Chapter Text
J. Robert Oppenheimer woke up with a jolt, face down, a strange sense of dizziness in his limbs. The first thing he noticed was the smell. A bubblegum, cherry-like scent seemed to rise from the ground beneath him, which he quickly identified as gras. Confused, he turned around, opening his eyes. An almost unnatural brightness glared back at him and for a moment, all he could see were weird, blurry shapes. When his eyes had adjusted to the light, Robert's mouth went dry.
In front of him: the result of a particularly graphic fever dream. Or maybe the one of a drug, or a poison? The drink he'd had just a few hours ago had indeed tasted somewhat weird... Could this be the work of a mad, right-conservative terrorist, despising Robert's socialist tendencies? Or was he dealing with a desperate pacifist, forced to act against his principles and trying to kill the man who had killed their ideal? Either way, one thing Robert knew for sure: nothing of this could be real. The sea of pink, impossibly-shaped houses, sitting just a hundred meters away from him? Just the effects of a malfunctioning brain. The loud, joyful music? Auditory hallucinations, for sure. Even the green, perfectly trimmed lawn, and the baby blue sky - fake. Untrue. A mere Fata Morgana in the desert of Robert's intoxicated mind.
Maybe, he was dying. Robert had heard that, in the face of death, neurons start firing misinformation uncontrollably, causing freezing people to take off even their last piece of clothing in a sudden rush of heat. For the first time in his life, Robert wished he had become a biologist instead of a physicist.
Carefully, he stood up. Standing on his feet felt like always, although there was a slight weakness in his legs. Next, Robert grabbed his wrist. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. His pulse seemed normal, too. Neither weaker than usual, nor more irregular.
In that moment, he made a decision. Whatever state he was trapped in - fever, acute poisoning, coma or trip - he would not spend it taking roots at this spot. After all, J. Robert Oppenheimer was a scientist - he would be dammed not to explore whatever this place and its meaning was.