Alexander Plansky - Arcadia

It seemed the trail wore on for eternity. Lewis checked the gas tank indicator and was relieved to see it was still three-quarters full. If they got stuck this far from civilization, they’d be screwed. As if someone had read his mind, a gas station appeared over the hill. The sign read “Road Runner’s Gas and Diesel” as they sped past it. A shiver shot down his spine. Miller had pulled a gun on a store clerk somewhere around here. With no other businesses in sight, he realized that must’ve been where the incident took place.

Lewis passed many tiny, dirt-path side roads. “Where’s the next turn?”

“Not for another five minutes or so.” She looked at him. “Jesus, this place is in the middle of nowhere.”

“Not exactly a great business model,” he noted.

Eventually, they came to the juncture for Old Highway 93. Lewis took a left and the road snaked to the northeast, then came around and settled in a northwestern direction. Jenna gently tapped her fingers on the window beside her and sighed, staring off into the desert. Even Lewis felt his mind phasing out as the minutes ticked by.

Then, on the horizon, a man-made structure rose up from the sand. He saw what looked like a giant black box, nearly three stories high, and as he got closer, a chain-link fence enclosing the area it encompassed. As they finally pulled up to the complex, he realized it was bigger than it had first seemed. To the left of the parking lot and the main building, the black, modernist warehouse-type structure he’d seen on the Andromeda Virtual Systems website, was a fenced-off construction site and behind that another, smaller warehouse of similar design. On the front of the main building was written in white, bolded letters: ARCADIA.

Lewis turned onto the entrance road, which seemed to go down the entire middle length of the compound and took a right again to pull into the parking lot. The Corolla slid into a spot right in front of the glass double doors to the main building. He and Jenna climbed out of the car. It was bright and sunny, but the temperature was barely 70 degrees. Lewis figured exiting an air-conditioned vehicle here in the summer would feel like stepping into a furnace.

A cool breeze whipped through the air and Jenna brushed her hair away from her face. Lewis squinted and looked around the parking lot. More than half the spaces were empty. He glanced at his watch: 9:04AM.

“Shall we?” Jenna said, gesturing to the doors.

Lewis joined her and they walked toward them together. Abruptly, the tinted glass panes slid open as the couple approached. As Lewis entered the building, he felt as if he were entering the jaws of a giant, rectangular beast.

The lobby was a vast, darkened space. To the right was a lounge area with plush, square-backed reclining chairs and an empty reception counter behind it. To the left stood several arcade machines and on the wall behind them was a giant timeline of VR technological development. Dead ahead was a dark corridor lined with neon blue LED strips running down the sides, looking like a passageway in some futuristic spacecraft. On either side of this hallway, along the back walls of the lobby, were a series of posters advertising the various games Lewis had seen on the website: Aerial Adventure , Deep Dive , Everest Escapade , as well as a few others such as Retrowave Rampage , Lunar Latitudes , and Mayan Mayhem . Like the corridor, the lobby was lit by neon blue LEDs, although all the posters and the timeline on the left wall were lit from below with white lights.

Nobody was here.

“Are we early or something?” Jenna thought out loud.

“Actually, you’re five minutes late,” came a voice. “But I’ll forgive you.”

The couple looked around them in all directions. No one was in sight.

Then a figure emerged from the hallway ahead of them and Lewis realized why they hadn’t spotted him. He wore black from head to toe, his turtleneck matching his dark chinos and loafers. The only splash of color came from his silver belt buckle.

Lewis recognized him immediately from his website photo.

“I’ve never given a tour before,” Victor Zhao said, his voice deep and mellifluous. “But this place is all about trying new things, so in that spirit, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Arcadia.”

He walked up to Jenna and shook her hand first. “Ms. Bateman, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I’m a big fan of e-sports, and I’ve seen many of your YouTube videos.”

“Thank you, Mr.–”

“Call me Victor.” He gave her a confident smile, then turned to her boyfriend. “And you must be Mr. Lewis. I’d like to thank you for taking the time to come all the way out here for your article. Word of mouth has been very strong, but a little free press never hurts.”

“It’s an interesting business strategy, having your place located so far from virtually any amenity. Took us over an hour and twenty minutes to get here. Why build so far from the Strip?”

Zhao shrugged. “Land is very cheap out here. We have water and sewage treatment through the closest town, Caliente, where the staff and myself live. But we try to recycle as many of our resources as we can, especially the water. Our electricity comes primarily from solar.”

“Did it cost a lot to get this place hooked up to the grid?” Lewis asked, taking out a pen and his Moleskine notebook from his jacket. Jenna wandered over to the arcade machines.

Through his peripheral, Lewis saw Zhao’s eyes watch her as she went. “A fair amount, but given how cheap the land is, it was worth it. And we’re expanding the solar panels, so in the long run, we’ll be self-sufficient.”

“How was this placed financed?”

“The way all startup businesses are financed: private funding from investors, in this case from around the globe. People who are looking to get in on virtual reality before it goes mainstream. And it will go mainstream, Mr. Lewis. Without advertising, we’ve already secured full slots for the next six months. We were even able to raise prices.”

“What’s it cost now?”

“It was $100 a day, now it’s $120.”

“If you’re sold out for the next six months, how come you’re open and the parking lot is half empty?”

Zhao smirked. “Arcadia opens at 9AM, but we never book any appointments before 10. Visitors may arrive and enjoy the arcade machines and the lounge before beginning their experience. I had Katelyn slot you in at 9 because it would give me time to begin your tour before the first arrival.”

“We’ll be finished in an hour?” Lewis asked.

“Likely not. At first, I considered forcing you out with the first arrival, but it appears luck is on your side today, Mr. Lewis. Our 10 o’clock called to cancel yesterday.”

Convenient , Lewis thought as he jotted down some notes. “So when did this place open, exactly?”

“July 13th of last year.”

“And what’s your average attendance per day?”

“Every day we have slots for up to 70 bookings.”

“You have enough parking spaces for that?”

Zhao smirked. “They come at different times, no one stays the entire day.”

“Seems a bit far to drive for a digital dine and dash.”

“This place is more than a tourist center, Mr. Lewis,” he scoffed. “It is the future of virtual reality.”

“Bold statement. Enlighten me.”

Zhao sighed. “Come this way.” Jenna was currently playing a Jurassic Park arcade game, the most recent one from 2015. He could see her shooting at a Spinosaurus . “Jenna dear, would you care to join us?”