I woke to cold. Not the kind that nips at your fingers or seeps into your clothes—but the kind that punches the breath out of your lungs and makes your bones feel hollow. I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed. Everything was dark, and I felt… suspended. Weightless, like floating in deep water with no surface in sight.

  Then, motion.

  A hiss cracked through the silence, sharp and mechanical. I felt the pressure shift as the liquid around me began to drain, slipping past my skin like oil. My chest burned—I hadn't even realized I was holding my breath. The moment the fluid dropped below my mouth, I gasped.

  Air.

  It was cold and thin, but it was real.

  The vat’s walls creaked as they pulled apart with a final, dragging sigh. I slumped forward, barely catching myself on the metal edge. My skin was slick and numb. I couldn’t stop shivering.

  The room was dim, lit only by a soft overhead glow that felt too bright after the darkness. My limbs were heavy, like I’d run miles in my sleep. My ears rang. My thoughts stuttered and slid like they didn’t want to stay still.

  But beneath all that—something else.

  A strange alertness. A sharpness I couldn’t explain. Like every sound mattered more. Like my body was waiting for something.

  I sat there, hunched and trembling, breathing like I’d just clawed my way out of the grave.

  And maybe, in a way, I had.

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  My legs didn’t want to work at first. I tried to stand, but everything felt off-kilter—like gravity had shifted a few degrees without telling me. I slipped once, caught myself, then stumbled forward on unsteady feet.

  The floor was cold. Sterile tile. Smooth and humming faintly beneath my toes. I wiped the liquid from my face, but it clung to my skin like it belonged there.

  The room was quiet. Too quiet.

  No humming machines. No voices. Just the faint whir of something unseen, maybe a vent or distant fan, filtering in through the silence like background static.

  I tried to blink the blur out of my eyes, but nothing changed. My vision was still dark, still useless. A tight knot formed in my chest.

  Had it worked?

  I reached out, feeling my way forward with both hands until my fingers found the edge of a wall. Cool, smooth metal. I followed it until I brushed fabric—soft, folded neatly. Clothes.

  My uniform.

  I dressed slowly, muscles aching in ways I didn’t have names for. Every movement felt foreign, like I was borrowing someone else’s body.

  But beneath all that discomfort… something buzzed inside me. Not pain, exactly. Not even fear. Just an edge. Like a thread pulled too tight.

  And I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different. Not just my body—me.

  I began walking forward when a sound pinged through my vision

  Welcome! Subject 9.

  I startled and stumbled back.

  DNA fusion complete. Neural and physiological baselines stabilized. Secondary adaptation pathways available. Please confirm readiness.

  I swallowed, my throat dry.

  “Where… where am I?” I asked.

  Dormitory Unit 09. Orientation phase has begun. Your interface will guide you through remaining selections. Please remain calm.

  How am I supposed to stay calm when I have a mechanical voice talking directly into my head!!!

  Subject 9. I am A.R.1.S but you may call me ARIS. I am what you would call an artifical intelligence. I have been assigned to you and bound to your nanites. Now that introductions are out of the way. You may begin choosing your first evolutions. You have 15 evolu- [3rr0r】 5 evolution points.

  "What? I didn't understand that!" I said.

  You have 5 evolution points. You may choose your first evolution through the screen in front of you.

  Error.

  Your first evolution has already been selected. Enhanced nano eyes. Beginning integration now.

  PAIN!