“Wakey-wakey Wesley, today is the day your life changes forever!”

I woke the next day to Cara shaking me awake while Mr. Greene sat in my sitting room drinking a glass of milk. A new milk mustache coated Mr. Green’s face. Based on their mischievous grins, my bewilderment at their eccentricities must have been plain. I am only a morning person after taking my caffeine vitamin, but I doubt they would oblige me. I could feel the bags under my eyes droop low and a yawn form in the back of my throat. The two wore the identical, perfectly hemmed black suits they wore yesterday, except Cara’s tie had bright yellow polka dots instead of a simple black tie.

“How long did I sleep,” I asked groggily. The haze over my mind had settled, and my body moved with ease as I stretched out the length of the bed. My body was in perfect shape, except for a lingering pain that throbbed whenever I swallowed my spit.

“You slept nine hours and twenty-two minutes, But that is not important. What's important is that today is the big day,” Cara yelled. She couldn't tame her excitement, and she jumped with glee.

“We're doing the mind surgery today? I don’t think I'm ready yet. My throat still aches, and I need a little more time to prepare myself mentally. You gave me a losing hand, and I risk flaming out.”

“There is no time,” Mr. Greene said. “The game will start in a few months, and we have to do the surgery now, so we have enough time to prepare your mind for being merged into the system. It will be painless.”

“After the surgery, can I at least call my family? I need to tell my parents about Annalise and Angie returning to Luna so they can help out.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Mr. Greene replied.

“Why?”

“Two reasons. Firstly, to transfer you without notice, I had to officially list you as dead, so your loved ones will have to wait. The other reason is you’ll be in a coma for months after the surgery for the mental binding of your thoughts.”

“What! Does everyone think I'm dead? What about Angie? Annalise? Mason? I need to reach out to tell them I’m still alive!” I swung my legs to the side of the bed and tried to stand up. My mind willed my legs forward to confront Mr. Greene, but they did not respond. My feet hit the cold polished floors, and I immediately fell forward. I caught myself before slamming into the floor.

“You have been lying down for a long time. I recommend giving your legs a little rest, or I could lend you my cane if you want.”

“Wesley, you should take the cane. Hylion never lets me use his cane," Cara said. I squinted up at Mr. Greene and glared. His calm demeanor hid any mocking in his comment, but that didn’t stop my embarrassment.

“Stop second-guessing yourself. I know you're scared, but the path I have placed before does not allow for turning back. Keep your wits, and you’ll be back to your family with a clean record and billions of credits to spend,” Mr. Greene said.

“If anything happens to them. I’ll be coming after you.” The threat held little truth on my part. Though he had been crippled, he had wealth and powerful allies. My lack of knowledge of the man would stymie anything I could do. It seemed especially foolish with my face pressed to the floor, but it still felt like the right thing to say.

“Fair enough,” Mr. Greene replied. “Cara, inform Dr. Rakayla that we will begin whenever she is ready.”

“Yes, sir.” Cara saluted and marched out of the room. Mr. Greene stood up and limped over to stand by my side.

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“Let’s take a walk.” Mr. Greene reached down and hoisted me up by the armpit. “We will lean on each other. Your body will be prone for a long time once the process is over, so you might as well enjoy a little walk with me,” Mr. Greene said. He looped my arm with his own, and we steadily walked out the door and down the hallway. The stabilization on the ship made the process simple with the one-to-one earth gravity. Not all ships or cities have the energy output to keep the earth's gravity up for long periods, so whoever funded this voyage must have spent a fortune.

“You said earlier that I would be in a coma. How long will it be for? You make it seem like everything is all so simple, but you have kept me in the dark about everything. There is nowhere for me to run to. I want to know the entirety of what I’m getting into. I don't hate bad odds because that's the best time to win big, but you’ve given me the blind without handing me any cards.” I looked up at him and He met my gaze. With his limp and slouch, I had never realized he stood slightly taller than me.

“Let me ask you something first. Why do you think we sought you out specifically?”

“Well, You made a big show of telling me how smart I am which I appreciated, but if I had to guess, you chose me because I happened to be in dire straits,” I replied.

“Correct. We needed prisoners, and the dregs of society who no one would realize had gone missing. Scientists created the reality machine years ago to allow people to live out their dreams in a world of their creation,” Mr. Greene said. We had come to an intersection and took a left. The halls of metal panels and grated floors were all identical to each other. “Technology of this capacity cost an enormous amount to be put forth and required extensive human testing, but somewhere along the way, the scientist working on the project hit a wall. The tech stagnated, and the results did not justify the enormous cost. Investors got spooked by the high cost, so the scientists pivoted and created the functional prototype of the reality machine.”

“What you're telling me, Is that the rich got bored, so they made a game to watch a bunch of prisoners risk their lives for enjoyment.”

“It’s more than that,” He replied. “Many of the decisions that impact the entire galaxy can be decided based on these games. If you win, my patron will not only reward you, but you can also take solace in the fact that you will have changed the lives of billions of people.”

“I guess I’m supposed to believe your patron, likely some rich moon baron, is a good person sending me to my possible death for the good of everyone,” I said. Mr. Greene stopped in front of a door and leaned up against it. He pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his brow, and allowed himself to catch his breath. His face turned grim, and I thought of pulling my arm away from his.

“They participate in these games because if they didn't, the galaxy would be much worse off. I tell you this not out of respect for my patron. No, I say it because you doing everything in your power to win will bring a net positive effect whether you know it or not. The stakes are as real as they have ever been.”

“The money and freedom will be enough. No need to sell me on a utopian future.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to give it your all is fine, but remember, the AI is like a hivemind. All of the people you meet in that world won’t be real except for your team members and your opponents. They will seem real, but they are not. Keep your anchor with you always and remember death is as real there as it is here.”

My hand instinctively reached into my pocket to wrap around the silver coin I carried there. We had been walking around the maze of hallways on the ship for over twenty minutes, and we did not run into anyone. If Mr. Greene’s patron had as much money as I thought they did, then a ship chartered for themselves remained in the realm of possibility.

“We have arrived.” Mr. Greene stopped at a large automatic door with a keypad and retina scan right where a handle would be. I watched him enter a combination and memorize the combination. I would never need to use it, but it put my mind at ease, knowing I had safely stored it in the recesses of my mind. The door opened to reveal Dr. Rakayla and two other doctors dressed similarly to her in dark gray scrubs.

“Is everything ready to go? I have the patient,” Mr. Greene said.

“Yes, just have him sit on the table over here,” Dr. Rakayla replied.

“This is goodbye for now—Good luck in there. Trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid to make hard decisions. The team you will be working with is odd, but the five of you should be able to succeed no matter what the rules are,” Mr. Greene said before stepping back and allowing the door to close on him. My shoulders slumped, and my arms hung heavy at my side. The time had come.

“Will it be painful,” I asked while approaching the large operating table.

“You’ll be knocked out for the whole process. Most people who come back from experience described it as one long dream. You’ll wake up in the reality machine as you imagine yourself,” Dr. Rakayla replied. I approached the operating table and sat down on its edge. The table sent a chill up my spine. One of the doctors walked over, typing on his holo pad while two surgical robots whirred to life behind them.

“Get undressed and lay down face first, but keep the anchor you chose in your closed fist,” The third doctor said. I got undressed and walked over to the table without worrying about the doctors watching me. When I laid down face first, the table shifted into a perfect mold of my body and opened up at my face so that I could breathe. As I stared at the floor, one of the other doctors in the room approached with a small injector and felt around for my veins. The injection was quick.

My vision drifted off into a distorted blur, and I dreamed. I think I dreamed of my loved ones and their smiles first. I dreamed of faceless men threatening me from the shadowy corners of well-lit rooms. They made me paranoid. I dreamed of the sun, its warmth overbearing. I dreamed of mazes that had no end. And finally, I dreamed of myself. I saw a version of myself without imperfections. He was just within my grasp if I could move my hand forward. Then I dreamed nothing. And when I thought that my dreams were over, I dreamed of a silver coin spinning on its edge. It spun around on the pointed tip of nothingness, it's surface as perfect as a colorless diamond. And then I saw the light.