Out of Cryo - Season 2 | A Horizon: Zero Dawn Fanfiction

Chapter 11: Virus

My eyes struggled to adjust to the white light that engulfed the room. "Wha-?" was all I could get out as feelings both foreign and familiar set in.

I was on my back, the surface beneath me hard, unforgiving and cold. I moved my hands, grasping the edges of the surface with my fingers. Table?

My vision finally cleared, revealing the room before me. The walls were white, lit by dozens of brilliant white beacons installed in the reflective metal ceilings. There was nothing in the room save the table I was on and an open door several paces away.

Where the hell am I? I suppose I should have been used to waking up in unfamiliar places, but this weird, sterile room was by far the most unsettling. Something was wrong – I could feel it in my gut – but I couldn't place what it was.

A whirring sounded from just outside the door, making me tense up in fear. I sat up slowly, just in time to see the blue light cast on the doorframe. Something's out there.

I wanted a weapon – a knife, my spear, a gun, something. But aside from the table and the clothes on my back, I had nothing. I reasoned I could use my arm if things got messy, but-

My arm. I knew something felt off as I looked down and let out a quiet gasp. There were no lights. No metal. No scars. No pieces of machinery built by a self-aware machine. It was just...mine.

The furs and hide I wore were gone – replaced by the plaid button-down and torn jeans I wore way too much. But not since...

I shivered as my blood turned to ice. Far Zenith. This wasn't their base. Where the fuck was I?

More whirring, followed by a click. I know that sound. I clenched my fists before hopping off the table and began taking small steps toward the sound. Closer and closer until...

The Watcher's head popped into view from whatever lie outside of the room – its blue light flashing intermittently and alternating between brightness settings.

"BECKS."

I stopped. It can't be. "H-Heph?"

The Watcher tilted its head at me but said nothing.

"Heph, is that you?" Still no reply. I was confused but I know what I heard. Only one machine...AI...thing I've ever met sounded like that.

As though on cue, the Watcher clicked at me and then turned to walk away.

"Wait!" I cried, forgetting all about the fact that I still had no idea where the hell I was. I rushed out of the room to catch up to it, running into a long corridor that was also way too bright and way too white. Whoever decorated this place needs a soul...and some color swatches.

The Watcher...or Heph, or whatever it was stopped at the end of the corridor where it turned to face me with a beckoning click before hopping into another nearby room. I glanced around briefly just to make sure there was no one else here, which there wasn't (for some reason), and followed, my pace quickening after a few steps before breaking in a full run, the lights flashing in my eyes every time my feet hit the ground.

I reached the other room. There was no door – just a doorway. An eerie silence emanated from the inside.

"Heph?" I called, my voice reverberating endlessly down the hallway. With a deep breath, I took a step into the room...and did a double take.

It was dark. No walls. Not even a ceiling. Hell, there was no floor either – and yet somehow, I had ended up in the center of the room and I couldn't remember how I got there. There were grid lines - streaks of glowing holographic wire that framed the room. They reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite place it.