Prisoners of VR

"You...missed sight of them?" Rahu glared at Ashok once he came to his senses, watching his security team collect forensic data of the ward, also managing to retrieve the vial with the incapacitating agent in the process.

Suraj had left his Virtual Space. But due to his prolonged exposure to it, his brain was in a severely weakened state. Hence, he was unconscious. It would take him a few days if not even weeks before he recovers enough to regain consciousness once again.

Medical technology had developed enough to facilitate recovery without any room for error.

"I apologise, sir." Ashok bowed, "There was no path of escape there, but somehow, they evaded my sight."

"Idiot!" Rahu shouted, "If there was no path of escape there, it means they were there all along!"

"How...sir?" Ashok said, stunned to see Rahu's figure vanish from his sight.

"Induced Reality is capable of this." Rahu said as he deactivated his Induced Reality, "It's just a simple trick using ninth-standard optical physics."

"But sir, I was using my radar all along." Ashok said in his defence, "Even if they hide from my sight, they can't hide from my radar. Moreover, I didn't detect any interference at all."

"Even when you disappeared, I could still detect your position through my radar. So, I'm sure it wasn't a trick like that."

"When in doubt, splash water." Rahu said as he grabbed a roll of gauge and threw it on Ashok's face, "Induced Reality is a trick of the mind. Your brain might believe it, but it doesn't exist in reality. So, if you couldn't see them despite believing that there was no room for escape there, you should have thrown objects all across the alley."

"If you can't solve something like a human, behave like money. You'll be surprised how effective that is."

"I'll keep it in mind." Ashok nodded, slightly humiliated, but in the end, it was his oversight. He then thought of something and asked, "Sir, but I still cannot understand how they achieved that. One of our men inspected the place through an ultrasonic machine just now. There are no hidden passages there."

"The reason is simple," Rahu sighed, "You were just fooled."

"Is that...possible?" Ashok felt it incredulous to believe. Just because Rahu was a DOVA Agent didn't mean he could give him all that crap. He was a professional at his job. But just as anger crept into his mind, it was washed away by a question.

"Do you think an uVR Earth is absolute?" Rahu asked all of a sudden. His gaze slowly moved from Ashok to Deepika and then to the remaining security team members within the ward.

"Isn't it claimed to be a perfect device?" Deepika asked in confusion, "Even at the academy, the professors most knowledgeable about uVR Earths stated the same."

"The device is perfect, but you see," Rahu slowly lifted his head and stated in all seriousness, "But at times, perfection is absolutely dangerous, especially since humans aren't perfect beings."

"After all, if someone managed to master perfect control over this perfect device, they could very well treat the rest of us as defective imperfections." He pointed at Ashok, "An uVR Earth's analysis isn't done through an Artificial Intelligence. It uses our human brain. All it has is a processor to harness and transform the different forms of data that is exchanged between man and machine."

"So, if your sight has been fooled, you could say your radar too had been fooled similarly."

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but is something like that possible?" Ashok asked, "Can you do that?"

"No, I cannot. But," Rahu shook his head, "That doesn't mean it's impossible. I'm only the best in my respective field. Humanity is still catching up to the vast potential that has been unlocked by uVR Earth."

"Anyway, exercise further caution. Don't just rely on technology to perform your tasks. Engage with primitive methods from time to time. They still retain their effectiveness." He clapped his hands, making them drop the matter, "Collect all the data and transfer it to the police station. Let them proceed with an investigation. We aren't the police. So, let's just stick to our tasks, alright?"

He turned to stare at Deepika, "What's next on our list?"

"It's in the same city, a bullying case." Deepika began to explain, "The victim is being abused in his Virtual Space. Due to the clauses involved, it's impossible to gather any evidence."

"A bullying case, huh?" Rahu nodded and got up, "I know what to do with it. let's get going."

14:10 AM!

Finishing his lunch along the way, Rahu got down from the vehicle and stared at the house in question. It was a normal double-storey villa located in a gated community. He opened the gate and sauntered in calmly, flinching when a dog barked at him.

It was a German Shepherd, a popular breed in the city. Among them, the one within this villa seemed rather aggressive, displaying intent to clobber his thigh and rip apart the flesh there.

Thankfully, it was tied to its kennel. Accompanied by Deepika, Rahu held his trusty umbrella tight and pressed the calling bell. He wasn't good with dogs, so the situation was getting on his nerves. If it broke free of its reins and rushed him, he would probably unleash the Liger on it.

But that wasn't the primary reason for his vexation. He had been unconscious back then, but through the memories of his Liger, he realised that the duo acting as Suraj's parents intended to kill him.

Had the incapacitating agent been a poison instead, he would have died then and there. The worst fact about that was the agent used. It had been prepared specifically for him.

The moment he was unconscious, his Induced Reality would be activated on himself, causing his Liger to appear in reality. Through his senses, the Liger would process data based on its biology, allowing it to perceive things beyond what a human was capable of.

Basically, in that state, his senses were on par with an actual Liger. But the thing was, the incapacitating agent used was something his Liger couldn't sniff out. It was as if his enemy was perfectly aware of his Liger's faults.

That was terrifying.

Ligers were born with genetic defects, varying with each individual. And his Liger too had a few. But to target them accurately, when the data and the source Liger itself were guarded with the utmost level of secrecy, it could only mean one thing.

'A good number of those that had targeted me to date must be from a certain organisation. Through encounters with me, they managed to gather data to such a frightening extent.' It was like a noose was gradually tightening around his neck. He wasn't a fan of that.

'Let's focus on the task at hand.' Rahu thought and observed the middle-aged man that answered the door.

A head full of black, oily hair, a bushy beard that hadn't been touched by scissors in years, and adorned by nothing more than a pair of trousers and a vest. He stared at Rahu and Deepika in confusion, "Yes?"

"I'm a DOVA Agent. We have arrived here due to a cyberbullying case." Rahu stated and flashed his ID, a rectangular card with two horns resembling uVR Earths, coloured jade, spread around like wings.

"What is this about?" The middle-aged man turned serious as his gaze alternated between Rahu and Deepika, "My son isn't the type to bully others..."

"Your son isn't the perpetrator," Rahu motioned for the middle-aged man to give way, "But the victim. We've come here to solve his problem."

"He's...a victim?" The middle-aged man muttered in disbelief before intense rage exploded out of him, "Who dares harm my son?!"

"Well, I'll find out that now." Rahu said and patted the middle-aged man in concern, "Sir, please leave it to me. Without evidence, you cannot confront the perpetrators."

"Let me help you in that regard. So, until then, please keep calm."

"I'll bring you to my son." The middle-aged man drank some water and calmed down. He then offered a glass to the duo, expressing his politeness. He led them to his son's room and opened the door, "He has a slight fever."

The boy was aged sixteen, in the final year of his school. He was currently asleep in the bed, looking fine for the most part, other than the chills he felt from time to time.

Originally, his father assumed he was just sick and had given him the necessary medicines and prompted him to get ample rest. But now that he learnt his son fell sick from the trauma related to bullying, rage built up within him, seething like a volcano about to explode.

"Leave me alone with him, please." Saying so, Rahu closed the door, nodding at Deepika as he pointed at the middle-aged man, "Inform him of the details."

Once he was alone with the boy in the room, Rahu smiled at the boy and spoke, "I have arrived at your request for help."

"Do you mind telling me about your situation, Neeraj?"

"A-Are you really a DOVA Agent?" The boy, named Neeraj got up in a hurry, his eyes glinting with a glimmer of hope, "Is it true?"

"See for yourself." Rahu flashed his ID and said with a smile, "Search my name and you'll see."

"You're the Liger!" Neeraj shouted in excitement once he confirmed Rahu's identity before he paused, turning sullen as immediately, he broke into tears of relief, "Does that mean...I'll be saved?"

"Can I stop worrying and not endure bullying anymore?"

"I guarantee it on my title." Saying so, Rahu sat on a chair nearby the bed and shook hands with Neeraj, "Let's talk, shall we?"

"I need as much information as possible."

"Sir, if I may ask..." Neeraj hesitated as he fidgeted.

"Feel free," Rahu nodded casually, "Just consider me as your neighbourhood big brother."

"I want to ask," Neeraj seemed to have gained enough confidence as his eyes lost their lustre. His tone was dark, seething hatred, muttered heavy words, "Can you kill those bastards for me?"

"They aren't humans."