Chapter Text
Somehow I felt as though I had been hearing the voice for longer than I realized I had been awake.
I wasn’t hearing it in a normal sense, like how you would with a neighbor or another person. It felt more like something forced into your head while you lied there helplessly, drifting into a state between unconsciousness and exhaustion. Time felt wrong, to add to my puzzling state. I’d relax for what I swore couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, and then I’d come around again and suddenly the lights were dimmer, or brighter, or something was noticeably off.
Everything felt like it was poorly smeared together, stained into my mind as I felt myself rot, my body feeling too heavy to make any sort of movement in the slightest.
Despite this, the voice never seemed to let up.
“What’s two plus two?” The voice would speak again. She hovered close by, seemingly unmoving as the words would become engrained in my mind. The voice was soft; feminine, but seemed to be lacking any sort of emotion as it spoke, as if she were a robot repeating a trained task.
I frowned without opening my eyes. Of all the questions to ask me when I felt half-dead, this was the one she landed on? The question felt important, yet the other part of my mind told myself I didn’t know the answer. The confusion irritated me, and the tone of voice she was using as she repeated the question didn’t make me feel any better. Maybe it was because it sounded less like she cared, and more that she wanted to see I was alive. Part of me knew I didn’t care that much though. That part of me also couldn’t pinpoint why.
I chose to ignore the inquiry. I was too tired to respond anyways.
A few minutes of silence passed, though I would have no way of knowing if it had been longer than what it felt like. Then she repeated herself again, with the exact tone. There was no emotion in it, no sense of urgency for the situation.
Should I be feeling a sense of urgency? Despite my brain being fuzzy and having no clue as to what was happening- I felt an odd sense of peace, despite the irritation building up in me towards the person speaking. The whole situation felt dodgy.
“What’s two plus two?”
I let out a slow breath, which felt constricted and dry compared to what I felt like it should have.
I listened to the voice one more time.
Automated. I hit the dart into the bullseye. Even when I felt as though I was on the brink of death, it seemed automated technology still found a way to harass me. At least she- or it, I supposed- wasn’t trying to sell me anything.
“Go away.” I tried to say, though the words came out as a garbled mess.
“Incorrect.” The computer responded. “What’s two plus two?”
It seems the only way to get it to leave me alone was to respond. Based on the fact that I could barely speak, I immediately assumed this would be a struggle. So I started small, seeing what I was capable of.
First of all, basic human interaction.
“Hlllch?” I slurred, trying to give a basic greeting.
“Incorrect.” The computer responded, continuing its repeated interrogation. “What’s two plus two?”
I was definitely starting to get annoyed. I let out a high-pitched noise- a cross between a noise of frustration and a whine. What is even going on?
I need to start slow. Assess what I already know, and work from there.
Why do I know this? Alright, I know how to problem solve, it seems. Good skill to have.
I can’t feel anything. I pause for a moment. I can feel something. I think I can feel something touching my fingertips. I’m laying on something, the fabric feels smooth underneath me.
Bed. I’m on a bed. I’m lying down on a bed. Make’s sense. If my mind was this broken, laying down in bed would be the safest place for me to be. My eyes are closed, the world is black.
I should open them, I need to see where I am. Easy enough. I try, but nothing happens. Have I forgotten how to use my eyes?
I concentrate. It shouldn’t be taking me this much effort to see. I can feel my eye throb- and slowly my eyelids began to move.
Immediately, blinding lights fill my vision, causing me to let out a whine. I quickly shut them again, my head seeming to match the throbbing in my vision as a headache crept up.
“Eye movement detected.” My harasser responds. “What’s two plus two?”
At this point I wanted to yell. I wanted to swear revenge and torture to the machine that seemed to be calculating my every move, creating the perfect recipe of torment to use as I tried to regain myself.
I tried to move something else. My fingers don’t seem to move, but a sense of touch starts to creep up from the nail to my mind. My toe’s don’t move either. Isn’t that supposed to the bare minimum? I couldn’t remember.
My mouth can move. I know that. I had been spending my time trying, and failing, to respond or say something.
“Ohigg.” I croaked, the pitch higher than I would have liked.
“Incorrect.”
My eyes open again, but this time slower. I need to know where I am. There are lights shining down on me, seemingly displaying my body in a holy array. My eyes traveled around the room, adjusting to the bright space.
I can’t see much between my blurry vision still adjusting and the angel at which the bed was, but it was a strange sight. The walls looked plastic and fake, the room being a circular shape.
That was strange. What kind of place has a circular room? Whoever designed this room definitely had some strange artistic choices.
My eyes traveled down to my own form. There’s nothing covering me up, but then again, it was only me and the computer.
Right, the computer. I should probably figure out what that’s all about.
“What’s two plus two?” It would repeat, as if it were sensing my curiosity about its own form.
The computer is a robot- having two arms coming from the ceiling. The arms are moving, I realized, having an assortment of tools attached as it seemingly examines my form as a replacement for fingers. Creepy. The blinking light of what seems to be a camera on it doesn't make me feel any better.
My eyebrows pressed together as I stared at the robot, it’s front seemingly staring back. I pondered its question again. I know this one, it’s-
“Fffoohh..r.” I groaned, praying it would accept my answer.
“Incorrect.” Was all it had to say, repeating the dreaded question again.
I took the deepest breath I could- despite the fact that I felt like I was speaking into a tightly packed void, drowning out any semblance of speech it could collect.
“Fffoouurr” I attempted again.
“Correct.”
The word’s made time feel like it had stopped as I processed them. I didn’t actually expect the robot to finally agree, I was starting to panic a bit, but the confirmation that I was capable of speaking and a machine could understand it made me feel a bit better, even if it was a bit of a mess.
I closed my eyes for a moment, a sigh of relief leaving my mouth as I took another moment. Man, that took more energy then I would have liked. In all honesty, I felt terrible.
Maybe I was in the hospital? It made the most sense. Waking up feeling horrible with a robot seeing if I was aware. I opened my eyes back up, looking for more hints.
My face felt tight. I tried moving an arm to feel what was there, but I couldn’t move it much. Upon examination, both of my arms were connected to some sort of tube system. After a bit of thinking, I realized a breathing mask was over my mouth.
Definitely in a hospital.
There were more tubes connected around, some in my legs, and others disappearing underneath my thigh. I winced at the thought of where that one ended.
Electrodes covered my body, the stickers feeling like phantom touches to my body. If I was in a hospital, shouldn’t there be doctors? Apparently not, it seems, sense I have been left with a creepy arm robot.
There were two other beds in the room, and as I stared at them more, I realized there were people in them. Thank god I wasn’t alone. I can’t see much of the others, as the bed’s were slightly sunken in, the frame acting as some baby gate to keep us from rolling off, I assumed.
The other side of the room was more bare, besides the ladder climbing up the wall. I glanced around the room, and the realization that there was no door struck me. Was a ladder really the only way in and out of here? It led to some sort of hatch. Was I in a submarine? That would be silly, but maybe the three of us are in some sort of quarantine?
And that would be why there’s a robot instead of a doctor!
There were small vents lining the top of the room, seemingly bringing in airflow. We were probably in a controlled environment, which made sense if we had some contagious disease that needed us to be alone and isolated.
Alright, so I have an idea of where I am. I wonder if the robot had any information for me.
“Whe-” I coughed, my throat sore as I did so. I paused in hopes to rest my voice for a moment, before continuing. “Where… where am I?”
“What’s the cube root of eight?” Was all the robot had to say.
I pursed my lips, starting to speak slowly.
“Two times e to the two-i-pi.”
“Inccorect. What’s the cube root of eight?”
I was right, but I really just wanted to see how smart the robot was.
“Two.” I answered instead.
The robot seemed pleased. “Correct.”
I waited for a moment, to see if it would say anything else, but I was met with silence. It seemed satisfied with my answers, which I was grateful for. That meant I could focus on figuring out more about where I was instead.
First, I need to move.
I started slow. After a bit, I got my pointer finger wiggling. That seemed to get the robot’s attention again.
“Hand movement detected.” It stated the obvious. “Remain still.”
Before I can even question what it’s about to do, the arms begin moving quickly. They grab onto the tubes on my body, making quick progress to move them away. I didn’t feel anything as they worked, my body numb to the touch. The oxygen mask around my face is slowly removed, small indents leaving my face tense as I move my mouth.
Still, it left a small iv dented into my arm. Presumably that was the magic piece that was keeping me together as I slept.
Once the robot was done, I slowly attempted to try out my body again. I’d start with my left hand, slowly raising it before letting it fall back. I’d repeat the same process for my right. My body felt heavy, yet still seemed strong for someone who seems to be having major medical issues.
Usually when you're hooked up in a quarantine zone in a hospital you’d think you would be as thin as a leaf, but it seems like I got lucky.
I wondered what state the others were in. If they were anything like me, they should be good. But who knows when they’d wake up. I wasn’t sure how long I was out for, but it was long enough that I felt exhausted and confused.
I should check on them. Yea, that sounds right. Slowly, I attempt to push myself up. My palms are flat against the sheet, awkwardly bending as they slowly approach my sides and my chest begins to move. With a struggle, I push myself upwards.
After taking a breather, I slowly work my legs, giving them a little stretch before pulling myself over the edge of the bed quickly. A little too quick though, as I nearly tip off the edge, hands moving to the frame to steady myself. I grimace. At least my reaction time seems to be unaffected.
The robot moves, causing me to flinch.
“Oi-!” I yell as it seems to hover right next to me, making me slightly uncomfortable as I back away. It stops, but still hovers next to me.
“Full body motion detected.” It observes. “What’s your name?”
Simple enough. I think I’ve nailed talking again- surprisingly fast- so it shouldn’t be more difficult then it originally was.
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I pause.
Who was I?
All this time I was caught up trying to figure out where I was and why I was here: but never who was here. Never who I was.
The realization dawned upon me.
I could remember how to solve problems. I could do math. But I couldn’t remember my own name?
“I-”
“Incorerct.”
I stayed silent for a moment.
“You must know.” I reason.
“Incorerct, 2 failed attempts.”
Okay, so now we’re counting.
Two failed attempts. Did the amount matter? It probably did. The more I failed to answer the stupider the machine probably thought I was.
If we’re going in a system of 5.. Maybe it’ll.. It’ll give more.. Attempts..?
My brain feels an odd sense of peace. Suddenly I can’t keep myself upwards, and the robot arms move as if they were expecting this.
The quietness of the movement felt oddly pleasant. A break from the panic, a break from the realization that I couldn’t figure out the most basic questions about myself.
The machine must have sedated me, I reason. I clench onto the sheets. I didn’t even register that I had been moved to lay down until now. I feel my head loll to the side.
Feel wasn’t the right word. I couldn’t feel anything. It was more like.. I just.. Knew? Huh. My brain isn’t working right.
✩‧₊˚─────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆─────˚₊‧✩
The next time I wake one of the robot’s arms is right in my face, close enough to touch. I yelp, pushing myself away as I flinch. The arm immediately moves back, and I pull a hand up to my face to feel for any damage. Instead I find a half-finished shave job. Oh.
“We’re you shaving me?” I ask as if it would respond. So far the robot seemed to ignore everything I asked, instead always just answering with its automated “incorrect” and repeating the question, or another observation about my state.
“Consciousness detected.” It predictably said. “What’s your name?”
“Still don’t know that.”
“Incorrect.”
I grumbled with a sigh, starting to move again. I lifted myself up and- more slowly, this time- swung my legs off the side of the bed. I glanced down at my iv, removing it from my arm. A small drip of blood stained the bed, but I paid no mind to it. The robot moved to my side, once again hovering by me.
I ignore its presence, pushing myself off from the bed. This proves to be a mistake, as my legs give out underneath me and I fall to the ground. I let out a sharp inhale. Standing up after being unconscious for god knows how long probably wasn’t the brightest idea, but I’ve always been a little clumsy.
Why do I remember the most little facts about myself instead of important things!? My mind was driving me crazy.
“Physical distress detected.” The machine speaks, its arms moving to grab at me.
I yell at it like a cornered cat, dragging myself backwards with my elbows. The arms aren’t long enough- and when I know I’m out of range, I stop. I prop myself up against the wall.
I laugh. Should have thought of that before chasing me off!
Man, I was really getting this pissed over a robot. It was stupid, really, but seemed to be the only thing keeping me entertained.
I glance down at the arm I ripped the iv out of. I lifted it up, watching as a small bit dripped on the ground. Not enough to be a concern, but enough to make a small, red streak on the ground where it dripped. I made a mental note to clean that up later, if I could remember. Based on all the factors I had examined, memory currently wasn’t my strong suit. But that was okay!
(It really wasn’t, as it seemed the robot won’t be leaving me alone anytime soon until I start remembering my basic details, but I’ll figure it out soon. I hope. I should.)
I shake my head, glancing around the room. Right, the others!
I lift myself up, glancing at the figure in the nearest bed. Once I can wake the others up we can figure out what’s going on. Hopefully they remember more than I do.
Part of me was also glad I wasn’t alone. I had always been described as a very social person- well, more of an obnoxious person, but same thing- so it made me feel-
“Oh.” I said audibly as I caught a glance at the person's face.
Definitely dead. I grimaced.
The person closest to me was a woman, I believe. She had long, orange hair falling past her shoulders, and other than that, not much else. Her skin was thin and dull, almost like a mummy.
The room smelled clean, not a hint of rotting in it. She must have died a long time ago. Really made me wonder just how long I had been out.
I glance at the other bed, moving to look in it. This time there is a man in it, with short brown hair that ticks the edge of his ears. He’s also dead.
I take a step back, taking a deep breath. Alright. I’m the last one alive in this room. I wondered how close I was with these people. Part of me wished I wasn’t, that we were strangers who happened to be in the same predicament and set in quarantine together. It would definitely make me feel slightly better to know I didn’t have any attachment, though I would rather I just don’t remember anything to do with them.
At least I’ve found one good thing about my memory loss.
How long have I been here? And how come I seemed perfectly alright while the others who I presumed were in the same boat as me didn’t make it?
Questions without answers paced through my mind, and I took a sunken breath through my chest. You would think by now someone would take out the bodies. It would be pretty gross to leave dead bodies in a controlled quarantine zone.
I start to move again, but this time to the other side of the room, where the ladder was. I passed by the machine, who tried to grab out for me again. I ignored it, though I stared at it when I reached the ladder. It seemed to have been designed to take care of patients even when they were unconscious. Had I been in a coma? That seemed to make the most sense.
I stare up at the hatch. What lied past it, I had no idea, but I prayed it would have some sort of answer. Doctors maybe, more clues to what I was doing, who I was.
The robot seemed to follow my gaze, attempting to speak to me again.
“What’s your name?”
I ignored it, having a goal in mind now.
I slowly lift my feet to the first step of the ladder, putting a tight grip onto the higher steps. I slowly take a few steps, before falling back to the ground.
I furrow my brows, but don’t give up. If I had been in a coma for a while, it made sense that my body was weak. I probably should be resting, but I have questions I need answers to.
I move up again, continuing up the ladder. Eventually, I make it to the top, feeling for the latch. After flailing around for a bit, I started to move it, eyes locking onto the seal as I pushed it away.
On the other side was just darkness. It’s not the most inviting look, and definitely not a heaven like place I imagined I’d find, but surely there was more to it. And it was progress, which is what mattered the most in this moment.
I pull myself onto the floor of the new room, lights clicking on as if sensing my movement. The new room was roughly the same size as the previous, with no windows and artificial light filling the space. Once again another round room, but I wasn’t going to frown on the creators idea. Who knows, maybe that guy really just liked his circular rooms?
There was a large table in the center, attached to the floor, which kept it firmly bolted to the ground. There are stools fastened to the ground as well, with more tucked in the corner. Every piece of furniture is bolted down, I noted. At least I didn't have to worry about anything moving?
The room seemed to be a lab of some sort, equipment placed on the table and more hidden behind clear cabinets. Okay, so maybe I was in some sort of hospital with a lab attached to it? Those exist, right?
“Hello?” I called out, waiting to see if someone else was here.
The silence in the air felt louder than it should be.
I glanced up in the corner of the room, where a camera was mounted on the wall, blinking red. I wave my arms at it, staring directly at it as if it owed me something.
“Hey!” I try yelling. “Wanna tell me what’s going on?”
After a few moments, I call myself a fool before moving on to the hallway attached to the lab. The lights behind me turn off, and instead the lights of the hallway flicker on.
I finally notice what seems to be a window at the end. It looks dark out. Maybe it’s night? I run up to, and as I get close, my eyes widen.
The window was small, poking out like a cylinder to see the outside. It’s class was clean, not the kind you’d see with fingerprints or marks on it. Other than a thin layer of dust, it was inviting him forward.
But that wasn’t what stopped me. It was the dark, consuming void in front of me, stars glimmering inside.
My breath caught in my throat as my body went perfectly still.
“No way..” The words were quieter than before. I took a step closer.
I could see my reflection in the glass. My half shaved face, messy hair longer than I would like and my bare body still looking well despite the coma I had assumed to have been in.
I pressed a hand to the glass, melting away the perfect shape it had seemed to have been in just moments ago. It was cold, but I paid no mind to it, my eyes fixated on the view in front of me.
My heartbeat seemed to be moving faster, the sound echoing in my skull as I stared forward, desperately trying to find something I recognized. Maybe another planet, the moon, the sun. Anything that I would know.
But there was nothing.
The lights behind me flickered off one by one, leaving just the light on top of the window on. I glanced at it for a moment, before looking back at the dark abyss in front of me.
My hand moved from the glass, a small indent from my finger prints being left behind.
Suddenly everything made sense. The round rooms, the bolted furniture, the strange, bunker-like room I had been in.
And what hurt the most, the silence that dawned the ship.
I was all alone, frozen as I stared before my fate, and the endless darkness of space.