The construction of the large facility had drawn a lot of rumors within the small town. Usually, there were promotions to coming businesses to the area but no one seemed to have any clue of what this building would be. The economy could use the boost here though and many people had hopes of new jobs for the area. As the weeks went by not a single advertisement was made in the search for new employees. The people of the town began to wonder just what was being built here. The last piece to be erected was a glowing blue sign that simply read, “Game Vision.”
Jason’s eyes scanned the flier he had found under his windshield wiper. It matched many that had been posted all across town. “Game Vision – A Full Immersion Experience,” was printed in bold letters across the top. It was offering positions as video game testers for a new type of virtual reality gaming. He had always wanted to be a real video game tester, not just reviewing the ones he had played over YouTube. This was his chance to get in on the ground floor of something big, so he decided that with his spring break from college he would apply for a position.
He stood just outside the doors, staring up at the marvel of block and glass. It was so much different than any other building in town. The first floor was nothing but glass, you could see people passing from the large lobby through to small offices on each side. Each with their own desk, red plush chair, and top of the line computer. People sat communicating in headsets and, from what he could tell from the sidewalk, playing games. This definitely looked like the kind of place he wanted to work. He just wondered why he had never heard of Game Vision before.
Once he passed into the lobby, people shifted about around him. At least a hundred people clutched fliers just like the one he held. If these were all the applicants, he worried if he even had a chance at a position. He approached a large half-moon shaped desk that two women sat at. People in front of him were signing in, receiving identification badges, and being directed to take a seat. When it was his turn, he placed the flier on the desk. One of the women gave him a smile and passed a clipboard over to him, instructing him to sign in. He scribbled his name and date eagerly.
When he returned the clipboard, his information was entered into the computer. Within seconds a temporary badge was printed and handed to him. He was instructed to take a seat with the rest of the applicants and await being called to the back. The entire lobby was alive with people and they scattered around on the various forms of seating within the room. Jason took a seat on the corner of a large orange couch with purple and blue pillows, his thumbs twirling around each other nervously.
A tall, slender man entered the lobby with a clipboard in hand. He called several names but not Jason’s. After a few moments he pulled his phone from his pocket and began scrolling through his social media notifications to try and combat is boredom. An hour went by before the door opened again, almost all of the people who had entered returned with a look of disappointment. He tried to ask a few of them how the interview went but he only received looks of contempt in return.
The man returned, reciting another list of names and Jason’s happened to be at the end of it. He quickly stood, shoving his phone into his pocket before falling in line behind the others. They were led through a large corridor, past the glass offices he had witnessed from outside. He couldn’t help but stare as they moved by each one. The people seemed happy as they worked on their projects. This was the life he wanted, to make a living doing something he actually enjoyed in a place that didn’t have him in a tiny cubicle for eight hours.
The group was ushered into an elevator, their shoulders brushing against each other as the man reached to press a button. To Jason’s surprise, it wasn’t for any of the floors that towered above them. The man’s finger rested on the “B” and it lit up blue. With a jolt the elevator began to descend, a nervousness seemed to fill the tiny space.
A young Asian girl quizzed, “Why the basement?”
“Our new project will require a lot more space than your average game testing facility and our basement was designed specifically for it,” the man replied.
Jason’s mind wandered, trying to imagine what would require the use of such a large space. If the basement was even half the size of the top floors then it would be like putting two football fields side-by-side. His imagination ran wild with ideas of machinery and mechanism but the sudden stop brought him back to reality. The elevator emitted a ding before the doors parted to reveal a white room, lined with small desks on each side, one for each of them. They were instructed to take a seat and complete the forms upon the screen.
Jason took a seat near the back of the room at a desked labeled with the number 12, there was a door that led out but it read, “Authorized Personnel Only.” He turned in the little red chair, his fingers coming to rest on the black keys before him. The questions began with basic things, like his name and age. The longer he went the questions became more personal, like if he currently had a relationship and if not how long ago was his last relationship. He answered it, but he could not figure out why a game developer would need to know he had been single for the last year.
Then the medical and family history questions came. He spent a good twenty minutes just trying to remember if any of his great-grandparents had suffered any mental disorders. It became daunting and after thirty minutes he stopped to rub his eyes for a moment before completing the form. Once he allowed the mouse to click “Submit”, a prompt appeared on the screen that thanked him for his application. Several of the people within the room had finished and were sitting quietly for instruction. When every application had been submitted, the man received a message on his phone. He scanned over the text before looking to the group.
“Applicant 9 and 12, please remain seated. The rest of you come with me,” he said. The room became alive with groans at the thought of not being chosen. Jason however, grinned ear-to-ear. He had never been one to gloat but this genuinely made him feel superior. The other person to be selected was the small Asian girl who had spoken in the elevator. Jason nodded at her and she returned with an upturned thumb. She seemed happy to have made it through as well. They sat this way for a few moments before the door behind Jason opened. A small blonde woman with a lab coat entered, her thick black glasses hiding her eyes as she made notes on a tablet.
“I’m Dr. Keirtch, if the two of you would come with me we can proceed to the next part of your application process. Names please?” she said while turning back out the door.
Jason and the girl stood quickly, their smiles fading at the thought that the selection process was not over. They hurried to catch up, Jason looking over to the girl beside him with confusion forming on his face. She simply shrugged in return, not sure what was going on either.
“I’m Jason Alvarez,” he said quickly and noticed the doctor tap her tablet a couple of times.
“Stacy Nugyen,” the girl responded just after, more taps being applied to the tablet.
They passed through another long hallway with doors much like the one they had entered. They could not see inside but when they stopped at one of them Jason was directed into it, while the girl was directed to the one across the hall.
As Jason entered he immediately took notice of how white everything seemed to be. The floor, the walls, the small desk in the corner were all white. The only contrast was the gray of the metal frame of what appeared to be a medical bed. The doctor stood in the doorway for a moment before entering.
“This is where the testing will take place, but first we have to make sure you are a good candidate. We have a few preliminary tests we must perform, one of which will be a physical. So, if you would please remove your clothing and any personal items, place them in the bag on the desk and put on the gown that is in the closet,” she said while pointing at both the desk and the closet.
Jason followed as she pointed around the room, but not sure why he needed a physical to play a video game, “You said tests, what other tests?”
“Let’s focus on the physical for now. Please get dressed,” almost in a frustrated tone.
As Dr. Keirtch left him, he stepped over to the closet and pulled out the gown. It was just as white as everything else and something about that made Jason feel uneasy. Maybe it was the completely unnecessary questions, the fact he was far underground, and now being asked to subject his body to a physical that made all of this seem wrong. A voice in the back of his head told him to leave, but the thought was silenced by the distinct sound of metal against metal.
The gown dropped to the floor as Jason rushed for the handle. He struggled with it but he had been sealed in. His fists pounded on the door and he screamed to be let out. Between his cries for help, he could hear Stacy struggling across the hall. Then suddenly she stopped struggling, Jason pressed his ear to the door but he could not hear anything on the other side. He did, however, hear a very subtle hissing sound within his room.
The air seemed thicker than it was when he first entered. His eyes searched the room and a mist of some unknown gas slowly filtered in from a vent above him. He choked on the fumes while trying to cover his mouth with his shirt. His vision began to blur and his head seemed to swim. The room started to spin and his knees gave way under him. He fought to stay conscious, but it was no use. His eyes fluttered for a few moments before plunging him into darkness.
A pain surged from the base of his neck and up the back of his skull. It was so intense it forced his eyes open. He found himself lying upon a hard black surface within an abyss. It was simply black, no objects, no light only himself. He stood slowly amidst the nothingness, searching the horizon for any sign of his location. Then a voice rang out all around him, “Welcome,” and the volume of it made him cup his hands over his ears. When he did, his fingers landed on something hard. He trailed it around his head and it appeared to be some sort of band. When he reached the back of his head he noticed that it seemed to be connected to a small hole in the back of his skull.
The darkness was pushed back by a large square image that appeared just before him. It looked like the room he had been in previously, only with no furniture. Above the image words appeared that read, “Tutorial,” and it all began to make sense. He was already in the game, but what had they done to him? His fingers kept touching at the hole at the back of his head and the thought of being forced in here just made him angry.
He spun around, into the darkness behind him, “Let me out of here!”
There was no response, only the glow of the tutorial screen behind him. He turned back to it, reaching out his hand to touch it. The closer he came, the warmer it felt, like being bathed by the rays of the sun on a summer day. Then when his fingers came in contact with the image a surge of electricity seemed to erupt from the back of his head and vibrated all the way through him. Once the sensation ended, the darkness was replaced by the empty room.
He touched at his clothing and rubbed his palms together. Then he traced the walls all the way to the doorknob. If this was a game it felt completely real. He honestly could not tell the difference between this world and the one that he came from. He reached for the knob and turned it slowly, it opened with ease and led him into a small room with more doors just like the one he had exited.
Once the door closed behind him it changed from white to a bright red. He attempted to open it again, but a voice echoed in his mind, “Once you have exited a door you may not re-enter.” His hands pressed against the door for a moment, wondering what the point of all this was. He turned and looked around the room. The doors were stacked side-by-side and each one had a number at eye level. He looked back to the door behind him and saw a zero printed in black.
“If you’re not going to let me out, at least tell me what to do here,” Jason barked.
“Welcome, in this tutorial you will be given a series of challenges to help you acclimate yourself to the full immersion experience that awaits you within the game. It will help you learn to use your digital self to solve minor or complex tasks depending on your situation. Your first test is to find your exit. Each door leads back to this room, except one. You must find that door,” the robotic voice replied.
“That doesn’t seem too bad, but what if I don’t want to play your little game anymore?” he said with a smirk.
“The only way to exit the game is to complete the game,” it responded.
“Yeah right, we will see about that,” he reached up for the band that wrapped around his head. He pulled at the clasp on the sides but it would not release. His fingers tugged at the small cord that connected the band to his skull but it would not move either. He frantically tried to lift it off his head but it was no use. He began to panic, his chest rising and falling sporadically. Within moments he felt himself become light-headed again and his vision became a haze. The last thing he remembered was the voice repeating those words, “The only way to exit the game is to complete the game.”
He woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and feeling as though he had just had the worst dream. When he finally focused on the room around him he realized his nightmare was real. He slowly came to sit in the middle of the floor, wishing he had gone to visit his parents for the break instead of coming here. He felt a tear roll down his cheek at the thought. Would he ever see them again? His head still throbbed from whatever procedure they had put him through and now he had this puzzle to solve in order to get out.
He stood and examined the doors closer, his hand wiping away the remnants of his fear. Each door did have a number but it was in no discernable order. Numbers like 100, sat next to 22 and so forth. He read them all one at a time aloud, “100, 22, 85, 44, 13, 91, 30, 4, 35, 68, 90, 32, 70, 9, 72.” It made no sense to Jason and the longer he stared at them the more upset he got. He knew that if he screamed to be set free he would simply get the prompt telling him to complete the game but what kind of sick game was this anyway?
He finally decided to just start trying doors, it wasn’t that many anyway and he could knock it out quickly. He stepped to the door marked, “100,” pulled it open and found himself stepping back through the original door he had entered from. He almost saw his own hand closing the one across from him before it shut and turned red.
“That’s impossible,” he spoke to the empty space.
Then he tried “85”, but this time he exited the door marked “4.” He turned around and attempted the door he had just left but it sent him through “22.” After a few moments of hectically scrambling from door-to-door, he stopped among the rectangles of red, pondering what the wrong doors might have in common. Then his eyes rested on the door marked “13,” he stepped toward it and turned the knob.
“The rest of them aren’t prime numbers,” he whispered to himself.
There was no light beyond it, unlike the rest of the doors. His body shook as he stepped inside, unsure of what waited for him within. Once the door shut the room around him illuminated, his eyes slowly adjusted to the change and he found himself in another small room. This time, a series of shapes scattered across each wall, each one of varying color and size. The wall across from him had a door frame, but no door and Jason could only assume he had to construct one from the pieces. His hands quickly took to the task, placing items within the frame and removing them as necessary.
After what seemed like hours he had finally constructed a Picasso-inspired door. The only problem was, there was no doorknob. He pressed his hand against the door but it did not budge. His eyes scanned the tiny space around him but found no missing piece. He scratched at his head, wondering how he could have missed something.
“Great, the game is broken and I’m stuck in here,” he said while tossing his hands in the air.
He rubbed at his temples, trying to think of what he might possibly be missing. He began to pace back and forth, smacking himself in the head for being stupid enough to get into this mess in the first place. Then he stopped abruptly, his eyes trained on the one thing he had not thought of. The door he made had no knob, but the one he entered did. The thought sent a smile across his face as he stepped back toward his entrance.
The knob fell from the door into his hand, then turning to his creation, he placed it upon it. With a twist of the wrist it opened, just as solid as any other door he had ever used. His hands ran across the collage of pieces before passing through the frame and into the next room. Just like before it was dark and his eyes strained to see to begin with. Then, as if a switch had been pressed, he was bathed in light once again. He pulled the door behind him shut and the colors faded to the same red as the ones before it.
Jason was confused, there was no door in this room. There was nothing in this room, just white walls and floor. He walked the perimeter, his palms trailing what appeared to be drywall. He searched every inch of them but found no indication of a way out. Someone was really messing with him now and it was starting to really get under his skin.
His rage echoed despite how small the space was, “How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?”
He threw his head back, hands cupped over his eyes. He just wanted out of here, he wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to college and see his friends. He even wanted to see his parents again and felt sorry he had not come home more. All of this is what ran through his head before he removed his hands from his eyes to see the opening in the ceiling on the other side of the room. The opening that had to be a good ten feet high and offered no light beyond it. He had no way of knowing what was beyond it but it was the only exit from this place.
The smell of smoke filled his nostrils long before he noticed the flames. His eyes looked at the door he had entered and light licked under the bottom. He touched the door for a moment but jerked it back in pain. It hurt, really hurt. He looked over his palm and the skin even reddened just as if this all was real, but it could not be that real, could it? His mind attempted to comprehend what that might mean but the heat emanating from the door only grew more intense. If he did not get out of that room he was going to be burned alive.
His body lept again and again toward the hole in the ceiling, his fingers stretched tight in an attempt to grab hold. His six-foot frame and lack of athleticism kept his goal out of reach and after a dozen attempts, he struggled to catch his breath. When the door was almost gone and he could see the fire ignite the drywall, he began to lose hope. Then he noticed there was framing behind the drywall, just as if it had been built by hand. The sight made him laugh, the first time he had been able to since he arrived.
His foot slammed into the wall below the hole in the ceiling, breaking it into large chunks. The dust lifted into the air and coated Jason’s clothing. He kicked at it again and again until the framework beneath was visible. His hands and feet set to work climbing and within moments he was inches from the exit. He stretched out an arm, his fingers touching at the edge. He could touch it but if he did not get a firm grip, he knew he would be falling toward the flames. He did not have much choice and that fact kept replaying in his head right up until he lept from the framework and toward the hole.
He slowly lifted himself from the opening, flames rising just below his feet. Once he was securely on the dark floor the hole closed behind him. His hand touched at the place where it had once been but only the darkness remained. He tried to catch his breath while rising to his feet, his eyes scanning to the room and awaited what would come next. The light did not return this time, but words appeared over him, “Congratulations!”
The voice echoed through the space again, “Now that you have completed the tutorial, we can proceed to the game. Are you ready?”
Jason’s eyes grew wide, “That was just the tutorial?”
Another window appeared before him and it depicted his next destination. It appeared to be an apartment building within a large city. It had several stories and people rushed in and out. Cars passed by and birds flew overhead. It all seemed very real.
Jason looked out into the darkness, “What’s the point of this one?”
“There is a door that leads to the roof of this apartment building. It is the only exit from this level,” the voice echoed.
“That doesn’t sound difficult at all,” but having learned that this place was never that easy he paused, “There has to be more to it than that, what’s the catch?”
“You are one of three people attempting to reach that door, once it is opened and shut it will not open again,” it said in that same monotone voice.
His eyes widen, “What happens if I don’t make it before someone else?”
“That door is the only exit,” it repeated in a more stern tone.
Jason quickly touched the panel, his body appearing at the front steps of the building. He looked to his right and saw a large man with a thick beard and glasses. Then looking to his right he almost choked when he came face-to-face with Stacy. Her eyes seemed bloodshot like she hadn’t slept in days but when she noticed Jason she started running for the door. He and the other man were right behind her, bounding up the steps as fast as they could.
They cleared three floors in a matter of minutes, the man tugging at Jason’s shirt the whole way. When he finally took hold of it, Jason knew he had no choice. He shoved his heel into the man’s knee and with a loud crack his opponent came crashing down his body rolling down several steps before stopping upon the landing. Jason stopped for just a moment, tormented by what he had done. The man was laying unnaturally and was probably dead. He did not have a choice though and started running again.
Within moments he had almost caught up to Stacy, her feet only two steps ahead. When they rounded the last floor they both saw the bright white door awaiting them. The developers had even taunted them with a glowing red sign that read, “EXIT” above it. If Jason could not pass Stacy he would be stuck here forever, so he did the only thing he could. He dove for her feet, grabbing at her ankles.
They both came crashing to the floor but Jason scrambled over her body and toward the exit. She clawed at his face and arms but he ignored her attacks. When he reached the door he could still hear her cursing his name and crying. He paused as he stepped onto the roof and looked back at her one last time. When she realized it was too late, she stopped yelling and started begging. The last thing he heard was, “Please don’t leave me here.”
Again, the words, “Congratulations!” scrolled over him. He did not feel like a winner though, he felt sick. At that moment he was sure his stomach would empty onto that rooftop. He even gagged a few times and tears formed in his eyes. He just kept thinking to himself, “What have I done?” Meanwhile, words started to form above his head and when he turned to see them he read them out loud, "Level 1 Complete, Please proceed to Level 2."
He stood on a roof and there was only the door he exited. He tried the knob but it would not budge then he scanned the rest of the roof but found nothing. Then a dark thought crept into his mind and it caused him to lean over the edge. He could not see the street anymore, only darkness below. The people, cars, and the rest of the city had become nothing. That blackness rose from the ground to the sky and when it encompassed the instructions above him he knew what he would have to do.
“What do you want from me?” he yelled out through his sobs, “What is the point of all this?”
His response came from all around him and it was that of Dr. Keirtch, “We need someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to complete this game. This is to see if that person is you, Jason.”
He turned in all directions, the sound coming from everywhere, “But why?”
“Our employer only uses humans for two things, his personal enjoyment and to do his work,” she said.
“Enjoyment? That’s what this is? That's a pretty sick idea of fun if you ask me!” his voice growing louder and his sorrow becoming anger, “So what about me? What happens to me?”
“That depends,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Oh yeah? On what?” he barked back.
“Whether or not you finish the game,” she replied.
Jason’s bottom lip quivered at the words. That was the whole point, he either struggled and died for some lunatic’s entertainment or succeeded and was deemed worthy to continue this whole cruel experiment. There was no winning this, not really, but he couldn’t stay here and die. That was the last thing he thought before his body dove from the roof and into the abyss.
Meanwhile, Dr. Keirtch took a few notes and checked Jason’s vitals. She quickly exited the room and walked to the other end of the hall. She stepped into a large corner office where a very large dark figure sat behind a desk.
“Subject G12 has completed level one,” she said meekly.
“Good, I will be down to observe the rest. Let’s see if he can beat the game,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips.
“What if he doesn’t though? We haven’t had anyone beat it in a long time now,” her voice seemed to shake.
“Then you will just have to keep bringing them in, or He will make sure you play again,” the threat coming from gritted teeth.
“No, that won’t be necessary,” she said as she quickly left the room, the results of the latest application process coming through to her tablet. She sent a reply back of the three applicants that would be selected.
Dr. Keirtch arrived at a set of double doors, pulled out her tablet and tried to compose herself. She let out a sigh and stepped inside.
“I’m Dr. Keirtch, if the three of you would come with me we can proceed to the next part of your application process. Names please?” she said while turning back out the door.