The Higher You Fly, The Farther You Fall

The next day, at 8:00 a.m., I met with Richie, Jessica, and Tom in a big hall. They looked at me with curiosity. It was finally a "mission day"! I was very curious also - about what was going to happen!
"Stand inside this circle," Ritchie ordered and pointed to a circle drawn on the floor.
"Interesting! Is this going to be another trip through time?" I had just started thinking that when Ritchie pushed a big red button on the wall with his right hand.
Suddenly, the floor under me disappeared, and I began falling.
Jessica just smiled and waved.
"You need to survive! I put two viruses on you!" Tom shouted.
"All time travelers need to go through the death tunnel! Sorry, buddy!" Ritchie shouted.
"Wha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-at?!" I was screaming, and falling through a long dirty tunnel.

Through Fire And Water

I fell to the floor inside a little room. I heard some strange scraping sounds, and saw a laptop on a small table, with text on the screen:
"You must solve all the tasks before the walls of this room completely smash you."
Oh no, so that's where the scraping sound was coming from: the walls of the room were already closing in on me! I read the first task as it appeared on the screen:

One task down, how many more to go? The walls were visibly closer, and the scraping continued as the second task came up on the screen:

Another task done, but soon I would be squashed against the computer table! How were all four walls closing in at once? I looked at the next task and saw a glimmer of hope...

As I worked on the task, a horrible realization hit me: there was no door, just four blank walls! The wall behind me had moved inward so far, my belly was being pressed painfully against the table as I typed the last slash and ran the program. Then three glowing asterisks appeared on the wall to my right. It slid back, revealing a short hall and then stairs going up. I ran out of the room, then upstairs, and saw that I had returned to the big hall.

But no one was there to congratulate me - clearly, I had to pass another test. In front of me, there were five metallic mesh barriers. The smell of ozone and a faint crackling sound told me they were charged with enough electricity to kill a horse at the slightest touch! In the center, I recognized a big elevator. I hoped it would get me out of there and end the test.

And again, there was a small stand on my right, holding a laptop, and on the laptop's screen:
  "Solve these 5 tasks. Each of them will turn off one barrier. Good luck!"

With a clang, the nearest barrier dropped into a slot in the floor. That was a cinch, but I had four more tasks to complete.

Two tasks are finished! I was beginning to feel confident, even a little brash. The next task seemed to have anticipated my new attitude!

As barrier after barrier disappeared, I began to get excited, and the tasks seemed to be getting easier!

Only one task to go! But for this next one, I had to recall my lesson on swapping things...

As the last barrier clanged into its storage slot, I rushed into the open door of the elevator, turned, and hit a button with an up arrow. Nothing happened.

Suddenly the lights went off, an alarm began whooping over and over, and then a red warning light began sweeping in a circle from the ceiling of the elevator. A panel beside the now-closed elevator door popped open, and in the space left behind, a keyboard swung down into position below a screen.

Success! The annoying alarm stopped, the red light turned off, and normal lights came on. I could feel the acceleration as the elevator slid smoothly upward. As the door slid open on the 2nd floor, Ritchie was already right there, alone, waiting for me.
"Well done, Teo!" Ritchie greeted me, "I think I'm ready to recruit you..."
"Recruit me... for the war against the machines?" I eagerly finished for him.
Ritchie laughed, half-cynically, half-genuinely. "Ha! Oh, that? No, not yet, actually. Working for me! You thought we would supply you with all your needs for free while you are getting ready to be a superhero and save the Earth?"
This future world kept throwing curveballs at me! I stammered, "Well, yes, something like that."
Ritchie gave me a wry smile, both condescending yet sympathetic. "You were wrong. Nothing is free. If you want to stay, join the rebellion, and go back to your home when we're victorious and can arrange a trip back in time, you'll have to work for me, do what I say, and generally be a good boy."
He finished with a straight face and a tone that made it clear he was dead serious: "If not — the door is over there. Feel free to try to make it on your own in this machine-controlled world!"