Getting Back by William Dietrich

her fur and leather garb was cut to show a flat midriff and a muscled thigh. She wore armbands of bone and leather and was holding a staff. The man, dark and chiseled, was in skintight Ninja black from neck to boots, a bandolier with silver throwing knives cinched taut across his chest. The pair looked like they belonged in a B-grade fantasy. He knew they were actors in front of a blue screen, projected onto a distant Australia. What kept Daniel from surfing on in dismissal was the look in their eyes as they gazed out over the desert. Whether acted or real, they seemed to have found what they were looking for. It was a look of triumph, of fulfillment, of satisfied destiny.
    No one in the city looked that way.
    "Welcome to the Outback, Daniel Dyson," a voice boomed, its amplification like a growl of thunder.
    Hello God, he thought wryly in reply.
    "Can you meet the challenge of Outback Adventure?"
    Daniel was surprised at the speed with which his identity had been confirmed by the company. Corporate identification of those logging on to web sites and the greeting of electronic customers was routine, but this time it happened so fast it was almost as if they'd been expecting him. Raven again? Or just good demographic sifting?
    "I've never heard of your company," Daniel challenged.
    The redhead turned to look and smile. Her teeth were perfect, her skin glowing, her breathing… fetching. "Would you like to know more?"
    "Yes," he replied, his curiosity only one of the things aroused.
    Now Mr. Bandolier turned to him. "Virtual reality, Daniel. Odd term, isn't it? As if an imitation of life is worth spending your life on. Are you tired of pretend peril and artificial ecstasy?"
    "I do things."
    The desert dweller smiled. "And is what you do what you think life should be? Or does it feel like some distant imitation of it? Like touching skin through a mitten. Peering through fog."
    Daniel was quiet. Sometimes life did feel like that.
    "What if you had a chance to feel life raw? A chance to explore a new world and in doing so, explore yourself? A chance to start fresh?"
    "On a vacation trek." Daniel was dubious.
    Mr. Bandolier shook his head. "Outback Adventure is no vacation, my friend. No walk in the park. It's the toughest outdoor experience you could ever encounter. It's only for people willing to risk their life so they can finally truly live it. That's the test. That's the price." His eyes were challenging.
    "And why would I do that?"
    "Do you ever long for a place with no rules except the discipline you establish for yourself? A place without clocks, commutes, or committees? A place of self-reliance where you gather your own food, find your own way, and learn the challenges and satisfaction of simple survival? Are you ready to face true wilderness? That's Outback Adventure, a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience!"
    Daniel was baffled. There was no shortage of adventure travel companies in the world. They'd take clients anywhere they dreamed: pampering them in the Amazon, perching them on camels in Mongolia, or pitching tents on an Arctic ice floe. All supplied food, however- except this one, apparently. And the location! "Outback is a word associated with Australia," he objected. "I thought entry to the continent was banned."
    The man smiled and nodded, sharing the secret. "For ordinary people it is, Daniel. For the select few who find our company, who identify themselves through their own initiative, and who want a chance at something different, United Corporations has designated Australia a clean slate, an empty continent, a disease-free place for men and women to test themselves in a new beginning. There hasn't been an opportunity like this for hundreds of years."
    Daniel was intrigued. He'd enjoyed vacation expeditions but also felt they'd been choreographed. To wander on your own… "So what, exactly, is Outback Adventure?"
    The woman smiled and leaned toward him, revealing more cleavage, eyes dancing with flirtatious