L'ephant Station

[Feb6 Update] Uploaded new map drawings.

[Jan31 Update] Specified the location and boundaries of the map in the text below, also fleshed out some more plot and changed the "park" to the "bay area." There will be future updates on the map drawing.

Synopsis

Dr. Bell works for a private institution currently developing virtual reality technology. His son falls into a deep coma and has no hope of reawakening after a mysterious accident. Already saddened by the loss of his wife, he brings his son back to consciousness by inserting his mind into the virtual reality machine he had been helping to develop. He is able to see his son again in the virtual world, but the mystery behind the accident slowly reveals itself as his son takes him back to that day at the terminal.

It's noon and the streets are vibrant with men and women seeking lunch. Dr. Bell, a renowned brilliant scientist, takes his son by the hand and walks across the bridge and over to the terminal machines to buy tickets. His son liked riding the commuter airbus, but he also liked the cold treat his father always bought for him when they arrived at the bay area across the city. Dr. Bell let go of his son's hand for a moment and punched in some numbers on the machine, he grabbed their tickets and turned around only to discover his son had disappeared among the sea of bodies. He searched frantically, yelling his name and stretching his neck. He ran back to the bridge where he heard a commotion. Down below on the street he saw a pack of people gathering around the street. He rushed to the crowd, pushed himself to the center and saw his son lying on the ground next to a car.

Virtual World

The virtual environment is constructed by Dr. Bell's son, who is in a deep coma. The objects, people, and places in the space are based off his memories from the real world, therefore, the environment first appears to be missing details, like the blank faces of strangers, buildings without interiors, or doors that open to nothing. The edges of his constructed world are governed by the extent of what he can remember from the real world, for example a street he no longer knows may travel infinitely into the distance, or buildings begin to repeat until they all look the same, like the apartment sector. However, as the story progresses, his son begins to consciously shape the world around him, like substituting the motorcycle on the street with something more reminiscent of his toy motorcycle at home or plugging in other images from his memory into places he does not recognize. For example, when he opens the door to a building in the unexplored area, inside he sees the old house he used to live in. His childlike view on the real world is also depicted through the larger scaling of the buildings, the airbus, and the ships on the bay area.

At one point, Dr. Bell asks his son if he has any memories of his mother, but she passed away when he was very young and he can't remember her face.

The Real World

It is the year 2091 and Dr. Bell is leading the way in the field of neurology in New York City. Due to his advanced understanding of the mind, he was chosen to be part of developing the world's first virtual reality machine and moved across the country to Silicon City, CA, with his son.