone would get uncomfortable if they were being stared at. Half expecting her to ask for someone else to represent her, he was surprised when she answered with a question of her own.
"Does this mean you're the only person who can see my game footage?" Her face held a mask of indifference, but her eyes carried a flood of varying emotions. Apprehension was the strongest. There was no doubt she had sensed something was off. He had watched her gameplay on repeat after his deep dive into her profile. The mysterious forest that manifested the moment her avatar was created, and her race being locked. How it had only unlocked when she was doing what had once come naturally to her before the accident that left her internally scarred beyond repair. It was as if the game was reacting to her subconscious. Did she even know what she was capable of?
"Sharing game footage and/or personal information is strictly prohibited without the permission of said player." Mark calmly recited this portion of the privacy section of the company contract. She released the breath she had been holding, every muscle visibly relaxed with the weight that was lifted.
She nodded, then sat on her basic bed. "What did you want to ask?" The raging storm of emotions in her eyes changed to a tranquil sunrise.
Mark sat on the edge on her desk. The long night still weighed heavy and he needed a minute to recall the questions he had for her. The first that came to mind was if she noticed anything strange about the avatar creation process. She shook her head "no". "Did you experience anything out of the ordinary, other than your race being locked when you entered the virtual world?"
Her face twisted in contemplation as she wondered just how much to share, then she shook her head and sighed. "I'm sure you ready in my file that I'm crippled." Mark nodded slowly. This particular topic was no simple matter and he was willing to wait patiently for her to finish. "It's a bit more than that. My left shoulder down to the toes on my left foot constantly tingle and burn from the nerve damage caused by the accident. When I entered the world of the game, my body felt whole again. It was like I was never hurt." Tears were brimming her eyes as she finished.
Understanding washed over him. For a brief moment, she was provided freedom from a torment that ate away at her daily. At what cost? He reached behind him, his fingers brushing against the earpiece before picking it up to hand it to her. "Could you please log into the game? I need to test one more thing?" She accepted the visor, but her eyes narrowed and her ears were pinned back, guarded once more. He couldn't help but see why the AI program in the game had given her the Shifter race. "I just need to see how your body responds to the game while you're logged in."
She slowly raised the visor to her eyes, glaring a warning throughout their ascent. "Log in." The visor lit up at the soft-spoken command. Her body sat perfectly while only her eyes moved. The managers of other players stated that it was normal for the testers to move their arms during gameplay. Could she be controlling her avatar with only her eyes or mind?
Now for the most crucial part. He touched her right hand. No response. He carefully lifted it from her knee and placed it back down. Nothing. His fears were confirmed. She was left vulnerable in the real world while she was logged in. He had the key to fixing the issue but should he use it and leave her suffering, or was there a different option? He remembered the tears in her eyes as she shared her first experience from the game, as if she had been a prisoner that was told she was set free. Something clicked in his mind. He rolled up the left sleeve of his turquoise button up shirt. A high-tech computer the size of a normal watch was strapped to his wrist. "PM Phoenix 'Please log out.'"