The first thing Da�an became aware of as he returned to consciousness was the sound of labored, ragged breathing, and was vaguely aware of it being his own.
Something was wrong� his head was throbbing dully, and his body felt strange, heavy, aching� willing his eyes open, he could see an insipid gray ceiling looming above, shrouded mostly in darkness but for a low amber light glowing from somewhere off to the side.
Wincing through the pain, Da�an craned his neck to the side, struggling to recognize his surroundings. He was no longer in the Embassy, that much was clear; the last thing he remembered was relaxing among the soothing particles of the energy shower, and then� nothing.
A dream, perhaps? But he had dreamt before, and never had he seen himself awakening in an unfamiliar, poorly-lit room. Nor was he in the medical wing, or anywhere on the Mothership; even in a muddled state, he could still recognize the organic constructs of the Taelon ship. This was nothing like it.
Shifting a bit, Da�an could feel the hardness of the pallet beneath him, an uncomfortable pressure against his back and legs. His head still ached and a distinctly unpleasant sensation was radiating from the center of his chest. He wasn�t quite so concerned with the nature of this pain, rather than why he was feeling such discomfort in a way he had never known before. This was different than any injury or illness he had ever suffered.
He had to get up, to try and see where on Earth � or beyond � he was. He could hear no voices, no other sounds but his own shallow breathing, and this alone was alarming; never before had he felt so weakened and starved for breath.
Da�an winced again at the soreness of his hands as he pressed his palms to the pallet, struggling to draw enough strength from his arms to push himself up. He succeeded, closing his eyes against the strain as he sat up and gingerly slid his legs off the edge of the hard bed, his feet coming into contact with the floor with a resounding thud.
He frowned at the sensation and opened his eyes, unable to suppress a growing wave of confusion as he stared at his legs. He no longer wore the shimmering purple uniform, but rather some kind of black form-fitting jumpsuit.
Had it not been for the incessant pain in his body, Da�an would have been convinced he was dreaming. He briefly wondered where Liam was. or if anything similar had happened to him� or if somehow Zo�or was behind this�
But a sudden wave of dizziness interrupted his thoughts, and for the first time since awakening he became aware of a different, stinging pain somewhere on his forehead. Lifting a shaky hand, he pressed his fingers to that one spot of irritation, and shuddered when he came into contact with something damp and sticky, the gesture causing painful little ripples.
Lowering his hand in front of his eyes, Da�an gasped softly. His fingers were red with blood.
Blood, no� this was impossible.
Dizzy again, he leaned forward, fighting an odd sense of detachment from his body; he briefly wondered if he had died, and this was some sort of mental purgatory living Taelons were unaware of.
Tentatively, he touched his forehead again, unable to comprehend this bizarre new physical state. Taelons had no blood, and could not be wounded, that much he knew, despite the fogginess he felt invading his mind. Trying to focus for a moment, it was with a shock that he realized something he had not yet noticed in his disorientation.
The silence.
The room was silent, yes, but� so was his mind.
He could not sense the Commonality. Not a single thought, or voice, or feeling. Nothing at all.
Panic. The only time he could ever remember being alone from the thoughts of his people was when he had been unwillingly severed from the Commonality, and had regressed into an Atavus.
He was not regressing, and didn�t feel the incoherent thoughts he remembered from his regression� but still, he wondered if he would go mad from the unbearable silence.
Something was terribly, utterly wrong, if he was so lost to his people. Unconsciousness tugged at his mind, but Da�an willed himself to remain awake. Surely there was an answer, an explanation to his situation somewhere.
Pressing a hand to that distracting pain on his head, he started when the back of his hand brushed against something soft just over his forehead. Reaching a little higher, his fingers came into contact with what felt unmistakably like hair.
Not possible.
With aching eyes he scanned the small room, confirming he was indeed alone. The room was gray and bare save for the flat bed Da�an sat on, a rounded window on the neighboring wall and a small lantern-like device, which bathed the room in a pale amber glow. The dark outline of a door marred the other wall.
He stopped when he spotted a mirror pasted against the opposite wall, its broken edge giving it the faint shape of a claw.
He wanted to get to that mirror. Pushing his hands against the surface of the pallet, he rose to his feet, closing his eyes for a moment as he swayed.
No, he had never felt anything like this. His body felt completely and utterly foreign to him; he felt like an infant, struggling to learn how to move its limbs, walking for the first time.
Da�an sighed, and fought the urge to return to the pallet and wait for unconsciousness. Never had he so wished Liam to be here with him�
With heavy, awkward steps, he shakily walked in the direction of the wall, where the broken mirror hung. Reaching out with his arms, he steeled himself against the cold wall, and hesitatingly lifted his head� and gasped with shock at the reflection.
A human female was staring back.