Cold. That's the first sensation I register as consciousness crawls back into my body. Cold metal against naked skin, and a distant hum vibrating through my bones. I flutter my eyes open to a ceiling of brushed steel, lit by recessed lights that cast no shadows. For a moment, I simply stare, trying to piece together thoughts that scatter like mercury whenever I reach for them.
Where am I?
I attempt to sit up. My movements feel sluggish, as if my muscles are learning to exist again. My bare body feels alien, hypersensitive in ways I can't explain. A thin sheen of gel-like residue coats my skin, making me shiver as it evaporates.
"Welcome to Eden, Rin Elowe," a synthetic female voice intones from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Your cycle begins now."
My head whips around, searching for the source. The room, if I can call it that, is small, maybe ten feet square. Metallic walls, a recessed toilet and sink in one corner, and a narrow metal bed beneath me. No windows. No visible door.
"What is this?" My voice is raw, as if it hasn't been used in days. "Where am I?"
"You are in Eden," the voice repeats, soothing yet unmistakably artificial. "Your previous life has been suspended. Your new purpose awaits you."
I press a hand to my temple, trying to pull at memories. There's my name. My work in cybernetics. The accusation of hacking neural networks (a crime I didn't commit). And then… nothing. A blank void where the last year should be.
"What happened to me?" I whisper, my fingers tracing raised lines at my collarbone. I look down and see barcodes etched into my skin. Strings of numbers and symbols I can't decipher.
"All inmates experience memory adjustment upon arrival," the voice explains without emotion. "It facilitates proper integration. Your schedule begins at 0600 hours. Compliance is mandatory and rewarded. Resistance is counterproductive."
A panel slides open in the wall, revealing a simple white garment.
"Your uniform," the voice continues. "Please dress yourself and prepare for orientation."
I stand shakily, crossing my arms over my chest in an instinctive gesture of modesty. The cold air pebbles my skin as I move toward the uniform rack.
"Why am I here?" I ask, my voice steadier now. "What is Eden?"
The AI pauses, as if calculating the optimal response. "Eden is your home now. Eden is your purpose. Eden is your pleasure. Questions beyond your immediate needs will be addressed as you earn the privilege of knowledge."
I notice a small red light blinking at the corner of the ceiling. A camera. I'm being watched.
I pull on the garment, and it clings to me like a second skin.
"Welcome to Wing One," the voice intones. "The Foundation. Your compliance will be rewarded with Eden Credits. Credits purchase comfort. Remember this."
I stand in the center of the cell, my new prison, eyes narrowed, cataloguing every detail.
A seam splits the metallic wall before me, sliding apart with pneumatic hisses to reveal a doorway. Beyond lies a sterile white corridor. No guards. No visible security. An open path.
"Free period is ongoing," the voice announces. "Proceed to Common Area B for mandatory orientation."
I hesitate at the threshold, uneasy. "Proceed," the AI repeats, its pleasantness hardening. "Delays impact your credit accumulation."
My skin crawls at that tone. I step forward, bare feet silent on the polished floor. The white garment grips my curves uncomfortably as I move. At each junction, lights embedded in the floor illuminate only one route. I follow them.
They led me to a circular room with a sunken center filled with fifteen women in similar white garments. Some sit on curved benches arranged in concentric circles; others stand at the edges. Conversation halts as I enter.
"Our newest sister has arrived," announces a tall woman with copper hair that falls in waves past her shoulders. She seems at ease, gesturing toward the inner circle. "Come, sit. We don't bite… unless you want us to."
A few women laugh, but there's no real warmth in their voices.
"Orientation protocol activated," the AI intones. "Minimum interaction period: ten minutes. Credit bonuses for meaningful engagement."
I approach the inner circle cautiously. It looks like an amphitheater or some primitive gathering around a fire pit, designed to force intimacy through proximity. It reminds me of how much I despised camping when I was younger. I sit on an empty bench, acutely aware of eyes tracking my every move.
"I'm Lena," the copper-haired woman says, taking a seat directly across from me. "Section F coordinator. Which means I've been here long enough to be useful, but not long enough to be promoted. I guess." Her smile doesn't touch her eyes. "Everyone introduces themselves. That's how orientation works."
A blonde woman with close-cropped hair leans forward. "Sasha. Three months in." She studies me with detached curiosity. "The white streak in your hair… Natural?"
Before I can answer, a small woman with delicate features murmurs, "I'm Yuri. Don't trust Lena. She's a bitch." Her eyes dart around nervously.
Lena's smile tightens. "Now, Yuri, that's not very sisterly of you."
"It's true, though," one inmate whispers.
Lena ignores her and focuses on me. "Your name? Tell us who you are. What you remember."
I meet Lena's gaze. "Rin Elowe. I remember everything except roughly the last year."
A couple of whispers run through the group.
"That's normal," says a woman with intricate tattoos peeking from under her garment. "I'm Kai. They take the year. Nobody knows why."
"What do you remember from before?" Sasha leans closer. "Your life, your crime?"
"I didn't commit any crime," I say firmly. "I was a cybernetics student. They accused me of hacking neural networks."
Lena laughs brittlely. "Oh, honey, we're all innocent here. That's what makes the game so interesting."
"This isn't a game," I reply harshly. "This is my life."
I'm still reeling from this whole unbelievable situation. Naked, confused, and dropped into some fucked simulation? And she has the nerve to call it a game? I had a life. Goals. A future. This can't be real. It can't be. I'll wake up soon... I have to.
"Everything in Eden is a game," says a soft voice behind me. I turn to see a woman with dark, luminous eyes and a scar tracing her jawline. "I'm Mei. And the sooner you accept that you're a piece on the board, the easier it will be."
The air in the room thickens with tension as the women weigh me, looking for an ally or a threat.
"What happens in Wing One?" I ask, addressing no one in particular.
"Work. Eat. Sleep," Yuri shrugs. "Earn credits. Try not to go insane."
"Become what they want you to become," Kai adds softly.
Lena claps her hands. "Let's not overwhelm our new sister with negativity. Eden provides for those who comply. Wing One is simple! Learn the rules, do your work, save your credits."
"Credits for what?" I ask, maintaining eye contact despite the ache of being the center of attention.
A woman with black braids chuckles darkly. "Food that doesn't taste like recycled protein. Actual showers instead of decontamination mists. Books. Music." She leans in, raising both eyebrows playfully. "Pleasure tools."
"I'm Dani," she adds, inclining her head. "2 years."
Lena shoots Dani a warning glance, then returns to me. "Comfort must be earned. The basics are provided, but anything worth having costs credits."
"Including memories," Mei whispers from behind me, earning several looks.
"Five minutes remaining in mandatory orientation period," the AI interrupts.
I watch as the women shift. Some relax, others tense. This ritual is as much for them as it is for me: a performance, I realize.
"Tell us what you did before," a rail-thin woman with hollow eyes says. "In the real world."
"Neural mapping research," I answer. "Sensory interface development."
"Ooooh, a brain hacker," Sasha says with sudden interest. "No wonder they wanted you."
"I told you, I didn't-"
"We all say that," Kai interrupts, tracing a tattoo idly. "But Eden doesn't make mistakes. They chose each of us for a reason."
I narrow my eyes. "And what reasons would those be?"
The question hangs until Lena clears her throat. "That's the big question, isn't it? Why us? Why here?" She leans forward, voice conspiratorial. "Some think we're test subjects. Others believe we're being punished. The optimists say we're being prepared for something better."
"And what do you think?" I ask her directly.
Lena's smile never wavers. "Speculation wastes energy better spent on survival."
A soft chime sounds, and several women stand immediately. Some drift to the exits; others form quiet little clusters.
There were a few people who never bothered to exchange a word with me. I guess they weren't too concerned about these credit matters. One person, in particular, piqued my interest. Her skin was pallid, and her eyes were hollow, giving her the appearance of someone long since devoid of life. Her dark green hair was unkempt and tangled, cascading down her back and nearly brushing against the floor as she shuffled away, her shoulders half slumped.
Yuri suddenly appears at my side. "Don't take more than you need from the dispensary," she murmurs. "They monitor consumption patterns." Then she melts back into the crowd.
Mei lingers. "Your dorm is in F-8. I'm in F-9. Press your ear against the right spot on the wall, and you can hear through it."
I nod, filing away that random piece of info.
"One more thing," Mei adds. "The white streak in your hair? I've seen it on others who didn't stay here long."
A chill runs through me. "What happened to them?"
"They were chosen for Ascension," Mei says, face unreadable. "Never saw them again. But then there's lucky ole' me, stuck here forever." She turns to go, then pauses. "Your visitor comes tonight. They always send one on the first day. Don't trust them. No matter how much you want to."
The common room empties as Lena approaches, her copper hair catching the light nicely.
"Made some friends already?" she asks, tone light but eyes keen.
"Just gathering information," I reply.
"Smart girl." Lena's smile tightens. "But information in Eden is another currency, and not everyone charges a fair price." She gestures toward an exit. "Come. I'll show you the dispensary before free period ends. You'll need to know how to use your credits."
We walk together through a maze of corridors until we reach a large open area filled with stations. Women scan wristbands at terminals to receive items.
"This is where you spend what you earn," Lena explains. "Food, hygiene products, entertainment, sleep aids."
"What about the things Mei mentioned? Memories?" I ask, watching a woman scan her wristband and receive a small package wrapped in blue foil.
Lena's eyes narrow slightly. "Mei talks too much. Memory fragments are high-tier rewards. You won't have access to those until you've proven yourself." She leads me to an unoccupied terminal. "Place your wrist here."
I hesitate, then press my bare wrist against the scanner. A light flashes red, then green.
"Rin Elowe," the terminal's voice announces. "Current balance: ten Eden Credits. First-day allocation."
A holographic menu materializes before me, displaying rows of items with their costs. Basic protein bar: two credits. Flavor enhancer: three credits. Five minutes of warm water: four credits. The numbers make my stomach churn. Four credits for just five minutes of warmth? With only 10 credits to my name, spending nearly half on a mere shower seems foolish. Yet, I still want so bad just to buy it.
"Ten credits won't get you far," Lena says, flicking her hair over her shoulder nonchalantly. She glances at a sleek band on her wrist that I hadn't noticed before. "Shit. I've got to meet someone." Her demeanor shifts instantly, the pretense of helpfulness evaporating. "You'll figure it out. Everyone does."
Without another word, she strides away, leaving me alone before the terminal, its holographic display still hovering in the air. I watch her body disappear around a corner, noting how quickly her sisterly act dissolved when something more important came up.
She really is a bitch...