Estimated reading time: ±3 minutes
My eyes are closed, but I hear voices, men and women talking near me. I feel something coming up to my lungs, a kind of tube, it's very unpleasant. I try to remove it, but nothing happens, my body is completely numb. I painfully open my eyes and see the ceiling, from what I hear I am in a hospital seeing the small "beeps" that sound a few seconds apart. A figure leans over my head.
Unknown: Welcome to the world of the living.
I understood with the tone of the voice that the silhouette is that of a man. My eyes slowly adjusted to the light and I was quickly able to discern the features of man. His blouse, his blonde hair in a mess and his smile as if I were a God. I tried to speak, I opened my mouth, but no sound came out, the tube taking up all the space in my throat.
Unknown: Don't worry, everything will come back gradually.
I start to struggle, but I quickly feel straps that keep me in place. I'm getting more agitated. The man steps back and guards come to nail me to bed. I hear orders to calm down, but choose to ignore them. I managed to break a strap that held my left arm and pushed the two guards in a powerful movement. Panicked cries were heard and three guards rushed to try to immobilize my left arm. The strap on my other arm also broke and I sent two more guards to my right into the background. I manage to remove the tube that bothers me so much and takes a deep breath and sleeps me exhausted by all these efforts. I close my eyes and feel my arms and legs getting tied back to the bed. I took a deep breath. The screams calmed down and I gently opened my eyes to see the four guards who were standing up with difficulty and misery, which made me smile gently. The same man enters the room again.
Unknown: I guess you didn't want that tube anymore. You must be wondering what you're doing here, huh?
I gently nodded as I looked at him.
Unknown: I explain, you were in a coma for 3 months following an incident and we are watching you. We took you to our lab because as you may have noticed, a coma doesn't need a dozen guards in his room, so you're not in a hospital or anything. My dear, you're in an ultra-sophisticated facility that belongs to me. Oh while I think about it, I'm Darakei, but you can just call me sir that's enough for me. Anyway. Your body had suffered very serious injuries from the incident, cuts, burns and so on. The hardest part for you is yet to come. All that's left of you are your organs and transplants and your face, except for one eye. The rest of your body is a robotic machine that constantly reproduces the movements your brain requires. Eat, grab something, jump, run, sit down. Like you're human.
Wamien : Like I'm human?
I realize right now that my voice is different. As if it had been modified.
Darakei : Well you can already talk!
I understand. I'm not a human anymore. I'm a cyborg, a half-man, half robot.