I want to thank Elenwen Thiler for his comment. I think it was good. '

I also, Solo, Lady K, Mimmi, James, and everyone else who helped me with the first part. You guys rock!

The shadow suddenly stirred, showing itself to be a man. As he removed the headphones from his ears, he hit stop. The past two hours, he had been going through tape one of JJ's confession. What was he talking about when he said that James had said "Welcome to the Real World."? Wasn't this the real world?

He wrapped the cord around the set, and opened a drawer to his desk. He set the tape player down on an empty bag of Kit Kats. As he shut the drawer, he let his mind wander for a second.

If these three "kids" really did leave whatever this was, and then return, what happened in between? Did they go comatose, and then wake up? Maybe they just lied. He didn't know, but no one would anyway. There had been a second tape to JJ's confession, although it disappeared on the same night that he escaped, killing the only man that knew his story.

As his thoughts drifted even further, he began to imagine what had driven JJ to kill in the first place. There may have been many holes in the design, but enough was there to derive a conclusion. Where did they go? If he could put that piece of the picture where it need to go, he would have this all solved.

He slowly reeled his mind back to reality, his body stiff. As he glanced at his watch, he noticed that twenty minutes had gone by. He silently scolded himself for not keeping track of time. As he went to pick up the file he had, he knocked it on the floor.

He bent down, cursing quietly, and tried to put the papers back in order. As he sifted through the papers, he came across a lump. As he scattered the papers above it, his eyes grew wide. As the final paper vanished, a small, black tape sat there. He picked it up and looked at the label. Just like he had predicted, it said "JJ Confession Part 2".

He allowed his jaw to go slack for a minute, and then he brought it back up. As he slowly stood up, he immediately turned towards his desk. As he sat down, his hand shot out and opened the drawer he had just closed. His hands closed around the tape player, and he hit the eject button. Tape One fell forgotten to the floor as he slipped the second one into the slot. He closed the little door, and hit play. As he lay back, the voice of the interviewer came into focus.

"So, JJ, you say you took the pill, and then what happened?" he said, obviously having a smile on his face.

"Yep, and then…"

The last words I ever heard were "Welcome to the Real World." When I awoke from whatever state I was in, I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I woke up butt naked in some kind of pod, and I had these freaky looking wires coming out from my back. As I turned around, I came face to face with a giant mechanical octopus.

It blinked, and then I felt the wires leave my back. It was like having your spinal cord ripped from you back. I almost fainted, but I was suddenly rushed along some kind of tube, keeping me from falling under its spell.

I was rushed down a tube of darkness, my head swimming. I faintly heard the sound of rushing water, and then light hit my eyes. I tried to squint, but I found myself airborne. I flew for what seemed an hour, and then landed in a shallow pool of liquid. I quickly tried out all my limbs at once.

All this result in, was pain shooting from all sides. I stopped moving, and then tried to only move what I needed to. As my arms helped lift my upper half, my legs helped my lower half get coordinated. I stood up finally, my legs still wobbly.

Suddenly, a giant shadow came over me. As I looked up, the freakiest ship I had ever seen lowered itself about five feet from me. I tried to find a place to hide, but the hatch opened, revealing a figure. My jaw dropped, as James popped up.

He had a towel in his hand, and I grabbed it. I wrapped it around my middle, and grabbed his hand, lifting me into the ship.

The lights at first blinded me. As he hauled me through, I threw my hands over my face. I let James guide me, and when I opened my eyes, I only saw a person standing in front of me. He was tall, and had a brown skin tone. His eyes were a deep black, almost like a vortex. He stood erect, giving him even more height. As he stared at me for a second, I glanced away.

His eyes felt like coals, searing themselves into every inch of my bare skin. I flinched, and then nudged James, who still had not let go of my hand.

"Ok, Kiliji, that's enough." James said, leading me towards a door.

"James, what are you doing?" the man said, net letting emotion show on his face.

"Did the people that picked you up make you go through thirty question is a towel?" James asked, looking pissed.

"Why, you little… Look, I want him back here in twenty minutes. Got that?" he said turning his back.

"Three hours, he needs food and rest. I don't know what's crawled up your ass and died, but whatever it was, pull it out." James said closing the door.

I look around the room. It was regular enough. The entire room was about the size of a regular bedroom. If I took about twenty footsteps in either direction, I would hit the next wall. For some, it would only feel like a prison, but for me it was a haven.

"Here, put these on." James said, handing me a pair of pants and a shirt.

I slowly let the towel drop, my fear of anyone seeing me naked still lingering. As I lifted my leg to slip into the pants, James turned around.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened in the Matrix. I shouldn't have shot the good doctor. When he ran off, I thought he was a program too, so I shot. If you want to talk or kill me, now is the time." James said, letting the last part trail off.

"I only have one question. Where's Mimmi?" I asked, pulling the shirt over my head.

"We sent another crew after her. We'll see her in Xion." James said, biting at his lip.

"Xion? What's that?" I asked.

"It's the great city of humans. We all live in peace" James said.

"Sounds much better." I said.

"It's not. I don't like it. Everything is too good. I think something is going to happen." James said, his continence getting wrinkled.

"I don't think anything is gonna happen. It's like the Beatles said. We all live in a yellow submarine." I said, smiling.

It had seemed like forever since I heard that song. I missed the colors, almost as if they were a part of me.

James looked at me, his face looking puzzled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, it just means, that I've finally gone crazy. None of this is real, is it?" I asked standing up.

"It is. You'll get used to it." James said, his whole body shaking slightly.

"What's up with that guy?" I asked.

"Kiliji?" James asked, smiling.

"Yeah." I said, feeling a smile creep over my face.

"He just doesn't like the new people. He's really not such a bad guy." James said, turning his head towards the door. "Are you tired? You could sleep here."

"Thanks, I think I will." I said, slipping my shirt off again.

I lay down, listening to the door close. I grouped the wall for a light switch, but the lights turned off. I lay my head down and tried to sort out what had happened. Had I really been living in a reality where computers were using me? This question, along with others flooded my mind as I drifted off to sleep.