Chapter 58 - Manipulating Time? (2/2)

Ginro walked over to Gray finally and placed a small tray on Gray's new desk. Inside the tray was a bunch of datachips that were just tossed and mixed together like candy.

"What are these?" asked Gray

"These are the data chips that each contain a single map. Your neural integrator will allow you to sync with it and will render the environment through our servers and let you walk through the map like a ghost. In other words, you can be as big or small as you want and even float around." Ginro explained.

"Slow down there killer, what's a neural integrator?"

"This world is virtual, yes? This device lets you interact with any virtual world as if you are a developer or administrator. Think of it as like you get to play God in a virtual world. At least that is what mine does… yours is similar but it has read-only access. In other words, you can go and do whatever you want, but you can't change or create anything." Ginro explained further. "I have to remind you that none of these devices are able to influence this world sadly... I mean, not that I've tried to or anything." Ginro said while laughing.

"Ok, so why the chips if we're in a virtual world? Isn't it like putting a present in a box, and in another box?" Gray asked.

"Hmmm, that's a good metaphor for it… Indeed it is, but the reason for that box is security and to give the data a container of sorts. Data is a fluid in this virtual world. If you don't have a container for it you can't transfer it, plus trying to hold binary data without a container is conceptually impossible. If you draw the 1s and 0s on yourself then you become the container, then we have to assume you're drawing the correct 1s…" Ginro kept going on and on and Gray's eyes and brain started to lose focus. Gray thought he should let Caleb meet this guy and let their intelligence duke it out for superiority.

Gray finally had to interrupt him "Ok! Ok! I get it, no need to give me all of the technical stuff, you could have ended at 'trying to hold binary data without a container is conceptually impossible' and we both could've saved ourselves some time. Basically, stick the data chip into the slot, enter the virtual world it contains, then figure out how to fix the balance issues for the mech fighting, right?"

"Yes, that sums it up rather well. As for which map is contained on each chip, just hold them while looking through the 'glasses' and the map name will appear over the chip in your hand. If you need to mark it up, use the stylus to draw in the air at your current location. I'll be going with you and transforming the map based upon your suggestions so you can see it in real time." Ginro explained.

"Oh, this actually sounds like a lot of fun then!" Gray said excitedly. "How long do we have?"

"We have only tonight, so roughly 13 hours! That is more than enough time to go over all of the maps!"

Gray looked at the plastic tray and saw the pile of chips, fingered through them, then counted them out individually.

"Uhhh, you want us to rework 24 maps in only 13 hours? What about food and sleep?" Gray asked.

"Gray-san, you are in a virtual world, why would you need to sleep or eat?" Ginro countered.

"Good point, but that still would only leave us… 32 minutes and 30 seconds per map if we take no rest in between." Said Gray with concern.

"Being in a virtual world has many other advantages for development, time is only relative to what we make it here… although it still does have a limit to how much we can adjust it based on our own human limitations and processing power of the servers." Ginro explained.

The thought of messing with time was concerning to Gray. "Uhhhh… won't other people notice if we change how fast time works? Won't we age differently compared to the real world? Will I become senile from this? Will I become sterile from this?"

"No, No, probably not, and No…" Ginro said honestly.

"Wait which one of those was 'probably not' for…" Gray started to think.

"Come, put on your neural integrator, close your eyes, and say 'Go Go Gadget Time Manipulator!'" Ginro said.

"Seriously… uhhh OK" Gray put on the nueral integrator and saw that everything still looked the same, but when he looked long enough at something a panel would appear in his HUD that would display a list of basic properties such as name, location coordinates, functions and mess of other features that he was hoping to get to play with.

Remembering Ginro's instructions, Gray closed his eyes and said "Go Go Gadget Time Manipulator."

Nothing happened, Gray was expecting something but stared at Ginro. "It didn't work!"

"You didn't say it loud enough for the server's AI management to hear it, you can raise a fist if you want to get the AI's attention as well." Said Ginro.

"Makes sense…" Gray then threw a fist up into the air and yelled "GO GO GADGET TIME MANIPULATOR!"

Once again, nothing happened… but Gray could hear all of the other technicians around him laughing like crazy, some even high-fiving Ginro.

Ginro finally burst out proudly "Muahahaha! Another victim!"