Skye is the Limit by Phenomenal Pen (detective books to read TXT) 📗

[audience applause]

You don’t need to do anything to join because if you own at least one Omni Systems smartphone, tablet or laptop, that automatically qualifies you to an entry into the lottery. Strictly one entry per person, guys. And don’t you dare try to hack us to increase your chances because, I’m telling you right now, you’re going to fail.

STANTON: What is SKYE exactly?

CHASE: It’s hard to describe it because it’s unlike anything anyone has ever seen or experienced before. It’s not a sim environment but it does trace its origins among the psychologists who wanted to provide a safe venue in which patients could face their fears. That’s what SKYE basically does. It’s a universe where people can deal with their subconscious in new ways.

STANTON: Deal with the subconscious?

CHASE: Yes, SKYE is firstly a neural-interactive projector. The acronym stands for Subconscious Klein-Yield Emulator. What this means is that SKYE hijacks the amygdala to tap into someone’s emotional memory. Your amygdala deals with emotions related to survival such as fear, anger and pleasure. SKYE then brings the subconscious out of the darkness and holds it in the spotlight.

STANTON: Can you translate that into, like, the for-dummies version?

CHASE: Well, to oversimplify, we’re working with dreams. SKYPE amplifies the lucidity of dreams many times over.

STANTON: Dreams?! You’re telling me you invented a dream machine?

[murmur from the audience]

CHASE: Um, yeah, that’s one way of calling it. But I don’t want you to imagine dreams in their raw, vague and disjointed form. AI steps in to fill in the gaps and to create a seamless narrative, in AV data, very much like a movie. Or a computer game.

STANTON: And you’re saying it’s real? It’s not a simulation or a program.

CHASE: Yeah. We can’t call it a sim because it doesn’t simulate anything. The content comes directly from the user’s imagination. And it’s most definitely real because perception is reality. The body can’t distinguish what we call reality from sensory images in our mind. I think it’s better to see for yourself because it gets very technical.

STANTON: What are you saying?! Do you have this device with you right now?

CHASE: Um, no, it’s backstage.

[murmur becomes louder]

STANTON: OMG! What are we getting ourselves into? To all our viewers, this is history we’re witnessing right now. Oh… Em…Gee… Is this it? Is this headset SKYE?

CHASE: Um, yes. It’s a biosensor that can read your brainwaves. OK, for this next trick I’m going to need a volunteer.

[audience laughter]

Unless you wanna go ahead and try it yourself… Bev?

STANTON: Is it safe?

CHASE: I give you my personal guarantee that it’s harmless. Only thing you should worry about is if you have any embarrassing thoughts tucked away in your subconscious that you don’t want the rest of the world to see.

STANTON: Oh, well, there’s…

CHASE: Just kidding. It’s a hundred percent controlled.

[audience laughter]

STANTON: You’re such a meanie. Um, OK... I’ll go.

CHASE: You’ll go?

STANTON: I’ll go.

CHASE: All right! Ladies and gentlemen, Beverly Stanton will go. Let’s give her some encouragement.

[audience applause]

STANTON: You got to walk me through it though.

CHASE: Don’t worry. It’s very easy. You can do this lying down and with your eyes closed.

STANTON: Oh yeah right. I get it. Coz I’d be sleeping. Har har. I’m really nervous about this. My heart is beating so fast. So, I just sit here on this chair that looks like Dr. Octopus’ throne?

CHASE: Yeah, and then I offer you two pills and show you the Matrix.

[audience laughter]

STANTON: Brr. It’s cold. You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Oh, wait, wait! WHAT IS THAT?

CHASE: Oh, it’s just a mild sedative. Nothing to worry about. As you can see, we have paramedics standing by backstage. Purely as a precaution.

STANTON: Okaaay… Now what?

CHASE: Now, you sleep. You’re already getting drowsy. Your eyes are getting heavy. You can barely keep your eyes open…

[audience laughter]

[fading laughter]

 

****

 

By default, the world is auto-populated by sheep, but every once in a while there comes a remarkable individual like Alexander Chase who moves and shakes it. At the young age of twenty, he changed the world when he took Omni Systems to new heights of greatness as the inventor of Omni Cascade, a universal operating system. Sixteen years later, he changed it again by introducing SKYE to billions of astonished televiewers across the globe.