Delta

Chapter One: The Beginning

I had a vague feeling that I was falling, but I couldn't really tell. I was stuck in a space somewhere between dreaming and reality. I seemed to be on the brink of consciousness, but all I saw was darkness. The feeling became more intense, and I realized that I was falling. I had no time to wonder or think, because just as suddenly, I slipped back into oblivion, and I felt nothing. The next time I came around, it was because I felt my feet hit the ground. It was a soft, controlled landing. 

"Greetings, subjects 1873 and 1874." An automatic male voice filled the room. "Please take this forty second pause to fully awaken yourself from the stasis that you have been in. It is recommended to stretch to loosen your limbs and muscles, and get the blood circulating throughout the body." 

The voice stopped speaking, and I forced my eyelids open. Everything was so bright. I squinted, and brought my hands up to rub my eyes. I seemed to be fully aware now. I pulled my hands away and let my eyes adjust to the light. The first thing I noticed was how weak my body felt. My legs felt shaky and unstable, barely able to hold my weight. My muscles were stiff and my limbs felt as rigid as a board. It was obvious that I hadn't moved in a very long time. The next thing I noticed was the glass directly in front of me. I looked up and discovered that I was in a small tube. It stretched up above me, fading away into darkness. I looked around. Not much room for stretching. I looked out of the tube. The glass tinted everything a slight blue color. The room I was in was small and completely white. On one of the walls was a large, glowing blue triangle, which I found curious. Directly opposite me on the other end of the room was another tube like mine. Through the blue glass of both tubes, I realized that there was a person inside. I stared at them in surprise, realizing that it was a girl. She met my gaze and her eyes widened in confusion. 

"We hope that you have utilized the forty seconds given to you to stretch." The male voice said. "Welcome to Delta, the most advanced science and research facility in the world. Here at Delta, we commit ourselves to better the future of humanity and learn about the unknown. Thanks to people like you, we are able to set our plans into motion. You will be placed into branch Gamma 3, where you will be testing with Delta's newest products and innovations. You are also in the cooperative testing branch of the facility, so keep in mind that the tests will not be possible without a partner. If a partner happens to die in any way, the remaining subject will be moved to the individual test chambers." 

The automated voice stopped talking, and a new voice began. This voice was also male, but it sounded more human. "Hello test subjects, and welcome to Delta! This is Stanley Edwards, founder and CEO of Delta Industries. I understand that you must have a heck of a lot of questions. Well, that's what I'm here for! If I'm looking at this map correctly, then you must be the child test subjects, specifically the age of eighteen. Your job is simple; all you have to do is complete the tests using the cool equipment given to you. I'll be honest, I'm slightly jealous. Now, you may be wondering why you don't remember anything about yourself. Well, all your memories have been erased. Don't worry though! Now you're simply a blank slate, ready to be rediscovered. Anyways, now that the introductions are over with, let me tell you what's about to happen. You will be given the required equipment for testing, and then you will be released into the tutorial chambers. You'll be hearing more from me later, because I'm going to be observing you and your partner's progress. However, I have thousands of other test subjects to check up upon, so you won't be hearing from me directly. Instead, I have left pre-recorded messages for you to listen to, which will be triggered by a motion sensor. Anyways, I'd better go. Remember: The future is now, and it isn't waiting up for us. Happy testing! This is Stanley Edwards, signing off." 

As soon as he stopped speaking, there was a whirring sound, and I looked up. White, robotic arms lowered themselves down to me, and I jumped away, surprised. Something fell down around my head, obscuring my vision, and I felt the cold, chilling fingers of robotic fingers grab my arms and hold them straight. I tried to move, but I was held tight. Something like a glove slipped over my left hand, and I felt something slide over both my feet, snapping closed around my calves. Whatever was around my head was pulled off suddenly and something else slid back on like a headband. Whatever it was covered my ears.