Alec spent his morning at the gym, then took a military shuttle to the firing range on the outskirts of town. The electric guns of the front-line forces had no interesting actions or distinct smells. He spent most of the afternoon firing his traditional gunpowder pistol, basking in the scent of cordite. His reinforced eardrums protected him from the supersonic crack of the 7mm, one of the few enhancements he allowed the Core to install in him.

Recruits wrinkled their noses at the site of the weapon. Most of them opted to forgo a sidearm, keeping their kits light. They never considered the enemies in the city to their backs, only the imagined foes in the desert ahead of them. He stared at their rifles. The soldiers mistook simplicity for reliability. They had no combat veterans among them. No one that faced the Scourge years back.

The shuttle took Alec back to the city as the sun dipped towards the horizon. After showering, he paced around his condo until he received the call. Mila announced the successful reset. He could explore his new body on the Plinth before returning to the game. Terminating the call, Alec put on his headset.

He found himself in his tiny room on the Plinth, lying on a plain futon. Pure starlight shined through the window at the far end. The apartment lights came on at Alec’s mental commands. He pulled up his stat screen.

>>>>>

Player Information

Name: Emmett Turk

Class: Free Agent

Link Connection not yet established.

>>>>>

It looked like a brand-new character sheet with every skill rank at zero. In theory, those numbers should immediately skyrocket when he gets into action, at least enough to match whatever equipment the banks left him. Alec, now Emmett, walked over to a mirror that went up to the ceiling of his apartment. What the fuck was this?

A tall, tanned model stood before the mirror. Emmett watched his face redden. Perfect teeth bared above a sculpted chin. Did his insurance company not realize his job required discretion? Hound had distinct features, but he did his best to keep them subtle. Everything he added served a function. Plus, players made animal-like alterations all the time. The epic chin and excessive height called attention to itself for the sake of it.

Emmett pulled up the Cyberlinks Main Menu screen and scrolled to the account section. He stared at the Delete button for a moment. With a sigh, Emmett exited the menus. He needed to at least let Mila show him the other benefits of the reset. Across the room, blue light filled the room from the nearby planet, Carthose. He activated the link to his body on the planet surface.

The apartment melted into a whirlwind of colors as Emmett’s digital self traveled through the link.