Laura slowly opens her eyes. Her body curled up on her side of the bed. The comfortable mattress cradles her without strain, conforming to the shape of her body. So for a few moments, the blonde continues to lie there in her personal indentation. Gazing into the pitch-black room that is disorienting to her waking mind.

  ‘What time is it? My alarm didn’t go off?’

  She emits a low groan as thoughts of today’s schedule make her want to sink further. Morning exercises, pre-prepared meals, long classes, gym runs, internships, and dreaded questions about her weekend from her parents. Going on that trip with Marin really helped her relax, and she wished it hadn’t ended so abruptly...

  The blonde’s brow furrows as she sits up. Eyes scanning into the surrounding darkness. After a few seconds, her memory catches up. Marin, the bus, the tunnel collapse, and then…

  Laura’s heart races, realizing she no longer feels Marin next to her. Her hand searches around the bed, stretching out further and more frantically to the opposite side. Her breathing stutters as a sob crawls up her throat until they suddenly touch a warm body. The blonde’s breath catches as her hand rests against the other woman’s hip. The form twitches at the sudden touch, eliciting cute little mutterings from her lips. Her lover had wiggled her way nearly off the bed in her sleep.

  The blonde’s heart races still, but sweet cold relief washes over the brutal panic that took over. Gingerly, she rolls Marin back near the center of the bed. The taller girl is quite a heavy sleeper, so she doesn’t wake, only emitting a few sleepy groans in protest. Laura smiles blissfully, the blonde leaning down to place a kiss on the sleeping woman’s cheek.

  Laura takes a moment to let her heart settle. Breathing in the cold, sterile air that slightly burns her nostrils. The quiet and subtle constant thrum of electricity from the technological fixtures adds a strange calming effect. She might not see the rest of the bunk room in the dark, but it’s most definitely still there.

  ‘This is real. All of it.’

  Now that she has had some proper sleep and woke to the same strange place, it all but solidifies this reality in her mind. Which is more comforting than anything because it means Marin is really here with her. Not some dying dream or comatose hallucination. And that is all she needed. This sobering acceptance immediately puts Laura in a more serious mood.

  We need to figure out where we are. The why can wait. The first thing we need is to maximize our living space. We’ve woken up with our survival needs already met for the moment. But what can we use and not use of it? And most importantly, who else is in the other pods…and are they a threat…

  Laura’s thoughts wander over their immediate situation. The blonde has always been rather analytical, thanks to her upbringing. Her parents being very much the same.

  ‘Marin’s right…Despite how advanced this bunker is, it feels temporary. The food storages are well stocked but only for likely a few years at most, accounting for 6 occupants. If they're all awake at the same time, at least. And the gear in the armory definitely feels like they're meant to be used regularly. Not just in an emergency.’

  Laura’s brow furrows as she folds her arms over her chest. Her jaw tightening with determination.

  ‘We need to go outside today…’

  The blonde glances over at the warm shape next to her. Reaching out run her fingers through Marin’s hair gently. Her lover emitting content little sighs in response.

  Laura can’t help but lean down to press a few more gentle kisses across Marin’s face before carefully slipping out of bed. Feeling her way around to the door, which she wills open. The door even does so slower than usual, as if sensing her desire to be quiet.

  The door shutting behind her as she moves across the hall into the med bay. She wants to check up on the pod room and see if she can’t view the other occupants somehow. But while heading that way, she stops when she spots the tray table she knocked over in the surgical area. Still splayed out on the ground with its sterile tools scattered everywhere. She had been understandably terrified and confused. The robotic arms above the surgical table scared the hell out of her while poking around them.

  She sighs and approaches the mess. Lifting the tray table off the ground and setting it back on its legs. Then collects all the items that had fallen off as well. Placing everything back relatively how she found them. Once done, the blonde begins wheeling it back into the operating room until a sharp pain shoots up her right leg when she steps forward. With gritted teeth, she clutches her wounded foot, hops backward a few times, and then drops onto her ass with a thud.

  “Ugh! Fucking hell!” She growls, her face scrunching up in pain as she looks down at the pair of sharp, curved forceps that are now punctured into her foot. Pretty deep as well, but the wound is relatively small. She grabs the forceps and takes a deep breath before pulling them out swiftly. A slight, sharp pain, but she’s certainly felt worse. The curved tweezer ends of the forceps had unluckily aimed upward on the floor when they landed.

  The blonde hisses at the stinging pain ebbing from the puncture on her foot. Red blood dripping idly onto the white metal tiles. Thankfully, she is in a med bay, so there should be plenty of supplies to clean this up correctly. But it’s going to suck to walk on. They might have to put their trip outside off for a bit.

  But as she reassesses the wound, the red blood seeping out of the puncture suddenly turns milky white. Her brow furrows in confusion as the white fluid seems to expand over the wound like a bubble. A cooling sensation washing over the pain until the white fluid turns back to red and drops to the floor. But instead of splattering like liquid, it SHATTERS like brittle ice.

  The blonde stares at the little shards for a few puzzled moments before her attention returns to the bottom of her foot. “What the…fuck?” She mutters while poking around the spot where the hole just was and finding nothing but warm tender skin. No scar at all, except a slight discoloration.

  But her examination ends when a piercing metallic buzz enters her ears. A shiver rolls down her spine as she tries to cover her ears against the sound, but it just makes it louder. Seeming to emit from inside her own head. Which almost makes her panic until the sound finally stops.

  The blonde freezing in place while her eyes search the room. Seeing nothing else new until she notices something odd in the center of her vision. A little blue half-sphere icon that rotates every few seconds. Just like the cursor on her slow laptop back home. It eventually vanishes as lines of code begin to appear in its place. Scrolling so fast that she can’t keep up.

  Her hand swipes at it in vain, passing behind the text instead. She feels her throat tighten at the implication. Afraid to try what she’s thinking next. But she holds her hand out in front of the text and slowly brings it closer to her face. And to her dismay, the text stays in front of her hand even when her palm covers her eyes.

  “It’s…in my eyes…or on them…or…what fuck is going on?” She wonders aloud, concern written all over her face.

  The code scroll ends finally, and a few symbols in large blue text replace it. Certainly appearing to be language of some kind, but one she definitely doesn’t know. The blonde stares at it in confusion. “I…can’t read that…”

  And as if reacting to her the word changes, the letters become completely different. Still not something she can read as her brows furrow. “Can’t read that either…”

  The letters change shape again but into something even more unrecognizable. More like hieroglyphics. “Is there…English?”

  And to her surprise, the text changes to English. The word simply spelling out ‘Hello’ in an odd font. Laura’s eyes widen. “Yes! Hello! I can read that!”

  A sudden flash of blue causes her to flinch. Her vision blurry for a few seconds, but it clears up just as quickly. The blonde blinks away the spots in her vision while scanning the room again. And it becomes quickly apparent that her vision has changed dramatically. The room appears much clearer, her depth perception seems to have increased, and the fluorescent lights are far less blinding. Although it’s not like she had poor vision before, but even this is a major improvement.

  Another blue swirling icon appears in her sightline. It sustains its little animation for a few seconds before it vanishes and text replaces it.

  //Network Connection Failed

  //Standalone Systems Operational

  //Nanite Count Optimal

  //Foreign Soul Detected

  //Soul-to-Body Compatibility Optimal

  //Nanite-to-Soul Preference [Extremely High]

  //Foreign Soul Accepted [High Priority]

  //SNS Exceeds Standalone Capacity

  //Systems Operating at Minimum

  //SNR Connection needed for Optimal Output

  //System Suggest: Seek nearest SNR lead

  //Running Standalone

  //System: Welcome Nomad

  Laura’s eyes kept getting wider the more she read until the words finally disappeared, leaving her vision clear and unobstructed. There were several words in that readout that imply things that make Laura’s head hurt. It’s confusing, but at least it’s a start.

  The blonde, still sitting on the floor, sighs loudly as she leans up against the nearby wall. “So…I’ve got fucken nanites?” She asks aloud, more rhetorical than anything. “I mean-I guess that explains the hole in my foot healing like that. But it doesn’t make my brain feel anymore soothed.”

  She shakes her head and throws up her hands in exasperation. “And what the fuck is SNS and SNR?!”

  In response, the blue swirling icon pops up for a split second before text scrolls again.

  //Host Query: What the fuck is SNS and SNR?

  //SNS: Soul Network Signature - The calculable energy signature that determines strength of connection with the Soul Network.

  //SNR: Soul Network Relay - An orbital vessel that acts as a long distance connection to the Soul Network when outside of Active Network range.

  Laura purses her lips at the explanation. It explains a little, but also poses thousands more questions. “Ugh. I don’t even know what the Soul Network is.” She grumbles, waiting a few seconds to see if the helpful nanite’s fill the gap, but they don’t prompt again, even when asked directly. The blonde shakes her head. “Maybe that’s for the best. I feel like if I got info-dumped right now my head would explode.”

  She picks herself up off the floor and straightens herself out. Setting the sharp forceps down on the tray table with the rest, but keeping it away from the other tools for sterility that is definitely already compromised. But just as she’s pushing the tray table again, she stops and backtracks, having noticed something in the corner of her eye.

  A soft sea-foam green band of light circles around the frosted plastic dividing wall between the med bay and the operating room. And slowly skimming the holographic band are white bold letters spelling out SURGERY. The blonde’s eyes widen again as she turns around to face the shower area across from her. A similar colored light band on its dividing wall with the word DECON. She released the tray table and stepped into the main recovery area, noticing the band along the walls and the MEDICAL text on its surface.

  Her my forms a thin line, almost afraid to turn around to check. But she turns to face the doorway to the pod room and freezes. Because it, of course, has its own band right next to the door. And the word REBIRTH scrolling down it.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Rebirth?” she mutters to herself, a little put off by the phrase. Her thoughts winding back to what the readout in her head said. “Foreign soul…”

  Laura had to admit that she had considered the possibility that this might not be Earth. Which she had swept away as just a silly idea she had run across in books sometimes. And now it’s starting to feel like that silly idea might actually have some weight. But the sound of a door opening in the hall, followed by a loud yawn, breaks her train of thought.

  “Laura? Where are you? I thought we were supposed to wake up together?” Marin says a little sadly.

  Laura’s face turns red and her serious mood fades away. A guilty pang hits her heart at the other woman’s tone. The blonde hurries across the med bay and into the hallway to see Marin slouching a bit and rubbing her eyes. Her chin-length black hair is all messy and tangled. The blonde smiles warmly and responds a bit apologetically. “I’m sorry, baby. I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I decided to take a walk around. Tried to clean my mess from earlier, but then some stuff happened…”

  Marin’s expression turns a little concerned as she moves closer and slides her right arm around Laura’s waist. “Stuff? Everything okay?”

  The blonde blushes more at the closeness and smiles up at the cranky-looking woman. “Yes, I’m fine. But I do need to fill you in on some updates to our situation. Why don’t we head to the kitchen and maybe we can find some coffee—or something similar, I guess.” She says a little awkwardly.

  Marin raises a brow. “Updates?”

  ———————————————————

  “So—there are labels on everything. But I just can’t see any of it. Because the possibly millions of tiny bug robots living in my body aren’t awake yet?” Marin asked, her face now scrunched up as she is trying to process everything Laura just filled her in on. “And now you think we might have actually gotten isekai’d to somewhere else?”

  With a sigh, she slumps further back in her chair at the kitchen table. “I guess—that would make sense given how advanced everything is. But it just seems way too out-there to be real. And you said your head computer thing knew English. How would that be possible?”

  The smell of coffee brewing permeates the spacious kitchen from the drink dispenser unit they had found hidden in a section of counter space. Thanks to Laura’s newfound nanite vision, she can not only see labels for all the amenities now, but she can also pull up little menus on all the compartments to see what’s in them.

  The blonde gives an honest shrug, her arms folded while she leans against the counter. “I mean, that is all just my theory. My—Iunno—HUD elements, I guess? Didn’t activate until after I got hurt. Probably sensing I was bleeding, and it needed to fix it.” She surmised, but she really isn’t entirely sure. “The isekai thing or whatever, is just a thought that I had that got some sudden confirming notions. The whole foreign soul and soul-body compatibility thing. And not to mention the pod room being labeled Rebirth?” Laura emphasizes before her nose wrinkles. “But again. It’s just guesses. And it could just be bad translation or something. As advanced and alien all this stuff is, there are way too many familiar things as well. I just don’t get it!” She groans in annoyance.

  Marin lowers her head some at the blonde’s sudden tone shift. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to work you up with the questioning.”

  Laura’s expression instantly softens. “No, it’s okay, baby. I’m just getting a little overwhelmed right now.” She admits, pushing away from the counter to pace around the kitchen. “I mean—this is all real. I understand that now. Which makes me happy, of course. Neither of us is dead. Or—I guess we aren’t anymore. But that drums up a plethora of additional issues that we need to worry about.”

  Marin nods in agreement, her shoulders rising from the bit of tension she was holding. “You’re right. We can question reality later. Right now we just need to learn how to live in it.”

  A chime from the drink machine caps the conversation. Laura takes the two metal mugs she found and sets them into the little alcoves on the front of the dispenser. Streams of creamy forest-green liquid fill both cups to the brim. “First, we need to get your nanite thing active like mine. Then I think we need to get a lay of the land.” The blonde suggests while removing the mugs from the machine and brings them over to the table. Setting one cup in front of Marin, who stares at it a bit apprehensively. The dispenser labeled this as coffee, despite the inordinate color. Even had options for sweetening, but it definitely gives her pause at first glance.

  Laura doesn’t seem to have much trouble looking past it, though. The blonde raises the cup to her lips and takes a testing sip. And her eyes brighten in pleasant surprise. “Well, it’s definitely coffee of some kind. Not too bad. A lot more earthy.”

  Her lovers reaction spurs Marin on enough to try it herself. Finding it oddly comforting. Honestly, to her, it tastes basically like what you’d get at a chain cafe. But she returns her attention to her partner next to her while she idly sips. “Sooooo, should I like—step on a nail or something?”

  Laura purses her lips at the other woman. “Honey, I don’t think it’s activated exclusively by your foot…”

  Marin chuckles nervously. “I was kidding. But I don’t particularly like the idea of hurting myself to do this, anyway.”

  The blonde reaches across the table to rest her hand on Marin’s arm. “You don’t have to. I was thinking we’d go into the med bay and just give you a quick jab with a scalpel or something.”

  Marin shudders a bit and almost immediately rejects the idea, but her words catch in her throat as her imagination runs a bit wild. “Well, I guess that’s fine. But when couples play doctor, I don’t think this is usually how it goes.” She teases back to overshadow her nervousness. “So, maybe we should look around for another way?”

  Laura, with a genuinely playful smile, sips her coffee before responding. “Don’t worry—I’ll be gentle.”

  ———————————————————-

  “Are you sure there isn’t a better way to do this? Maybe like an on switch or something?” Marin slightly begs, her voice cracking as she nervously fidgets on the edge of the operating table. The several robotic surgery arms protruding from the ceiling poised in such a way that they appear ready to grab her. Her face paling as she watches Laura tug on a pair of green exam gloves she found in a dispenser.

  Laura gives an apologetic expression. “From what I was reading on the computer thing, there is supposed to be a specific tool for this, but it essentially does the same thing. A small puncture to get the nanites woken up.” Laura had poked around for a bit in the medical bay, searching for info on how to activate the nanites properly. But mostly to cater to her nervous lover. And turns out the odd black rings on all the desks are emitters for holographic screens. Laura could actually activate them and skim around the bunker’s computer system. Unfortunately, it had basically nothing saved on them other than records of supplies and instructions on how to use some of the equipment. No helpful logs of who owns this place and no details on why the couple are even here. But it did lead to finding Advent Orientation procedures in the medical bay. Which gave Laura step-by-step instructions on activating the nanites for new arrivals.

  The blonde walks over with a small tray that she sets down on the table next to Marin. The taller girl stares nervously at the futuristic-looking scalpel and the little spray applicator next to it. Laura adjusts the cuffs of her gloves before picking up the applicator with her right hand and gestures towards Marin with the other. “Which arm would you prefer?”

  Marin pulls her arms closer to herself, having to clear her throat. “I—I don’t think this is really necessary. I can probably just wait for them to wake up naturally, yeah?” She mumbles. Somewhat nauseous at the thought of having her arm cut open. But also embarrassed that she feels like this in front of someone she respects, as she avoid’s Laura’s gaze.

  Laura frowns. She’s never seen Marin like this before. The sporty girl is usually pretty boisterous and outgoing. But now she looks as if she’s shrunk down. It’s kinda—cute.

  The blonde quickly punches that thought deep down into her mind. Right now, Marin is obviously very vulnerable, so the blonde needs to take things easier on her. A little encouragement goes a long way.

  Laura sets the spray applicator back on the tray and moves in close to Marin. Placing herself right between her lover’s knees. Settling her gloved hands gently on Marin’s shoulders and gives them a light comforting squeeze. Then her left hand smoothly slides up the side of her girlfriend’s neck to settle against her cheek. Her thumb caressing beneath Marin’s eye. Her face instantly turning a shade darker.

  Laura smiles, leaning in to place a few brief kisses against her lover’s opposite cheek. “I know this is a little scary. But we wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t the quickest way. And I don’t want you to have to be moving around here blind. Obviously, this nanite thing is going to be important for us.” She explains, her voice quiet and soothing.

  Marin nestles her cheek into the gloved palm, her expression conflicted. “I know. I’ve just never been good with going to the doctor or anything. A lot of bad memories from when I was a kid.” She admits, her eyes glazing over a bit as they stare down at the floor to the side. “And now I feel really embarrassed, cause I’m being such a coward in front of you.” The tall girl says a bit more quietly.

  Laura furrows her brows, sliding the hand on Marin’s cheek to her chin so she can tilt the woman’s head back towards her. The tan woman’s cheeks darken even more as she starts to get nervous for an entirely different reason.

  The blonde takes a very stern expression. “You are not a coward. It is entirely valid to be scared of something like this…” She assures, gliding her hand back up to Marin’s cheek as the blonde smiles. “Plus, I like being able to see you be a bit more vulnerable with me. You tend to put on the air of a selfless tough guy all the time. Which is very attractive, I will admit. But this just feels very genuine.”

  Marin’s eyes look off to the side guiltily. “I just—want to look cool in front you.” She admits, twiddling her thumbs in her lap.

  The blonde smirks and leans her face in dangerously close to her lover’s. “You do look cool. But I can also be pretty cool. So let me take over for a bit this time.” Laura teases a little before moving back to reach down to gently, but firmly, grab Marin’s left arm and stretch it outward. The taller girl sucks in a deep breath and looks away. Letting Laura do what she needed to do. Marin’s right hand reaching out to clutch onto the hem of Laura’s shirt, which the blonde is happy to let her do as she picks up the spray applicator again. Holding Marin’s arm steady with her left hand, she sprays a small area on her upper forearm. The spray comes out as a white frothy foam that coats the skin. But after a few seconds it loses volume and turns clear as it seems to sink into the area.

  Laura sets the spray applicator back down on the tray and glances over at Marin. Noting the deep grimace and the light trembling that makes Laura’s heart ache a bit. The blonde takes a deep breath while grabbing hold of the arm again to steady it. Picking up the sleek electronic scalpel and angling it above the area where she sprayed. Her brain-computer told her that the spray should numb the area completely for a few minutes. So she shouldn’t feel this at all. At least Laura hopes so.

  The blonde swallows back her apprehension and lowers the scalpel, hand unwavering as the tip meets Marin’s arm and pierces through effortlessly. She pushes the blade in a few centimeters before cutting down at least half an inch before pulling the blade out. Then sets the scalpel down on the tray and watches. It takes a few seconds, but the small incision finally seeps with red blood. Which suddenly changes white before enclosing the wound to stitch it back together. Once the wound closes, the white blood left outside shifts back to red and solidifies.

  Marin huffs in frustration, brows knitted together, and still has her eyes shut tight. “Just do it already! I can’t take this waiting.”

  Laura lifts a brow in confusion, glancing down at the already healed cut briefly before she giggles. “Baby. I already did it.” She responds with a bit of amusement. The spray worked wonders, it seems.

  Marin opens her eyes in surprise, turning her head to face the arm that Laura still holds. She grimaces again at the spot of blood still present there. “H-how? When?”

  The blonde grabs a sterile wipe from the tray and cleans off the excess, the little bubble of red breaking into brittle shards. Which Laura is still very curious about but will leave for further study later. “Just a moment ago. The spray stuff was really effective, I guess. You didn’t even flinch.” She then gives the spot she sprayed a few pokes, which causes Marin to shiver a bit. “Did you feel that?”

  Marin’s expression becomes puzzled as she watches Laura poke and rub the numb area on her arm. “I can’t feel it at all, but every time you touch it, it makes my brain freak out.”

  Laura stops teasing the spot and lets go of the arm. “Well, you should get feeling back in a couple of minutes. At least that’s what the instructions say.” She says as she strips off her gloves and sets them crumpled up on the tray. Turning back towards her girlfriend, who now looks deeply concentrated, her eyes skimming something in front of her. “Oh! Is it popping up for you now?”

  Marin is watching the little red floating icon in the center of her vision. Closing her eyes just to see if it stays, and it certainly does. It scrolls through its code for a moment until finally shifting to text, just as it had for Laura. “Uh, I think I see—I don’t know, it’s like symbols.”

  Laura smiles. “Yes! Tell it to translate into English.”

  Marin does so and the symbols change to HELLO in quick succession. A smile creeping across the tan girl’s face. “Okay, I can read that now. Uh, hi?” The text vanishes and the read-out begins.

  //Network Connection Failed

  //Standalone Systems Operational

  //Nanite Count Optimal

  //Foreign Soul Detected

  //Soul-to-Body Compatibility [67%]

  //Nanite-to-Soul Preference [Extremely High]

  //Foreign Soul Accepted [High Priority]

  //SNS Over Exceeds Standalone Capacity

  //Body Requires Hardware Upgrade

  //Systems Operating at Minimum

  //SNR Connection needed for Optimal Output

  //System Suggest: Seek nearest SNR lead

  //System Suggest: Seek Soul Weave Implant

  //Running Standalone

  //System: Welcome Nomad

  Marin’s face gets a little more concerned as she skims the readout before it disappears. And Laura, noticing the less than positive expression, steps into Marin’s view. “Everything okay? What does your readout say?”

  Marin folds her arms across her chest. “Well, I feel fine. But it’s saying my body isn’t compatible with my soul. It says it’s only about 67% compatible and that my body needs an upgrade.” She would explain carefully, not really knowing what all this even means anyhow. “It says the nanites really like me, though. And it suggested I find something called a Soul Weave Implant?” She questions, giving Laura a shrug.

  The blonde emits a low hum in thought. “Ask it what that is.”

  Marin nods and clears her throat, her mouth forming a thin line as her brows knit. “Uh—hello nanites?” She asks awkwardly, sticking out her tongue at Laura who giggles at her. “What is a Soul Weave Implant?”

  //Host Query: What is a Soul Weave Implant?

  //Soul Weave Implant - A biomechanical body modification that increases the durability, capacity, and output of a biological form in order to effectively utilize a more vast SNS.

  Marin reads this off, cocking her brow at Laura. The blonde takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “I just cannot wrap my head around this stuff yet. There are so many strange mystical words mixed in with all this science fiction stuff.”

  Marin nods along with Laura’s confusion. The tan girl considers what else she could ask and settles on something straight forward. “Since my soul’s compatibility isn’t good, am I in danger? And what happens if it gets lower?”

  //Host Query: Since my souls compatibility isn’t good, am I in danger? And what happens if it gets lower?

  //System Answer: Host body is currently stable and can function normally at the Minimum output in Standalone. But performing any medium to high output spiritual or magical abilities can overwhelm this body’s durability. Losing body durability risks soul ejection.

  Marin reads the response. Then reads it again. And again, after that. Doing a double take and feeling like she’s going blind. Laura watches such an array of confused emotions flash over her girlfriend’s face before Marin finally cries out.

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAGICAL???”