Neville let out a sigh, faint warmth still lingering on his lips.
Focus.
He shook his head and breathed out slowly. The HUD bloomed across his vision in pale neon, threading lines of light through the dark.
[WELCOME TO MECHA WARFARE ONLINE]
[PRIVATE LOBBY: HOST G.M.]
[GUEST: UNREGISTERED]
A pleasant chime — bing — followed by the soft mechanical purr of the system spinning up.
Without Shelly nattering in his ear, the cockpit felt too quiet. Eerily so.
He had grown used to her shrill cheerleading and her unhinged way of squeaking in the middle of a fight.
[CREATE TRIAL AVATAR — Y/N?]
Neville flexed his fingers; the haptic gloves appeared as he tapped Y.
A blank silver mannequin slid into view, frictionlessly rotating against a starfield. The cursor blinked on a name field.
He typed it out one letter at a time.
N — E — V — I — L — L — E
Simple is the best.
