THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

CHAPTER 19: ORVIS

"Mr. Davis?"

"Yes?"

"It's your turn now. Please come with me."

The nurse bot guided me to an examination room where the doctor was already waiting.

"Mr. Davis, please lie down. The implantation will not take long. I will first give you a local anesthetic."

"Local? Am I not going to be completely out for this?"

No response. I was lying on my back, the dazzling lights burning my eyes. The doctor came closer, holding a syringe in his right hand. As he turned around, his face began to melt.

"Ahhhhh! What the hell?!"

"What's wrong Mr. Davis?"

"You, your face...?!"

"I don't see any problem here ,Mr. Davis."

As he spoke, his face melted even further, revealing what's underneath. Metal, wires, circuit boards, plastic and screws - a mechanical skull. His skin was dripping onto my leg.

"Now, this will only be a slight pinch, Mr. Davis..."

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Fucking hell. I woke up covered in sweat. What kind of a nightmare was that? It definitely wasn't a good omen for my upcoming procedure today at Orvis. For some reason, I saved the dream to my memory file, maybe I'll show it to James later. It was Friday, and I had taken a day off work for the implantation of my switch. I rode the train to the city center but planned to take a Youber back home afterwards. According to the information I received beforehand, there shouldn't be any side effects after the procedure, but I didn't want to take any chances.

The Orvis facilities had their own train station stop. The campus was filled with tall and short buildings, intricate structures, and decorations, all in pristine white. To reach the main building, I had to walk through a huge park. It was the tallest building with 99 floors.

As I approached the reception, I noticed a stunning bot seated in front of a computer. She had short reddish hair, flawless skin, green eyes, and thick black eyeliner that made her gaze resemble that of a cat.

"Good day. Could you please tell me where the switch department is?"

"Hello sir. Of course! You can take the elevator right over there to the 80th floor.

"Thank you."

Some people felt no need to be respectful to the bots or exchange pleasantries, but for me, it was still a matter of common decency to say hello and thank you, regardless of who - or what - was in front of me. To be honest, I knew it was is a bit silly, I wanted to be nice to the bots in case of riots or a potential bot rebellion. You never know; maybe that kindness would spare me.

The 80th floor of the switch department resembled a very fancy, modern, yet sterile doctor's office. Not a single dust corn was to be found -which was probably a good thing, I guess, when you're about to have your brain meddled with.

Another bot at the reception desk took my information and instructed me to go and sit in the waiting room. After about ten minutes, a nurse entered. I noticed she was human.

"Mr. Marcus Alaric Davis?"

"Yes?"

"We are ready for you, please follow me."

The nurse escorted me to an examination room, just like in my dream, but there was no doctor waiting. She took my vitals, drew some blood and handed me a green pill along with a hospital gown to change into.

"Perfect. Now, Mr. Davis, this is your anesthetic. Please take the pill with this water and lie down. You will be asleep in about 15 minutes. Dr. Nowalski will be with you shortly."

At this point, I was feeling a bit nervous, I must admit. Maybe I should have convinced Marysa to come along after all. After a few minutes, I started to feel really tired. Just as I was about to close my eyes, the doctor walked in.

"Hello, Mr. Davis. I am Dr. Nowalski, and I will be performing your switch procedure today."

He also looked like a typical human, not at all like the doctor in my dream.

"If everything goes smoothly, I shall see you in about 20 minutes." He smiled.

"What do you meeean iffff..." I wanted to finish my sentence, but the pill took effect, and I fell asleep immediately.

I couldn't tell if I'd been out for 20 minutes or 20 hours. As I woke up, I was still groggy and noticed a slight pain in my right temple. I touched it, expecting to find stitches or a wound, but there was nothing. Of course not - modern procedure nowadays rarely leave a scar.

"Welcome back, and congratulations Mr. Davis! From now on, you won't age a single day. How great is that?!" The doc seemed a tad too excited.

"Uhh yeah, thanks... I feel kinda strange. Is that normal?"

"Yes, yes, the anesthetic still needs to wear off completely. After that, you'll feel amazing - I can promise you that!"

"Okay..."

"Now, please remain seated here for the next 15 minutes. Afterwards, you can change and head to the reception. All the best, and goodbye."

I knew the switch implantation was a standard procedure, but it was still a medical interference on your brain. How could it be done so quickly? After taking a Youber home, I lay down a bit, hoping to rest. I think I fell asleep for about 15 minutes before slipping into another strange dream.

When I woke up, I couldn't quite remember what it was, so I saved the dream again to my memory file and turned on the TV to watch it right away. In the dream, I was standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I could only hear the waves crashing against the heavy rocks beneath. The sky was grey and cloudy, the wind whipping against my face like a whiplash. Lightning and thunder hurting my ears and eyes.

Out of nothing, colors erupted before me. They floated and merged, dancing in vibrant harmony - regular colors like green, blue, red or yellow, but also some I've never seen before in my life. The sky began to clear, revealing a breathtaking spectacle that resembled a living, dynamic entity. I struggled to describe the colors; they were unlike anything I had ever known, bright and mesmerizing.

As if drawn by an unseen force, I started to levitate. The swirling colors and I broke free from the cliff, transitioning into the vastness of space. Darkness again. I saw galaxies, stars and planets all around me, and the colors summoned me to follow them. Captivated by their beauty, a warm feeling blossomed within me, as though I was reconnecting with something deeply familiar.

Together, we floated through the universe for what felt like an eternity, inseparable. I embraced the colors, danced with them through the fabric of time and space, feeling like a singular entity; we became one. I asked the colors where they were taking me, where the edge of the universe lay, and what it all meant. They whispered not to worry, assuring me that the edge was right in front of me, I just had to keep looking. Everything would make sense eventually, I couldn't give up.

Then, I woke up from my dream.

What in the world didI just watch? I was still somewhat delusional from the anesthesia, but this wassomething entirely! What was the meaning of that dream? On one hand, I felt itwas just a dream, yet on the other, it felt undeniably real - as if I had trulybeen there, not merely a spectator in my own mind. I couldn't understand what Ijust saw. The vivid colors, the sensation of floating through space - was it amanifestation of my subconscious, or something more profound? Perhaps I neededto show this to someone. A psychiatrist, maybe?