AWAKENING

Kaela Pryce's first thought was that she had no thoughts.

There was only emptiness, a vast, colorless void where something should have been. She felt weightless, her mind floating in a space untouched by memory. Then, like a current pulling her from deep water, awareness surged back, sharp and sudden.

Her body existed.

The sensation startled her. A thin, soft fabric pressed against her skin—a blanket. A firm surface supported her back—a bed. The air around her was cool, sterile, carrying a faint metallic tang. Her heart pounded against her ribs, erratic and unfamiliar, as if it had only just remembered how to beat.

She inhaled.

The breath came shallow, hesitant. It felt strange, the simple act of breathing, as though she were experiencing it for the first time.

Her fingers twitched.

Slowly, she flexed her hand, testing the movement, and found resistance against her wrist—a thin band, smooth and metallic. A name was etched into its surface:

KAELA PRYCE

Was that her name?! She asked herself cos strangely, her mind felt blunt, it felt empty, a hollow space where answers should have been.

Panic stirred in her chest.

"Who am I?"

The name on the band was hers—she knew that much. But beyond it, there was nothing. No past. No memories. Just an eerie, blank slate where her life should have been.

A soft chime rang through the room.

She flinched, her heart stuttering at the sudden sound. The wall to her left shifted, a seamless panel sliding open with a soft whoosh. A man stepped inside, his white coat pristine, his expression calm in a way that felt… practiced.

"Good morning, Kaela."

Kaela didn't respond. She wasn't sure how.

The man's pale blue eyes studied her closely, as if searching for something. "My name is Doctor Alex Veyne. I know you must feel disoriented, but that's normal. You're safe."

Safe.

The word echoed in her mind, but it didn't sit right.

Dr. Veyne smiled—a small, controlled curve of his lips. "Welcome to Neurogenesis."

" What happened? Why can't I remember anything, what did you do to me?!" She asked in panic.

But Dr. Veyne was calm, he smiled warmly at her and explained " we found you in the wasteland, you were unconscious when we found you"

The wasteland?! She tried to remember but nothing, at least she knew what a wasteland is but how it looked, she couldn't remember

" I know it's hard for you right now but all you need to know is that you're safe here and that you will understand everything gradually"

" No I still need to know what happened to my mind what did you people do?!"

As much as stressed Kaela was, Dr. Veyne was very calm, and answered her questions calmly " whenever an outsider is brought here, we erase their minds in order for them to start a new , the lives you faced in the wastelands were nothing but pain and that's why we erase them so you can start a new, and not just you Kaela, everyone, everyone who's brought here memories are erased"

" Everyone?" She asked.

Dr.Veyne smiled warmly at her and told her, " follow me"

…

Kaela followed Dr. Veyne through the pristine white corridors of the facility, her bare feet making no sound against the smooth floor. The air smelled clean, artificial, like nothing at all.

"I know you're disoriented right now, but sooner with time, your disorientation will fade with time," Dr. Veyne said as they walked. "The process of erasing all of your memories acts as a form of rebooting you, like a pc, rebooting it to start a fresh, You are a Reboot now, part of something greater. Neurogenesis is your home, and we are here to guide you."

Kaela said nothing.

The word Reboot echoed in her mind, but it held no meaning. She glanced down at her wristband again, tracing the letters of her name with her thumb.

" is this my real name?"

Dr. Veyne looked at her side eye as they continued walking " No, that's a name you'll be called here with the other reboots, your name also comes with your own new id, a chip attached on your neck, is where your id is kept, once scanning it, we will be able to get all the information we need to know about you, it allow us to know your health and your movements around neurogenesis."

Kaela touched the chip behind her neck, it was small and she could barely feel it, A hollow sense of unease curled in her stomach, but she didn't know why.

" so this is like my memory card, as in all the information about me is in here?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean"

She wanted to ask more questions but she found herself remaini quiet.

They passed through a wide, open room where several others sat in neat rows, staring at screens embedded in the walls. They all wore the same uniform—gray tunics and matching pants, identical to the ones Kaela now wore. Their expressions were blank, their eyes fixed forward in perfect synchronization.

"These are your fellow Reboots," Dr. Veyne said. "They are learning, just as you will."

Kaela's gaze drifted over them. None of them reacted to her presence. They were still, eerily silent, their focus unbroken. A strange sensation prickled at the back of her neck.

Dr. Veyne continued walking, and Kaela hurried to keep up.

They moved through another corridor, passing closed doors with unreadable labels. Every part of the facility was sleek, sterile, seamless. There were no windows. No signs of the outside world.

Kaela's fingers brushed against the wall as they walked, searching for texture, for something real, but the surface was too smooth, too perfect.

"We will assess your progress daily," Dr. Veyne continued, leading her through another door. "Training will be intensive, but necessary. You will learn to be strong, disciplined, prepared."

Prepared for what?

The question rose in Kaela's mind, but she didn't ask it.

Dr. Veyne led her into a large common area where several Reboots were gathered. Some sat in silence, their postures rigid, while others engaged in quiet conversation. The room was eerily symmetrical, with identical chairs and tables spaced at precise intervals.

"This is where you will spend your free time," Dr. Veyne said. "You may interact with your fellow Reboots, though we encourage focus above all else."

Kaela hesitated, her gaze sweeping over the faces around her. None of them looked back at her. They spoke in hushed voices, their movements controlled. She felt out of place, a foreign presence in a world that didn't quite acknowledge her.

Dr. Veyne turned to her. "You will adjust, Kaela. In time, this will all feel natural."

Kaela wasn't so sure.

Something inside her whispered that this place wasn't right. That she wasn't supposed to be here.

And yet… she didn't know where else she should be.

The Others just sat comfortably chatting and laughing quietly every now and then, before she finally joined them, she saw a table with atleast 8 people sat together chatting and talking, she looked at them and soon she decided to join them.

As soon as she sat, the one sitting on her right smiled at her and said

"You're the one they brought the last three days right?"

Kaela was confused,

Three days? She was unconscious for the last three days?

"don't be so confused, we all faced it, some of us even stayed unconscious for a whole month before we finally awoke"

" A month?!" She asked surprised. " Yeah, the process of rebooting depends on one's mind, the stronger the mind is, the longer the reboot takes"

" then mine must be the weakest"

A guy on the other table laughed out loud surprising everyone. They all stared at him like a lunatic, but the guy not Caring at all, he stood from his side and walked to them " I heard that, you're funny. Name's Theo, Theo Vex" he said as he showed her the thin band on his wrist, he suddenly took her hand and read " Kaela Pryce, nice name"

Kaela smiled awkwardly " thanks"

A girl with short, dark hair, blue eyes, full pink lips with a beautiful thin body figure, she was beautiful, and probably the reason why Theo came at her , and they all knew .

"I'm Iris by the way" the girl sitting beside her with a blonde short hair said with a smile

Kaela swallowed. "Kaela, which am quite sure you already know." The name felt strange on her tongue, like she was trying it on for the first time.

Iris nodded. "You'll get used to it. It's not the first time he put his nose in other people's business "

Kaela smiled, " so you were brought here from the wasteland too?"

"Well some of us, but others like Lian there was basically born here"

"As in he grew up in here?!!" She asked surprised.

" yes, people like them are not called reboots here, they are called Primals, the originals neurogenesians, they don't even know the feel of the sun, all they know are these white walls and those bland outfits"

A guy sitting on the furthest of the table, an Asian guy said " As if you remember the feel of it"

Kaela turned and stared before she stared back at Theo who retorted back " Atleast I once felt it like a hundred percent sure, unlike them"

Theo then smiled and said to Lian " I mean did you ever wonder how your parents did it? They're basically cameras everywhere in this facility, did they did it while the architects saw them, or did they do it in the bathroom cos that would make so much sense why you're a piece of shit"

Lian finally heard enough and stood ready to fight him before the others around him stopped him " cameras are watching Lian, control yourself" they told him

" yeah Lian listen to your fellow Primals"

So they're all Primals

Kaela thought to herself

" can't you behave even infront of our new reboot here?" Theo asked as he stared at kaela

" leave Theo" the Asian guy said and Theo smiled at him " okay I'll go" he stared at Kaela and said to her before he finally left

" Bye Pryce"