Virtually Real by D. S. Whitfield

Y’shua had given himself on their behalf. If they believed this, and submitted to his influences as they became aware of them, then he would change the corrupted coding within each of them.
    Even though some of their present behaviour was detestable, they would be changed. Those who were enthusiastic on these things would be given greater blessing in due course; those who took a minimalist approach in seeking to work with Eli would receive minimal rewards. Eli had no favourites, but he was drawn to bestow greater favour on some more than on others.
    Unbeknown to Lucas, Eli had in mind that at the end of the project he would start again. The v-people who pleased him would have their codes re-activated in a new world he would make for them to live in.
    The codes of the others would be activated to another world where the full consequences of self-centredness would be continually experienced – because once the codes were in existence they could not be undone and the time of death in the v-world meant that no further change took place. They would also have the enjoyment of Lucas’ personal presence!
    The enmity between Lucas’ team and Eli’s team continued to grow.
     

     
    All human history to that point had been replicated. The v-people had experienced all that humans had experienced up to the ‘now’ point and henceforth the project would seek to predict outcomes for the future.
    The question of an exact representation of Eli and Lucas in the v-world was a point of debate with those involved in the project and it was decided that the project and its real world people would not be a part of the inhabited v-world. Yet there were v-people who had their core codes aligned with Y’shua and though there were weaknesses and transgressions, they were, as far as Eli was concerned, Y’shua’s representation in the v-world.
    Lucas had by now a vicious hatred of all v-people – especially those who in one way or another acknowledged Eli. He was still under some of Eli’s constraints and would use the v-people he controlled for his own purposes. He would even cause images of himself and some of his followers to manifest in the v-world and mix with them. He did not know that the result would be like mixing iron and clay!
     

     
    The virtual world
    The countries and nations of the real world were by now fully replicated. The United States had been eclipsed as a super power. Its demise came about in the way of all empires – great and small. The decline started within.
    With prosperity men of principle and integrity declined in numbers and influence, licentiousness and lawlessness grew, family stability became the exception. Corruption undermined her in trade and economics, and after a time of being an unprincipled international bully, the United States was overtaken by China whose military might, economic clout and disciplined, albeit coerced citizenship made it unassailable. In each of the preceding two major wars China had won more territory and influence. Taiwan, Japan and Korea were now puppet states. China ruled with an iron fist and even other South East Asian nations kow-towed to the political whims of Beijing.
    Europe had also extended her influence. The European Community, by a series of political manipulations, managed to destroy national sovereignty in all but name among its member states, and this without the sanction of their peoples. National defence, police and the courts came under the bureaucratic control of the Brussels headquarters, yet some tokens of national identity were retained for illusion. The leader of the European Empire and Middle Eastern Economic Community (known as EEMEC), Antoni Meschiac, is a charming, charismatic, and very deceptive leader of Arabic lineage, but to those who have experienced his displeasure he is known as the ‘Butcher of Brussels’ or the ‘Butcher of Brunei’ depending on the location.
    Antoni knew that without strong government the nationalistic tendencies of the