SPACE PARANOIDS
John Metal was a failure. His job was a joke, his wife hated him, and he had no friends. He worked at Nort Management as a public accountant for his boss Matthias Pussej.
He hated his life. He ate alone. He slept alone. He walked alone. He was alone.
Until, one day, he found something that changed his life forever.
He went to SP Tech, a second-hand electronics store, to see what they had. He passed a few rolls of typewriter ribbon, a fax machine, two word processors, nine megaphone hats, and a bag of bargain bin microchips.
John sighed. He found nothing interesting and was on his way out until he saw a door.
It emitted a faint blue glow and had strange writing on the door. Knowing he had nothing to lose, he entered the room.
The first thing he saw was…nothing. It was completely black. Then, a cylinder rose up from the floor. It was black as well, but a blue light shone forth from the center.
John stared. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the gloom, making John jump.
"Greetings," the figure said. He was about seven feet tall, and wore a black wetsuit that was edged with blue. He wore white gloves and a black cloak.
"Hi…" John said, staring at his feet.
"Welcome, John," the figure said. John had no idea how the figure knew his name. The figure was imposing enough, but the most unnerving aspect of him was his face, or rather, the lack of it. For where a face should have been, there was nothing. The figure had a covering on his head that was the general shape of a head. However, it was like a black hole. It reflected no light. Light just was sucked into the abyss.
"I am the Patrician," the figure said. "Welcome to TRON Labs."
John gawped. He was completely lost.
"If you want to have a better life, climb into the pod," the Patrician said, gesturing toward the cylinder.
John climbed into the pod, very cautiously. The final thing he saw before he was whisked away was the giant form of the Patrician.
John arrived in a place unlike any other. It was an oversaturated maze of lines. The floor was a black and blue grid, the walls red and black, and impossible structures stood around every corner.
John stood up and walked. He found a mirror on one of the statues and nearly fainted dead away. He had changed. He was in a black wetsuit with glowing blue lines. He wore a helmet that felt light on his head. At his side was a futuristic gun.
Grabbing the gun, he rolled over and shot an experimental blast. The wall glowed brightly where the blast hit.
The Patrician suddenly appeared in front of John.
"Welcome…" the Patrician boomed. "To the world of Space Paranoids!"
"Space Paranoids?" John asked.
"Space Paranoids is a place built to give people like you a better life. You can stay here for as long as you want. Most decide to stay. The World is Better Here."
John was happy. A few days in this world showed him that he would be happier here. For the first time in his life he had friends. He was happy.
So he stayed in Space Paranoids, hunting and working with his friends.
Forever.