Seven wires. There were seven wires connected to a single headset. These tangled veins were spread along a mattress and found their source in a power outlet with circular ports.

The headset was a GECKO II black, and it was six years old. It was a bulky helmet with a gray visor where the user's eyes would synchronize.

It was the only headset that Gray had. He wiped the dust off and placed it on his bed stand. He had better models before, but they were now in some recycling facility in the Midwest or maybe even turned into new products already.

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He remembered the night when he snapped wires and smashed his other headset until the visor cracked and shattered. The day where he was desperate to entomb himself in a mausoleum of transistors and tempered glass. The night he nearly gave up.

He looked out of his window while the software was updated. A moon hung over the city. While the sky was starless, the city burned with a summer's nightlife. Those not content to spend their time doing karaoke or chatting up in bars were online. Spending their time in the virtual world known as Link.

He looked over to the headset on his bed. He still wasn't ready for either.

Gray sat down on the floor next to his heating unit. It was turned off, so no heat came from it. He laid his temple against the wall.

Gray held his knees up to his chest and cried.