E:volve: E:volve

By Dominic DiMarco

In the virtual reality world of the Axys, Koda is used to being underestimated. What he's not used to is winning.

In the real world, Koda and his friends are broke and desperate. In Axys, their situation isn't much better. Their survival relies on playing by the rules. Take what they can, retreat back to reality. Until against all odds, they win today's tournament. The prize? A special rig that grants them unique powers in the digital world.

Except winning comes at a cost, and when Koda's friends become the target of an ambitious tech giant, he discovers their victory has made them a pawn in a much larger game. One that threatens to change everything in and out of the Axys.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dominic DiMarco
• Release date: Jul 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393094197

Book preview

Prologue

Damn, these bots burn !

He gripped the edge in agony. Head craned to the side, he scanned the monitor for the progress bar.

88%

Wincing as the crawl of the fluid flooded his arteries, he reached for the chair and flopped down in exhaustion.

Will, remind me to up the doping fluid and lower the catalyst... In a hushed breath, his voice echoed inside the cavernous laboratory. In response, a man in a lab coat arrived, typing away on his tablet.

Yes, sir. More importantly, how do you feel? asked Will. If anything happened to his boss, he was the only one at the scene. The man dismissed the question as he sat up and fixed his eyes over the yellowed newspaper clipping. His gaze caught the headline, needing not re-read the rest.

Khepri leaves Daydreamer at height of Axys success

The man's lips curled, regaining his focus. He stood back up to recheck the status.

98%... 99%...

The wait ended with a tug of the needle once it disappeared. He still felt the iced fluid flowing inside, waiting for the injection to reach an equilibrium.

... Never better. So, next question is when will this thi-

Before he finished his thought, the surge of a blistering fluid flashed across his chest. Blinded by pain, he didn't notice his clenched fists swell to monstrous cinderblocks. Pain fed his mind, and the burn wouldn't let up. Will watched in horror as his boss contorted his body. He became manic as rage fueled his movement. He leaped to the side as the torn chair slammed across the room while the beast rose above his large stature. Eyes bloodshot with a pulsing twitch, the bitter taste of hate grip-locked his thoughts.

You will never live up to your potential...

You're just an orphan! What are you ever going to accomplish?...

You're a mange dog chasing its tail. These projects won’t see the light of day...

Those ideas are horrible! Your days here are over!

The last one seared his mind as he slammed both fists into his desk. Watching the slats burst into fragments. Looking to end the rampage, Will dashed over to the remaining reversal next to the CRATUS serum. In an instant, a tossed monitor crushed his hands. He limply turned around and cowered in a plea as his boss' eyes met his.

What do you think you’re doing?

He thrust the computer tower at his subordinate, landing square on his chest. Will fell to the ground, heaving a gasp of words out.

Sir... you're... overdosing...

Will laid flat on the cement floor, praying for pity on his condition. Instead, the plea antagonized his boss further.

Overdosing? I've never felt more alive! If you’re trying to reverse this, then I’m relieving you of duty! The broken screen cast a blue spotlight against the wall where two shadowed fists crashed to the floor and crushed its target.

An abrupt silence consumed the lab. A twitch from the screen was the only response to the sudden halt before losing power and shrouding the room in darkness. The faint grunts of gasps echoed across the room, growing shallower until a final exhale reached the sky.

PIERCING SUNLIGHT MET his eyelids. Blood rushed inside his head as he regained his sight. The scarred hand reached for his thermos as he managed to get enough energy to pull himself up and discover the wreckage. He stood in a daze, gathering the clues on what happened. He took his first step backward, stumbling as he tripped over a white log on the floor. When he glanced down, the scientist found his lab assistant Will lying motionless, void of any rhythmic breaths.

My God!

He kneeled to flip his hand, index and middle finger pressed against his wrist. Not a single pulse of blood arrived. He flopped on the ground and sat in a stupor, unable to process any wave of thought crashing into his mind. He re-scanned the room, finding the bag of reversal torn open next to a splintered woodpile by a cracked monitor. As he trudged to the heap, he gripped the reversal fluid while searching for a syringe.

I need to destroy these bots. They must have placed me in a rage.

He found the tipped cart, able to spot a yellow bag sealed with a brand new piece. His manslaughter began to settle in as he looked back at Will.

This formula is too unstable.

Halfway through the draw, a pain entered his syringe hand with the sting of a fresh wound. He remembered the raw energy coursing through his veins. The rush of fire sparked inside him, but he wasn't angry this time. Instead, a jolt of ecstasy entered his mind.

This feels... good. Have I gone mad?

In response, a faint echo reached his inner ear.

No, this is progress!

He released the bag and let it plunge onto the wooden splinters, gushing out the last dose of reversal across the concrete floor. He turned in a panic, searching for the source of the noise.

Who's there?!

No one else is here. It's just you and me.

He realized the disembodied voice, in a guttural echo of his own, wasn't coming from anywhere else.

No, this isn’t real... Who are you?

I'm your ambition. I've lived inside for years, waiting. And now you finally accessed your potential. Now that you perfected the formula, we can continue to the next phase.

Panic gripped his heart as it pounded against his ribcage. He knew what step the voice was hinting at. As he dived for the needle, the other half of his body tripped him up, crashing head-first to the ground.

The familiar rush came over him with a vengeance. His vision blurred, leaving him helpless to the new host inside his mind.

We need not do this the hard way. Let me show you what lies beyond the outer limits of the ‘possible.’

In a hypnotized state, his body willed itself to the nearby desk as he uploaded the keycode to verify the results.

Test Results: Success

Confirm release to beta testing?

His hand trembled over the keyboard until a final pluck landed on the Y character.

Confirmed. Formula released to vendor.

He collapsed, unable to find the energy to fight against his new master. Temple resting over the back-lit keyboard, his lips forced a trembling smile as his eyes remained shut.

Chapter 1

Humming with the hustle of electric speed cycles blazing past weathered bus stops, the road etched the invisible boundary of North Boulder. Five-foot chainlinks crossed the east-west expanse, where make-shift apartments and rusting trailers filled the view for bystanders on the opposing edge. The portrait paled to the polished windows and flawless metal trim accenting the corporate strongholds, crawling up to the last inch of space. Groomed Kentucky Bluegrass countered the clustered crab patches across the border, watching polished square toes and soiled sneakers criss-cross the sidewalk. When people from Boulder in 2049 say the grass is greener on the other side, they silently remind themselves this as they ride along the street.

Two blocks north, fried eggs and sizzling chorizo blended with burning tortillas as the melody drifted through the neighborhood. At the source, an exhausted mom yelled loud enough for the entire block to hear her impatience.

Koda, you're gonna miss the bus again! Apurate!

Down the narrow hall, Koda tossed his low-poly Daft Punk shirt and torn jeans from his ‘clean’ heap onto his bed, then crossed back to pull them on. Running across the room, the edge of his foot made a swift kick against a knee-high desk. After he nursed his toe in frustration, he shouted his response through his half-open door.

I'm up! Almost ready.

In his haste to wrestle the shirt over his head, he didn't feel the fabric of his jeans catch the assorted hazards at his waist. With a quick turn, the twang of metal thudded against the sun-stained plank.

Dammit!

Koda finished pulling his shirt on to assess the damage. He sighed in relief, finding only a pair of wire cutters, a case of spare diodes, and a wing frame reaching the ground, while the remaining components shifted along the edge. He kneeled to swipe up the pieces, gently laying them over the fresh bare spot. 

Heaping with parts, his workbench harbored a rough concept for a mechanical hummingbird. The bare chassis and a prototype wing were the few assembled components, waiting for him to flesh with spare parts stashed underneath the aging wood top. Koda struggled to scrap for the other necessary material. His obsession to create his robotic companion would not fade. The constant reminder on his desk only further compounded the itch to complete the build.

From the folds of his blanket, a dim light seeped through while the chime of an iconic video game coin echoed across his room. He picked his phone up and studied the screen to  preview the notification:

Standards and Innovations Laboratory

Is this...? No, it can’t be. We were runner-ups. But what if...

His heart thumped with anticipation, forcing his trembling fingers to be patient as he unlocked his phone. The assortment of junk mail couldn’t distract him from the email at the top of the list: Invitation to the SIL-4-All Tournament

I can’t believe it!

Koda held his palm against his head as he opened the body of the email. As his finger pulled down to view the message, his mom’s voice reached the next available decibel level from her previous demand.

Koda! Don’t make me tell you again!

He kept his eyes glued to the screen as he replied, Okay!

A touch of fanfare dazzled him as a brief animation sprayed pixelated confetti before revealing the brief letter.

TO THE MEMBERS OF REBEL Squad,

Standards and Innovations Laboratory invites you to the first-ever SIL-4-ALL Team Competition. If you accept the challenge, your team will compete against 13 other world-renowned teams of 4 for our grand prize. We will release details about the competition rules 10 minutes before it begins. We are hosting the tournament remotely, so feel free to participate at any Axys location of your choice. Registration is free, and loaner rigs are available at our headquarters and our international office locations.

The debriefing begins on April 3 at 4:30 PM US Mountain Time. A SIL Representative will be present at the virtual tournament location as your point of contact.

Please respond below if your team accepts the challenge.

Sincerely,

Aaron Stevens, SIL

SCANNING THROUGH THE message once more, his mocha-tinted irises reflecting the invitation of a lifetime. Koda couldn’t help but mumble to himself his disbelief.

"We’re in! We’re gonna take the top of the list this year!"

Taking a moment to process his tsunami of thoughts, his instincts took over as he pulled up his text app to tell the rest of his team. However, Koda became distracted as he caught himself staring at the back wall, focused on the banner of his battle team: Rebel Squad. His teammates had similar posters at their homes, each modified to their own personal taste. Red accents brought the focus on a futuristic warrior wearing a pair of shades, contrasting the grey background and otherwise monotone avatar features. Every battle team had at least a default-design version, yet Koda cherished his as a souvenir to his friends, with their avatars lined up stoically in the background.

Instead of finishing his attempt to send the news to the group chat, his mom’s voice reminded him to get out the door.

I’ll text them at the bus stop.

After compressing his normal morning routine, the slightly burnt tortillas wafted into Koda's nose to inform him breakfast was waiting. He unconsciously dragged his steps to delay his arrival, tempering the earlier rush of the contest with his upcoming morning critiques by his mother.

Finish with good grades, get into college... His mom took no days off in playing the greatest hits for the plan to get him out of the North. The mental horse blinders he wore became routine with the previous month’s rantings beating him into submission. However, something about the day inspired a spark of spirit as he tested the waters.

So mom, I've been thinking... Koda said.

Oh, really? Hopefully about when you’ll finish applying for scholarships! His mom quipped.

Well... honestly, I don't see how me going to college is gonna help us.

Koda held his breath, bracing for impact.

Is that so? Why d'you think that, mijo? Koda's mom kept a neutral tone, playing coy as she held a soft grin.

I mean, there are plenty of people who don't go to college and still make it. Maybe if I just work for now and go to college later, then I can help with bills and build my projects on the side.

Her grin soured, replaced with a squint of disappointment.

Koda. There’s no way my son is cutting his future short by wasting an opportunity. I don't need help with bills. I need you to create something bigger for your future.

Mama, no se preocupe, I will eventually. But what's so great about college? Everything is online.

Because, chico, some things can’t be taught by a playlist. In college, I gained a mentor who changed my view of the world and helped me appreciate the value of helping others. You won't find that in the factories or out on the streets. I want you to hold the key to your future and open the door.

Koda meanwhile replayed his habit of zoning the lecture while he ate the last tortilla from his plate.  As he swallowed it, he decided to appease his mom before leaving the table.

Okay, mom. I'll keep applying. But I'm still waiting for a response from the engineering program.

No te preocupes, mijo. You are your father's son. You'll get in, no problem.

Maybe... I don't know if they can handle another Rebelo coming there. You were the one that told me dad nearly set the engineering lab on fire!

She exploded into laughter, remembering the story how her husband told it.

Yes, he did! But he would tell you, '... it wasn't that big a fire!'

She tamed her laugh into a sigh as she reminisced about the Lakota man leaned over a table with a sprawl of textbooks around him, grinning in bravado as he explained his incident. The small moments she held onto carried her through the constant reminders of his absence. She decided not to remind Koda of the painful anniversary of the previous Tuesday, which marked eight years since the accident. Years of persistent calls passed, yet none of the agencies investigating the flight could find the black box.

I love you, Koda. Now, go learn something interesting today! his mom said. Koda reluctantly walked to the door after he kissed his mom goodbye, then stepped outside.

Salt-stained roads pressed against jagged sidewalks greeted him as he reached the bottom landing. Cloudless skies met the prairie horizon, where the emerging sun splashed rose-tinted rays of light across the neighborhood. Koda grinned his optimism toward the cascading Flatirons, flush with the orange rim of sunshine.

He gazed around with an unfocused mood, overloaded by the view of bright vinyl paneling, rotting metal trailer sides, and graffitied walls. The neighbor on the opposite corner tried to scrape the spray-painted 'North Lands' tag off their metal garage. The structures overwhelmed the over-populated plots of land meant for only one home at the turn of the century. 

Around the corner, Koda heard a morning drunk knock-over the trash can as the man drifted into the neighbor's cubic plot. Koda ignored the sudden interruption as he made his way west.

Still one of the lucky ones, Koda, he thought to himself.

Luxury in North Boulder meant avoiding the necessity of sharing a living area with another family and converting homes into make-shift hostels. Privileged life also included having an individual bedroom with four walls to sleep inside. Yet, most nights, Koda still couldn't filter-out the rumblings of the constant frustrations by humans living in cells of paper-thin walls.

After months of violent protests at the edge of the Divided Road, the city council created the compromise of North Boulder in hopes of keeping the rising Boulderite voices down. Fifteen years later, that was where Koda's feet stood; on the compromise that well-bribed politicians used as a permanent solution to hide their shame in selling out the original Boulderites.

Echoing along the cracked sidewalk, Koda heard a heavy set of footsteps gather speed. Before he could turn to dodge him, the intruder wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled Koda in for a headlock.

For the final takedown, here comes The Jackhammer! Dimitri shouted over Koda's shoulder. Koda laughed as he feigned an attempt to flip Dimitri over his back. All he could see was the sleeve of Dimitri's letterman jacket with his jersey number.

You got some nerve sneaking up on me like that! Next time I'mma reverse it to a full Nelson! Koda said.

Dimitri typically followed-up the banter with his own snarky remarks, countered by Koda with some joke about Dimitri's California upbringing. But, for today, Dimitri decided not to indulge this path, choosing to let go and point out Koda's ruffled feathers of a hairstyle before talking about the news on both their minds.

I can’t believe we got in! said Dimitri.

Same! Wonder why Brett’s team isn’t competing, asked Koda.

Well, I texted him the same question, and he said Sam quit after their fight yesterday!

Oh man! Hopefully they’re alright. They’ve been friends since middle school.

Me too. But, I’ll take the opportunities wherever I can get them! We have to tell the girls. And looks like there aren’t location sign-in restrictions, so we can compete at Cloud Nine! Wanna practice tonight?

Let's do it! Meet me at the front after class. I'll tell Nadiya in Calculus.

Your favorite class, now that she transferred to your period, Dimitri smirked.

Shut it! Koda retorted.

Koda shied away to the side, avoiding Dimitri's gaze to deny him the satisfaction of seeing his reaction. Before Dimitri could catch him daydreaming too long about her, Koda shoved him with a sarcastic grin and hopped onto the bus as it pulled up.

KODA FISHED HIS POCKET for his wireless headphones, eventually gripping the round white hubs. He turned them on, scrolling toward the Discovery album from his phone. Once he found the familiar artwork, his finger skipped a few songs over to the Voyager track, then let the music carry him adrift. Koda studied the frosted mountains while he ignored the dull chatter, thoughts drifting to the virtual universe.

A digital frontier with an endless horizon, The Axys manifested from the vision by a group of game designers for the ultimate gaming experience. From its origins as a start-up in the corner of a basement, it flourished into a universe where anyone could be anything they could imagine, and interact with others in a limitless array of possibilities. The virtual universe creators were legends to Koda's generation: Giovanni Gio DePaolo, Khepri Mesbah, and Fredrico Freddy Mesablanco. With shared roots in North Boulder, the trio grew up as ambitious teens in the 20s with a mutual appreciation for the classic games they played together. Their passion became a borderline obsession, dropping out of college and finding the conviction to establish their own gaming company, Daydreamer Entertainment.

Despite the unprecedented success, the fellowship didn’t last. Koda remembered the day Khepri mysteriously abandoned the company, breaking apart the Three Kings. After he left, Giovanni followed suit, leaving Freddy to hold on to the keys to the empire. Talking heads speculated that the three friends butted egos to the point of an impasse on the company's future. Others concluded that Khepri's vision for the digital universe faded away as the years passed, pushing him to return to his roots as a game designer.

The company carried on, continuing to thrive in Freddy's hands. What Koda commended most was Freddy's persistence in keeping the Axys free to enter. Freddy was famous for reiterating his decision in every interview.

As a child who grew up with very little, I still appreciate the few things in life that are free.

Koda wandered a while longer on the history tour until Dimitri shook him out of his daydream.

Dude, c'mon! The bus driver is waiting for us.

Koda snapped up, realizing they arrived at the front of the school. The stone and glass establishment stood alone near the meadowed hills of South Boulder. Koda was keenly aware of the abundant private schools around Boulder, where parents paid the ludicrous fees to keep their offspring from the ‘undesirables’ from the north. Despite the snooty clans that dominated West and South Boulder, most parents still competed in the lottery to get their kids into Iron Flats High School on the reputation for producing engineers and scientists of extraordinary success. Included in that alumni group, the Three Kings planned their ideas in the same classrooms through instant message while they ignored lectures.

Koda walked up the extra-wide steps with Dimitri toward the main doors, catching a glimpse of a ravenously beautiful girl with faded jeans and a buttoned green flannel, who remained busy texting on her bare black phone. She held her long black hair up in a messy ponytail, complimenting her conservative eyeliner and gold eyeshadow accenting her hazel eyes.

Dimitri prodded Koda in the arm for his attention, then walked straight up with a confident bravado. Before he could eke out a single word, she held her hand up and put one finger on top of his nose.

... I already saw we made it, and yes, we can practice today. You two are way too predictable. You really should practice being more subtle, Ailana effortlessly replied.

Is it that easy to read me? Dimitri asked.

Yep, and not gonna lie, it's... interesting... that we qualified. Brett must throw a good punch. But you guys already know my thoughts about SIL hosting it.

Ailana trailed off, staring at the space behind Dimitri's and Koda's heads. They decided not to rehash their previous disagreement about SIL as they carried on and made their way inside. They strolled together as they spent the rest of the passing period speculating on the tournament premise. At the first junction in the hall, Koda reached out and bumped fists with Dimitri before heading into the first door on his left.

Koda regretted picking the morning calculus class at the beginning of the semester, but one person at least made it bearable. Koda sat down and drift back into his previous daydream about Nadiya. He lingered on what made her so enchanting.

It has to be her smiling eyes, Koda thought. Or perhaps her long black hair complimenting her caramel skin? Her contagious smile? To him, it was the entire combination, added with the fact they were best friends on the same Axys team.

The board meetings began once they sat next to each other and discussed an assortment of random topics before the bell rang. Walking up to his desk, her smiling eyes matched her wide grin as she held her phone to his nose with the competition message pulled up.

Can you believe it? I'm so excited! Nadiya beamed.

I know, right? Rebel Squad is ready to roll! Ailana said she's down to practice on Pearl after school, how 'bout you? Koda asked.

I'm in! I'll ride the bus with you guys when class gets out, Nadiya said.

Before Koda could continue the conversation, the bell rang as their teacher greeted the class. Koda could barely focus on function limits that day: he had a tournament to practice for. All Koda could do in the meantime was daydream in his sticker-littered desk.

Chapter 2

The 3:30 bell echoed through the halls as hordes of students poured outside. Koda, Dimitri, Ailana, and Nadiya strolled together toward the bus, keeping their eyes glued on the videos of their favorite online personalities on Koda's phone. In their mind, it couldn't get any better: qualifying for the top tournament of the year, class ending for the day, and a virtual playground just a few minutes away.

The bus began its route through the Silicon Valley of the Midwest. Or at least the overplayed motto was how the city council marketed the downtown area. Mesmerizing glass facades bathed the street in a myriad of colors, evenly glazed on sleek steel and wood buildings. Pastel holographic billboards proudly advertised the latest smart products on the scene.

As they approached their destination, Koda stared out at the latest trendy restaurants and streams of wandering pedestrians filled his vision. The bus eased onto the East End of Pearl Street moments later, crawling to a stop on the red brick road that remained worn down by years of salt stains.

Clustered up and down the closed-off road stood a plethora of oddity shops, trendy boutiques, and chic cafés. Grungy hole-in-the-wall bars partitioned the aging buildings, compacted even further by micro grub shacks. The city designated the building facades of the crumbling Pearl Street Mall as historical landmarks, leaving a permanent snapshot of the early 2000s. Meanwhile, owners splashed their flair to match the year’s trends by projecting vivid graphics on partial segments of the wall. In the same breath, city council took in hordes of money from tech companies to install the additional smart devices around the street. Nobody had to look far for a charging pad, a workstation, or a simulation pod. Axys rigs littered the patios and interiors of stores, where owners revived the aging rig locations with the latest available gear.

Despite the abundant access points, Koda defaulted to his favorite spot to enter the virtual universe. The gang screeched to a halt when they reached the corner ice cream parlor, finding what they were looking for. The stairs from street level pointed to the lower levels of the mall, making a path toward a run-down pawnshop with a metal grating shuttering the shop. A few feet over, Koda looked left of the worn-down covering, finding the familiar loose brick piece on the landing. Koda tapped the brick with his foot, watching the masoned wall jerk as it slid to reveal a hidden passage.

A black tunnel contrasted the dots of LEDs scattered along the ground and ceiling, creating a portal into the night sky. He strolled across as the others followed. The lights flickered in a shower of fading stars, where a black door with a runny spray-painted neon-grey cloud greeted them at the end. As Koda held the handle, he pressed the door inward, adjusting his eyes to the stimulating lights.

Todd illustriously described his arcade to Koda as a gaming haven for anyone who desires an escape from reality, if only for a minute or an entire day. Koda’s eyes ritualized their habit of gawking at the vivid street art splashed across the walls. His eyes followed the cascading cityscape spray-painted on a rolling canvas, progressing from right to left like a retro side-scrolling game.

Koda glanced past Nadiya, where freshly placed walls stood near the edge of the room. At the door, a runny graffiti image of an isometric wireframe cube rested above a small wooden sign.

NEW RIG SYSTEM

COMING SOON

Dimitri flashed a devilish grin, checking behind his shoulder before going to peek inside. Once the doorknob was within Dimitri's grasp, a loud voice barked down the hallway.

LiveWire, don't you dare try snooping around in there! Todd boomed.

He roared with laughter as Dimitri released his grip. Dimitri greeted him with a childish grin.

Just making sure you didn't need any help with tests. Just so you know, I'm always available, Dimitri replied.

I know, I know, always ready to try the latest gadgets. Anyway, what brings you all here so early on a weekday?

We qualified for the SIL tournament! We need to practice, Koda replied.

Ah, some skill-honing. Well, feel free to use any rig out here. And let me repeat, not that room, LiveWire! Todd warned.

So, any chance it might be ready this week?

Koda peered at the closed door, wondering what mysteries he had hidden behind the wooden barrier.

Sorry, Zer0Day. Unfortunately, it won’t. This baby is my personal project I still need to polish, Todd replied, sensing Koda's brimming lid of questions.

Ailana turned to Todd with an awkward stare, ready to ask her nagging question.

Why do you always call us by our avatar names every time we come here?

That's your identity inside The Axys, right? If you're going to access it here, I will acknowledge you by your avatar name. 'Be who you want to be,' that’s the Axys motto... or so I was once told, said Todd.

Ailana decided to not press the topic further, considering his generosity of free rig rentals every time they came. Plus, something in Todd’s words rang true for her. She didn't have to expose who she was out in reality while simultaneously expressing her true self inside. When she hooks in and becomes D-rezd, she becomes the sly tactician, searching for enemy vulnerabilities and expecting the next move. A cyberpunk flair, infused with her Hawaiian heritage in her accenting gear, reflected her inner mirror. Inside the digital universe, she never had to hide from the judgmental society surrounding her. She found her escape from the world outside the virtual utopia.

After he settled on a decent rig from the rack, Koda walked up to the first available free-direction treadmill he could spot. He bent down to attach the worn-down boots, then placed his hands inside the musky gloves. Before he secured his visor, Dimitri shouted a smartass remark to set the mood. 

You already lost, Koda! Just checked my lucky eight ball app!

Bold prediction, coming from a virtual plastic toy!

How 'bout this: If you beat me this round, I'll buy us slushies for the entire week!

Better save your lunch money then! You know I get the 44-ounce cup every time.

Koda finished pulling the scratched visor over his head, staring into the deafening darkness. A few seconds passed as he waited for the rig to audibly sync with his treadmill. Lasers blasted through his screen, scanning his eyes as the rays dissolved from a bright red stream into a soft green hue. The initiation sequence made him sick the first handful of times; but over time, the boot-up became more like a routine eye exam, where a virtual world crystallized into focus. 

The transition still took Koda's breath away. His vision rushed through the tunnel before jettisoning out into the sunlight; it was nothing short of magic to him. The blue sky hit him in a blinding burst before settling into a comfortable light level. He eventually adjusted to the serene glide over the Flatiron cliffs, watching the city float by as his avatar materialized.

Koda's ears tuned in as the visor headphones calibrated to a natural