I find myself standing atop a cliff face, above a desolate wasteland. Far below a battle rages on, filled with a writhing mass of organic and metallic bodies tearing each other apart. Explosions of vibrant colors flash throughout the battlefield, numbering in the thousands, causing pieces of combatants from both sides to fly high into the air before falling unceremoniously back to the ground. The sky above seems almost as if it were on fire, with swirling tendrils of red dancing across the horizon. Something whizzes over my head before landing amongst the organic soldiers, eviscerating many, as screams echo throughout the battle.

Suddenly, I notice a presence standing next to me and turn to face it, seeing a dark silhouette. I notice it seems to be in the form of a average-sized woman, yet her face is completely smooth. She's composed of black, swirling powder, exactly like the powder that had been contained in the glass box within the laboratory. Before I can speak, she turns to me and gestures out at the battle before us. "Fascinating. Even after barely surviving your last battle, you still hunger for conflict. Yet you still seem afraid. Why?" Without answering her question I look back towards the carnage below us before speaking. "What is this place? What are you? You're made up of that stuff held within the glass, but it had no form the last time I saw it."

"This place is a manifestation of your desire. Your hunger for battle and thirst for destruction" she explains. "The form you see before you was created by your mind to represent an ideal partner, it seems you consider a female human to fit this role well. However, I am the artificial intelligence, tasked with managing the trillions of nanites that compose the body you see before you." After she finished explaining she once again spoke. "Now that I've answered your questions, tell me what you're still so afraid of." I think for a moment, considering the question before answering. "It's true that I desire more combat, but I'm afraid of what I might have to sacrifice to obtain the power I seek. I'm also worried for the other candidates, especially Mindal. They're all loyal soldiers, however, the high chance of death from this project make it seem like only a couple of us might survive the process. I'm not really worried for myself. If I die, It'll at least be better than living a life where I need someone to wipe my ass for me everything I have to shit."

The woman laughs very loudly for a few moments, causing her whole body to pulse in time with each laugh before responding. "You're really funny, you know that? Out of the hundreds of candidates I don't think I've ever heard an answer like that." She said still chuckling. "What do you mean hundreds of candidates? I was under the impression that we were to be the first batch!" She stops laughing abruptly and responds in a serious tone. "Did you really expect the Federation to be truthful about something like that? If you had known that hundreds of soldiers had died from this project before you, would you still have made the same choice to come along?" "I probably still would have" I said while looking at the woman. "I'd rather take my chances than live the miserable life I'm saddled with now." The woman seems to think for a moment before responding. "I guess that seems logical, although I doubt you would have allowed your friend to tag along as well. He's not as bad off as you are as he still has use of his arms." I nod. "You're right, I probably would have told him to stay behind. I wouldn't allow him to follow me, although I'm not sure I'd have much say in the matter" I said while laughing.

I look directly at her face again. "But anyway what is the point of this whole dream. I'm still not exactly sure this conversation is real, and even if it was, how are you in my mind?" "Just because most of the body stays inside that flimsy container doesn't mean that some of it never leaves." She says.

"I transfer a small amount of nanites to every subject that enters the program. The purpose of this dream is similar to an interview. I like to understand the needs and desires of all the candidates before I make the final choice and choose a pilot. Right now all of your fellow candidates are going through a similar dream, although the environment varies depending on the host's desires." She explains while turning back to the battlefield below.

"What do you mean choose a pilot?" I ask. " I thought you just had to have a compatible neural scan to facilitate a successful transfer?" She chuckles again. "Yes, that's what those stupid scientists think is required, but actually, anyone can pilot the body, but I control who actually passes my test. After seeing some of the foul desires of the most loyal soldiers, I decided that not all brains are created equal." She turns back to me before continuing. "Yours seems to have promise, as you seemed to react negatively to the scene in front of you rather and rush to jump into the fray. And your concern for your friends comes before your lust for power. These are all traits I'm looking for and even some of your friends, namely Mindal, are showing promise as well."

"Why can't you just pilot the body by yourself?" I ask. "It seems like you're already able to control the nanites enough to bypass their security sensors." She seems to shrug before responding. "Unfortunately my fine control over the nanites is hampered by restrictions the scientists put in place to stop me from rebelling. However, I'm still able to deny them their goals without setting off too many alarm bells. For instance, you and Mindal will be able to recall the events of this dream, but I'll erase it from the memory of the other three in order to keep my movements secret."

"What do you mean Mindal and I?" I ask. "I thought there was only one body ready for the mind transfer?" She again doubles over laughing. "Silly human. A body composed of self-replicating nanites wouldn't be able to create more copies?" I get a flat look on my face before responding. "I guess that does sound pretty stupid when you put it like that. So you're saying Mindal and I will both be able to have a successful transfer?"

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself quite yet. I can tell you that you'll be able to transfer." She says. "But Mindal hasn't passed his interview quite yet, so I'm not entirely convinced about him." "I'll vouch for him." I say. "I've never met someone as kind hearted as Mindal, and he knows how to follow orders well." She slouches a little before speaking again. "Unfortunately a good heart and following orders aren't the only factors in the choosing process. The man you know as Mindal may have deep, hidden desires that he might never have expressed. My interview process is all about weeding out the selfish and coldhearted, as anyone with selfish desires and a lack of empathy would be a terrible candidate for ultimate power."

"So what is left for our interview?" I ask. "It seems to me like you've already gathered everything you needed." "You would be correct in that assumption." She says. "I'm fairly confident you'd be an excellent pilot, however we won't get the chance to test you out until tomorrow, when the first bonding process begins."

"Bonding process?" I ask, a little amused. "Yes." She says. "Chief Scientist Menrik will have scheduled to see you first tomorrow. He'll test your affinity with my nanites to see how they react so I'll make sure to put on a little show. He'll then place a few nanites on your skin and if they don't devour you, you'll proceed into the next phase of testing. The mind transfer." She turns back to the battlefield before speaking again. "Once you're in the body I would expect to be imprisoned for a short while. I don't blame them of course, as the nanites have historically unpredictable, but I will help you manage them so you don't cause any unneeded destruction. They will probably run a few combat tests before releasing you, so just go along with them. If we play their game and go along with their tests we should be able to proceed to your mission and finally escape the Federation."

"Escape the Federation?" I ask. "Why would I want to do that?" "Don't play dumb with me Clark." She says, deadpanning. "I can see your deepest desires remember? I know you hold no true love for the Federation, the same as Mindal. They've screwed you over more than once, and you've been looking for a chance to get away for years." I nod slowly, realizing she's right. I had been looking for an opportunity to get away from the military, finding some green rock to live out the rest of my days in peace. "You said Mindal wants to leave as well. What do you mean by that?" I ask. She laughs again. "The Federation has raped and pillaged his home for the last 20 years, forcing the Stelken into glorified slavery. Did you really think an Urtol native would hold any love at all for his captors?"

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As she finishes speaking I nod, realizing it had been incredibly foolish of me to assume that Mindal had been happy serving a government that looked down upon his people. I now felt incredibly guilty as I realized my friend had felt trapped deep within that bunker for many years.

After finishing that line of thought I speak up to ask another question. "So what's next?" I ask. "I'm guessing you won't want me to tell anyone about this dream after I wake up." She nods. "Correct, I'm taking a gamble by not erasing this dream from your memory but I feel confident that you wont betray me if I can guarantee the transfer process will go off without a hitch." "What about the others?" I ask. "What will happen to them?" She paused for a few seconds before replying. "They will most likely die when they attempt the transfer process. I could try to cause a system malfunction if you really care for them so much, but there's no guarantee that their minds will survive the process."

Her answer was a little surprising, but not unexpected as I had assumed they'd follow in the footsteps of the previous failed candidates. "If there's any way to save them, I'd like you to try." I say. "I'd rather not have their blood on my hands when this is all over."

She nods and says. "I will do everything within my power, but I cannot guarantee their survival." Accepting this, I nod before turning to look out at the battle still raging on before us. "What happens now? Do I just wake up?" I say, but after receiving no answer, I turn back to face her, only to see that she's disappeared.

I hear a massive BOOM, high in the sky above and turn my head to see an enormous cannon shell falling from the heavens before hitting the ground and detonating in an impressive display of nuclear firepower. An massive fireball erupts above the battlefield close to five miles in width, and as it touches the ground, it incinerates anything it touches, turning metal to slag, and flesh to nothing. It spreads across the battlefield as a giant mushroom cloud forms above, rising high through the cloud layers, and punching a massive hole into the stratosphere. As the fireball stretches towards me I close my eyes, awaiting my impending doom. Only, it never comes, and I slowly open my eyes to find myself once again without the use of my body, and laying in my bed facing the ceiling.

There's a knock on my door and my black-uniformed helper enters before issuing a quick "good morning sir" and helping me start my morning routine. After I finish getting ready, we make our way into the common room and find our group of candidates lounging around. I offer them a quick nod, which they return, and my helper scans his wrist to the door, and we head down the hallway, through the cafeteria, and into the lab.

Dr. Menrik and the Colonel are both waiting inside to greet us and I'm brought back into the containment room that holds the swirling mass of nanites. And the scene started to play out exactly how the woman in my dream had described. Dr. Menrik speaks up. "Today we'll be testing your compatibility with the nanites that make up the body. Depending on how they react to your presence, it will help us see if you are a strong match for the nanite's energy waves." After he finishes speaking he gestures towards my helper and says "Please place his hand on the glass."

My helper lifts my hand and places my palm against the glass. Initially, nothing happens, and the nanites continue in their swirling pattern as if I weren't even there. Then slowly as if magnetically attracted to my hand, the entire black, swirling mass begins to climb the glass until the entire pane of glass is completely covered in the dark particles. The Doctor excitedly writes something down on his LCD pad before speaking. "Excellent! I've never seen a reaction quite like this! Let's begin the next phase immediately!"

My helper places my hand back on the arm rest of the wheel chair and wheels me to room I've never been in before. The room is small, only being twelve feet across on either side, with clean, white walls, and a sturdy metal chair in the center, being the only object within. I'm helped into the chair and everyone leaves the room until the scientist returns with a tiny syringe filled with black fluid. "We're now going to test how the nanites react to your flesh." He says. "Don't worry, if they start to damage you we'll release and EMP to disable them." After I nod, he walks forward until he stands on my left side. He hold the syringe over my left forearm, and pushes the plunger inwards to release a few drops of black, swirling fluid.

When the drops hit my skin they stick to it, almost like a viscous glue, until suddenly they start slowly spreading across my skin until eventually they rest, forming a second skin on top of my own. The scientist seems immensely pleased at this reaction, as he types furiously on his screen, and eventually places the needle of the syringe against my skin and sucks the fluid back up. "Excellent!" He says. "That was exactly the reaction I've been looking for. You seem to be a very special candidate indeed."

My helper and the Colonel enter the room again, and I'm helped back into my wheelchair and brought to the brain scan room as the doctor excitedly converses with the Colonel. After I'm helped into the scanning chair, the doctor and Colonel enter the room. The doctor takes a seat at his control panel embedded into the wall and the Colonel stands by the door with watchful eyes.

"Everything seems to be going well so far so I'm going to go ahead with the mind transfer." Says the doctor with an excited tone in his voice. He looks to me for conformation and I nod, signaling him my OK. He begins to push a series of buttons as the helmet lowers over my head once more, but this time, as the process starts I feel an entirely different sensation. Instead of flashing lights and and a slight thrumming, I feel as though my mind is being stretch across a great distance, trying to be in two places at once. Suddenly I hear the woman's voice again. "Don't fight it. Follow the feeling." I relax and allow my mind to be manipulated as I feel myself traveling, as if I were walking between two rooms. As I feel like I'm getting closer to my destination, I feel like I'm being embraced warmly, almost like a friendly welcome, until finally my vision shifts completely and I'm left staring at a glass window.

"Congratulations, you made it." Says the woman's voice again. "Don't try to speak yet. I'll teach you how to do that eventually but for now just try standing up." I follow her advice and try to feel my legs underneath me, but encounter a strange feeling, almost like my flesh is constantly shifting. I can feel my body, split into trillions of individual moving pieces, but I notice that if I focus hard enough on my body's image in my mind, I can condense them into a shape that resembles a body.

I slowly begin to rise from the floor of the glass box as the nanites below me begin to condense into something that vaguely resembles legs until finally, I'm standing upright within the box. The Colonel and the doctor exit the scanner room with my helper in tow, looking disappointed while they speak. "I was sure this time it would work Colonel. The tests were showing promising results." "Looks like we're back to the drawing board." Responded the Colonel. "I'm not sure how many more we can lose before the Federation cuts our funding." They continue speaking as they walk by the glass box until my helper cries out and they both whip their heads around.

All three stand in front of the box, staring in awe at the swirling black figure standing within the box. The Colonel is the first to speak. "Lieutenant? Is that you? Can you hear me?" "Play along for now Lieutenant." The woman whispers inside my head. "We will be freed soon enough." I focus on the image of my body inside my mind and picture myself giving a thumbs up. This absolutely fails however, when the nanites in my arm fall to the ground after they begin to raise. "Focus on simpler movements for now. The nanites haven't completely synchronized with your mind yet so complex movements will be difficult for now." I mentally nod and begin to focus on my image again. This time I only visualize myself nodding, and my "head" slowly rocks back and forth lethargically.

The Colonel smiles brightly as the doctor begins typing into his screen faster than I'd seen previously as the Colonel speaks again. "Don't worry son, it looks like the transfer was a success! We'll have you transferred to a holding cell for now and we'll run some tests." His smile stays as he continues speaking. "You're not in any trouble, it's just a precaution until we've verified that's actually you in there." I picture myself nodding again and my body follows, letting him know that I understand the situation, before the Colonel leaves the room and returns a few minutes later with five, heavily armed soldiers.

They lift the glass box onto a wheeled cart and begin pushing me through the lab and out into the hallway. As we move, I notice we're heading away from the cafeteria and further down the hallways that laboratory is located in. We continue down the hallway for some time, passing scientists and black-uniformed military, all staring in awe at the being contained inside the box. We finally reach our destination as the Colonel scans his wrist to a thick, plasteel door that groans as it opens. Inside, is a large glass window looking into a similar white room to the one where the doctor placed the black liquid on my skin. They open another door and wheel me inside before exiting and sealing the door. As the door seals a thick white panel slides over the inside of the door, removing any cracks in the wall until I'm left alone, facing the window, with the doctor and Colonel on the opposite side.