One of his earlier theories—that he’d never open his eyes again—didn’t pan out.

  Noah opened his eyes.

  He stared into absolute white and was surprised two more theories hadn’t come true: he hadn’t turned into glowing liquid, and he hadn’t woken in a cage above an abyss.

  This place was new—somewhere he’d never been.

  Noah lifted his head from a semi-soft surface and looked around.

  The first thing he noticed was a modern-looking cot nearby, with a person on it he hadn’t seen before: an elderly man in a simple T-shirt and sweatpants. The man lay with his arms at his sides and didn’t move at all. Even his chest didn’t rise.

  Dead…?

  Noah sat up and swung his legs over the side. Only then did he register that there were more cots like this all around him, each holding a different person—some very young, some ancient.

  Standing, he realized there were thousands here, if not more. The room was so vast that he couldn’t see the opposite walls. He couldn’t see a ceiling either—just the same white light pouring down from above, too bright to make out anything beyond it.

  The Matrix…?

  In this immeasurable space, the cots were arranged in neat rows, three paces apart. The floor looked almost normal—some pale gray, half-gloss material.

  Remembering, Noah quickly checked the nearest cots, but didn’t see Gaudemunda. If she were here, she could be on any cot—possibly kilometers away…

  And his tablet was gone. He had no idea whether points, “charge,” or any other metrics still applied here.

  Before he could really start worrying, he heard a soft synthetic ping and glanced at the floor by his feet.

  On the gray surface—like on a monitor—a small arrow with footprints flashed. It blinked a few times in front of him, then shot ahead and hooked right between the cots. A moment later, it zipped back to its starting spot. The animation began to loop.

  He got the hint, but still took a slow look around, hoping for something more. A nearby sleeper sitting up, perhaps. Much easier to face a new place with someone else…

  But no one seemed to be breathing.

  Otherwise, it wouldn’t be this quiet, he thought.

  Sighing, Noah followed the animated arrow. Once it turned right, it stopped darting around and didn’t double back. Now it led straight down an aisle between two rows of cots. As he trailed it, he kept scanning faces, still hoping to spot Gaudemunda, but every face was a stranger.

  He even noticed a few empty cots. Someone had woken earlier.

  Judging by the dead quiet and lack of motion, awakenings had to be rare.

  About ten minutes in, he finally heard a different sound.

  A cot nearby hummed softly and sank into the floor, taking its sleeper with it. A black rectangle gaped where it vanished, but only briefly. Moments later, the cot rose again, now empty. The whole thing took maybe five seconds.

  Startled, Noah paused to process the new information.

  Which happened more here—people waking up, or going down?

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Since the blinking arrow wasn’t going to explain anything, he kept walking.

  In the next ten minutes, he saw several more cots drop their occupants through the floor. He didn’t see a single person wake.

  Of course, that didn’t prove much. Wakers could be outside his line of sight.

  Soon, he spotted something new in this endless grid of cots and sleepers—a darker gray band far ahead. The arrow led straight toward it.

  After a few more minutes, he gave up on finding Gaudemunda en route and broke into a run. The arrow instantly adapted, shooting ahead like a rocket.

  The wall grew and loomed faster now, uniform gray and featureless. It seemed to stretch from one white infinity into another. The arrow drove straight at it. When Noah finally reached it, the arrow snapped left, now guiding him along the endless wall.

  He figured he’d run at least four kilometers. How big was this place?

  Since he wasn’t winded, he didn’t overthink it and sprinted after the arrow again.

  This time, he didn’t have to run long. After about a kilometer, he spotted a faint shadow in the wall. A corridor? At last!

  * * *

  But no. Not a corridor.

  Up close, the “shadow” proved to be a niche in the wall. A long desk separated the titanic dormitory from the cramped office space in the niche. Several computers hummed quietly on the desk, their monitor backs facing Noah. On the other side, in a very modern office chair, sat a woman working at a keyboard. Noah’s mouth fell open before he knew it.

  Gaudemunda.

  The same Gaudemunda he’d pulled from the cage—only this version neatly combed her hair and dressed in smart, modern clothes. Met on any other day, Noah would’ve taken her for a regular office worker.

  Now he had no idea what to think.

  “Gaudemunda…?”

  The clacking paused; she glanced at him attentively. From that look alone, he knew she recognized him. A small smile flickered at the corner of her mouth.

  “Come closer,” she said, eyes dropping back to the screen as she tapped a single key rapidly. “Put your palm on the scanner.”

  No “hello”, or “how are you, Noah”...

  And all the things she hadn’t told him, all the things left unsaid…

  On the desk, he noticed a glassy device wired to the computer. A handprint icon pulsed lazily on its surface.

  “So you are an Administrator…” Noah sighed.

  “Palm, Noah,” she repeated, not taking the bait.

  “Fine, fine. Whatever you say.” Deflated by her coolness, he took the last step and set his hand on the device.

  Who knew what would happen if he didn’t…

  A synthetic chime sounded. Two white doors opened at the back of the office—doors Noah hadn’t noticed till now. Through one came a man in a white coat who looked vaguely familiar. Through the other stepped… another Gaudemunda. This one beamed at him and waved.

  Noah stared between the two identical women. One kept working, ignoring him. The other approached, giving him entirely too much attention. Twins…?

  “What the hell...”

  “Come on, come on,” the second Gaudemunda cut him off. Circling the desk, she grabbed his hand and drew him aside. “Let’s not bother her. Always busy, as you can see.”

  “Is she... your twin?”

  “Almost,” the woman shrugged. “She’s my Original—the real Gaudemunda. I’m her copy, the one who spent those days with you in the caverns. If you’ve got questions, ask on the way. I’ll answer what I can before we reach the exit. Whatever’s left, you’ll have to figure it out yourself. For now, meet Brutus. He’s a physician.”

  “I’m Brutus,” said the man, touching Noah’s shoulder. “Let’s check you over, kid. Both palms up.”

  “My health? Aren’t I dead?”

  “Mhm. That’s the most common question—‘Aren’t we all dead?’” the man murmured, taking Noah’s hands. “Second most common: ‘Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?’ I’m sensing you’re about to ask that one too…”

  “You’re… you’re the man who was trapped in the cage,” Noah blurted, recognition hitting.

  The man he’d so expertly failed to save. The one who was liquefied before his eyes.

  “Excellent. The recordings are stable. No degradation at all,” Brutus nodded, letting go of Noah’s hands. “You can take him, Gaude.”

  “See you on the next one,” she waved the man off. Then she tugged Noah along the wall toward the white infinity. “If you’ve got questions, ask now, Noah. I’ll try to answer as best I can before we reach the exit. Anything I can’t answer—well, that part’s on you.

  So…?”