We Dream In Ones and Zeros: An Anthology

Your Best You | Part II

For a moment, no one spoke.

The Manager, who had immediately broken eye contact, just stood there, glaring at the floor, fists shaking at their sides as they took in deep breaths, almost as if they themselves hadn't except that outburst.

Kiesse, on the other hand, felt strangely relieved.

From the moment she'd entered the void, there was this tension, like a huge elephant had been resting its entire weight on her shoulders. But now the weight was gone and she could not only breath again, but actually focus and think with a clear head.

"I'm sorry," she began, strong but heartfelt.

The Manager tensed up at her apology, looking up from the ground with an almost vulnerable sort of surprised expression on their face. They looked like they wanted to say something, but Kiesse refused to give them that chance and continued speaking.

"These last couple of years took a toll on my mental health," she said, "I wanted - no, needed to take some time off the virtual space. I needed to just... escape, if only for a short period of time. To be away from people, virtual or otherwise, and feel something real for once."

The Manager scoffed at this, but Kiesse ignored them, pushing on.

"I planned to check in after a week or two, I honestly did. But weeks turned into months, and well..." she trailed off with a sigh.

For once, The Manager stayed quiet, looking down at her with an unreadable expression.

"This isn't an excuse though," Kiesse added after a beat or two, "I was wrong to leave you with no direction for such a long period of time. What you did in my absence, was exactly what we created you for. To take over and make sure my social presence didn't take a hit. And I'm thankful for that... I really am."

She tried to give a genuine smile to her Main avatar, but the A.I. remained unfazed, keeping their expression as neutral as possible.

"But now I'm here," Kiesse continued, shifting her tone to something gentle but more authoritative, "and some of these changes you made in my absence need to be rectified."

"No."

Kiesse's heart dropped and her fingers twitched, curling around the armrest.

"What do you mean, no?" she questioned in a slow, careful tone, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

The Manager ignored her, turning around to pace up and down the entire length of the platform.

"You know," they started, tone oddly light-hearted and pensive, "at first, I was upset when you logged off for so long. Spent weeks agonising over it, wondering why you would abandon me like that, or what would I do without my creator. My real-life persona. But as I took over, and saw your score soar to new heights, I realised something..."

The Manager came to a full stop in the middle of the platform, body turning to face her head on. Slowly, a grin bloomed and stretched across the avatar's entire face. It was a purposefully unnatural expression that fell straight into the uncanny valley, and it sent a shiver down Kiesse's spine.

"I... we," the Manager corrected themselves, gesturing at all six of the Clusters that had stepped up to stand right behind the Main avatar. "Don't need you."

Those eyes, her own eyes, held Kiesse hostage for what felt like a hellish eternity. She was frozen in place, all but glued to her chair as she struggled to remember how to breathe.

But then, like a wave on the shore, the reality of the situation came crashing down on her. Balling her hands into fists on the armchairs, Kiesse narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth before snapping at the Manager with all the authority she used to employ back at work.