Alex Chelien

The walls of the clone vat are warm and smooth to the touch. I lie in solution for a few moments of crystal clear awareness before taking my first breath. I have no memory of the events that brought me back to this dark, organic chamber, but that will soon be clear.

Then, light slowly builds inside the capsule as timers trigger, bringing my environment back to match the external world. I reach back, to the implant jacks on the base of my skull. I know they'll be empty, but a pang of loss still echoes numbly in my mind. The interfaces which once set my mind ablaze have been replaced by the emptiness of an uncomfortable silence.

I stand and reach for a towel, and step out from the vat. My body is stronger this time, the result of military specifications that I had added to my clone profile before I died. I'm looking forward to hitting the gym, testing out my new strength and reflexes. But first, business.

"Jinjer, get me a copy of my combat logs..."