Prologue

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Be-! -click-

The alarm had barely gotten out a whine, as a hand swiftly slapped it silent. Alex was already sat bolt upright, his hand having been hovering the button for the past minute, excitedly waiting for 'bedtime' to be over. Turns out, nights are a lot longer when you can't sleep. That mattered naught to him however, as he sprung up out of bed. Tiredness is a difficult thing to feel underneath the excitement, and adrenaline coursing throughout his veins. Sadly, despite how ready *he* was, his 'special delivery' wasn't slated for another few hours. Alex steps from his room, as his gaze sweeps across his flat. While small, the sparsely furnished place didn't feel all that cramped. An old armchair he'd gotten when his parents were getting a new one, and an old TV sat across of it, that his neighbors had tossed out when the power cable finally wore through. Luckily it was a fairly easy fix. His eyes flick to the rickety table placed in the corner. "If I move the table...it'll free up a nice plug...I can can set it up there!" With rare determination, he approaches the table and- be-ding! The phone echoed through the flat, as a message comes in. In a fluid motion, he pulls out his phone, and checks.

Emily (Sister), Just Now:

Hey, I know you're excited today, but don't go and overdo it! Hope you have lotsa fun! <3

Alex feels a sad smile grow on his face. Thoughts of the old days, when the family was all together, come unbidden, and a sense of melancholy overshadows his excitement for a moment. With a little shake of his head, however, he quickly dispels the feeling, quickly shooting back a message. "IIIII'll be...caaaarefull...but no...promisssess...- there, and maybe a heart emoji for good measure."

A couple emojis back and forth, and a promise to tell her all about it later, Alex finally pockets his phone again, and cracks his fingers. "Time to get to work!"

A few hours go by, interrupted only by a quick call from his mother, wishing him "lots of luck!" in his game. It was doubtful she really understood what he's doing, but nonetheless she's ever-supportive. With a broad smile, he'd moved the table to another corner, followed by his two chairs. At which point it'd come to his attention how dusty it was, so he grabbed his broom, and began to sweep. This led to a chain of events too tedious to describe, but suffice to say, at the end of those few hours, he'd found himself scrubbing the toilet in his bathroom. He's only broken out of his concentration, by the sudden ringing of his doorbell. Eyes widen, as he scrambles up from his knees, tripping as he stumbles through the doorway into the main room. With a *thump* he rebounds off the wall, and makes a break for the door. "I'm coming!!" Fumbling with the door lock for a second, Alex swings open the door to two large men. He barely noticed them, however, as his gaze was captured by a large, black, and sleek package standing between them. Ahem- came the insistent cough of the man on the right. Alex's eyes hesitantly pulled away from the package to make flickering eye contact with the 'cougher'. "Are you Alexander Stoll?", asked the bored voice of a man with deliveries scheduled all day. He barely begins to nod when the man lifts up his digital pad towards him. "Sign here please sir, acknowledging that you have received the package and that no damage was sustained during transit" Barely listening, Alex grabs the pen, and signs on the line. Or rather, he scribbled a barely legible version of his name, as his hands shook with anticipation. Stepping back and to the side, as the men lift the package once more, Alex finds his voice failing him, and rather unceremoniously points his finger to the freshly cleaned corner. The two barely even glance at him, as they lower it with a light thud. One of the men pulls out a concealed plug from the side, and plugs it in, before the two give Alex a quick nod, and make their way out the door.

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His heart was pounding. This is it, the moment he'd been waiting for. A small gasp escapes his lips as he approaches it. In a burst of realization, he noticed his mistake. What he'd presumed to be a package, was the actual console itself. Now that it had plugged in, a roving white light travelled it's way around the box, as if idling, while on the top of it, sheen in solid white lights:

Q-Tech

Limitless

With his heart thumping in his ears, he reached out to touch it. As he laid his hand on it, a blue ring appeared, circling it a few times, before it faded away, replaced with a faint hiss as the top of the box began to move. Slowly the box swung open, and Alex could do naught but stare, as his body froze in anticipation. The inside, was a pure white, starkly contrasting it's own exterior. He stepped forward, reaching his hand in, feeling the incredibly soft material that lined the the entirety of the inside. In a sudden bolt of realization, Alex stepped back and began shedding his clothes, just down to the underwear. According to their site, this was the recommended way to enter it, and Alex wasn't about to question it. Hesitantly, he took a step forward. Then another. Now that the moment was here, he began to feel a peg of doubt. Has he set his hopes too high? What if it fails to live up to his high expectations? His hands come up and slap his cheeks. "That's enough. Let's do this..." Stinging face aside, ever so carefully Alex stepped into the box. One foot, then the other. Gripping the helpful rails, he slowly lies down, finding himself cushioned more comfortably than even his bed. Reaching up, he touches the lid once more. It feels more solid than the bedding, and a smaller blue circle greets is index finger, as it makes contact. With another faint hiss, the box begins to close. Alex closes his eyes, ready to be encased in darkness, but instead, when he opens them again, he finds it to be lit, with a low, warm glow. Before his face, were two icons. One, looked like an open door. Presumably that was to exit. The other, was the stereotypical power icon, of the circle and the line. With a deep breath, he carefully tapped the second button. With a soft green glow, the rest of the lighting dimmed further. Alex closed his eyes, as he heard a tiny whirring sound, and felt something make contact with his head. After a few seconds of nothing, he was about to peek open his eyes, when suddenly he felt like he was falling. Similar to when you're falling asleep, but without the jerking motion your body does. In a flash his eyes fly open, and he's met with an odd sight. Nothing but blue sky, and a box.

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