[Insert Anime Here]

[Centurion]

This time the endless void of terror was white. Comforting. Absolute nothingness extended in every direction and on instinct Cade mentally reached for his suit’s scanning abilities. Nano-machines flowed up his spine from the node on his back, up his neck, and formed his faceplate over his skin like liquid. The more armored silver temples and cheeks transformed into place, sliding mechanically over the mesh. His Heads-Up-Display flared to life… then exploded.

 Too much information too fast bombarded the young man, orange lights flashing and disappearing as both human and alien languages flitted across his vision. The Apparatus desperately tried to scan the empty environment, but the combination of unknown interference and absolute nothing strained it to the limit. He had first row seats to a 3D fireworks show inside his brain and it was too much. A deafening combination of visual and auditory feedback bombarded his senses and Cade stumbled backwards, shouting.

“Kūamuamu! Stupid suit! Gah, my EYES you son of a-”

 He clawed desperately at his mask, hoping to manually deactivate the helm. His foot caught on something hard as he struggled and he flopped onto the ground. He grunted, but kept at the tearing. Finally he found some leeway and was able to tear away the mesh and free his face. The temporary reprieve from his HUD’s sensory overload allowed Cade the clarity of mind to will his helm away. It transformed backwards, disappearing into the nape of his neck under his hooded sweatshirt. He let his body relax, flopping backwards and closing his eyes. Cade took a deep breath through his nose and held it, tying to wrap his head around whatever the hell was going on.

 He released the breath and opened his eyes. His vision was blurred and spotty, but no longer assaulted by the orange lightshow that his HUD had devolved into becoming. Whatever this place was, it had royally screwed up his systems. Cade could physically feel the Nano-machines straining, almost like they were under some sort of pressure. The Apparatus pulsed under his skin and inside the node on his spine. It was insanely uncomfortable and a bit warm, but not painful. His vision started to clear as he blinked away the dancing lights left behind by his HUD’s fiasco. He was greeted by a fountain, one characterized by a pair of stone men waltzing gracefully and accompanied by a little girl.

  Somehow, that ended up being the strangest thing Cade had seen yet. It was so out of place. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, still absolutely flabbergasted. First some weird smiling child, then the nothing, now this fountain? At least it was decently nice. He suppressed the desire to attempt another scan, as was his habit, and instead let his fists rest over his eyeballs. It was darker that way and he felt like he was giving his poor peepers a rest. Cade took another deep breath and removed his hands on the exhale, hoping that he would be back home in bed, maybe a bit late for a surf session with Kirby and Gwen. Instead, he was still in the ivory hell, still next to the fountain, and this time staring up at the confused and interested faces of two people: a man with a red arm and a girl with bright blue hair. It was at this moment Cade accepted that he was doomed to never see anything logical again. At the very least, he could be polite.

“Um… Aloha.”

“Privet.” The man looked at the girl. “See? He iz Prime.”

“I’m a what?”

“Prime.” The man looked back at him, a thick Russian accent coloring his words. “Welcome to Omniverse.”

“Uh… thank you sir. Ma’am.” Cade tried to smile past the confusion. “I’m, uh… I’m Cade. Cade Faulkner.”