Intro To Existing Again

Waking

 To float unconscious in an endless void is a miserable experience. You have no idea of the passage of time. You have no idea what's going on outside of your narrow view of sensation. You hear sounds. You feel presence. But you cannot move outside of the archived memories you are forced to relive. And when you do move, you don't feel like you're moving. You feel stationary. Like the moving body that you're stuck in is feet away from you. And to endure this comatose state for such an extended period of time, it's...

It's...

What was he thinking again?

MePhone3GS couldn't open his eyes. It was so... bright. Even with his eyes closed he felt the painful sting of excessive light forcing its way into his artificial corneas like an ill-fitting key into a locked door. He was so tired that even moving his arms to cover his face felt like a draining chore.

He froze in the middle of his thoughts. He was seeing light. He was feeling pain like his body actually belonged to him. He was moving his arms. He was awake. He was functioning. He was alive.

He involuntarily let out some weird, distorted noise. He couldn't tell if it was a product of feeling emotion again or a result of processing the pain the brightness was causing his eyes. He knew he hadn't awoken from his unconscious state by his own accord. If that happened then he would be in a dark storage room with no light source in sight, and he'd be sitting on the cold concrete floor instead of laying down on what was presumably a bed.

Did someone reactivate him? Why was he being reactivated? Did Mr. Cobs change his mind? Did he need him for something? What would he possibly need him for? How long had he even been out?

He heard footsteps approaching him, then the sound of a curtain being pulled back. He would've panicked, but he didn't have the energy to react to or even process what was going on.

"I see you've powered on," said an unfamiliar voice. Whoever was talking sounded nasally and androgynous. "I know this may be confusing for you, but please, try not to panic. Freaking out could cause your systems to overload."

He mumbled something incoherent. Talking felt weird, and he was slightly surprised to hear himself. He didn't think it was possible, but he had mostly forgotten what his own voice sounded like.

"What was that?" Asked the disembodied voice.

"...s'bright..."

"Ohhh," The voice sounded... kind. Unlike how any Meeple employee would speak to him in the past. If an employee talked to him at all, they'd usually put on some super professional act that prevented them from showing any hint of caring in their voice. It's like they thought that talking to a robot meant they had to talk like one. But the way this person spoke was comforting, if that was the right word. "One moment, let me dim the lights for you."

The person walked away from him, presumably to the nearest light switch. The lights died down, and the searing pain in his eyes dulled to a mild ache.

"Okay, the lights have been dimmed. Hopefully you can open your eyes now."

He nodded, then took his hands away from his face. They weren't really covering his eyes in the first place, but that was just because he lacked any awareness or coordination.

He opened his eyes to see a room he didn't recognize. Was he on the cloud? He assumed so, because, well, where else would he be? But the way the room was designed felt unlike any place on the cloud. Plus, Meeple didn't have beds in rooms like this. It had hard, uncomfortable repair tables.

"I'm sorry the lights weren't off to begin with. I wasn't expecting you to wake up on your own."

He looked at the person the voice belonged to, a tall and thin woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had short, curly hair and glasses-framed eyes, both of which were lime green. He assumed she was a Meeple employee, even though she wasn't wearing the proper uniform. He didn't really know what to say to her. He never really interacted with anyone besides Mr. Cobs and the other two MePhones.