In the Skies

Flying has always fascinated Reiko ever since she was a little girl. She still remembered her first time in an airplane when she was 7. She was on her grandfather's private jet on the way to Okinawa. Reiko enjoyed the thrill when the jet first lifted off the runway, and she recalled watching from the window as the landmarks beneath her grew smaller and smaller before being obscured by the fluffy white clouds. It was almost like a scene from one of her favorite childhood fantasies, where little birds slowly learn how to fly and drift along the currents high in the serene sky as they break from the realm on the ground. For that point in time, Reiko felt the same way, extending her little arms in a carefree manner as she soared above the clouds.

Alas, that was the only time Reiko had such an experience. With the development of the Ascend headset, flying soon became obsolete for its users, aptly portrayed in many commercials for the Ascend. Her grandfather and later, her parents, would echo the same words: "There will always be a time when we would strive the new frontier and leave the old one behind." While Reiko agreed that the Ascend would revolutionize the meaning of the word 'travel' and introduce a much faster way of connecting with loved ones, she just couldn't shake off the titillation of flight.

And so, she was certainly intrigued when she found a headset on the projected map with no specified location. Of course, it didn't mean that the location was undetectable. It was just that the target was moving at such a fast pace that the location would be rapidly changing for it to be useful. In other words, the wearer was currently flying. Aside from sparking her fond memories, Reiko was also curious about the extent of the Ascend technology. After all, an improvement that the corporation was considering was the expansion of the technology into space. Ever since Yabusa's first press conference on their novel 'space machine hubs', Hideki has been pushing on improving their own work accordingly, namely increasing the functionality of the Ascend. Reiko wasn't sure if her attempt to connect with a person on a moving airplane would be considered a notable breakthrough, but it should get her off of being reprimanded by the other directors for her 'frivolous' journeys.

Obviously, there was the concern that the connection to a moving target would not be stable. Despite more and more aircraft were being retrofitted with antennas for internet connection, they were not exactly stable all of the time. Having an older version certainly would not help either, as Reiko saw that the user was currently wearing a V4 headset, part of the older generation of devices. Luckily, her special V9 headset had a backup function that preserves a copy of her consciousness, allowing her to forcedly eject her mind from her target during emergencies or weak connections. Provided, she would suffer intermittent headaches and memory loss from the connection, but it was certainly the better alternative to being brain dead or lost in the void.

With all of the measures taken care of, Reiko relaxed in her recliner and closed her eyes as she felt herself being beamed up to the skies above.