Hall stumbled into the darkness. He took a few faltering steps before regaining his balance.

It was night. A light drizzle fell around him.

He was in a run-down laneway. Brick walls towered on either side of him, a couple of floodlights creating harsh spots of brightness in the gloom. There was a mound of garbage between the walls of the alley, fallen bins along the edges. Behind that was a high chain-link fence, with another wall beyond. The stink was incredible.

Stink?

VR didn’t usually come with smells. Although he had read an article about a sense of smell being added to some new programs. Maybe this was one of them?

Hall turned. In the opposite direction, he could see the lights and tall buildings of a city. Tilting his face up, he felt the drizzle on his skin.

Pitch black.

No stars.

No moon.

Something moved in the shadows.

Hall began to sweat.

This didn’t feel like a game. Suddenly, he realised he was no longer using his avatar. He examined his hands. He was himself. No longer HallsOfAwesome … just plain, ordinary Hall. How did that happen? He had a momentary spike of panic.

Hall reached up to remove the VR helmet. But there was none. He patted at his face and head, becoming more agitated. How could it disappear?

‘What are you doing?’

The voice came from the shadows.

A figure moved forward tentatively, still remaining in the gloom. It appeared to be a boy, younger than Hall, dressed in a blue uniform. Then the figure stepped into the light and Hall saw it wasn’t a boy – at least, not a real one. This boy was …

A robot!

His face and hands were a patchwork of metal plates with little rivets, his glass eyes a startling green.

‘Are you okay?’ asked the robot boy.

‘Um … yeah … I guess,’ Hall answered, feeling strange talking to what he assumed must be a NPC – a non-player character; a game construct. ‘It’s just that … well … I was trying to get my VR helmet off.’

‘You’re not wearing one,’ said the boy. ‘This world is not what you think it is.’

‘Oh.’

‘You’re in danger here.’

‘I am?’

Hall was about to ask him to explain, when he heard approaching footsteps. Heavy stomping feet.

‘Get out … if you can,’ advised the boy, stepping back into the shadows. ‘Go home. Before it’s too late.’

‘What? Why?’ Hall was utterly confused. He felt for the helmet again, but it wasn’t there. Maybe this isn’t a game? ‘I don’t know how to get home.’

But the robot boy was gone.

Another figure was now marching down the alleyway towards him, long grey trench coat flapping dramatically about it.

The figure came to a halt right in front of Hall.

It was a woman. Tall and thin, with dark skin and a mass of spiky red hair that stuck out all over the place. She wore a dark red uniform under the coat, with chunky boots that looked like they could do some serious damage. An array of medals and ribbons dangled from her chest.

‘We’ve been waiting for you, soldier.’ The voice was cold, crisp and measured.

Hall shut his eyes and stuck out his hands, waving them around.

‘What are you doing?’ demanded the woman.

‘Just testing a theory,’ he said, walking forward.

If I’m still at PlayTime, reasoned Hall, I’ll walk into the table or Max or something.

Instead, he walked straight into the woman.

‘Keep your hands to yourself, soldier,’ she barked, slapping him.

‘Ow!’ Hall opened his eyes. ‘Who … who are you? Where am I?’

‘I am Field Marshal Maheera,’ she said. ‘And this is Megatropolis.’

‘Megatropolis,’ repeated Hall. It didn’t sound like a real place. It sounded made-up.

‘Am I still in a game?’ asked Hall, hoping he was.

‘Game,’ said Maheera. ‘This is no game. This is war!’

‘What do –’

Three drones zoomed down from the darkness above, their propellers whining. Fluorescent-blue stripes lit up their under-carriages.

Maheera reached into her trench coat and pulled out a metal ball. ‘Duck!’ she commanded, hefting it into the air.

Hall watched the ball soar up towards the drones.

KA-BLAM!

It exploded, smashing the drones out of the sky. The shockwave knocked Hall off his feet and into a puddle.

The feel of water on his face confused him. Even though he had felt the drizzle earlier, it didn’t occur to him until now.

This isn’t a game. It must be real. I’ve stepped into another world – just like that website said.

‘I ordered you to duck,’ barked Maheera. ‘If you want to survive in this world, soldier, you must do as I tell you. Now … run as if your life depended on it. Because it does.’

She took off down the alley.

Hall scrambled to his feet. What did she mean, his life depended on it? He glanced down at the scattered remains of the drones. Are there more of those things? he wondered.

He watched Maheera reach the entrance to the alley and disappear around the corner. And then he heard the distant whine of more drones.

With a sudden surge of adrenaline, he ran after her.

Slipping and stumbling, Hall finally made it to the end of the alley. Maheera was already half a block away.

‘Hurry!’ he heard her shout.

But Hall stopped dead in his tracks, mouth agape as he stared at the city.

‘This is unbelievable,’ he whispered.

Massive skyscrapers stretched into the darkness, their upper storeys out of sight, many of them connected with walkways and tracks. Random windows were lit on every floor, making the sides of the towering buildings resemble massive glowing game boards. Neon signs lit up the street. Video screens several storeys high were embedded into some of the buildings. They seemed to be showing live gaming feeds.

Zipping this way and that, through the air around the buildings, were drones of all shapes and sizes.

Lowering his gaze, Hall realised something was missing – people. The street was empty, except for the retreating form of Field Marshal Maheera.

With little choice, Hall chased after her, his feet splashing through the puddles. It was impossible to keep up. She was really fast. He was not.

When Maheera turned a corner, Hall tried to run faster for fear of losing her. He was out of breath by the time he reached the end of the street. And she was now several blocks away and turning another corner. The chances of getting lost were increasing by the second, but he had to catch his breath. Bending over, he rested his forearms on his thighs and took a few gulping lung-fulls.

That’s when he heard it. Glancing up, he saw a gold-coloured drone, again with blue stripes, zipping towards him. Straightening, he resumed his pursuit of Maheera. But up ahead, he saw more drones, lowering from the sky, all hovering with their lenses pointed in his direction.

Hall was astonished to see streaks of blue light blaze from the shadows. The drones exploded.

A figure darted into the light. It was the robot boy.

‘They’re trying to find you,’ he said. ‘The robots will come after you. The humans will come after you. Return to your own world before it is too late.’

‘I don’t know how to,’ said Hall. He frantically patted at his face and head. ‘The VR stuff’s gone.’ Hall stopped, his arms dropping limp by his side. ‘This isn’t a game. This is some other world.’

‘Yes.’ The boy took a step forward. ‘This is a world of danger. Of robots and humans fighting each other. Of deadly games. Of deceit and manipulation. It is not what it appears to be.’

‘So, what is it then?’ asked Hall.

‘I can’t tell you,’ said the robot boy. ‘You need to work it out for yourself.’

‘That’s just great!’ Hall threw his hands up in the air and turned away from the robot.

‘But I’ll help you when I can.’ The boy put a metallic hand on Hall’s shoulder.

A noise drew Hall’s attention skyward. It was a deep, loud thrumming.

From above, a vehicle was descending. Steel-blue and menacing. A large drone? A mini-helicopter? Hall wasn’t sure.

‘They’re coming,’ said the boy, fading into the shadows. ‘I can’t be seen with you. Don’t tell anyone about me. Now … RUN!’

Hall took off. Up ahead, he saw Maheera come back around the corner.

With a whoosh of air and the thrum of propellers, the grey vehicle landed on the street between Hall and Maheera.

Hall slowed to a jog, his eyes on the contraption.

As he passed by, its roof slid open, releasing half-a-dozen small robots. Square little blue heads on squat rectangular bodies with hinged legs made them rather comical. Their odd appearance was topped off by arms ending in tubes.

One of the robots lifted an arm, and with a hiss of compressed air, a dart shot out at Hall!

‘RUN FASTER, SOLDIER!’ Maheera’s voice echoed down the street, as she closed in on him.

Hall did his best.

The robots gave chase.

Heart pounding, the sound of blood rushing in his ears, he ran.

Darts whizzed past him. Hall ignored the burn in his muscles and pushed his legs harder.

Up ahead he saw Maheera fling open her trench coat and draw futuristic-looking pistols. She bolted towards him.

And then he felt a sting on the back of his neck.

His vision swam.

His muscles trembled.

His legs gave out.

As Hall toppled, he saw Field Marshal Maheera charging in his direction, deadly red flashes blasting from her pistols.

Is she coming to save me? hoped Hall.

There was an explosion behind him.

He hit the pavement, and blackness swallowed him.