As Riley returned to his room, a creeping sense of paranoia prickled at the back of his neck. He cast a glance over his shoulder, half-expecting to see the green-eyed Watchie lurking in the shadows. The hallway remained empty, its silence almost mocking. Shaking off the unease, he slipped into his apartment, shutting the door behind him with a dull thud.

  Without wasting another moment, Riley moved to the pod. The weight of Mr. Dalton's words and Marcus's looming threat drove him forward. Securing the neural headgear, he initiated the boot sequence. The familiar hum of the machine enveloped him like a cocoon.

  Moments later, the world dissolved into a swirl of digital light. Riley blinked, disoriented, as the transition settled him into a new space—a destination lobby.

  The room was vast yet minimalistic. Its walls pulsed with faint, rhythmic waves of energy. The polished floor reflected the soft, ambient glow, giving the illusion of walking on light. Two doors stood in the center, freestanding and ominous in their simplicity.

  One door bore the label Layer One: Digital Twin in glowing, serif letters. The second door read Layer Two: Home Location but flickered faintly, inaccessible.

  Auron stepped forward, his avatar's boots clicking against the luminous floor. Curious, he approached the "Layer Two" door and attempted to open it. A soft chime resonated, followed by a disembodied voice:

  "Layer Two Home Location not established. Access restricted. Please use the public transit hub to navigate to Layer Two."

  Auron sighed, stepping back. It seemed even the InfiNet had its bureaucracy. He turned his attention to the first door. Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the glowing handle. The energy beneath his palm hummed softly, and the door swung open, revealing a blinding white void.

  Stepping through, the light enveloped him, and when it cleared, Auron found himself standing in his virtual apartment—or so it seemed at first. The faint hum of the pod was replaced by a serene stillness. Riley carefully scanned the familiar surroundings. Everything except for the InfiNet pod, which was now a bed, was identical to the real world, right down to the scuffed floor, the faint scratch on his desk, and the flickering light in the corner. Yet something intangible marked it as different.

  His gaze fell on the blank monitor screen, and his breath hitched. The reflection staring back at him wasn't Riley; it was Auron, his InfiNet avatar. Auron looked similar to Riley but with a few distinct differences typical of the InfiNet avatars. His hair was slightly longer and shimmered with slight silver slivers. His eyes were a vivid shade of green that seemed to glow faintly, and his features were sharper, more refined. There was a certain aura of confidence and strength about Auron that Riley often felt he lacked.

  He stood for a moment, staring at the reflection, letting the transformation sink in. In the InfiNet, he wasn't bound by his real-world limitations. Here, he could be something more—something better.

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  From here on, he wasn't Riley. He was Auron, and he had a mission to complete.

  Auron moved with purpose, slipping quietly into the corridor of the virtual Tower 7c. Here, the lights didn't flicker. However, every surface was still covered with the same grime and wear of the real tower. Despite its realness, though, there was an unsettling emptiness, as if the digital twin lacked the lived-in feel of reality.

  A few minutes later, he stepped outside, and the sight before him momentarily stole his breath. The night sky of the Digital Twin was a masterpiece of impossible beauty. Cascading auroras of electric blues and deep purples danced across the horizon, their light mingling with the neon glow of airborne vehicles. Silhouetted figures soared through the sky as their flight paths cut elegant arcs against the vibrant backdrop.

  Auron allowed himself a fleeting moment of awe, taking in the surreal splendor.

  "So this is the first layer," he said. It was tempting to start exploring immediately, but he couldn't afford distractions. His mission loomed ahead, and every second wasted brought him closer to the perils Marcus and Catch22 had left behind.

  Auron kept to the shadows, his steps muffled against the pavement as he ventured deeper into the city. Nearby, a group of Catch22 gang members loitered near the mouth of a narrow alley. Their avatars stood out, rugged and deliberately imposing, each adorned with crude armor they must have cobbled together themselves.

  He slowed his pace, ears straining to catch their conversation.

  "I can't believe that idiot gave them a week," one muttered, his voice a low growl laced with irritation. "The hell is the boss thinking letting that noob represent us."

  Another enforcer leaned against the wall, his hands lazily resting on the hilt of a spiked weapon. "Doesn't matter," he said, cracking his neck with deliberate exaggeration. "If they're late, we'll get our fun. Nothing like busting a few skulls to pass the time."

  The third member chuckled darkly. "The boss just wants to watch 'em squirm a little first. Keeps things entertaining."

  Auron's grip tightened on The Watcher's Cover in his pocket. He couldn't afford to be seen. Not now, not by them. He pressed himself against the cold steel of a lamppost, waiting for the gang's laughter to fade. When the moment felt right, he slipped past.

  Once safely out of earshot, he quickened his pace, focusing on the task at hand. The location Mr. Dalton gave flashed in his memory like a beacon, guiding him through the maze of the virtual city.

  The streets stretched on, their sterile quiet amplified by the rhythmic hum of distant neon. Shadows from the towering buildings crisscrossed the ground, creating a surreal mosaic that shifted as Auron moved. Despite the eeriness, the city pulsed with an undercurrent of life. He caught glimpses of other avatars darting between buildings, their faces obscured by glowing masks or shimmering hoods.

  Eventually, Auron's path led him to a deserted part of the city. Here, the digital veneer of order faded into chaos. The polished streets gave way to cracked and crumbling pavement, and the ambient hum of technology grew more sporadic. He reached the entrance of the abandoned subway station. Its rusted gates loomed like the jagged maw of a beast.

  The air near the tunnel entrance felt thick. Auron paused, his gaze sweeping over the chained gates and the faded sign above them: Overton Transit Terminal. The station had once been a hub of activity in real life, but now, even in the InfiNet, it stood as a forgotten relic, its purpose eroded by time and neglect.

  He looked downward into the abyssal tunnel entrance.

  "Here we go," he said. A moment later, Auron slipped through a gap in the chains and stepped into the tunnel's depths.