It appeared to Eva as though she were viewing the brightly lit room around her through a drinking glass, as objects around her bent in space. She was standing on a white circular platform; another platform, the exact same size and shape, was above her—as if she were in some sort of large container that she could not see out of.

Where am I? A rush of memories replayed in her head. . . . Lacus . . . Arius . . . Besteel . . . running . . . jumping.

“Did I die from the fall?” she whispered to herself.

No, she thought. If you were dead, you wouldn’t feel the pain in your arm.

“But I feel chilly. Aren’t you cold when you die?” Eva rubbed the hem of her tunic. The climatefibers were working, but without the added layer of her jackvest, it felt like she was in a freezer. She tapped the patch on her shoulder, activating AnatoScan.

The tunic reported in its cheerful tone: “Heart, lungs, brain activity, and other functions are within healthy margins. However, fluid intake is low, Eva Nine. Please consume fluids immediately. Thank you.”

“Of course,” she replied. “What is the temperature?”

“Outside temperature is ten degrees Celsius, body temperature thirty-seven degrees. Thank you.”

Well, I’m not dead. Time to get out of here.

Eva neared the edge of the platform. She raised her hands in front of her and touched the wall. It was similar to frosted glass, with a clear wetness slicked over it, like oily condensation.

“What the—?” Eva sniffed the wet residue covering her palm. It was the source of the chemical smell, and though it was clear, it was thicker than water.

What am I in? she wondered.

Eva wiped her hand on the clouded wall that contained her. For a few moments she could see beyond, before the liquid ran down to recoat the wiped area. She was, in fact, confined within a cylindrical cell in a round room ringed with identical cells.

More curious than scared, she walked around her confines, systematically rubbing away the dampness that covered the wall. Eva found that she was between two other cells. One held a small jumping creature that bounced aimlessly against the impenetrable walls. In the other cell adjacent to her, Eva recognized the shape and color of a juvenile water bear through the blur of the liquid coating.

Hello, little guy. Can you hear me? she thought to it. Don’t be scared.

The water bear did not reply.

There was movement in the center of the room. Eva heard muffled voices. She rubbed away the condensation and spied two figures speaking.

A squat creature waddled in, upright on four stub legs, shorter than Eva. His four flabby arms waved about as he spoke in a nasally tone through a tapered proboscis. “Come, come. You must see the new specimens, Zin; we have been receiving them all week. They are spectacular.”