I sat in my seat of the airplane, looking out the window at the world outside. The plane was rather high in the air, the clouds just above and appeared to be gathering for a storm of some kind.

“Ethan? You okay?” My Aunt asked, looking at me. She was a rather chubby woman with bunned up red hair. She had always been the cheerful and warm sort, reminding me more of what I should think a grandmother would act like than an aunt. Her husband had died a few years back and she had no children, so she tended to dote on me, her only nephew.

“Yes, Aunty, I'm fine. Just looking out at the world.” I responded with a sigh, turning back to the window and once again looking out, this time looking down. We were flying over the Pacific Ocean, and I could see a cruise boat slowly traversing the water.

“It’s a shame your Mother and Father couldn't come,” she said, sighing. True, though it didn't really surprise either of us when both of them had declined to come. They had plenty of work to do after all. They had been a little uneasy about me going away from college or two whole weeks, but now we were on our way back home. It wouldn't be that hard catching up, especially with the help of a few private tutors.

“True, but it was fun,” I responded. We had gone to a see one of the newly built Dome-Cities: massive technological wonders that had become a necessity for humanity as pollution made the earth’s surface more a more dangerous. Even the cruiser below and this plane were equipped with shields to block out the toxic air and high amount of radiation and heat that the earth was bombed with due to global warming.

“And hey, I hear your father's company might be done with their “big project” soon, so won't that be exciting?” Aunty said with a smile so big, I couldn't help but smile too.

My father was the main owner and lead of the board of directors for the massive technology company “Psyche Entertainment.” They had been working on virtual reality tech for the past ten years, and it was finally beginning to step into the Beta stage. Father hadn't wanted me to take place in the Alpha due to risks, but now that it had gone through such a successful Beta, he most likely would.

“Yes, I imagine it will be fun,” I said, still smiling as I looked out over the water. Virtual Reality… even at such an advanced age as this one, such a thing still sounded like a dream. As it went into Beta, I knew the media would begin to focus even more heavily on it. This technology would be the future, after all, as long as it went well and was accepted by the masses as the savior that it was.

And it was a savior, in this day and age. The year was 2378. It had been almost two hundred years since the period everyone called the “Phoenix Years” had happened from 2148-2190. Those had been the years that the world had effectively died and been reborn, hence the name. Radiation, melting of polar ice caps, pollution; all of it had finally taken its toll on the earth. If humanity hadn't discovered the cure for cancer, developed better ways to protect people from radiation, and the ability to construct things like the Dome-Cities; then we would have gone extinct most likely. Almost everything else did, with the few other surviving species who still lived in the outside world have no mutated into far more deadly creatures. Sharks who could tear through titanium and survive being cut in half, trees that were highly carnivorous and could and would actively hunt prey, and wolves the size of semi-trucks were just a few examples of the monsters who now ruled the outside world. They also would have been the cause of humanity's death had it not been for how advanced our weapons had become.

In the end, humanity survived as it always had: by developing new technologies, well virtually remaining unchanged physically. Like the dinosaurs, we had been faced with the change of the world itself, but unlike them, we managed to survive it and remain the dominant species.

I stared into the dark waters, knowing that countless horrors lurked in it. The cruise was alive because of its shields repealing everything, and because the metal was too strong to be dissolved by the highly toxic, highly acidic water; just as the glass and metal of this plane couldn't be dissolved by the toxic air and clouds.

Suddenly, a red light flashed on overhead, and a voice came over the loudspeaker. “Everyone, please remain calm. There has been a minor malfunction in the ships power supply. We do not expect there to be any problems, but just in case, please remain seated and do not use any electronics. We also ask that you put on the patch in your upper compartment, in case shields tail and radiation manage to slip into the ship. We thank you for your cooperation.”

“Hmm, I wonder what's going on?” Aunty said with a furrowed brow as we both reached up and removed the small red patch that was connected to a tube, and placed it on our necks. The Anti-Rad Medication immediately began to circulate throughout our systems, which would block out most types of radiation as long as the exposure was kept low, and prevent cells from turning cancerous. It did have the small side effect of making one slightly cold and dizzy, but it wasn't too bad.

“They said it wasn't anything major. Something probably short-circuited and they are just being precautions until they know what it is,” I assured her, used to over-the-top precautions from hearing my father complain about how expensive some of them could end up being. But, well, safety was safety, and humanity’ attitude towards that would likely never change.

“I hope so. It'd suck if they had to put us to cryosleep for this.” Aunts said with a sigh. “You always feel so nauseous when you wake up from those.”

I nodded. There was arguably no better protection than what a Cryopod offered, but that didn't change the fact that they were absolutely miserable.

I opened my mouth to speak, but then I suddenly felt as if I was being doused in ice. My neck and shirt also suddenly felt very wet.

“Ethan! Your patch! Hurry, take it off!” My Aunty screamed, drawing attention to me. I could already hear flight attendants rushing to me.

Confused I felt my eyes draw to the little red tube. Anti-Rad, like any medication, had specific dosages you were supposed to receive. A computer helped calculate that in the patch, and clearly, it was malfunctioning. The tube was literally bulging with red and I could feel it getting pumped into my bloodstream and body. The wetness had must have come from a place where the patch had torn from the pressure.

I immediately reached up and tore the patch off, the thick, cold, blood-colored fluid violently spraying from the patch.

My entire body was numb, my blood felt like ice as I caused, spitting up the medicine before violently vomiting it out, it covered the seat in from of me, causing its occupant, a young girl, to shriek in surprise.

“Ethan! Somebody help!” Aunts screamed. A pair of flight attendants came running over, pulling her away before grabbing me.

“His body’s shutting down from the overdose! Get him to a Crypod, quick!” One of them shouted, with me just barely hearing him until everything went black.

I awoke in a hospital bed, my entire body hurting and my head feeling numb. The only sound I heard came from several machines around me.

I let out a groaning noise, and heard a “beep.” The machines were calibrated to react to signs that a patient had awakened and would let a doctor know I was conscious.

I tried to move but found myself unable to with incredible pain.

“Ah, Ethan, your awake, excellent. We thought you'd be out for a few more days.” A man whom I recognized as Doctor Coldheart, a rather ironic name considering he was one of the warmest people I knew and was almost a cheerful as Aunty. He was tall and slender, with messy brown hair and stupid glasses. His clothing was also a mess, making many people doubt his ability when in truth, he was one of the best doctors in the world. “We already sent the alert to your family, so we can expect them shortly.”

I nodded, or at least made an attempt to. My neck immediately erupted in pain from slight movement.

“No, no, don't move. You can talk, but try to do it slowly.” Dr. Coldheart said.

“Why?  What is  wrong with  me, Doctor?” I said, tongue and mouth filled with a dull pain as I talked slowly like he said.

“On the plane back from Dome City England-13, your Anti-Rad patch’s regulator suffered a malfunction and overdosed you heavily with Anti-Rad, almost a thousand times the proper dosage. You're lucky that they got you to the Cryopod in time Ethan, I was barely able to save you.” He explained with a sad tone.

“Thank  you,  Doctor,  but  still,  what  is  wrong  with  me?  I  can  barely  talk.” I said, confused with what could have happened.

“Like is said, I was barely able to keep you alive, the Anti-Rad had almost caused your body to completely shut down. I was able to prevent that, but I wasn't able to restart your body, not completely.”

“What  do  you  mean?” I asked, but then, the door to the room opened as two women came rushing in, a man behind them.

“Oh, Ethan!”

“My poor boy!”

One of the women was Aunty, the other, my mother. She was far more slender than Aunty, but was about the same height. She had long, straight, blonde hair that was kept in check and a face that was normally somewhat self-contained, but was now bursting with emotion and tears as the two of them ran over to the other side.

“Please, don't touch him. His body cannot handle physical contact right now.” Dr. Coldheart warned them, before turning to the man, who came to stand at the edge of my bed.

He was tall, the tallest in the room, in fact. He was also very physically fit, and had a rough look-in face that rarely showed any emotion. This was Ermon Psyche, head of the board of directors for Psyche Entertainment, and my father. While he wasn't showing much emotion, he never did. However, I could see the worry in his eyes as he looked at me and addressed Dr.Coldheart.

“What is wrong with my son, Daniel?”

Dr. Coldheart sighed as my father addressed him by name. “You're in luck, I was just about to explain what was wrong to him.”

He sighed, and sat down. “Anti-Rad is a drug designed to shield the body from the effects of radiation. It cools the body slightly, and puts one’s cells in a sort of stasis to help stop them from becoming cancerous.

However, unfortunately, your son received a massive overdose of Anti-Rad due to a malfunction in the patch’s regulator. While I was able to drain the Anti-Rad, I was not unable to undo all of the damage.”

“Damage?” My father said, eyes narrowing. “What sort of damage?”

“For one, his body’s ability to sense temperature is completely shot, and his natural body temperature is about four degrees beneath what it should be, permanently.”

“Doesn't sound too bad,” my father muttered, and I couldn't help but agree. Not being able to feel hot and cold was far from the end of the world.

“Yes, it isn't that bad, as long as he stays away from colder climates,” Dr. Coldheart said with a nod.

“So that's why this room is so hot,” Aunty muttered.

Was it really? I couldn't feel a thing. Guess I wouldn't be able to enjoy hot showers or hot tubs anymore.

“The pain comes from the second issue,” Fr. Coldheart said, face becoming serious. “The Anti-Rad saturated his cells and damaged almost ninety of them.”

“What kind of damage? Is it treatable?” Father said immediately, worry entering his eyes once more.

“Well, the good news is he can't get cancer anymore,” Dr. Coldheart said, clearly trying to keep the mood as light as possible, “because his damaged cells can't become cancerous anymore. They've lost all ability to replicate themselves, even the cells in his bone marrow. The pain comes from the fact that his body is literally dying and has no way to repair itself.”

“So, what can be done?” Father demanded. “Money is not an issue, Daniel, so what? Transplants? Tissue cloning? What?”

Dr. Coldheart sighed. “I don't know. Most people who are in these sort of instances involving Anti-Rad overdose die. As far as I'm aware, your son is the first survivor.

The problem with transplants is the fact that due to the damage, his body literally recognizes everything else as foreign and attacks it. Even people who would have been compatible before no longer are.

Tissue cloning has a similar issue because if those cloned cells are not damaged in the same way his are now, his body will recognize them as foreign too.”

“So what's keeping him alive?” Father asked, eyeing the machines.

“As I said, tissue cloning shares the issue. The machine releases nanites that clone his blood and remake themselves to look and act exactly like them: damage included. Through them, we've managed to keep his blood levels stable, but his more solid flesh has been a bit more of an issue.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“What's the problem?”

“The problem is the nanites have to find where cells have died, which means it isn't an immediate fix. His bodies muscles and organs are in a permanent state of being only partially healed. Thankfully, cells that don't need to and couldn't before replace themselves, like his nerves, have been relatively stable and only seem to be overtaxed to the amount of constant pain.”

“Couldn't you give him morphine?” Aunty asked.

“Yes…”

“But?” Father said with a sigh.

“The pain is the only thing preventing him from accidentally tearing his body apart. He is very fragile right now, and one wrong move could spell disaster.”

“You  can't  expect  me  to  remain  like  this  forever.” I groaned finally.

“No, I can't, which is why I need your permission to do something.” Dr. Coldheart asked with a sigh.

“What?” I choked out.

“Specially modified Cyborgotic Implants, which I have already begun to prepare.”

“What  sort  of  implants?” I asked.

“Some to replace your organs, so they can work at their full potential.” He began. “Some to help strengthen muscles and replace your immune system to a degree so the chances of them being rejected are reduced as much as possible. And some to act as permanent nanite manufacturers within your body, to keep your cells replenished.”

“How will that work?” Mother asked. “What will they make them out of?”

“He'll take special pills every day that contain the necessary materials and will deliver them to the factories.”

“And this will solve the issues?” Father asked hopefully, but also sounding as if it was too good to be true; which to be fair, it did sound too good to be true.

“It will let him leave this hospital.” Dr. Coldheart said with a sort of sad bluntness. “However, my early statements about staying away from cold climates remain, even more so with the implants; and unfortunately his body's muscles and skin will remain in a fragile state. I would suggest physical therapy to help him get used to the pain and weakness his body will be feeling from now on. And I warn you, don't use anesthesia or morphine of any form. If he feels to much pain to move, he shouldn't be moving.”

“I imagine this won't be cheap,” Father said.

“No, but it will still be pocket change to the Psyche family fortune.” Dr. Coldheart said. “I imagine your insurance alone will pay for most of it.”

He then turned and looked me in the eye. “Well?”

I stared him back into his. “Do it.”

After several weeks of dozens of surgeries and countless other medical procedures, I was finally able to leave the hospital, albeit, very, very slowly.

“It's okay, son, take your time,” Father said reassuringly, supporting one of my arms in case I fell.

“Are you sure you don't want a wheelchair?” Mother said with a worried expression on her face.

“No. I need to learn how to walk again. I can't go everywhere in a wheelchair.” I said, shaking my head.

Mother opened her mouth to argue, but father shook his head and she stopped. I could see that he was proud of my determination.

Walking was admittedly rather painful. My muscles still felt sore, and I felt heavy which I guess shouldn't be surprising since most of my inner body were implants now.

More time passed, and I found myself forced to drop out of college. I simply could no longer move fast enough or long enough that it was an option. I now spent most of my time with my tutors, who had their sessions increased considerably.

In all honesty, life became boring, even more boring than usual. I hadn't had many friends or a girlfriend, and the few I did have I could only hang out with after their classes had ended. A lot of my free time became me either in bed or behind a computer.

It was depressing, really. My life was simply over, everyday just constant soreness and pain. I never contemplated suicide or anything stupid like that; I was still the heir to a very successful company and my sad state of life was at least financially set, but it didn't change the fact that I found myself sometimes unable to sleep, just pondering the mockery my life had been reduced too. There couldn't be any parties, or at least ones I could partake in; no vacations either. My life had become trapped in a cage that well made of gold, was also covered in frost.

It was one particularly bad day, almost a month after I had returned home. I was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, as my dreams were one of the few places that I could really feel alive again.

I heard the metal door slide open, and my father and a much older man who I didn't recognize entered my room. He was tall, and was also quite fat.

“Hello, son,” Father said in his usual business tone, “This is Director Waller. He has a proposal for you that I would like you to hear.”

“Hello, Ethan; it's a pleasure to meet you.” Director Waller said as he approached the bed said and held out a meaty hand.

“Equally,” I responded dryly, not moving to take his hand, “I apologize, but I'm rather fragile so I must decline your handshake.”

“Ah yes, your condition. I apologize for my insensitivity,” Director Waller lamented. “Actually, that is partly the reason I am here.”

“What?” I frowned, not quite sure where he was going with this. “Perhaps you could tell me exactly who you are?”

“I, yes, I suppose that would be a good place to start.” Waller bowed slightly. “I am Scott Wallet, one of the Directors of Psyche Entertainment. I am also one of the leading minds behind our virtual reality, which has just begun to shift into its Beta Stage.”

“Oh,” I said, beginning to see where this was going. I looked to Father for confirmation, and he smiled slightly, a truly rare occurrence.

“Yes, I can see you are already guessing what the just if my offer is going to be.” Director Waller said with a chuckle. “Tell me, what do you know about our workings with the new fully-immersive “VR” system?”

“Not much. I've only heard a few vague rumors that the “test” was an MMO.” I responding, unable to help myself as I glared at Father slightly. I had asked him for more details, but the entire thing was being kept under tight security, so I had only gotten a few vague answers.

“Well, those rumors are true. The first ever VR game is an MMO we have decided to call “Chronicles of Legends.” We have had about a thousand alpha-testers playing it for a couple of years now, and have worked out many of the bugs and kinks in the hardware.”

“What about the game itself?” I asked curiously. Gaming had been one of few pleasures now, even if they make my fingers want to explode, and MMOs were pretty much the only place I could be at least somewhat social besides social media, which I had never really cared for.

He grinned as he saw my curiosity, clearly pleased to know I was into gaming. “Like many of the more massive games, a lot of it is designed by a powerful G-Class A.I who we give a few instructions and pumped full of knowledge full of inspiration.”

That made sense. As games grew bigger and bigger, most companies now focused their resources on getting the so-called Godling-Class or “G-Class” A.I, who could build the massive worlds and set up the other A.I after being given instructions, restrictions, and other such things by programmers.

“However, unlike many G-Class A.I, we specifically gave it only a few instructions and restrictions, and basically just gave it a lot of inspiration to go nuts with.”

Oh, that was a little exciting. “So let me guess, you want me to be a Beta Tester?”

“Well, you could be one.” Director Waller said with a chuckle.

I raised an eyebrow. “Or?”

“Or…” he grinned, “you could be a World Boss.”

I could not help but stare at him. “What?”

“As I said, you could be a Beta Tester, or you could be a World Boss for Chronicles of Legends. From what Mister Psyche has said, you are not exactly a social butterfly. Your more used to be in control of people than part of a team.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Father said with a slightly raised eyebrow towards the Director.

“No, no, of course not.” Director Waller hurried said as he tried to laugh it off. “And in consideration of that, I thought you would like to be World Boss instead of just another player.”

“And how would that work?” I asked, confused to exactly I could play as a Boss in a game.

“Unlike many MMOs, Chronicles of Legends is a game that's world is always changing,” Director Waller said, choosing his words carefully as he appeared to not want to spoil too much for me. “Many things in, both NPCs and monsters die permanently. Bosses, if they live long enough, grow in power and strength. Dungeons and Towns can be destroyed and built. Dungeons will also release waves of monsters to try and expand their territory.”

“So I will be a low-level World Boss who has to slowly grow in strength?” I asked with a curious expression.

“Yes. Think of yourself as one of the few constant evils in the game, one of the few constant threats players will have to deal with.”

I considered his offer. “In VR, will my… condition affect me?”

“No, which is the beauty of the technology and why this is so important that we remain on the media's good side. This could change everything, let anyone experience their greatest fantasies and overcome the flaws they cannot in reality.”

I considered, but then, was there anything to really consider?

“Alright, I'm in.”

Director Waller smiled. “I thought you might say that.”

They lead me to what I believe was once a guest bedroom in my family's massive mansion. Space in the Dome-Cities was one of the most limited resources. To have a lot of space was this age’s sigh of being rich and successful.

In the room was only one thing now. A massive metal pod that vaguely reminded me of the Cryopods. Countless wires and such emerged from the pod and went into the wall where I could see the outlets had been removed to permanently affix it to the house. This thing was as immovable as a stove or refrigerator.

“Alright, please remove your clothes and change into this specially made pants, and hop in.” Director Waller said, typing in a password on a keypad after throwing me a pair of shorts that reminded me of a swimsuit. “The default code is one-two-three-four-five-six, but feel free to change it. Just ask the Helper A.I if you need anything or have any questions.”

As Father helped me change and I began to climb in with a little help, even if there were padded rungs, Director Waller continued speaking:

“A few warnings and important notes. The Helper A.I will warn you once you've been in their for six hours or if someone, such as your mother, requests you leave the pod, as they cannot shut it off from the outside.

After eight hours have passed, the Helper A.I will give you a ten-minute warning, followed by a five-minute warning and then a ten second-countdown before it boots you out and will lock you out for an hour.

Some chemicals will be administered to keep your muscles from falling asleep and to help suppress your bodies natural instincts, and will also give you a hunger suppressant so you are starving and pissing yourself as you wake up.”

I climbed in, and he continued speaking. It was surprisingly comfortable due to the padding and not that cold inside the pod.

“You normally need to receive a dose of special nanites which are responsible for the syncing if you with the pod, but Mister Psyche arranged for it back while you were the hospital.”

I rolled my eyes. So, Father had been planning this for awhile, no surprise there.

The pod doors began to close. “Have fun, Ethan. I will be here when you end your playing experience.”

“Have fun, son.” My father said. His voice lacked any emotion, but something told me he was smiling. Who knows, he could even have shed a tear!

*Clank, clamp, click*

Nah, somethings are too preposterous to ever be possible!

Everything was black a few moments before a computer screen clicked on and several lights illuminated the pod’s interior, which had about the same amount of space as a coffin.

Yeah, that was a real pleasant thought.

Attention:

Please follow all instructions for your own safety!

Start-up: Step 1

Please place respirator(located to right) over your face..

The words appeared on the screen. I looked to my right and indeed saw the mask. I slipped it in, the straps, seemingly like everything else, being surprising comfortable and sitting snugly on my face by put not pulling my hair too badly. It was much less a “respirator” and more like a gas mask, with goggles covering my eyes.

Attention:

Please follow all instructions for your own safety!

Start-up: Step 2

Please place patch onto your neck(located to the left.)

I did as it asked, grimacing at the patch that looked so much like the one that had ruined me.

Attention:

Please follow all instructions for your own safety!

Start-up: Step 3

Please place hands and feet into holding restraints.

There were places on the sides and at the bottom for me to put my feet and hands, and clamps shut up and restrained me. I realized that these pods were likely custom fit to its intended occupant, which explained why it was able to be so comfortable.

Attention:

Please follow all instructions for your own safety!

Start-up: Step 4

Gel filling pod in 3.

Please, do not panic.

A thin, blue, jelly-like substance poured out from several vents, quickly flooding the pod’s interior. It felt slimy and wet, but didn't seem to be hot or cold. My skin could still breath easy, as if it was still in the air.

Attention:

Please follow all instructions for your own safety,

Start-up: Final step

Please do not panic.

Since this your first dive, this may be a little painful.

Before I could even contemplate that, the screen and lights all shut off, leaving me in darkness once more. An electric current shot through the gel and a sharp pain shot into my brain light a hot spike.

Connection established…

I wanted to scream as my mind vibrated violently at each word of the purely computerized voice that was getting injected into my brain.

Diving in 3…

2…

1…

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