Ninth Millennium Navigator

Prologue B: The Player

She opened her eyes to find an extreme brightness. 

Extreme, but not uncomfortable. 

There was a strong scent like ammonia; it was mixed with some type of lilac smell. She tried to identify the sound of a voice somewhere among the constant humming. Consciousness returned enough to fully decipher the voice that was addressing her.

"You are coming out of a sequence..." 

The voice was that of a female, she supposed. 

"It was not a dream." 

The sound of her voice was gentle and very relaxing. 

"You are coming out of a sequence." 

The humming continued. 

"It was not a dream." 

She was soothed. 

"Welcome home, Latithia! You are coming out of a sequence. It was not a dream." 

A moment of anxiety was relieved as soon as it had arrived.

There was a silence before the voice returned, "Welcome home, Latithia!"

-- I thought my name was Sheila. I am Major Sheila... --

"Your real name is Latithia. 'Sheila' was only your name in your sequence. Please relax. You are now awake. I will be giving you instructions to make your return a happy one. You can communicate with me at any point. I can hear your thoughts. I will help you with what you want. Would you like to get an information update or go into another sequence? We always recommend you get an information update. You typically prefer the update. Would you like to get an information update or go into another sequence?" 

The voice paused.

-- update --

"You have requested an update." A pause.

"It is the year 8748. You were..."

-- repeat --

"It is the year 8748. You were born in the year 8667. You are an eighty-two year old woman." The voice spoke calmly at a reasonable pace. It left an intentional pause between each statement. "You are healthy. You are safe. The world is at peace. It has been two years since your last sequence. You chose to reenter a sequence at that time. The last time you entered society was twenty-three years ago."

-- repeat --

"The last time you entered society was twenty-three years ago. Nothing of significance has occurred in the twenty-three years. Ninety-nine point nine nine percent of the known human population on all worlds is active in sequences at the current time. I will provide a recommendation in a moment. Please relax. You will have time to make any decisions, Latithia."

An indeterminable period of time passed during which Latithia received no sensations – not sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or the sixth sense, touse.

"Hello, Latithia." The voice returned. "You have options. Please understand that you can not choose an option until you have heard a full description of the option. After the full description, you will be given the option to proceed. You can decide to return to other options rather than proceed. Here are your options: Begin a new sequence. Receive immediate sensations. Re-enter the world. Be uninterrupted in suspended status. Based on your profile, I recommend you begin a new sequence. I would be happy to tell you more about any of your options, Latithia."

-- immediate sensations --

"Let me tell you about receiving immediate sensations. You can receive sensations of your choosing at your command. The sensations can involve any of your six main senses. These sensations are not real, but they will feel real. Please understand that we can not maintain most sensations for more than a few minutes. Also, you can not request the same sensation within a ten minute period. This is for your safety. These sensations are actual stimulations of key nerves in your body. Over stimulation can detrimentally harm these nerves.