Team Deathmatch

The Night Before

Many people think that staying up late at night is a bad thing. But that's when the best kind of thinking gets done!

-James Woodrow, TED Talks, 2028

I laid my head back on the soft pillow, breathing out slowly, finally more relaxed then I had been all day. Today had certainly been an interesting one, and had just opened up a world of opportunities that could benefit my life, but it was still a bit too much for me. In the isolation of a hotel room, I could finally decompress. 

As I laid back on the bed, I flashed back to the final events of the day that had happened after the formation of my new team had ended, and I had finally logged out. I had arrived back in the real world, and had been greeted by Leland pulling the Optik off of my head and smiling down at me. "So, that clear things up?" I nodded and smiled a little bit, flexing my hand in my pocket. Whenever I logged out, it was always weird to be able to feel my real skin again.

I had gotten up and sat down at Leland's desk again. "So, what happens now?" I had asked. "Do I get to meet all of them?" Leland had given a unbiased shrug, and placed his hands on the desk. "We'll see. For now, you can all communicate through VR chatrooms. Now, as for locations, we've already reserved a room in one of our hotels for you. You'll have your own private suite, complete with custom Optik Duo setup, the works."

A thought had occurred to me, and I'd realized all at once that this was moving way too fast. "Hold on...what about my mom? I haven't even called her and told her about any of this yet." Leland had smiled and chuckled a tiny bit. "Don't worry, Sam. As soon as you won, we contacted your mother and gave her all the information she needed to know. She knows where you are, and she consented to let you stay by yourself."

I'd let out a small breath and relaxed at that. At least Mom knew I was ok. And I was surprised she let me stay out on my own. Well, not that surprised. I mean, I would be in a hotel room, completely unsupervised, and I had the world's most expensive entertainment device. She knew I would be fine.

Leland had looked over at me and gave me a sympathetic look. "I know this is a lot to take in Sam. But think about it this way. You're moving up towards great things! And from what I've seen, you have a real shot at winning this. I believe in you. You got this." I was stunned. Getting praise like that from one of my personal heroes was amazing. He had given me a smile that I still remembered even when I got back to the hotel. It was like the look a father gave his son when he showed him a picture that he had drawn at school. But in the depths of that look, there was a tinge of something else. Sadness? Regret? I couldn't tell, but whatever it was, it stuck with me.

Then, the door had opened behind us, and I saw the same woman that had lead me up here standing and looking at us. Leland got up and clapped his hands together. "Ah, right. Mrs. Bowbridge here will show you to your new temporary living quarters." He extended his hand, and I took his, giving it a much longer shake this time. "Very nice meeting you Sam. I wish you the best of luck." I nodded, and gave a small smile. "Thank you...Leland."

After that, Mrs. Bowbridge had led me down the elevator again, this time back to the lobby, where a long stretch limo with tinted windows was waiting outside. I had never ridden in one before, but it was amazing. The seats were all leather, and it was the smoothest ride I'd ever had in a car. After a few blocks, we pulled up at a large hotel, one of the many that Horizon owned in Toronto, and Bowbridge led me up to my room all the way on the top floor. 

I was given my own keycard for the room, and as I walked in, I realized that this was how the 1% lived. The room was covered in velvet and cashmere, with a few paintings and plants as decorations. There was a flatscreen TV along with a couch and minibar, with an entire soundproofed room for my Optik setup, along with a bathroom that was bigger than my room back at my house, complete with shower and jacuzzi, and a large king-size bed with the softest sheets I'd ever felt.