I heard the tapping before I registered the light. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick. It pierced my consciousness. I was aware. I had… thought. What is thought?
My eyes opened. The light was blinding. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
Before me stood three beings. Their coats and faces blazed with a blank color I could not name. They looked empty to me. I saw and then I heard. A sound, unfamiliar to me, but made perfect sense.
“Is he conscious yet?” I nodded but found the movement extremely odd. I can move.
“Yes, I believe he is. Shall I put him under again?” Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“No. Keep him awake. We have some testing to do and it would serve us better.” What is “testing”?
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“Hello! Are you there? Can you hear me?” What is to hear? I contort the muscles on my face and breath until the proper sound comes out.
“Yes.” The being nods.
“How are you feeling?” Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick. What is to feel? I heard and then I felt.
Cold, hard, smooth. Steel. What is steel?
“I… Feel… Cold.” Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“I suppose you would feel cold. Don’t worry, you will get used to it.”
Pins and needles. What are they? I feel them everywhere. In my hands. What are hands? I move my hands, but they are not hands.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick. I am cold. What is cold?
“Raise him up. We have to get those fluids going for this to work.” What are fluids? I am moving. Slowly, I am standing up. The being is closer. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“Monitors are reading normal levels sir.” Another voice.
“Good. Start stimulation.” Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick. What is stimulation? I hear engines whirring to life. But what are engines?
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
The pins and needles are worse. I groan. What is to groan?
“The the monitors are still reading normal levels sir. Experiment P16 is a success.” Experiment? What is experiment? The being moves the light from my eyes. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
I can see a reflection. What is reflection? It is wrong. It is not…right. But what is right? Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“NO!” It is wrong. It is so wrong. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“What is wrong?!” I move hard. I try to move. I cannot move. I see cold, hard, smooth. Steel. I see steel. I nod my head. The steel moves.
The steel is me.
“He seems to be overloading sir! How can we stop him?” Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“What… Is… This… Tapping?!” My mouth moves more freely now. The steel bends easier.
“Restart him! Restart!”
“Sir there is no way! His heart is overloading. It will burst!” Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.
“Just do it!” I hear a click. The motors stop whirring. The steel stops moving. Eyes are failing. Mouth won’t move. Steel won’t bend.
“We will restart him tomorrow and hope for better results. What could have caused this?”
“I don’t know sir. He seemed to just… overstimulate.”
“What could have caused this?” The being’s voice was quieter. The being was moving farther away. The light disappeared.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tick.