* NightmareFuel: The descriptions of some of the deaths.
** Dakota panicking on her first day and not understanding why being shot and killed is a regular part of the team's existence.
** The reveal that [[spoiler:Team Phoenix is made up of humans in people jars, with a plug installed into their right eye horizontally]].
** After they leave the game world, Team Phoenix becomes deathly ill due to [[spoiler:clone degeneration]].
** The ending of the book. [[spoiler:It's like the "Zion is part of the Matrix" theory]].
* TheUntwist: It's pretty easy to guess what's going on with Team Phoenix, especially if you're aware of other media that uses the twist. This is even lampshaded in the story, with everyone else guessing at it and Phoenix being in deep denial.
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