Darkness. That's all I can see. What happened? Where am I? As these questions swirl in my head, a holographic interface breaks through.
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[Conscious Brainwaves Detected]
[Kaleidoscope Serial #000001 Activated]
[DNA Bonding Finalized]
[Welcome, Devon Miller]
[Some functions are disabled by the administrator]
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This is way worse than an alarm clock. Do all Kaleidoscopes activate like this every time you wake up?
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[No, this is the first and only time, Devon Miller]
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Oh nice, it responds to whatever I'm thinking. Great. I rouse my body in an attempt to finally get out of the bed but something is stopping me. Yep, I'm in great pain.
"Fuck, do I have a hangover?" I groan as I slowly open my eyes.
After blinking multiple times, the sight of ivory white walls and cold, white tiles greet me. As I inhale, the scent of alcohol and other disinfectants tickle my nostrils. I've been to hospitals before. They were soulless places where the sick and almost dying take one shot at life. However, the sight before me is vibrant, crisp, and clear almost as if I have been new glasses after wearing a shattered one for so long.
To my right is an IV pole with multiple bags hanging on it. Beyond it are two kids wearing animal pattern hospital gowns, sitting on the bed. They're playing with what seems to be strange animals: one's a yellow rat and another is a small red lizard. I shake my head to make sure I wasn't seeing things but the creatures did not disappear. I try to sit up to see more of the room but before I could even move an inch, gravity takes hold. I guess I have to be content with staring at the ceiling and making patterns with its rough exterior.
I sigh and resign myself to my fate. Whatever happened that night clearly did a number on me. I then do the only other thing I could do. I glance towards my left and there I see a young woman nonchalantly sipping tea near a fully set circular tea table. Her fair, almond skin reflects the white fluorescent lights as her dark, flowing hair rests on her shoulders. Her round glasses cover her ebony doe eyes. She's wearing a grey turtleneck dress underneath a white lab coat. This is a woman I'm too used to seeing on the big screens advertising Medacorp or the Kaleidoscope. Never in my dreams did I expect to see her so close to me.
"You're finally awake, Devon Miller," she says as she puts her teacup down. The volume of her voice is low but her gravitas pulls my attention towards what she has to say.
I close my eyes. "She's not here. She's not here. I'm hallucinating," I whisper.
I feel a thud as a piece of pastry hits me square on the head. Which, by the way, spazzes out of existence like a glitchy hologram.
My eyes go wide. "I'm right, you're not real."
She scoffs. "And you are? Please. What constitutes as real anyway? The physical? If so, what about your thoughts? Your dreams?"
"What the fuck is going Ms. Nazar?" I hiss quietly, making sure to avoid attracting the attention of the other patients and visitors.
She gasps. "Language. You Neanderthals outside of Central just don't know the importance of proper language. Also, NEVER call me 'Ms. Nazar'. I am far too young to have such a title."
I would be ripping my hair out if I could. Talking to her is like talking to a strict teacher who's unpopular with the guys and is taking her frustration out on her students.
"So, what should I call you then?"
She opens her mouth to respond but before she could, a little creature struggles to climb on my bed.
"Debwon I's here. You wakey?" Veronica says between grunts. Eventually, she manages to climb up with a little help from Eleanor.
Upon seeing her, my breath is caught in my throat. Her red hair is far more vibrant than before. The small scar on her eyebrow contrasts her fair porcelain skin. She's wearing a large white t-shirt with a red skull imprinted on it underneath her puffy black jacket. And of course, her outfit is not complete without her navy-blue denim pants. Instinctively, I turn my gaze from her forest green eyes and see Sheriv wiggling her eyebrows at me.
"Hey dumbass you having a heart attack?" she says as she smacks me with a plastic bag.
I wince. "Hey, I'm the patient here."
"He's right, Eleanor. Go easy on him," Tom's always light-hearted voice rings out from behind her. "I know you haven't gotten much sleep for worrying too much but he's fine now."
That comment lands him a kick to the shin and as usual, he accepts the abuse with a smile.
"You got a good wife there Devon Miller," Sheriv chimes in.
"Not my wife," I mumble.
At this point, the doctor makes his appearance along with a male nurse. He looks at his tablet and scans me with his eyes. I'm assuming he's using his Kaleidoscope. He then turns to his nurse.
"Demitrius, start recording," he commands.
"Of course, Doctor Smith," the nurse replies in a robotic, monotone voice.
My body instinctively recoils. Noticing it, the Doctor smiles and says, "First time seeing an AI companion?"
Tom chuckles. "No way, doc. Devon doesn't have a Kaleidoscope to see your assistant with."
I'm about to say something when at the corner of my eye, I see Sheriv put her index finger on her lips and wear a menacing smile.
The doctor scans me again but this time more focused on my eyes.
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[Scan Detected]
[Administrative Privilege: Concealment is successful in blocking the scan]
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He scratches his head. "You're right. But I swear he responded to my AI's voice just then."
I feel my back break into cold sweat.
The doctor shrugs and finalizes his work on the tablet. "You should be able to move by the end of the day. The regenerative serum is doing its work perfectly."
"Doc, what exactly happened to me?" I ask through a mouthful of sushi.
"Well, Devon, I'm not surprised you don't remember. When you were admitted, your body showed signs of high-voltage electrocution. Your brain and your nerves were damaged but fortunately not beyond repair. What exactly happened that night?"
I gulp. "I don't remember."
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[Lie Detection Detected]
[Administrative Privilege: Concealment is successful in blocking detection]
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The doctor sighs. "Well, be careful next time. You don't want to leave your wife and kid too early, do you?"
He pats Veronica on the head and gives Eleanor and Tom a nod goodbye before he goes out to see his other patients.
When the doctor disappears, Tom suffers another kick to the shin.
"Come on, you wouldn't have been able to enter if I didn't say that teeny tiny white lie," Tom pleads on bended knee.
Eleanor responds with a silent glare. Then, she shifts that glare to me.
"Never do this again," she says. Her voice cracking ever so slightly.
I smile softly. "Of course," I pause as I stare at those deep forest eyes. "Honey."
She smacks me on the side of the head and pushes Tom out of her way as she storms out the room. Meanwhile, Tom and I look at each other and burst out in laughter. Then, Veronica, despite not knowing what happened, laughs along with us.
"You idiot," I say as I wipe my tears. "Teasing Eleanor has its limits you know."
Still clutching his stomach, Tom replies, "If I die because of that, it's worth it."
Eventually, the laughter dies down and I'm left with my thoughts. "Hey, sweetie," I turn to Veronica who is now cleaning up after our feast. "Could you take Uncle Tom out of here? I'm really sleepy."
She nods enthusiastically and jumps off my bed. Then she takes Tom's hand. In response, Tom carries her in his arms.
"Rest well buddy," he takes his hand and caresses my head.
"You're lucky I can't move a muscle right now," I say through gritted teeth.
Tom gives me a wink and carries Veronica off to the long hallways of the hospital.
Now by myself again, I turn to Sheriv who was silently watching this entire time with her arms crossed.
"Now can you explain what the fuck is really going on?"