"Mike? Mike?"
"Ahhh yes?" Mike glanced at James absentmindedly.
The latter pointed out, "You didn't respond when I called you earlier."
Mike scratched his head. "Sorry, I was thinking about something."
"It's fine." James waved his hand. "I will ask my secretary to bring a paper and a pen for your message, will that be okay? Or do you want to type it?"
"Can I get a recorder instead? I think that will be quicker."
"That's perfectly fine too. I will ask my secretary to bring one."
"Thank you."
James beamed as he called his secretary.
Within a minute, the device was brought in.
"Let me know when you're done," James self-consciously said and went out.
Mike pressed the recording button. Once he saw the seconds reading, he cleared his throat.
"Hi Claire, this is Mike. Michael Hensley. Look a me, I actually don't know what to say again." He couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually, I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me at work. I knew that my promotions were smoother because you put words in. Thank you. You always brought me lunch, and also gave me advices. Honestly, I can never thank you enough. You're the person I secretly looked up to. You're an angel."
"You see, I've always dreamed of a bright future. A future where I was just me. But well, bad things do happen after a momentary enjoyment. And I... I really couldn't accept my fate, so I decided to do anything to find a cure. I know I probably sound delusional. After all, it's stage four lung cancer, where and how will I find a treatment? But to me... any hope, even if it's as faint as an illusion, I'm willing to grasp it and hold it tight. I want to heal... I'm desperate for it. Why would I succumbed to the fate given to me? A fate that predicted my death to be so soon... I don't want that fate. It's too cruel. I don't want to die."
"And, that's how I accidentally heard about this game. It could allow you to travel from world to world. So I thought... if I could travel to a world with magical power, or a world where their medicine is more advanced than ours, maybe I would find a cure?... And if I didn't, I know I at least tried."
He sighed, "If my plan didn't go as expected and I died in the game, Mr. James will give a million dollars to you. I know this is a lot to ask for... but please, do me this one last favor. I want you to use the money to do something good. Maybe donate it to charity, or even invest it in something that helps people. I know it's a burden. But I trust you, Claire. You are warm to me, and you've been a genuinely kind person since I've met you. Whatever happens… make sure the money finds its way to the people who truly need it. And..."
"Please continue being you. Thank you for everything, and I pray you live a good life."
With that, he calmly turned off the recorder.
He then called James in to inform him he was done.
"Good, I will keep this safely." James took the recorder with a confident expression, his voice filled with assurance.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Anything else in the agreement that you would like to be changed?"
"No, not at all. I agree with the terms. They're all good." If he made it out, he'd be given a hundred thousand dollars, and also be an ambassador for the company, if he wanted. Free gaming pod too. Anyway, he didn't care about the benefit that much—being alive would be the best benefit.
James heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you think so."
"Then we can proceed with the signing."
With that, a pen was handed over, and Mike signed his name.
James also did the same.
Once done, James looked at it with satisfaction. God knew how many years it had been since he had this drafted. Now, it was finally put into use.
"I will make sure to do as you wanted, Mr. Mike," he promised firmly.
"Mmm, thank you."
"Shall we begin?" James proposed as he stood up.
"Yes."
"Then I will lead the way. Please follow me."
The two exited the office. At first, Mike had thought the only office on this floor was James's—at least it had initially seemed so—until James stood before a wall.
A wall?
Then why did the wall suddenly split into two?
Looking at Mike's expression, James couldn't help but chuckle. "Beyond this door, there are only people who are licensed to enter. If you aren't registered on its database, even if you stand here all day long, you wouldn't be able to make the door appear."
"That's amazing," Mike said, entering after James. Then he felt the wall close back.
He couldn't help but glance behind him, then continued walking forward while James casually talked.
"Yes, so you will be safe in this building no matter what happens. Nobody will be able to do your body any harm."
Mike nodded.
It was a long corridor. The lights were dimmed, and the air turned colder as they progressed. They walked for almost a minute before reaching the end of the corridor, and an automated steel door hissed open.
Inside was a stark white room. In the center stood the pod. It was a sleek, obsidian-black chamber with neon-blue lines glowing across its surface. Monitors lined the walls, and a couple of technicians moved behind glass panels.
"This is the one?" One of the technicians approached.
"Yes."
The technician glanced at Mike. "Lad, what's your name?"
"Mike."
"Mike..." Then the technician unexpectedly patted his shoulder, his gaze sincere. "I will tell you my name if you survive. So please, do."
"I will try my best."
"Good."
With that, he walked away and joined the other technicians.
"Let's wait a bit."
Mike nodded, and indeed, a minute later, led by the man who had spoken to him earlier, the technicians informed, "You can now go in."
Under everyone's bated breath, Mike stepped forward, and lay down in the pod. The surface conformed to his shape instantly, and soft mechanical arms began attaching neural connectors to his temples and the back of his neck.
"A brave young man indeed," the head technician who had spoken earlier said again, closing the pod.
"It may feel strange for a few seconds," he warned. "Once your consciousness syncs with the system, you'll wake up in the game's world."
"All vitals stable," came a technician's voice.
"Please close your eyes."
"Mike, please be safe!" James said one last time with clenched teeth.
The pod lid sealed shut with a hiss.
Lights blinked across the monitors, technicians' voices sounded in the background.
"Launching The Last Reality in 3… 2… 1…"
Darkness took over.