SIM technology. It allows people to enter vast simulated game worlds rich in detail and complexity. In the fantasy World of Rapt, for example, players can seek adventure, perform actual magic, and even, with a bit of luck, save the realm entire.Expensive as SIM time is, for Dennis Howard, life on the moon means his only respite from claustrophobia, his only experience with something called "outside" is through such SIMs. But the winner of the Master's Championship Tournament is granted unlimited free SIM time, and, thanks to his secret ability, Dennis, the youngest competitor in history, might just win. And since the competitors are all anonymous, no one is the wiser.Such retreats are short-lived, for, back IRL, after a bombing that nearly kills his father, Dennis is given an offer too good to be true by Artemus Regale himself, the CEO of the company running all the SIMs, an offer to help expand the reach of the man-machine interface. Does Artemus realize he is a competitor? Does he suspect Dennis is cheating? Could his father's injuries have been orchestrated to force him to comply to Artemus' demands?Only one thing is clear: Artemus is not to be trusted.