POST_METAMORPHOSIS

Chapter II - New world, same old traumas

After two and a half months, Saki suddenly woke up from her coma and found herself in a glass coffin-like bed dressed in white-ish pajamas. She hadn't a clue about the excitement and joy she caused to the facility, for she had woken up. Her eyes were completely open, and she had shortness of breath. Luckily, she was on a re-breather that provided her oxygen. A matte white layer was still covering the glass door of the coffin.

- "Ugh... Huh? I... I'm... I'm still alive... What is this? Where am I? What happened to me? How did I get into this dress? Damn, I'm aching everywhere... I can't feel any of my limbs..." - these thoughts were on her mind after she pulled herself together. She couldn't speak because of the re-breather and waited a bit more than half an hour for the pain and numbness in her body to go away. By the time she could move her arms, she noticed there were no signs of injury, drug usage, or modification on her body. She took the re-breather off herself, and it slipped back into its place.

- "It's... impossible... Am I back to normal? ... Strange... I'm not tanned anymore, but my skin is softer than usual... My hair is dark again but silkier than I recall... I have all my teeth... My shot marks have disappeared... My tattoos and my piercings are gone as well... And..."

She looked down and saw her abdomen was flat.

- "No... No... My daughter... She's... gone... She's gone forever... Fuck... NOOO..."

Devastating guilt inundated her from the inside, for she could not protect her only chance of salvation: her child. Saki could remember those events before she wanted to free herself from her weakened mortal coil. The poor girl had no strength to cry, but she was screaming internally.

- "Why me... WHY ME?! I don't want to believe any of this... I... I also feel intact... How? ... Nope..., it's just a bad dream. Or the drug is still in effect... Or... am I... ?!"

She was going to pinch himself on his left arm, but there was a tattoo from Aurora inside her mind.

- "No way... That dream... Was it... real? Is everything real...? What happened to us? What happened to my child? ... What have they done to me and my baby? ... Ugh, why is my throat so dry?"

Suddenly, a three-quarter-liter glass rose from a circular opening on the left. It had fresh, cold water in it.

- Welcome, dear patient. We're so glad you're alive and physically well. You seem thirsty. Would you like a glass of water? - a speaker appeared next to it. A young girl with a soft, robotic voice spoke through it. It was Emma's voice, yet she didn't know about her at all.

- "Water?"

Saki was hesitant at first, then she picked up the glass and drank the freshest water she had drank in her entire life in one pull, then she put it back in its place.

- "The water wasn't rigged with anything toxic..."

- I sincerely hope it feels good to be hydrated again... Would you like another glass? - the voice asked.

- Uh... I... I... I'm... a-alive... I'm alive..., b-but... h-how? "Dammit... I can barely speak... So embarrassing..." - the broken and confused girl could hardly speak.

- You sound like you're having trouble speaking... It's alright, you needn't strain yourself. It happens after the rewinder treatment, RWD for short. So... You tried to ask something like this: "How come I'm still alive?" Press Y to confirm. Otherwise, press N! - the device had an intelligent voice detector that understood what Saki tried to say.

- "What is this technology?" - the bed projected a little screen to Saki with two letters: "Y" and "N." She chose Y for her answer.

- I see. In that case, you can learn more from the letter. It's above you.