It's dark. Extremely dark, actually. You're in a swirl of colors and shapes, a vortex of feelings and emotions. It feels... draining? No, it's all *being* drained away. All flushed down some metaphorical toilet. You try and grasp at something - *anything*. It's hopeless. You search your mind for anything. All you feel is static, but you can faintly make out something. You got here by... some unknown force, but your mind seems to recall being dragged, forced onto the ground, and given *something* directly into the veins of your arms, before being left to rot. You don't remember hearing any footsteps, but you do remember something - a conversation. *"Think he'll burst when he wakes?"* *"We have a cover story. There's no need to worry. We've bent the laws of nature before."* *"Make the gate, and let's get out of here, Engine."* The voices swirl together - it could have been three people, it could have been two, it could have been one person, switching between alters. Then it hits you. *The pain*. The swirls become spikes, stabbing into you from all angles. You are now acutely aware of your body - something humanoid, something fragile, and it is *all* hurting. It's not excruciating, but you feel like you need a second before you do anything else. ... The spikes shrink, but you're still hurting. You'll be fine. Hold it. Your eyes are closed. Have you been sleeping? How long have you been out? Only one way to find out. ### -> [[Wake]] up.