Prisoners of VR

Rahu exited the airport and dragged his luggage, calmly walking on the pavement at the side of the road.

Deepika followed him, confused, irritated, and frustrated by his actions. 'He's a freaking elite. Can't he just act his part? Why does he have to behave like a broke college student?'

She approached him and asked, "Are you going to walk all the way to your hotel?"

"Yeah, it's pretty near." Rahu nodded casually, "It's just four kilometres away. I can make it in an hour."

For a moment, Deepika fainted from the words. It wasn't as if she couldn't walk that distance. She was trained by the military in all sorts of combat forms. She could even run four kilometres without issues.

But the thing was...the climate. Chennai was famed for its horrible climate, the blistering heat mixed with the stagnant humidity of the coastal region. The human body wasn't built robust enough to withstand that during strenuous exercise.

Walking at the side of the road while having to hear the constant horns of the plying vehicles was also annoying. But most of all, there was plenty she had to brief Rahu.

The previous Chief had only left two days ago. But it meant that there was no DOVA Agent present in the city for two days. As the southern hub of the country, the related workload had piled up a lot.

Originally, while seated in the convoy, she intended to brief him regarding the various tasks that he had to take care of. But she couldn't do that on the streets. They were classified information.

"You didn't get rid of that drone?" Rahu asked casually after half an hour had passed, glancing at the suitcase in her hand.

"It's not something that can be...rid of." Deepika argued, "Please believe me. I trained for this."

"Suit yourself, I won't impose upon your decision." Rahu shrugged, "It's just, in my opinion, that drone can only do more harm than good."

"That's only against an opponent of your calibre." She said, glaring at him for a moment, "Anyone equipped with a military uVR Earth cannot hack it while I'm in control."

"It's good to be confident, but don't be careless." Rahu's tone turned serious, "The opponents that target me are of a higher calibre than what the previous Chief faced."

'What does he mean by that?' Deepika was confused because the previous Chief was ranked second in the entire country. While in comparison, Rahu was just ranked sixth.

So in theory, the previous Chief was more valuable. And for those intending to mine the secrets he held or to simply get rid of a valuable strategic resource, the previous Chief was a higher valued opponent.

But judging by what Rahu was saying, the reality seemed entirely different. Though, the fact that a DOVA Agent had personally taken action against Rahu spoke volumes. That had never happened to the previous Chief, at least based on what she was aware of.

For the rest of the journey, Deepika was silent. By the time they arrived at the hotel, she was all sweaty. Entering the lounge, Rahu checked in his booking.

The staff behind the counter stared at Deepika and asked, "A couple room, right?"

"Do you know an eye hospital nearby?" Rahu interjected.

"Yes, there's one on the next street itself." The staff said.

"You should get your eyes checked there." Saying so, he swiped his card, grabbed his room keys, and walked away.

"..." Deepika stared at the staff awkwardly before her eyes trailed onto Rahu's back, 'Asshole! You didn't have to word it like that.'

She then took out her card and paid the money for her room. Their branch had already been notified of Rahu's visit, the place he was staying, and other details. So, she had booked the room adjacent to his. Only then could she protect him in case things go south.

Deepika chased after Rahu and arrived on the third floor, staring at his figure that entered a room.

Upon seeing her, he stopped for a moment and spoke curtly, "Give me thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir." Deepika nodded and watched Rahu close the door shut. Following that, she just stood there in silence. She neither entered her room nor set her suitcase on the floor. It was her duty to be alert.

Her uVR Earth blinked as she scanned the entire floor and made a note of all the electronic instruments there. Following that, she inspected the type of gadget they were, ensuring Rahu's room wasn't wiretapped.

She then gained access to all the CCTV cameras within the hotel and observed them through her Augmented Reality, keeping a note of things. It wasn't just that. Every ten seconds, her uVR Earth sent a weak energy pulse radially outward.

Radar!

The military version of UVR Earth was advanced in such fields. And indeed, just like a DOVA Agent, not anyone could pull off such manoeuvres. They needed to have the qualifications first, just like a pilot licence. Once she was done with her routine, Deepika entered her room and sat on the bed.

She closed her eyes and entered a state of slumber, arriving at her Virtual Space. Through Virtual Reality, she contacted her subordinates, "Has the target been secured?"

"Yes," Her subordinate's figure appeared in her Virtual Space. He then displayed a screen that showed the captured DOVA Agent strapped to a bed in a room. He had been sedated, unable to use his abilities.

"Okay, good. Keep me posted on anything that happens. Also, send someone to deliver my luggage here. Keep two more posted on a shift around the hotel. We can't afford any mistakes." Deepika said.

"Even a DOVA Agent had been dispatched to kill him; things are serious with this Chief. Please be careful," The subordinate said in concern before vanishing.

Deepika disconnected from reality, having taken just a tenth of the time necessary for that conversation. The time dilation in Virtual Reality was very convenient to make decisions quickly. Moreover, it was the most secure to discuss something serious.

Time passed in such a manner as exactly thirty minutes since their arrival, a voice resounded from Rahu's room, "Come in."

Deepika had been standing at the entrance. She entered the room and noticed Rahu wearing a set of pyjamas, appearing casual. She glanced at his open luggage, observing nothing but casual clothes in them, asking in confusion, "Sir, don't you need to wear a suit to work?"

"Do you expect me to fight in a suit?" Rahu gazed at her with an incredulous expression, "You know how tight and stuffy those clothes are? I would die from this heat before any of my enemies could get to me."

'I can't argue with him.' She shut up, feeling fed up with the retorts already.

As she stared at him, a notification for a connection popped up in her Augmented Reality. It was an invitation from Rahu. Deepika closed her eyes and connected to her Virtual Reality, accepting the connection as her virtual body appeared in a dimly lit room.

There was nothing other than a metal table and two chairs. Taking a seat, Rahu motioned for her to be seated, speaking right away, "The reason I'm targeted with higher priority than your previous Chief is simple."

His tone turned serious, "I come from a family of DOVA Agents. And my parents were also part of the original team involved in the creation of uVR Earth."

"Does that mean..." Deepika's eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah, Rahu nodded, "The secrets I'm privy to surpass the previous Chief. Before becoming a DOVA Agent, I worked at Pomegranate Corporation Headquarters. I was one of the last batch of scientists that had interacted with Megasphere."

Megasphere was the name of a revolutionary Artificial Intelligence said to surpass humanity as a whole. Once it was fully operational, it took control of the manufacturing process of uVR Earth, the entire plant of which was exclusively located in Australia.

It was a unanimous decision to prevent humans from interacting with the production of uVR Earth to ensure no data was leaked, not to mention any defects that might arise.

Therefore, from mining to production, the entirety of the operation was overseen by Megasphere alone. The revolutionary Artificial Intelligence worked on its established parameters and had long since stopped communication with humanity.

It only functioned for its sole purpose: manufacturing uVR Earth.

It was a rumour in the international community that during its final interaction with humanity, Megasphere chose a group of scientists and imparted them with precious data. As to what it was, none other than the involved personnel knew.

The leaders of the various countries tried all they could but despite everything, none of the involved scientists revealed any information, not even a clue.

"Data valuable enough to buy a country and its wielder powerful enough to become a God among humans." Deepika gasped, "That was all true? A-And, you're...in possession of something like that?"

"Now you know why I'm targeted." Rahu sighed, "Since you're in charge of my security, I thought you should become aware of the risks. It's your chance now to think things through and decide if you want to continue with your task or transfer to another division. The moment I take up office tomorrow, you too would be targeted."

"So, think things through carefully."

Deepika found it hard to breathe, unable to articulate her emotions. She understood why Rahu behaved as he did and why he led a life different from the other DOVA Agents.

It took her a few minutes just to digest this information, asking in the end as she stared at Rahu, "Is that data given to you by Megasphere that precious?"

"Precious?" Rahu smiled wryly, "That's an understatement."

"It can change humanity as a whole when activated."

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Author Notes: Try to guess what this might be. Let's see how many are correct once this is revealed late into the story.

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