ã€ŠUNPLUGGEDã€‹


 1 : Anastasis

    Cecil Fortuna¡¯s fists were balled so tightly that he could see his knuckles had turned white. He attempted to perform his breathing exercises and stared at his bloodless knuckles which rested on the desk in front of him, feeling the discomfort of his nails digging into his palms.

    Sitting next to him was a girl that he suspected to be Yaeh Omalli. Since sitting down he¡¯d only dared two glances her way and both times her gaze had been clamped downwards leaving him uncertain. Whoever she was, she was breathing as heavily as he was.

    All thirty members of Class VC37, Cecil included, were arranged in pairs at tables in a dimly lit room. They¡¯d been ushered in one by one over the course of the last half hour, each student accompanied by one of their communal guardians and a City Coordinator.

    Only Cecil had been escorted by his parents. In a class of thirty students, he was the only natural born. All of his classmates, along with the majority of Venus City residents, were born in city-operated womb-vats and raised by communal guardians in accordance with the cloud-city¡¯s carefully maintained population schedule.

    The door to the room opened and the final student entered and was shown to their seat. Cecil hoped that it wouldn¡¯t be much longer before somebody explained to them why they had all been gathered like this. In person.

    This kind of thing just didn¡¯t happen any more. Schools had gone fully virtual centuries ago. Space was the most valuable commodity in a cloud-city. If the function of a building could be hosted on Plugnet, then it wasn¡¯t built. Such was the case for offices and schools, unlike hospitals or housing.

    This was the very first time that all thirty members of Venus City Academy Class 37 had ever met in person and the anxiety was so thick in the air that you could choke on it.

    Despite constant noises caused by the shuffles of fabric against seats or occasional coughs or sniffles. the students sat in what felt like an oppressive silence.

    Cecil desperately wanted to plugin. To escape the nauseating stress of existing in a physical space with other humans. And he knew that the urge was shared to some degree by all of his classmates.

    The anxiety squeezing at his heart like a cruel hand was felt by them all. He could see it plainly in every face. In the shallow breaths rising and falling in the backs of those sat before him. In the timid sniffles of the girl sat next to him.

    The knowledge that he wasn¡¯t suffering alone, that the terrible anxieties of physical existence were shared equally, not just by his classmates, but by his entire generation of fellow Venusians, was a hollow comfort.

    Cecil, with deliberate effort, released the tension in his aching fists, allowing them to relax. He felt his nails release from the soft skin that they¡¯d burrowed grooves into, yet their soft bite of pain lingered.

    He really, really, wanted to plugin.

    Be strong. Cecil urged himself. For mother and father.

    The sound of the door sliding smoothly open again caused Cecil to look up.

    Ms Amelie, their social studies tutor, entered the room looking nervous. Not as nervous as her students but still, nervous.

    Understandably so. The Desocialisation Crisis had started during her generation. While the effects on those aged in their thirties and forties manifested to a lesser degree than in younger generations, they were still significant.

    Cecil was grateful that she had attended in person. Seeing her calmed him.

    ¡°Good morning Class VC37.¡± Ms Amelie called out to the room. The familiarity of the greeting roused the class, and several students raised their eyes to meet that of their teacher.

    ¡°Good morning Ms Amelie.¡± Came the scattered and whispered reply, escaping from only a dozen lips.

    As quiet as it was, Cecil flinched at hearing his own voice. The girl next to him shrank into her seat. She had remained silent.

    ¡°Follow my breathing Class VC37.¡± Ms Amelie instructed in the exact same way that she had done so many times before. Her voice contained no tremble of anxiety despite her nervous eyes that betrayed the truth.

    She breathed in slowly and the class copied her. More from muscle memory and habit than for any other reason.

    Every morning under Ms Amelie¡¯s instruction, Class VC37 did breathing exercises. Although naturally the classroom was normally hosted on Plugnet.

    Ms Amelie held a breath then slowly released it. She breathed in again and her class followed suit. She exhaled a moment later.

    This continued for almost a minute, during which more and more heads slowly raised to look at their valiant teacher, who stood before them all, alone and vulnerable. Doing her best for her students.

    Class VC37 breathed in unison, and Cecil found himself sitting up a little taller. If she could do this, then so could he.

    ¡°Well done Class VC37. Now let¡¯s try this again. All of you do the best you can.¡± Ms Amelie stepped forwards. ¡°Good morning Class VC37!¡± She repeated slowly and with a smile.

    ¡°Good morning Ms Amelie.¡± The class replied.

    Cecil almost didn¡¯t cringe when he replied in a normal speaking volume.

    He had been amongst the loudest in the room, and he noticed that he had been joined by a whispered effort from the girl sitting next to him. He turned slightly to see that she had lifted her head up just enough to be able to see their teacher.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The girl looked similar enough to her Plugnet avatar that he was certain. The same unusual eye and hair colour. It was definitely Yaeh.

    <hr>

    Ms Amelie smiled at her class''s response. She knew the data. For kids their age, just on the cusp of their biological twenties, not many of their peers across Venus City could even be in this room without breaking down into full blown anxiety attacks, let alone speak out loud to her.

    As their social studies tutor she had been working with them for over a decade in order to prepare them for a day like today. She felt immense pride in them. They were being so brave.

    ¡°Ok kiddos. First off, well done to all of you for being here today. I know that you weren¡¯t exactly offered a choice in the matter, and I¡¯m sincerely sorry about that. But I was told that all of you came here under your own volition and without¡­ further prompting. That was very brave of all of you.¡±

    The class shuffled in their seats. The implied reference to the City Coordinators who had awoken them all from their Plugtanks earlier in the morning and shepherded them to this building under the unspoken threat of force, made the class visibly uneasy.

    ¡°As I¡¯m sure most of you are aware. Many large scale projects have been proposed by City Planning over the last few years to tackle the desocialisation crisis that plagues Venus. Our Social Studies class is one of many seedbeds for these projects.¡±

    All eyes on her.

    She felt that familiar ache in her chest, but wouldn¡¯t let it stop or slow her now. She had long ago promised herself that she would master her fears and do everything that she could to help free the next generation from it. She would perform her role with the courage that her kids deserved.

    ¡°Today is the day you all find out which project that Class VC37 has been assigned to undertake. Do we want the good news or the bad news first?¡± She asked. ¡°Raise your hand if we start with the bad news.¡±

    About a quarter of the hands went up.

    ¡°And the good news?¡±

    The remaining hands were raised, indicating a clear majority.

    ¡°The good news is that the incentives for your assigned program are quite frankly, unbelievably good and will hopefully provide all the motivation you will need to succeed.¡±

    She began to walk between the desks as she spoke.

    ¡°Eden University of Earth has pledged to provide honorary degrees to all members of Class VC37 who complete the project.¡±

    A ripple of soft gasps washed across the room.

    A degree from a Terran university meant a full solar passport. A golden ticket. An opportunity to leave Venus and an escape from the grip of Plugnet.

    ¡°On top of the degrees, graduates of the project will be able to access a full round of cosmetic gene editing, paid for in full by Venus City Council.¡±

    Another round of comotion. Cosmetic gene editing was an eye-wateringly expensive luxury that only the celebrities and elites of Venus had access to.

    ¡°Holy shit.¡± A boy in the front row murmured quietly to himself. While she wasn¡¯t able to recognise all of her students'' physical faces yet, she¡¯d made a point to remember the seating chart. The seat belonged to Lanc Misha, who was uncharacteristically subdued outside of the virtual reality.

    In the back row, Yaeh Omalli was almost sitting up straight now. Timid and watery eyes focused intently forwards. When she noticed that the boy next to her was looking at her, she shrank back slightly, but her eyes remained forwards.

    ¡°Well that got your attention didn¡¯t it?¡± Ms Amelie asked the silent class, meeting all of their eyes one by one as she paced slowly between the rows of desks. Unsurprised but a little saddened at how few of her students were able to maintain eye contact when she did so.

    ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re expecting, there is of course a catch. The bad news is¡­ out of all of the projects designed to tackle this crisis. The one that has been assigned to Class VC37 has been classed as amongst the most¡­ ambitious. That is to say, this project is going to be extremely difficult for all of you.¡±

    Several of her students shuffled nervously in their seats, waiting for the penny to drop.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry kids. They¡¯re going to disconnect you all from Plugnet.¡±

    Cries of shock erupted from the room. Two students rose from their seats and a few others glanced furtively at the doors where the City Coordinators were waiting imposingly. No escape.

    ¡°Please stay calm.¡± The teacher urged her class. ¡°You will be receiving some chemical prescriptions that I have been told have been quite effective at combating withdrawal. But I¡¯m afraid that your disconnections are effective immediately. You will not be able to reconnect to Plugnet until the project has concluded.¡±

    ¡°Your hardports will be removed later today.¡± She concluded solemnly, becoming more aware of the burning itchiness at the base of her neck where her own hardports had been removed the day before.

    <hr>

    After a brief round of desperate and ultimately futile pleas, the two students who had risen from their seats sank back down one after the other in stunned silence.

    Cecil¡¯s head was spinning. He absentmindedly scratched at the hardports at the base of his neck.

    Unplugged?

    The thing that he yearned for and dreaded the most. Escape, at a terrible cost.

    Hope and despair warred within him as he tried to focus on Ms Amelie¡¯s next words.

    ¡°After you¡¯ve all undergone the procedure to remove your hardports, a shuttle will be taking you to your new homes. The city has constructed a special campus island that will be home to yourselves as well as many other VC classes undergoing similar projects.¡±

    ¡°You will live on this campus alongside them for the next three years as you complete your graduate cluster. All classes and class activities going forwards will take place in person.¡± Ms Amelie finished, pausing a moment to let the consecutive bombshells land.

    Cecil was just about keeping up. A million questions raced through his mind. Did this mean he would be separated from his parents? The hand around his heart squeezed tighter.

    Ms Amelie continued.

    ¡°There is a lot more to cover. You will all be given a digital handout to read that contains a comprehensive guide to the VC37 project. You will have plenty of time to start reading through it all while in transit later today. For now, I can answer a few questions. I¡¯m sure you will have plenty.¡±

    Silence regained control of the room. After some time, a few uncertain hands began to rise, the students unfamiliar with the physical gesture that they mimicked from the Plugnet classroom interface.

    Ms Amelie smiled and nodded towards a student. ¡°Yes Isla?¡± She prompted.

    Isla Margale stood shakily.

    In their Plugnet classes, Isla was often amongst the loudest and most confident voices in 37. While that seemingly remained true in physical space, the difference was profound.

    Isla¡¯s voice trembled as she began to speak, but she quickly cleared her throat and forced out the words the best that she could upon her neglected vocal cords.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know where to start? Where will we live? Will we have access to Plugtanks? If not, how will we sleep? How will we eat? Without Plugnet how will we complete our classwork, I mean, how will we even access this stupid handout thingy? How- how¡­¡± She trailed off, tripping over the words which tumbled out faster and faster as she rattled off the questions.

    Ms Amelie held up a hand and gestured for the frustrated student to sit. ¡°Thank you Isla, those are all very sensible and practical questions.¡±

    ¡°Firstly, please be assured that every detail and facet of this project has been planned and prepared for extensively over the last few years by some of the best minds in City Council. All of your physical needs will be catered for and everything that you will need to complete your classwork will be provided to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m told that you will all be given a ¡°tablet¡± device which will allow you to physically access all academic Plugnet facilities. Including the project handout.¡± The teacher explained.

    ¡°As for where you will all be living. I was saving this for last.¡±

    Amelie Blanca paused, mentally bracing herself to deliver the revelations.

    ¡°You will all be living in a student dormitory. The dormitory will contain fifteen separate apartments. Each apartment will contain a bedroom, a kitchen, a living space, a study space and a bathroom. There will be no Plugtanks. You will be sleeping in beds and you will be eating and drinking real food throughout the entire project. No nutrient IV.¡±

    She paused for a moment to let the information sink in, but another hand had already gone up. It was Cecil Fortuna¡¯s.

    ¡°Yes Cecil.¡± The teacher permitted.

    ¡°Miss, there are thirty of us in 37¡­ not fifteen.¡± Cecil pointed out.

    While his voice was clearly more adept at being used and wasn¡¯t as raspy and hoarse as Isla¡¯s had been, Amelie could hear the tremble that wavered through every word.

    She smiled warmly at her brave student.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct Cecil. You will all be cohabitating with the person sitting next to you. You will live together with them, eat with them, study with them and-¡± She paused. This was the part that she struggled to understand herself. ¡°And share a bed with them. You will be spending every single day with your partner for the next three years. All of you, please do your very best to get along.¡±

    <hr>

    Cecil turned slowly, his eyes widening, to face the person sitting beside him who was mirroring the motion herself. For the first time in their lives, Cecil Fortuna and Yaeh Omalli made unbroken eye contact.

    They were both too stunned to recoil from the connection.

    While a million thoughts and a gallon of panic coursed through his mind, what Cecil was more aware of than anything else in that moment, was how violet Yaeh¡¯s eyes were.

 2: Shipping

    The gentle thrumming and motion of the shuttle gradually roused Cecil from his sedation. His neck burned and his head swam.

    He sat up slowly in his seat, becoming aware of the buckle and straps that held him securely in place. The shuttle banked to the left causing him to sway to the side and his arm to bump gently against the passenger next to him.

    Cecil turned to see the top of Yaeh¡¯s lilac hair. She was slumped in her seat, still asleep, gently rocking from side to side with the motion of the shuttle.

    He tried not to dwell on her, or on their current situation. They had sat next to each other in agonising silence while waiting for their respective appointments at the clinic. Waiting for their turn to be gutted. Unplugged from the safe haven and dopamine drip of Plugnet¡¯s virtual existence.

    He had wanted to say something to her. They weren¡¯t strangers, they had known each other for over a decade. Ever since they had been enrolled into Class VC37 together when they were kids. They¡¯d watched media together, played games together, studied and socialised together.

    But that was all in Plugnet, where the rules made sense and they could all be themselves.

    Physical existence was just¡­ constant discomfort.

    Cecil could feel his own skin. His own breathing. The ache in his joints and lower back that came from extended time in a Plugtank. He was aware of all of it, all the unnecessary and unpleasant feedback of a flesh and bone body.

    His parents had made Cecil unplug every evening to eat dinner together as a family, so the discomfort wasn¡¯t alien to him, but this day so far had been the longest amount of time he¡¯d spent outside of his tank in years. It was taking a toll.

    The burning on his neck flared momentarily. A hot itchiness with an undercurrent of dull, medically suppressed pain.

    He cautiously explored the base of his neck with a hand, feeling at the skin just above his collarbone where his hardports had been only few hours prior.

    He felt carefully at the medical padding and bandages secured to the wound. The subdued pain flared softly. Not enough to cause serious distress, but enough to warn him against further poking.

    Cecil sighed and collapsed backwards into his seat and stared at the shuttle ceiling.

    A raspy voice caught his attention from the seats to his right.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to hear it! Listen, I¡¯m NOT going to carry you Karkos. I¡¯m really going to give this my all and I expect you to keep up.¡±

    Cecil turned to see who was speaking.

    A girl with long black hair and icy white eyes was leaning forwards in her seat, head turned so that she could speak to the person sitting next to her.

    She had gaunt features, sunken eyes and sallow skin. All common traits of someone who lived  their existence inside of a Plugtank, sustained only by basic nutrients. All of VC37 looked like that to some degree.

    Cecil couldn¡¯t recognise her from appearance alone but from her confident tone, he had a guess.

    The girl listened to a whispered response from her partner then huffed.

    ¡°Stop making excuses. We¡¯re all in the same boat here if you hadn¡¯t noticed. I¡¯m not magically doing any better than you, I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯ve just made the decision that I wasn¡¯t going to change who I am because some asshole city higher ups decided to unplug us. I¡¯m still me, and you¡¯re still you!¡±

    Cecil stared at the girl in awe. She was almost shouting.

    Not even a full day out of the tank and Isla Margale was already bossing people around again like nothing had changed. How the hell was she doing that?

    The girl that Cecil presumed to be Isla noticed Cecil watching her and she waved at him awkwardly.

    He paused, almost looking away out of instinct, but made himself wave back with a small motion.

    ¡°Hi over there.¡± The girl rasped in his direction as cheerfully as she could. ¡°It¡¯s Isla, and Karkos. Who are you guys?¡±

    ¡°Um, Cecil. And Yaeh.¡± He added, nodding to Yaeh in the seat next to him. As he did, he noticed that her eyes had opened and that she was looking at him blearily.

    ¡°Oh wow, Cecil! You look so different. Good actually!¡± Isla replied warmly. ¡°I guess all those family dinners paid off for you in the end huh?¡± She smiled.

    Cecil felt a lump in his throat as he opened his mouth to respond before closing it again, uselessly.

    He had always been a quieter member of 37. Never one to take the spotlight or be the centre of attention. He wasn¡¯t a loner, and was on good terms with his classmates, but he had been perfectly content with his role as a background character.

    In their current situation, he was the one member of 37 who should have a genuine advantage. He had spent more time out of the tank than anyone else. He¡¯d eaten real food, walked and talked every single day.

    And yet, he felt completely useless. Words catching in his throat as though it was the first time he¡¯d ever tried speaking.

    Cecil had been given an unbelievable head start, and yet it felt as though Isla had already lapped him.

    He nodded in response to Isla, swallowing the lump in his throat the best that he could.

    Realising that was the best she was getting out of Cecil for now, Isla turned around and began to introduce herself to the duo on the other side of the aisle.

    Cecil slumped back into his seat again, thoughts and anxieties racing around his mind. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he could see Yaeh looking at him, but couldn¡¯t face turning around to see. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, the dull burning in his neck providing miserable company.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    <hr>

    ¡°No Miss, please, you don¡¯t understand!¡± Hereon pleaded, straining against the seat straps.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Hereon, but it¡¯s not possible. You have to accept this.¡± Ms Amelie replied as calmly as she could.

    ¡°I have to tell her what¡¯s going on! She will be wondering where I am!¡± The boy begged.

    ¡°No she won¡¯t.¡± Ms Amelie replied coldly. ¡°You know she won¡¯t Hereon, she¡¯s just an AI.¡±

    Hereon struggled against the straps. All of the students had been locked into their seats for the shuttle journey. So far only Hereon had attempted to flee. It wasn¡¯t unexpected.

    Realising the buckle wouldn¡¯t open, Hereon fell back into his seat, hitting his head against the soft cushioning.

    The boy had developed an extremely unhealthy attachment and ¡°relationship¡± with an illicit companion AI on Plugnet. While AI companion programs were supposedly monitored and restricted in their functions, ¡°unlocked¡± AI were commonly traded on the dark market.

    While many Venusians, and several other members of 37, owned standard AI companions, it was an illegal AI that Hereon had fallen for. A model with no restrictions on romantic or sexual interaction.

    ¡°She needs me.¡± Hereon pleaded. ¡°She told me that she needs me. And I need her too. Miss please, just let me plug in for five minutes, I- I can say my goodbyes and then that¡¯s it, I can do the project, I¡¯m sure she will wait for me. I- I¡­ I just need to say goodbye. I love her.¡± Hereon trailed off. His voice fading to little more than a pained whisper.

    Ms Amelie listened silently, pitying the boy deeply. Hereon had been like this ever since they had arrived at the clinic. Pleading, weeping, attempting to flee. The City Coordinators had had to restrain him practically the entire time before he had finally been sedated for the unplugging procedure.

    She was furious. She had flagged the issue to City authorities more than a dozen times over the last year. She had gone through all of the correct channels, reported the illegal AI, requested specialist support for the student so that he could recover from his unhealthy dependency on the thing.

    But the authorities had done nothing. They had searched his files after her second report, but Hereon had backed the AI up in an offshore directory and when the authorities found nothing in their search, the matter had been marked as resolved and no follow up was provided.

    Amelie prayed that Hereon would survive being unplugged. It was all she could do for him for now.

    She placed a hand on his shoulder and he recoiled slightly at the contact. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hereon. Just take it one day at a time. Here. Your data tablet.¡±

    She offered the device to the troubled student again. This time, he raised a hand to numbly accept it.

    A small victory. She moved forwards, offering one of the devices to each of her students. Those who sat in the vicinity of Hereon were glad for a distraction from the uncomfortable confrontation.

    All of the students were now awake and each one in turn accepted their device.

    Amelie could see some of them playing with the things, trying to work them out. Some had even managed to turn them on.

    ¡°Alright 37, eyes on me.¡± Ms Amelie called out to the class once she¡¯d finished distributing all thirty devices. She stood at the front of the passenger section of the shuttle. The seating was arranged in five rows of three pairs of seats, with all partners sitting together.

    All eyes were on her again.

    She cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯ll now explain to you how to use your data tablets. You will find the ¡°on¡± switch on the top edge of the device.¡± She held up her own tablet and tilted it to show the students the switch.

    ¡°Once the device is on, you will be able to access all of your files and functions from the home screen, like this.¡± She demonstrated on her own device.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a function that some of you might find useful. Notes. See, it¡¯s right here on this row. If you tap the Notes icon it will open up a program that will allow you to write with the device. If you are struggling to speak, please try using this function to communicate with your partners.¡±

    Her students followed along on their own devices and she was happy to see some of them holding up written notes for their partners to read.

    She continued with the demonstration.

    <hr>

    ¡°Hi Cecil.¡± The words on the screen read.

    Yaeh held up her tablet with shaking hands so that Cecil could read it.

    Cecil blinked slowly, surprised but encouraged by the sudden communication from his partner.

    ¡°Hi Yaeh.¡± He replied out loud, trying his best to smile naturally. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    Yaeh turned her tablet around and quickly scribbled words onto the surface of the device with a finger before turning it back around. ¡°I¡¯m ok. Very nervous. Sorry for not speaking.¡± The screen read.

    Cecil began to reply but became self conscious and struggled with the words. He turned on his own tablet and opened up the notes program. ¡°That¡¯s ok. Talking is hard.¡± He wrote for Yaeh to read.

    She nodded slowly in agreement before writing a response. ¡°Are you ok?¡±

    Cecil tried again to smile his most natural smile and gave his partner a thumbs up, needing only a quick moment to remember how to make the gesture with his physical hand.

    Yaeh turned her tablet around again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being very good at this stuff. I will try my very hardest to be a good partner for the program. Please be patient with me.¡±

    Cecil looked at Yaeh. Her violet eyes poked nervously over the top of her tablet which she held up in front of her face like a shield. Despite her nerves, Cecil could see quiet resolve in his partner¡¯s watery eyes. She really was trying her best.

    He began to write a response on his own tablet before lowering it slowly. He instead nodded to Yaeh, meeting her eyes.

    ¡°Me too.¡± He croaked out.

    Yaeh held his gaze, then lowered her tablet slowly and deliberately. She breathed in, then offered a shy smile to Cecil before busying herself with her tablet.

    Cecil sat stunned. He thought about Yaeh¡¯s towering owl-like avatar on Plugnet and how calm and composed she used to act. She gave a completely different impression in person. Was that the real Yaeh, or was this? What about himself, was this the real him?

    Questions he had no answer for.

    ¡°Yo! Is that you Cecil?¡± A voice called from the row in front of him. Cecil looked up and saw a boy straining to turn in his seat.

    ¡°Aeon?¡± Cecil answered.

    ¡°Hell yeah it¡¯s me brother! We recognised each other, how cool is that? We must be soulmates!¡± Aeon Bounder grinned.

    Cecil frowned at his foolish best friend. ¡°Aeon, you are the only idiot I know who says ¡°Yo.¡± Anyone would recognise you.¡±

    ¡°Aeon?¡± Isla asked from her seat.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. Who¡¯s that?¡± Aeon answered loudly. Straining even more in his seat to turn around and see who the new voice belonged to.

    ¡°It¡¯s Isla. Stop shouting!¡± Isla chided.

    ¡°I¡¯m not shouting!¡± Aeon huffed loudly. ¡°This is my normal speaking volume¡­ I guess.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re definitely shouting, stupid!¡± Cecil agreed and kicked at Aeon¡¯s seat with a smile.

    ¡°Hey don¡¯t kick! Miss, can you unbuckle me? I want to speak to my friends.¡± Aeon asked Ms Amelie, who had walked over to investigate the raised voice.

    ¡°Sure, but only to turn around, you can¡¯t get out of your seat until we dock, OK?¡± The teacher agreed and unbuckled Aeon¡¯s straps.

    ¡°OK, promise.¡± Aeon agreed, and then turned to kneel on his seat so that he could see the row behind him.

    ¡°Miss, can¡¯t you gag him instead?¡± Isla asked jokingly.

    ¡°Rude!¡± Aeon protested, grinning boyishly over the back of his seat.

    It comforted Cecil to know at least two members of 37 were the same as ever. On the surface at least.

    He was also pleasantly surprised at how much easier he found it to speak out loud to Aeon. Friendship and familiarity went a long way it seemed.

    Isla laughed hoarsely and pointed at Aeon. ¡°Where did all your muscles go, Aeon?¡±

    ¡°Right here baby!¡± Aeon answered boastfully and rolled up a sleeve of his white Academy jumpsuit to flex an almost skeletal arm. ¡°Once a beast always a beast.¡±

    ¡°Wow we all look terrible don¡¯t we. Well everyone except Cecil I guess.¡± Isla complained after laughing at Aeon¡¯s antics. ¡°I miss my avatar. I spent so long unlocking all my outfits and styles. Now I just look the same as everyone else. Like a dying ghoul.¡±

    ¡°Nah, you don¡¯t look bad at all, Isla. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Aeon consoled.

    ¡°Liar! But it¡¯s ok, I don¡¯t look as bad as you, so that¡¯s enough for now.¡± Isla teased.

    ¡°Ok so who is who?¡± Aeon asked, changing the subject and looking at the silent boy sitting next to Isla.

    ¡°That¡¯s Karkos. And the two in the other corner are Petal and Forger.¡± Isla answered, gesturing to the other corner of the shuttle. Aeon waved.

    ¡°Who are you partnered with Aeon?¡± Cecil asked.

    ¡°Oh uh, Lulu.¡± Aeon answered sheepishly, looking down at the seat next to him. ¡°She¡¯s um, not really talking so much yet. Which is fine by the way, no rush! What about you Cecil, who¡¯s your partner?¡±

    Cecil turned to look at Yaeh who watched the conversation nervously. She jumped slightly when he turned. She definitely wasn¡¯t ready to speak yet either. ¡°I¡¯m with Yaeh.¡± Cecil answered. ¡°She¡¯s also not talking yet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah Karkos is struggling too.¡± Isla added. ¡°I think a lot of people are to be honest. I mean, speaking is hard! I don¡¯t recognise the sound of my own voice and it sounds awful. It hurts when I speak because my voice box isn¡¯t used to it. And I start to feel so nervous every time I try to open my mouth.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. Same!¡± Aeon replied. ¡°It¡¯s really weird. But I¡¯ll just talk lots and lots until I get used to it I guess. Everything turns normal when you do it often enough.¡± He said with a grin.

    Isla giggled hoarsely. ¡°Well said.¡± She approved, returning the grin.

 3: Threshold

    Ms Amelie placed a card against the handle of the door and a small light turned green. She turned the handle and pushed the door open, gesturing for Cecil and Yaeh to follow her.

    ¡°The door automatically locks when closed. You can open it with your thumbprint on the handle, or with one of these keycards. If you¡¯d like to give a keycard to one of your neighbours let me know and I can provide you with extra copies.¡± The teacher explained as she led her students into the apartment.

    Cecil and Yaeh looked around the large living space. By Venus City standards the apartment was enormous. Most Venusians lived in cramped abodes containing enough room for a Plugtank and a small amount of possessions and bare necessities.

    Plugtanks had originally been sold as a space saving solution. Once fully immersed in a Plugtank and connected to it via the wires and tubes which attached to a person¡¯s hardpoints, the tank could sustain almost all of a body''s physical needs.

    Food, water, air, sleep and waste extraction, all provided by one tank, eliminating the need for bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms.

    Humanity on Venus City quickly found themselves dependent on Plugtanks if for no other reason than that they became the only affordable way to live almost overnight.

    Plugtanks hit the market and almost immediately afterwards rent had skyrocketed as the housing barons recategorised the maximum occupancy of their properties.

    The kind of apartment that Yaeh and Cecil found themselves in was a relic of the past.

    A large open living space with a comfortable looking sofa and entertainment console that connected to a spacious and well equipped kitchen area.

    A dining space with an actual table.

    A bathroom with a real bath and shower.

    And lastly a bedroom with spacious storage for clothes and a large bed in the centre, easily big enough for two.

    Cecil followed along with the tour in a stunned stupor. He was mostly familiar with each of the room¡¯s functions. The abode he shared with his parents had all of the same features, just nowhere near as much room.

    He thought about the foldout beds that would slide into the wall to make room for an eating space where they ate sitting on the floor using plastic trays. And their kitchen which doubled as a bathroom with a drain on the floor and waterproof appliances.

    Cecil suspected that his family¡¯s entire home could fit snugly into any one of this apartment¡¯s four large rooms. Except perhaps the bathroom.

    Yaeh walked around the apartment following Ms Amelie, touching the furniture and appliances one by one, inspecting them curiously. She seemed far less shocked by the apartment than Cecil. But that made sense.

    Yaeh would have essentially lived inside her tank since childhood. Her tank would have been stored in a facility with thousands of others. Twice a month the residents would have been woken from their tank to complete necessary physical exercises and occasional medical tests. Then back into the tank they went.

    To Yaeh, the apartment was just another curiosity. Something straight out of retro media. A small abode would be just as much of a novelty as a luxury apartment to someone who had lived their whole life in the realms of virtual reality.

    ¡°Are you listening Cecil?¡± Ms Amelie asked.

    ¡°Oh, um. Sorry Miss, can you repeat that.¡± Cecil answered sheepishly. He had been caught thoroughly distracted.

    ¡°I was saying that there is only enough food in the storage for the next three days or so, you will need to make a trip to the superstore at the centre of campus to buy more.¡±

    ¡°You will be able to use your tablets to pay for anything you need at the shops there. You will all be provided with some credits each week, be careful not to fritter them away.¡± Ms Amelie instructed.

    ¡°Oh, Ok Miss.¡± Cecil answered, and Yaeh nodded to indicate that she had also understood.

    ¡°Well that concludes the tour. If you have any other questions please consult the handbook on your tablets. It will explain all the functions of your apartment and also list all of the daily tasks you should complete in order to be healthy and hygienic.¡±

    ¡°That last part is very important, trust me.¡± Ms Amelie emphasised. ¡°You won''t be familiar with hygiene as it isn¡¯t necessary in Plugnet. Please, if you only listen to one piece of advice from me; do not neglect your daily hygiene tasks!¡±

    Cecil nodded. His father sometimes smelled bad after long shifts at the plants so he understood this part.

    Yaeh continued to pay close attention to everything Ms Amelie told them, sometimes pausing to write down notes on her tablet, either for her own memory, or to turn around and show to her teacher to ask a question.

    ¡°Ok, that covers the basics. You two will have the next three days to yourself. Classes resume on Monday. You can find directions to the classroom building and your class schedules on your tablet.¡± Ms Amelie concluded, heading towards the exit.

    ¡°Wait Miss.¡± Cecil called after her.

    The teacher stopped in the doorway and turned back. ¡°What is it Cecil?¡±

    ¡°Um, well... What do we do now?¡± Cecil asked uncertainly.

    Ms Amelie paused and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, painfully aware of her inability to answer the question satisfactorily.

    ¡°Well. Feel free to explore campus. You have some credits that you can spend if you wish. You could also familiarise yourself with your new apartment. Oh, there are four other apartments on this floor so you could interact with your neighbours. And, well, you could spend some quality time with your partner. Try to use this time to bond, if you like.¡± Ms Amelie finished halfheartedly.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Yaeh nodded earnestly.

    Cecil nodded awkwardly. The answer wasn¡¯t particularly helpful.

    ¡°Ok kids. I¡¯ll see you on Monday. If you need anything, you can message me on your tablet. Take care of yourselves.¡± Ms Amelie said as she closed the door behind her.

    Cecil and Yaeh stood in silence on the other side of the closed apartment door, and the threshold of their new lives and home, for a long moment.

    They slowly turned to look at each other, then looked away nervously.

    Cecil wanted to plugin again.

    It was late afternoon and by this time he would normally be plugged into his tank, socialising with friends or playing games.

    He found himself subconsciously looking around the large room several times, as though hoping to find a Plugtank tucked away in a corner of the living space that he had somehow managed to avoid seeing.

    Yaeh found her way to the sofa and sat down wordlessly, looking at her tablet.

    Cecil found an empty glass in a kitchen cabinet and poured a glass of water from the dispenser, then sat down at the dining room table with it. He pulled out his own tablet and began to aimlessly kill time reading through the contents.

    <hr>

    Several painful hours passed.

    Cecil had long since finished his water and had given up on reading his tablet. It lay next to him face up on the table. He was far too restless and anxious to be able to focus on reading the long and dull project handbook.

    He rested his head on the hard table, watching as his breath fogged the wood-like polymer surface.

    The door to the room opened.

    Cecil raised his head slowly to find Yaeh standing sheepishly in the doorway almost hiding behind the door frame. She didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Um. Hi Yaeh. Do you need something?¡± Cecil asked stiffly.

    Yaeh looked around the empty dining area before hastily entering and pulling out a chair opposite Cecil to sit on.

    Cecil sat up straighter in his own seat.

    Yaeh clutched her tablet to her chest as she sat. Then once seated, slowly and deliberately turned the tablet around to lay it face up onto the table so that Cecil could read.

    ¡°I feel sick.¡± It read.

    Cecil squinted at the words, taking a moment to process them, then he panicked.

    He rose to his feet awkwardly, stumbling over his chair as he stood.

    Oh god what do I do? He thought to himself. Mind racing. Do we call for someone?

    ¡°Wh-Whats wrong? Do you have a fever? Have you vomited? OH! Ms Amelie said we have some medicine in the kitchen, like for sleeping and for withdrawal and stuff! I¡¯ll see what we have-¡± He paused half-turned to leave the room, but Yaeh was shaking her head, flustered.

    Her pale face flushed as she quickly scribbled new words onto the tablet.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, I don¡¯t think so anyway. This is new to me though so I thought I¡¯d ask you for advice.¡± The words read.

    Yaeh was looking up at Cecil with nervous optimism.

    Cecil took a moment to calm himself then sat back down. ¡°What do you feel and where do you feel it?¡± He asked, determined to help.

    Yaeh wrote her response. ¡°It¡¯s my abdomen. It feels bad. Sometimes it hurts a little and just before I came in here, it made a noise, like a vibration. That worried me so I thought I¡¯d ask for help.¡± She placed a hand on her stomach to indicate the area, trying her best to stay calm.

    Cecil read. Then he understood. ¡°Oh thank god.¡± He exclaimed with relief. ¡°You¡¯re just hungry. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s see what food we have.¡±

    Cecil rose to his feet and offered a hand to Yaeh who took it after a hesitant pause.

    He led her by the hand to the kitchen area before letting go to search through the food storage unit.

    ¡°That¡¯s the cabinet with the medicine, I think there might be something in there to help you eat.¡± Cecil said, pointing a finger at the cabinet in question. It was on the ground level next to the food storage unit. Yaeh nodded and bent down to search.

    Cecil found several pouches of liquid in the refrigerated storage unit labelled as ¡°Liquid Diet - Yaeh.¡± He took one of the pouches, then paused before grabbing a lumpy pouch labelled ¡°Mac and Cheese.¡± He was a little hungry too.

    He closed the door to the food storage unit and turned to find Yaeh facing him clutching onto a bottle of liquid. She handed it to him so he could read the label. ¡°Diet Transition Supplement - Yaeh.¡±

    Cecil nodded, then handed back the bottle along with the pouch of liquid food. He consulted his tablet to quickly check that the medicine and the food pouch were correct and which order they were to be consumed in.

    ¡°Ok Yaeh. It says that you¡¯re supposed to drink a small cup of the supplement first. There should be a measuring cup in this cabinet.¡± He retrieved the marked plastic cup, then walked over to the kitchen island to set down the cup.

    Yaeh hovered near him closely so that she could see what he was reading on his tablet and he turned the device so she could see the screen clearly. She nodded as she read, her side pressing softly against his own.

    She was so close that Cecil could smell the tank fluid in her hair. He realised that he likely smelled the exact same.

    Yaeh finished reading and Cecil twisted the top off the supplement fluid bottle then poured out the correct volume for Yaeh¡¯s first dose. He handed her the small cup of medicine.

    She took it from him with clumsy fingers and inspected the pale grey fluid, then looked up at Cecil uncertainly. Cecil mimed the motion of raising the cup to his mouth and drinking the fluid. Yaeh nodded and furrowed her brow with determination as she lifted the cup and drank the liquid.

    He took the cup from her hand after she had finished swallowing the liquid. ¡°Great job!¡± Cecil praised and squeezed Yaeh¡¯s shoulder gently in the same way that his mother would to show encouragement. ¡°Next up is the food pouch but you have to wait thirty minutes first Ok?¡±

    Yaeh nodded and accepted the offered pouch of food which she clutched to her chest resolutely.

    ¡°Luckily that pouch has a straw attached so it should be a lot easier to drink from. Do you know what to do?¡± He asked.

    Yaeh inspected the pouch then nodded.

    ¡°Great.¡± He answered, making a one-handed motion in the air to access the Plugnet function menu to set a thirty minute timer.

    He paused, then looked at his hand. Yaeh¡¯s eyes followed, also looking at his hand. Then they looked at each other.

    Cecil swore under his breath while Yaeh smiled smugly.

    ¡°I was wondering which one of us was going to do that first.¡± The note written on her tablet read as she held it towards him victoriously.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, you will do it too, trust me it¡¯s a hard habit to break. I do this all the time at home when I unplug, and I unplug every day.¡± Cecil protested, before returning a smile to Yaeh.

    Yaeh made several inputs on her tablet and Cecil thought she was writing a new note, but when she turned it back around it displayed a timer counting down from thirty minutes.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s handy. I guess people needed ways to set timers before Plugnet too.¡± Cecil said appreciatively.

    They stood together quietly for a moment, but Cecil felt that this time the silence was a lot more bearable.

    He decided to rehydrate his mac and cheese meal pouch for something to do.

    Yaeh joined him in the kitchen area, seeming to prefer Cecil¡¯s company than being in the other area by herself.

    She watched him intently as he used the kitchen appliances. Luckily everything he was used to using in his own kitchen at home was present in this kitchen too. He was able to find his way around, even if some appliances were different models.

    Once he had rehydrated and heated his meal he took a plastic fork from the cutlery dispenser and began to eat.

    Yaeh approached timidly and stood closely by him again to sniff at his food. He lowered the pouch towards her so that she could smell it, then ate a forkful of mushy pasta as Yaeh wrote on her tablet.

    ¡°It smells like nothing.¡±

    Cecil sniffed at the bag himself. He thought he could faintly detect cheese.

    Yaeh wrote more. ¡°I thought physical space would smell more. The food and perfumes in Plugnet smell so amazing and vibrant. So far today, I¡¯ve barely smelled anything, it¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, Plugnet does something to our brains that affects our physical senses. Smells and tastes especially.¡±

    Yaeh nodded, looking slightly forlorn.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cecil asked.

    ¡°I want to plug back in more than I thought I would. I thought it would take at least a few days before I missed it. But I miss it all the time, really badly. I¡¯ve always wanted to unplug, so I thought this project could be an amazing opportunity. But I think it¡¯s going to be really difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yaeh wrote.

    Once Cecil finished reading Yaeh lowered the tablet defeatedly.

    Cecil didn¡¯t know what to say. Even if he did, he wouldn''t know how to say it. He wanted to tell her that he felt the exact same way. That he had the exact same fears.

    But he couldn¡¯t.

    So he hugged her softly instead.

    Yaeh stiffened at first, then after a moment, she leaned into the embrace, raising a hand to Cecil¡¯s chest to softly grip the fabric of his jumpsuit.

    Cecil¡¯s mother would always hug him like this when he felt anxious or scared, and for some reason, he always felt better.

    Cecil hoped to do the same for Yaeh.

 4: Housings

    ¡°Alright, that should cover all of the essentials. Again, classes will resume on Monday and you can find everything you will need to know on your tablets. Use them to contact me if there is an emergency. See you on Monday.¡± Ms Amelie finished in a well rehearsed manner then exited the apartment, closing the door behind her.

    Isla Margale and Karkos Meridian watched her leave.

    ¡°Well, this sucks.¡± Isla huffed, shoulders slumping now that they were finally on their own. She began to explore.

    Karkos remained in the living room, looking around absentmindedly.

    ¡°Oh! We have one of those rehydrater things. I¡¯ve seen these in media series. I guess that¡¯s kinda cool.¡± Isla called from the kitchen. She began to open cabinets one after another, giving a running commentary of the items she found.

    Karkos decided to take a seat on the sofa in the living area. He began to pick at the skin around his nails; a habit that he¡¯d quickly developed as means to vent his anxious dread. The skin had already grown red, bleeding in some places, but it didn¡¯t hurt so he kept at it.

    There was a window by the sofa which he turned to stare out of. The sky was darkening, indicating that evening approached.

    A day on the surface of Venus would last for two hundred and forty three Earth days. Slightly longer than one of Venus¡¯ years, which took two hundred and twenty five Earth days. The angry planet would complete a full orbit around the sun before it would complete a single spin on its axis.

    The enormous floating Venus City used a combination of intake sails and propulsion engines to orbit the planet high in its atmosphere at a rate of once per twenty four Earth hours, passing equally over the day and night side of the planet as it travelled.

    The flightpath perfectly simulated a standard Earth day for the residents of the cloud-city while enabling it to disperse various chemicals and biologics into the planet¡¯s atmosphere to aid with the long term terraforming effort as it travelled.

    For convenience sake the city observed a seven day week which was synched with that of Earth¡¯s, including the name of the days of the week.

    The self made day and night cycle was also synched to that of the GMT+1 timezone. The same as that of the location of the Plug Corporation headquarters.

    The result was that 6pm on a Friday in Italy was also 6pm on a Friday in Venus City.

    Karkos watched the sky darken from a soft yellow white to the rich golden brown of sunset, the whole while picking and chewing at his nail beds unconsciously.

    He found a bitter sense of irony in the cosmic dance. This day had also lasted a year for him, and the part of himself that was so full of dread had begun to understand that tomorrow would too. And the next day, and the next¡­

    ¡°So, feeling any better?¡± Isla asked after an hour or so of narrated exploration.

    The question roused Karkos from his thoughts. He realised the tips of his fingers were stained red and quickly hid them from his housemate.

    Isla was sucking on a pouch of fluid and leant against the wall of the living area, looking at him pointedly.

    ¡°No.¡± He answered in a quiet voice, not intending to speak any more than was necessary.

    ¡°That was a dumb question. I feel horrible so I suppose you probably do too. What I meant was, are you still planning to quit?¡± Isla pressed.

    Her voice sounded terrible. Much worse than it had done back on the shuttle. She¡¯d used it far too much already today and should be resting it. Didn¡¯t her throat hurt?

    ¡°I will quit this program the moment they let me. I¡¯m sorry Isla.¡± He answered dispassionately.

    Isla clicked her tongue in frustration then took an irritated sip from her pouch.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that means that you would fail too.¡± He offered diplomatically.

    ¡°And you don-¡± Isla started loudly, but began to cough and turned away from him to bury her mouth in her elbow until the coughing fit subsided.

    Once she had recovered, she took a deep breath and continued in a softer voice.

    ¡°And you don¡¯t know that they won¡¯t fail me too!¡± She accused with quiet anger.

    ¡°Isla you really should let your voice rest. You won¡¯t be able to speak at all tomorrow if you keep this up.¡± Karkos advised earnestly, but Isla raised a hand to indicate that she didn¡¯t want to hear it.

    She began to say something else but closed her mouth after a moment and simply glared at him instead.

    She took another sip from the pouch and winced as it went down.

    ¡°Is that food?¡± Karkos asked dully.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    In response, Isla paced angrily to the kitchen area, retrieved something from the food storage and then returned to the living area. She tossed an identical pouch at him and it landed in his lap when he failed to catch it.

    Karkos studied the pouch of liquid food. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to take medicine before we eat these?¡±

    Isla shrugged at him, then left the room.

    Karkos was examining the medicine in a kitchen cabinet when he heard the sound of breaking glass from the hallway outside the apartment.

    <hr>

    ¡°Ok¡± Ms Amelie finished, exhaling the word wearily. ¡°That¡¯s all the essentials. Listen, make sure to read through everything on your tablets, it¡¯s all on there. Directions to the classes and the class schedule. And remember, classes resume on Monday. Don¡¯t be late Aeon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m never late!¡± Aeon lied gleefully.

    Ms Amelie shot her cheeky student an exasperated look before continuing in a serious tone.

    ¡°Listen, just look after Lulu. She really doesn¡¯t look very well. If her condition gets worse please contact me immediately on your tablet Ok?¡±

    ¡°Ok Miss.¡± Aeon agreed, cheekiness gone. ¡°Will she be alright?¡±

    ¡°The doctors at the clinic said that it''s a severe case of tank sickness. Apparently she suffers from it regularly and doesn¡¯t do well on her wakeup checks either. Some people just don¡¯t respond well to leaving their tanks. Make sure she drinks some water today, and try to make sure she eats something by tomorrow at the latest.¡±

    ¡°You might need to help her into bed tonight if she still can¡¯t walk, and tomorrow try to ask one of your neighbours to help her wash. One of your female neighbours, Aeon. Do you understand?¡± The teacher asked sternly.

    Aeon looked at her with a serious expression. ¡°Yeah, of course Miss. I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±

    Ms Amelie sighed again, then patted her student gently on the shoulder. He didn¡¯t flinch.

    ¡°Aeon, nobody else will be able to help you with this stuff. There are no support staff on this project and I must be as hands off as possible. They will only let me back into this building if it¡¯s an absolute emergency. It¡¯s up to you and your fellow classmates to tackle any issues that might arise. Please look after Lulu. She will be depending on you completely until she has recovered.¡±

    Aeon met her eyes with firm resolve. ¡°You can count on me Miss. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Ms Amelie smiled ruefully and tousled her student¡¯s hair. ¡°Good lad. Alright, onto the next one. Take care, both of you. Message me on your tablets if you need any help.¡±

    With that, the teacher left the room.

    Aeon exhaled and placed his hands on his hips, head cocked.

    ¡°Well, this is different.¡± He stated, looking around the spacious apartment.

    Lulu lay on the sofa, breathing slowly and heavily. She watched him through dark ringed eyes.

    Aeon smiled at his partner and walked over to sit on the sofa. There was enough space at the other end for him to sit down without squashing his partner''s feet.

    ¡°Oh cool, is that an entertainment console?¡± Aeon chirped. He pulled his tablet out of his pocket and placed his feet onto the small table in front of the sofa. He checked for nearby devices and located the entertainment console.

    ¡°Woah, Lulu there¡¯s almost an exabyte of media on this thing. That¡¯s way more than in the Plugnet library. It¡¯s all unlocked too. Sweet.¡± Aeon announced cheerfully. He turned to smile at Lulu.

    The sick girl returned the smile. She began to say something but immediately began to cough.

    Aeon half rose from his seat but the coughing didn¡¯t last for long.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± He asked.

    Lulu didn¡¯t respond to the question, leaving Aeon unsure of what to do next. What had Ms Amelie told him to do?

    ¡°Oh, would you like something to drink?¡± He asked, eager to help.

    Again there was no response from the sick girl whose head lay heavily against the soft cushion of the sofa. A miserable expression in her eyes.

    Aeon dropped off the sofa and onto his knees then scooched over to her side. He knelt by her, ignoring the sharp pain in his knees from the hard floor.

    ¡°Hey. Listen, we¡¯re partners now you and me. That means you¡¯re stuck with me Ok? And you know how stubborn I am, so when I told you I was gonna do everything I could to help you back when we were on the shuttle, I meant it.¡± Aeon declared with an undaunted grin on his boyish face.

    ¡°And if you don¡¯t like that and you want me to leave you alone, well then, just walk over there to the kitchen and get yourself a drink. Then I¡¯ll be happy.¡± He finished.

    Lulu, who had turned her head to look at him as he spoke, rolled her eyes, then returned a resigned smile to her determined partner.

    Feeling more encouraged, Aeon tried to leap to his feet but stumbled slightly as his weak muscles didn¡¯t respond as well as expected. He looked around the room for Lulu¡¯s tablet and saw it laying on a kitchen countertop.

    He retrieved the device, along with a pouch of water and returned to Lulu¡¯s side.

    He handed her the tablet and placed the pouch of water on the arm of the sofa.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try and move you into a position where you can use your tablet. Are you ok to sit up a bit?¡±

    Lulu looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

    ¡°Ok, let me get some cushions.¡± Aeon announced, then proceeded to help Lulu to sit up on the sofa with her back against the far armrest and a wall of cushions propping her up. The new position allowed her to use her tablet while it rested comfortably in her lap.

    She began to trace words across the surface of the device with her fingertip, then tried to lift the device towards Aeon once she was done but struggled with the effort.

    Seeing this, Aeon jumped in with a suggestion. ¡°Hey, once you¡¯ve finished typing, tap your finger against the side and I¡¯ll look at it. I can erase the screen for you too.¡±

    Lulu nodded, and tapped the device with a fingernail.

    Aeon picked it up and read the words on the screen.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The screen simply read.

    ¡°No problems at all, partner.¡± He answered, erasing the screen and placing the device back onto Lulu¡¯s lap. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out together. I¡¯m sure you will be up and about in no time, but until then, I¡¯m your guy. Now how about some of this lovely recycled piss water?¡± He asked jokingly, offering the pouch, straw first towards Lulu.

    Lulu laughed silently, then eyed the pouch hesitantly, before nodding in resignation and opening her mouth slightly. He held the pouch to Lulu¡¯s mouth and she drank.

    Aeon felt a sense of accomplishment that helped eased the fear that had been spiraling within him since the morning.

    Despite the face that he wore for others, Aeon was deeply nervous about being unplugged.

    He liked being himself, or at least, the himself that he was on Plugnet.

    He didn¡¯t know who the hell he was now. Someone that acted like Aeon Bounder, but looked like a malnourished goblin.

    He glanced again at his frail arms. Every time he did so he expected to see the defined muscles of his Plugnet avatar and everytime he didn¡¯t see them he experienced a sense of disconnection from reality.

    He felt like a stranger in his own skin, lost in a world that he didn¡¯t know or understand.

    But he wasn¡¯t alone, and laying on the sofa next to him was a person that was having a distinctly worse time of it than he was having.

    A person that needed him.

    And maybe that was all that was necessary. Because if there was one thing that Aeon Bounder knew to be absolutely true about himself, it was that he wanted to help people.

    Regardless, he thought, looking at his stick thin arms in dissatisfaction, I¡¯m definitely going to have to do something about these.

    Lulu finished drinking from the pouch and Aeon placed it on the windowsill by the sofa.

    He turned around to make a joke for Lulu but was interrupted by a loud crashing thud against the door of the apartment. Aeon thought it had sounded like breaking glass.

    <hr>

    Ms Amelie finally concluded the final apartment tour. Her head ached. She¡¯d known this was going to be the most difficult of the day so she¡¯d scheduled the pair for last.

    ¡°Right then. That¡¯s everything you need to know for now.¡± She said, opening the door to the apartment to leave as she wrapped up the familiar instructions.

    ¡°Please try to get settled in the best you can and remember, classes resume on Monday. You can find everything that you need to know on your tablets including directions to the classroom and the class sched-¡±

    The teacher was suddenly interrupted as she turned back towards the final pair of students and barely registered the drinking glass as it hurtled past her head.

    She felt the air move her hair as it passed.

    Behind her, the glass shattered against one of the other apartment doors and she watched in horror as Hereon Povos picked up another glass with desperate anger in his red eyes.

 5: Neutralised

    Hereon held the glass in one hand, arm cocked backwards like a hammer, prepared to throw.

    A shape crashed into him throwing Hereon to the ground. The glass spilled from his hand and rolled away across the hard floor.

    Ms Amelie hurried over to safely retrieve the glass before Hereon recovered.

    His partner, Sana Tiama, stood over the toppled boy with a thunderous expression.

    ¡°What the hell are you thinking!?¡± Sana yelled, straining her voice.

    The pain dissuaded her from shouting further, instead she stamped a foot down onto the floor next to Hereon¡¯s head to emphasise the rhetorical question.

    The fallen boy began to whimper and curled up into a ball with his arms around his head.

    Sana looked to Ms Amelie who held the recovered glass with trembling hands.

    ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do with him Miss?¡± Sana asked hoarsely.

    ¡°I- I don¡¯t really know Sana. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± The teacher answered as tears began to well in her dark rimmed eyes.

    Seeing Ms Amelie becoming emotional caused Sana¡¯s adrenaline to falter and her anger was quickly overtaken by fear.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can feel safe living alone with him when he¡¯s like this! He¡¯s dangerous, Miss!¡± She pleaded.

    Amelie agreed with her student, yet had no idea what she could do to help.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is there broken glass in the hallway?¡± A new voice spoke.

    Sana and Amelie turned to see Aeon Bounder standing in an open doorway on the other side of the hall.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok Aeon you can go back inside, I¡¯ll clean the glass up.¡± The teacher instructed weakly.

    A girl with long dark hair and icy eyes peeked around the side of the open door; Isla Margale.

    ¡°Woah miss are you Ok?¡± She croaked almost inaudibly.

    ¡°Please, both of you go back inside of your apartments.¡± Ms Amelie insisted, feeling herself losing control of the situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s Hereon.¡± Isla whispered to Aeon after spotting the troubled boy whimpering on the floor.

    Aeon¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Is he causing problems again Miss?¡± He asked sternly.

    ¡°Who¡¯s causing problems?¡± Asked a third voice from the hallway.

    Ms Amelie marched into the hall, shooing Isla back who was peeking inside for a better look.

    Outside, she found Cecil and Yaeh who had also left their apartment to investigate the noise.

    Yaeh stood behind Cecil and was slowly drinking from a food pouch which she held in both hands, her expression concerned and curious.

    ¡°Ok, listen guys! You all need to go back inside your rooms.¡± The teacher urged her students. ¡°And be careful, there¡¯s broken glass on the ground here. That¡¯s very sharp and can easily cut your feet so keep your distance.¡±

    The gathered students all turned to share uncertain looks with one another.

    ¡°Is he being violent?¡± Cecil asked softly.

    The teacher hesitated, not wanting to lie to her students. That was answer enough for Aeon.

    ¡°Alright, what can we do? Tie him up? Can we knock him out?¡± Aeon asked.

    Yaeh perked up and scampered back towards her apartment, struggling briefly with the door before remembering the thumbprint lock.

    ¡°Nobody is tying anybody up!¡± Ms Amelie ordered in exasperation.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Sana asked from behind. ¡°I¡¯m telling you Miss, there is no way I¡¯m staying with this lunatic tonight. He might hurt me!¡±

    Ms Amelie looked back at the boy on the floor. He was ignoring the entire conversation, gently rocking back and forth with silent sobs. Sana was right, the boy was deeply troubled and had already displayed violent behavior.

    What the hell were the Managers thinking making him participate in this condition? Not to mention Lulu and Klaus, the students who were tank sick.

    She¡¯d flagged all of these issues in private to the Coordinators who had escorted the students. However, she¡¯d been told that her concerns would be passed along to Project Management at a later date but for now the project was to proceed as scheduled.

    She had been given no leeway or wiggle room. Just a set of clear and specific instructions that were to be carried out to the letter. Along with a threat that if she failed, the Coordinators would step in to enforce the rules of the project themselves.

    There was no way she was going to let that happen if she could help it.

    ¡°Miss, what if Sana stayed with us tonight?¡± Aeon offered helpfully.

    Amelie turned to him.

    ¡°That should be fine, no? I could sleep on the sofa and also Sana can help out with Lulu. Especially with uh, the stuff you talked about.¡±

    That could work.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask if that¡¯s possible. Sana, Aeon, can you watch Hereon while I contact Management?¡±

    ¡°Sure Miss!¡± Aeon replied eagerly then carefully stepped over the broken glass to enter into Sana and Hereon¡¯s apartment.

    Amelie exited the hallway and contacted the Project Managers via her ear implant.

    After a few trill rings indicating an outgoing call, she heard the chime that meant the call had been accepted.

    ¡°Miss Blanca. What do you need?¡± Came a stern male voice from her inner ear.

    ¡°As I warned, Hereon Povos has become violent and endangered his partner as well as myself. Another student has offered to house Sana Tiama in their apartment. Would this be permitted?¡±

    There was a pause and Amelie could hear the clacks of typing on an input board.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Yes, that would be permitted under the ¡°sleepover¡± clause. A student was the one to suggest the idea?¡± The voice clarified.

    ¡°Yes, Aeon Bounder from Room 304. You can recheck the feed, I didn¡¯t make any suggestions for a solution. The idea was his.¡±

    ¡°Very well. The maximum duration of a ¡°sleepover¡± is two nights. Please encourage the students to come to a more permanent solution by themselves before then.¡±

    The line cut and Amelie exhaled. The immediate situation seemed to be resolved. At least for tonight.

    She took a moment to steel herself, then opened the door back onto the third floor hallway.

    ¡°Come on Hereon, drink this. It will make you feel better.¡±

    Amelie panicked and raced back to the apartment.

    Sana crouched down next to Hereon and was helping him to drink a clear liquid from the glass that he had almost thrown at her just minutes earlier.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Amelie demanded, unable to keep the panic from her tone.

    Yaeh Omalli nervously stepped forwards, holding and pointing to a small box of medicine for Amelie to examine.

    Amelie snatched the box from the timid girl and inspected it. Sleeping tablets.

    ¡°How many?¡± Amelie asked sternly.

    ¡°Just three.¡± Cecil answered, stepping forwards protectively as Yaeh shrank back. ¡°The box says two is recommended, so we thought three should be ok.¡±

    Amelie relaxed. They were right, it should be safe.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that, guys!¡± Ms Amelie scolded, her composure recovered. ¡°Never exceed the recommended dosage on medication. Ok?¡±

    ¡°Alright Miss, we won¡¯t.¡± Aeon agreed.

    ¡°Besides, these tablets will only help you fall asleep a bit easier, they¡¯re not tranquilizers.¡±

    Sana looked down at Hereon who had stopped crying and was curled on the floor quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t know Miss, he seems pretty out of it.¡±

    She pushed Hereon with a foot and he rolled onto his back, eyes closed and breathing peacefully. The boy was fast asleep.

    The room turned in unison to look at the box of tablets in Yaeh¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Wow¡­ Definitely be careful with those sleeping pills.¡± The astonished teacher instructed.

    The room murmured in shocked agreement.

    <hr>

    Fifteen minutes later, after carrying a comatose Hereon to his bed, cleaning glass off the hallway floor and bidding farewell to their exhausted teacher, the third floor residents of the Class VC37 student dorm were finally left to their own devices.

    They¡¯d gathered in Aeon¡¯s room for introductions.

    ¡°Lulu, these are our neighbours!¡± Aeon introduced cheerfully. ¡°Isla, Cecil, Yaeh and Sana!¡±

    Lulu still sat propped up on the sofa facing towards the apartment door. She gave a weak wave and a warm smile.

    ¡°So that was crazy right?¡± Sana huffed once inside. She found a place near the window and sat on the floor with her back to the wall.

    ¡°Oh, Sana will be staying with us for the next two nights.¡± Aeon explained to a curious Lulu. ¡°She¡¯s paired up with Hereon who has lost it a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Losing it is putting it politely! That guy is dangerously unhinged.¡± Sana complained.

    ¡°I never thought he would get violent.¡± Cecil added quietly, still shocked from the confrontation.

    ¡°No, me neither.¡± Isla whispered painfully. ¡°But remember when he brought it to class?¡±

    She massaged her damaged throat, then caught Aeon''s eye and mimed drinking a glass of water. Aeon understood the unspoken request and jogged to the kitchen to oblige it.

    ¡°Yeah, of course. Who could forget? He genuinely believes it¡¯s a person doesn¡¯t he?¡± Aeon added from the kitchen. ¡°I mean, I had an AI ¡°friend¡± too when I was a kid and probably spent way too much time with the thing, but I grew out of it eventually you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my parents never let me have one because they¡¯d read about what can happen. Like to Hereon.¡± Cecil added.

    ¡°I mean, I knew he had a weird attachment to his AI. We all knew that. But he seemed normal enough at school for the most part.¡± Yaeh wrote on her tablet and showed the group.

    ¡°Mirror mate.¡± Cecil stated solemnly. ¡°It¡¯s what they call it. Based on pet birds back on Earth who could become obsessed with their own reflections if you left a mirror in their cage.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a condition that occurs when someone sees something that looks and acts just like a person and that tailors its entire personality and behavior around pleasing them. It can cause that person to become obsessed with the thing. To the point where they don¡¯t want to socialise with anybody real. Their social needs are fulfilled by the simulation and it stunts them. Just like the bird.¡±

    The group considered the explanation for a solemn moment. Aeon returned from the kitchen and handed Isla the glass of water. She took it with a warm smile and a mouthed ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°So how do you fix it?¡± Sana asked.

    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know.¡± Cecil admitted timidly. ¡°The article I read said that for birds, you would just take away the mirror. The bird would be depressed for a while, but would eventually recover. People are more complicated though.¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s lost the mirror. Without his hardports he can¡¯t plug in anymore. At least for the time being, he¡¯s cut off from the AI.¡± Lulu added on her tablet.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know that for sure.¡± Cecil countered. ¡°People outside of Plugnet can talk to people who are inside it. We¡¯ve done that in classes, remember? When we¡¯ve had guest speakers. It might be possible to contact the AI remotely too, somehow.¡±

    The group paused to consider that implication.

    ¡°Would that be so bad?¡± Sana asked, drawing a round of stares. ¡°No, listen. I don¡¯t know if Hereon¡¯s situation can be fixed by this project. It¡¯s possible but not guaranteed. However I do know that without that AI, he is dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I have to live with the guy!¡± She continued angrily. ¡°You heard Ms Amelie. I¡¯m only allowed to stay here for two nights, then I have to go back. The Managers won¡¯t let me get away from him! The next time he decides to hurl a glass at somebody it¡¯ll probably be me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point.¡± Isla whispered, the water helping her ragged throat.

    ¡°We can look into it, if you think that¡¯s for the best.¡± Aeon offered.

    Yaeh began to write something on her tablet but hesitated before showing it to the room. Cecil saw what she had written.

    ¡°Poor Hereon.¡±

    She clutched the words to her chest instead.

    Cecil pulled out his own tablet.

    ¡°Poor Hereon.¡± He wrote in solidarity, and tapped Yaeh on her shoulder to show her. She looked at him then nodded.

    ¡°Well, we will have a talk with him tomorrow. Hopefully he will have calmed down somewhat. Then after that, we do what we need to do to keep Sana safe. If he¡¯s still unstable in two days, then we avoid him during the day and use the sleeping tablets at night.¡± Aeon proposed.

    ¡°And if he won¡¯t take the tablets?¡± Sana asked nervously.

    ¡°He will.¡± Cecil said bleakly.

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Sana asked.

    ¡°The only time that being out of the tank feels normal is when you sleep. The closest thing to Plugnet on this side of the tank is dreaming.¡±

    Knowing what they knew about the mechanics of Plugnet, the explanation made sense. Sana accepted it.

    After another moment of awkward silence, Yaeh changed the topic by asking on her tablet. ¡°I was thinking about checking out the campus superstore that Ms Amelie told us about tomorrow. For something to do. Would anybody like to come with me?¡±

    She held up the tablet nervously as her classmates looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°That could be fun?¡± Isla whispered uncertainly.

    ¡°Sure. It would be a good way to avoid Hereon.¡± Sana agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯m down if the rest of you are.¡± Aeon accepted cheerfully.

    Yaeh looked up at Cecil hopefully from beneath her uneven bangs.

    His chest tightened. He was just starting to get used to this small group despite still feeling constantly anxious. Going out on campus meant strangers, or worse, crowds.

    Why did he have to end up befriending the most outgoing kids in his class?

    Although, Yaeh wasn¡¯t outgoing. He¡¯d assumed she was as socially anxious as he was.

    Looking at her now, he supposed that was still true. She clutched her tablet to her chest like she always did and he could see that her hands trembled slightly.

    Was she really that much braver than he was?

    Cecil thought he heard the word ¡°Please¡± whispered almost inaudibly from his side. Yaeh had turned away from him.

    Whether he imagined it or not, it helped him make up his mind.

    ¡°Um, Ok. I¡¯ll come too. But please can we try and avoid any crowds if we can.¡± He yielded.

    Still turned away from Cecil. Yaeh smiled to herself.

    ¡°Oh, Isla, where¡¯s Karkos?¡± Aeon asked, suddenly remembering the absentee partner.

    Isla chuckled darkly. ¡°Hiding away. He¡¯s planning on quitting the project as soon as they will let him, so don¡¯t expect to see him around much.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Sana asked, shocked. ¡°Mr Perfect?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Isla confirmed.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s unexpected.¡± Aeon agreed. ¡°I voted for him to be Head Student last year too.¡±

    ¡°So did I.¡± Cecil added, and Yaeh nodded her own agreement.

    ¡°Well, I guess he left all that excellence behind in his tank.¡± Isla shrugged. ¡°Anyway I don¡¯t want to talk about it, it¡¯s pissing me off.¡±

    ¡°How come.¡± Aeon asked.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve done dozens of projects together, me and him.¡± Isla complained. ¡°But the only time a project has ever mattered, where we can actually achieve something important, he¡¯s useless! He even admitted himself that he doesn¡¯t care if he drags me down with him!¡±

    ¡°Maybe he will come around.¡± Lulu offered supportively on her tablet.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m not going to sit around and wait for him to snap out of it.¡± Isla fumed. ¡°I plan on acing this project even if I have to do the whole thing by myself. I¡¯m going to Earth!¡± She declared.

    Next to him, Yaeh gave a small nod of appreciation.

    ¡°Hang on.¡± Cecil interjected as a realisation dawned on him. ¡°There are five doors on this floor.¡±

    ¡°Are there?¡± Aeon asked, perplexed.

    ¡°Between the eight of us that we know of. That''s only four apartments.¡±

    The group shared a look, then went outside into the hallway.

    There was indeed a fifth apartment.

    ¡°Does anybody know who¡¯s in this one?¡± Aeon asked.

    ¡°No, I have no idea.¡± Isla answered and Sana nodded.

    ¡°Well, there is only one way to find out.¡± Aeon decided, and knocked on the door before anybody could object.

    A suspenseful moment passed in silence. No Answer.

    Aeon knocked again, louder and this time, and after a moment the door opened slowly.

    Cecil thought he recognised the girl on the other side.

    ¡°Oh, hi Petal.¡± Isla whispered.

    It was the girl who had sat on the opposite side of the shuttle from Yaeh and himself.

    ¡°Um, hi Isla.¡± Petal answered nervously. Looking about the small group outside her door.

    ¡°We¡¯re your neighbours.¡± Isla explained.

    ¡°Oh, Ok.¡± The girl answered simply, still half hiding behind the half opened door.

    ¡°Did they partner you with Forger?¡± Aeon asked.

    Petal nodded and opened the door.

    Forger was seated on the sofa and took off a pair of headphones as he noticed the guests.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the commotion earlier?¡± Sana asked self consciously.

    ¡°Um, no. We¡¯re watching a media and it¡¯s quite loud so¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah well, we can catch you up on everything later. We¡¯re actually going to check out the campus superstore tomorrow. Would you guys like to join us?¡± Aeon asked pleasantly.

    Petal looked at the group in surprise, then at Forger who gave her an urgent shake of the head.

    ¡°Hell no, you guys are nuts.¡± Petal declared, then shut the door.

 6: Paleosomnus

    One by one as the night stretched on, each of the third floor residents of the VC37 student dormitory succumbed to the new sensation of tiredness, bringing their first night together to its natural end.

    After Lulu fell asleep on the sofa during a lull in the conversation, Aeon began to shoo his neighbours back to their own apartments calling the night to a close.

    Cecil and Yaeh said their goodbyes and returned home.

    The sun had long since sunk beneath the eternal clouds of Venus. The living area of their unlit apartment was bathed in a pale blue light from a twinkling starscape that Cecil could see on the other side of the room¡¯s window.

    Uninhibited by the light pollution of a large moon or a surface based civilization, the heavens were fully visible in the night sky above Venus City.

    Cecil went to the window and gazed upwards.

    The Milky Way stretched from horizon to horizon above the city in all of its ancient and  uncharted majesty.

    Yaeh appeared at his side to share the view.

    Cecil stole a glance at her as she stared up at the heavens and in the dim light he could see the galaxy reflected in her violet eyes.

    Another wave of fatigue washed over him.

    The six of them had stayed up for hours together in Aeon and Lulu¡¯s living room. Talking at first, then watching old Citypunk thriller media when voices grew strained.

    Beside him, he noticed that Yaeh was trembling slightly.

    He opened his mouth to ask if she was Ok, but the words caught in his throat and he found himself unable to break the silence.

    Heedless of her trembling and frail body, Yaeh seemed entranced by the night sky. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t even aware of the tremor.

    Truth be told, Cecil could feel something similar within himself. Something hollow and cold. Something he would only be free of back inside of his tank.

    He swayed unconsciously to the side causing him to stagger and plant a foot to prevent a fall. He jolted back to his senses.

    As there was no tank to plug into, the next best option would be to find a comfortable place to fall asleep. That would be the bed¡¯s purpose he supposed.

    Once again he found himself unable to breach the silence, so he retreated silently to the room at the back of the apartment.

    He found the bed waiting in the middle of the large room. Squat and solid.

    He knew how they worked. He¡¯d even used one before a few times on the rare occasions that his parents had saved up enough credits for travelling.

    They stayed at a hotel on the central island of the City, Romulus, which was a popular destination for off-world tourists and home to various entertainment districts.

    He kicked off his slip-on shoes and then looked down at his white Venus City Academy jumpsuit. The garment had been provided to him by the coordinator who had collected him from his home in the morning.

    Underneath it, he was naked. Neither option, either sleeping in the bulky garment or naked out of it, was appealing. Especially as he was going to be sharing the bed.

    He looked around. There were several storage units on the far side of the room.

    Opening one drawer of the storage revealed an array of simple clothing. He held up a plain grey tank top that seemed too small for him.

    He unzipped his jumpsuit, freeing his upper half to try on the top. It was definitely too small.

    He opened another drawer and found several pairs of grey shorts. In the next one down, grey pants. All too small.

    He kept opening drawers and doors.

    In a tall storage unit with vertical doors he found spare jumpsuits, identical to the one he was wearing. Half in his size and half that were much smaller.

    Realising that the smaller clothes must be for Yaeh, he kept looking until he found the clothes in his own size. Including undergarments.

    The options presented by the selection of clothes were very limited. Cecil decided to change into one of the grey tank tops and a pair of boxers.

    Yaeh entered the room and looked at the array of open storage drawers and Cecil¡¯s discarded jumpsuit on the floor.

    Cecil cleared his throat and quickly spoke before he lost the nerve. ¡°I found some spare clothes. If you don¡¯t want to sleep in your jumpsuit, those drawers are the ones with your sizes.¡±

    Yaeh walked over to the drawers and stooped down to pick through the grey inventory, looking unimpressed.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve not given us many choices, well over half of these drawers are empty. Same with the big one. I think it¡¯s called a closet. Other than some spare jumpsuits it¡¯s almost entirely empty.¡±

    Yaeh wrote on her tablet. ¡°Do you think we will be able to get more?¡±

    ¡°More clothes?¡± Cecil asked.

    Yaeh nodded.

    ¡°Maybe? It depends on what the campus stores sell. I hope so.¡± He answered, then sat down on the other side of the bed from the storage.

    He sank deeply into the mattress. The fabric of the sheets felt wonderfully soft as he ran his hand across them. One of the few advantages that physical reality had over Plugnet was a significantly keener sense of touch.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The bed suddenly seemed much more inviting.

    On the other side of the room, Yaeh had picked out some clothes and began to change out of her jumpsuit.

    Out of consideration, Cecil turned away.

    It seemed like the right thing to do. In old media, nudity was often seen as private and scandalous. A sentiment that Cecil couldn¡¯t relate to. One of the many vestigial aspects of human existence that plugnet had overwritten.

    There was no nudity in Plugnet. You couldn¡¯t even be nude in the virtual space, which Cecil found ironic as one didn¡¯t wear clothes inside a Plugtank.

    Growing up inside a virtual society without any concept of nudity had detached Cecil¡¯s generation from the social concept.

    In truth, Cecil had no desire whatsoever to see Yaeh without her clothes on. He was certain she would look as gaunt and brittle as he did. A stark and humbling contrast to the vibrant and curvaceous peacockery of Plugnet avatars.

    Not to mention, everyone who grew up inside Plugtanks and expected to spend their entire lifespan inside of one, such as those in Cecil generation, had their hormonal development suppressed. It was optional, but almost nobody opted out.

    Hormonal development could cause medical complications for those who lived in a Plugtank, and none of the biological benefits of the changes carried over to Plugnet.

    It was a risk without reward and seen by many as just another of the many inevitable steps in the journey of human progress beyond its own nature.

    As such, Cecil did not have the desire, and Yaeh did not have the features.

    Yet? Cecil wondered.

    Would three years away from a tank and its suppressants be enough to restart that biological process?

    It was a question to ask Ms Amelie when they saw her again on Monday.

    Footsteps, and the shifting of the mattress as a new weight sat down on the opposite side told Cecil that Yaeh had finished changing. She wore plain grey t-shirt and shorts and was looking at him uncertainly.

    Was she following his lead?

    ¡°Um, are you tired?¡± Cecil asked nervously.

    Yaeh cocked her head, and reached to a pocket for her tablet before jumping slightly when she realised that she had jettisoned her pockets when she had taken off her jumpsuit. She retrieved the device from the garment that was now on the floor next to Cecil¡¯s.

    ¡°How can you tell if you are tired?¡± She asked with the tablet.

    ¡°I- I don¡¯t really know how to explain it. How do you feel?¡± He asked, feeling unhelpful.

    She paused a moment before answering. ¡°Bad.¡± The tablet read.

    Well that could mean tired. Cecil wondered, noticing that the small girl was still trembling slightly.

    ¡°Do your eyes feel like they want to close?¡± He asked.

    She nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s part of what tiredness feels like. Kind of.¡± He explained. ¡°You will learn to tell all the different feelings apart eventually.¡±

    Cecil considered for a moment, then asked, ¡°Do you know what pain feels like?¡±

    Yaeh wrote her answer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe?¡±

    ¡°Pain is very important. It means something is wrong with your body, or that you are hurt.¡±

    Cecil explained.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m going to pinch you slightly so that you can feel it. It won¡¯t be that bad I promise.¡±

    He learned forwards, reaching out a hand to Yaeh¡¯s skinny arm.

    She pulled away instinctively, then reluctantly offered Cecil the arm.

    He pinched her hard using his nails. Not hard enough to draw blood but enough that he could see white marks left behind on her skin as he pulled away.

    A long time ago, his mother had demonstrated pain to him in the exact same way.

    ¡°That feels bad huh?¡± He asked softly.

    Yaeh was rubbing her arm where he had hurt her, her expression shocked. She nodded.

    ¡°It can feel like a sharp pang, like that pinch, or it can feel dull and hot. Sometimes you will feel it throbbing depending on what¡¯s wrong. But pain will always hurt and once you know the feeling you will always be able to recognise it. If you feel something like that anywhere on or inside of your body, let me know. Ok?¡± He explained.

    Yaeh nodded again, slower.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to turn the lights off now. Try to get some sleep Ok?¡±

    He accessed the room''s lights using his tablet and turned them off, then lay down onto the soft bed and pulled the sheets over himself.

    He felt Yaeh follow his lead and lay her head down onto the pillows.

    The room was completely dark other than the gentle light of the Milky Way that washed in through the window.

    Cecil closed his eyes and sleep found him almost immediately.

    <hr>

    Weak limbs rocked him awake.

    Cecil looked around the dark room feeling nauseous and disoriented. Panic jump-started his system at the unfamiliar surroundings and sensations. He flailed around, trying to pull the sheets off of himself and his hand hit something soft.

    As clarity slowly found him, he remembered where he was and the panic subsided.

    Yaeh knelt on the bed next to him, slowly rubbing her side.

    She looked dreadful.

    In the dark light of the room, her eyes looked like the sunken sockets of a skull and her skin looked so pallid it was almost translucent.

    She was trembling uncontrollably, her breath ragged.

    ¡°Yaeh! Ah, sorry for hitting you. What¡¯s wrong, why did you wake me up? Are you Ok?¡± He asked nervously, feeling a pit of dread in his stomach.

    He realised that she was crying as the light from the window reflected off of the liquid that stained her frail cheeks.

    She wrote on her tablet with shaking fingers. ¡°Sorry for waking you up. I didn¡¯t know what to do. I feel worse and worse and I don¡¯t know how to sleep? What do I do?¡±

    Her eyes pleaded for help.

    Upon seeing that expression, he found a well of resolve that spurred him to motion.

    ¡°Ok, follow me.¡± He instructed, holding out his hand.

    She took it.

    Her hand was icy cold, but Cecil grasped it firmly and led the girl into the kitchen, turning on the lights as he went.

    He looked through the medicine cupboard and found a thermometer.

    ¡°Ok, you¡¯re not running a fever.¡± Cecil announced taking the device from Yaeh¡¯s mouth. ¡°You¡¯re not sweating either which is a good sign I think. Do you still feel tired?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Do you feel any pain?¡± He asked.

    She shook her head after a moment¡¯s consideration.

    ¡°Hungry?¡± He suggested.

    Again, she shook her head.

    That left the answer that Cecil had come to earlier. The one that he was pretty sure he was experiencing himself to a degree.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s probably withdrawal. They did say it could get bad.¡± He explained, as he looked through the medical supplies for the withdrawal meds and the sleeping tablets.

    He emptied one tablet out of each blister pack onto his palm and offered them to Yaeh.

    ¡°Put these on top of your tongue, then wash them down with a drink of water.¡± Cecil instructed.

    He poured a glass from the dispenser and handed it to Yaeh who obliged, swallowing both pills.

    ¡°Hopefully those will help. But if it feels worse or you still can¡¯t sleep, take another pill Ok. Just one more of each though.¡±

    Yaeh nodded again to express her understanding. She was still shaking.

    Cecil offered his hand again and she took it immediately. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get some sleep.¡±

    <hr>

    When Cecil woke for the second time, it was significantly more peaceful.

    Daylight poured in through the window illuminating the bedroom in gold.

    He felt a warmth next to him and realised that Yaeh was pressed up against his side. She was sleeping heavily.

    Cecil smiled, feeling a sense of relief.

    He noticed that she must have kicked the sheets off of her as she slept so he bundled up the heavy fabrics and threw them over her.

    He was also pleased to see that her trembling had improved. Not completely, but the shaking was nowhere near as worrying as it had been when she had woken him in the night.

    He didn¡¯t want to move and disturb her so he tried and succeeded in falling back to sleep.

    He awoke again an hour later.

    Yaeh still pressed against him and he found comfort in the warmth of her small frame.

    This wasn¡¯t so bad. Sleeping really was the best part of being out of the tank.

    This time however, he decided to rise for the day and after leaving the bed, spent the next few moments navigating the shower in the bathroom.

    He was eating breakfast and watching the City News on the entertainment console when Yaeh finally awoke. She joined him in the living space with bleary eyes.

    ¡°Good Morning.¡± He greeted her as naturally as he could.

    ¡°Go-¡± She started to reply before jumping and clasping her hands over her mouth. Her voice had been high pitched and pleasant.

    Cecil found himself feeling a sense of disappointment, but dismissed it. Yaeh would speak when she was ready, which it seemed, wasn¡¯t this morning.

    ¡°Um, if you¡¯re hungry there are more pouches for you in the food storage and um, oh, you probably should have a shower too when you¡¯re ready!¡± He blurted out in an effort to distract from Yaeh¡¯s blunder.

    Yaeh nodded, her face flushing very slightly with embarrassment. She retreated into the bathroom and after a few minutes Cecil heard the sounds of the shower.

    He placed a glass of water, a small cup of the digestion medicine and a pouch of liquid food onto the kitchen island while he waited for Yaeh to finish her shower.

    When she emerged again half an hour later with wet hair and fresh clothing, he gestured warmly at the arranged items.

    ¡°Breakfast!¡± He announced, trying to sound welcoming despite his ever present anxiety.

    Yaeh looked at the meager breakfast then back to Cecil. She smiled.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She mouthed at him silently, mimicking the way she had seen Isla say it to Aeon the night before.

    Cecil felt his breath catch. He looked away. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± He replied bashfully.