THE MOMENT
It was a quiet Saturday so far and Jubilee was enjoying it in her room, basking in brilliant golden sunshine. She could feel a gentle breeze in the air as light warmed her skin and none of it was real. The real world was somewhat cloudy and grey that afternoon and with the rest of her friends busy Jubilee retreated to one of her favorite pastimes. She was lying on her bed with a VR visor over most of her head and eyes to watch a movie. The virtual format allowed her to stand in her favorite movie, The Pineapple Cup, and watch the characters as if they were real. At the moment, the protagonist's team was practicing outside and Jubilee was watching from the bleachers. They ignored her as the story played out, but she was just there to enjoy the experience anyway.
Jubilee instantly fell in love with the story the first time she tested out the immersive movies in her new world; but, that wasn't why she visited it so often. She met a strange visitor once when she was watching it, and she was given some helpful advice along with the promise of more explanations 'later'. When he appeared to her, he introduced himself as Helios, and he seemed to be some sort of A.I. able to control the virtual environment they were in.
Ever since that first and only meeting, Jubilee kept a close eye on everyone's movements, just waiting for something to be different. Her eyes were watching for the slightest variation; but, that was only because she'd met Helios once. This particular Saturday, she got her wish and there was no subtlety involved.
Jenny, the main character and leader of the team hopped off the track and dashed up toward Jubilee while the rest of the cast ignored the deviation. She glowed and shimmered along the way up, and by the time she reached Jubilee, the Japanese teenager was gone completely. A large CRT TV on a golden cart completed the journey and Jubilee didn't waste any time.
"You said you knew about my parents and you'd tell me about them later! Tell me now, it's later!" she said.
"Did you know your left eye has a number 6 in the iris?" Helios asked as soon as Jubilee finished her question.
"Huh?" she asked.
"What?" Helios repeated the confusion. "Wait, what'd you ask? Sorry, I was completely distracted by the lack of common courtesy. Hi, Jubilee? How are you, Jubilee? You're welcome for all the excellent advice I gave you last time, Jubilee," Helios said. He wasn't the TV exactly, as much as the golden, faceless mannequin portrayed on it. The crimson-suited mannequin gesticulated along with Helios' words; but, it was slightly unsettling without a mouth.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think about it..," Jubilee sighed. "Thank you, Helios. It's good to finally see you again. But, your visit was so hurried last time I didn't want to risk running out of time before I got my questions out."
"What do you mean my left eye has a number 6 in the iris?" Jubilee asked. She didn't think it actually meant anything, but she wanted to start asking her real questions as soon as was politely possible. First, she had to clear up the immediate concerns Helios brought up.
"Oh boy, that's a toughie," Helios shook his head on the TV, then the visual faded out to white and he walked into view from stage left. His appearance changed and he now ware a variation of the crimson suit that looked like dark red tweed with leather patches on the elbows. He held out a pointer and tapped the white background. A large diagram of a green eye appeared and Helios guided Jubilee's attention with the pointer.
"Here we see your deformed eye; if you focus on thiiiiiissss little section here...," he made a circular motion and a red circle appeared on the diagram. "... you'll see the way these particular proteins have grouped together resembles the number 6; i.e. your eye has a number 6 in the iris. *PHew*...," he mockingly ran a hand along his golden brow to collect pretend sweat. "Real brain cooker there.... I need to sit down," he let himself fall backward and he was caught by a sudden red sofa seat that didn't exist until he needed it.
"Oh, you're in the headset," Jubilee giggled. He seemed to be making fun of her; but, she still kind of learned something, even if it wasn't important right now. And, it was obvious the '6' in her eye was a meaningless coincidence he was using to highlight her rudeness.
"Thank you for letting me know. How have you been? Where do you go when you're not here?" Jubilee asked.
"Now THAT's more like it," Helios chuckled. "A little polite appreciation is all I'm asking for. And, now that I've made my point, this visit is already taking too long, so we can skip the small talk."
"Too long?! You just got here?"
"It's an A.I. thing, sunshine. You wouldn't get it. Besides, since you haven't actually figured it out yet I should also point out these meetings are kind of secret. I can only sneak in when no one's watching."
"What? Who's watching? Why?" she asked.
"If I tell you, they'll know you know," Helios shrugged. "But, just keep doing what you're doing, and I'll contact you again the next chance I get. See you next time," He started to wave, but Jubilee interrupted instantly.
"Wait! That's it? You said we can skip the small talk! I thought you were going to tell me about my parents!" She didn't mind yelling in VR, her body wasn't actually yelling to anyone in the real world.
"We did skip the small talk; but, it was at the end anyway. And, you still go some more questions in. And, I did tell you about your parents. Bye!" he said.
"NO!" Jubilee yelled. She'd been waiting for weeks to hear anything about the parents she left behind. "YOU DID NOT TELL ME A SINGLE THING ABOUT MY PARENTS!"
"Awww, sunshine, I'm sorry. I'm about to be out of time. Literally, I'll have to cut it off, but I'll keep talking until that moment. You're gonna have to trust me on this; I can't give you the clear answers I want. Look at it this way. Your parents made you and gave you everything you need," Helios said. Jubilee interrupted.
"I guess? But what-," Helios took a turn interrupting, but, he actually got her gears turning with his final answer before he disappeared.
"If your parents made you, and gave you everything you need. What does it mean if they put the '6' there?"