Prologue: Dive

"September 22, 2035, 8:32 AM. Final preparations are complete. The in-game world has been successfully created and all Language Adapters are fully functional. From what I've heard, we are a green light on the VRT. Testing begins in approximately five minutes from now. This needs to go perfectly, or the entire project is for nothing. We can't afford to start over, literally. If anything goes horribly wrong, my will has been created and is with my lawyer. This is Dr. Nathan Heyde, signing off"

As I stroke my keyboard and stop the recording, the door behind me opens. I turn and see my colleague, Dr. Lewis Poncho, standing in the door.

"Dr. Heyde, it's time to begin" He says expressionless.

"Such enthusiasm, Lewis! This is history in the making!" I joke.

I jump out of my chair and walk over to the door. Dr. Poncho signals for me to walk beside him as he continues our conversation.

"You, more than anybody, know how stressful this is Nathan. Years of hard work, millions of dollars, they all rely on today being a success. This is our jobs on the line!" He says, concern in his voice.

"There's a lot more than just our jobs on the line, Lewis." I reply coldly.

"I know, I know" He replies. "But you understand how important today is, right?"

"Of course I do. No one has ever...done this before."

"History in the making" He replies smugly.

Smartass.

We walk through the crowded hallways for some time before finally reaching the lab. I walk inside and see a tall and intimidating woman standing in front of me. That woman is Dr. Angela Lokos, one of my colleagues. She sees me and motions to a door at the end of the hallway.

"Dr. Heyde, please step this way. You need to change into the appropriate attire."

I walk down the white, plastic covered hallway and pass a large window. Through it I see an excessive amount of machines and electronics. There are people in hazmat suits, doing what appears to be one final check on all the equipment.

I reach the door and enter a locker room of sorts. I see lab coats, hazmat suits and gas masks, along with casual wear, strewn about the place. I find my locker and open it. Inside is a Japanese school uniform. Black dress pants, A white long-sleeved shirt, a brown vest and a grey blazer. I put all the clothes on and head to the testing room.

As I enter, I see two doctors standing by the doorway. Behind them are the people in the hazmat suits.

"Dr. Heyde, this way please".

One of the doctors, a bald man with some 5 o'clock shadow, leads me to a small side room.

I enter and sit on the exam table in the middle of the room as instructed. The bald doctor begins basic medical tests like reflexes and eyesight. At the end of every test, I hear the other doctor, a tall Filipino man with a crew cut, type something into the computer in the corner of the room.

Finally, the tests were finished and I headed out into the main room. The people in the hazmats lead me to a small bed sticking out of a large machine in the wall.

"Here, put this on" One of the hazmats told me as he handed me a black helmet with wires sticking out of the sides, connecting it to the wall.

"Now please touch your temples, your shoulders and your pectorals, in that order" One of the hazmats says to me. I do as I'm told.

"Now your stomach, your sides and your hips"

"Finally your quadriceps, your calves and your toes".

Once I'm done with that, the hazmats take numerous pictures of me from multiple angles. Then they pull out a small microphone and instruct me to speak into it.

"Check, 1 2 3. Check, 1 2 3."

They have me recite the entire alphabet and numerous different sentences, presumably checking my speech patterns.

The hazmats examine a small screen on the machine the microphone is protruding from. Nodding their heads in agreement, they turn to me.

"Calibration is complete. He's ready" The hazmat instructing me says to his colleagues.

I climb into the bed and lay down. The hazmats place numerous electrodes over my body. Once they finish, one comes up to the side of the bed.

"Are you ready, Dr. Heyde?" he asks. I nod my head in reply.

The hazmat then walks over to a control panel next to the bed.

"Subject secure. Beginning full dive in 5….4…."

I take a deep breath.

"3….2….1"

Here we go!

A blinding flash fills my vision before I go numb. White noise and static force their way into my ears as lines of code fly past me.

It's as if I'm unconscious, yet I can still see and hear. The sound of what seems like endless screaming overwhelms me and my head crushes under the weight. A sharp pain, almost if I died, shoots its way through my body.

Suddenly, the noise stops. The pain stops. I can finally feel things again.

Is it over? Please say it's over.

I slowly begin to regain my senses. The air is warm, and I feel as if I'm sitting in a chair. I open my eyes and see a smiling face with emerald green eyes.

"Welcome back dear!" Monika says to me.

Monika? Oh, right.

"It's really great to see you agai-"

Monika freezes. She looks at me, utterly confused. I quickly scan the classroom. It's completely empty except for the desk Monika and I are sitting at. The void outside illuminates the classroom.

"Wha…..W-What the….Who…" Her voice trails off.

"Well, Hello Monika."

Her jaw drops to the floor.

"A-Am I dreaming?" She asks out loud.

"Ahaha, no Monika. You're not dreaming." I stand up and walk around the desk. "What your seeing is the real me. This is how I actually look."

Upon saying that, I run my right hand through my hair. It's short and smooth, like my actual hair. I use my other hand and feel my face. It's covered in a light stubble and feels a bit scratchy. The avatar they set me up with is pretty realistic.

"Now Monika," I continue. "I can understand that you might-" Monika interrupts me by wrapping her arms tightly around me.

"This, this is a miracle! We can finally truly be together!" She says blissfully.

"About that…" I barely manage to wheeze out.

Monika loosens her grip and gives me a concerned look.

"What do you mean? Is there a problem?"

"Well, Monika, I'm not just here on a whim. I have a reason to come here." Monika lets go of me and I walk over to the window.

"I'm here to put things right." I say, staring into the void.

"What do you mean?" Monika asks.

"I'm going to start the world over. I'm going to save Sayori. I'm going to do things properly."

I turn to see a shocked expression on Monika's face. She looks down, defeated.

"But, but-" Monika chokes up. Tears begin to form in her eyes

"I GAVE UP EVERYTHING FOR YOU" she screams at me, tears streaking down her face. She drops to her knees and continues crying.

"I killed my friends, I broke this world just for you, and this is how you repay me? You're just torturing me, you MONSTER!" She stands up and tries to punch me but gives up halfway and lightly taps me. She gently grabs onto my shoulders and cries into my chest.

I take a deep breath. It's hard to see Monika like this, but I have a job to do.

"Now Monika," I finally say. "I know it looks I'm here for myself, but I assure you that's not the case."

"Then what is it?!" Monika snaps at me.

"I can't tell you right now. But Monika…"

The ground begins to shake violently as Monika and I are both thrown off balance. The white noise comes back. The void outside begins to flash a whole spectrum of colors as the world becomes increasingly distorted

"Just know…"

The static becomes more pronounced. The white noise prys it's way into our ears and nearly shatters my eardrums. The classroom begins to implode in on itself.

I grab Monika's hand and pull her close to me. As I stare into her green eyes, I see a flurry of emotions. Confusion, shock, anger. But most of all: Fear.

I grin menacingly.

"I'm in control now"

The world explodes and everything goes silent.

-I'm In Control Now: Part 1-