Kai blinked, his eyes struggling to focus.
White.
That's all he could see. White walls. White ceiling. White sheets.
He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his ribs, forcing him back down. He gasped, his hand instinctively going to his side.
"Where…" he croaked, his voice raspy.
He looked around, his vision clearing slowly. He was in a small, stark room. A single bed. A table with a strange device he didn't recognize. And…
Straps.
He looked down. His arms and legs were strapped to the bed with thick, grey material. It felt smooth, almost like… skin? He couldn't identify it.
Panic flared in his chest. He was trapped.
"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing in the empty room. "Is anyone there?"
Silence.
He tried to pull at the straps, but they were too tight. He strained against them, his muscles aching, but they wouldn't budge.
He was alone. Injured. And restrained.
The memories of the elevator, the explosion, the colossal arm… it all came flooding back.
He'd survived. Somehow. But where was he now? And who had strapped him down?
Just as despair threatened to engulf him, the door hissed open.
An old man stepped into the room. He was tall and thin, with a shock of white hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a long, white coat – a doctor's coat, Kai realized.
The doctor approached the bed, his gaze fixed on Kai. He held a small notepad and a pen, and he scribbled something on the pad as he looked Kai over.
"Don't worry," the doctor said, his voice calm and reassuring. "You're safe now. You're at the Nexus."
Kai stared at him, his mind still reeling. The Nexus. He'd made it. Somehow.
"What, what happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "Where am I?"
"You're on Luna," the doctor said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "The moon. Welcome to the Nexus."
Kai blinked, trying to process the information. The moon. He was actually on the moon.
"But the elevator…" he stammered, remembering the explosion, the chaotic launch. "I thought"
"The elevator encountered some difficulties," the doctor said, his voice carefully neutral. "But you were extracted. Successfully. You're lucky to be alive."
Kai looked down at the straps holding him to the bed. "Lucky?" he repeated, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.
"Why… why am I strapped down?" Kai asked, his gaze flickering to the strange material binding him to the bed.
The doctor's smile faded slightly. "You were… restless," he said. "Your injuries are quite severe. We had to restrain you to prevent further harm while you healed."
"Injuries?" Kai frowned. He knew his ribs hurt, but he hadn't realized how badly he was injured.
"You suffered multiple fractures and internal bleeding," the doctor explained. "But you're a strong young man. You'll recover."
Kai looked at the doctor, trying to gauge his sincerity. He wasn't sure if he could trust this man, this place. But right now, he had no other choice.
"What's your name, son?" the doctor asked, his voice softening.
Kai hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a strange reluctance to reveal his identity. But then he realized it was probably in his best interest to cooperate.
"Kai," he said. "My name is Kai."
"Kai," the doctor repeated, nodding slowly. He wrote the name on his notepad. "And how old are you, Kai?"
"Twenty-eight," Kai replied.
The doctor made another note. "And your gender?"
Kai blinked, taken aback by the question. "Male," he said, a hint of confusion in his voice.
The doctor nodded, his pen scratching on the pad. "And your… sexual orientation?"
Kai's eyebrows shot up. He'd never been asked that question by a doctor before. "I… I'm not sure why that's relevant," he said.
"It's just a standard question," the doctor said, his voice calm and reassuring. "We like to gather as much information as possible about our… guests."
Kai hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Straight," he said.
The doctor wrote it down.
"Alright, Kai," the doctor said, closing his notepad. "I'll leave you to rest now. The nurses will be in to check on you shortly. If you need anything, just press the button here." He pointed to a small, red button on the side of the bed.
Kai nodded, watching as the doctor left the room, the door hissing shut behind him.
He was alone again. But this time, the silence didn't feel quite as menacing. He knew where he was. He knew he was safe, or at least… safer than he'd been.
But the questions lingered in his mind. Why was he being asked such personal questions? What was the Nexus, really? And what was going to happen to him now?
Too many answers. Too few questions.
It had always been that way for Kai. A life spent searching, exploring, seeking knowledge. But the universe rarely offered easy answers.
He wasn't going to dwell on it now, though. He had more immediate concerns. Like getting out of this bed.
He was about to try and swing his legs over the edge when the door hissed open again.
A woman entered. A nurse, he assumed, judging by the white uniform she wore. But there was something… strange… about her.
Her skin was pale, almost translucent. Her eyes were large and black, like a cat's. And her movements were… too smooth. Too fluid.
Kai stared, mesmerized. She didn't look quite… human.
He realized he was staring and quickly looked away, his cheeks flushing. "Sorry," he mumbled, feeling like a fool.
The nurse didn't respond. She simply walked over to the bed and began unstrapping him, her movements quick and efficient.
When she was finished, she turned and left the room without a word, the door slamming shut behind her.
Kai sat on the edge of the bed, his legs dangling, feeling a strange mix of relief and unease. He was free. But he'd definitely made a bad first impression.
He stood up, testing his legs. They were shaky, but they held his weight. He took a tentative step, then another. He was still weak, but he could walk.
He went to the door and pressed the button the doctor had indicated. A soft chime sounded, and a panel on the wall slid open, revealing a screen.
A face appeared on the screen. It was the nurse, her black eyes staring directly at him.
"Yes?" she said, her voice flat, emotionless.
Kai hesitated for a moment, unsure what to say. "I… I was wondering if I could get some… information," he said. "About this place. About what's happening."
The nurse's expression didn't change. "Information is provided on a need-to-know basis," she said. "What do you need to know?"
Kai took a deep breath. "I need to know… everything," he said. "Why am I here? What is the Nexus? What are those… creatures? And what's going to happen to me?"
The nurse stared at him for a moment, her black eyes unblinking. Then, she said, "Wait here."
The screen went blank.
Kai stood there, his heart pounding, waiting.
Kai didn't have to wait long.
The door hissed open again, but it wasn't the nurse who entered.
A tall, stern-looking man strode into the room. He wore a dark uniform, and his face was set in a grim expression. He was flanked by two other men, both clad in what looked like combat suits, their faces hidden behind helmets with dark visors.
Kai's heart pounded in his chest. These weren't doctors or nurses. These were… soldiers.
The stern man stopped in front of Kai, his eyes cold and assessing.
"Kai," he said, his voice deep and authoritative. "We have some questions for you."
Kai swallowed hard, his hands clenching into fists. He didn't like the look of these men. He didn't like the way they were looking at him.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"That's not important," the stern man said. "What's important is that you answer our questions. Truthfully. And completely."
Kai took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
"What is your name?" the stern man asked, his voice sharp, like a knife cutting through the silence.
"Kai," Kai replied, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. He'd already answered this question.
"Age?"
"Twenty-eight."
"Gender?"
"Male."
The questions continued, echoing the doctor's earlier inquiries. Kai answered them all, his voice calm, his gaze fixed on the stern man's face. He wasn't sure what they were looking for, but he wasn't going to give them any reason to doubt him.
Then, the stern man asked a question the doctor hadn't.
"Last name?"
Kai hesitated for a moment. He hadn't used his last name in… well, he couldn't remember the last time he'd used it. It felt like a relic from another life, a life that no longer existed.
But he knew he couldn't refuse to answer.
"Anderson," he said. "Kai Anderson."
The stern man nodded, a flicker of something – recognition? Satisfaction? – crossing his face. He wrote the name down on a small notepad he held in his hand.
"Tell us, Kai Anderson," the stern man said, his voice low and menacing. "How did you get here?"
Kai took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't lie. Not to these men.
"I… I came here in an elevator," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "A… space elevator."
The stern man's eyebrows rose slightly. "An elevator?"
"Yes," Kai said. "It was… in the city. It was supposed to take me to the Nexus."
"And what happened?" the stern man asked, his gaze unwavering.
Kai hesitated for a moment, remembering the explosion, the creature's arm reaching through the crack in space.
"It was attacked," he said. "By… something. A… creature."
"A Voidling," one of the soldiers in the combat suit said, his voice muffled by the helmet.
Kai looked at the soldier, his heart pounding. A Voidling? What was a Voidling?
But before he could ask, the stern man cut him off.
"That's enough," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, rectangular card. He handed it to Kai.
Kai looked at the card. It was black, with the words "Tier 2" printed on it in silver letters.
"This authorizes you to operate within this facility at a Tier 2 level," the stern man said. "You will be assigned quarters and given further instructions shortly."
Kai stared at the card, confusion swirling in his mind. Operate? What did that even mean? This whole place was a mystery, a puzzle he couldn't begin to solve.
But he knew he had no choice but to play along.
"Okay," he said, his voice barely audible.
The stern man nodded curtly, then turned and left the room, the two soldiers following close behind.
Kai was alone again, the black card clutched in his hand. Tier 2. What did it all mean?