Prisoners of VR

"Tomorrow..." Rahu raved in exasperation, "Tomorrow? Tomorrow as in Tuesday? The 9th of this month? Seriously?"

"...Can I curse you?"

"I'll beat you up if you do." Neeraj waved his hand, motioning for Rahu to scoot away.

"Then I'll need to book a chartered plane..." Rahu trailed off.

"That's not possible," Neeraj shook his head in a hurry, "I'm using the one allotted to us tonight. I have a meeting with a bunch of ministers. So, you'll have to travel through the regular means available for the public."

"You know I don't use public transport, right?" Rahu frowned, "That's the only rule I live by. I wasn't even given an advance notice anyway. So, I'll simply refuse the transfer."

"Don't make it hard for me," Neeraj felt a headache, "Think of this as your punishment. You've caused me endless stress until now."

"...Fine." Seeing his plea getting rejected did irritate him, but at the end of the day, Rahu couldn't go overboard. As Neeraj said, he indeed gave too much workload to his superior. Most of the cause behind his receding hairline was Rahu.

"By the way," Rahu looked in confusion, "Who'll take up my post here? The Capital needs at least two DOVA Agents to protect the country's vested interests."

"One of our reserve Agents will take your place." Neeraj didn't wish to continue on that much, sighing as he said, "Anyway, only you can fill in the void left behind by #2's departure. So, try your best. Any problems you create there will have to be solved yourself."

"After all, you'll be the top official there."

"Then, I'll be returning home now to pack up." Rahu saluted casually and left the DOVA Headquarters.

Staring at his back, Neeraj sighed, watching his hands tremble as a trail of blood oozed out of his nose. Wiping it with a tissue, he sighed, 'I've become damn busy. The workload is taking a toll on my health.'

"I need a break. At least a couple of days would do."

Exiting the Chief's cabin, Rahu walked slowly, staring at the staff greet him one after another. His uVR Earth kept blinking constantly as he pulled up the notifications, seeing a bunch of missed calls.

[GF: 12 Missed Calls]

'What does she want now?' Instant annoyance surged in him as he arrived at the parking lot and calmly unlocked his cycle. It was the sole cycle in the car-filled lot, some of which were even of the luxury line.

It looked odd at first glance, since that wasn't part of their culture-travelling on cycles to work.

Rahu habitually wore a gas mask next as he exited the building and calmly pedalled on the road, frowning at the dust and smoke. Even though most cars these days were either electric or hydrogen-powered, there were still enough petroleum cars plying the road.

And due to the intense traffic, air quality was bad.

While on the road, he called his girlfriend, his expression scrunching up as he heard an annoying voice screech in his ear.

[Babe, why aren't you picking up my calls? Do you know how stressed I was?]

"What happened now...?" Rahu exhaled slowly, as if everything was a drag.

[You see...I came for shopping, and you know how rudely the salesperson behaved? I asked for a bag exclusively from LV...]

By this point, Rahu had already zoned out. He stared at the time displayed on the corner of the transparent screen hovering before him.

11:40 AM!

'She went shopping on a freaking Monday morning?' Even though Rahu's official work was only stated to be from Monday to Saturday, if a situation popped up, he must be present at the scene. He wouldn't be having a weekend to relax by then. Moreover, his working hours ranged anywhere from twelve to sometimes even sixteen hours a day.

What could he expect, since only two DOVA Agents were present in the Capital City. If any situation related to uVR Earth popped up, he would have to rush first.

Neeraj was the head of DOVA, so he couldn't move from his spot most of the time. Therefore, it was Rahu doing all the fieldwork. Even the time he met Anubha, he had gone there after finishing a head-splitting case.

Here he was, having his head chewed by his superior for almost an hour. And in contrast, she was having fun shopping, that too on a Monday morning?

'This rich dumbass that doesn't have to work for a living.' He groaned mentally before saying suddenly, "Listen..."

[Yes, babe?]

"We need to break up." He spoke curtly.

There was absolute silence on the other side...for ten seconds. It was followed by animal roars, screeches, and a multitude of cusses from three languages.

It went on for almost twenty minutes, by the end of which Rahu had arrived home. His girlfriend seemed to have calmed down enough to ask lucidly, her voice trembling in response.

[Do you not love me?]

[It has been less than two months since we started dating. Just...why?]

"I don't think it'll work out. Besides," Rahu was just about to blurt out that he was moving out of the city when he paused, 'That was close. I almost revealed my plans.'

He always had to be careful. In an age of the growing influence of Virtual Reality, a DOVA Agent was no different from royalty, answering only to the Prime Minister. No one else could control or order a DOVA Agent.

In terms of technology, there wasn't a single electronic device that a DOVA Agent couldn't hack into. Their minds were the literal best in their country. And in terms of combat potential...they were more potent than modern firearms.

As a result, they were a strategic resource protected by the government itself.

Therefore, too many eyes were on a DOVA Agent, from both allies and enemies. The allies monitor to ensure the DOVA Agent doesn't take undue advantage of their prowess. The enemies monitor to silence a DOVA Agent the moment an opportunity shows itself.

The stronger the DOVA Agent, the greater the monitoring directed toward them. Among the Agents, Rahu was ranked sixth in the entire country, nicknamed the Liger.

He had been attacked countless times until now, which was why he refrained from using any electronic devices, for they could be hacked into. That was the primary reason behind his usage of a cycle.

A mechanical tool couldn't ever be hacked into. Moreover, his cycle was military-grade, capable of withstanding the roughest of applications. The same went for his umbrella too, which was something he custom ordered.

Both had saved his life in the past.

Other than that, Rahu had no other choice but to live a mysterious life, which meant he truly couldn't be in a relationship. The longest relationship he was in only lasted two months. It was only to serve as a cover.

The relationship was casual too. This was to drive a point across that he wasn't actually into the women he dated. Otherwise, if the relationship seemed serious enough, his enemies would take on a kidnapping session to force him to cough up state secrets.

It was already due time to end the relationship with his current girlfriend. His transfer order only prompted him to break up a few days in advance. "I don't think this will work out, sorry."

[Bastard! Don't you dare dump me on a call!]

"I'm busy, call you later." Saying so, he hung up the call, parked the cycle and entered his house.

"Why are you home this early?" His grandmother was cutting vegetables in the kitchen.

"Why are you working? The doctor told you to rest!" Rahu rushed into the kitchen at the sight of her, stopping abruptly when his grandma turned around and threateningly pointed the knife his way. "You're pointing a knife at your grandson?"

"Anyone that stops me from cooking is a sworn enemy." His grandmother made a swiping motion and returned to her task at hand. A few seconds later, she turned mellow, speaking calmly, "I feel bored."

"My children come to see me once a year. It has been years since I saw my grandchildren. And you!" She turned around and glared, "You're always...always at work!"

"I have nothing to do other than sit and watch the TV. I'll go mad if I don't do something."

"Leave her be," His grandfather's voice resounded lazily as he arrived at the living room, switched on the TV and slumped on the sofa, "She becomes younger when she cooks. Her food too is unrivalled."

"He's such a sweet talker." His grandmother turned a tad shy and pushed Rahu out of the kitchen.

"Did something happen at work? You're never home early, not to mention at noon like this." His grandfather asked in confusion.

"I've been transferred." Rahu scratched his head and smiled wryly, "I'm the Chief of the Chennai Branch now."

"You..." His grandfather stared in silence before he used a nearby magazine like a hand fan, "Can you live alone?"

"How old do you think I am?" Rahu retorted, exasperated. "I'm 28."

"Good that you know," His grandmother said snarkily from the kitchen, "I feared you would die a bachelor."

"Your grandfather and I won't live forever you know?"

"At least marry before you leave. I'll be relieved if there's a woman to take care of you. God knows what mess you'll get yourself into. You're as hot-blooded as you're smart, just like your grandfather." She slowly pulled out a long knife and smiled at him.

"I have to leave tonight..." Rahu said, watching his grandparents turn silent.

A dozen seconds later, his grandmother stabbed the knife into a tomato, dusted her hands and rushed out of the kitchen, "Let's get you married before then."

"You were seeing a girl, right? She seemed decently good-looking and comes from a respectable family." She said in a hurry.

"Grandma, I'll find someone better..."

"Bullshit," She slapped his butt, "You change girlfriends more than your clothes. And why does your taste get progressively worse? This won't do. Before you end up with a characterless pretty face, I'll set you up with someone worth her brains."