Ovanhed smiled thinly, “I can’t, actually, or not much. Mindblown has told us you will be placed in a prison initially, but will have the opportunity to gain your freedom within the virtual framework. It is described as a fantasy type setting. You will be playing with all settings at maximum in order to fully test the system.”
“So stay here where people want me dead, or gamble my life on the chance the untested long term immersion works? Is this the deal?” Seamus asked looking at Moorehead, who nodded. “Where do I sign?”
Moorhead shook his head, “Seamus, don’t do this. There are too many ways for it to go badly.”
“They want to take all the life sentenced inmates and put them into prisons in virtual space. That’s their end goal, Moore, and I don’t disagree with it at all. As long as this deal specifies that I won’t be sent to one of them, I’ll do it. My last act of helping the system that I spent years serving before ending up on the other side.” Seamus replied, his voice calm. Turning to look at Ovanhed, “If our deal states I will never be sent to one of your virtual hells, I mean prisons, I will agree.”
Ovanhed nodded as he stood up, “Glad you’re on board. The paperwork will be sent to your attorney in the next few weeks. Once everything is signed off, we’ll put the wheels in motion and have you transported to the test facility.” He went to the door, knocked and a guard let him out.
Moorehead looked at Seamus with sadness in his eyes, “Why Seamus? Why did you agree to this? You have a very good chance of being freed when I get your sentence reduced. You’ll be helping them set up whole worlds were people are trapped in virtual space to cut down on costs for the government to hold them.”
“The second part is why, Moore. You know I used to work as a guard, I have no love for convicted inmates. Even as I turned my back on the law when I committed my crime, I knew what would happen. It’s why I pled guilty and tried to get a reduced sentence to begin with. The system is broken in some ways sure, but overall it’s the best we have at the moment. The cost to the citizens to house an inmate for life is stupid if we can just put them into a pod. If this works out, don’t fight for a reduction, let them keep me in a virtual world forever. Maybe there I can find the justice that I struck out for on my own. Please go, I want to be alone now.”
Moorehead didn’t reply as he left Seamus at the table. A minute later the guards came and took Seamus back to his solitary confinement in silence. Seamus let his mind run at the very idea that he might be free, even if it was going to be digitally. A sad smile crossed his face as he recalled his old friend Alvin Brouch, who had been a coder at Mindblown Entertainment. Maybe it was him that Seamus had to thank for this opportunity, hopefully he would get the chance.
The next few days went by in isolation, with only his hour out in the yard and meals as the breaks in the day. On the fourth day from his meeting with Ovanhed, Seamus was in the yard for his hour when Sgt. Jasperson came out and sent the guard watching him back inside. Sighing, Seamus set his book down, looking over as Jasperson came over and took a seat on the nearby weight bench.
“Seamus, maybe you can shed some light on something for me,” Jasperson drawled. “It seems there have been orders coming down that you are to be watched carefully. More so than we have been since the last incident. Practically a suicide watch. Any idea as to what’s going on?”
Seamus pursed his lips in thought for a second. “I can’t,” he began and Jasperson’s face shut down. “Wait a second, I can’t without breaking an NDA. The man with my attorney was Department of Justice, and I’m not even sure I’m allowed to say that much. I will not be a thorn in your side for much longer, though. If things happen the way they should, I’ll be going to a different facility. Which means I should take this chance to apologize and say thanks.”
Jasperson eyed him for a second, shaking his head, “Don’t. I didn’t agree with what you did to end up here. Frankly, it shocked and disgusted me to no end. I had never even thought you would do something so heinous. I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, just it wasn’t right for you to do what you did, Seamus. As for the last incident here, it’s still being investigated. That man should never have been anywhere near you, let alone in the yard or unsupervised.”
“Well, be that as it may. I still thank you for being civil to me and I am sorry about the heat that is down on you all right now. I’ll ask my attorney to pass along what he can if you are really interested?”
Standing up, Jasperson shook his head, “Don’t. I’m glad you didn’t get the chair, but you still shouldn’t have killed him. Wherever you go I hope they treat you fairly, though. I talked to your old Sergeant yesterday. He’s retiring, he was strung out after the FBI investigation into the murder. He wanted me to tell you to keep your chin up. It seems he still cares enough to wish you happiness.”
“Yeah, Sgt. Grey always had a soft spot for his deputies. Next time you see him, tell him to knock back a Guinness in my name, please.” Seamus picked his book up and went back to the best fantasy trilogy ever created. He’d just been getting to meeting Treebeard in the forest, which was one of his favorite spots in the books.
Giving the murderous ex-deputy one more glance, Jasperson walked over to the door and knocked. The guard came back out to take over his station as Jasperson left. The guard glanced at Seamus questioningly but didn’t say anything, so Seamus ignored the look.
The following day Moorehead came back to visit Seamus with paperwork to sign. After being cuffed and taken to the lawyer room Seamus found Moore quite agitated. “What’s the matter, Moore?”
Sighing, Moore replied quickly, “This paperwork was a nightmare. All the clauses and sub-clauses in it, would drive a senator mad. It boils down to you’ll pulled out of the pod once a year for a week so they can do a full work up on your physical condition. Otherwise you’ll stay in the pod even if a medical emergency arises, in such case they will provide aid while you stay in-game.”
Chuckling, Seamus shrugged, “Yeah, but it won’t seem like I’m behind bars as I’ll be in a full virtual world. I’ve already made my peace with the thought of death, so I don't really care if I die. I doubt they’ll let anything like that happen, though. They need a good healthy test case to really get good data. What about me being transferred, is it soon?”
“It will take place in three weeks if you sign off today. I implore you again not to do this, Seamus. Think about what you are going to help them do to others.” Moore had a real pleading tone to his voice.
Seamus met his lawyer’s eyes, “Moore, you’re thinking of the negative. Think for a second of the positive, if this works it will give life to so many others who really deserve it. The paralyzed, the broken and the twisted of body will have a chance at a full life again in a digital world. That is what I look to, my name then might not be reviled for what I did to get here, but what I did to help others after the tests are done.”
Blinking, Moore considered Seamus’s words carefully, thinking though the implications he had not considered. “That’s what you see? Not the hellish idea of people being stuck in virtual prisons to cut down on costs of housing long term inmates?”
“Well, to be frank, I like the idea of the second one too, but the first one is what really tugs at me. Think of why I’m here, why I committed my crime and think of what I said. I can help her have a life again if this goes well. She’ll be able to walk, run, dance and more. That’s what really motivates me to agree.”