I walked further into the main room, my footsteps echoing softly. This place feels like a tomb. Every step disturbed the dust on the floor, leaving footprints that seemed out of place. Like I was intruding.

  I could not contain myself and started to hum softly. I needed to fill the silence.

  The harsh light coming from the planet hanging in the air was casting deep shadows, adding to the oppressing feeling. You’re just stressed. Don’t listen to your paranoia, it’s not a horror movie. Keep going, explore.

  Despite trying to reassure myself, my eyes were constantly scanning the room.

  I reached the first sofa. Noticing the holographic projector embedded on the low table near it, I touched it. But nothing happened. The control screen stayed dark. Lifeless. As I turned around, my vision blurred, the edges becoming hazy and I felt an electric current running through my body

  — o 0 o —

  I was seated on that very same sofa. But it was clean, its colors vibrant. It was very comfortable.

  The table in front of me held a wide variety of food on plates and bowls. Bottles, some empty, some half full on the floor.

  In my hand was a tall, slender glass filled with a very peculiar beverage. It looked like the content of a plasma lamp. A light rose liquid with deep blue bubbles slowly floating, going up and down in the glass.

  The taste lingered on my tongue. Sweet, with a hint of herbs I could not recognize and a sharp tang, cutting through the sweetness, adding a pleasant jolt.

  I wasn’t alone. The whole room was occupied. Multiple conversations around me created a familiar hum. Around me, my closest circle of friends. Across from me sat a tall, austere-looking man, with a shaved head except for a central strip, like a very short mohawk. On the sides of his head, what looked like elaborate headsets. They were actually implants. Jeremy. He wore austere robes, looking like a priest but was currently smiling, telling a story that had everyone around captivated.

  On the seat on my left, a woman, with short, multi-coloured hair cut in an elegant fashion. She wore an elegant, high-collared uniform. Her fingers, with manicured nails, were slowly tapping her glass. She was smiling, enraptured by the tale. Claire, the hen mother of our little group.

  On my right, a man, confident bearing. His dark hair styled in an elaborate and ostentatious fashion, defying gravity. He had small crystal glasses on his nose and wore heavy makeup. With clothes to match. His tank top seemed to be made of iridescent spiderwebs and he had what could only be described as a tutu with led lights. He was drinking from a bottle of something that looked like blue wine, eyes closed. Alessandro, always the peacock.

  Standing behind me, a man in a dark form-fitting tunic, with dark glasses, was laughing. Lucas, my chosen brother.

  We were having a good time. Laughing freely. There was warmth.

  Jeremy was reaching the climax of his tale: “and that’s when the gravitational compensators finally gave out. Alarms blaring, emergency lights flashing and there’s the ambassador, floating up to the ceiling with his ceremonial robes billowing around like he’s a space jellyfish. His aides were trying to grab his ankles, trying to keep some form of diplomatic decorum.”

  Laughter all around. Genuine laugh.

  “To narrow escapes and never giving up on fun!” someone said, raising their glass.

  We all raised our glasses, nodding approvingly.

  “And good friends to share them with”, I heard myself respond.

  — o 0 o —

  The vision faded away. I was sitting on the sofa, in a cloud of dust. I coughed, grimaced.

  I looked around, a knot of sadness in my stomach. I’m here, in our dream place, and you’re not here. Why am I the only one here?

  My throat burned from inhaling the dust. I got up and made my way to the kitchen section. My steps were hurried. I felt the weakness in my limbs, but I wanted to hurry. I squeezed my eyes against the tears starting to form. Each furniture, each element of decor was a memory starting to form.

  Claire, spitting food and sending me an angry glare while I was laughing. Jeremy, sitting on the floor, bottle in hand, crying like a baby. Mahgret, next to the auto cooker, taking a ta-da pose.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  It was overwhelming. I fumbled to the nearest sink. I touched the faucet, and a clear stream of water flowed. I cupped water in my hands and splashed my face, gasping at the cold. It sent a jolt through my body.

  I leaned over the countertop and forced my breath to become steady. I found a glass in one of the cupboards and filled it. Drinking the cold water was steadying. I looked around. I could still feel a tug of memories at every detail, but it was no longer an assault.

  I could see Lucas, against the kitchen counter, eating some sort of hot dog and telling me “This synthmeat tastes exactly like hot dogs. I tell you, man, artificial meat already exists, they’re lying to us.”. I laughed bitterly. The introduction of taste in the virtual reality experience had been a revolution. I felt my eyes watering. I wish you were here, guys. I could really do with some company. I’m scared here.

  I couldn't stay here drowning in memories. I stood up abruptly. Swaying a little, reminding me of the weakness of my body. I quickly made my way toward the habs section. If anyone was still living here, that was the place to look for clues. And my room should be there too.

  In the game, the hab section was organised as a set of private suites on two levels, arranged around a central area, with potted plants and a huge aquarium. It used to be a place for calm and serenity. Comfortable armchairs allowed to sit in the green and were strategically placed to contemplate the aquarium.

  Now, though, the dim lights, grime covered everything, creating a depressing sense of abandonment. I sighed, looking at the empty aquarium. I had good memories of gazing at the fish. Some were rare, very colorful species.

  I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and made my way to the door of my personal quarters. I was not sure if I was hoping to find it empty or to find it filled with my stuff.

  Do I want to have been transported to my game world ? Or do I want this to be a completely different place ? Or am I having a mental breakdown ? Oh god, I’m so confused right now.

  Inside, it looked exactly like in my memories. A small hall leading to three main sections. A lounge, an office and a bedroom.

  I went to the bedroom first. The main focus of the room was the antigrav bed. It took half the space of the room. I lowered myself onto it. My body rested a few centimeters above the bed. I was supported by the anti gravity field. Comfortable, smooth, perfectly adapting to my body shape.

  With a sigh, I lowered my back and lay there, comfortable. My body wanted to sleep, but my mind was in such turmoil, I knew I would not sleep, so I stayed there for a few minutes, admiring the room. The huge TV screen on the wall was black and lifeless. On the bedside table, I noticed some sort of small bracer. My holobracer. Heart racing, I reached for it and brought it to my eyes. Holobracers were a game gimmick. They allowed players to access game menus, served as communicators, scanners, and beacons. They had many names and models. Some were as small as a wristwatch, others were full bracers taking on the whole forearm. Depending on the model, they could be called holocuffs, smartbands, smartwrists, holobracers. This one was a StrayLight Fieldband R5-custom. It was an intermediate size model, taking up a third of my forearm. It was a custom model designed specifically for me. Expensive. Finding it here was both expected and strange. Would a real world have such an item that was clearly a shortcut to make the life of players easy? I put it on my wrist, then fiddled with the controls. Nothing happened. Clearly the battery was dead. I debated putting it back on the desk, but decided to keep it on. It was oddly comforting.

  Wait, if my holobracer is here, what about my gear?

  Giddy with excitement, I jumped back to my feet and rushed to the closet embedded in the wall. It slid open without a sound, revealing a staggering amount of clothing options. Yeah, ok, I might have collected all possible clothes from the game and stashed them all here. But hey, I had the means and it brought variety.

  My eyes went first to the heavy-duty flight suits. They all had a very practical design. I sifted through them, taking some out, trying to see how I would look in them. But I gave up and looked for other options. Useful, but did not feel like me, so I kept looking through the closet.

  I finally settled on an elaborate jacket with ornate patterns along the lapels, complemented by fitted pants and small boots. The material was iridescent and remarkably light, while looking quite sturdy. They clearly made a set. It was my favorite clothing set in the game and I put it on. It fit perfectly. It was comfortable, light and absolutely did not impair my movements. Perfect.

  In a nearby drawer, I found a sturdy belt with golden inlays and a holster. The holster was square and looked futuristic, with connectors on the side and small LED lights, although its battery was dead, so I could not get the lights working.

  I found a mirror and admired my reflection. My body was not the body of my avatar in the game, and I looked sickly and gaunt, but the clothing made me look stylish.

  Not bad, Nico. Some food, some exercise, and you will look the part for a charming rogue character.

  I’ve got the holster. I now need to find the gun. With trepidation, I started searching for my gun, the starburst, but could not find it in the bedroom.

  Everything matched the game, so I was sure my beloved weapon of choice would be there too. I left the bedroom for the study and there it was, displayed on a rack on the wall, along with a few other weapons. All were expensive, rare, and powerful weapons, but I only had eyes for the Starburst.

  My trembling fingers closed on the handle, and I held it before my eyes. No energy cell. I needed it to work. Alone in this station, I needed to be able to defend myself.

  I started searching. Well, no, I started looting. I opened the drawers, took them out, searched them and discarded them on the floor until I found one with a neat stack of energy cells, the perfect size for the gun.

  Relaxing, I slid one in and was rewarded with the small hum of the weapon going online. The sound was familiar. What was not, was its slight vibration and a warmth spreading from the handle. Well, that’s new.

  I squared my shoulders and turned to the door. I’m armed. I can take on anything this station can throw at me now.