"But--" He looks again, as if he's expecting to see some normalcy drift in from the direction of the doors. "How can there be nothing but a platform out there? How--"

How did he come to be standing on an unfamiliar transport loading station, in alien clothes, surrounded by electromagnetic emptiness and people who don't register to his hardware-self's senses? How did he come to have a conversation with a kid who'd never even heard of an Interface, much less wore one for his to connect into? How does he have a pack full of gear on his back and a ticket with his EMID printed on it plain as day?

He puts his face into his hands for a moment. "How can I log out of this VR sim?" he mutters into his palms. To himself? To her? "I'm not having any fun."