They walked into the dark neon hallways passing several double doors that resembled theatre doors until they arrived at one that said interview panel on a silver plaque. It stood plastered right next to a Chaos poster. They slipped through the doors and Nick found himself facing a blinking, lantern eyed audience the size of a football field. Reporters littered the outskirts of the room snapping pictures. A few of them stood in the front row of the audience.

"Hello there, fellow Chaos contestants, find your seats and we'll get started." the host was a chubby bald man with round black glasses. "My name is Roland, and I will be your troublesome host for this evening. Don't try too hard to laugh at my jokes, I know I'm not a natural."

Nick took the seat farthest to the left of the long table, fingers interlaced. Diana sat two seats over.

"Ok, we'll just jump right in," Roland said, taking his cue card. "Nick this question's for you. It comes from the audience. Why have you chosen to play Chaos, and do you think you're a right fit?"

Nick froze for a moment, trying not to stare at the colony of eyes awaiting a juicy response.

"I come from a poor family. My brother and I don't have much, and my mom died. I figured if I play this game, then maybe we can change our lives for the better," Nick said. Hopefully, that was it. Honest, but firm. There was a decent amount of cheers that ate the room.

"Wonderfully said," said Roland. "Diana?"

"I've been invisible and a clown my whole life. If I play this game, people will start to see me and respect me," Diana's eyes clung to Nick as she said this.

Nick continued to look straightforward, unbothered by those stinging blue eyes.

'Wow," said Roland. "First question in and we already have ourselves a bit of drama. Now this is what we paid money to see! Next question, did you guys expect to find the ticket when you did?"

"No," Nick said.

"Of course we didn't," Diana added. "We got lucky."

"How long did it take you to find the ticket?"

"To be honest, I wasn't even looking," Nick said truthfully. The audience broke into a storm of laughter. Nick figured if he was honest in this interview, the other players won't see him as a threat and the audience might pay him a bit of sympathy. But he could only hope. He turned to Diana, awaiting her response.

"I actually did look," Diana said, somewhat affronted by Nick's lackluster response. "I looked everywhere I could in the city and in my neighborhood and even my parent's city in Cleveland. Let's just say it took a while and I'm glad I found it when I did." The crowd cheered vehemently.

"Do you expect to find any romance in this game?" Roland asked, eyebrows raised.

"No," Nick said lazily. "We're in this to just play the game and win."

"What do you guys make of alliances? Will you guys form any?"

"If we have to," said Nick.

"If the situation calls for it, then yeah," said Diana.

"Between these four player countries, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, or Russia which nationality would you rather form an alliance with?" said Roland.

"Russia sounds fun, but my mother is of English descent so...you know what, I think I'll go with Canada," Nick said. He actually meant it. They just seemed like the safest option. Or at least the least likely to stab you in the back so quickly. "They're just so friendly."

"Hmm..." said Diana. "I'm gonna go with one not listed on here and say Japan. They're just so calm, but incredibly smart. You need an ally like that to get far into the game."

"Interesting responses, both of you. This next question hails from the reporters. Do you guys think you have what it takes to win the game?"

"No," Nick said. "I might even be the weakest player in the game. We're all still new to this, and I'm talking about all the players in the world, so it's too soon to say. But personally, I'm still on the high of finding that ticket to even be sure. So, no."

"I'd say I'm alright, but I wouldn't say I'm the strongest. Nick's right, it's too soon to tell."

Roland cleared his throat and eyed the audience warily. "This one's also from the reporter. If you two were the only players left in the game and you had to kill each other, would you do it?"

"Yes, without a fucking doubt," Diana said.

"Maybe," said Nick. "It depends on the conditions."

"Splendid," said Roland. "And this final question comes from both the audience and the reporter. What is a message you want to send to the other players?"

"Good luck," Nick said. Hopefully, there wasn't too much menace in those words. Would they see through his charade?

"It's either you or me," Diana uttered bracingly.

"Wonderful! It was nice having you guys here! Have a wonderful day!" Somewhere in the distance, Nick heard Roland mumble, "And now I got to get ready for the next batch of American players..."

Fiona led them back to the entrance hall and wished them luck on their journeys and the game, then she disappeared into the tidal crowd of people. Nick's limo was waiting outside for him. He stared nervously at Diana. "Well, I guess this is it, see you in the game."

"Hmm? We'll be seeing each other in the VR Room tomorrow," Diana said.

Nick smacked his mouth. "Right, I knew that."

"Whatever tickles your bones, Morning Eyes."

Shortly after the two of them parted ways into the flurry of faces. Nick slid into his limo, hoping the next time they meet it will be under less awkward circumstances.

************

The alarm rang with exigent asperity the next morning. The ding ding ding of death. A final invocation stirred Nick's face as his eyes flew open. The morning crust trickled from his eyes as he inhaled. A terminal orange light trickled in his room, hissing. Today was the frightening, munificent day. A day that made his bones tickle with nerves. It was finally time. Nick washed up, got dressed, and went to the kitchen to have whatever was left of the cereal.

Jonathan was standing under the ghostly pale light, near the kitchen archway, cigarette butted against his lips. "You nervous?'

Nick threw away the slop of cornflakes, finding it fruitless to even pretend to eat. "No."

"So that Quire broad is really your roommate," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, so what," said Nick. Nick had told Jonathan all the events of the press conference to him over dinner. He didn't think that would be the thing that he would remember.

"So everything. You're going to need allies in the game, Nick, she would be the perfect one."

Perhaps it was just in his head, but Nick had the subtle feeling that Diana didn't like him that much, despite their cordial encounter yesterday. It wouldn't be that easy to be around a girl like Diana Quire. "I'm perfectly capable of finding my own allies, Jonathan."

"That's not the point."

"I get the point. I think I can look after myself, and yes, that does include finding my own allies."

"There are bad people in this game, Nick. You're not dealing with kids anymore. You're not dealing with the government. You're not dealing with civilians. You're dealing with sick, twisted people who are willing to kill to get what they want."

Nick groaned. He was beginning to sound like Stephanie. "You make them sound like they're criminals."

"Some of them might be."

"I'll be fine."

His watch beeped. It was time to go.

There wasn't gonna be a limo this time. Jonathan drove him to the designated area in strict silence. Nick felt a shiver run through his spine, and it wasn't because of the biting cold. Mist ate through the windows and the prismatic morning glow of the horizon cut through the skies as they made their way downtown. The building was the same loaf shaped glass building as the GameCon building but bigger and with a large purple neon sign that read VR ROOM. There were a group of people standing in front of the building and only one of them Nick recognized.

Jonathan parked parallel to the entrance and clicked the door open.

"Be careful," said the blonde brother.

"Yeah..."

"And Nick?"

"Hmm?"

"I'll be watching. Good luck."

Nick nodded and shut the door. The Corolla drove away, sputtering gas in the pale morning mist. The city was eerily quiet, sibilant, and devoid of people, something Nick had just noticed. It was a strange experience, like being stranded in the middle of an apocalypse. He figured that later that evening the crowds would be brought in droves to the iTech billboard to watch the game, but still, it was an unexpected sight to see.

"Nick Galloway," a middle-aged man with snowy white hair and a purple pinstripe suit approached him. He was elbowed by two big-breasted, curvaceous models in royal purple silken dresses. "I've heard a lot about you from my colleagues. Brian North..." He held out his hand to shake. It wasn't an option, it was expected to be shaken.

Nick feebly grabbed his hands. He got a frosty, scathing feeling about his presence. Especially the way his scratchy, frigid, hands felt. The suit smelled of midnight vanilla. Nick loathed vanilla.

"As I'm sure you're aware, the state of Ohio has been dutifully informed about your triumphant entrance into the games. All eyes are peeled. Please don't fail us," Brian North served an icy grin. The untrustworthy, frosty feeling was getting more and more intense by the minute. "We expect great things from you, Nick Galloway. Not just for the state, but for all of America. I bid you goodbye now, young man."

Nick shifted uncomfortably, averting his eyes. The man was honestly asking for too much. Why couldn't he expect great things from Diana? Why him? He was just Nick. Nick, the simple, average joe. His name literally could've been Joe and it wouldn't have made a damn difference.

Brian North, along with his puffed up broads, went into the black Neonda and drove off.

The only audience that was left was a man with long, flowing gray hair and square glasses and Diana. Diana scowled at Nick, arms crossed. Nick couldn't tell if she was grumpy at him or for being awake early. Either way, he was too sleep worn to care.

The man was wearing a long milky white lab coat with a nametag pinned across his chest. He appeared as if to resemble a doctor intern.

"Hello Nick, I'm Greshen, I'll be your VR ROOM monitor. I'll show you guys around the place, then we'll get you guys set up to be launched into the game."

Nick nodded as if he understood all that. What he really wanted to do was run and still be tucked into bed.

They were led into a large sweeping hallway and passed many white doors. Unlike GameCon, the VR ROOM was an all white expansive series of rooms that gave it a pristine, modern flare. It was a researcher's paradise. The only thing that was uniform was the neon lights. The purple gradually changed hues, giving the building an extra contemporary token. There were many glass panels barred from each other by the line, allowing a transmission into a duplex of gaming rooms with a lot of wires and VR headsets.

They passed through a glass door and soaked in a marshmallow white room with two black leather recliner chairs. The seats had small tables stacked with white headsets and blinking electronic collars. Rigged up above the seats, a few meters ahead, was a large monitor displaying the home screen of Chaos. It blinked the words press start to begin.

Gresham gesticulated toward the seats. "If you could please sit..."

Nick sat on the left, and Diana took the right.

Greshen grabbed a prototype of the headset and the collar and breathed nervously. "I'm contractually obligated to explain to you what I'm about to do. This isn't your typical virtual headset and electronic collars. They aren't just simply rigged up to a machine."

Nick and Diana glanced at each other, soaking in the solemnity of Greshen's words.

"What do you mean?" Diana asked.

"Exactly just that, unfortunately. Once you put these creatures on, there's no going back until the game has decided to crown you the winner."

"You still haven't answered our question," Nick said, somewhat irked. His heart was beginning to thump and his hands were getting moist.

"These gears connect to your body and soul. If you put the headset on, it will instantly be attached to your mind, and if you add the collar, that itself would be attached to your soul. You see how this collar is blinking?"

Nick's eyes met the blinking red lights.

"That means you're still alive. And if it explodes..." The collar cracked into a static mist. "...or stops blinking, then the game has told me that you're dead. This is all to say that once I put these gears on you and I press the command button, you're off! Your life is physically and spiritually in the game."

Strangely enough, Nick could hear his racking, shuddering breath.

"It's all within the ethos of the game to make it feel as real as possible," said Greshen. "Now, because I'm contractually obligated to ask you, do you guys still want to continue?"

Nick nodded. "Bring it."

"Might as well," said Diana. "I've already gotten this far."

Gresham put on their collars first and then he fitted on their headsets. He held a small, blue, metallic remote with a big red button. It blinked admonishingly.

"I wish you guys both the best of luck. In three seconds, you'll be launched into the game. Three...two..."

Nick was about to say something to Diana, it had to do something with luck. But the words were instantly effaced from his mind as he fell into total shock. Dotted sweat blossomed on his forehead as Nick belted into the tight strenuous air. His mind exploded with pain and he started to spit out tiny bullets of blood. Suddenly his body struck still and his soul fell. It kept on falling, falling, falling. No end in sight.