Memories began to return. The young man sitting in front of Zack… he did know him!
“You’re Kyle, right? We’ve been friends for...”
“For forever, man.” Kyle nodded. “Yeah, there you go. You're going to slowly remember real life over the next few hours. Your brain has to fit a lot of information back into your head that it left behind when you entered the Game — you can’t remember life out here when you're playing. Are you hungry yet?”
Zack nodded. At the mention of food, he realized that he was starving. Kyle laughed. “I bet you are! It’s been a while since you’ve had real food. While you’re in the Game, the nutrients they pipe into you keep you alive, but that goop is nothing like the real thing. Let’s go to the dining room and get something to eat.”
Zack stood up, bending down to put on shoes that were sitting beside the bed. He was dressed in white, comfortable clothing, and he had a bracelet on his right wrist. It pulsed with colour, gold flecks inside a green light. Zack asked Kyle what the colours in the bracelet meant.
“Those colours mean you’re a celebrity!” Kyle said. “But we can worry about that once you’re fed and up to speed on what’s happening.”
“How long have I been out of touch?” Zack asked.
“A little while, but nothing to worry about,” Kyle assured him.
They entered a long white hallway lined with closed doors on both sides, each door with its own number and small badge of colour near the handle. They passed people traveling in pairs made up of a person dressed in white like Zack, and the other dressed in regular clothes. Zack noticed that each person in white was younger than him, and their bracelets pulsed with different colours; one was red with silver flecks, another blue with bronze — many different colour combinations. Some were the same as others, but none were green with gold like Zack’s. They entered the dining hall, a large white room with tables and a cafeteria style eating line. Kyle guided them to the line and gave Zack a tray to carry. Kyle ordered some items and handed one of the two plates of steaming food to Zack to put on his tray.
The two friends found an empty table and sat down to eat. A few minutes into their meal, Zack couldn't help but notice that many people were staring in their direction. When he asked Kyle about it, he chuckled. “Everyone in here knows who you are, Zack. Like I said earlier, you’re famous. Many of them want to come over and talk to you, get your autograph, talk about parts of the game they liked, stuff like that. The rules don't allow that, though. No one is permitted to talk to other players in here. It could mess up their minds. So they are all excited to see you, but considerate enough to leave you alone.” Kyle smiled. “For now, at least.”
The boys ate in silence. Zack was famished and shoveled the delicious food into his mouth as fast as he could. Kyle seemed content to eat in silence, standing up to get more food for Zack when he ran out.
Finally, Zack announced he was stuffed, and the two stood up. “What’s next?” he asked.
“Now we make sure your brain and body are fine. Follow me.”
Kyle walked over to the wall by the door where a white box with an opening in the bottom was attached. “Put your hand with the bracelet in there, count to five, then pull your hand out.”
Zack did as he was instructed. The white box flashed gently with each count and when he pulled his hand from the box it flashed a soft green five times before resuming its white colour.
Zack looked towards Kyle to see if that was good or bad. Kyle seemed pleased with the results. “Okay, that means you’re in great shape. We can get you unlocked, then be out of here and on our way home. Are you ready?”
Zack wasn’t exactly sure what Kyle meant, but he did feel like leaving this place, so he nodded his head yes and followed Kyle back to the room in which he'd awakened.
“OK, man, lay back on the bed and put these on.” Kyle handed Zack what looked like a fancy pair of sunglasses. When he put them on, he realized they had a video screen built into them. The screen was filled with static and he could hear a hissing noise coming from small speakers on the earpieces of the glasses. “I’m going to press play now. Just sit back and enjoy the show.”
The static disappeared. The screen turned into a beautiful blue sky; the chirp of birds and other pleasant sounds replaced the hissing noise in the speakers. Zack watched the video that began to play, teaching him all about the Game he had just been playing...