It was just Alex—Knives Chau—against Gideon.
Tears blurred Alex’s vision, smearing the vibrant pixels. “I lost the save file,” he whispered.
“Welcome home, Alex,” the unit whispered in a soft, synthesized voice. “Select your memory.”
The world faded to white. Alex ripped off the EMU-VR headset. He was back in his cramped apartment, 2026. The headset was hot, almost burning his skin. On his real, dusty shelf, sat the original Xbox 360. Red-ringed. Dead since 2014.