Elysium

Addictions haunt you. Sometimes, it's a familiar scent. Other times, it's the face of someone you wronged.

Elysium was my addiction. I escaped it once. Now it’s a shadow that follows me everywhere—billboards, holo-ads—hell, there are even whispers of a Zenith Cup halftime show.

I was heading to the precinct to deliver donuts and coffee—a small daily ritual to atone for old sins—when a holo-call came through.

Atherion’s unmistakable company seal hovered briefly before the face of a polished representative appeared. It was as if they knew Elysium was on my mind. Like they knew everything about me.

"Cross here," I said, already regretting answering.

"Mr. Cross," the rep began. "Our lead developer, Ellie Simmons, is missing. We are requesting your expertise to locate her. You come highly recommended, and the matter requires both speed and discretion."

The name hit me like a punch in a bar fight. "Ellie Simmons? Didn’t she create Elysium?"

"Yes. Relevant details and a substantial upfront payment have been transferred to your account. We expect you on our campus this afternoon. Please check in at the front desk with our head of security. He will assist you from there."

With that, the call was over. I stared at the blank holo screen, my chest tightening. Heat rose in the back of my neck. Elysium was under my skin again, threatening to control my thoughts.

I could feel the tug—the cool sensation of Elysium’s beds, the weightless pull of time slipping away. Taking this case wouldn’t just be about finding Ellie—it would mean fighting the fire that almost consumed me.

Sweat slicked my palms as I searched for something to fidget. Each step toward the precinct felt like trudging through mud, but I wouldn’t let Elysium pull me back—not yet.

As I pushed through the doors, the familiar smells of starch-clean uniforms and day-old coffee hit me. The hum of conversations and occasional arguments filled the air—routine yet never routine.

A man slumped in a chair, scratching at circles and a triangle tattooed on his wrist. His clothes hung loose like he’d lost a fight with a thrift store. Rocking back and forth slowly he muttered, “The cove... The cove... I have to find the cove...”

“Look what the cat drug in!” an officer greeted me with a grin. His voice softened as he grabbed the donuts and coffee. “You can stop doing this. You’ve paid your debt.”

“Then I guess these are mine,” I shot back, reaching for the gifts.

“Not so fast, buddy!” He laughed. “How’s the private investigator life, Evan?”

“Livin’ the dream,” I muttered, my tone flat. A shadow crossed my face as I nodded toward the tattooed man. “What’s his deal, Jim?”

“We picked him up this morning. He’s an Elysium junkie who got rugged.”

“Black market?”

“That’s what we suspect.”

"Here’s to forced extractions!" I said, raising my coffee.

Black market rigs lacked safeguards, and being rugged could scramble your mind. For addicts like me, it could be devastating.

“Think he’ll survive?”

“Too early to say. Some do; others…” Jim let the silence hang. “Let’s hope this one is lucky.”

“Hope…” My voice threatened to crack. “Thanks... for back then. I was at my worst. You didn’t give up. I… won’t forget.”

Jim chuckled sympathetically, a donut in his mouth, and waved me off.

I turned to leave but hesitated at the door, “Any Atherion buzz?”

Jim frowned. “Atherion? You shouldn’t be thinking about them.”

“Just got a case from them. Ellie Simmons, their lead developer… missing.”

“That’s a big deal, man. Are you sure about this?”

“They pay well.”

“Even so…” Jim sighed, nodding toward the distressed man. “If I hear anything outside the usual, I’ll let you know.”

Donuts will be on me.”

“Donuts are always on you!” Jim called as I left. “Evan, just… watch yourself on this one, okay? Don’t let it take more than you can give.”

The cold sweat returned like it had been waiting outside while I visited the precinct. My head began to pound. The gritty sidewalk blurred into phantom visions of Elysium’s perfection.

I forced myself to focus on the real world. My fingers twitched as I ordered an autono-cab. In the quiet hum of the taxi, I finally focused on the info from Atherion.

Thank god for stale, efficient corporate data. Name, birth date, company ID. At least I’d know what she looked like—brown unkempt curls framing distant gray eyes. Ellie Simmons had been with the company for twenty-five years but had never advanced.

She lived and worked on Atherion’s campus. No other personal details or contacts were provided. Under “In case of emergency,” Atherion was listed… typical. Developer types didn’t how to make friends.

To my surprise, her project logs carried a childlike wonder. I enjoyed listening while I sifted through the rest of the file.

**********************************************************************

Arrival at Atherion felt worlds apart from the precinct. My heart quickened, still yearning for the peace Elysium once offered. But now, standing outside the towering building, it felt more like a trap than an escape.

Inside, the silence hit me like a loud noise, causing my ears to ring in rebellion. Its bleach-white walls and shiny counters stunk of perfection.

“Hello, Mr. Cross,” a woman in her thirties greeted me. “I’m Alice Chen, you can call me Alice. This is Mr. Kane, our head of security.”

“Kane,” he said, his scowl as sharp as his words. “Follow me.”

He didn’t offer a handshake. Instead, he motioned for us to follow. His shoes clicked against the polished floor as he marched off. I focused hard to keep up, almost forgetting my anxiety over being there.

“Miss Chen, ensure Mr. Cross has everything he needs.” Kane stopped at a door. “Locating Ms. Simmons is of the utmost importance.”

Her gaze fell to the floor, fingers tracing her wrist absently. I caught the edge of a tattoo beneath her sleeve before her hand shifted away.

Kane entered a code on a keypad of geometric shapes: two circles, one triangle, two circles. The door opened and he marched off without saying a word.

I stepped into Simmons’ apartment. The air hung thick and abandoned. Alice lingered in the doorway, one hand gripping the frame. Her gaze darted around the room like a scared child.

"Miss Chen,” I began formally so I could gauge her personality. “When did you see Ms. Simmons last?"

“You may call me Alice.” She hesitated, shifting her weight as she let go of the doorway to rub her wrist. “It’s been over a month since I’ve seen Ellie. She tended to disappear into her room for days on end.”

Her words lingered as I scanned the spotless room. "Did Ms. Simmons have any enemies?" I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Of course not!" she replied, her eyes widening, her tone sharp.

"Sorry. Standard questions." I paused to let her compose herself. "Did she seem off? Depressed? anxious?"

“It is hard to say. She could be... consumed by her projects at times. However, about a week before I saw her last, she seemed... excited.”

"About what?"

"It could have been anything. Ellie—Ms. Simmons—was always two steps ahead of everyone. I assumed she was engrossed with another brilliant idea."

My eyes landed on a computer screen, its backdrop the shoreline of a small sheltered bay. In the lower corner, four interlocking circles surrounding a triangle stood out. I nodded toward the screen, “can you access her projects from here?"

Alice nodded and moved to the desk. Her fingers deftly navigated the keyboard like a pro. I scanned the closet. Everything was perfectly arranged. It didn’t feel lived in.

"I hate to suggest this," I said, my voice measured as I delivered the unwelcome thought. "This kind of order—it’s planned. Done to make things easier for others… after they’re gone."

"Are you suggesting Ellie killed herself?" Alice snapped. "She is the strongest person I know! She would not have done that!"

"Again… I apologize. Occupational hazard." Taking in the space, I added, "This room is not lived in. Ms. Simmons’ excitement suggests acceptance. It has all the classic marks."

“But this is how Ellie lived!” She paused, her voice softening, “I found a program I do not recognize running on her computer.”

Alice pressed a button and my stomach churned as a section of the wall slid open with a faint hiss. A sleek, illuminated bed slid out smoothly, its unmistakable design making the hairs on my neck stand on end.

"Is that an Elysium access port?" I took a step back from it.

"Yes," Alice nodded. "Ellie had that installed so she could work from home. It was activated by the program. There is now a prompt that reads, ‘You may enter The Cove.’"

I took another step back. “The Cove?”

“The program is running on an encrypted Elysium model,” Alice explained. “The data can only be accessed from inside.”

Inside… Elysium. Adrenaline kicked in as my body prepared to flee. Not again.

“Great,” I said, slowly moving to the bed. “Another trip in. This day keeps getting better.”

“Are you seriously thinking of going in there?” Alice rubbed her wrist nervously. “I cannot guarantee it will be safe.”

“I don’t have a choice.” I hesitated before sitting down. “It’s my only lead. ‘Everything I need,’ he said.”

My heart quickened. Was it excitement? Fear?

Alice watched, unmoving, as I positioned myself. It felt like an eternity before she pressed a key. The bed quietly slid back into the wall and sealed.

Everything dissolved into light and then... peace.

**********************************************************************

When I opened my eyes, I was back in Simmons’ room. First, I thought something had gone wrong. Then the familiar grip of Elysium’s emotion-control hit me… I was back.

Standing, I inspected the room. It was exactly like Simmons’ real-world room, down to the organized closet—except for one addition. A keypad of geometric shapes sat on the desk.

I opened her door to leave and her computer screen came alive. It displayed a prompt: ‘The Cove.’

I wavered. Elysium’s peace called to me. Reluctantly I turned back to the computer.

The keypad reminded me of the apartment access pad. It couldn’t be that easy, could it? I entered the same code Kane used: two circles, a triangle, two circles.

The bed lit up and beckoned me. Confused, but determined, I laid back down. The process that brought me here repeated. Everything dissolved into light again, but this time something felt different.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself on the shoreline of a small sheltered bay. Rolling waves of blue water reflected a cloudless sky. The air smelled faintly of salt.

A figure stood at the water’s edge. She spoke with a voice I instantly recognized.

“Welcome to The Cove.”

“Hello Ms. Simmons,” I said, my voice wavering. A familiar weight grew in my chest. “Why do I feel… fear?”

“This is how Elysium was supposed to be,” Simmons replied, brushing a curl from her face. “A place of realism where anything is possible.”

"I don’t like it.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “This is not what I remember.”

“That is because they do not care about you.” She laughed softly, the sound tinged with bitterness. “Their thoughts are consumed with greed and power. They changed my Elysium to leave you wanting more.”

“Your Elysium?”

“I created Elysium to be a place of freedom.” Simmons’s features tightened. “They turned it into a prison with invisible bars.”

“Where are…” I struggled with my thoughts. “Where are you?”

“I am where I choose to be, away from their control.”

“Away from it? You’re connected to the system.”

“I am not ‘connected,’ Evan—I am the system.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Simmons paused and looked intently at me. I felt her stare in my soul.

“Do you know what Atherion uses Elysium for?”

“Enlighten me.”

“The program harvests our thoughts, our ideas—everything unique about us—all for their gain.” Her voice grew cold. “Elysium is a farm, Evan—we’re the crops.”

Her words churned in my stomach. “Why not do something? Why run?”

“They would’ve silenced me. Out there I was a pawn. In here I can make real change.”

“But what if they find you? The real you.”

“Who are you to say what is real?”

Simmons reached out but abruptly snatched her hand back.

“I must send you out of The Cove, Evan,” she spoke quickly, fear flickering on her face. “You need to leave Elysium. Someone is trying to pull you and I am not strong enough to protect you yet.”

I barely had time to register her sudden change of demeanor before The Cove dissolved into a burning light. I found myself back in Simmons’ room. Elysium’s artificial peace returned.

Simmons’ voice cried out, “You must leave… now!”

Before I could react, the room dissolved into a burning light.

I woke up disoriented, picking up pieces of a heated discussion. “He could not have been prepared for such a quick retrieval process!” Alice’s voice rose above the pounding in my head. “His mind may not recover!”

“The Cove... The Cove...” I muttered as I sank into darkness.

**********************************************************************

I woke to a blinding headache. Rough straps of a hospital bed dug into my wrists. Jim paced near the room’s door. Alice sat hunched at the foot of my bed.

“Where am I?” I rasped. “Why am I strapped to the bed?”

“Sorry about that, man,” Jim said, rushing to my side and loosening the restraints. “You were touch and go for a while. We had to tie you down for your protection.”

“They made me pull you out too fast,” Alice said, her voice heavy with regret. “I was afraid I broke your mind. They found… they found Ellie’s body”

“Authorities found Ms. Simmons’ body in the river,” Jim added. “Preliminary reports suggest suicide. Miss Chen mentioned that Atherion came to give you the news while you were in the system. They made her pull you out.”

“That’s not possible.” My body protested as I tried and failed to sit up. “Are you sure it was suicide?”

“There were cuts on her wrist, Evan” Jim said, his voice uneasy. “She may have been trying to remove a tattoo.”

I sat up again, slower this time. My head spun, but I was able to see Alice. She wore a short-sleeved shirt. Her tattoo was unmistakable.

“Alice,” I looked at her. “A moment?”

Jim nodded and left, closing the door.

“I’ve been seeing that marking everywhere,” I said, rubbing my wrist. “Who are you?”

“I was working with Ellie to expose Atherion. We were partners.” Alice paused. “Did she… did she transfer herself into Elysium?”

“Seems like it.” I paused to think about my encounter with Ellie. “What now?”

Alice relaxed and gently rubbed her wrist. “Now… we wait.”