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10:45am Geoday 9 November 2084
Zak returned to the real world. He lay, reclined in his gaming chair.
‘Go kill yourselves,’ he said, addressing the videos of his friends on the wall.
After waiting a moment to sense his limbs, he tilted the chair forward to an upright position, and kicked out his legs to give them a stretch.
Another mission accomplished. But now he had to take an enforced five minute break before he could start the next. At fourteen years old, Zak Carter had to suffer the restrictions of junior V-Commando.
Zak despised the junior version. If the next mission went to plan, this would be the last time he’d ever have to play it.
As usual, he would use the break-time for learning, whereas his three team-mates used it for smoking.
‘Ready to die?’ boomed a deep, croaky voice.
The signature video of Zak’s favourite V-Commando player, Abel White, opened up on his bedroom wall. A two-time world champion, White had a reputation for robot-like accuracy with an automatic rifle. Zak aspired to perfect the same techniques.
He swivelled the chair round to face the wall across his bed. The room had just enough space for the bed, a wardrobe, and the gaming chair. But it didn’t feel cramped because these bulky items were the only things that required space. All forms of entertainment and education were on computer, and accessed via the network. The walls were covered with video sheet, which provided ample space to arrange pictures, videos, and other nik-naks over the dynamic wallpaper.
The video sheet emitted a soft glow, and was currently the only source of light in Zak’s room.
Footage began of White’s latest tournament match. The video stretched across the entire wall, a metre in height, filling his vision.
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