Screening, a five minute freewrite.

"I know you're ignoring me. I..." Delete.

"Look, you have to get out of there. They know, it's..." Delete.

"You really gonna choose dead over a few more years with me?" End of messages.

I rubbed my eyes. All I wanted to do was sleep. For a moment, silence. The phone buzzed.

"What do I have to do to get you to listen? You don't have time. There are agents outside now. If you don't activate your tumbler you are dead. I know that you don't want to come back. I understand. I don't want to be stuck here any more than you do. They got eyes everywhere. They're watching me right now. Just activate it." End of messages.

I pulled up my hood and sank back, the tumbler lying in my lap. I toyed with it, feeling the sphere's coolness as I worked my way towards its single button. The door burst open as I shut my eyes and hit it.

I was turned inside out and jerked sideways, off the couch and out of the room, through the interspace and back to the white room. A loudspeaker crackled to life.

"Welcome back. One year penalty for failure to complete mission. Five year penalty for failure to entertain. Total sentence now 457 years."