There was a sudden lurch. Not up, not down, not sideways… the true direction of it was indeterminate, but its effects were stunning. The world seemed to blur to a bright flash of sound, light and nauseating sensation. Maybe for a second, maybe for years, but once the timeless interval passed, the group came too… each one in a separate hospital bed, wired to various monitoring devices, with slight headaches.
Jennifer sat up slowly, bringing a hand to her forehead, and looked around. I probably just set off a shitload of alarms, she thought to herself. "I believe this is the first time in 13 years or so that I've had absolutely no idea where I am or how I got here."
"Welcome home, Jennifer," Holly said.
"Oh, Holly–okay, so I do know where I am." She swung her legs over the side of the bed, being careful not to upset any of the sensors. One of the doctors would be up soon enough, since the change in her vitals should have registered. "How long have we been here?"
Shifting was a little uncomfortable, as she had tubes in some intimate places. "It's been 4 days," Holly said. "It might be best if you lay still," Holly recommended. "It's good to see you awake."
Four days would explain the catheter, Jen thought. She glanced at her arm. And the IV, too. She took Holly's advice and lay back down–it would definitely be uncomfortable to even think about moving around. "Actually, Hol, I wasn't sure we would be waking up for a while. That was a very nasty piece of work."
"So I've gathered from what some of the others have been saying," Holly said. "It sounds quite stressful. Most of you had a plethora of fungal and parasitic infections."
"I'm not surprised by that, either–we were wading in some of the most disgusting stuff it's ever been my distinct displeasure to see, touch, or smell."
"I apologize for having to shave your pubic hair." Holly said. "I thought it best to mention it now. Some of the other did not react well to finding out on their own."
"It doesn't particularly bother me," Jen replied, shrugging, "though now I'll have to decide if I'm going to keep shaving or deal with the itching while it grows back. So, what's been going on while I've been unconscious?"
"There have been more encounters with humanoids from the other sector of the island."
"Oh? What sort of encounters?"
"Mainly probing the edges of the facility. Curiosity I would say. Hologram was attacked, but the intend did not seem to be lethal."
"Hmm," Jen mused. "Interesting. After Sheba, perhaps?"
"That is one of the theories." Holly said.