_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5">Alexander Voss stood perfectly still as attendants made final adjustments to his Activation attire. The midnight blue uniform with silver accents marked him as both VitaCore heir and Architect-css entrant—a combination that made him the focus of today's ceremony.

  "The neural interface impntation will take approximately seventeen minutes," expined Dr. Reiter, VitaCore's chief neural specialist. "You'll experience a brief period of sensory enhancement before transitioning to the Game environment. The A-CNS system we've customized for you includes expanded bandwidth capacity, perfect sensory reproduction, and enhanced tactical processing capabilities."

  Alexander nodded, having memorized the specifications weeks ago. On the table beside him y a data tablet dispying his strategic briefing materials—floor youts, resource locations, and opponent psychology profiles that no Worker-css pyer would ever see.

  "Your father expects you in the ceremonial hall in twenty minutes," said an attendant, before bowing slightly and backing out of the preparation chamber.

  Once alone, Alexander allowed his rigid posture to rex slightly. He gnced at his reflection in the polished metal wall. The person staring back looked perfect—poised, confident, ready. No one would see the doubts beneath that carefully cultivated exterior.

  Eighteen years of preparation for this moment, he thought. The best Architect-css physical conditioning, combat training since I could walk, strategic education from the finest tutors on Terminus. And all to enter a game designed to kill me.

  He knew the odds, of course. Even Architect-css pyers faced significant risks in the Game. The difference was in the preparation, the equipment, and the team. Speaking of which...

  Alexander activated the personnel files on his tablet, reviewing the pre-selected teammates: Riva, daughter of Imani TerraMin, specialized in defensive combat; and Valeria, protégé of Eliza Chen, gifted in information analysis. Both were exempry Privileged-css candidates with specialized Game preparation. The selection of two female teammates close to the twins in age wasn't coincidental - corporate alliances often began with strategic pairings, though such arrangements were never explicitly discussed.

  All carefully selected from families aligned with Voss corporate interests. The message was clear—Alexander was being sent in with every possible advantage, and failure was not an option.

  A soft chime indicated it was time to proceed to the ceremony. Alexander straightened his already perfect posture and stepped into the corridor where two VitaCore security officers fell into step behind him.

  The ceremonial hall of VitaCore headquarters had been transformed for the occasion. Corporate banners hung from vaulted ceilings, and a raised ptform dominated the center of the room. Hundreds of guests—all Architect and high-ranking Privileged css—filled the viewing areas. A separate section held media representatives who would broadcast the ceremony throughout corporate territories.

  Marcus Voss stood on the ptform, resplendent in VitaCore's ceremonial attire, his silver-streaked hair perfectly styled. On a slightly lower tier stood the other four families whose children would form Alexander's team. Behind them, a row of white-uniformed medical specialists waited beside gleaming equipment.

  Alexander scanned the front row of attendees, noting representatives from every major corporation. The twins had been allowed a private farewell earlier that morning—a rare concession from Marcus, who normally discouraged such "emotional indulgences."

  "Today marks a proud continuation of the Voss legacy," Marcus began as Alexander took his position on the ptform. "For generations, our family has led by example, and today my son Alexander demonstrates our unwavering commitment to Terminus's future by entering the Tower of Ascension."

  The assembled crowd appuded politely. Everyone knew this was political theater—the Game had been mandatory for decades—but Architect-css families maintained the pretense of voluntary noble sacrifice.

  "The Game represents our meritocratic ideal," Marcus continued. "A system where true excellence is rewarded with advancement and opportunity. Alexander enters with the finest preparation VitaCore can provide, carrying forward our family's tradition of achievement."

  Alexander stood at perfect attention, his face a careful mask of determined confidence. The words were familiar—he'd heard variations of this speech throughout his life. The Game as opportunity. The Game as advancement. Never mentioned was what everyone knew: the Game as popution control, the Game as death sentence for most participants.

  After Marcus finished, each family presented their entrant with a ceremonial token. Alexander received a ptinum medallion bearing the VitaCore emblem on one side and the Voss family crest on the other—a purely symbolic gift that would not actually accompany him into the Game.

  Then came the technical portion of the ceremony. Alexander and the other four initiates took their positions on reclined medical chairs. The chief neural specialist approached Alexander first, as befitted his status.

  "Alexander Voss, are you prepared to enter the Tower of Ascension?" she asked, following the ceremonial script.

  "I am prepared," he responded, his voice steady.

  The specialist activated a holographic dispy showing the custom A-CNS neural interface designed specifically for Alexander. Unlike the mass-produced interfaces used for lower csses, this device featured quantum processors matched to his individual brain patterns, unlimited bandwidth connection, and numerous enhanced capabilities that represented the pinnacle of neural technology.

  "This interface has been calibrated to your unique neural architecture," the specialist expined for the audience's benefit. "It will provide perfect sensory reproduction, enhanced tactical analysis capabilities, and complete integration with the Game environment."

  Alexander felt a cool sensation at the base of his skull as the preparatory gel was applied. Unlike Workers who received their interfaces through assembly-line procedures, Architect-css impntation was handled with meticulous care by the colony's finest specialists.

  "Initiating neural connection in three, two, one..."

  A tingling sensation spread from the base of Alexander's skull throughout his body. His vision briefly fragmented into prismatic colors before sharpening to unprecedented crity. He could suddenly perceive details he'd never noticed before—the individual fibers in the ceiling banners, the subtle variations in the specialists' breathing patterns, the nearly imperceptible tremor in his father's right hand.

  "Neural pathway integration complete," announced the specialist. "Consciousness transfer initiating."

  Alexander's enhanced senses began to fade as his awareness shifted. The ceremonial hall grew distant, as though he were moving backward through a tunnel. The st thing he saw before his consciousness fully transferred was his father's face—not proud or satisfied, but calcuting, assessing, already measuring the investment against potential returns.

  Then darkness enveloped him as his consciousness separated from his physical form, which now entered medical stasis—Alexander Voss, Architect-css entrant, was officially in the Game.