The two cottages stood semi-detached and perhaps a little complacent at the top of a back-blown slope of heathered moorland.
The wind whipped about them, and the rain blatted and spluttered with fanatical abdandon at slates and chimney pots. At the base of the hill, waves roared furiously and dashed themselves into damp grey droplets against the shores of the Island. It was a spectacular storm, but no more than a spectacle, for the cottages were soundly built.
The dining room was situated on the other, more public side of the Island, in a modest and mostly subterranean inn. The room itself was spacious but homely. The tables were not large, and seated six each. There were five of them, though only two were occupied.
Most of the occupants were human or humaniform. However, there were one or two rather startling anatomical variations to be seen. On the second table, Imran was talking animatedly to Brian, who was seated opposite, and Jellicoe, who was on his right. He was trying to convince Brian about the power of the mind. Brian remained sceptical to some extent...
"Bollocks!" said Brian, sceptically. "Look, I grant you that if I had been surprised by anything a holograph did, I could just possibly have died of a heart attack, but I find it hard to believe that..."
"I shall tell you, then, of a case I was involved in personally just this year."
"Fire away!" encouraged Jellicoe, brushing her fringe from her eyes and fixing the doctor with an intent gaze.
"I have a brother," began Imran with a sudden flashed grin, "who works for a company, one of the largest, dealing in video games. Actually he is head of the research and development department."
Imran smiled.
"I enjoy video games immensely. They are somehow more relaxing to me than many other leisure activities. I think this is possibly, for me, because they operate within such well defined parameters, in contrast to the human mind with which my working days are concerned. Anyway, I often take advantage of my brother's position, and visit the research centre frequently to play around, free, on the latest games. On just such an occasion, last July, I was to be witness to the trial of what my brother called the ultimate video games experience."
Imran stopped and sipped his coffee thoughtfully.
"Slurp," he went, thoughtfully.
"Now, this video game. It was a breakthrough in both hardware and software. My brother swore it was so realistic that it was hard to see how it could ever be improved. The player, or players, sat in two chairs in a small black box, rather like an old fashioned photobooth. They pulled wired helmets over their heads. These apparently contained some very sophisticated new technology, along with the usual binoc screens and sound system. All the latest in devices designed to kid our senses and deceive our minds.
"I volunteered enthusiastically to try it out, and my brother agreed that I should play a two-player game against the computer. The young scientist who usually had the onerous job of 'test pilot' was to take the part of player two. He had played various earlier, prototype versions of the game, but this was the first test of this model, and he was as interested and excited as I. We took our places on the seats provided, and fitted our hands into the strange, glove-like hand holds in front of us. I shall describe what I saw next.
"When the helmet came down, all sensation from the room around me was cut off instantly. I was aware of my partner next to me, but of very little else. I felt a bit nervous.
"Suddenly, bright red letters appeared, marching across space apparently a large distance away. They read:
"COMMANDO"
A Brain Pulse Video Experience
Prepare to be amazed
by the
Ultimate Video Game
"A trifle corny, I thought. I had seen similar hype for the last game developed here, and for numerous others besides. The three dimensional effect used on the letters was the best I had seen, however.
"Then the space went black, and a rough male voice barked in my ear: 'You have two credits. One or two player game?' I didn't reply, but my partner said 'Two'.
"'Two SIR!' the voice snapped in reply. There was a silence. Then the voice began again, this time accompanied by stirring background music and a map in front of me, which rotated slowly in space as the voice spoke.
"'Your mission is to rescue the American president from castle Hellkrieg. You see the map of its defences before you. Memorize the layout of the defences.' There was a brief interval, then the voice shouted 'Right! This is it. Go for it, boys!'
"Suddenly I was falling through space, at night. Before I had time to do anything there was a crump, a weird rolling sensation, and I was in an open field, holding what felt like a gun. There was a man crouching next to me. I raised my hands. The gun felt amazingly real. I could see its silhouette faintly outlined by the moonlight shining on the grass. I stepped forward. The illusion was very convincing. I could even feel the breeze on my face.
"The man next to me, of whom I was only dimly aware, pointed to the near horizon. A figure could be seen, walking over the hill towards us. He appeared to be wearing a helmet. I tried to speak, but no words came. The helmeted figure, however, stopped. He drew a gun round from his back.
"'Who's there?' came the voice. I jumped, startled. This was an incredible simulation. I found it hard to believe intellectually, never mind emotionally, that this was all a program in a computer.
"'Who's there?' the figure demanded again, making threatening jabs with his rifle. I felt a movement from my partner. Then, without warning, there was a deafening rattle, and flashes from the muzzle of his gun. The guard grunted and staggered backwards, falling motionless to the ground. My partner beckoned and I ran after him. I noticed in the bottom corner of my vision, two bright figures which read: 'Player1: 0000' and 'Player2: 0100', in the left and right corners respectively. I smiled, glad of the reassurance that this was only a game.
"As we ran along, crouched low to the ground, I heard shouts and a dull 'pop' from behind us. Suddenly a flare burst above, and the landscape was illuminated. I saw a dark castle on a hill about half a mile away. Before I could take much else in, orange tracer bullets were arcing towards us from a point somewhere above. There was a loud rattling engine noise. 'Helicopter', I thought. Then more glare as we were pinned in a searchlight. I raised my gun, feeling its trigger gingerly. My partner fired at the 'chopper. There was a crack and the searchlight went out. I fired. Honestly, the feeling was amazing. The noise was deafening, and the recoil jammed the gun against my chest. I blazed away enthusiastically as the flare died away. There was an orange glow from above, and an acrid smell of burning. The helicopter side-slipped and crunched into a hillside, exploding in a lurid fireball. The scores read: 'Player1: 0200' and 'Player2: 0500'. Aha! I thought, I've got this game cracked. We ran on.
"There was a sound of firing behind us, and I could hear dogs barking and snarling. A bullet snapped into the heather beside me. I dived flat and turned to face the direction from which we had come. Five figures were running towards us, firing. I could see the muzzle flashes of their weapons. I shot back. The first figure screamed and jerked backwards, clutching his stomach. I fired again, and was aware of my partner doing the same. More screams and grunts. The firing stopped. I raised my head. There was a rattle, and I felt bullets whistle past, centimetres from my head. I pressed myself low to the ground. One of them was still alive! I looked around, still keeping my head down. The enemy fired again. I saw the gun flash. Taking aim, I fired a three second burst at the spot, then lay flat again. It should have got him, but you never know. The score read: 'Player1: 0400, Player2: 0800'. I guessed he must be finished. I lifted my head. Nothing. My partner raised himself and crouched on his haunches.
"We were about to carry on towards the castle when more guards appeared in front. I dropped flat and fired. I could hear the dull thuds as the bullets connected. Two guards went down. The rest crouched, firing. I traversed my gun left to right, noting the scores. My partner was having even more sucess.
"Bullets slammed into the ground beside me. The guards ran forwards. I fired. Two more fell, groaning. I saw one throw something, which landed behind me. 'Grenade', I thought, and covered my head. The ground shook with the explosion. I continued firing. Though my ears were ringing, I appeared to have escaped unscathed. The guards still advanced, however. I saw my partner firing, away to my right. Then another grenade. It landed near his feet. He picked it up and threw it back. It exploded violently before it landed. Then things became confused. I remember part of it in slow motion almost. There were guards on all sides. I was still firing, still killing. I saw the three figures to my partner's right.
"'They're going to get him', I thought. I traversed my gun, still firing, gripping it tightly against the vicious recoil. One guard screamed and died. I could see that I wasn't going to be fast enough. The nearest guards fired. My partner screamed. His body lurched as the bullets hit him. Another guard fired, hitting him again. Then there was a blinding flash, a brief moment of panic, and I was back in the test room.
"I sighed with relief, blinking in the bright laboratory light. The helmet goggles had gone transparent. I leant forwards and patted the small computer which had generated the whole game, in much the same way as I might pat my pillow after waking up from a particularly vivid dream.
"As I got reorientated, I began to notice that something was wrong. My brother and the other technicians were staring with expressions of horror. The woman who had switched the machine off so abruptly was bending over my partner. I turned to commiserate with him on his 'game death'. I stopped in shock. My partner was slumped back. The technician was crying. There were three gaping holes in my partner's chest and stomach. Blood was spattered over the machine, his lab coat, and, I now noticed, over me. I tried to take my helmet off. I wanted to vomit.
"'Turn the power back on so we can take off the helmets!' someone said in a shaking voice. The power came back on and I ripped my helmet off with relief. Before I did, however, I caught a glimpse of the flashing red lettering. It read: 'Game over player two.'"
There was an uneasy silence at the dinner table. Jellicoe finally broke it.
"Was... Did he... Your partner... was he dead?" she asked, fiddling agitatedly with her spoon.
"Not quite. They rushed him to hospital and he's been there ever since. He's off the danger list now, though."
"But the bullets only existed inside a computer program!" replied Jellicoe.
"And his own imagination. He got so involved with the game, he believed they were real."
Brian smiled nervously.
"Psychosomatic bullet holes?" he asked with a half grin.
"That is what the medical report said," replied Imran, staring at his coffee thoughtfully.