“Hope you’re ok, Treq. You haven’t been here for the past two days. The tournament begins in three days. Me and Vito have been practicing, I hope you can show up the day of.”

“Hey, Treq. We’re still meeting at eight. We will be at the Ariri forest.”

He felt guilty. Absence without notice. The night before he had felt the same way.

“Computer, record a message.” Beep. “Hey, sorry for leaving so suddenly. I… I was… I am going to move. I’m headed to the Underground City. Not sure how long it will take… If you want, you can replace me with another member. This is through a Doctor’s request, so I have no choice… Send the message to Aza and Vito.” Beep.

He took off the band, rubbed his eyes clean. These sudden events had reminded him of his past. It was depressing and special. It’s funny, he felt special. He was, perhaps, unique. There was a sense of belonging in the air. This was his home after all.

He closed his eyes and let the warm air wash over him. The breeze drifted by. He was, as he remembered, surrounded by an indescribable feeling of peace and security that was a little eerie and alien in its own right. He closed his eyes for just a moment. When he awoke, he saw the familiar faces.

The familiar faces. They had, after all, been gone from this world. They had disappeared into whatever happened to them when the time came and all the memories came flowing back to him again. They had been, to his ear, like a sort of musical tuning machine. Something had been set, and it was tuned the way he'd always known; he'd remembered it. But even that couldn't explain exactly what had happened— but at least he knew they'd been gone. They'd been gone, missing.

The music.

A sudden pain on his shoulder woke him up. “Are you all right?” it said.

“What are you doing here?”

“You weren’t responding. I asked if you were done packing.”

Ivard stood up, “yes, I’m finished.”

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It looked about the room.

His room was dark. A small window that looked towards the rails, if it weren’t covered by the curtains. And the floor was gray as stone, a dozen dust bunnies in the corners. It was a cold lonely room, filled with nothing but emptiness.

Ivard grabbed the two bags. “No need,” it said and took the bags and walked out in front while he followed.

There were two men in all white next door, carrying someone on stretches. A sigh came from the robot. Ivard knew who it was, even though the body was covered; it had to be a victim of suicide. He only caught a glimpse of her a week ago, but she was underweight to the point where the gap between her legs was wider than her torso. He wasn’t sure what her diagnosis was, or even if she was diagnosed, but it had to be severe. “She’s gone on her way,” the robot explained. ”Yes,” was all Ivard said in response. She died days ago, and she was left there, in her seat or bed, with the band around her head hanging on tight. She neglected to eat or drink, because she lived in another world. This was the danger of addiction. Ivard at these moments was glad he became a doctor. Being knowledgeable of not only the dangers, but also how to deal with them had probably come to his unconscious mind countless times. Ivard had saved many lives since he became a doctor, but the more he grew, the more he learned how few those were. He found out all too late that he had never understood the difference between science and religion. Ivard had found out the world had a beginning, but the future had yet to end. As soon as he came to understand that people needed to learn to cope with danger in situations as old as the dawn of time, he had never thought he would be a doctor. It was one of those things you had to be thankful for until you died…

“If this is just a phase, it’s lasting way too fucking long.” Not his words but it stuck with him. The average lifespan had dropped so low. Maybe it wasn’t enough to get over it. Wooooosh. A crowded elovar, the robot had to stand. It didn’t bother putting down the bags. There was enough room for one more because Ivard had squished himself to the edge, his legs pressed together, not wanting to touch another soul. He didn't want any more of that, of the way the people around him were always staring at him. When the destination arrived, they both unboarded. This was all new to him. Instead of being dropped off at UC, there were four stalls for check-in. Each one had a line. When their time came, the robot placed a hand on the scanner. Beep. “For how many?” The officer asked. “Two,” responded the robot. The officer nodded and in they went. A big digital sign showed the current population, it ticked up twice. It was crowded but open. As others got checked, they walked over to the other side with their luggage. The robot opened the glass door for Ivard. The wall had a huge map, telling them where they are and which stations to go to next. The map was of UC, and told of the current routes they could take to get there. Only two paths, to the UC or a prison. Underground City it was. They waited in line to board an elovar that would take them to the heart of UC. Ivard had a mix of feelings. He was excited yet worried. He couldn’t etch away the feeling of not fitting. This new city felt too much like the game. At least, in the game he had his friends, but he’d be completely lost here. “Oh! Can I ask for a request?”

“Sure.”

“I want to recommend someone to be moved to the UC. His name is Simon. Ah— I don’t really know his address… but he’s chubby, wears dark clothes. Oh, he does the announcements in the morning.”

“Sure, I’ll let the committee know.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

It was only a matter of time before they would reach the Underground City.