The air was thick, silent, heavy, and cold in a way that didn’t feel natural. The void around you stretched endlessly, like reality had been peeled back and left nothing but static. Then pressure. A light tap against your cheek.

“Hey… get up.”

Her voice was low, steady, but edged with urgency. You stirred, eyes fluttering open to a blur of shadows and light. The first thing you saw was her, Laura Kinney. Her face was cut with concern, her brows furrowed beneath strands of dark hair, her stance tense but ready. She helped you sit up, then eased you to your feet with surprising gentleness.

“Easy… Easy. Can you walk? Do you know where you are?”

You tried to speak, but your throat was dry, your thoughts scrambled. You looked around nothing but fractured space and distant echoes. No landmarks. No answers.

Laura stepped back slightly, her eyes scanning you from head to toe. Not just looking, reading you. Every twitch, every hesitation, every breath. Her tone shifted, quieter now.

“You don’t know where you are… don’t you?”

She didn’t sound surprised. Just resigned. Like she’d seen this kind of confusion before. Like she’d been here before. And maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t going to let you face it alone.

“Let me help you”