A hissing sound started. Ella couldn't see anything. She felt herself in a chair, but she didn't know what was going on. Then, her headset was removed and her eyes stung as the bright light forced them to adjust.

When her eyes fully adjusted, a girl stared her in the face. She had black short hair. Two others stood behind her. One with a clipboard and one with a gun.

"Where am I?" Ella asked. Her hands were strapped to the chair. She looked down and couldn't fully recognize her body. It was hers, but older.

"Do you remember who you are?" said the girl with the black hair.

"My name is Ella Stone. Where's my mom? I thought I died. Did they save me?"

The girl shook her head solemnly. "Well, Ella, you've been in that chair for the past few years. The world's changed." The girl with the clipboard removed Ella's restrains and forced Ella to her feet, supporting her to keep her from falling.

"Your legs and arms were close to atrophy, you're lucky we got you out now and not later."

"Who are you?" Ella demanded of her.

"My name is Van," the black-haired girl explained. "You've been in this terrible experiment chamber for the past few years." She motioned to the right of Ella's chair.

Ella turned, and her eyes widened. There were four more chairs just like hers. With virtual reality headsets. One of which said "Jordan XX".

"That's my friend, Jordan!" she said as she wrenched her arm away from the clipboard girl and tried to walk towards her, only to fall.

"Woah," Van said. "You're not ready, and neither is she. We were only able to get you out on a reset. You've played through that simulation at least one thousand times. Hers is much different and fragile. That may not even be your Jordan."

"Then send me in," said Ella.

Van looked at the clipboard girl and then at the girl with the gun. "What do you think, Wen?"

The girl with the gun responded, "We could try?" The clipboard girl only shrugged.

"Okay," Van sighed. "Listen, Ella. You get one chance. And we will not use this method to break anyone else out. Just Jordan. Understand?"

Ella nodded and the clipboard girl sat her in her chair oncemore. The headset was lowered over her eyes and the last thing she heard was "Darn these Zedras."