Kissed in code

UNCOVERING

ste to it, and now all I c

hed atop her nose. Virtual Oasis had quickly become the talk of the town. It was

g as she handed Sophia a copy of the virtual app. Sophia had accepted it, more so because she didn’t want to argue

d her to two cute guys based on her highlighted interests. She had played around wi

ed through the café widows as young couples engrossed in their AR interactions, giggled and flirted wi

nsider the night before, telling her that t

. "It's about power. Nick uses the data he gathers from users t

dden shifts in mood, drastic changes in behavior, even unexpected purchases influenced by the app. It was as if they had fallen under some sort of spell.

s of dots. A handful of pseudonymous testimonials from former employees, code snippets hidden in obscure corners of the

hia contacted her editor that da

dence before we can publish anything. Keep digging, but be cautio

e investigation low-key unti

the app. Using a secure line, she arranged a clandestine meeting in a cafe far from the prying eyes of surveillance c

rfect backdrop for their covert meeting. Sophia had arrived a few minutes early, her heart pounding with

an in his late forties, wearing a faded leather jacket and a baseball cap that shielded his face from curi

ation." The man nodded, still glancing around nervously. "I appreciate your commitmen

d to know more. Why are you w

used to work for the company behind the app, and I was involved in developing some of it

ing him to continue. "What

secretly collects vast amounts of personal data, tracking users' preferences, emotions, and vulnerabilities. Then, it uses that d

why anyone would want to get people

y stand to g

ack on the man who was now

I imagined. Why ar

g his hands in mock surrender. Sophia wondered if he coul

s behind

ed with controlling people's emotions and actions, and Virtual Oasis is his most audacious c

she asked. The man replied b

ng the implications of what

motive? Why wou

owerful groups who want to influence people on a massive scale. It's abo

man. Lives are being affected. Inno

any evidence I

able. "I've managed to collect some documents and code snippets that prove what

ion." Sophia took the flash drive, realizing that it was

e careful, Sophia. Nick is a genius, but he's also

ation and bring it to light. Thank you for coming forward.", she said, shaking the man’s

elly of Virtual Oasis, and she was determined to expose the truth, no matter the risks involved. As Sophia sat the

m that rivaled a sci-fi movie set. As he watched the AR interactions of Virtual Oasis users, he couldn't h

gerous territory. The data he harvested revealed not just users' romantic desires but their deepest vulnerabilities.

ication from Lucas, his brother, and confidant, who had been monitoring t

etting close

ran

t fo

don't l

ly the dim glow of the city's distant lights seeping through the window blinds. The room was hushed, its

was. He didn’t need to, they never cared to tell him anyway. Ever since he had be

cape where reality and fantasy entwined. His dreams led him down a path of poignant nostalgia,

g him back to the labyrinthine hallways of his old high school. The air was he

but a teenager once more, grappling with the emoti

ra

er looked at him. He was a weirdo

elodic serenade that reverberated through the air. She was the object of countless teenage cru

ook! see wh

ick. As Miranda drew nearer, her presence was a tantalizing mirage. When she was close enough,

for you. I made th

eathing f

the centerpiece of Nick's most intimate fantasies. The dream became a tempest of emoti

of 's memories. Beneath the star-studded sky, they danced, their laughter mingling with the ethereal notes of a dista

he pages of a well-worn yearbook. The dream transformed into a haunting reflection of

rt pounding in his chest. The room was as it had been, dimly lit by the dista

ing. He looked at the cl

05

se of disorientation and guilt. He gazed at the woman beside him, the one he had spent his entire afternoon with, and for the fir

ting allure of the woman he had lost touch with. With a sigh, Nick turned away from lady and stared at the ceil

had these dreams. That was how i

torm within. Margaret, stood by the kitchen counter, the soft hum of the coffee machine filling the room.

ed away, each second echoing the building frustration between them. Both were preparing for another day at work, bu

had become all too familiar. Steve, dressed in a neatly pressed suit, cleared his thr

ines of annoyance etched across Steve's features. He decided to break the si

e always glued to that VR set," Steve said,

een. "What's the big deal, Steve? I'm just checking my messages," she ret

a proper conversation anymore. It's like you're in an

R set on the counter. "You're making a big deal out of nothin

Steve approached her. He took a deep bre

ast together without you being lost in tha

too strong. "I don't see why we can't talk and be on our phones at the sa

g on him. "It's not about everyone else; it's about us. I want us

ed with conflicting emotions, torn between the digital world that beckoned and the tangible con

longing. "Margaret, we're drifting apart, and I can't stand it. I want to

e tangible connection she risked losing. "I just need to check a few more

lm exterior. "Margaret, we're running out of time. Can we please tr

t him, the conflict evident in her eyes. The realization that their re

gesture that echoed the struggle to reclaim their connection. Steve's ey

could paint the words that had long remained unspoken. The real challenge lay not in the absence of screens but in their

ed, a testament to the fragile dance between the tangible world and the digital one. The kitchen, once a battleground

ich had been displaying a steady green light slowly began blinking and

looking at the screen