Adam Forth drifted in a haze, floated in a light that surrounded him. There was no sense of direction, no gravity. Adam was simply there. Yet not alone.
“Do you remember what happened?”
Adam wasn’t sure that he did remember. He strained his mind back to what he last experienced before he was here. Images flashed before his mind’s eye, of walking through town from the Tube towards the office. Of crossing the road, weaving through the cars. Of sudden shock and pain. Of hitting the ashphalt.
“Adam, you died.”
Shit. How could he be dead? He was here, reviewing the concept. He was experiencing new things. Surely dead was just dead? No more thoughts, no more words, no more of anything.
“Adam, you are going to wake up in a strange place. You are going to wake up in a new form. You are going to have a new purpose.”
That didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to Adam yet, strangely, it didn’t seem too unreasonable either. Was he being given a new life? What was wrong with the old one?
“Your old life was cut short, Adam. A senseless death. I am calling you to live with a new purpose. There are beings who need help, and you are going to be that help.”
Adam felt as though he would normally want to panic about now. The emotion wasn’t coming, though. He felt calm and at rest, no heart racing, no skin flushing with fear. He had never been this good in a pressure situation.
“Adam, you are dead. You don’t have any flesh or blood or heart. At least, not just yet.”
What is this place? Adam looked out into the perfect light, the spacious expanse around him which seemed endless.
“Adam, I need you to understand. In a moment you are going to wake up. You will be in new flesh. You will be alone.”
All things considered, Adam thought, this must be the dream-state that you go into when you either enter a coma or are just on the edge of death.
“Adam, you are dead. This is my realm. Now it is time for you to go to your new flesh.”
There was a darkness.
Adam gasped in a breath as his body convulsed. The air tasted stale and dry. Shit, Adam thought, there is something covering my face; I can’t get enough air.
Adam sat upright, feeling his arms bound close to his side and his legs bound together. Like I was wrapped up, he thought. He breathed in another reedy breath of stale, dry air. It was really dark too, like someone had bandaged his head and eyes. He tried to move his arms, feeling the restraints give and snap as he forced them apart. In just a few moments, Adam’s arms were free.
Reaching up, Adam felt the covering on his head. It felt like dry and dusty fabric, wrapped in loops around his head like a bandage. Shit, he thought, it feels like a fucking mummy suit. He clawed at the fabric, feeling the dusty layers crumble and release him. In a moment, Adam could see. He breathed in more air, dry and old but air nonetheless.
There was little light, just a dull blue glow emanating from somewhere near his feet. Adam prised open the coverings on his body and legs, freeing himself and revealing his nakedness. Great, he thought, now I am nude in some weird dark place.
Reaching forward, Adam uncovered the glowing object. It was a blue sphere set on top of a long shaft of cool metal. The metal was shaped like a twisted cord, spiralling up along its length. Holding it, Adam felt that it was somehow connected to him. That was a weird idea, yet it felt correct. Blimey, Adam mused, I could really do with some more light. The blue orb flashed into brightness.
Adam stared at the light that had flared up in front of his face. Swallowing slowly, he looked around. It was like a cave, not large, but clearly fashioned from natural rock. He was sitting on a stone slab that was in the centre of that space. Lying on the spot above where his head had been on the slab was a scabbarded sword. Otherwise the cave looked bare and empty.
Sliding himself forward, Adam put his feet on the floor and stood. It was weird because he felt a shade taller than he expected. Looking down, Adam could see that he was a lot slimmer than he remembered, with lean muscular legs. His hands looked larger, with longer fingers. He swallowed hard, pausing before he dared to reach up and touch his face. Feeling slowly, Adam traced a more pointed chin; then higher cheek bones; finally he felt longer, more pointed ears.
“Shit,” he breathed, “I’m Mister fucking Spock.”