[center][h1][b][color=red]A[/color][/b][/h1][/center][hr][indent]

A’s groan was a low, guttural sound, one that seemed to echo in the stillness of the chamber as VV’s persistent shaking gradually coaxed her back to the harsh realm of reality. Her eyelids fluttered open, a rapid series of blinks attempting to dispel the fog of sleep that clouded her vision. The air was chillingly sterile, each breath she took felt like inhaling tiny needles that danced and pricked at her exposed skin.

The chamber around her was bathed in a pale, artificial light, casting long, ominous shadows that seemed to twist and writhe with a life of their own. The walls were a seamless metallic gray, with panels of obscure instruments blinking intermittently. A’s heart began to race, thumping erratically against her ribcage as a wave of anxiety washed over her. The reality of their predicament was like a bucket of ice water, shocking her system into full alertness.

“I’m awake,” A’s voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, as if the words had to fight their way through the remnants of slumber that still clung to her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, her movements stiff and uncoordinated. It was then that she noticed the faint outline of her hands before her, the once reliable cloak of invisibility that had shrouded her form was now conspicuously absent. Panic fluttered in her chest, a bird trapped in a cage, as she realized that their most valuable asset in evasion had been stripped away.

"Where are we?"  [/indent]