Charlie's

8

Sarah and her bags disappeared. The clothing would wind up in her closet or dresser, ready for her to use the next time she logged in. If she ever did.

I logged out shortly after, wanting to see if she was okay. I'd gotten pretty efficient about getting up and out when logging out, but Sarah was almost as fast leaving her cabin. She dropped into a chair and just sat quietly. I fabbed some snacks and set them on a desk between us.

"Is it always like that?"

I sat down across from her. "No, like I said, it's adjustable."

"No, I mean...all the...everything."

"You've never done a sim bed before?"

"Just helmets in parlors."

"Oh. Um...yeah. It's like that. Goes straight to your brain. Overrides your senses. Things look real, sound real, taste real..."

"You can eat and drink in there?"

"If you want to, sure. The bed keeps you from starving, so you don't have to eat, but yeah, you can eat anything you want."

"And drink? I can't get drunk, right?"

"Sort of. It'll affect how you see and feel, but I've never gotten passed-out drunk in it. I don't know if I can."

Sarah smiled faintly. "Maybe I'll find out. Especially if I'm gonna be here for...you said months?"

"Two or three, easily. I usually see haulers or military here. This isn't exactly a tourist spot."

"You like it here."

"I'm a rock guy."

She looked me up and down. "Wanna show me your rocks?"

"...Uh..."

Sarah smirked and stood up. "In the morning. Out there." She strutted back to her cabin and shut the door, leaving me gaping after her.

This was more human interaction than I usually got. Yes, the people in the sim were realistic, but there was always the little voice in my head (and the occasional reminder) that they weren't, and somehow that helped me not be awkward with them. And there were always more of them, an entire simulated city full. Whereas here there was one woman -- kind of young for me but nevertheless a woman --who would be my sole company for months, months that could go a lot more roughly if things went bad.

Woman. Girl. Detainee. Criminal. Human being.

Something to sort out in the morning.