title: Slave to Second Skin
author: Medlock, Matt
description: The Second Skin corporation makes promises that they intend to live up to. Chief among those promises is the guarantee that there is no greater virtual world simulation on the market than their fantasy land of Idyllia. This is because unlike other virtual worlds, Idyllia is not a long series of ones and zeroes; it is a very real place, populated by very real people. And for the right price, you can visit Idyllia from the comfort of your own home, by seizing control of the mind of one of its inhabitants. The idealized proxy life you've always dreamed of is at your fingertips...won't you adopt a citizen to be your new avatar in this exciting new world? The exhilarating fantasies of one, however, can translate to the paralytic oppression of another. Zoe knows this about as well as anyone. She signed on to become a Second Skin surrogate, but only had a faint understanding of what was in store for her. When the user is online, she is a puppet. When the user is offline, she is a prisoner. And always, she remains a slave to a company that wants to keep its secrets safe, its profits soaring, and its contracted employees in chains. At the mercy of a heartless master, Zoe's only glimmer of happiness comes when she crosses paths with another user that sees her despair and wants to help her. Muted by the inability to communicate with her own voice, she can only stand by passively, wondering if he cares only about what he sees, amplified all the more when her master tricks him with her own charms. Zoe knows she cannot escape; she knows she cannot reveal the truth behind the user's lies; but that doesn't stop her from wanting, wishing, trying. Zoe just hopes it won't be all for naught if he were to ever discover who she really is.