The door opened quickly after I knocked, probably some sort of security system let him know I was here, and I was surprised at what I saw. Greg was never really fat, but neither was he the athletic figure I saw today. His brown hair and Hispanic complexion hadn't changed a bit and his eyes still held the sharp glint that made him look like he was waiting to pounce, like any good chaser/assassin player. But the guy must have put on at least 30 pounds of muscle and maybe even an inch of height. "Hey man, It's good to see you again." I said, putting my hand forward for a shake. "It has been a while."

He smiled back in a friendly way. "You have no idea. I honestly never thought you would want to enter the Alien Game, you were always so focused on your career as a Professional Gamer. And then, right after I finish a tournament on the Player Circuit, I get a call from you." His smile faded a bit as he continued. "I've got to ask, what changed?"

I took a breath as he led me into his small apartment, it was cozy and far less than my old buddy could afford, but he spent most of his time in The Game anyways so it wasn't likely a problem. "Well first of all, you know how people talk about the Pro Circuit now? Everyone wants to watch the best of the best, and that isn't us anymore. People call it the "Normal Circuit" and treat us like the little leagues, while you are part of the 'Player Circuit' and are the real top dogs. The respect and deals just aren't there like they used to be." I sat and took a bottle of water as Greg took an energy drink for himself.

"I never took you to be all that interested in the fame. You never played like it was important, anyways." His eyes focused as he spoke, honing in on me. "Nobody plays a support or fill-in role if they want to be the star."

I nodded, smiling a bit in depreciation with more than a hint of sharpness. "I had to work with what I had, there is no way I would be lucky enough to pull off some of the plays you did."

He gave a small chuckle at my reply before answering back. "All skill, baybe. Every single takedown was all skill." Only then he turned serious again and continued before I could continue with the banter. "But really; Why did you want to speak with me about getting into The Game?"

The smile fell from my face as I decided to be honest with him. "I need a new game. Cyber Soldier shut down recently and... I, I just need a new game." My voice trailed off and I looked away and then just stopped speaking. I didn't want to start rambling and there really wasn't anything more I wanted to say on the subject.

He gave me a confused look that I caught from the corner of my eye. "Cyber Soldier? That game is ancient, like pre-aliens it was already old. The graphics are fine, but they never really updated the gameplay to keep up with the times. It isn't like you could run it professionally either, there just isn't the audience. You made your name in the MOBA genre, so why are you so upset about some ancient shooter?"

I took a few seconds to calm myself before I could come clean with what I knew I needed to say. "I never told you how I got into gaming. It wasn't always just me alone. Back in high-school I had a girlfriend. That was our game. We were going to go professional in it. We even got called in to try out for a team after we had hit legal age to sign the contract." I paused my story, taking a detour to give me a moment to calm down. "She... We probably wouldn't have gotten in together. I was always the better player and she..." I stopped my speaking and focused back on what would be important to Greg in this moment. "Then the accident happened. At first I dove into gaming because that was what we always had together, but at some point it just became who I was. And with me getting older... Then Cyber Soldier shut down... I just need a new game."

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There were a few moments of silence before he spoke, then he blurted out with a hint of anger and exhaustion in his voice. "Dude, why didn't you ever fucking tell me?!? You were one of my best friends Back when we played Ultimate MOBA together. We were together right up until I got scouted to join that dammed Alien Game, and even then we kept up with each other! What the hell, man?"

I wanted to laugh, my buddy was just as straightforward as ever once he had his focus. It always made him an average assassin but a great chaser. The laugh wouldn't come. "It had been a couple years when I first knew you and by that time I only really thought about her when playing shooters, and mostly just the one shooter." I shook my head. "Look, this isn't about her. That might be why I got serious about gaming, but this is who I am now. Seeing the game die just shook me up. Combine that with my age..." I trailed off. I didn't need to say anything more.

He took a moment as a discontented scowl came across his face. "Gaming ends at 23," he said. It was a saying that someone had come up with that briefly became a meme. It was meant to be taken as an encouragement to live one's life to the fullest, have fun while you can before you can't anymore. But, for professional gamers, it was much more terrifying. It was the ringing death toll to our livelihood. It was the point at which our reflexes began to noticeably slow and we would soon be incapable of keeping up. Like any athlete, our careers have a lifespan.

"And I am now 25." I continued into the deadening silence.

Neither of us spoke. The only sound was of the air conditioning and some sort of water fountain that I could barely hear from its place in another room.

I broke the silence to formulate my plea. "All I wanted to ask was if you would talk to the company that sponsored you into the game. I tried contacting them myself but I'm not in the top eight anymore so they won't even answer my calls. I figured because you..."

"Like hell I will!" he yelled out, interrupting me as he continued his tirade. "It took me over a decade to get out from under those fuckers thumbs. There is no way I would do something like that to you. It's not like we are on good terms anymore anyways."

I tried to answer but the confusion must have shown on my face.

"Right, the aliens only showed up five years ago." He said quietly, as though he was speaking to himself but then continued directly toward me. He waved off the concern and explained. "Just think of it like in some MMOs where the day/night cycle happens every fifteen minutes. You get so used to in game time that you don't think about the real world.

"Look, I'll sponsor you personally", he continued as he visibly changed gears. "I know you are good for it to pay me back. You are a decent guy and this is the least I can do."

I was a bit stunned at his declaration, but apparently not enough to keep me from speaking. "Really?" Not my most eloquent response, but it was enough to move forward the gears of the conversation.

He nodded, sobering up and getting more serious. "Yeah, really. There is an intake in about a week. I can get you in. Spend that time to prepare. But before you go in there are some things you need to know. I won't leave you hanging like they left me."