A sharp, high-pitched ringing filled my head, growing louder until it felt like my skull was being crushed. My eyes fluttered open, heavy and uncooperative. Everything was blurry at first, but gradually, the haze lifted, and the shapes around me solidified. I was back in my room, though I had no memory of how I'd gotten there.

"Thank God, you're awake," Dr. Meyers said, relief evident in his voice. He was sitting at the foot of my bed, looking utterly exhausted. "You scared me to death. What happened out there?"

I struggled to recall. "I... I don't know," I said slowly. "The last thing I remember is being on top of the building, looking down on the city."

Dr. Meyers sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He looked worse for wear—wrinkled clothes, dark circles under his eyes, and a general air of sleeplessness. "You've been out for three days," he said quietly.

"Three days?" I echoed, my voice rising in disbelief.

"Yes," he replied. "You had me worried sick. If you hadn't woken up, the entire project would've been scrapped."

I felt a surge of guilt. "I'm sorry," I whispered, unsure of what else to say.

Dr. Meyers waved it off with a tired smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm just relieved you're alright." He placed a hand on my shin, giving it a light squeeze. "It would've been a shame to lose you." His hand lingered for a moment before he pulled away, clearing his throat. "We need to run a few tests, just to make sure everything's functioning as it should."

He pressed a few buttons on a control pad, and a machine above me hummed to life. A thin red laser scanned over my body, from my feet to my head and back down again.

"Just checking for any internal damage," he explained.

After a few minutes, he studied the results. "Everything seems in order—no internal damage." He sounded relieved, but I could sense an underlying tension.

Dr. Meyers hooked a cable behind my ear, as if preparing for another upload, but this time the screen displayed a detailed scan of my brain. He scrutinized it carefully. "Nothing appears out of place," he said, though his voice lacked the same certainty it usually carried. "I'll need to download your coding to check for errors, but that will take some time."

"It's not as fast as uploading?" I asked, trying to make light of the situation.

"Unfortunately, no," he said, shaking his head. "Downloading and decoding is much more complex. Your neural tissue is so intricately woven with the microcomputers...it's like untangling a bowl of spaghetti. This process will take hours."

I managed a weak laugh. "Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to be."

Dr. Meyers smiled faintly, but there was concern in his eyes. "Alright, we're ready to begin. This might feel...a bit different."

As he flipped the switch, a strange sensation washed over me. Unlike the harsh, jolting uploads, this felt smooth and soothing, like being submerged in warm water. I drifted in a gentle euphoria, the data flowing from my mind in a steady stream. Time became meaningless, and I floated in that blissful state, weightless and calm.

Eventually, Dr. Meyers turned the switch off, pulling me back to reality. I blinked, disoriented as he retrieved a small SD card from the computer. "I'll need my team to analyze this data. It'll take some time."

Before I could respond, a warm sensation spread through my arm—the familiar effect of the diazepam flowing into my bloodstream. My eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted off into unconsciousness.

---

At some point during my sedation, I became vaguely aware of someone in the room. I tried to focus, but the fog in my mind made it impossible to see clearly. I heard drawers opening and closing, the faint sound of footsteps. A cold hand touched the back of my neck, followed by a sharp pinch. Then, just as suddenly, the presence was gone. The door clicked shut behind them.

The machine above me beeped, signaling that the reconstruction of my muscles and tendons was complete. I fought against the grogginess, but sleep claimed me again.

---

In my dreams, colors swirled in front of my eyes, vivid and chaotic. I heard the sounds of traffic, the hum of the city. Voices echoed from below, distorted and unintelligible. I stepped back, then again, retreating until I was at the edge of a rooftop. A cold wind whipped around me. A vicious grin appeared from the swirling colors, and a hand reached out, shoving me off the roof. I plummeted, screaming as I fell.

I woke up with a start, soaked in cold sweat. What is happening to me?

A knock on the door interrupted my spiraling thoughts. Dr. Meyers entered with a file in hand, smiling. "We've analyzed your download. Everything's in place. No errors. You're fine, as far as we can tell."

But I didn't feel fine. Something was very wrong.