I’m struggling, but I manage to move my hand an inch. I try moving my leg without much luck, but after a few seconds of trying, I get somewhere. Of course, I’m a total train wreck.
I fall onto the floor, cables dragging out of my flesh. Elon jumps, back hitting the glass barrier. “What the… you’re supposed to be...”
“Dead?” I grumble. “Heard that before.”
Stunned, Elon runs over to one of the working hologram screens. He drags his finger near the light, clicking through a set of various commands. Finally, he pulls up an image. It’s a planet, a world I’ve never seen before.
He zooms in on the landscape, pinpointing where life exists on many planes of the map. After a few seconds of tinkering, he apparently sees something that startles him.
He gasps, tears falling from his panicked eyes. “My God,” he whispers. “It’s him.”
I try to stand, but I immediately stumble like a newborn first learning how to walk. My arms hit the bed, angling it against the ground. I let out a shrill noise as my pain receptors return to baseline.
And then I see what he’s seeing. Red text that reads: Gerard Lancaster. The Creator.
“He was right,” Elon says. “He’s fused with the simulation.”
Although the pain is excruciating, I can’t help but smile. He really did it.
“He got what he wanted,” I say. “Now it’s my turn.”
An alarm starts to ring above our heads, sharp and raw like a serrated blade. Elon looks up and shakes his head.
“I’m afraid your turn isn’t going to happen, old friend,” he says.
I stand and finally feel able to hold my position. I’m learning how to use my body in this place, albeit slowly.
“What do you mean?” I growl.
The automatic doors slide open. Red flashing lights wash over his face. He blinks and swallows. Something is troubling him, so I ask him again.
“What. Do. You. Mean?”
This time, I’ve got my hand reaching for my neck, so he gives it to me quick. “Ava,” he stutters. “She… She didn’t come back.”
I nearly lose my balance again, but his throat sure keeps me steady. “You better be joking.”
Elon isn’t a bad guy, but I’m not doing this run-around-the-maze bullshit anymore. I’m not leaving without her in my arms.
I want that sunset. I want that kiss.
I want her fuck.
Now.
He chokes, but I’m barely even squeezing. “Please,” he says. “I tried to help you both. Tried to warn you of what might happen.”
I tighten my grip. “Don’t patronize me.”
“Okay, okay,” he cries. “I’ll help you. Just let me go.”
I ease off. “Talk.”
He swallows and rubs his hand over the red fingerprints around his neck, coughing. “Look, Gerard never told me what would happen after this. But if she’s anywhere, she’ll be in the server room,” he says. “There’s door inside that leads into the simulation. It’s not far. I’ll show you.”
He starts for the automatic doors, but I grab the edge of his shirt. The truth is, I don’t know what this world has in store for me. For all I know, it’s crueler than the one I was just in. I’m not worried, but I’m not stupid either.
One false move, and I could lose everything.