Saeva Alterra Hawkins

Sol 3UN1A Adjunct to Universe 0

Reflexis City Outer Wall

Her life had been nothing but peaceful. I mean if you compared it to more daring lifestyles that is. She had her fair share of woes. Her life was a huge mixed bag of highs and lows, good and bad. Today that was all going to change.

“Good morning, Seta.” Saeva’s voice seemed to croak. Nothing happened as she slowly sat up still bathed in darkness.

“Seta…” Saeva repeated. “Good morning?”

“Oh… Oh right. My bad. My bad.” Seta stated over the rooms speakers. “Good morning, Saeva. Initializing Wakeup. Did you enjoy your sleep?”

“I thought digital intelligence would have been a little bit more perfected by the year 2511.” Saeva said. She rubbed her eyes as the room began to slowly brighten to a warm light. Her expansive room came into view. The entire sixteen feet of wall across from her bed slowly turned transparent as the expansive reflecting city shown outside. Her wall screen began to report the news as it pertained to the Arteon Project.

“Digital does not mean I’m a walking set of algorithms…” Seta retorted. Her voice was her usual melodic tone. “I was distracted. An entity of my caliber can still partake in hobbies…”

“You do now that you actually are much more… simplistic than a set of algorithms.” Saeva replied. “I mean neural networks don’t necessarily process like machines do these days. You are just a series of pings.”

Saeva was up and out of bed slowly marching into her bathroom. She walked towards the center of the room where the floor had a five feet square indention. She stepped down into the shower area as a series of glass walls appeared around her. Mist began to bathe her body in a warm feeling.

“And you aren’t any better? I mean my layout is literally based on your brain structure.” Seta huffed in reply. “Living things are just as programmed as anything else…”

“Yeah, yeah, Seta… As always you seemed to be in denial.” Saeva sighed taking in the heat of the mist as it passed over her skin. She could feel the dirt being pulled away. The thin layer of skin cells pealed off. She could feel Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus slowly leaving her collective being. The carbon dioxide leaving her lungs expanded away as she exhaled replaced by molecules of oxygen and nitrogen that came in. Deep inside she could feel these molecules binding to her blood moving around her entire being.

The mist seemed to envelope her and an endless view of distant stars that slowly fell around her, being guided by quantum and magnetic fluctuations created by her room. Her focus shifted outward as she could sense the glass silicate barrier between her and the outside world. Blocking her view of the world beyond. The wall of infinitely space atoms stood unyielding before her. The small five by five room seemed to be infinite and yet closing in around her. The exchange of atoms from the outside stopped as the mist froze hung in the air. Heat unable to radiate. A cold chill took over her body. It was an isolating chill that seemed to emanate from a void she hadn’t noticed existed until now.

A deep echo filled the expanse. Words she could not understand filled her ears in a faint breath whisper.

The bathroom seemed to reverberate as the voice spoke each word. The atoms frozen all around her seemed to heat up as the energy passed into them. Yet they stayed perfectly still. Saeva felt terror as a feeling of disconnection passed over her.

“piece…” The voice continued to reverberate. Her entire being shook. That infinite void spiking into a greater unknown paradox of deep confining infinities.

“Saeva…” A familiar voice filled the back of her mind. The infinity seemed to suddenly collapse back on itself as the confining feeling expanded outwards. The two unknown forces seeming to push and pull each other back and forth until a familiar and known equilibrium took its place.

“Saeva!” It was Seta’s voice. Worry seemed to have broken its melody. “Saeva, I’ve shut off the shower… can you hear me?”

Suddenly she found herself lying naked on the dark stone that was her bathroom floor. The walls around her were cracked. Glass and mirror littered the floor around her. A perfect square seemed to be the only place that was free of debris.

Her mind went to the time her fifteenth birthday and how she had never manifested a level. She had never heard of this happening to anyone before. People had been getting Roman numeral ones and twos, even negative ones. She had never once seen or heard of anyone getting a nothing. When she told her foster mother they reacted but the shocked blank expression worry anxiety had overwhelmed her. And so out of fear she registered as a negative one.

Until now this was the first time that Saeva had ever seen anything come of her abilities. After all of her hours she spent searching the libraries she was never able to find out why she never received a level.

And now here was this hollow familiar voice that seem to carry through to her from the infinity of a void. And it was the morning of her exam, the day that she needed highest level of control so that she could find a way to pass tests that were meant to test her capability. Slowly she climbed off of the floor and she proceeded back into her room ignoring Seta’s request for conversation.

“Are you all right?” Seta asked her. “Hello? Your vital spiked however you seem to be in healthy shape. Are you all right? Did something happen?” There was a sense of anxiety and fear in The ai's voice.

“I'm all right, Seta. Calm down.” She said in reply. “Can you open the closet for me?”

Instantly the right wall of her room, opposite the windows, disappeared and in its place a wardrobe lined with clothes. She began to browse and soon found the outfit that she had planned to wear months ago; at the start of the school since semester. This was a moment she had been awaiting for months.

After getting dressed she proceeded out of her room and into the large hallway that lined the back wall of the house. The windowless ceiling displays showed a star-scape and view of the Milky Way. This was a site that isn’t really seen within the cavern.

She proceeded into the kitchen which was about three or four doors down from her room. The living space overlooked the large veranda with an infinity pool and a beautiful view of the large cityscape outside.

Her house was nestled along the far Southern Wall of the cavernous City twenty or thirty miles from its center she could see the entire sprawling expanse. At about a thirty degree angle to the left of the city she could see the dock port. The huge towering glass structures that hugged the northwestern wall of the cavern. A place she had always longed to go as she had never been able to leave this city.

That was a right earned by those who passed their exams and gained citizenship. If you did not pass you had only a few options. You could go down to the mines and the manufacturing industrial areas far beneath in the mantle or you could live a life on the lower realm of the cavernous City.

This would not be her fate. She was finally going to be free and able to explore the Stars. She would apply for the Arteon project and leave this solar system and the Earth behind.

She was a bird in a cage that longed to be free. She was someone who could see the outside world through view screens and hollow rooms. She even had virtual reality. But that world was something she could never touch. A place she hadn’t been able to see with her own eyes.

The Cavernous City had always been dark to her eyes. She never had the traits that let her see in the dark like all of her peers. She didn’t have a heightened ability to hear, nor super strength like her friends parents. She was instead someone who is left to be powerless in this world.

She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a dry breakfast meal. It was a small pellet she plopped it into the hydrator. With the press of a button, she smelt the warm relaxing sensation of a grilled egg and cheese sandwich. She ate what could be her final meal in this room. And left.

Water plumes and rivers meandered their way throughout. There were paths bridges that sprawled throughout the suburbs. She inhaled a deep slow breath as she took in the city. The air felt foreign and dry.

Somehow on this it felt antagonistic as she made her way. Her bike made a slight drone on the pavement as she rode. She passed parks and suburban towers. In all directions the lower city was waking up. The streetlights were brightening, the light from the water plum's glowing from the bass up. The holographic night sky fading into light.

She couldn't put her words to it, but people felt different today. There was a pressure about. Maybe it was because she was a level negative one, a null. The derogatory term used towards people who were powerless. Compared to everyone else she was just a baseline human. She didn't have advanced gifts, she couldn't hover and fly. She couldn't see in the dark. She was what humanity had been centuries ago. And yet today, it had marked her as an outcast to society.

She veered down the left path of the trail that wrapped around Pisgah lake. This might be her last time seeing this city. The massive body of water had waves that gently lapped at its edges. The water was clear and blue, reflecting the sky above. Synth trees lined the trail to her left giving her a sense of calm. She always took this way. The journey was a bit longer, however she was always refreshed by the synthetic blend of nature that surrounded her here.

“Saeva.” Veronica said. “I knew you’d be coming down this way at some point. You couldn’t resist this place as a kid.”

Her friend was sitting on the bench that overlooked the dramatic view of the city center. Here, as if massively planned, the city truly reflected. Instead of being blocked, the ceiling towers that stretched down onto the cavern floor were visible in their glory. At night, a live view of the universe beyond the earth was used to block the daylight cycle from the ceiling. Thus it was too bright to allow any of the buildings to be visible as it would ruin the feeling and ambience of the nighttime.

It was only during the day, and mainly in the early morning or late evening, when you could see the full glory of the city as it reflected upon itself. The lower and upper sections of the massive city nearly identical. However at this exact vantage point with the massive lake that stretched out into the distance, you could see not only one but two hour glasses made of skyscrapers. It was a sight that almost made living her bearable.

“Its still as grand as ever.” Saeva said. She sighed walking to the edge of the water. “Honestly its just what I needed today.”

“Yeah today of all days, am I right?” Veronica said. A smile on her face. “Exactly why I came to make sure you didn’t end up sitting here through your exams. I know how anxious it all is.”

“Honestly, at the end of the day, Ill be somewhere besides my current life, and I guess that’s okay with me.” Saeva said. She walked from the shoreline they had been standing at back to her hover bike.

“Can I hitch in?” Veronica said. “My boards not as fast.”

“Do you have to ask?” Saeva said. “Seta can you expand please?”

The bike that was sitting alongside the trail began to expand and widen as nanites within the framework adjusted themselves. The step-pad the ride stood on widened enough for two people. The internal gyroscopes keeping the bike balanced as the hover plates remained in a scooter configuration. Two thin seats rose from each side as cushions inflated for comfort.

“Okay we gotta stop by the tea stand today.” Veronica said. They had made considerable progress in the fifteen minutes it took for them to circle the lake. After the detour to the usual drink stand, the duo had made considerable progress.

“Not again.” Saeva groaned. She walked away from the stand and stared down at her drink. “They forgot my ice.”

“Who asks for hot tea with ice?” Veronica said. She used her Level I abilities to drop a few ice cubes into the beverage. Saeva tried not to grimace as the experience reminded her of her own lacking. As ubiquitous as powers were in this world, Saeva had to do everything on her own. Or with the help of Seta, her AI.

The duo felt refreshed as they made the last slow crawl through the city. As they neared the center, transports of all shapes and sizes whirred through the sky and roadways. Elevators of various scales grew in density as they neared the central tower. The building stood from cavern floor to ceiling. The two hundred and fifty story building stood well over the others and was home to the central authority of Reflexis. It served as both residential and government purposes.

Located next to it was the second tallest building. The Reflexis Academy Base was the only public school for the entire several hundred million population of the cavern floor. There were hundreds of private institutions as well as a good majority of children who were simply taught via remote learning. However, there was a large portion of the population who felt that to get farther ahead, you needed to learn in person.

With the alternatives and the dramatic decrease in longevity followed by a stark drop in birth rates. The city that was comparable to the size of a large country before, could get by on having only two public education institutions. It was a rigorous process. The academy served as not only primary and secondary education, but also as a college level. With the introduction of levels to all of society, the classical form of apprenticeship took over civilization.

Most jobs today relied on niche power sets or levels to accomplish tasks. Things that couldn’t be learned from general education. So, it was common for children at the age of thirteen or fourteen, when their level appeared, to get into apprentice co-ops with local businesses and family members. These groups would help further their education directly. All these individuals would take to the remote learning primary and secondary basics to get through.

They were exempt from taking the AAL practical, however they still had to past more tests earlier on and successfully complete their apprenticeships to become citizens. In this post scarcity world, more was put on what you chose to accomplish than what one had at birth.

For those children who decided to embark through the Academy base. They had the opportunity to land higher delegated jobs and experiences. The high rewards came with a more intense drawback. Everything relied on passing the AAL Practical certification test. If one failed, they were sent to the processing centers below.

For most this prospect was trivial, basically guaranteed. But for the few nulls that existed out there, it was a high stakes risk. Saeva didn’t have abilities or adaptations that would allow her to excel in these tests. She would have to get by on her physical training and studying. She would have to prove herself. Otherwise, to every human in the system, she would be seen as powerless. Someone who held back the greater whole; who couldn’t contribute to resources or research, just another mouth to feed.

“Well its about time you guys got here. What took you so long?” A voice said as Saeva and Veronica approached the Academy tower.

“Well, Ryan” Saeva said. “You see, someone had to stop for milk tea, again.” Saeva gestured to Veronica and jostled the now empty cup of ice in her hand.

“You are the only one in a rush, Ryan.” Hope said. She had vibrant auburn hair that framed a face that befit a model in most social circles.

“Hey hey now.” Ryan said. “While you three were definitely fun company for the past idk thirteen years, this academy was not what one would call comfortable.”

Ryan was a tall, almost lanky, boy with dark skin and brown billowing hair that helmeted his head. His leather jacket was slightly shredded at the sleeves from overwearing. The seems of his dark clothes slightly coming apart revealing bright layers of underclothing. It was a grungy style that cropped in the centuries of human expansion. Something about feeling distressed by an every compressing society.

“Well still its nice to all hang out for one last hurrah.” Veronica said. She was looking over the crowd that was now almost dispersed. “I cant believe its time for our final exam. Like the final exam.”

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“Time for the end of our childhood.” Ryan said. “Not a big deal or anything.”

“Hope, Saeva.” Veronica began. “You guys got this. All it takes is for you to pass the written portion and meet the baseline physical assessment, and you guys will make it. Don’t worry about the abilities test at the end. I know you two got this okay.”

“Veronica.” Saeva said.” For the last time Veronica. I told you either way we will be adults. I know weve got this.”

Those hollow words stuck with Saeva as the group made their way through the lobby. She reflected on when she had first entered this building. The massive atrium, that spanned six floors had seemed so large. It felt as if she were squeezing through a small gap escaping at the last second to freedom. She felt the lobby walls loom over her slowly shrinking as she was squeezed into a tiny point.

They followed the stragglers of the crowd that made its way to the underground sections of the campus. There the massvie auditorium that could seat tens of thousands of students accepted them into its arms. The orchestra of chatter filtered throughout the open space.

“So where you guys want to sit?” Veronica asked.

“I mean its not like it matters, aren't we all split off and separated after the ceremony?” Ryan said.

“I think we have a little while.” Hope said. “I think we should just stick near the upper levels anyway. Gives us more time after they have the opening ceremonies.”

In the center of the space a countdown appeared on the holographic display. Enough time was on it that the atmosphere seemed jovial and relaxed. In the distance they could see thousands of students flitting about flying up to various sections of the arena. Some were aggregated into clusters that hovered throughout certain parts of the room.

“Okay Hope.” Veronica said. She faced their friend. “What are your plans after passing?”

“I don’t really know.” Hope said. “Are their really any prospects for someone like me. I feel like it would be a miracle if I graduated right now.”

“My dad wants me to join the family business.” Ryan said. “Though my powers don’t really work like theirs. I think I'll take my time and just experience the city for a while. As a citizen we wil be able to do so much more.”

“Ryan. We all know you are going to be hot stuff.” Veronica replied. “But like come on show some respect for Saeva and Hope here. They kind of have the odds stacked against them.”

“I, unlike you, know that they will pass. We all will pass. Im not going to waste my time stressing over something that we know will never happen. For Luna's sake, Saeva is the top of our class, and Hope isn't far behind her. If anyone is going to struggle with this exam, its going to be me and you.” Ryan said.

He had stood up during the course of his rant. The rest of the group sat in silence for a minute as they thought about what he had said. Maybe Saeva had stressed out too much. She did do exceedingly well in classes. Her fitness scores were within passing remarks. The only thing holding her back was her lack of adaptations and her lack of supernatural ability. Wasn’t most of the exam focused on her physical and mental assessments, only the final part of the exam focusing on her Level adapted abilities.

“Okay you win Ryan.” Veronica said. She was looking off into the distance. Her eyes blankly a fixed somewhere across the room. “Its not like my abilities give me much over these too anyway.”

“Veronica. I know you are worried about yourself too.” Saeva said. She realized that her friend wasn’t just concerned for the two of them. “I get it. Im a bit stressed out too. But I know that with all we've been through. We can make it through this.”

Saeva looked out over her peers. Many joking and dancing in mid air. Some doing tricks with their powers, levitating and summoning objects. Their group had bonded over the fact that each of them were so powerless, in this ability driven world. Veronica could only summon ice cubes. Ryan could manipulate electronics. But any tampering in a technologically advanced society as theirs would not go unnoticed.

The four of them didn’t have flashy powers, like the ability to summon and manipulate magma. Or that to cause electric arcs with the thought. They simply had each other.

“Guys.” Saeva said. “I know we all are here stressed out. I get it, we aren’t the strongest, flashiest, or the most stand out. But we do have one thing that everyone else doesn’t.”

“I swear to God Saeva, If you say the we have each other, or the power of friendship, or some other cheesy line. So help you.” Veronica said.

“No, no. Its not like that.” Hope said. “Shes going to say, we have Ryan and his ability to go back in and edit our test scores. So regardless we will pass. Its basically impossible to fail.”

Saeva’s face was still. She quickly looked away from the trio that bared down on her. The others broke out laughing. The tension that had shrouded the group breaking.

“I was going to say we have gumption.” Saeva said. Her eyes dropping down as the group looked back at her judging.

“You know good and well you weren't going to say gumption.” Ryan said. “You were definitely going to say some cringe anime line.”

“You guys got me.”Saeva said. She chuckled turning on Veronica. At whom she pointed a very strongly worded finger. “You, know me way too well. Count your days.”

“But in all seriousness.” Hope said. “The actual exam shouldn’t be bad. The only thing we will struggle with is the final level exam. Like chill out guys. Im the weakest one among us, I don’t have powers, and im definitely not as smart as Saeva, but you know they have an avenue for us. The final level exam is and always was a simulation. One that is programmed based on the results from the previous portions of your exam. Some AI algorithm will combine everything together and give you a situation adapted to you.”

“Then what was all that talk about Level 0’s not passing?” Veronica asked.

“Just the normal discrimination and fear mongering our society professes.” Hope said. “More likely its probably just rumors spread because that’s how these things go. People want to scare the generations coming after them.”

Before anyone else could say anything, the timer at the center of the room reached zero.

“Attention Students.” A melodic voice chimed throughout the chamber. “Please return to your seats for the commencement of the Agency of Advanced Leveling Practical.”

The buzz that filled the auditorium silenced as within seconds students returned to their seats. The entire group wasn’t enough to fill the entire set of seating, but they made considerable progress in filling the space.

“Ah I see everyone has made it to their seats on time.” A feminine voice echoed over the gathered crowd. “As you all know I am chancellor Hawthorne, the director of the Upper stages of the Reflexis Academy Base. The time has come for you all to leave the floors of this academy, and advance on to being citizens of the Sol Conference.”

From the ground in the center of the room, a woman floated into the air. The holographic display that towered over the mass of students reflected her face across the crowd. Grey eyes that held an age that did not match her unwrinkled face. It gave her an ageless appearance that conflicted with her position as director.

“Students. It has been a long hard fourteen or so odd years. At least for most of you. The ones who have come in along the way, either from other locations within the greater Sol Conference, or from our sister Academy that hangs from the ceiling of this great cavern we live in.” She continued.

“You have made it to the next transition zone of your existences. Years ago you were all assigned levels by the unknown machinations that have changed our species. Together all of you Level I's and II's have advanced and learned. You are at your next milestone. The Agency of Advanced leveling has given each of you the opportunity to compete for a life greater than a universal basic allotment. Here you have the near guarantee to become citizens. To have access to jobs and resources that will help advance your lives and the ones that come after you.”

“Now, let me get to the heart of the matter. This exam will take place within five examination categories. It will be a culmination of your physical and mental training you have conducted over your education here. In a few moments, your student categories will be displayed upon the screen, each with a corresponding center that you must report to. They aren't far, and I ask that you please be patient in waiting for your category to appear. After your category is assigned, you will be required to immediately proceed to that exam center.”

Her eyes glazed over the room. A stern but hopeful glare that lit a spark in each of her charges. Her grey eyes soon found the brilliant silver eyes of Saeva. And in that gaze time seemed to slow. Saeva felt as if the world around her froze, for a few seconds only Chancellor Hawthorne and Saeva existed. Their eyes locking and an almost etheric energy seemed to fill the space between them. Saeva could feel the world around her spacing out.

Just like in the shower that morning, she felt as if the space around her was expanding into the void. She felt isolated. And a resonance with the world around her. But just as quickly as the feeling and connection arrived, no faster than it had arrived. The feeling was gone.

Chancellor Hawthorne's gaze had continued on the woman only slightly faltering as she slowly lowered to the floor her orbit of the room ceasing. The holographic display switched to the first selection of categories.

“That was a bit intense.” Veronica said. Her words broke the silence that had befallen the stadium. It had been several minutes by that point. The first few rotations of the display had called for both Hope and Ryans categories. It was just the two of them again.

“You felt that?” Saeva replied to her friend. Her eyes widely searching the room for where the Chancellor had disappeared to. “What in the world was that sensation. It felt as if the chancellor had connected with me.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.” Veronica said as she stared at her friend. Her eyebrows creased as she studied her friends face.

“You didn’t sense that?”

“Nope"

“Nothing then.”

“Nope"

“Do you think I’m crazy or something? How could you not feel that.”

“Saeva. I don’t know what you sensed there or what connection you are referring to. Was it in fact the power of friendship?” Veronica said. She stood up not breaking eye contact as she slowly stepped around her friend. “Just don’t let this trip you out. We have exams to pass.”

And with that Veronica was gone. Saeva sat alone as she waited for her category to be called. Within a few minutes the display refreshed a few times and the chatter of the large space died down to faint whispers. Then finally the display read for her category to proceed to exam center 338.

After a long but silent elevator ride, she and around twenty five other examinees were sitting in their assigned center. And so she began her wait.

“Saeva Alterra Hawkins.” A voice called over the rooms PA system. It had been an anxious thirty or so minutes. “Please proceed to examination bay four.”

She slowly got up and walked to the far end of the medium sized room. As she approached the far wall of the room, two doors wth a roman numeral four opened and she was let into a dark hallway. On her right a windowed room overlooked the position she was standing. Inside an elderly man with pale skin sat behind a microphone.

“Good morning,” The man said. “I will be your proctor for your Agency of Advanced Leveling Practical. I will guide you through the various stages of your examination. First I will need to ask you a few questions. Please state your name for the record.”

“Saeva Alterra Hawkins.” She said in reply.

“Can you confirm your date of birth?” He asked. His voice gained a soothing quality that emanated a sense of calm.

“November twelfth twenty five eleven.”

“Excellent. Can you confirm for the record your level?”

“Level negative one.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me where you are from?”

“Reflexis City Ceiling.”

“Thank you for that. I see on your record here that you will be submitting this petition for citizenship to the Agency of Advanced Leveling with regards to membership into the Sol Conference. Do you verbally voice your consent?”

“I do.”

“Lastly can you please put into as few words as possible what will be your goal once gaining citizenship into the Sol Conference?”

“I will be seeking to join the Arteon Project stations out in the Saturn Prefecture. With the hopes of joining their mission.”

“An admirable goal, Saeva.”

Behind her, lights brightened to reveal a room with a couch facing a floor to ceiling glass wall. It was disproportionately deep as it was wide. Following the entire length of the hallway but only being about a quarter as deep.

“Would you please have a seat so that I may administer the first portion of the examination.” The proctor said.

Saeva proceeded into the room. With a moments hesitation she say down onto the sofa and faced the man across the glass hall. For the Intelligence portion of the exam, she was accessed by a holographic interactive display, or HID for short. Mathematics, critical thinking, comprehension, history, various sciences and finally a memory retention exam. With her subdermal ear implant she had access to a few calculators and apps while it was taken over in examination mode.

This made most of the need for paper obsolete, the HID acting as a sort of answer sheet for her final submissions of diagrams and abstracts that could not necessarily be communicated vocally.

“That was quite remarkable.” The proctor said. “Twenty three minutes was your time for the entirety of this portion of the exam. Next we will proceed to the Health examination.”

Ten feet down the room for the couch, a medical scanner rose from the floor. The nanites that comprised the structure forming a seamless transition from empty room to medical scanner.

“Please proceed into the scanner and remain standing.” The proctor directed. She walked the short distance and stood in the middle of the scanner.

“Please hold your breath for as long as possible.” The proctor continued. He was no longer visible as she was facing down room and he was somewhere to her right.

“Are you sure your reported your level accurately, Saeva?” The proctor asked after a while. “That was around fifteen minutes. If the baseline is to be upheld, you should have lasted only one fifth of that amount.”

Had it actually been that long? It felt as if the moments she had been waiting were only a few minutes. She had no adaptations. At least not up to this point. She was asked to set her heart rate at fifty beats per minute. She was unable to. She was then asked to try again at ninety five. She once again couldn’t fulfill the request.

“Don’t worry.” The Proctor replied. “That was an expected result. Some of these tests are designed to record and detect level III adaptations you may be a carrier of. Unfortunately even though you are registered as a nu—I mean level negative one, you will be required to complete them all. Please bear with me.”

Over the next few portions of the exam, she was weighed and had to sit through a few moments of temperature, quantum, magnetic, and gravity fluctuations. All results as normal. The last portion of the health examination was for mental fitness. She was shown various pictures and situations while her brain was scanned by the machine around her.

“That is exam portion two out of five” The proctor said. “You are doing quite exceptional so far, Saeva. Please continue to the area in front of you.”

As soon as she was clear of the scanner it began to melt back into the floor behind her. In front of her a block the size of a small fruit rose up out of the floor on a table.

“Please pickup this object.” The proctor stated.

She reached down and picked up the small shape slightly struggling with one hand.

“Once again,” The proctor continued. “You have some strange results, Saeva. Please attempt to pickup this object.”

The nanites from the floor began to rise up swarming into a mound that encapsulated the entirely of the table the previous small object. Within a few moments a three by three foot cube stood where the small table had before. She tried with all her might but no matter how she lifted it she could not pick up the massive object.

“Lifting strength of two hundred pounds is impressive, Saeva.” The proctor said. “Please stand by while the room shifts to the next test.”

The block sunk into the floor as far down as the end of the room a hole opened. From the ground a rack rose up next to her. On it were a set of five fist sized balls.

“Please throw these as hard as you can at the targeted area.” The Proctor said. “You results will be averaged.”

“That’s quite impressive Saeva.” The Proctor said. “You appear to have level III adaptations after all. Ninety-seven miles per hour is impressive for a level negative one.”

The entire room lit up with an even cool light. The blackness that had surrounded her giving way to a dull red nanite material that coated every surface except the glass wall to her right. The room widened deeper from the hallway.

“You have successfully passed and completed examinations one through three. The next examination will be the last set of tests before the final level ability assessment. The room has reconfigured to be best suited for your agility tests. For the first text in the examination will you complete as many laps as you can around the room.” The proctor said.

“Good work. Next will be the long jumping test.” The Proctor said. Hurdles appeared along the perimeter of the room. Each ascending in height from six inches to five or six feet by the end.

“That was a decent performance.” The proctor continued. “Next will be the dodging test.”

Dozens of holes opened up on the walls at each end of the room. She heard an object whizz past her ear. Then a second and a third. One of them disintegrated as it made contact with her, before she could fully dwell on the interaction she was pelted by hundreds as she was unable to dodge any of the projectiles sent her way.

At the far end of the room from the glass wall the ceiling rose two or three stories. From the tall wall hand holds appeared. And she was told to climb as high as she can as fast as she could. She made it about halfway up before falling. The quantum fields within the room catching her.

The room then transitioned to swimming pool, and she was asked to swim as many laps in the same amount of time as the previous tests. The final test of this time being a zero gravity assessment. The rooms gravity nullified. For the now second time in her life Saeva was force to maneuver and contend with the nausea, caused by the floating.

“Now for the final level ability assessment Saeva.” The proctor said. Over the coarse fo the exam the room the proctor sat in had drifted it's way to the other end of the hallway where an identical set of doors with a roman numeral four lay.

As she proceeded through the doors the lights of the room behind her winked out. She walked out into a starry void. The brightest source of light being the window to the proctor that lay behind her.

“This is a scenario recreated from your early brain scans. It is meant to bring you peace.” The Proctor said. To saeva this confused her. She had felt some feeling of relief in this new space. However she could feel her heart beat quickening as she remembered the voice that had called out her the last time she was in a similar experience. She began to float up from the floor as she slowly spun in the air.

She could sense the walls of the simulation, even though she knew she shouldn’t be able to. She could sense every atom in the walls of spherical surface. She sould see the scale between everything in a uniform metallic lattice. They seemed to have infinite space between them and yet were firmly bonded and connected together.

“Now, now, now that, that, you have experienced a sensation of, of, peace, peace, peace, peace.” The proctor said. Its voice jittering as the man behind the glass flickered in and out of existence.

“Please stand by.” An automata voice chimed in over the system. Its words artificial with a slightly disjointed pronunciation that announced it as an AI voice. A loud shudder shook the room. The holographic displays defaulting to a bright blue screen. “System reset is currently in pro—pro—pro—”

An explosion blew through the ceiling of the spherical chamber. Everything in the room going dark. A solid surface slammed up from the now direction of down as Saeva lost consciousness.