An excerpt from Chapter 4 of the hard science novel: Memories with Maya…

I flicked through the apps menu on my phone and waited for the overhead camera to link via wifi.

“I need coordinates,” I said.

“N 39° 1’12.2664, E 1° 28’55.7646.” He read them out. I waited while the lab’s high-speed network made the connection.

A few moments later, my Wizer immersed me in a white, sterile looking room, the kind from sci-fi movies.

Krish and the prof were there dressed in yellow overalls, and both had Wizers on. The whole scene looked surreal.

The prof, Krish and a section of the white room were located on a beach. Krish had used a stock video background of a stretch of beach with aqua blue water gently lapping the shore. The ambient sound of the surf was a nice touch. I turned my head and saw landmarks of a familiar beachscape.

“Ibiza!” I said. “Well, that’s original.”

I navigated to the middle of the room. The prof and Krish followed me. Krish reached out his hand to initiate contact.

“You don’t need to do that. I already have your feed from the FishEye, remember?” I said, “And you’re on speaker phone here.”

“Force of habit,” he said.

“Didn’t you scan the whole room?” I asked, turning to change my field of view. “I can only see part of it.”

“No, we have to use only the real-time model from the FishEye. This facility needs clearance for a detailed model.”

“So,” I said, “what is Project Drone, and how do I fit in.” — Memories with Maya