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canopy, casting a net of broken shadows on the ground. Shafts of light thrust down, highlighting swirling clouds of dust within tightly packed trees. Dirt layered the ground and no evidence of shrubs, weeds or the like presented themselves.  
    “That’s strange—I thought it would be darker by now. Not that I’m complaining, or anything,” James said.
    Olivia looked to the sky, her eyes distracted.
    “So, James, tell me about yourself. Where are you from?”
    James had been wondering whether he should make small talk. Her question relieved him.  
    “I’m from Chicago—you?”
      “London. But, I was in Belfast…” she said, then shook her head. “Earlier.”
    “Belfast? How’d you find yourself in Northern Ireland?”  
    “Long story. What do you do in Chicago?”
    “I’m an artist and I teach part-time at U-of-C. Oh…um…I mean the University of Chicago.”  
    “An artist? What kind of art?”
    “Well, now, that’s a long story. Let’s just say I focus on transformative interactive media,” he said eagerly watching her reaction. James loved talking about his work—and watching how people reacted to seemingly nonsensical streams of words.
    “That sounds…um…interesting,” Olivia said. “Perhaps you could tell me more about it sometime.”
    “Gladly. To sum it up, my work explores the intersection between tangible and intangible interfaces our consciousness uses to interpret reality—Ow!”  
    James’ face ran head-first into…nothing. Olivia gasped from behind him as his head snapped back.  
    “Good God! What the hell?”  
    He rubbed his nose and scanned the air, expecting to find a tree branch or steel wall. Olivia slid passed him, extending her arm—it struck an invisible, solid object. She balled her hand into a fist and punched. A rippled impression swirled from the strike point, altering the forest scene into a painting on a wobbling canvas. Thin strands of light traced honeycomb patterns where the canvas bowed—they reminded James of circuitry on a silicon board.  
    The picturesque landscape returned to normal as the ripples subsided.
    “Holy motherfucking shit!” James said.

    8

    Purgatory 8 bustled. Theo contemplated the picture before him. On the wall monitor, Olivia and James stood at the perimeter point. They had discovered it within an hour of launch. Whether this was a red flag, Theo did not know.
    “Keep the lights on. We need these two to find their way back,” he said.
    Susan nodded curtly, then returned her attention to the screen before her.
    “Oh, and up their cortisol and testosterone—lower her estrogen. They need to get a move on.”

    9

    James pressed against the barrier, following it in each direction until he lost sight of Olivia. It did not end.
    Olivia rejoined James.  
    James scratched his head and sighed. “Find anything?”  
    “Shhh! Do you hear that?” Olivia had raised her finger at James.  
    James pricked his ears.  
    “No, I don’t… Oh, wait…”
    A low hum whirred beneath the otherwise silent woods. It sounded like the electric rattling of a power main, but no ordinary power main—like an ocean of electrical static.
    “Is that…is that from a power station? Damn, I can’t pinpoint where it’s coming from—it must be huge!” James said.  
    The discovery of the invisible barrier had left James bewildered. He stared beyond the barrier. The omnipresent, electrical thrum vibrated his body—it had a pacifying effect. A vacancy overrode James’ thoughts.
    “There has got to be a way out of here!” Olivia said, startling James.
    He jumped and drew in a deep breath, his once-expressionless face filled with focus.
    “You’re right. There’s gotta be a way out of here—we just need to find it.”
    James pulled out the slip of paper from his pocket and turned it between his fingers.  
    There must be more to this.
    “We need to head back. Look around. See what we’re up against,” Olivia said.
    James glanced up at