A pair of blue-gray eyes fluttered open, then immediately squeezed shut as the light assaulted them.

An older man struggled to sit up, reaching out to shield his eyes from the bright rays, then rubbed them with a fist.

Where… Where am I? Forget that, who am I? Why can't I remember anything?

There was no answer, so he shakily got to his feet, looking around and taking inventory. There was an empty mug on a small table, along with a clipboard and a radio that he desperately wished to smash. The song blaring from it's speakers was unfamiliar, but dreadfully catchy and already stuck inside his head.

He turned as he heard a whirring sound, which turned out to be the top of his relaxation pod-how did he know what that was called?-going back into place.

"What is this place?"

"Hello, Robert."

The man jumped, taking several stumbling steps until his back was pressed to the glass wall. "What th-"

"Welcome to the Scintilla Innovations Computer Aided Technological Enrichment Central Habitat, also known as SICATECH."

At this point, the man-Robert-had calmed down somewhat, although still taken aback.

I know that voice. I don't know how, but I know that voice.

"We hope that your brief detention in SICATECH has... been a pleasant one," the voice said softly, with a certain reluctance. "Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper."

The voice was warm and deep, with a soft lilt at the end of his words-for the voice was male, and while it was computerized, there was a certain sort of… emotion behind it. Robert searched for any kind of idea as to where he knew that voice, until-

"Before we begin, however, please keep in mind that while...ahem... 'fun and learning' are the primary goal of all enrichment central habitat activities, serious injuries may occur."

Wait… What?

"For your own safety and the safety of others, please refrain from-"

And the voice suddenly cut off, replaced by a horrible static noise. Robert looked up at the gray-tiles ceiling, confusion written on his face, when the voice came back.

"Porfavorbordóndefallar. Muchosgraciasdefallargracias."

What?

"I don't speak Spanish."

"Please stand back. The portal will open in three."

"Portal?! What are you-"

"Two."

Robert took several steps away from the wall he was pressed against, looking around for this portal that would apparently open.

Portal?! What the he-

"One."

Immediately, a bright orange ring appeared on the white section of the wall, an image at its center. Robert stared at it for several seconds before reaching over to touch the wall. To his surprise, his hand went right through-and into the other room. He stood in silence, unsure of what to do, when-

"Well? We don't have all day."

"But what am I supposed to do?"

The voice did not respond, and finally, Robert decided to take the chance and jump.

You can do this. Just…

And he was through.

"That must have taken a lot of strategy and intelligence. Who would have thought that the orange portal thing took you somewhere else? Not me. Way to go, genius."

Robert looked up at the ceiling, searching for the source of the voice and wishing he could give it a good smack upside the head. "Where am I?"

"Earth."

Well, that didn't help.

"Could you be more specific?"

"America."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"No problem, Professor." The voice seemed almost… cheery. Oddly so. To the point of it being extremely irritating.

"So, I was a professor, then?"

"Yes. Your full name is Professor Robert Callaghan."

"Anything else?"

"You're fat."

Callaghan blinked. "I'm… what?"

"Also ugly."

Callaghan looked around for the source of the voice again, greeted by… nothing. He thought he could see the barest hint of a small speaker on one of the walls, but it disappeared almost immediately.

"Thank you for your insights."

"No problem. Just thought that I would make it clear that I don't like you."

"I've got that down, thanks."

"Are you going to go through the door or not?"

Callaghan sighed, glaring at the ceiling(as it was the only thing he'd be able to take frustration out on), then stepped through. By now, it had begun to get on his nerves, being more sarcastic than a recorded voice should have been…

Unless it wasn't recorded?

"Now, there's another room up there, you're going to have to go through here into there. So just waddle on into the lift and we'll get started with the testing."

[Sorry for the slow update, but I had so much else to get done. DX So, please review and let me know what you think!

Gosh, this is going so slowly. DX

Anyways, Oblivious Out! *throws self out of frame*]