“I thought they were virtual realities,” said Kyr. “Pretend.” “Nope,” Avi said. “The agoge’s the real thing. Fourteen billion people die every time someone fails Doomsday.” Kyr went still. For a vivid instant she could almost taste the stale air of her combat mask as she stood on the defense platform and watched the blue planet begin to unravel. “If it’s any comfort,” Avi said, with a nasty little smile, “it’s the same fourteen billion, and by this point they’re probably used to it.”
