8 Surfacing

Zoey did not notice any difference when her transport finally informed her she had arrived in the new universe. She was pretty much at the mercy of the capsule she was in as she had no control over it. It wasn't long before she did finally notice a change. There was a bump and her terminal chirped, signalling that they had landed. Well... that was fast.

Her terminal was asking if she wanted to exit the stasis tank. She mentally prepared herself and initiated the process. The virtual space around her began to fade away as the process began. She would miss this place, after all she did spend over a year in there. Zoey felt a shift as the virtual space closed and her mind was transferred back into her actual body. Quite the novel experience after being in a virtual environment for so long.

She felt the fluid in the stasis tank draining and cool air touching her skin. The pod opened and she slowly climbed out after removing the breathing apparatus. It took a moment for her to get used to the sensations of her body. The virtual environment was not quite one to one when it came to simulating the actual sensations of the real world. When she got her bearings she saw that she was in a rather cramped space that was mostly taken up by the hardware that had run the pod and the virtual environment. It reminded her of the inside of a space capsule of some kind.

After taking a look around she found a locker that had some simple clothing and some items to clean herself with. She wished dearly for a shower, but that would have to wait. She would be stuck smelling like disinfectant for a while. She got dressed and cleaned up as best as she could, before moving to the front of the pod. She found a small terminal the had access to the pod's external cameras and opened it to take a look around outside. What she saw took her breath away. Green fields stretched to the horizon. Trees and brush were growing in clumps and she could identify a small river nearby.

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Gaia's fields had been dead and grey. It had been more than a lifetime since the last time she saw green living plants outside of a simulation. Zoey eagerly closed the terminal and activated the process to open the external hatch. She heard the whirring of machinery, and the hatch slowly opened, allowing the fresh air and light from the world outside to flow into the capsule. Her breath caught in her throat as she moved to the open hatch and finally, outside.

Zoey knew she was crying as she knelt on the grass outside of her transport. But she didn't care. It was beautiful. She could feel the wind on her skin and hear the sounds of wildlife all around her. She simply sat there for a while allowing her mind and senses to recover from the happiness she felt. It had been so long since she had seen actual life. The pure elation inside her was hard to express!

Eventually she recovered and managed to actually stand up and take a look around. As she had seen before, she was on a stretch of plains with a river that coiled its way through and some tree growths spread around the area. As far as she could see there was no sign of civilization nearby. She looked back to the ship that had carried her here. It really was not very big. Only 5 meters tall and cone shaped, very similar to the old style spaceships that Gaia used to explore beyond the planet. It was kind of a sore thumb though. Zoey was a little worried about someone finding it and perhaps causing trouble...

"You don't have to worry, I will take care of that"

A low melodic voice startled Zoey back to reality. she spun around, instantly on guard, ready to fight or flee as needed. She was met by a human looking woman with short raven black hair and rose colored, almond shaped eyes. She was covered by a silky black cloak that seemed to shift strangely in the light. The two of them locked eyed for a moment before the woman spoke again.

"Relax, I don't bite..."

Zoey was not convinced.

The woman spoke again disregarding Zoey's caution towards her. "So you are the one that he sent through?" She peered at Zoey thoughtfully for a moment, then shifted her attention to the ship standing behind her. She waved her hand and suddenly, the entire ship disappeared.

"I'll take care of that for you. I was promised compensation for assisting you after all."

Although Zoey was startled after the ship disappeared, she was able to conclude that this person must have been the Administrator who Pfortner had mentioned he worked with to allow her to come to this universe. She calmed down a little, but still stayed on guard, after all, Pfortner had warned her to be careful who to trust.

The woman returned her attention to Zoey. "Now, the real question is, what shall I do with you?"