The blaring of a phone alarm roused Pent from his fitful sleep.

Despite how comfortable the bed in the hotel suite was, he’d been way too nervous and excited to get any kind of proper rest. Groaning, he rolled over to the edge of the mattress. The clothes he’d laid out last night were thrown on before he plopped into his wheelchair with a heavy sigh. He was already exhausted.

Ragged breaths dispersed the peaceful morning quiet in his room as a smile crept onto his face. One thought, among the many, had particularly enraptured him during his restless stirrings in the late hours.

The avatar bodies they’d be transferring into... he’d be able to walk freely again, right?

Pent’s cheeks felt sore as they struggled to contain the width of his grin. And as he wheeled himself into the bathroom to wash his face and freshen up, he couldn’t help but laugh at his own image in the mirror.

'This project is the great adventure I’ve been looking for; a chance to make something of myself… help people…'

Thinking of all the guilt and doubt he’d been plagued by the previous day made his skin crawl.

How many years ago was it that he learned not to dwell—not to blame himself too harshly?

Maybe it was because it all seemed too good to be true, he couldn’t help but be skeptical. But that was no excuse.

Pent splashed cool water on his face a few times to regain his composure, a smile returning.

It’s time to go.

Remodeled for handicapped use, all the doors in the suite were placed on a track and would slide open for him automatically when his key card drew near. Pent shot a brief glance at his phone as he poked his head out into the hall.

It was 7 a.m, still early, but the workweek had just begun so there were already a few unfamiliar faces waiting outside the elevator doors at the end of the hall. Though among them, he did see Alexander.

The boy looked exceptionally pale and tidy, as always, and he stood a bit away from the others.

“‘Morning, Alexander,” Pent greeted softly after driving over.

“Good morning, Pent.” Alexander’s reply was stiff, sounding more mechanical than Hauss’s speech. The dark bags under his eyes told Pent that they had shared a similar fate last night.

He guessed that only someone like Jack, who had a somewhat playful and carefree attitude toward all things, could have slept soundly last night.

“Have you eaten anything yet?” Pent’s stomach rumbled as the elevator arrived and they all boarded.

“No, but…” Alexander glanced cautiously at the two men dressed in work attire who were standing beside them in a groggy daze. “...Don’t you remember that they’ll be providing us with fluids and nutrient injections?”

Pent scratched his head sheepishly “Ah… I must’ve checked out during that part of the briefing.”

“Well, anyway, it's enough for three meals a day, so we don’t need to worry about food or drink.”

“Oh… That’s nice, I guess...” Pent’s mutter was shrouded by the loud ding of their arrival on the ground floor. He’d never been much of a foodie, but the meals provided by the hospital weren’t much to develop a palette from.

There was a part of him that had been looking forward to trying out some new cuisine, and that sentiment was suddenly amplified by the heavenly smells wafting out of the restaurant attached to the hotel lobby.

Alas, for now, he could only put that thought on hold. Elise, Jack, and Lixue were already waiting for them by the building entrance.

Pent could see the gleam of sweat on Elise’s forehead as she stood behind Lixue’s wheelchair. She called out to him and Alexander as they approached: “Took you two long enough. You’re late.”

“We’re five minutes early…” Alexander retorted, a dark shadow passing across his face.

Elise snorted. “The way I was raised — the last to arrive is always late.”

With that, she spun Lixue’s chair around and pushed them out the door…

~~~

Scientists in white lab coats bustled to and fro, adjusting gauges on stainless steel machinery, and checking off boxes on their clipboards. They whispered to each other in hushed voices.

Outside a glass booth in the corner, Jonathan stood next to Hauss and a man Pent had met briefly the previous afternoon.

Dr. Nicholaus was his name, if memory served. He was a spindly sort. Long limbs and fingers of nothing but skin and bones; his hunched back and wiry white hair really completed the image of a mad scientist.

The two of them turned their attention to Pent and the others as they made their way across the array of wires and blinking lights in the room.

“Good morning, all,” Jonathan said with a warm smile. “Everyone ready to get this project underway?”

Pent consciously swallowed his saliva and nodded with the rest.

“Great! Any last words of advice for them, Hauss?”

[Just relax and settle in. When your consciousness connects with the avatar, another fragment of the Great Sage will be there alongside you to serve as a guide.]

An audible sigh of relief escaped Alexander’s lips, after which, a touch of red appeared on his cheeks.

“Nothing to worry about.” Dr. Nicholaus chuckled, a glint of anticipation appearing in his large eyes. “We’ve run exhaustive tests to make sure everything is safe for you on this side and the other.”

As soon as the man finished speaking, he entered the booth and scanned the network of monitors while rubbing his hands together. “All the readings are stable, Jonathan. Let's proceed!”

“Right.” Jonathan ushered all the candidates over to the massive white and silver pods that dominated the center of the space.

Pent had been assigned the vessel on the far left, so he made a beeline for it with his chair. He pressed the blinking button on its side and the lid swung open with a loud hiss, spitting out a faint cloud of steam. His breath quickened as the machinery inside quivered and divided into small segments, unfolding and twisting into shape, much like Hauss had when they first met.

When the dust settled, all that was left was a human-shaped indent in a blank platform.

Pent laid within the shape as a staff member helped him up. There, he waited, staring up at the unhinged roof of the pod as the others similarly settled in.

“Max!” The voice of Dr. Nicholaus rang out, “Make note: Project Integration, Weyland Branch, will commence at 7:21 a.m on November 3rd, 2042. Albert, start the countdown!”

“Roger! Initiate transference in 30… 29… 28...

Pent’s heartbeat rang like a drum in his ears. The voices outside all faded as the lid descended slowly back into its seal. When it clicked shut, there was only darkness.

A great pressure seemed to descend on Pent’s chest as he struggled to calm himself and maintain a steady cadence of breathing. Gradually, his mind felt faint and a wave of weariness washed over him.

Eyes fluttering shut, he wholly sunk into the inky black cloud that had swallowed him.