Stas ripped his hands down to his ribs, engaging his lats and core. On the monitor to his left, fifteen thousand avatars in the virtual foundry mirrored his movement. A wave of collective energy seemed to ripple through the network. He could see the global average heart rate on a floating telemetry display.

Stas was a trainer by trade, but his life had been consumed by a new phenomenon: FitCasting.

He tapped his temple, activating his own visual overlay. Instantly, the grey warehouse walls dissolved. He was standing on a metal grating above a river of molten orange steel. Sparks flew around him. "Let's go," Stas whispered to himself. The countdown hit zero.

He let the bands pull him back up and immediately ripped them down again.