The city has a bright propensity, a flicker-glowing hum, that would make the sun gods jealous. But there is no sun around the city and, probably, Tracy thinks, there are no gods at all.
Tracy looks at her watch. It's not even 2pm, or so she thinks. The second hand moves strangely, trying to act as a compass but failing with sporatic cling. Well, It's pointed where I'm headed anyhow.
As she approaches the main gate, Tracy is bombarded with banners flying overhead--disrupting the mystical ambient night with slogan's that read, "Breeding is Believing" and "Trust the Illuminati to illuminate your life!". Words and stray letters are strewn about everywhere, and all moving very rapidly, apparently of their own volition. Stepping on some creeping letters that attempt to strangle her feet with the perplexing words "Mental masturbation produces dead ideas," Tracy makes her way across Propaganda Square. Limping behind her, as if they have already met the heavy end of a heel, trail the letters "a sure-fire way to miscarriage." Becoming curious, and presently a little more than curious, she grabs the letters and befuddles them around a bit, spelling out a new phrase and letting it race off to tell the world, "Sure, dead ideas produce miscarriage. Fire-away mental masturbation". She crushes the "to" that remains behind, "It makes just as much sense as before", she mutters and bursts through the behemoth doors, into the city.
The extraordinary illumination falls short behind the city walls. The only light seems to be coming from underneath a massive pyramid, glowing like a neon elvis.
"What's the deal with this?" Tracy wonders as she looks for a way around or inside the great structure.
"We are the Game Masters." Boom familiar voices.
"Oooh, I'm impressed." Tracy response with a lack of subtlety that implies opposite. Searching for the voices, she asks, "Do you expect me to roll some dice?"
"We expect you to become Humon." An eye opens at the peak of the pyramid. Tracy feels the chill of it's perusal.
"I am Human, thank you. Can I go now."
"Your laziness and contempt breed misunderstanding. That will not serve you very well in the upcoming challenge..." A pause, saturated with a desperate plea for understanding. "We must explain more carefully. The Human race is evolving, homogenizing. You have not evolved, but we are giving you the opportunity to leave Humanity and join Humonity. We hope you succeed, but that will depend on how you meet your match."
"And who or what is my match? Or is guessing part of this game?"
"You've been watching the multivision too much, Tracy. We are here to enlighten you." Bright, transparent words zip across Tracy's vision, Enlightenment! no purchase necessary...
"Enough with the crap. Just get on with it!" Tracy's exasperation fails to impress the Game Masters.
"Seeing is believing," A strong voice booms, "and so is breeding..." another voice adds in. "Well, let's show her."
A thick ribbon of blue appears in front of tracy and expands until it consumes her. She is standing now, on the ribbon--satin and surreal--and can make out that it is in the form of a mobius strip. One flat side, is supporting Tracy and if she were to follow the ribbon, she would end up back where she started. But Tracy folds her arms and sighs. "I'm not going to hang upside-down for your amusement."