When I awaken, the man is by my side. Steven.

“That’s right,” I say. “You were the last one I saw.”

He tries to say something, but I still can’t hear. I point to my ears, and he makes a face. He leaves the room and comes back a moment later with a pen and paper. “You remember now?” I nod. “Just talk. I can hear you.”

“Alright.”

“Do you know what year it is?”

“2037.”

He looks at me with eyes so pitiful it hurts my pride. “It’s 2040. The day you awoke was exactly 8 years since we first entered this world.” I stare at the words in shock. Then what was going on during that 3 year gap? Was I unconscious? What happened to the project? “I was gone for one year before they brought me back.”

“What do you mean?”

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“I’ve been back outside. The world has changed much in the past few years.”

“You’ve been...back in the real world?”

“Yes. Unlike yours, my virtual body was working perfectly when I came back.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I decided to help the other Sleepers. They are having the most trouble bringing you back. They only just established enough of a connection to send me through.”

“Then what’s with all the random things that have happened in this world?”

“This world is linked to your brain right now. The AIs that have not shut down listen to your thoughts and use what little power they have to make your life here even a little easier.”

I stare at him. The AIs are still working? Weren’t the AIs the ones who made this world glitch out in the first place?

So I have a tiny bit of control over this world. I’m immortal. But I don’t want to stay in here one second longer. “I want to leave.”

He looks at me concerned. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“What about the senses that you have yet to get back?”

“I want to see outside.”

“Alright.” He turns away from me.