Brian unpacked his bags, setting his things neatly around the small living room until the place finally started to feel like his. Then he dropped himself onto the blue couch with a sigh, stretching out as the cushions swallowed him whole.
The room was softly lit by small white ceiling lights—bright enough to see, but easy on the eyes. A low white coffee table sat in front of the couch, facing a large flat-screen TV seamlessly built into the wall. Above him, he noticed a small black sensor blinking faintly from the ceiling.
"Smart Home," he muttered. It was one of those voice-command systems. You tell it what to do, and it listens.
"Turn on the AC. And the TV too," he said exhaustingly. A soft whirr came from the ceiling as cold air began to circulate. The TV flickered on, displaying a holographic newspaper feed above the table. Brian scanned through the floating headlines. Nothing worth reading—just another day of politics and product ads. He swiped down with a finger, scrolling through until a military recruitment poster caught his eye.
"Marine Corps Training Station – Los Desperado."
He squinted at the glowing ad. A stern-looking old man with a white mustache and a tall blue hat pointed directly at him from the hologram.
"Recruitment begins June 10th."
Brian chuckled. "Yeah, sure he does." He gave the hologram a light kick with his foot, and the image shattered into static before fading away.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a framed photo of a red football hanging on the wall near the kitchen. The sight blurred for a moment—then the light in the room seemed to flare, blindingly bright.
Suddenly—
"Wake your ass up, bro! Yo! Time to get in the game!"
The voice was loud, playful, and, full of energy. "We're heading to the battlefield! Brycie!"
Brian's eyes flew open. The sound of spinning fans and muffled chatter filled his ears. He blinked and found himself sitting in a locker room, sunlight slipping through a small square window high on the wall. He was wearing a full set of football gear—heavy pads, helmet tucked under one arm. Every muscle in his body felt weighed down, but the adrenaline in the air was electric.
"Yo, let's go! Huddle up now!" his black teammate shouted, rallying the guys in the locker room.
Brian sat up, heart still pounding. For a moment, he couldn't tell if he'd fallen asleep on the couch—or if this was something else entirely.