Free Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane Page B

you’re off-balance right now will keep you from making decisions about your space that you might not really want to be making yet. You have any questions you want to ask me right away before we get down to the details?”
    “Uh, yeah.” Rik gulped. “What happens if I screw it up?”
    Jean nodded, but didn’t smile. “You mean, are we going to take this space away from you if it’s not an immediate success? No. The only reason we ever confiscate is if we catch somebody doing something that violates game terms and conditions after the player’s got their approval to go live-and-open. Yeah, there are some real idiots out there, and crooks, and people who think we’ve given them a blank check to do what they like. But they don’t last.” He frowned. “Maybe you caught some news stories a couple months ago about the Playground scandal?”
    Rik nodded. A little while ago every news source he could think of had been full of the story of some Microcosm builder who’d converted part of his ’cosm into a secret haven for pedophiles and those who, for whatever sick and twisted reason, enjoyed catering to them. It didn’t seem to matter much to some of the news outlets that it was watchful Omnitopia security staff who had gotten wind of the nasty little pest-hole, shut it down, and called in the police in several countries to deal with the perpetrators. Angela in particular had been horrified, and had given Rik some trouble about “the kind of place where he was hanging out,” not completely understanding that the ’cosm in question was one Rik had never even heard of, worlds away from the places he played. “Ugly situation,” Rik said.
    “It was. We have flying squads of people in the game who do nothing but hunt places like that down so we can eradicate them. Anyway, sure, you do get some ’cosm owners who discover that their worlds are too much work, or they just get bored with them and abandon them. But they’re rare. A lot more Levelers find that their original plans weren’t as workable as they thought, and they close them down to rethink or retool. Some of those relaunches are the most popular and successful Microcosms we have. You know about Mallomar?” Rik nodded: the newsfeeds had described it as “Candyland for grown-ups,” the kind of place Rik felt it was probably smart for him to stay out of, as control of his weight since he got married was a hard-won thing at the best of times. “Mallomar was a fourth relaunch. So don’t freak. There are a lot of us here to help you, and a lot of shoulders to cry on if things don’t work out right the first time . . . or the second, or the third. This is a game, remember: ideally, it’s supposed to be fun for you. And anyway, it’s in our best interest for you to succeed, because if you make money, Omnitopia makes money.”
    Rik nodded.
    “Okay,” Jean said. “Here’s how it works.” Then he stopped, glancing around. “By the way,” he said, “do you mind if I load in a template for the moment, while we’re talking? So we don’t have to stand around.”
    “Huh? Sure!”
    “Just wanted to ask,” said Jean. “This is your world. It’s not nice to start moving the furniture around without asking permission.”
    A blink later, the two of them were standing in a lush tropical landscape—a high-canopied rain forest festooned with long loopy vines and many bright-colored, exotic-looking flowers. There were some odd things about it, though. Near the base of a gigantic, many-rooted tree, was a picnic table with a big blue sidesaddle sun umbrella hanging over it. There was also the creature hanging upside down from one of the branches of the huge tree. It had pointed leathery wings, clawed feet, and little round black sharklike eyes, which it fixed on Rik and Jean.
    “That looks like a pterodactyl,” Rik said
    “It is a pterodactyl,” said Jean. “Kind of. Don’t look at Polly like that! He’s not going to do anything. This is a conference