*groan* 'I guess no one's coming tonight...' Soren thought to himself, as it was nearing 7:30 PM and none of his friends had come tonight, which clued him on the fact that his pals were probably working overtime, something which happened every other week and was already used to it. Seeing as there was no point waiting any further for them, Soren locked up the shop and slow made his way back home. He expected that the murder site would have been cleaned up by now, but after seeing the yellow that blocked his usual way back, he figured that the police hadn't made much progress yet and were still searching for clues. Of course, he wasn't stopped for more testimonies, since he was recognized the officer that questioned him and was let go without much trouble.

After arriving at his apartment, he laid on his couch tiredly and spent some time going through the local news on his TV. Time passed and before he even realized it, it was almost 10 PM, way past the usual meeting time with Lucas and Nora. Seeing as they hadn't come yet, Soren considered calling the company, but opted otherwise, since it was possible that they were just running late and they would be arriving later, but it wouldn't be long before he would get his answer, since his phone ringed.

*beep* "Hello? Who am I speaking with?"

"Soren? Can you- -me?" Lucas asked through the phone, albeit with some cut-offs from the signal.

"Lucas? Can you hear me? Where are you?"

"So- Giv- -a minute. Can you hear me clearly now?"

"Loud and clear. Where are you?"

"At the company in Kanera City. Started my shift around an hour ago and let me tell you, things are pretty f*cking tense."

"Kanera City!? That's nearly on the other side of the globe! When did you even manage to get there!? It takes nearly a whole day to get there and that's by plane!" Soren asked incredulously, as he knew well that the distance between the two cities can't be easily crossed, even with an airplane.

"I arrived a couple hours ago. Barely got a wink of sleep, so I'm already running on my third coffee cup." Lucas answered tiredly, before continuing the conversation with a serious tone in his voice. "Anyways, I should give you a bit of an update on the schedule, since it's way past our meeting time and I won't be in Glaxion for a couple weeks, at minimum. Although the schedule will be virtually the same, the employees accompanying you will be completely different. They should have arrived by tomorrow in the morning, so you'll be able to continue your playing sessions as normal from tomorrow onward, but I have to give you a word of caution as well. Do not ever trust them with any sort of information. In fact, keep your interactions with them as brief as you possibly can."

"Okay...? Wait, what about Nora? Couldn't she take part during my sessions as well?"

"She won't be having shifts with you during my absence. In fact, it's actually better this way."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Wait, how come?

"She doesn't get along with the employees you'll be working with, so it's better if she doesn't come, lest you want to turn your own apartment into a junkyard."

"No thanks José, I'd like to keep my apartment clean and tidy."

"Good to know. Also, before I forget, I'd like you to send me an feedback report on the different realism states you experiences yesterday. We actually forgot to do that last night and Harold's going to tear my ears off if I don't send him something by tomorrow morning. Keep the report for each state between 100 to 300 words and send it to me by tomorrow morning. Also, you're free to provide any other opinions or issues you have with the game, so if you got any, just send them to me and I'll see if they're worth considering."

...

"Were you being sarcastic about the last part?" Soren asked curiously, as his voice came out of Lucas's phone.

"Technically, it's considered player feedback. Heck, you don't even need to send anything to me, just send something on our official game site and the game developers will take care of the rest. But I do want the report on your feedback of the states and fast. Don't you dare forget it, alright Soren?"

"Got it boss... Expect a report in a couple hours." Soren responded half-heartedly, as he muttered. "It's not like I got anything else to do this evening."

"Did you say anything else Soren?" Lucas asked curiously, as he heard Soren's mumbling.

"It's n-nothing! I-I'll send the feedback report soon!"

"Alright. Goodbye." *click* Once Lucas ended the call, he sighed tiredly as he thought back on his sudden conversation he had with Harold yesterday, during the time Soren was grinding on the different states.

...

[22 hours ago]

*ring* *ring* *ring* *click* "Good evening Mr. Harold. May I ask-"

"Lucas, I don't have much time so listen well, since I'll only be saying this once. As of tomorrow, you'll be temporarily stationed on the Kanera City branch for the next couple of weeks. Once you're done with your shift, pack up and catch the 3 AM flight on the Southern G. Airport. The company's taken care of booking and costs, so you're only required to check in there, before the flight takes off." Harold spoke in a hurried manner, as Lucas could almost hear his breathlessness.

"Huh!? Hold on sir, this is way too sudden! Why am I being-"

"Listen. There's not much time. Kanera City has made a breakthrough on "that" project. As of now, they're preparing for a full-scale test and we can't afford to miss such an opportunity, especially right now and as one of my best and trusted analysts, I want you to figure out what and how they managed to get that breakthrough.

"I understand sir, but what about-"

"Just because he got in there once, doesn't mean he's a candidate. You know full well that most of our testers only managed to get there once, so don't bank on that. Anyways, prepare immediately upon finishing your shift. As for him, I'll just send some of our available employees to replace both you and Nora and keep him under watch that way, so need to worry about him."

"Wait, who will you send as our replacements?"

"Neil and Morgan. Neil's just as skilled as you are and Morgan's has quite a bit of free time lately, so I can afford having him keeping an eye on Soren."

"...Alright sir. I understand..." Lucas responded stoically, before closing the phone and slowly rubbing his head, while thinking to himself. 'What the hell Harold? You're sending both Neil and Morgan, of all people? Neil doesn't even know how to shut up, let alone keep a secret and Morgan... Urgh... F*cking hell...'

"Why do you look like the world's about end Lucas? Did you finally get dumped by your girlfriend or what?" Nora asked jokingly, as she came out of the bathroom and looked at Lucas, who was currently collapsed on a chair.

"We both know we're single, you dimwit..." Lucas retorted smugly, as Nora's expression darkened and grabbed him by his shirt's collar, before asking him in a threatening manner. "What did you just say, you f*cker?"

"You'll find your precious sir Right in the future. In the meantime, we got another transfer from the higher-ups. I'm going to Kanera City, while you'll be probably going back to your usual post back in the company." Lucas explained, as he fixed the collar of his shirt, after being let go.

"Already? We barely worked here for a couple of days and we're already being transferred? What's going on lately?"

"Things are just getting hectic. Don't worry, all of this will die down in a couple weeks."

"Sure hope so... This is my third transfer this month and I don't need to be flung around another three times in the same month."

...

*sigh* 'For now, I can only hope for the best and pray nothing actually happens.' Lucas thought to himself, as he put away his phone and made his way deeper into the building, all the while praying that nothing happens with the project.