Along the polluted Gowanus Canal is a four-story building
that’s seen better days, at least from the outside. The windows are all painted black from the
inside, though there isn’t a single pane of glass broken. The doors are solid wood, though the paint is
chipped and flaking. It’s a monument of
prior days’ glory, a one hundred twenty thousand square-foot building that
looks destined to be demolished.
That is far from the truth. The inside is freshly painted with wood
floors buffed to a high polish. The
electrical and plumbing is all state of the art, and on the new roof, new air
conditioners hum softly. Four years
earlier, you could’ve made that assessment of its future, but that was before
Michael Foster bought it at a tax-lien sale.
The prior owners had given up title to it in lieu of the taxes due. There was nothing more than two lines in the
newspaper of the sale, no one cared.
Gowanus had a large selection of derelict and deserted buildings that
most ignored.
Michael Foster was known to be a billionaire with a
capital B. It was rumored that he
invested in the earliest social media companies and reaped the rewards of their
success. But many didn’t know that he
invested in hundreds of smaller companies in the far-flung realms of virtual
reality and in products that would not only revolutionize the fields they were
in, but also create new ones. There was
little known of Michael Foster prior to ten years. It was almost as if he was created ten years
ago and never existed prior to that. No
amount of digging, and there were many that tried, could find out
anything. Not even the U.S. government
could break his secret. The power of the
U.S. government couldn’t stand up against his wealth and contacts that went
deep into the political system and made him untouchable.
This building housed Michael’s ultimate investment, the
reason he’d invested for the last ten years.
He called it Illusion Bound.
Details were scarce and speculation was rampant when the name was
mentioned in a hushed voice. During the
last four years, more so in the last year, hundreds of delivery men were bribed
for details, but they yielded little results.
Only a core of skilled workers was allowed into the sanctity of Illusion
Bound, and only Michael could buy their loyalty.
Michael sat in his office inside the building, a stack of
folders on his desk. They all contained
dossiers on a select group of candidates, unbeknown to them that they were
candidates. The dossiers were extensive
and expensive to acquire the information they contained. Michael didn’t care about money or the
legality, the information was crucial.
Michael provided parts of the dossier as no one else could acquire such
knowledge.
It was time to test his creation, and he’d have to select
the candidates that would be the subjects.
They would be thrust into a world that they couldn’t explain, but it was
necessary to get their reaction and see their interactions that Michael would
use to fine-tune his creation. They
would have to answer the question of what Illusion Bound was. Was it the ultimate virtual-reality
simulation, a high-tech science fiction project or was it something more
sinister or evil? Was it art or
entertainment? Would they find it to be
an illusion, reality or something so new and different that it failed to have a
description yet?
The candidates were an eclectic bunch with very little in
common with each other, though they had one thing in common. They were all females, at least for now. And they were young, between the ages of
nineteen and twenty-three. He wanted
candidates that experienced the new social age and its ramifications and
wouldn’t be apprehensive about it extending far deeper into their personal
lives. He was to meet the first
candidate today.
Shelby sat nervously at the table, the River Café a
far-more expensive restaurant than she’d ever eaten at. It was a curious lunch, set up by her
professor of the course, “Social Media and its Effect on Society Today”. She took the course though it wasn’t in her
major, but she found it far-more interesting than she expected, and she
impressed her professor. Her major was
English Literature with an emphasis on Creative Writing, but her passion was
science fiction. Her professor never
volunteered much information on the lunch, and she didn’t ask much. She liked the unknown, and that is why her
interests lay in science fiction.
Michael saw her instantly, recognizing from her pictures
he had of her. Twenty-two, blonde hair,
attractive, pert nose with sensuous lips and a lovely figure from what he could
see from her sitting there. She sat at
the best table next to the window to view Manhattan, the river and the Brooklyn
Bridge. It was much nicer than the
polluted Gowanus Canal with white foam and trash floating on top of the murky
water.
She expected an older man, a professor of sorts, but when
she saw the man walk over toward her with his eyes on her, she knew who he was. She recognized him immediately from her
interest in sci-fi. She attended Comic
Com in San Diego religiously every year.
That is what got her adrenaline going.
He was Michael Foster. She’d seen
him at Comic Con so many years, though she was sure he never saw her. Fans of his companies that he invested in,
male and females alike always surrounded him.
He was the god of the future world.
Everyone in the restaurant looked at him, at least all
the females, young and old. They might
not know him, but it was his handsome looks that caught their eyes. He turned forty this year, slim and
muscular. His black hair was cut
impeccably as if just cut. He had a
chiseled face that was handsome, but looked as though he had taken a few
punches in his younger days. He had a
charming smile and deep-blue eyes that looked as though they bore into her very
soul to know her deepest secrets. She
almost blushed from his gaze. Now, her
curiosity was piqued as to this meeting.
She turned her chair to the side to make sure that he got a look at her
long legs and short skirt. There was
nothing shy about Shelby.
“It’s good to meet you, Shelby.” His eyes scanned her legs and then
immediately went back to her face.
“Thank you for taking this lunch with me on such short notice.” He sat down and immediately a waiter came
over.
“Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Foster?” He stood smartly and waited.
He saw that Shelby already had a drink, Coke from the
looks of it. She didn’t order anything
more potent, unsure of what the lunch entailed.
“Ginger ale,” he did the same. He
wasn’t a big drinker of alcohol. The
waiter left them alone as the restaurant began to grow noisier as the lunch
crowd began to arrive.
“I’m a big fan of the companies that you invest in. I go to Comic Con every year, and it is such
an exciting time for me to see all that is new.” If he only saw the way she dressed for Comic
Con, for she was truly a believer. She
loved aliens and the worlds beyond ours.
Her outfits were always sexy and revealing, as if she wanted to entice
aliens to visit her. She always tried to
copy Adrianna Curry’s ideas but added enough to make it her own, yet Adrianna
always had something new and over the top.
“I love Comic Con, also.
I’m always looking for companies that pop up with such interesting and
unconventional ideas. I don’t want
me-too ideas; I want originality and those people that dare to go against
conventional wisdom and thinking. They
are the true visionaries of the future.”
The waiter brought his drink, and he stopped the conversation so they
could order.
Shelby ordered a steak sandwich as it had been a long
time since she had steak. As a student,
she was always short of money, but that never made it less important that she
continue. She loved the way her life was
going, graduating this year in two months but still unsure of what she’d do
once she did graduate. She had
confidence that she’d find her inspiration.
Maybe this was it.
They made small talk when lunch came and that only made
Shelby more curious as to the reason for the lunch, but she didn’t press
it. She knew that he’d broach the
subject when he was comfortable with her.
She knew he was seeking more about her, so she made no qualms about
telling the truth of her life, no matter how radical or different.
“Do you believe that there is life beyond our planet,
Shelby?”
“I think you’d have to be foolish to believe that the
vast depths of the universe beyond Earth wouldn’t hold any other form of
life. Or you would have to be extremely
naïve. It’s the Fermi Paradox. There is the apparent contradiction of the
high probability in the existence of extraterrestrial
civilizations and the lack of evidence of them.
I expect to see an alien at Comic Com, though most wouldn’t recognize
it. Maybe we are on the lookout for some
preconceived notion that is not factual or possible and we refuse to see the
obvious.” Shelby would love to meet an
alien.
“I agree, and that is why I invest in such far-flung
companies. Most wouldn’t evolve into
anything, but I’d hate to miss the one that would. What would you do if you met an alien?”
“I have no idea, since I have no conception of what an
alien is or would look like. Although, I
think I might be scared of it initially, that wouldn’t dampen my enthusiasm to
learn more of it. Why, do you have one
that is available?” She smirked at her
question.
“Would you like to find out if I do?”
Is he serious? He didn’t smile or laugh at the comment. He was dead serious. “I’d welcome the opportunity.” She said it before she could think about the
consequences of her words.
“You have spring break next week for a week. I have something I call Illusion Bound. I can’t explain it to you because I can’t
even explain it to myself. It’s very
secret, and those that help build it only know pieces of it, none know what the
whole thing is, and I designed it that way until I can ascertain its origin and
purpose. The only thing I can say is
that it could be the ultimate virtual reality, combined with high-tech sci-fi,
or it might be something more sinister or evil.
I’m not sure if its art, entertainment or life. It defies definition.”
This wasn’t a man that dealt in fantasy. He’d spent billions in the industry, not only
to make money, but also to find something that few sought out. He was a visionary. Had he
found something that even he couldn’t explain or is he hiding something from
me? “Why did you pick me?” He knew more about her than he let on.
“You’ll not be the only one, but you’ll the first. I have researched you extensively, Shelby. While you might be offended that your privacy
has been violated, it was necessary for me to ascertain your suitability to
this project. I cannot tell you what
will happen, as it’s as much a mystery to me as it will be to you. There are only little safeguards that I can
put in place. Once you enter Illusion
Bound, you are the only one that can exit.
There is no rescue party that will come to your aid if something doesn’t
go as you expect.” There were dangers
that couldn’t be ascertained, though Michael tried to minimize them as much as
he could.
“So my safety isn’t secure?” The danger sent a shiver up her back.
“Far from it. For
that reason, I’ll put a million-dollar life insurance policy on your life, and
you can name the beneficiaries of it. I will
also pay you the sum of one million dollars, tax-fee upon exit of Illusion
Bound, as long as your supply me with the details of what transpired inside and
agree to a complete confidentially agreement.
No word of this should ever leak out until I am ready to reveal it to
the world.” He saw the startled look on
her face at the mention of the large payment.
One million dollars sounded as if this was very
dangerous, almost surely fatal. She
didn’t even know what would happen inside.
It was so vague and ambiguous.
Yet, this was the chance of a lifetime.
She should think about it, consult others, though she wasn’t sure what
she could tell them that would make a decision easier. It sounded dangerous and exciting. She’d be a pioneer of something bigger than
the world had ever known. She’d be
first. “Yes,” the word blurted out of
her mouth without any hesitation. She
saw his grin.
“Congratulations, Shelby.
I knew I picked the correct person for this.”
“When?” She’d have
many restless and sleepless nights until then.
“Saturday. I’ll
have a car pick you up at ten A.M.”
“Should I bring anything?” She didn’t know whether this would last
minutes, hours or days or more.
“Nothing but the clothes on your back, Shelby.”
“What should I wear?”
It was a puzzling question for someone that didn’t know what would
happen.
“I was always partial to the outfits you wore at Comic
Con. I think that would be
appropriate.” He’d seen them all, and
they were very fitting for the occasion.
She was afraid she blushed, her skin heated at the
thought of Michael looking at
pictures of all her costumes, though it wouldn’t have been difficult to get
them. There were thousands of pictures
taken every minute at Comic Com, and she was sure that many took them of her. But, she’d come up with something new for
this. It was deserving of it. “Okay.”
The lunch lasted a few more minutes, but they both knew that the details
were sealed. Saturday was only four days
from now.
“I’ll have all the necessary paperwork sent over to you. I look forward to seeing you Saturday,
Shelby. I’m pleased that you joined this
endeavor.” He watched as she got up to
leave as he paid the check. He got her a
taxi as his limousine pulled up. He
tapped the top of the hood of the taxi when he closed the door, and it sprinted
off into the lunchtime traffic. He got
into his limousine and headed back to the office. The lunch was very successful, and he was
surprised that it took little prodding to get her to agree to such a nebulous
offer. He hoped the others would respond
in the same way. Was it their curiosity of the future and aliens that drove her or was
it something else? He had some
candidate that didn’t fit into the same characteristics as the others, but they
still had a desire for something that few others did. It would add an additional dimension to his
results or, at least, he hoped it would.