Will's hazel eyes shrank to pinpricks as the VR launched. There was a flash of strobing lights; the world fell from under him, and he was shoved down a tube of light. It got faster and faster until the light, his body, and reality itself got pulled through a single bright point.

There was a rush of invisible wind as the world exploded anew in binary, and his digital avatar floated high above the world. An endless blue sky surrounded him, and far ahead, he could see the horizon and the curvature of the Earth.

"Woah! Wait, hold up!" Will yelped as he felt the pull of gravity, and he started falling once again. "Where the hell have they spawned me?!"

He flailed his arms wildly, and he saw a dark shape rushing at him from below. No, that was wrong - he was accelerating towards it at terminal velocity. Will tucked his arms in and rolled out of the way of an airship.

"Son of a—" he screamed as the airship zipped by. He spotted several more ships in the distance. A shadow fell over him and Will looked up. A Nimitz-class dreadnought passed overhead. Eight hundred meters of metal and steel glided by. it was accompanied by several smaller vessels that kept formation around the Nimitz.

"That's odd," muttered Will. The dreadnought rarely left home base. "So that must mean..."

Will tucked his arms in and swiveled around. Through the mist and clouds, he saw a mountain. Or what one would assume was a mountain, but the base, foundation, and mile-wide pillars supporting it would tell you it was man-made. A man-made tower that could dwarf mountains.

Tower Atlas-Mons was impossibly, unimaginably huge. It stood akin to a wall at the edge of the world. So massive, it looked like it was carved by the world itself and weighed enough to tilt the Earth's rotation.

Built after the last world war, in the aftermath of the nuclear rain of Final October, it survived mutants, famine, and civil war. While the rest of the world was an irradiated wasteland, Atlas-Mons became a haven. The last tower. The last cradle of civilization for mankind.

"Whoa," breathed Will. It's not every day one gets to see the tower from this perspective. Was the entire tower supposed to be the game map?

The clouds shifted, and Tower Atlas was obscured again. Will fell through more layers of clouds. He was surrounded by a white haze. Tiny ice crystals pelted him, and he had to cover his face as he fell. The wind picked up, and after a few seconds, he was through.

Will gasped as he broke out of the clouds, only to find the ground closing in on him fast.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Will flailed trying to slow down his fall.

"Calibration complete," said a smooth, feminine voice.

Will blinked in surprise. A screen popped in front of him showing his vitals and biometric data.

"I/O channels online, all systems green. Sync rate adjustment in progress. Welcome, new user."

The screen disappeared in a haze of pixels, and in its place, out popped a spherical drone.

"Arrgh!" Will yelped at the sudden appearance of the drone. The grey soccer ball-sized bot fell alongside him as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Its large central camera zoomed in on him with a mechanical whirr.

"Candidate 27351. Prepare for touchdown."

The bot's audio was tinny and robotic. It had none of the human inflections that the feminine announcer had. The exam's AI invigilator was a droid to the core in its programming.

A forcefield sprung around Will, and the bot dragged him off towards the Tower. They sped even faster, and Will had to struggle to keep his eyes open. They broke through the clouds and zipped down the tower. Numerous floors blurred by, and Will kept his eyes closed to prevent himself from hurling.

The sound of rushing wind vanished, and Will came to a sudden stop. The forcefield around him disappeared, and Will's feet hit tarmac, and his knees buckled. Before he knew it, he was sprawled across the floor, hugging the asphalt as though his life depended on it.

"Candidate 27351."

Will groaned as he blinked his eyes open. Groggily, he got on all fours and looked around. He was in one of the Tower's aircraft hangars.

"Candidate 27351, acknowledge and confirm readiness."

The grey drone bobbed above Will's head. Its large camera whirred as it scanned him.

Will stumbled to his feet with his hand clutched over his chest. His heart was still in his throat at the sudden surprise dive and stop; he needed a minute. Head bent and stomach clenched over, he raised a finger as he tried to catch his breath. However, the social cue was lost on the AI.

"Candidate 27351, acknowledge readiness."

"The name is Will." He groped around his neck for his locket, but it wasn't there. The VR didn't deem it necessary to add it to the sim.

"Candidate 27351."

"Will."

"Candidate 27351."

"W... I... double L, Will."

"Candidate 27351, acknowledge readiness."

"Fine, acknowledged." He threw his hands and was surprised that they flowed smoothly. With a few eye commands, the status window popped up in front of him. The sync rate steadily ticked up on the screen.

"Candidate 27351. State your full name."

Will looked back at the exam droid. "William Dunn."

"Do you have any scholarship?"

"Yes."

"State the name."

"Rockmore Accelerated Learning for Future Engineers."

"Acknowledged," the AI hummed. "Have you satisfied all the necessary conditions for the application of the scholarship? This includes the resident coursework."

"Yes."

"Subsection 7, Medical Records: Please confirm that your fitness is up to the standards required for this test."

Will's heart skipped a beat, and his breath caught in his chest. "Yes, I confirm. Confirm to all."

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"You are stating that you have read and reviewed all the relevant documents?"

"Yes, confirm." He tried not to hyperventilate and took long, deep breaths.

"Candidate 27351, your heartbeat is irregular. Are you sure about your fitness for undergoing this exercise?"

"Um...," Will gulped. "I ran a 12-mile marathon before coming here."

There was a hum as the AI processed that information. After a few tense seconds, its single-eyed camera refocused on Will. "Acknowledged."

If he was out of the VR, Will would have been drenched in sweat. He sneaked a quick glance towards the status window, and red icons flashed back at him. It was still abnormally high. No matter what happened, Will had to keep a lid on his symptoms until the end of the test. He let out a breath and reassured himself. This was totally doable. It was no problem. He had to take long, deep breaths.

"Candidate 27351." The AI adjusted its glaring eye with a mechanical whirr. "Your documentation has been approved. Considering your past medical history and inherent dangers of the O.A.Ts, there are some safety protocols that you must be aware of."

Will nodded, and the AI continued.

"The user's neural impulse, feedback, and psion channels are directly linked to their avatar and synchronized with the virtual world. Wavering outside the prescribed threshold will pull the user out of VR."

Will saw the sync rate drop on its own accord. The world around him flickered, and he was back in the pod, but this time, the interior lights were lit, and he could see.

"It is crucial that all test takers are aware of the emergency exit mechanism in each VR pod," said the AI. "The foot paddles inside the pod are designed to serve as an emergency lever, which can instantly shut down the VR and eject the user from the pod."

Will craned his neck to look at his feet. The helmet made it difficult to see, but he could make out that his legs were resting on the paddles.

"It is strongly advised that all test takers familiarize themselves with the location and function of these emergency levers before beginning the test."

Will pressed down lightly and felt the spring-bound paddle push back. If he pressed any harder, he would be knocked out of the sim.

The AI allowed Will a few more seconds to play around, and then there was a chime in his helmet. The window displaying his vitals popped on the H.U.D. The sync rate climbed back up, and he was back in VR.

"Whoa," said Will. "That was weird."

The screen with the vitals disappeared, and a window with terms and conditions replaced it. The waiver had been the same one that he had been reading outside the pod. The window scrolled to the bottom.

"Please leave your signature to confirm that you abide by the terms and conditions discussed above," said the AI invigilator.

Will signed the document, eager to get this part over with.

The AI hummed as it processed the documents. A few seconds later, there was a chime.

"Processing complete," said the AI. "Welcome to the O.A.Ts."

Will gave a nervous nod. The AI drifted towards the hangar exit, and Will followed.

"You are about to enter a live fire exercise," said the AI. "The simulation will last ninety minutes and will test your channel endurance, field control, and ability to think under pressure."

They stepped out of the hangar, and Will had his first glimpse into the Tower's outer shell. A vast open floor stretched in front of him. The ceiling soared to the height of around thirty feet, supported by giant pillars.

"Prepare for mission briefing." The exam bot buzzed. "Loading game map."

The world rippled around Will, and he saw the Tower change. Railway tracks crisscrossed the floor, and massive facilities popped up in a haze of pixels. Fortified regions were spawned, manned with gun turrets and weapon platforms. Next came the people, frozen in mid-action throughout the region. They all looked in the same direction, and Will followed their gaze towards the tower's outer wall.

"We are at Floor 50, Wing 34C," said the AI. "There is a breach in the outer shell of the tower."

The breach got highlighted in red as the bot finished. A good section about the outer wall was busted open. Because of the distance, he couldn't judge how big the breach was. It looked about 3 meters, but he wasn't sure.

"The breach has triggered a mutant beast invasion. Unfortunately, the strong radiation from outside the tower is preventing our defense force from fully engaging the enemy. Reinforcements are called, but they will take a while to reach the area."

At the command of the AI, the tower forces were lit up in red. Will could see their silhouettes highlighted in red through the tower walls. They were quite a ways away and were rushing in to plug up the gap.

"The next point of interest," continued the AI, "are the shield generators." Three giant cylinders, evenly spaced through the zone, glowed red.

"The signature shields are the main reason that the mutants are prevented from swarming. They are responsible for keeping the radiation at bay. Loss or breakdown of the shields would mean a quick loss of the defending forces."

Will nodded. "I guess my task is to repel the mutants and keep the outer shell free from incursion."

"That is correct," said the AI. "You can eliminate the swarm or hold out until the reinforcements arrive."

"Right."

"There are two roles to play here," the AI stated. "Warrior and Builder." The two forces lit up in red and blue. All nearby military personnel glowed red, while the mechanics and techies shone blue.

"Fight the mutants and drive them off as a warrior or repair the shield generators and protect the tower as a builder. What will you choose?"

Will looked thoughtful. "Can I switch the roles midway through the exam?"

The AI processed the question. "The primary goal is to free the tower from the mutant incursion. Your initial choice only decides your starting location."

Will let out a breath. This was a choice he had made long ago: move up the tower and make good money. "I choose the builder."

"Acknowledged. Loading scenario." The AI went still for a second. "Entering combat zone. Be advised."

A ripple passed through the tower once more, and the world resumed. The people previously frozen in time were now in motion, and Will found himself hoisted by the drone once again. The AI unceremoniously dropped him into a group of rushing soldiers.

"Watch your six!"

"Secure the breach!"

There were a few disjointed, panicked shouts from the soldiers.

Will's legs hit the floor. He stumbled but righted himself and continued running. Smoke lingered, carrying the distinct smell of gunpowder, amidst sporadic gunfire and cursing. Overhead, the emergency sirens rang long and deep.

Slightly out of breath, Will scanned for the shield generators. The overhead lights flickered. The ceiling stood thirty feet high, with floodlights gradually pivoting towards a singular direction. The breach lit up like a Helio room under the focused lights.

There was debris everywhere, and a large chunk of the wall was missing. It was big enough to fit a small airship, and yet the hole remained a dark void. The outer wall was several meters thick and hid the outside world behind a veil of concrete and steel.

Irradiated snow and ice blasted through the hole. Soldiers rushed in and lined up in front of the breach. They faced the incoming blizzard head-on and fired into the breach at whatever came screaming through the void. And oh, did they come - wild with the promise of violence. A single harsh screech rang out, loud enough to drown out the gunfire.

Will shuddered. "Damn, what was that thing?"

"Incoming!"

"Take cover!"

The plastcrete floor exploded, and something small and fast ricocheted off the ground, narrowly missing Will's leg. The mutants were firing back. He cursed and dashed towards a large cylinder in the distance. The shield generators were now in sight.

The generator was fifteen feet tall and nearly halfway to the roof. Rusted metal plating adorned its weathered surface, and current arched through its top. His skin prickled as he got closer. It was like a buildup of static, and the closer he got, the stronger was the effect.

Two techies with yellow overalls were huddled behind the large machine, and they waved him forward as soon as they spotted him. He took the hint and joined in.

"Lookie here, we got a live one, Jay," said a heavyset man with his hand elbow-deep in the generator's internals. "About time we got some assistance."

"Yeah," said Jay, a thin man with dark shadows under his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder at the breach in the wall. "Mutants, couldn't have picked a worse time."

"What makes you say that?" Will crouched low and analyzed their work. Stray strips of wire, a Rense's cup, and a spare bolod - a broken power coupling most likely.

"Half the system is down," said Jay.

"Half the system is always down," said the fat man. "Listen, kid. We're severely short-handed, so you're gonna have to do a lot of the leg work."

"Leg work is good," said Will. "I'll be responsible for the shields, I'm guessing."

Several flechettes banged off the metal plate of the cylinder.

"Damn," Jay flinched.

The chubby techie ignored his colleague. "That's right. Handle the shields while me and Jay over here go bring back the weapons system online."

"Got it," Will nodded.

The fat man extracted himself from the generator's guts and handed Will a tablet. "Blueprints, schematics, everything you need. Tools are in the bag over there." He straightened up and clapped Will on the shoulders.

"Come on," the plump man hauled Jay to his feet.

"Good luck," said Jay.

The chubby techie nodded, and the duo rushed out of cover. With a few quick sprints, they disappeared among a group of soldiers.

Will raised an eyebrow. That was quick. The bots sure were skittish. Talk to them long enough, and they end up in a logic trap. The devs always kept interactions short and brief.

There was a crackle of electricity, and smoke billowed from the generator's internals.

"Whoa there," Will rushed to fix the sparking generator.