I saw her face like I was straining to see through a heavy fog. At least I thought it was a she. A phantom thought in the back of my mind told me. Thoughts were racing through my head as I began to become more aware that I existed. I was here for a reason, but that reason was beginning to slip from my memory the more I tried to pursue it. But she stayed there longer than the other thoughts. I didn’t remember her, but undeniably she felt… important.

        The moment I opened my eyes, I saw white. I immediately shut my eyes again, now registering a slight ringing in my ears.

“Ah, you’re awake,” I heard a voice said. It was female. “Let your eyes adjust. You’ve just recently been assimilated.”

I opened my eyes again, this time blinking hard to let the brightness filter through my vision. I began to sit up and look around. I was in a round room, bathed all in a bright white, with beaming fluorescent lights in the ceiling. The room was surrounded by transparent glass overlooking a metropolitan city with glowing neon lights. The city seemed fascinating.

“You must have questions.” I turned to the woman that spoke. She wore a skin tight, chrome-colored mesh suit with green laces and accents. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes were brown. “My code is ANA1113, but you may call me Ana. You’ve just been brought in to be a citizen of Utopia.”

“Utopia?” I said. I jumped slightly, I had never heard my voice before. A part of me didn’t like the sound it made, but I quickly dismissed it.

“Yes, an assimilation agent will be with you very soon. I’m here just to make sure your body is doing well. Any skin infranctions? Everything to your liking?” I looked down at myself and saw that I was naked. I should’ve been bothered by this, but again I quickly dismissed this thought. “Here, come look in a mirror.” She walked across the room and tapped on the wall.

The wall immediately changed into a reflective surface and I saw myself fully and completely. It wasn’t me. It didn’t look like me. Something inside me wanted to scream, wanted to run out of here buck nude and shout to the world what it had done to me. But again, I quickly dismissed this.

I stood up from the table with surprisingly elegant grace and ease. I was lean, though my chest did seem a bit more buff. My muscles were slightly defined, and I brought my hands to each arm, feeling the bumps and grooves of the skin that wasn’t mine.

“You’ll find that all male bodies are similar, save for skin pigmentations,” the woman said. “Likewise for women. This is to mitigate contrast in the population, which in turn helps reduce the likelihood of conflict. Is it to your liking?”

“Yes,” I said, without thinking. I felt like I couldn’t say no, but why would I? There’s certainly nothing wrong with looking better, I thought, assuming I knew what I looked like before.

“We also prefer to provide our citizens...” she began. I saw her reflection in the mirror glance down and up at me before she met my eyes. “Other appendages... the same as everyone else’s for similar purposes. But we are required to ask if you still would like modifications.”

I looked down at my naked form in the mirror, slightly embarrassed by the question. I shook my head and shrugged. “No, no. I’m perfectly fine.” I chuckled, feeling my face warm.

She laughed. “Alright. Now, I’m no doctor. I was merely assigned to assist you in your first stage of assimilation.”

I turned to look back at her.

“You’ll find your currently designated garments there.” She pointed to a desk where a pile of folded clothes lay waiting for me. “When you’re dressed and ready to leave, tap here like so.” She tapped the wall again, a red translucent ring appeared on the side of the mirror where she touched it, and a red ring on the floor nearby appeared. She walked over to it. “You’re code is KAI3004, enjoy your time here in the city.” She turned and stood in the middle of the ring.

The ring began to lower into the ground and she waved to me, her figure disappearing lower and lower until I couldn’t see her anymore. A thin, metal hatch replaced the part of the floor where the ring presided.

I looked back to my reflection in the mirror, looking at my face intently. These eyes weren’t mine. I was sure of it. The nose wasn’t mine either. It wasn’t my face. But it didn’t matter, because they are now. I was looking at myself, what did it matter if I used to look different? I don’t have any memory of it, so whoever I was before must not have been important enough to remember.

I dressed in the clothes provided for me -- chrome colored and skin tight. Unlike the woman’s the lace wasn’t given another color. I supposed there were reasons for that. I looked at my surroundings more now - the room was incredibly white, with chrome pillars, table, and seats providing structure to the monochrome of the room.

The room was a half-circular chamber, with glass windows occupying the rounded side of the wall. I stood at the straight-end wall of the room that seemed to function like computer screen - considering how it reacted to Ana’s touch. The windows looked out to a scene of metropolitan spires and skyscrapers hovering in the clouds. For a moment I thought I saw a train zoom through the air.

I shook my head in disbelief and did as instructed, I took the ring elevator platform down. When I reached the bottom, I faced two elevator doors that opened just as the platform stopped.

I stepped out, slightly cautiously, and looked around I didn’t see the woman, just dozens of people in the same chrome jumpsuit with green accents. Perhaps the color identified where you work? There was one woman who had blue accents on her suit, and looked directly at me once she noticed me. She smiled brightly as she approached.

“Hi! KAI3004?”

“Uh… Yeah.”

She nodded. “Very nice to meet you. My code is PAR1537, you can call me Paris though. I’m your--”

“Assimilation agent?”

She chuckled. “We prefer the term ‘tour guide’.” She then burst out laughing. I suddenly felt the desire to join in on the laughter. “Just a little humor, I’m not actually showing you around the city. Too big to do that. But I will explain the basics to you. Come on, follow me!” She turned around and began walking at a surprisingly fast rate. I began hastening my pace.

As we approached another elevator, I managed to catch up to her when she began talking again. “Now, since you just wrapped up stage one, you’re not fully a legalized citizen yet.”

“Yet? I just got here?”

“Of course! But you still need to finalize the legalization process, which means you need to complete the university’s education program.”

“Education program?”

“It’s just a course you take to learn the basics of how the city runs, and then at the end you have to take an aptitude exam to find out what district you’re best suited for.”

“Hmm. Sounds fun.”

“Loads!” She said. The elevator doors opened and we began walking again. “Now, Utopia is a highly evolved city with highly advanced technology. Surely you’re already familiar?”

“No.”

“Really? You don’t remember anything about us?”

“No, I have no memory at all… should I?”

She paused, seemingly caught off guard. She quickly shrugged and had her chipper tone again. “No, I’m sure it happens all the time during assimilation.” I briefly felt unconvinced, but I dismissed the thought. “Well, since you’re pretty much going in completely blind, then this will probably blow your mind.”

We stepped through sliding glass doors and entered a patio staircase that led to a blue, translucent pathway that seemed to be moving all on its own. It led toward a further floating platform, with a multitude of translucent moving paths going in all sorts of directions -- going toward floating buildings and skyscrapers that seemed to go further up into the clouds. So I didn’t imagine it?

Glowing translucent neon signs appeared on buildings, doing elaborate skits of digital animation that danced around on windows and spires as though they were really there. Further up in the sky, a long bullet train flew through the air and wound around buildings and three-dimensional animations, oval-shaped flying cars zoomed through the sky passing other vehicles

As I stared up in awe at the sight of all of it, Paris looked at me from the bottom of the steps, smiling with a hint of pride. “Like what you see?”

As I walked down the steps, glancing up periodically, I chuckled. “It’s all so… much.”

She laughed. “I imagine it’s a little overwhelming considering the circumstances.” I nodded vigorously. She gestured me to go before her on the translucent path moving forward. I hesitantly put my foot down, and was relieved that it was indeed a solid surface. She followed along behind me. “You’ll do fine. It’s really easy to learn your way around, especially when you finally get your job.”

Job? I completely forgot about how I was going to live here. Why didn’t I think this through? Or did I think this through already and just didn’t take into account that I would forget it?

Paris laughed. “Don’t worry! That’s what the aptitude exam is for, to assign your job and place of living. It helps identify where your place in this city is.” I felt relief when I heard this, and smiled. “Now, there are five districts, four central. The dorm district, which is where we are, the university district, that’s where you’re going for the program. There’s a media center there, with archives all about the history of the world -- and history of the city as well. It’s the smallest district though, since it’s really only the university.

“Next is the regal district, full of all the nightlife activities -- it’s also where people with jobs in management and wealthy lifestyles live. The mayoral district is where the Benefactors congregate with the mayor on the city’s regular living. Finally, there’s the transit district, below this level of the city -- I bet you didn’t know this was the second level of Utopia. The transit district…” I began tuning her out as we passed by a large snake animation slithering through the sky, winding its way around the skyscrapers.

As we traveled through the moving streets and buildings, I became enthralled by everything I was seeing. The sunshine gleaned nearly blindly on the tops of the skyscrapers, making the buildings sparkle like magical palaces in an old fairy tale. We passed floating platforms with greenery and concrete courtyards where fountains and springs shot water from fountain to fountain and spring to spring, creating a fun water show for any nearby. People enjoying these parks were sitting on benches, taking strolls or brisk jogs, or playing holographic games of chess, dominos, and the lot. A small group of people were dancing around while someone else created large bubbles from a small hand-held device.

Any doubts that had voiced themselves when I first woke, they were gone. This city was dazzling, it felt like everything I ever wanted.

We came to a seven-story building and entered it. The building itself didn’t look spectacular, and neither did the hall we entered. “Where are we?” I said

“Your dorm building.”

I was going to live here? I looked at my surroundings. It certainly didn’t seem drab or unlivable, but apart of me couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed.

Paris chuckled. “Relax, just be patient.” She took me to the elevator at the end of the corridor. Inside, she pressed a button labeled “PH”.

“What’s that?” I said.

“You’re new apartment.” She smiled at me. She then shrugged. “For now, at least. Your aptitude may relocate you somewhere else.”

The doors opened and we walked into a large, round flat. Marble walls stood up halfway from the ground to create makeshift divides where there were separate rooms. A long, three cornered couch stood in front of a virtual fireplace, emanating simulated heat. A billiard table was on one side of the room, and a kitchen on the other.

“You have the penthouse floor in the building. The fireplace acts as a universal entertainment system. Upstairs you’ll find your bedroom, as well as a master bathroom.”

“This is incredible!” I said, my voice cracking.

“I am glad everything is to your liking,” said an ambient voice. I jumped and looked around frantically. It sounded male, yet automated slightly, as though the voice wasn’t real.

Paris laughed. “It’s alright! That’s just Calendar, your personal virtual butler and organizer. Everybody has it. Calendar keeps track of your appointments, contacts, and mental faculties.”

“I will be your close, personal friend,” Calendar said.

The lingering voice that had doubts before resurfaced in the back of my mind, but I dismissed it. “Hello, Calendar.”

“Good afternoon, KAI3004, and congratulations on your inaugural day. I am eager to provide my services. I will always be available at your request. Simply say my name, and you will hear me inside your thoughts.”

The voice in the back of my mind grew. “This is amazing… the technology, the apartment, all of it.”

“Believe me this is only the tip of the iceberg…” I looked back to her and she chuckled. “I’m sorry, I don’t think you have a name.”

“KAI3004, you said--”

“No, no.” She laughed. “Your code is just something to identify you in the system. We still go by names. How about Kai? Since those are the first three letters of your name?”

I shrugged. “Sure.” No. “Yeah sure, I like it.” It’s not me.

“Alright then, Kai.” That’s not my name. “I wish you the best of luck. Have fun. And remember,” she turned back to me as the elevator doors opened again for her, “everything is perfect as long as you want it.” She winked at me and entered the elevator.

I looked around the penthouse, and took in a deep breath. How did all of this become mine? I had just gotten here and already there was so much.

I walked over to the fireplace and tapped its glass screen. It turned into a mirror, and I saw myself staring back at me. Me. This was me. Kai is my name. My name. This is me, and it always has been. If I could’ve been anyone else before…

Again, I quickly dismissed the thought.