A dull, rhythmic beeping pulled Lucas from the depths of unconsciousness. His eyelids felt like lead, his limbs sluggish and unresponsive. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled his nose, mingling with something unfamiliar—a faint metallic tang. Slowly, he forced his eyes open. Bright, artificial light reflected off smooth white walls, casting a sterile glow over the room.

Panic surged through him. Where was he? He tried to sit up, but his body protested, weak from disuse. As he struggled, a shadow loomed over him.

"You are awake."

The voice was calm, almost clinical, but it carried a hint of satisfaction. Lucas turned his head and nearly recoiled. The figure standing beside his bed was unlike anything he had ever seen. Towering and covered in dark green scales, the creature had a long, angular face with intelligent golden eyes. It wore a sleek, dark robe adorned with silver patterns, and in one clawed hand, it held a tablet-like device that flickered with alien symbols.

Lucas opened his mouth, but his throat was dry. The only sound he made was a rasping croak.

"Here," the alien said, reaching for a nearby table and producing a small glass-like container. She pressed a button, and a thin, flexible straw extended from it. Lucas hesitated but then took a sip. Cool, crisp water flooded his mouth, soothing his parched throat.

"Where… am I?" he managed to croak.

The alien tilted her head. "You are in my laboratory, aboard the Bastion."

Lucas frowned. "Bastion?" The name meant nothing to him.

"A trading post," the alien clarified. "A hub for countless species across the galaxy."

The words sent a shiver down Lucas' spine. His mind raced, trying to process them, but before he could ask anything else, another figure approached—a humanoid machine with sleek silver plating and glowing blue eyes. It moved with an almost eerily smooth grace, its servos whirring softly.

"This is TALOS, my assistant," the alien continued. "I am Vaylara."

Lucas looked from her to TALOS, then down at himself. He was dressed in a strange, form-fitting garment, different from anything he remembered. His hands trembled as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"I don't… I don't understand." He shook his head. "The last thing I remember—I was on Earth." He swallowed hard. "What happened? Why am I here?"

Vaylara exhaled, a slow, deliberate sigh. "Lucas," she said carefully, "I need you to prepare yourself."

A cold knot formed in his stomach.

"You were found in cryogenic stasis," she continued. "I revived you."

Lucas blinked. "Cryogenic…?" His pulse quickened. That wasn't possible.

"There is no easy way to say this," Vaylara said, her golden eyes regarding him with an odd mixture of detachment and something almost… sympathetic. "Humanity is gone. Extinct."

The world tilted. Lucas felt his breath hitch, his vision narrowing. "No," he whispered. "That—no, that can't be right."

"It has been over ten thousand years since your species disappeared," TALOS added, his voice smooth and modulated. "Records of their demise are fragmented, but none remain."

Lucas' chest tightened. His heart pounded in his ears. This had to be a mistake. A dream. Some elaborate joke. But the room around him was too real, the alien before him too solid.

Ten thousand years.

Everyone he had ever known—gone. His family. His friends. His home. Earth.

A choked sound escaped his throat as the weight of it all crashed down on him. He had thought he'd woken up from a nightmare. Instead, he had awoken into one.

Vaylara watched him carefully. "I understand this is… difficult to accept," she said, her voice softer now.

Lucas barely heard her. His mind reeled. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but no amount of shouting would change what he had just been told.

The last human.

He sucked in a shaky breath. The sterile walls of the lab pressed in on him, suffocating. He wasn't just alone in this room. He was alone in the universe.

And he had no idea what to do next.