In the vast and cold emptiness pressing in from all sides, a suffocating darkness that offered no room, no up or down. 

And in that void-like space, Kai's consciousness floated with no end and light in sight, without a destination, A nameless dread gnawed at the edges of his non-existent consciousness.

Fragments of memory pulsed within him, vivid images flickering like fireflies against the inky blackness of his mind.

With each memory, a faint electric hum vibrated in the emptiness, growing louder with the increasing intensity of the flashbacks.

First, A memory from childhood, sharp and vivid. He knelt beside his father, a tiny hand reaching out to touch the gleaming metal of a miniature Gundam they'd built together. Laughter bubbled from his lips, lost in the vast emptiness.

A zap, a jolt, like static electricity crackling across his non-existent skin. The memory vanished, replaced by another. He stood taller, a teenager now, beaming as his father presented him with a sleek, pre-built Gundam model.

The gift was overshadowed by a dull ache in his chest, a phantom pain from a past argument.

Another zap and another scene unfolded. Kai is older now, his features hardened by years of life's hurdles, with his father being absent, his mother not having enough money for his dreams of robotics, and Gundams, getting an ordinary job after completing college.

But one thing he did not leave behind was his dream with a little bit of salary he sometimes buys gundam models to make and satisfy his dream however little he can.

Frustration etched lines on his mother's face, her voice a muffled echo in the vast emptiness. "Kai, why can't you focus on your job and get a promotion,? Maybe start a family? This Mecha models obsession…"

The scene flickered with current and died, replaced by a bitter tableau. Kai and his girlfriend faces locked in a heated argument. Her hands lashed out, sending his creations crashing to the floor. He felt a surge of anger, then a chilling sense of loss.

Then with a sudden electric surge, kai consciousness wakes a little, and utters words "Why.. am I seeing all this?"

The darkness pulsed, the digital hum morphing into a sharp, electric buzz, a crackling chorus that built to a deafening crescendo. A blinding flash, with no power for uttering words, an agonizing pressure...

"Ugh, where am I?" he rasped, a sound that seemed to echo without ever reaching an ear.

His eyes, heavy with a sleep he hadn't known, struggled open. The abyss was gone, replaced by a dark room, with wires hanging down from the ceiling, giving out sparks and a faint neon blue light in the whole wire.

The alien surroundings sent a surge of panic clawing through him.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Where I am?" he repeated, his voice hoarse. He tried but couldn't move a single inch neither his hands nor his head, "why.. why can't I move? Hey, if this is some prank then stop it now" The questions hung heavy in the air, unanswered.

After calming down a little he noticed something "Why are there suddenly letters and screens in front of my vision?" 

Then suddenly the lights of the room turned on, giving him a clear view of unfamiliar surroundings, it was a large metallic room, with the ceiling grey in color and damage from various places filled with hanging wires and light and walls and floor were pitch black.

The sudden clarity of his surroundings triggered a surge of panic. Before he could utter a word, an A.I like voice echoed through the room.

[The 'Animus Chamber' is activated]

[The consciousness of the Xerion has been activativated] 

[ After the energy core check, releasing the hydraulic Clamps after each section check]

Kai in confusion about not knowing the situation, started panicking, although the voice was speaking a language he had never heard, he was able to understand it like it was his mother tongue.

Disoriented and panicked, Kai rasped, "What's happening? Clamps? What clamps?" He strained to mimic the voice that had spoken moments before but received no response. 

[Releasing the neck and head clamps]

The words were barely out before a metallic click echoed behind his head. A whoosh of air and steam filled his ears from behind as unseen restraints were released, momentarily startling him.

Finally able to turn his head, Kai surveyed his surroundings. But all he saw was a labyrinth of metal and wires emanating a pulsing neon-blue glow snaking towards inside his own head. 

A horrifying realization dawned. This wasn't a human body. It wasn't flesh and blood at all. The source of the pulsing blue glow behind his eyes felt worryingly internal.

The absence of a breath and no beat of the heart hit him then, a cold dread settling in his chest.

[Releasing Torso and Limb Clamps]

[Complete control transferred]

The voice boomed.

A series of loud metallic clicks echoed as clamps on Kai's torso and limbs snapped open. A gust of air and a hiss of steam filled the metallic chamber.

Kai lurched forward, panic rising in his throat. "Wait! Wait!" he rasped, his voice hoarse.

But it was too late. He crashed to the hard cold floor with a heavy metallic clang.

The sound echoed in the vast metallic chamber, amplifying the silence that followed. Tentatively, Kai pushed himself up on his elbows, the unfamiliar weight of his body a strange sensation. 

His vision swam momentarily, then cleared, taking in the maze of glowing neon blue wires still attached to his head.

"Uhh, what's going on i can't understand anything," Kai said while gingerly lifting his head, a metallic creak protesting the movement.

His neck felt stiff, and a series of faint clicks emanated from somewhere along his spine, from neck to bottom, like it was still adjusting.

Hesitantly, he straightened further, each vertebrae aligning with a soft clank. His arms were encased in some kind of smooth alien metal, This wasn't metal as he knew it. It was impossibly black, a deep, oily black that seemed to absorb light itself.

Yet, in certain areas – along the ridges of his spine, or tracing intricate patterns across his forearms – the black gave way to a gunmetal sheen, mimicked the movement, the clicks traveling down his limbs. 

Seeing all his body now more clearly, he was sure he was no longer in his own body. The horrifying realization slammed into him with the force of a meteor.

This was... something else entirely. Panic threatened to consume him again, but a deep breath, or what felt like a deep breath, quelled the rising tide of fear.

After calming down a little, he muttered "Yeah, there is no use in panicking in this situation I have to first see, what am I? What or where is this place? and why am I in this place?"