Written in 365 Parts: 76: Works Best When Your Eyes Are Open

“Then show me. What do I do?” Marsh stood and stared at Drick.

“Well this is going to get a little metaphysical. The image you see right now is the construct, we are going to artificially insert, what you would be seeing if you were using your device, into your constructed head. As your real head is seeing the construct right now. Don’t worry, outside of the construct it will work the same as what we are showing you.”

“I’m pretty sure I read a book like this sometime, do I end up dying inside my own head?”

“Not unless you absolutely want to. I said it was a little metaphysical. It is because the mechanism used by the machinery is being used by us as well at this moment. Look, stay with me, it will become clear after you have practiced and when you are back in the real world.”

“Unless that world is a simulation as well?”

“Carry on like that and you are going to give yourself a seizure.” Drick smiled, “right, so imagine that you can see a set of screens in your view. They are semi-transparent and sit overlaying the real world. I want you to summon them to look like display cards, you can use any colours you like. Your software can actually display pretty much any graphic you want but it is best to focus on simple shapes and maybe text and video only for the moment.”

“I just imagine it?”

“Yes.” Marsh closed his eyes and focused hard on seeing screens. “Marsh?”

“Yeah?”

“Augmented views work best when your eyes are open.”

Marsh cocked his head to one side. “I guess that makes sense.” 

Drick watched as his brow furrowed. Marsh was almost ready to give up, this wasn’t going to work, it was a damned silly idea. So what a set of cards would appear in full high definition colour on his view and only he could see them. He shook his head and noticed a set of coloured shapes roll around the bottom of his view. He looked down and they stayed always at the bottom of his vision, thin and wispy and almost out of sight.

“Good,” said Drick, “a little small but that is essentially correct. I am going to send you a message and something should happen. Don’t worry, Rodero is streaming me a view of what you can see so that I can guide you.” Drick opened up a Comms chanel and directed it towards Marsh. Drick could see Marsh’s view in on a screen in their view. Drick placed the screen next to the comms screen with Marsh’s so that the context wouldn’t be lost. Drick noticed one of the coloured shapes start to bounce in Marsh’s view. “Marsh, focus on that shape and try to expand it.”

Marsh tracked the bouncing shape but couldn’t seem to catch it. He was just about to say it was stupid again when he let his mind stop trying so hard and the shape stopped in the air. Marsh casually wished it was a screen hovering a few feet away and suddenly it opened wide to show Drick’s face and a message saying ‘open comms?’

“Open that message,” said Drick.

Marsh thought at the message and willed it to open. Suddenly Drick was the internal screen as well as in front of him, the Drick on the Comms screen was speaking to him but the other, real, or simulated real, Drick was silent. “Marsh in order to talk on an internal comms you only have to think of what to say and the implant will handle the rest. You can share information, instruct systems and even send me experiences. Don’t think of this as a screen. It is a direct link between our consciousnesses.”

“This is so odd,” said Marsh out loud, “wait I can just think it?” he thought and saw Drick blink in surprise on the internal screen.

“Don’t think so hard, that was pretty much shouted,” Drick said. “Keep your mind calm, as dispassionate as possible. The implant directly interprets everything.”

“So I can have a conversation on the outside of my head and inside at the same time?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t that get confusing?”

“It takes practice but most people are able to manage it. Though switching context is always more of a challenge. It does work well for remote teams working together, As I said you can share both information, links, video feeds, experiences and even memories. Especially with the model that is currently resting inside of your head. It is sufficiently highly advanced.”

“You keep saying that.”

“It’s still true and still relevant. Right let’s cover some of the other enhancements.”