1: Awake

I open my eyes. I'm lying on my back on a bed, in a dark room. I raise myself up on my elbows slowly. Groaning, I turn my head to one side. Next to my bed is a round, low table. It looks like it's made of wood. On it are two frames. I pick the nearest one up. A girl with short red-blonde hair is smiling out of the picture. One of her hands is resting on a silver and black tube contraption. A...a...a telescope! The word pops into my mind. How did I know that?, I wonder.

And then I stop and think. I can't remember anything. Not what I look like, or how I got here, or even my name. I look to my left. A desk is up against the far wall. On the wall next to my bed, there is a large window. I get up and look out it. Below, several spires of buildings rise into the air. They're all connected. Beyond the spires, water stretches on as far as I can see. So, I'm in a floating city?

I turn to the desk. There are only three things on it's surface. A notebook, opened to a fresh page. There's writing in blue ink on it, and next to the book is an uncapped pen. I lean over and read the message:

Take this to the labs. Give it to McKay. It's VERY IMPORTANT. Don't lose it. And don't trust anyone. Hurry.

The labs? What are "labs"? And who is McKay? Why can't I trust anyone? I notice the object that the message is referring to. It's a small black rectangle, about 1 cm by 3 1/2 cm. I pick it up, and it looks like one of the ends can come off. I pull it off gently, and I see the silver material underneath. The name of the object pops into my head, just like with the telescope. A flashdrive. I pocket the drive, along with the pen, which I carefully cap first. I rip the page out of the notebook, fold it up, and slip that in my pocket as well.

I look above the desk. A circular mirror hangs above it, and I catch my own reflection in it. A woman stares back a me. She has the same red-blonde hair of the girl in the photo, except it's longer, but pulled back in a loose bun. She has blue eyes, which look tired. I realize that the woman in the mirror is me.

I look down at myself. I'm wearing pants made of some durable dark blue-gray material. I've got on a simple blue shirt, with a V-neck that doesn't go too low down my chest. My jacket is made of the same stuff as my pants, and I see something bright on my right shoulder. I crane my head to see it. It's a rectangle. Most of it is red and white stripes, but a large rectangle is dark blue with stars. I count the stripes (13) but I lose patience with the stars.

Wait, what am I doing, looking at myself? I have to get this flashdrive to the labs. And to McKay, whoever that is. I see a door to my right, but I don't know how to open it. Then I notice a note pinned above a vertical arrangement of three glowing crystals. I read the note. Slide hand here

I slide my hand along the row of crystals. There's a sound, and the door opens smoothly. I turn around, looking again for anything I might need. The notebook! I take it, and scribble a title at the top. Things I Know. I write down a short list of things, then tuck the notebook under my arm. I step out into the corridor.

[[Please comment on what you want the main character to do next! The most popular choice(s) will be in the next post. Also, check out the Things I Know page, since it will be updated as the story progresses. Thanks!]]