Coma: The Simulation

[Mundane Monster]

OOC/Sign Up

Victor walked aimlessly through white space. He didn't know how far he'd walked, he didn't know how long. There was no concept of time wherever he was. At first he thought that he was in Heaven, but then when no cherubs, or giant winged Prophets appeared, he figured he was in hell.

He'd always thought it'd be more red, and hot and well, devilish. But maybe was in his own personal hell because he tried to kill himself. White space everywhere, no color, no happiness just lifeless, dull, white sp--

A door.

Victor released a yelp of something that could have been surprise, or fear he couldn't really tell. After all of this aimless walking through nowhere, a door appears! Should he touch it? What if it was a trap that the Devil set?

But what did he have to lose? He was already in hell! How could things get any worse?

So the teenager, reached out and grabbed the door handle and yanked it open to find--

A meadow. A beautiful meadow, with bright vibrant colors and little animals! And in the distance--Was that a castle? What was this place? Had God changed their mind and brought him to Paradise?

Victor walked forward slowly, and when he felt the grass swishing and poking his legs he knew that it was real.

Releasing a loud, "WHOOO!" Victor dashed forward, diving into the grass and then getting up and running over to a tree, or tenderly petting a deer. All things that his parents would never have allowed him to do. But they wouldn't be able to hold him back anymore! In here he could do what he wanted! He could be what he wanted! And right now he wanted to be stallion! Free to race through the meadows, kicking up grass and doing whatever he felt like doing!

And suddenly Victor was indeed a stallion. A large buckskin horse, with a long flowing black mane and white socks. Letting out a happy whiny, Victor raced across the meadow towards the castle.

 

[Moogle-Girl]

Meanwhile, in a similar blank expanse, Zack wandered with his hands in his pockets. It was cold, but Zack didn't mind, even in his typically underdressed state. What he did mind was the quiet. Nothing made a sound, not even his own footsteps. He enjoyed peace and quiet, yes, but this? This was too much. His face was always so stagnant, so carefully controlled, but now, his upper lip twitched incessantly as he fought to contain his emotion.

He could barely remember what happened. There was a dark place, much darker than this. He recalled the sound of falling pebbles, and then a noise like rolling thunder. After that...nothing but this endless white void. Was he dreaming? That seemed unlikely. His awareness was far too acute for an ordinary dream, and if he'd gone lucid, then he'd be able to exercise control over his surroundings. To improve this depressing gap in space and time.

Exactly twenty-three steps after Zack had begun to feel his mind slipping, a door appeared.

It was a very ordinary door. No paint, no decorations, just plain, bare wood. At any other time, Zack would have been suspicious, but now, the relief at seeing something different flooded his reasoning skills with emotion. His eyebrows raised, his muscles tightened, and with only a moment's hesitation, he tugged the door open.

A blast of snow and ice-cold wind blew Zack's hair and vest back. Goosebumps spread over his skin as he stepped over the threshold. He was in a forest, with thickly-clumped trees and snow blowing every which way. It crunched under his feet as Zack walked. The wind howled between the trees. Zack wished it would stop blowing so he could get a better look at his surroundings, and as quickly as the thought entered his head, the wind stopped. All was still, save for the crisp sound of the snow with each of Zack's footsteps. Dismissing the oddity as mere happenstance, Zack then wished he had something to keep him warm in this new environment while he explored. Not a coat, but something...more.

Zack's skin crawled. Somehow, he could feel it hardening, changing into a thick hide. Icy blue scales grew over his calloused flesh. Suddenly, he was comfortable.

Interesting.

 

[Boss Megu]

June specifically remembered that his room wasn't this...white.

...and empty.

Yep. He was pretty sure it wasn't. June stood there stupidly for a while, really uncertain of what to do. He could walk around but what was the point, he'd just tire himself out and seriously, what was with all this WHITE?!

Swear, when he gets out of this place, he's so painting his walls black...or [rainbow]rainbow[/rainbow] colored. Because if it he stayed in this place one more second he'd go nuts. No wonder people go insane after a while, white is such a stupid color...shade. Wait, it wasn't even a color and ---wtf?! Is that a door?!

...why does that door look so much like his boring bedroom door? Down to the last detail, including the chipped middle where Gabe and he...well, let's not think about that. But why was there a door?

Should he open it and see what's inside? It could be worse. He could be trapped here with Gabe. He winced. That was a truly horrifying thought. Decisions, decisions. His grandfather told him to never enter an unknown location without some sort of plan.

Jasper snorted. His grandfather wasn't here, so screw him.

He turned the knob and got blasted with noise. He shut the door immediately. There was silence again. Well, except the thoughts revolving in his head. That was different, you can't escape your own head. Duh.

He opened the door again and took a step half way and looked around. How could that be possible? It was like stepping into Narnia. Well, sort of. He took a step back and looked over the door frame. There was definitely nothing there. What sorcery was this?

"JUNE!" a voice called out. He looked back at the open door and saw a familiar face waving at him from afar. "DUDE!" the voice called out again, coming closer this time. On instinct, he shut the door at the others face.

Gabe. Gabriel Yamaguchi. Gabriel Yamaguchi, the half-Brazilian, half-Japanese model. His best friend. An odd memory filled him, involving a crash and glazed accusing eyes. But he swept it away, it hurt to think.

He paused and just realized something.

What the hell was Gabe doing here?! ​

He opened the door and once again, met face to face with the smiling Brapanese model. "Gabe" He greeted, in some sort of awe.

Looking past his best friend, he looked around in some sort of amazement. It was a city with tall buildings, busy streets and natural noise found in large cities such as this. Looking around some more, he noticed it wasn't just any city. It was Tokyo, and he was in the middle of The Harajuku Crossing, surrounded by people walking this way and that, in all directions.

He was in his dream city! HIS DREAM CITY.

Gabe pulled on his arm, pulling him completely out of the door. "Dude, we need to hurry! The Entrance Ceremony's starting and you're the Representative who's gonna give the speech, remember? Ringing any bells? Hello? June, July, August, Hello?" Gabe told him in earnest. "Entrance Ceremony?" June asked him in some sort of wonder. He saw his friend roll his eyes but he had a bright grin sent his way.

"We're in college, Dude. This is Japan."

Jasper pulled his arm back and stopped. Gabriel stopped with a frown and a raised brow. College, he was in college. Not the military. A small smile made it's way on his face and met the other's eyes.

"I'm in College..." he whispered to himself and smirked. "Don't wrinkle the outfit, Pig." he told Gabe. "It's an original. Let's go, we don't want to be late."

The Brapanese gave a bright laugh and shrugged. "What ever you say, Diva." June smiled and they continued their way.

He took a glance back at the door and found it gone. He shrugged it off. He didn't want to go anywhere anyway. He gave another smile, he definitely isn't going anywhere.

+

 

[Moogle-Girl]

Within twenty minutes, according to his own internal clock anyway, Zack was no longer human by any stretch of the imagination. His idle wishes had turned into experiments, attempts at understanding the powers that were at work here, and in the process, he had re-imagined himself.

His body was long and flexible, that of a dragon from the land of the rising sun. Icy blue scales covered every inch of his new serpentine form. Four muscular legs, two at the front and two much farther back, held him up as he looked at the world through his new reptilian eyes. Above each leg was a pair of wings, small but effective, he hoped. His jaw tapered to a point and held long, needle-like teeth, the edges serrated for the ultimate killing power. Two horns jutted from the back of skull, curving backwards for added smoothness in flight.

It was perfect. He was the ultimate predator now. His body felt cold, but he was no longer uncomfortable. In fact, the cold felt nice. Soothing, even. It was hard to explain. All he knew was that he finally felt free.

Zack opened his new mouth, feeling his teeth rub against each other as they unlaced, and let out a proud, mighty roar.

 

[Mowkie]

It is surprising how much darkness is seen within the eyes of one outside of the world for so long. Being trapped in a state of panic where the mind wraps around itself in hopes of catching up to what it tries to produce...only to forget mere moments later. Hours of life spent in this state throughout a lifetime....hours lost of human life because the brain cannot function properly. Eyes fall into darkness. Ears hear not even a whisper. Nose smells not of the aroma of the world. Tongue ceases to anxiously await the taste of a morsel. Skin feels not of the wind or light. One simply falls away into nothingness. And they are lost. For a lifetime, it would seem. And then, suddenly, everything is different around them. All around them, there is panic and relief as they come to. "Are you alright? Can you see? What day is it? Do you know where you are?" Such a bombardment of questions. They are surprised...scared, even. What happened? Where did I go? I can't remember what I was doing! It's all so frightening...and yet, survival has become apparent. Another seizure has passed. Another moment of fear before forgetfulness and a dazing, scary moment before relief and calm. Serenity. And then....the entire process is repeated. That is life. Cruel...even fatal. But once again, they relish in the relief that another moment of fear is survived.

For Kloi, this process of relief has yet to come. Finally, all of the moments of forgetfulness have caught up to her. She finds herself in the familiarly frightening darkness. She accepts it. Knows that it was to come again. It is ever-endless. It is always there...and she simply awaits what feels like a lifetime for the light of day to once again shine down on her. She sees not, hears not...feels not. Curled within the center of the darkness that is her frightened, slow mind, she gives a sigh to herself, reflected in a sigh of the woman lying in the hospital bed as she is hooked to a series of wires and sensors to allow her darkness to end for a brief moment in her endlessness. She knows not what goes on, even as her family, mother and sister, are excited that she has shown progress over the days.

They were told again and again that she must remain in the hospital for surveillance for at least another week. But for Kloi, a week is too many lifetimes within the shadows of her mind. Were she to know, she would fall to pieces. But this surveillance happens to be more than the watching eyes over her condition, but also for the reaction that condition has to the new system of which she is currently being hooked to. Another week...that can be so many dreams for Kloi. Endless possibilities.

Her body jerks as the darkness cracks, revealing a window that billows with the wind. Crystal eyes snap over to look to it, watching the amethyst curtains wave like flags in the wind of the world that beckons to her. This darkness suddenly feels different. Excitement fills her as she stands, basking in the warmth she seems to feel on her creamy skin. The breeze tickles her cheeks, lifting a curl playfully, awaiting her entrance. Stepping slowly to the window, she washes herself of the darkness that is her endlessly frightened mind and welcomes the dreams she has had since a child. She climbs through slowly, a smile touching the corners of her peach-colored lips.

And in that instant, she finds herself in a whole new world. One where, though she does not rule all, she does, in fact, rule. Not only the most powerful creatures of all - dragons and cats - but also, most importantly, herself.

The wind picks up, lifting the cloak that suddenly adorns her elegant body. The colors are vibrant, and there are so many that not even the world outside her mind has them all. Looking down at herself, she sees that she is dressed in a more Renaissance style, a silky black gown stretching to the ground, mixing with golds, silvers, and metallic purples and greens. Every time the fabric moves, it looks like it lives on its own, like flames. On her arms are cuffs - located on her biceps as well as her wrists - which hold translucent black and amethyst fabric to match that of her gown, opening to flow nearly to the ground, living much like the rest of the gown. Stretched from her shoulders is a billowing cloak of onyx on the outside, lined on the inside with the metallic purple that deigns her dress. Suddenly, she wishes to see her face. And as quickly as she does so, a mirror appears before her to show a face that makes her believe she sees a familiar stranger. A woman of her appearance, same pools of beautiful blue, lined only with a vibrant eye-liner and shimmering with shadow above, but with a beautiful chain of amethyst rune-like tattoos along both sides of her face, at the center of her forehead showing the silhouette of two dragons, wings outstretched, in the shape of a heart. She feels a tingle along her body, and suddenly she knows that were she to see herself naked, the entirety of her skin would be like her face, with dancing dragons and runes. She smiles, looking to her dark auburn hair, turning side to side to watch as the strands dance with flames that don't burn, shimmering that same metallic purple. It is tied up in a beautiful veil filled with silver and gold ribbons, and it is much longer than her true hair. In fact, were it to stretch out without being up, Kloi thinks it could fall to her ankles...and yet, it is weightless.

"My Lady! Please, the Masters need you...they always get frustrated when you are gone!" A young male runs up to her, bowing profusely with both arms crossed over his chest. At first, Kloi knows not of what he is talking about. And yet...within an instant, she understands. With a smile, she gives a bow of her head, eyes twinkling. "Of course! I cannot keep them waiting. Please, take a moment to catch your breath. There is no need to escort me." Just as suddenly as the mirror had appeared before her, Kloi watches as a staff resembling much of her tattoos, dark hickory carved only barely with the runes that align her face, stone a dark emerald in color in the shape of a heart held between two onyx-colored dragons resting on the top, appears within her hand. And as instantly as the staff appears in her hand, she appears before what is known as the "Masters." Great dragons battle each other, bickering like children - only much more dangerous. At their feet are great cats, from tigers to lions to ocelots and everything - fantasy and realistic - in between fight each other both physically and magically. As she appears, two magical cats pad up to her, both with stones on their heads - one emerald, one amethyst - both with the color of the other's stone breaking their black coat like lightning breaks the sky, bowing and speaking. "We are happy to welcome you, Great Kloi the Tame...please, help us settle the disputes of the Great Masters this day so that we can continue peacefully in your wishes."

This is the best world ever.​

 

[Verona]

Gerard was terrified, in that expanse of white that never ended. It felt like the hospital rooms, but worse. There were no sights or sounds or other stimuli to keep his mind busy, no signs of life around him. He couldn't even listen to the nurses in the hall, or his parents talking quietly amongst themselves when they thought he was sleeping. What had happened, he wondered. Had he gotten himself lost? Was he going to be stuck here forever? It was driving him mad, and he couldn't so much as hear his own sobs.

When something touched him, it was startling, to say the least. He flinched away and lifted his head at the feeling, to see a dog - or a wolf, too fearsome to be called a dog - standing over him, larger than it should have been and with fur as white as the room around him. It nudged him, again, and rather than run he reached out to it for something to hold, sunk his fingers into its fur and hugged his arms around its neck as much as he could from where he sat on his knees on the ground.

The wolf let him be for a moment, and he could feel the rumble in its chest that sounded almost pleased before it finally grabbed him by the back of his shirt and jacket, grip gentle but strong, and lifted him up like a cub of its own. It turned and started to walk, and Gerard frowned at the door in front of them, left open but with nothing he could see beyond the frame. He looked up to question the creature carrying him, but they passed the threshold and the world burst into light and color and sound and Gerard could hear himself breathing too quickly and shallowly. It was - It was beautiful. But where were they?

The wolf set him down and nudged him again, lying down at his side and using its muzzle to push him towards its shoulders. He blinked at it, at first, then smiled happily and climbed onto the wolf's expansive back. When it stood, he gave a startled cry, nearly falling off, but he managed to hold on with a surprising amount of strength for his body, and suddenly his head was nearly ten feet off the ground, and he could see so much of this place already. He wanted to see more. He wanted to see all the things he could never see before this. It didn't occur to him to question why he was here, or why any of this was happening.

 

[Moogle-Girl]

Meanwhile, in the waking world, Dr. Blair stared intensely at the many screens in front of him. Data flowed through countless feeds, words and numbers that only an advanced neurologist like him could possibly understand. The Simulation seemed to be going well, much better than he ever could have hoped. The brain activity of each of the patients had skyrocketed. He couldn't see what was going on inside their personal worlds, but he could see the result. They all seemed to be so much more at ease.

He figured that now would be the perfect time to test the next phase of the Simulation. These patients seemed to have settled into their virtual worlds well, but Dr. Blair figured they all had to be incredibly lonely. So, it was time to bring them together. The Hub, as he liked to call it, would be the perfect place. All of them would have control over the surroundings, and he hoped the shared responsibility would help them all grow.

~*~

The wings that Zack had designed for himself allowed for incredible dexterity in the air, but they were difficult to use. He'd crashed embarrassingly about a dozen times now, unused to all the muscles in his serpentine body. He was just picking himself off the ground for the umpteenth time when a new door appeared.

It was pristinely white, and oddly inviting. After opening the first door had worked so well, he felt curious, highly interested in what this new doorway had to offer. So, he reached out a scaly claw and opened it. What he saw surprised him greatly -- apparently, he was not alone.