I woke up, slowly. My thoughts were sluggish. I did not know where I was. I felt… Floating. Yes, I was floating. I was also comfortable. Not too hot, not too cold, just perfect warmth.

  I tried to move, but could not feel if I was succeeding or not. Then I tried opening my eyes. I failed. Come on, you can do this. But I felt very very weak. I tried again, but could not. This is ridiculous. Open your damn eyes.

  The weakness intensified. I felt the exhaustion, this feeling of vertigo and emptiness. I was expecting to feel trickles of sweat on my neck, but did not. That’s when I realized. I was floating in a liquid. Adrenaline spiked. I tried to move again and felt some sort of restraint this time. On my face.

  Oh, I’m wearing a mask. Probably how I’m not drowning. That’s a relief.

  Then the exhaustion won and I felt myself drifting back into unconsciousness.

  Well, I hope this is just a bad dream and I’ll wake up in my bed.

  --- o 0 o ---

  I woke up again. I had no idea how long had passed, but I was still floating in that warm bath.

  Ok, so definitely not a dream.I tried to open my eyes and, this time, it worked. Yay, master of opening my eyes. So, where am I ?

  I was inside a tube, floating in a liquid that was the perfect temperature and did not feel like water. The room was very dark. There was a light above me, probably in the tube itself, casting a circle of light perhaps 1 meter around me, and deep shadows a little farther away. In the distance, I could see some blinking small dots, casting their own bubble of dim light in the darkness. They made the room feel large, full of weird shapes and shadows.

  Ok, what the heck?

  I tried to move, but the tube was not very large and prevented me from doing more than wiggling.

  I started feeling claustrophobic. I looked around in a panic, searching for a release mechanism, a button. Something. Or someone.

  I tried to call for help; but liquid entered my mouth. It was disgusting. It tasted like medicine. Very chemical, very gross. It reminded me of the stuff dentists ask you to wash your mouth with after they work on your teeth. Yes, it was that gross. And it had the consistency of thick oil. So I only managed to say ‘Brrglglgrrbglglg’. Well, that was helpful, I sighed internally.

  Thankfully, that mask I was feeling was covering my nose and sending air. At least I’m not drowning.

  I tried to squeeze in my tube. I wanted to bring my hand up, I wanted to see it. To get a visual confirmation that I was really there. But it was difficult and I was still weak.

  The same exhaustion started to settle, the same dizziness and I felt my consciousness slip away. Round two, KO again. Round three, here I come.

  --- o 0 o ---

  I woke up again. Gradually coming back to my senses. I’m definitely getting better at this waking up thing. This time, I’m getting out!. That’s a promise. I was still feeling weak, but this time, my eyes opened immediately. Progress! I felt lighter, more awake than previously.

  I surveyed my surroundings. The room was brighter. Dim lights dotted the ceiling. No longer shrouded in darkness, the room was now bathed in a faint illumination. It measured roughly 10 meters by 6. The architecture was strange. It really looked like something out of a sci-fi show. White paneling with a metallic sheen. There were weird panel junctions, some emitting very faint lights. On the opposite wall from my pod, was a huge door. Embedded in a metal frame. The door itself was hexagonal, made of triangular panels. An iris door. Wow! Am I on a movie set? I must be dreaming that I am in my favorite VR game?

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  There were shelves on most walls, filled boxes and some weird shapes. I could see some desks, chairs and an impressive table in the middle. Wait. Is that table hovering ? It really looks like it. No, I must be confused. It’s probably because this room is so dark, my eyes must be tricking me.

  I was still surveying my surroundings, when I heard a chime, followed by the rumble of machines waking up. I was wondering what was happening, frantically looking around for clues when I noticed the level of the liquid I was in was slowly dropping. Oh wow, Does this mean I’m getting out?

  I looked with anticipation at the receding levels in my tube. As that was happening I realized I was naked and the air was a bit chilly. Shivering, I celebrated when the tube finally opened. It was amazing. A seam appeared vertically, splitting the tube in two halves that slowly opened. So cool. I had never seen anything like this before. I touched the tube. Not glass. Definitely, but not plastic either. The straps of my mask automatically loosened and the mask fell to the ground, with a wet thud.

  I breathed. The room smelled like a hospital. Of cleaning fluids and recycled air. And then, I felt a light tug at the base of my neck, then heard a click, like something disconnecting.But I also felt the disconnection. Like an appendage no longer responding. “What the heck!”, I exclaimed. The sound of my voice was harsh. It felt raw from not speaking for a long time. And the sound, reverberating in the room, felt out of place. I froze. As if I had made a mistake. Seconds ticked, but nothing happened. No movement, no sound.

  I relaxed, then moved my head right and left, delighted by this new found freedom of movement. Victory! Let’s explore, now.

  I willed my legs to move to step out of the remnants of the machine that had kept me alive for I did not know how long, but nothing happened.

  I focused and tried to force a leg to move. Sweat trickled on my forehead, but finally, slowly, a shaking leg moved up and I took my first step.

  The effort was there, the result not so much. My rubbery legs would not support my weight and I fell. Not the sudden fall when you trip. More like a slow slide downward. My muscles were slowly giving way and I had long seconds to see the floor getting closer and closer before finally laying there, unmoving.

  This simple, and failed, effort left me shaking. I was grasping for air. The floor felt warm, and smooth.

  Weird. It looks like metal, but feels like carpet. Where am I? I mused as weakness took over. I felt the now familiar sluggishness of my consciousness failing.

  Round 3, I’m calling you a victory. See you next round.

  --- o 0 o ---

  I woke up, shivering. The floor was warm and comfortable, but the air was cool and I felt very cold. I stretched. “Well, let’s get round 4 started”, I yawned. I looked around.

  The lights were brighter than before. “That’s nice”, I mused. “Kind of like a tutorial, easing me into the situation”. I liked the sound of my voice. Well, more precisely, I liked hearing something. It filled the void in this empty room, eased the feeling of loneliness.

  I needed to explore, find if I was alone. But first, clothes.

  I scanned the room. Shelves, table, desk, chairs. Wait. Floating chairs, just like the big table. Where was I? Focus. Clothes now, we can look for answers later.

  I crawled to the nearest wall. There was an empty space between the pod I was in and the shelves, with bright yellow squares. Moving felt easier, but I still did not trust my legs. I reached the wall and used it to get up. My legs were supporting me, but I really needed the wall to keep my balance. Touching one of the squares on the wall, a section of it dissolved and revealed a compartment with neatly folded clothes. Score!

  The section of the wall disappeared. It did not slide or retract, it disappeared, like a movie special effect. I momentarily lost focus and played with it. Touching the square again made the panel reappear. Touch disappear, Touch, reappear. I was amazed and so confused. This was like magic. But eventually, I went back to the clothes situation.

  Hands shaking, I took one and unfolded it. The fabric was soft, smooth but felt sturdy. I had never seen anything like it. It was light blue and looked like hospital scrubs. I sat on the floor and put it on. The soft fabric was warm. I immediately felt better, but still needed pants. It took several tries but I eventually found some. Same colour, same fabric. Nice! I’ve completed the nurse outfit challenge. I hope I get a reward.

  But putting them on proved to be a challenge. My shaking legs refused to obey and slid in the correct leg. Swearing, I insisted. It took me five tries, yes, FIVE. But, sitting on the floor, I managed to put one leg on, then the other one.

  After this monumental effort, I stayed on the floor, panting. “Ok, I managed to put my clothes on all by myself. Does this count as being successful or pathetic?” I asked the empty room.

  The shoes were much faster to find. They were, obviously, on the bottom panel. They looked like crocs, but were sooo comfortable. Like soft socks. I quickly put them on. This was so much easier than the pants.

  I fumbled to my feet and stood up. When I did, my clothes did something amazing. They emitted a slow hum and started to shift around, until they were perfectly adjusted to my body. Smart clothes with automatic fitting. I’m pretty sure that’s not normal. I have never heard of anything like this.