Gabriel Meets Himself

Today I smuggled my extra VR headset into Paradise Lost and roof-topped over to show Gabe. He was skeptical, since he has never been comfortable with the old “which one of us is real” argument that we have been having over glasses of ale ever since our interview about his book, but he agreed to give it a try.

After the basic demo with Beat Saber (which of course he loved), I pried it out of his hands and set up IDU with my extra profile. He picked it up quickly and laughed his way through Purgatory… but he got very quiet in PL, apologizing under his breath and breaking out in a sweat when he met Susan the Banshee. “Nooo… I am so sorry my love…” he whispered.

Then things got very weird when he had to fight himself — especially when he got killed by plasma balls. “Tis but mad sorcery!” he shouted, ripping off the headset and throwing it over the cliff. “What happens when that Gabriel puts on a headset and fights himself? Huh? Where does that leave ME? Who the hell am I, anyway? This is the work of a summoner and you, sir, are evil. Away with you!”

He swung his sword back and forth so fast I could not even lift my bow, and suddenly I was standing in the Sanctuary, shivering and stunned, as if awakened from a nightmare. Fortunately, I had thought to take one photo…

This is part of the In Death: Unchained literature collection by Steven K. Roberts.