"The truth."

 

Prism just chuckled and sighed.

 

"I knew you would choose that," he said and stretched. "Alright."

 

"Do I get to bring Minhyun along at least?" I asked and Prism seemed to give it a thought.

 

"No."

 

"No?"

 

"No."

 

"Please? Pretty please? You already helped us so much..." I tried to coax Prism, unsure why I thought it would work when he had already object to it. He sighed and shook his head. 

 

"I can't disconnect him since my system doesn't allow me to do that when he's not a winner this round. But I can tell you how to disconnect him from the outside." 

 

"The outside?" 

 

"That's right. That's where the truth is. And how to do that? First, you should...." 

 

~~~

 

The sound of steam hissing wasn't unfamiliar to my ears but when it's right next to my ear, I couldn't help but to flinch. I tried to sit up and immediately knocked into glass. 

 

"Ow...." I blinked as the glass slowly moved up and the hissing gradually stopped. I sat up and rubbed my forehead, looking down at the pod I was in. It looked as if I just stepped out into some kind of sci-fi matrix world. I was stumped, blinking and looking all around me. I touched myself and that's when I felt it. Something that didn't occur to me when I was in the other world but I was actually hot and cold at the same time. I was cold from the steam but hot from my body trying to create heat to fight it. I breathed in deeply but before I could actually collect myself, an alarm went off. I gasped and wasn't sure what to do so I tried to come down from the pod but instead ended up slipping clumsily as if my body was confused on my sudden movements. I managed to crawl behind the pod, unsure what I was even thinking at this point as I heard footsteps. 

 

"What on earth is Prism even thinking? We should have just reboot him like I told you!" a voice said that had a strikingly similar tone to Ren spoke up. "Now he's not inside his pod." 

 

"Calm down, Mingi. It's not that big of a deal," another person spoke and I immediately peeked out. I was stunned to see Minhyun and Ren both standing there. I knew it was them yet their hair and eye colors told me they were also different people completely. Minhyun had blonde hair and blue eyes while Ren had pink hair and purple eyes. "I already see him over there." 

 

I squeaked and lowered myself again but I knew they already caught me and there's no way out of here either. 

 

"Come on out, Dongho." 

 

I bit my lip and slowly stood up. Minhyun smiled and I frowned a little. That was definitely his face. 

 

"Um... What's going on here?" I asked softly and Ren or Mingi huffed. 

 

"Get back inside your pod," he scoffed and I quirked a brow at him. 

 

"No," I said defiantly and he grumbled. 

 

"You can't be out here! You'll just create a mess." 

 

"Then I'll make a bigger mess if you don't tell me what's going on," I said and put my hands on my hips. Minhyun sighed and shook his head. 

 

"Let's just show him around and then maybe he would rather go back inside." 

 

Mingi pouted but didn't stop him from moving aside, waving towards the door. It felt like a trap but it wasn't like I had anywhere else to run so I puffed up my chest and headed towards the door but my legs seemed to have lost their minds for a moment. I tripped and my hand slammed into the pod beside my opened one to stop my fall. It seemed to activate it or something as the opaque cover suddenly became translucent. I gasped when I saw Minhyun laying inside. This.... This is the one. 

 

Somehow I just knew. I started to look around the pod but Mingi came over and grabbed my arm. 

 

"Enough probing the others. I'll stuff you back inside myself if you don't move." 

 

"Minhyun... But... Why... How are there two of you?" 

 

"You'll understand soon enough. That's why you got jacked out, right? To find out what's truly happening."

 

"Yes...? So you know Prism?" They led me out and I noticed how much it looked like a facility of some sort. This told me it wasn't any good. This situation is- "What the-Where are we?!" 

 

"In our facility. Welcome to Pentagon."

 

I stared out at the sea before me. Water was everywhere. Fish and all sorts of sea wildlife were swimming about. Nothing felt real at all. 

 

"Is this real...?" I asked and the two stood beside me. Mingi scowled while Minhyun nodded. 

 

"You'll get bored of it eventually when you see it everyday," mingi said. 

 

"He's not wrong but yes, this is real. Our facility is built underwater due to its scale." 

 

I nodded, about to lower my guard but quickly snapped out of it as I breathed in deeply. They didn't give me much of a hostile feeling despite their earlier reactions and somehow, seeing familiar faces made me feel a little more at ease. Even if I shouldn't be relaxed! They continued leading me down the corridor until we reached a door and they opened it, motioning me to follow them. Inside the room were screens everywhere and there were so many other people around keeping track, discussing, rushing from one end to the other and I was just baffled. 

 

"Welcome to our operation center. As you can see, the games are being observed from here," Minhyun said and I gaped at everything. Some stopped to look at me but went back to their work instantly. "And we need you back inside because you're a crucial asset to us. Do you understand now?"

 

"Nope, not at all. You call that an explanation?"

 

He sighed and walked me over to a desk. He clicked on the screen and scrolled to a stop. "This is the current condition of your game now."

 

"Huh?" I looked at the screen and gasped. People were trapped inside a prison and Prison loomed over them. "What's going on? Stop this! You can do that much, right?"

 

"We can't. The AIs in your game have grown far too strong for us to stop them. Putting any more locks on them will just cause the game to backfire much like how you ask Prism about players and he stopped functioning."

 

"Can't you just log everyone out?"

 

"No, we can't," Mingi said this time and I noticed their expressions had turned pale. "If we log everyone out, they'll wake up just like you... And we can't have that happening. You're not supposed to be awake in the first place. You were created for the sole purpose of the game. Your very existence is only for the game. Out here..."

 

"You are nothing," someone said and I looked up, jumping at the sight of myself looking at me. "Hello, Dongho. Or should I say, a carbon copy of myself?"

 

"A carbon copy...?" I blinked. He sounded just like me too but his hair and eyes were different much like Mingi and Minhyun. I had soft brown locks while he had black hair gelled to the back with tiny strands falling down. My eyes were of ambers and his were dark blue. "I don't get it.... I was created?"

 

"And so is everyone else participating in the games."

 

"What?"

 

"We cloned ourselves and inserted you into the data world, running simulations over and over. This is a game being held worldwide and you are merely a pawn in it. You have no real place in reality... Kang Dongho."

 

I shook my head, unwilling to accept what I had just been told. Created just for this game? Just to suffer and relive all of these over and over again without knowing?

 

"No! Lies! You're lying to me!"

 

I looked at myself shaking my head. "I am telling you the truth and you know it to be true."

 

"Prism was right? Everything is just a lie? All those memories I have before... Working with Hoshi..."

 

"Yes, they were merely fabricated from my memories. You've never actually worked with Hoshi before or met Minhyun in the game store either. They were just planted into you to make you feel that everything is real."

 

"Then why... Clone us? Why make a real body for me? You could have just... Put your data inside and create a game..."

 

"We are not just a regular game company but also a medical facility. Not that you have any memories about that." 

 

"You are using us...?" 

 

Everyone fell silent and looked over at me. I gulped, feeling small among all the white coated people. I took a deep breath and stood up straight. 

 

"We have human rights too! All of us... You put us through all those experiments without our consent... Even if we are just clones of you." 

 

"Clones made just for that purpose." 

 

I gritted my teeth and sighed. 

 

"And if you don't go back inside and stop the AI from becoming more sentient, we will have to use force." 

 

"At least, promise me this," I whispered as I looked at the screen. 

 

"What is it?" 

 

"If I managed to get the AIs to stop, you'll stop playing around with us too." 

 

They exchanged glances and I knew that it wasn't something that they could afford to agree to. 

 

"I still have emotions and feelings even if I'm just data in a game. You created me so take some responsibility. One more thing, a request from Prism himself." 

 

"The AI?" 

 

"He wants to be free. He doesn't want to do this anymore." 

 

"The only way he can be free is to be deleted," Minhyun said and crossed his arms. "An AI without a goal and purpose doesn't have a use." 

 

"That's not true. If an AI can get out of control, that means they are more useful than you give him credit for. Plus if you agree to it... I'm sure he will agree to help us stop Prison and also the games will stop at the same time, freeing us." 

 

"And how would that benefit us in any way?" 

 

"We can make a deal. You let us be free and we will do whatever experiments you want only with our consent. Or I'm setting everyone free."

 

"You're just one person right now. What makes you think you can set everyone free?"

 

I pointed at the screen. "Because I have the means to do so."

 

"Huh?"

 

A familiar prism head popped up in all the screens before waving cheekily. "Hello, everyone! I'm sure by now Dongho has already told you my request. If you choose to comply, everything will be easier for you. If you don't, I'll have the whole facility shut down and everyone will die anyways~"

 

People started panicking and clicking on the keyboards wildly but Prism chuckled.

 

"Sorry but I already removed your safeguards. You can't delete me or disable me anymore. So I'm hoping we can work together instead. If you agree, wake everyone up. If you don't, send Dongho back. Either ways, the choice is yours."

 

~~~

 

And in your hands

 

> Wake everyone up

 

> Send Dongho back