From a distance I saw the postman in front of my house. Seeking he looked around and it was freezing, from foot to foot. Then he discovered me. "Hach, Mr. Krambach," he shouted over to me, "Well, I still catch you. I have a letter for you "
He handed me a brown thick Din A 4 - Cover and let me acknowledge on its electronic handheld.
"Thank you very much and have a nice weekend!"
"you too, Mr. Krambach! Good luck. Maybe it will work out soon with a job!"
The delivery was a few years in our neighborhood and with my unemployment and the following social descent familiar. He often brought stacks of rejections of my applications. He knew why the doorbell was broken and knew the reason why I now opened in the spring usually masked deep to his knock. The public utility had stopped some time ago, electricity and gas, and it was only a matter of weeks, when the eviction notice my landlord was granted. I
to shut the door and walked across the dark hall directly into the small kitchen. At least here it was bright and welcoming, despite the cold. In the fall I had dug up some dwarf daffodils and wild tulip bulbs from the front garden and a window box inside brought to the kitchen window. Yellow and red with deep green leaves they shone in the glow of the midday sun.
I sat at the kitchen table, reading the sender of the Lower Saxony Institute for applied medical and technical research cell and organ e. V. "and opened the envelope ...
course! Once again I got back a folder with application forms.
Pretty soon even. Just last week I had applied for a full-page advertisement in our local newspaper as one of the required laboratory assistant.
The letter, however, sounded promising, especially the last lines:
"... we share with you, with regret, that all bodies already in use were.
However, if you have interest to join an expensive experiment, please register on Friday, 16 March 2007 at three clock the porter. Participation in proficiency is doped with an allowance of sixteen thousand € ... "
My hands were shaking with excitement. So much money? What could be the trials for? Would
Given my precarious situation, I even sacrifice a kidney for this high amount!
Oh damn! Today was named Friday. I barely had time for me to move. I would also have to go black, with the bike I would not wait for the specified date and time across the city create.
The giant clock next to the lodge shows fifteen clock twelve. In the crowded entrance to at least twenty people of various ages. Three men in white coats distributed questionnaires and pens. One of the gentlemen came up to me. I showed him the letter. He nodded and smiled at me.
"It's great that you came Mr. Krambach. My name is Werner, Heinz Werner. I am the leader of the Labor Department. With you we can save the profiling. We have already had the pleasure to study their files. Please come with "
The white coat, a bald stocky man of about fifty-led me through glistening brightly lit corridors crisscrossing the Institute. Air conditioning hummed softly. Now and then we met another, but green bekittelte people who slipped on a different device with iron trolley hoses, cables and monitors.
Finally, he asked me in a conference room. Full of expectation we have of a group of older men, also dressed in white, welcome.
Mr. Werner pointed me to a seat at the head of the table and began to imagine using my copied to the other application documents.
He concluded by saying, "Well, gentlemen, I think the subject meets all physical and psychological characteristics, to take part in our experiment. If you agree, I will let Mr. Krambach explain in broad terms how to proceed through a virtual animation. "
Stumme, a unanimous nod his answer.
Werner picked up the remote control in front of him and pressed a few buttons in succession. Noiselessly closed the shutters, while playing softly, captivating music and a big screen at the end of the room was a wheat field with poppies and cornflowers under bright blue skies. Then, the film moved on to a lying under glass shopping mall in which many people went up and down. Again the scene changed. They saw a man from behind - somehow he was me similar! - Go up the stairs to a multi-storey house. He opened the door, climbed in the elevator and after a few seconds of film again. The man rang the front door and was greeted by a beautiful woman. After a transition he was seen shortly after the middle of a cocktail party with music, drinks and much confusion speaking people. A couple sat in a corner close embrace and kissed passionately. The man turned around. The
yes I was! The man smiled at us and raised his champagne glass.
was then the screen is dark and silent again raised the blinds.
Mr. Werner began to talk about the experiment. Really understand I hardly know what he told in a mixture of computer and technical medical terms. Just this: I do if I agreed to be one of the volunteers in order to explore a complex study of virtual life. At the same time I would accept my body for the duration of the experiments provide the institute. Also, I should immediately be granted leave. For everything else was seen, so I do not wash or other utensils needed from home. For that I would get at the start of the experiment, the sixteen thousand euros. Even if I dropped out the study, I should include the money.
I admit that I am not in the course I listened more. Very concerned me the overwhelming feeling of happiness to come out with one blow from all this financial mess. Rent arrears, cold and hunger should be ended. In addition, there was still left enough money to come sparingly for a year to make ends meet. If that was not a fluke!
One of the gentlemen I submitted a written consent form. With its beautiful black and gold Parker fountain pen, I signed without reading. What interested me the fine print! The money was definitely me! It was large and clear right under the signature panel.
now signed and Mr. Werner, waving the document to dry the ink back and forth and verwarte it carefully in a clear solution.
"Mr Krambach, we look forward to working with you! You will now be brought by one of our assistants to physically preliminary investigation. "
Mr. Werner gave me a smile, the hand and pressed it again to the remote control.
A green-clad woman led me silently from the room, as before through endless corridors, brightly lit corridors. Again and again they opened with finger sensors secured doors by pressing their thumb. Then we took a lift, which was set only by typing a long codes in motion into the basement.
welcomed me there two gentlemen who introduced themselves as doctors. I had to undress completely under their scrutiny and place on a heated bed.
"Mr Krambach, we will put you now in a deep sleep. Do not worry. You will feel nothing. Even the anesthetic injection is absolutely painless. If you wake up again, starting the study. As we continue, we will tell you then. "
was now me very uneasy. Anesthesia? Deep sleep? What in heaven's name had little to do with me? Well, I can cancel at any time and take the money in any case to take home, I calmed down again.
the puncture I found really hard ...
"Wake up! Mr. Krambach! Wake up! Open your eyes! "
buzzing in my head and pounded it. I was awake. Bell guard! I just got the anesthetic syringe and cheerful again? The experiment was terminated?
"There you are again! Once you come in peace to him. I look later for you and answer your questions! "Green bekittelte
The woman disappeared from view before.
front of me, slightly elevated, it flickered on a large LCD: back in the wind swirling grain field. "How comfortable there in the spring looks?" Went through my head.
The picture changed quickly. Small tufts of green corn were to be seen now. In between white Spots. Thawing snow! It thundered and black clouds covered. Then rained down a hail storm.
I shivered. "No, my summer and ice cream parlor. How glad I was there now, to drink coffee with milk ", I thought.
It changed the film abruptly dishes clattering, voices. A dark-skinned pigtailed man waved a giant tray of acrobatics-filled ice cream between tables through. Then he stopped and stood in silent nod of a glass of milk coffee in front of a guest. The looked at ... The
yes I was! My God!
Next to me a monitor beeped frantically. Green wavy lines twitched. Hoses, cables, and a transparent, red-filled Plastic bag with a long tube, which lead to me, pumped rhythmically on, pulled himself together, pumped up, pulled together ...
What make me? Was this the secret experiment? put my thoughts into movies? With me as virtual characters? And what was here for a darkened, strangely enough space?
I was unable to move. Do not even turn my head I could. Only with the eyes, slowly became accustomed to the darkness, I could sense the environment.
flickered everywhere any movies on many screens. Previously focused on metal carts, about half a meter high blocks with hoods on, from which tangled cables led. To each of these cases, a monitor flashed with similar tubes. As for me.
The assistant appeared next to me out of nowhere. She pressed any buttons. The noise stopped. Then she turned on the ceiling lights. The hoods on the metal containers were shaking slightly. Many of the LCD off.
busily made the woman against one of the hoods to create. She pulled out wires and hoses and exchanged a red bag filled with another. Then she carefully removed the plastic cap.
came to the fore a bald-shaved head with huge, protruding ears. The short thick neck, stuck firmly attached to the metal box in a rubber-like Cuff. Now she cleaned with a swab the head region, the cap pulled over again and again attached all supply lines.
Horrified, I watched what they do. As if she had felt my gaze, she turned and nodded to me with a reassuring smile.
"Right now I am with you, Krambach. Wait a minute! "
She pressed some buttons, the green on the monitor screen flickering started again. Now she came up to me.
"We do not want to be so excited, my dear Krambach. Finally, we are still not yet been elucidated. I will now explain our first experiment. This will calm down. How do you even so know from the media, our planet is due to climate change and disasters resulting from collapse. We must as soon as possible find a reasonable solution for all people, without anyone needs to do without his usual luxury. The scientists of our institute to develop concepts that enable virtual, comfortable life, respecting all the resources.
you, Krambach need, not your body! Power of your thoughts and your ideas you can live the life you dream of itself. Your every desire is the way you think it meets. They meet on virtual platforms other people, communicate with them and have any time to change the way your personality and your social status. After a while you will learn to mentally and emotionally to build a new, wonderfully independent lives. Neither sorrow nor distress, will be relevant. You need never eat again, no physical symptoms are real and are up to your death - each brain finally dies again - happy and satisfied. The Institute provides you a start for this money. Virtually self-evident. Imagine, in a shop, buy yourself something nice, first of all. And then you settle down and invite friends to an apartment warming party. Or speculate on the exchange. Of course, you can invest their money and earn interest at an online bank. And remember: In the virtual world everything is cheaper than in real life.
you will see, it's easy ... "
No! No and no again! I wanted to stop the experiment immediately!
I was about even such a bald head on a metal box? Appeared on my screen a metal cube. On top of a head with in a transparent plastic cover wires and tubes. The image zoomed in closer. I saw a terrified face - my face.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Krambach. We can not be removed from the experiment. In any case, not yet. During your artificial coma and some items for the preservation of stored body have failed. Maybe we will find over time a new, suitable volunteers who would like to be kept in virtual life. Then you will of course his body. I'll talk to Professor Werner, you know him already.
But now I must continue. In the next room to wait some children who have been sent by their parents for the experiment. Finally, there is here a child-friendly, friendly world where the little ones can feel well.
Goodbye, Mr. Krambach. I look for you again tomorrow! "
(© Elke Kemna, 16 3. 2007)
... arose after reading a Spiegel article on "Seccond Life
