Chapter Two: Playback of Death

The elevator opened onto no maintenance floor shown on the arena plans. A frost-coated corridor extended into darkness. At its end, green light divided the silver ring on an iron door. 21:46:18. Shen seized Zhou's collar and hauled him backward. A steel cable dropped from the ceiling at that instant, its broken clasp scything across the doorway. Had Zhou stepped out, it would have opened his throat. The clasp struck the frame in a shower of sparks. Shen swiped his player card until the elevator finally rose. Zhou collapsed. His badge hovered beside the reflected clock as it changed to 21:47. There was no blood. The future had changed. “You knew,” Zhou gasped. “They said you remembered nothing.” “Who are they?”