The Expo of Terror (short story)

 was the second short story in the Lethbridge-Stewart series anthology Attack of the Quarks.

Plot
Lucy and Hobo are visiting the eSports Expo in London, though Lucy rapidly loses interest as she's only a casual player. On her way around the expo, she comes across the virtual reality stall for the company DomCon and starts talking to the owner's son. One headset looks like the head of the Quarks. Noting her interest in their early model, the man puts the headset on her without asking.

The virtual world is a stunningly realistic desert but to her horror, she realises she's watching the POV of a Quark conquering an alien world. Unable to escape or get the man's attention, she's forced to watch a series of videos of Dominator conquests and feel as if she's the Quark.

The con attendees can see Lucy walking around the expo but assume it's a sales promo. The old man accuses her of theft while a horrified Hobo tries to let the security guards know that Lucy is trapped. He's able to get the helmet off her and she turns the accusation's back on the old man. She realises the helmet was a Quark's head trying to enslave her body to escape.

Men in fatigues arrive to quietly remove the old man and the Quark head. One of them flashes a UNIT badge at the security guards. However, the guards still won't allow Lucy back into the Expo due to 'attempted theft'; Hobo refuses to go back in without her. On their way through Earl's Court, they see the UNIT men putting a Quark body into a van and wonder how many other damaged Quarks are dormant on Earth.

Characters

 * Lucy Wilson
 * Hobo Kostinen

Worldbuilding

 * The old man makes a joke about Final Fantasy that Lucy doesn't get.

Continuity

 * This happens three months after The Arcade of Doom.
 * UNIT are said to be shut down (TV: Resolution) but appear to be quietly still at work.