Chapter 1: Chapter Two: The Rat Lab

Consciousness returned in fragments. His head throbbed, and his body felt heavy, as if weighed down by invisible chains. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

The room was sterile, illuminated by harsh white lights. Monitors lined the walls, their screens displaying streams of data he couldn't understand. He tried to move, but his arms and legs were restrained, strapped tightly to a metal chair.

"Ah, you're awake."

The voice was calm, clinical. A man stepped into view, his white lab coat pristine. He had a sharp, angular face, the kind that seemed incapable of smiling.

"Where…?" His voice cracked. He swallowed, trying again. "Where am I? Who are you?"

The man ignored the question, instead inspecting a clipboard. "You'll do nicely," he muttered to himself before looking up. "You're here to help me with an experiment. Congratulations."

"Experiment?" He struggled against the restraints, panic bubbling in his chest. "Let me go!"

The man sighed, as if dealing with a petulant child. "You've been chosen because no one will miss you. No family, no friends, no ties to the world. You're perfect."

The words cut deeper than any blade.

"I didn't agree to this!" he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.

"You didn't have to," the man replied coldly. He motioned to someone behind him, and a searing pain erupted in his chest. Electrodes attached to his body pulsed with energy, sending shockwaves through his nerves.

"Pain is necessary," the man explained, his voice almost soothing. "The neural pathways need to be stimulated to their limit. Otherwise, the transfer won't take."

The last thing he saw was the man's face, devoid of pity, as the pain consumed him.