1 Back to My Roots Part I

-2:25 PM, May 18th, 2053-

An old and raspy voice called out, barely covering the lecture hall. "Pencils down."

Countless groans seemingly echoed as people made their frustration heard. Of course, there were a few people who didn't have this reaction. Those individuals were either quite smart which made this final exam easy, or too dumb to realize that they might have not even passed despite finishing said exam.

Luckily, or unluckily, I found myself in the group without a reaction. I wasn't too sure if my efforts would show results. All that mattered to me was that I passed. I already had a job lined up, thanks for a few fortunate connections, and I would be just fine.

The elderly professor began walking around the hall, retrieving everyone's papers by hand. He preferred to do this as the commotion could cause papers to get lost or allow people to continue working.

He stopped in front of my desk, glancing at my paper. The heading of the exam paper had a few things. The first was the course, reading Materials Science 487: Nano Composites. Next was my name, Kyle Zimmerman. Lastly, the date, which was May 18th, 2053.

The professor nodded. "Mr. Zimmerman, it has been a pleasure. You're all set with a job, yes?"

I nodded, confirming his statement. "I start in a few weeks. Thank you, again, for being a reference."

He clicked his tongue as he swiped my paper away. "Agh, I really wanted you to work for me."

I chuckled. "Dr. Tilliman, it was great working with you in the lab but I want to get out into the world. I need to see what it's like. Maybe I'll follow in your footsteps and return to education after a while."

Tilliman shrugged. "Regardless, I wish you the best. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything."

I smiled, grabbing my backpack and standing up, offering my hand to him. "I'm sure I will, even if it's just for coffee."

Tilliman smiled back, grasping my hand and delivering a remarkably firm handshake. The strength was not characteristic of his age. "That sounds good. I'll be seeing you then."

He then turned away and resumed collecting exam papers. This was my last final exam. Once I received my grades, I would be a holder of a bachelors of science (B.S.) in materials science, and a minor in history. The history thing was just a passion of mine. I always loved to learn about the past and figure out how people thought. Maybe it would pay off one day when trying to shape the future.

I had barely reached the door when one of my friends approached me. "Ky, how was the exam?"

I sighed. "Not bad. I definitely passed, I can tell you that much. What did you think, J?"

Jordan shook his head, sighing. "That shit was rough. I think I barely passed."

I smiled, patting him on the back as we walked through the door. "That's all that matters dude."

He let on a weak smile before changing the topic. "Taylor and I are going to GameStop today to get the new headset. Wanna come?"

I shook my head. "My gaming days are in the past. I have too much to focus on now. I'd like to make sure all of my investments are in place before I start working so I can just keep tossing money in and forget about it."

Jordan scoffed. "Ky, trust me. You'll be happy you came."

I raised my brow, curious as to why he would say this. "Why would that be?"

Jordan only wore a mischievous smile. "You'll find out when we get there. I can give you a ride home after."

I shrugged. "A ride home is all I needed to hear. When are we going?"

Jordan enthusiastically pointed into the air like he was on an expedition. "NOW! TO THE CAR!"

I could only shake my head. "Fuckin' nerd."

-2:50 PM, May 18th, 2053-

*Click*

Jordan pressed the button next to the steering wheel, turning the car off. He excitedly unbuckled his seatbelt. "Let's do this."

We all disembarked, the warm and humid air smacking us in the face. I immediately felt as if I was sweating. I was just glad I wore shorts today.

I was honestly surprised we were able to park this close. We just happened to find someone leaving as we pulled in, sliding right into the spot before anyone else noticed. The store was packed and I honestly couldn't understand why.

Turning to Jordan, I asked him. "Why is it so busy? Is it releasing tonight or something?"

Jordan shook his head. "Nope. It releases on Friday but presale has been going on for the past week and a half."

Now I was even more confused. "What's the big deal? Why are people even buying it in stores anyways?"

Jordan chuckled. "Well, this game is not like any other. You need to get a biological age test to verify that you are at least 18. Then they also use the blood that they take to assign your headset. No one else can use your headset."

I scoffed. "So much for just a game. Why would everyone subject themselves to this?"

Jordan laughed even harder. "You don't get it man. Look at the displays in the window."

Deciding to humor him, I looked towards the GameStop window. My eyes immediately locked onto two words; Star Wars. My head snapped back to him. "Why didn't you just say it was Star Wars?"

Jordan shrugged. "I wanted to see your authentic reaction. Honestly, it was kind of disappointing."

I shook my head. "Not important. How much does it cost?"

This was all that mattered to me at the moment. I was sure it was expensive if all of these things were involved. It had to be quite high tech as well.

Now it was Jordan's turn to be confused. "It was that easy?"

I scoffed. "Dude, answer my question."

Jordan sighed. "I thought we'd have to spend time convincing you to play with us. But to answer your question, it's 2 grand."

I thought for a moment before nodding. "I can do that. Do I need an appointment?"

Jordan shook his head. At this point, we had arrived at the back of the line. "Luckily for you, no. You just need to hope that they get to us before they close."

I nodded, taking out my phone to pass the time. "Very well. Hopefully it isn't too long. Dad's making brisket."

With this, I unlocked my phone, deciding to do some research into the game. Despite already committing to spending the money, it'd be nice to know what I was going to be spending my money on.