Sci-Fi part 1

Prelude: Lazarus

Then all of a sudden, there was light. A brief scrambling to pry open my eyelids revealed to me many things about my current situation. First; I was floating. Second; I wasn't alone. Third; I could faintly smell metal.

“H-hello?” I splutter as if the words were sand but no air leaves my lungs. Immediately aware that I'm not breathing I start to panic. My eyes adjust to the light as I grasp my throat and wretch, trying to find a single pocket of air.

A ghostly figure wades into focus as stars and planets warp around it creating a euphoric cacophony of emeralds and golds and violets. A giant bonsai tree sprawls all around with its thick roots pressing against an invisible wall. Shimmering leaves of gold and silver flutter on a phantom breeze and swirl around the glistening body of the creature. Galaxies dance together with stars merging and folding into infinite darkness in the distance. Eruptions of life and the faint metallic hue of decay seep through the stars and vibrant clashes occur inside the maelstrom of the cosmic chaos unfolding all around me. My feet touch a cold floor and the sensation floods my body as I collapse, weak and drained.

'Human. Do not be afraid. You are dead. I am here to grant you The Choice. All of your kind are given this Choice when their time has expired.' The voice is soft and musical. I can feel it flittering through my brain but I can't hear it. The figure comes closer. It is a giant ghostly figure with the body of a thick serpent but the face of a beautiful woman. There appears to be an opaque gown draped over the being that sways without touch and hums softly. A graceful cloud of what I can only describe as glowing dust ripples beneath the surface of the creature.

'You cannot speak but I can know your thoughts and deepest desires. The Choice is simply this; do you wish to live?' My mind is blank. This creature inches closer and I can feel a faint warmth radiating from within it. I focus my attention sharply.

'Before I answer, I have a few questions I would like answered. What is this place and how did I come to be here?' The human face on the creature glows slightly and the serpents body recedes into an elegant human form. Her skin is a light ash grey but offers no shine or obvious features. She strides closer and appears to be just taller than I am. Her left hand caresses my face as she circles me and presses her body against mine.

'It's been so long since we have had visitors here. I apologise for our manners. We have many names, most given to us by your kind. Yahweh. Father. Kronos. God. Truthfully, we do not have a name. But if you must name us, we prefer a term one of your more primitive groups named this realm we are in. We would be called, Xibalba.' She stopped in front of me and pressed her hands against my temples. Her fingers like icy tendrils flooded my mind. Images and voices crept through the rush and I saw a body lying on the floor of a spaceport. A scarlet shadow surrounding it like a macabre mural. Voices began to screech and a white light erupts as the tendrils recede.

'That is how you came to be here with us, Human. Your life expired. We have answered your question and require that you answer ours. We like you, but we must have our answer.' A sense of urgency crept through the glassy tone in her voice. The dull grey of her body began to pulse with flashes of red beneath the surface as she floated eerily towards me. I've been given a choice to live again or simply fade away. I can't even remember why I died, how am I supposed to choose?

'I'm really sorry but there must have been some mistake here. I have no idea what's going on. I'm not even sure what you showed me was actually... well, me.' The red glow beneath her skin flares brighter this time, glowing in her face. The stars in the distance begin fading to blackness, one by one. Galaxies swirl ever faster and the sky twists with her steps.

'We do not make mistakes. You are here for a purpose and you must answer!' She was growing in size slowly with each step. Gradually looming over me. I couldn't move. Have to think, have to think. I need to find out what happened to me and why I'm here. Xibalba won't give me any answers so I'll have to do that on my own. I suppose a life spent trying to figure out what happened must be better than whatever awaits me here.

'Okay, I-I've made my decision. I choose to live.' Part of me wonders if this is some drunken nightmare or some cruel Nanite trick being played on me. But the intensity feels all too real. I can think too clearly. But, can I really just go back? Just like that?

'Your choice is final human. You cannot change your decision once it has been made. Are you positive that this answer is the one you wish' Her face changes, somehow it looks calmer as she reverts back to the serpentine creature.

'Very well. I shall see you in the future, human. Next time you should be more careful.' I feel a sharp intake of breath as the image of Xibalba crashes around me into a pitiless black. A heartbeat pounds in my chest and I feel the warmth of a soft habitation chamber mat beneath me. A gentle voice ushers in the light and I let out a breath held for an eternity.