Darkness.
Not the kind you saw when you closed your eyes, but the kind that completely swallowed everything. Sights and sounds.
Keith was floating in it. Or maybe he was anchored in it. He found it hard to tell. He felt separated from his body entirely. He didn't feel at all.
Though, from deep within his conscious, he heard a tone. Like a note held too long, it buzzed in his mind. Almost as if it were a warning, or a notification.
And then, sensation.
His lungs tightened, and liquid, thick and metallic flooded from his mouth. He convulsed as air tore its way back into his lungs, and test tubes retracted from his chest.
The sharp hiss of pressure being released filled his ears, as a large metal door swung open in front of him, and light flooded into his pod.
Keith stumbled forward, falling onto his hands and knees. His vision was blurry, but he was able to make out the white walls and fluorescent lights. He looked around dazed, before a woman in a lab coat approached.
"Project Ionian has regained consciousness. Moving in to phase three."
Ionian?
Keith tried to speak, but all that came out was a wet rasp.
The woman spoke again, "How is his mental state?"
A voice came through a speaker mounted to a corner of the ceiling: "Stable." It buzzed.
"Do you remember your name?" The woman asked.
Keith coughed, clearing the last of the gunk from his throat.
"I'm… Keith."
"No," the woman interjected, "You are Project Ionian. The first of our experiments."
Experiment? What is she talking about? These thoughts raced through Keith's mind as he worked up the strength to speak again.
"…Where am I?…"
"You are in our testing facility. We will now relocate you for evaluation." The woman replied.
At that moment, a white metal door slid open and two scientists walked out. They brought Keith up to his feet, and dragged him into a hallway.
Keith's vision was returning, and he looked around to see more pods that looked similarly to his. They each were labeled with a different name, and some of them seemed to be occupied. They were occupying either side of the dark yellow walls, and Keith managed to catch two of the names: Dorian and Mixolydian.
Eventually he was brought to a separate white room, the only thing out of place was the black chair in the middle of the room. The led Keith to it and strapped him down. Though now he was trying to resist them, but he was still deprived of his strength.
The woman's voice came in over the intercom again.
"Begin Project Ionian regeneration testing."
"Regeneration!? What are you people talking about!?" Keith shouted out, while trying to break free of his binds. "Where the fuck is this place!?"
While Keith continued to struggle, a masked scientist approached with a knife in hand. They approached Keith, and began to cut open his wrist. Keith howled in pain, but he still didn't have enough strength to resist properly. As the crimson blood dripped onto the floor, as if by some invisible force, the wound on his wrist closed almost instantly.
As if was never cut at all.
The scientist continued to make cuts along Keith's arm, but they didn't last for long. His arm continued to heal itself, despite the deeper and deeper cuts being made.
The scientist paused, and turned to face a screen that had illuminated itself.
"Project Ionian is a success. Subject shows regeneration at a high level. This would also explain why he has regained his energy so quickly. He does not seem like he can stop it, so we can assume he will instantly heal any wounds."
A new person appeared on the screen.
"Very good. Continue to test Ionian, we will move onto Project Dorian in the meantime."
"Yes sir." The knife scientist replied.
The scientist released Keith from his binds, who then sprang to his feet. And tried to run for the exit, which quickly closed as he approached. Keith whipped around, eyes wide, as the scientist pulled out what looked like a remote control, he pressed a button, and the wall opened up to reveal a hidden room.
"This is yours, Ionian." the scientist explained.
"What the fuck!? What are you people doing? What's did you do with me?"
The scientist moved forward with immense speed, grabbed Keith by the neck and tossed him into the room, with the door closing behind him.
Keith didn't have enough energy to try to force the door open, so he decided to look around. His room consisted of a bed, a mirror, a smaller door that led to a tiny bathroom. The room was dimly lit, by a singular lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.
Keith examined himself in the mirror. His hair had turned light blue, probably due to the experiment, and the same had happened to his eyes, which had also become light blue.
He looked himself up and down a few times. His clothes were dirty, and he was tired. He hobbled over to his bed and collapsed. He tried to remember how he got to this place, but the only thing that came to his mind was Project Ionian. Before he realized it, he was trembling with fear.
As he drifted to sleep, he feared the existence of tomorrow.