Gabby shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, attempting and failing to discreetly remove her pink, lace panties from in between her buttcheeks. She silently cursed at her husband for suggesting she wear them in the morning, a gesture done more out of lust than of practicality. As she reached once more to relieve herself she felt a sharp bump on her side. 'Ow!' Gabby moaned as she turned to face her best friend and fellow secretary, Diann. 'What was that for?!'
Diann rolled her eyes as she whispered, 'First off, take your hands out of your ass, you're embarrassing both of us. Second, Lockheed's here. Gabby's head shot upwards towards the stage as a resounding applause echoed round in the packed auditorium. She watched as Old Man Lockheed, still surprisingly mobile and spry at his age, sprung onto the stage with a cocky little grin plastered on his withering face.
He basked in the applause for a few moments before halting it abruptly with a single, pale-white digit. The crowd all seemed to simultaneously hold their breath as they waited for him to say something inspiring or revolutionary. Reginald stopped also before burping loudly, an act that somehow warranted yet another round of applause. Ugh, what a pig... Gabby groaned.
"Now, now, ladies and gentlemen," Lockheed spoke with a booming voice that silenced the masses, "Sorry for that little hiccup. Sometimes I get a little bit... gassy." Another chorus of laughter erupted.
"Okay, fun aside, why have I brought you here today, esteemed members of the public. Well it's quite simple really: let me tell you of a story when I was just a boy myself and yes in fact, I once WAS a child. I remember always coming home and setting up crazy little game with my parents. You see, we couldn't afford all those fancy board games and widgets that you take for granted today so we would make our own, fantastic little tales about dragons and monsters, legendary battles that stay with me even know."
"You may be asking: But why are you telling us this Doctor Lockheed? To put it simply the days of coming back and creating whimsical ditties about princesses' and valiant knights are over- now the parents are so obsessed with work they aren't able to spend time with children as they should. In turn the children feel neglected, acting out and causing mayhem just to get a sliver of attention from the people that are supposed to be there for them. Many parents try to blame this on 'violent games and media' to deflect the blame off themeselves. Well no more."
He suddenly pulled down a curtain which had been carefully laid in the centre of the stage, eliciting a collective gasp from the crowd which Gabby couldn't even stop herself from joining in. Underneath the cover had been a pristine platinum coloured piece of machinery, a large, transparent ball with patterns and lines of code racing across the surface with a high tech setup of a chair and a headset with multiple wires and buttons.
"That's... That's... AMAZING!" Diann squealed with excitement.
Gabby fake yawned, concealing the sense of excitement that was brewing inside of her. "I dunno, it kinda looks like a giant hamster ball."
Lockheed circled the sphere intently, marvelling at his own creation. "The L.O.C.K-G20, the latest and greatest innovation in gaming technology. It has state-of-the-art gyroscopic sensors, allowing users to experience a fully immersive gaming experience without leaving the comfort of our Neo-Leather chairs with built in massage to stop cramps. Add in the all new vIDERE Goggles and Gloves to see in stunning graphics and literally FEEL your surroundings, along with the nIDORE system that sends stimuli to your nose and mouth receptors, allowing you to also taste and smell what is going on around you."
He caressed the smooth exterior of the sphere as he continued, "Why put so much effort into this labour of love? Because I want to bring back the days where EVERYONE, not just the lucky few, are able to log on and connect with not only people around the globe but the ones closest to us, the mums, the dads, the brothers, the sisters. Because THEY are the ones who matter most."
A huge round of applause came again as Lockheed bowed once more before gracefully exiting the stage. A slew of people came to congratulate him and take pictures with him but he politely declined all of them, swiftly entering his black limousine and motioning for the driver to move on. He quickly removed his tie and tossed it on the seat beside him before asking, "Did that sound convincing enough to you?"
A slow clap started as a small figure sitting across from him came into view. She smiled as she replied, "Very compelling, Uncle Reg. I especially liked the part about playing 'whimsical games' with your parents as a child. Ha! Like you remember being a child, Uncle!"
"Quit with the quips, Minnie. If you've come here there must be a reason- give me an update on the island. Were we successful?"
"Please Uncle Reg, don't flatter me, it was all YOU. And no, we were NOT successful in Project Ludum: too many guests have been trapped inside and some are starting to question their disappearances. Our vast supply of neurochips are staring to deplete."
Reginald nodded pensively as he absorbed the information. "The neurochips are a necessary sacrifice, we can always produce more. Just make sure that all the residents at the resort are sedated and oblivious to the experiments. I've put too much into this, too much I've gambled on this product."
"If we don't fix the bugs by the release date in a month's time this project is going to start haemorrhaging money. I've risked a lot too, y'know. I hope this works."
"For both of us, my dear Minnie," Lockheed said as he finally looked up from his lap to stare at his great niece. "For the both of us."
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