Virtual Unreality

Danya had been anticipating this moment for, well, literally for YEARS she realized as she rushed into the house. She could still remember the first time she heard about this game, and it must have been three years ago. There was an article in VR Gaming magazine, one of those little sidelines on coming games and industry buzz. VirtuTech, a new company, had announced they were developing a new style of game that would go beyond virtual. Through a combination of breakthrough software and proprietary hardware, they were developing a game that was, to the player, indistinguishable from reality.

Even the magazine was skeptical, for claiming the holy grail of gaming was not an uncommon thing for over-eager young entrepreneurs to do. This article seemed different, somehow to Danya, and she had never forgotten it. Over two years had passed with no news, though, seeming to cement the fact that the eager start-up had gone under with nothing to show.

Then, out of the blue, she got a letter in the mail from VirtuTech inviting her to be part of an extremely small beta test. She didn't know how they had gotten her name and address, except to theorize that maybe they randomly selected people from the VR Gaming subscriber list. Actually, she didn't CARE how they had gotten her name! It was like winning the Publisher's Clearing House, only better, for Danya had no passions exceeding her interest in computer games and virtual reality.

The impetuous 19 year-old was stunningly beautiful, the kind of girl who would get approached in the shopping mall by modeling agencies and Hollywood scouts looking for the next vixen. Her straight blonde hair was cut in a short bob (easier for her to care for than just about any other style), which framed her face that most people couldn't decide whether it was cute or striking. Her piercing blue eyes held everyone's attention she turned them on, and the rest of her figure did the same from any angle. She was tall, about 5'8", and slender but curvy. Her 36C breasts (which she thought were too big, always getting in the way) were the stuff of Penthouse spreads, firm and full even without a bra. She had long legs with just the right degree of muscle tone even though she never went out of her way to exercise. Other girls in school envied her ass, especially since Danya always seemed to eat what she wanted while they practically starved themselves trying to match her look.

Aside from the annoyances, all this was lost on Danya. She never wore makeup and didn't have a boyfriend. It's not that she wasn't interested in boys, but the few dates she'd had always ended badly when they wanted to get physical. She had been called a tease (and worse), so she eventually gave up. Someday she would meet a man who appreciated her intelligence, and she could wait until then to date. She did masturbate frequently, about once a day on average, using either her shower massager or studded vibrator when necessary. She was quite sexual and knew she was sexy, but these were simply givens--distractions, really, from her true passion which was video games.

At one time she thought it was strange that she would rather spend hours and hours in front of her computer than go out with her friends and shop or cruise for boys. It didn't take long, though, just like with dating, for her to accept things the way they were and just enjoy what she enjoyed. She had a brilliant mind and had written a few games herself (that were good enough to sell to the big game companies, providing her a steady if meager source of funds), but it was diving into the immersive worlds created by others that she really loved.

That's why she filled out all the waivers and permission forms and sent them back to VirtuTech by overnight mail the same day she got the invitation for the beta test. The two weeks before she got a reply was like an eternity, and then she was dismayed to find that her computer would not meet the minimum requirements for the game. In fact, the needs were so stringent that she could find only one company on the internet that even sold a computer with enough performance to run the program. She had never heard of them but only hesitated an instant before submitting her credit card number to order it.

And now the day had come. She returned from running some errands to find a stack of boxes outside her front door. Normally she would have been angry at the shipping company for leaving so much valuable merchandise out in the open, but as soon as she saw the computer company's logo she forgot all emotions but anticipation. Toting the cartons into her livng room she was doubly pleased to find that, serendipitously, the game had arrived today as well! She was in a haze of excitement as she ripped all the cartons open, connected the hardware, booted up the machine, and inserted the first of seven DVDs for the game.

She barely remembered connecting the special hardware that VirtuTech had included. Amazingly, it all plugged in and worked on the first try. As the game booted up, it instructed her to don the fairly standard-looking VR helmet and gloves. Actually, the only thing unusual about the helmet was that it also covered the ears completely, eliminating outside sounds. At first the visuals were black, but suddenly they came to life with the VirtuTech logo.

Danya's first reaction was that even on the logo screen these were the most amazing graphics she'd ever seen. The colors were rich and vibrant, and the resolution was so high as to be tuly lifelike, even better than the high-definition televisions she'd seen. Then a pleasant female voice said "Welcome to the VirtuTech beta test." Like the visuals, the sound was pure and complete. It almost seemed to Danya like the voice was IN her head, not coming through speakers into her ears. She knew she was grinning like an idiot, but this was even better than she'd let herself expect!

The next thing she knew, she was in a menu selection screen. And she was really IN it! She didn't know how it was accomplished, but she truly felt like she was IN the scene. She could no longer feel the chair she was sitting in, but instead it was like she had been transported to this other world. And what she saw was both startling and intriguing.

Standing in front of her were two more, well, two more HERS. It was like looking into two mirrors, except that they were dressed differently and moved independently. "Choose your path," came the disembodied voice, and she figured out what she had to do.

One of her doppelganers was dressed like an angel. She had on all white clothes, sprouted frilly white wings and a halo, and even her skin was paler than Danya's normal tan. She had a sweet smile and, as Danya looked at her, said in a melodic voice, "Pick me, Danya. We will explore this world together and have such a good time!"

She looked at her other double, who was (as you might expect) a she-devil. She was clad in skin-tight red leather and had two little horns and a pointed tail. The heels on her boots must have been 5" high, her face was made up in a powerfully sexy way, and the smirk on her face matched her voice as she snarled, "Pick ME, Danya. We will explore this world TOGETHER and have SUCH a good time!"

Even though the two fantasy Danyas had said the same words, the implication was clear: her choice would have a significant effect on the rest of the game. She wanted to enjoy herself, so she knew the choice was critical. Part of her strongly wanted to pick the angel, after all, she was basically a good girl and was scared by the strong sexuality of the she-devil. On the other hand, part of her wanted to explore life as the demoness, perhaps exploring a side of her personality she had long denied...