1

Angie and Damon were the first ones up the following morning. They woke to the minimal light that washed through the tower from the Rukh room. Before Damon equipped his armor, Angie walked up and hugged him, allowing her body to press against his. He gazed down at her dark hair as it lay against his chest. With the size increase he had from being an orc, Angie’s body was dwarfed against him, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“I hope this isn’t selfish to say,” she said, peering up at him, “but thank god we both made it.”

Damon told her she wasn’t being selfish. She laid her head on his chest again. “I’m really sorry about Miguel, Ethan, and Janna… I am… but…” She stopped and looked up at him, not knowing how to finish. Her eyes were watery. “But I love you, Damo… and I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Damon smiled, happy she wasn’t holding back anymore. “And I love you, Angel,” he murmured.

They got dressed and added more wood to the fire. As they held each other, Angie and Damon glanced around the boss rush room. They had shoved the Thorn Spider and Dioskilos corpses up against the western wall, on the far side of the chamber. Standing against the eastern wall, they spoke about their life ahead and the love they shared.

Harper and Zack were up next and wandered over to the fire. She had told no one, but Harper had decided she wouldn’t take the job at Cloud Nine. She planned on just accepting the money and retiring.

Damon glanced at Jordan and Emma. They had snuggled together in the bedding. That’s the one good thing to come out of this trip, he thought. “Come on, you lovebirds,” he called to the sleeping couple. “Rise and shine.”

2

The team didn’t bother eating, preferring to save their appetites for a treat that waited for them on the other side of the world. They collected their belongings quietly, hardly speaking. When they did, it was small talk. Damon thought it was like they were tourists waiting to get picked up at an airport. It seemed different and foreign from their normal routine of banter and jokes.

The orcs rode the boulder up to the second level one last time. The entire team stepped through the portal with Damon leading the way. When they got to the last chamber, Kali’s corpse was lying in front of the throne with the green orb hovering above the seat. The black glitch that had darkened the tower had transferred to the dome roof. The Inmates weren’t surprised. Sections of the ceiling had been eaten away by the black anomaly. More thin shafts of white light beamed down on them from the swirling qubits.

Positioned under the throne, the exit portal beamed through the murky shadows, lighting their faces with an emerald glow.

“It’s been nine days,” Damon muttered, “but it feels like forever.”

“Fucking amen to that, brother,” Zack sighed.

They paused just beneath the throne and looked at each other.

“Harper, this should bring us back to the landing zone, right?” Damon asked.

“Yeah, but with the way things have gone since we arrived here, who knows? It could dump us into the bottom of that lake, for all we know.”

Damon nodded. “Do we all know how to swim?” The Inmates nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.” Damon turned and strode into the shadows under the throne, passing through the green portal to…

3

… a solid floor on the other side. He instantly recognized the landing zone with its cracked video screen and speakers mounted on the wall.

“Thank god for small mercies,” Damon muttered.

As the other Inmates entered the landing zone, he glanced around the room. The dried blood from Zack’s injury during the initial transfer had crystallized on the floor. You’d think they might’ve sent someone in to clean that damn mess up! he fumed.

The blue orb still hovered over the tall pedestal in the center of the room.

“Damo, I hope you didn’t break that thing,” Angie whispered when she saw him peering at the black video screen.

He strode up to the screen and tapped on it. “Hello?” he shouted at the two microphones positioned near the speakers. The screen remained black. “Hello! Is anyone there?”

The speakers and the room stayed silent.

“Hello? We’re back. Is there—”

The screen flickered, and the control room appeared, showing a startled technician. “Yes… yes, I’m here,” the young man sputtered. “Um, how are you?”

Damon extended his arms impatiently, gesturing at the Inmates, who circled him.

“We’re banged up,” Angie answered, “and we’ve lost some members.”

“I… uh, I’m sorry to hear that,” he stammered. “Who have you lost?”

“Miguel, Janna, Ethan, and… Brett, sort of,” Damon answered.

The tech peered down at something off-camera. “So…” he said, reciting from a list, “a mage, an orc, and two nurses.”

Damon glanced at Angie, frustrated.

Zack stepped forward and raised his voice. “Hey, look man, get your shit together. We want to come home!”

The technician looked back at them blankly. “Buh… but… did you find Harris?”

4

Upon learning they hadn’t found Will Harris, the technician told them he would need twenty minutes to contact “the team.” Then he abruptly switched off the video feed. Time seemed to stretch for the Inmates as they leaned against the wall, waiting.

“It would’ve been nice if they’d put a damn clock in this room,” Zack grumbled.

“Yeah, I think we’re way over twenty minutes,” Harper muttered.

“More like an hour,” Angie added.

Damon grunted.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Zack said.

Emma snorted. “You sound like one of those cheesy detective dramas,” she said, amused.

“I’m glad you can find some humor in this, because I’m starting to think that—”

The video screen flashed back on, revealing a packed control room, with Walker at the front.

5

“Welcome back, my good friends!” the operations director announced loudly. “It is so nice to see your faces.”

“Thanks, Walker,” Damon said dismissively. “Can we get to the transfer? We’ve had enough of your game world.”

Paul Walker beamed at them. “Yes, yes, in good time, but first a few details. I understand there have been some deaths?”

“Yes. Miguel died, along with Janna and Ethan.”

Without a trace of sympathy, Walker feigned bewilderment. “But where is Mr. Miller?”

“Brett’s gone rogue,” Damon answered. “He’s the enemy now.”

Walker chortled. “Enemy? Enemy? Surely, you jest,” he replied sarcastically. “Please tell me that you are not leaving a crew member behind? Isn’t that against your code?”

“Don’t talk to me about—”

“Why shouldn’t I, my hot-headed friend?” Walker taunted. “Are you going to have another tantrum?”

Damon could feel his blood boil.

Zack pushed in front of him. “Hey, look man, Brett deserted us!” he shouted. “What would you know about a fucking code, you fuck!?”

Walker grinned indulgently, having elicited the response he wanted.

Meanwhile, Zack raised his scarred left arm. “And by the way, Einstein, thanks for the hand job!”

6

From behind the operations director, Carolyn Lindholm, the DNC chairperson, shouted, “That’s enough, Paul!”

Walker flinched at the sound of her voice like a scolded child. Carolyn and a security guard barged to the front of the room. She gestured to the guard, who grabbed Walker and physically escorted him from the room.

Carolyn glanced back at them apologetically. “I am so sorry for that,” she said calmly. “You see, Mr. Walker and his company are in a lot of trouble for their role in this disaster. As one last favor, I granted him the opportunity to address you.” She sighed. “But, I see now, that was a mistake. I should’ve known better. You won’t be seeing Mr. Walker again.”

Zack glanced at Damon.

“I, um, we have assumed control of Cloud Nine operations,” Carolyn said. “I will be your contact from now on.”

“From now on?” Emma asked. “What do you mean? There isn’t going to be a ‘from now on’!”

The DNC chair lifted her finger and smiled. “I will get to that,” she said, “but we must discuss Will Harris. You haven’t found any trace of him? Not even something we could perform a DNA analysis on?”

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Damon shook his head. “We discovered a human foot, but the brothers confirmed it wasn’t him. We recovered chunks of hair in a snake den, too.” He exhaled deeply. “But Jordan and Ethan were certain it wasn’t their dad’s.”

Carolyn’s face was expressionless.

“We don’t think he made it past the first tower,” Harper said. “We went through the entire place and found no signs of him. I’m sure he’s dead. We just haven’t located his remains.”

Carolyn looked directly at the remaining brother. “Do you agree with this assessment, Jordan?”

“Yeah, I do,” he said, shrugging. “We wanted to find him, but I’ve seen what it’s like in there and I don’t think Dad survived.”

Carolyn’s face grew cold. “I expected that from you. Ethan wouldn’t have given up on your father so easily.”

Emma stepped forward. “Hey! That is not fair,” she yelled. “It’s really dangerous in here!”

The DNC chair held up her hand, dismissing Emma. She turned and spoke to the technician. “Prepare for transfer.”

The Inmates jumped and cheered excitedly while the technician began directing his staff. There was a brief flurry of activity, then the Inmates heard the technician’s response to the DNC chair.

“We are ready for transfer, Ms. Wilson.”

7

The Inmates erupted with yells of triumph as they realized they were coming home. Damon lifted Angie off the floor and planted a big, wet kiss on her lips. Emma jumped into Jordan’s arms, almost toppling him over as they laughed. Left standing together, Harper and Zack shared an awkward hug.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” Carolyn’s voice cut through the speakers. “I think there is a misunderstanding.”

The Inmates stopped bouncing and glanced back at the video screen. Their smiles were frozen

“This transfer is for the new recruits,” the DNC chair said, “who will join you in your continued search for Mr. Harris.”

The landing zone became deathly quiet.

“They will replace your lost team members,” Carolyn continued, “but we will also increase the size of your team like I wanted to at the beginning.” Carolyn sighed. “Mr. Walker did a poor job of recruiting your team.” She paused. “No offense intended. You will find the new recruits more suited to this mission.”

The smiles were gone now.

“But we want to go home,” Harper pleaded.

Carolyn was about to respond when yells and shouts started coming through the speaker. She looked off-camera toward the transfer room. “Neil, help Eddie tie him down!” she railed as her eyes followed the commotion. She returned her attention to the Inmates. “I am sorry, I honestly am, but the arrangement was to rescue Mr.—”

“No, it wasn’t!” Harper screamed. “You’re supposed to bring us back after twenty days!”

The DNC chair became stone-faced as the Inmates started swearing, talking over each other, venting their anger, and shouting about their rights.

“There is more at risk here than just your lives,” she said over the uproar. “Will Harris is an important donor and our democracy is hanging by a thread…”

“Fuck your democracy!” Emma wailed.

“… and I have to keep my eye…”

“Take us back, you fucking…” Zack bellowed.

“… on the bigger picture. There are…”

“We’ve lived up to our end of the deal!” Jordan shouted.

“… global and corporate powers in play here, high stakes, and you need to understand…”

“God damn you!” Damon yelled.

“… that you must either find Mr. Harris or his remains. We cannot be ambiguous about this,” Carolyn finished.

A momentary hush settled in the room.

Then the DNC chair spoke again. “Damon, Angie, Zack, Harper, Jordan, and Emma, you absolutely have my sympathies. We’re here for you any time you want to talk to us. You have eleven days left before your bodies start to change. Find Will Harris and we will bring you back then, I promise.”

Carolyn glanced over at the technician, who nodded. “In the meantime, we are sending in the new recruits. Please help them get adjusted to their roles and environment.”

The technician flipped a switch and the video feed went black.