Chapter 1: The Stranger in a Strange Land

The corridor stretched out before Q like an endless ribbon of darkness, punctuated only by the occasional flicker of artificial light. Each step he took echoed in the silence, a solitary beat in the symphony of the unknown. He moved with purpose, his senses alert for any sign of danger or discovery.

As he ventured deeper into the facility, Q's mind raced with questions. What had happened to the world he once knew? How had the balance of power shifted so dramatically in favor of the East? And most importantly, what was his role in this new reality? He knew his duty, he knew what he had to do, but he couldn't help wondering if it was still worth it, after all he had scarified so much to be here!

With each passing moment, the weight of his isolation bore down on him like a leaden cloak. He was a relic of a bygone era, a man out of time, adrift in a sea of uncertainty. And yet, despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him, he refused to succumb to despair.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the darkness, snapping Q out of his reverie.

It was faint, barely audible above the hum of machinery, but unmistakably human. He strained to listen, his heart pounding in his chest as he followed the sound to its source.

Turning a corner, Q came face to face with a figure huddled in the shadows. She was dressed in tattered rags, their face obscured by a makeshift mask fashioned from scraps of fabric. For a moment, they regarded each other in silence, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Who are you?" Q finally asked, his voice rough with disuse.

The figure hesitated, their eyes flickering with uncertainty. "I could ask you the same question," she replied, their tone guarded.

She was petite but stood fiercely, she had a certain class and aggressivity. She was nervous and defensive toward him. 

Q felt a surge of adrenaline course through his veins. This was no ordinary encounter; there was something about this stranger that set his senses on edge. And yet, despite the danger, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were somehow connected.

"I am Q," he said, his voice steady. "And I find myself lost in this strange new world."

The stranger regarded him for a moment, their gaze piercing through the darkness like a beacon of hope. With a node, she answered:

"I am Mei," she finally said, her voice soft yet resolute. "And I have been searching for someone like you."

The words hung in the air between them, pregnant with meaning.

Mei informed him that she woke up alone here 3 months ago, that she didn't expected anyone else would wake up, that she saw him in the pod, but she thought he was dead, as the others. Q didn't had the courage to ask about what she meant by "others".

She also informed him it was a bad time to wake up, because there were no food left, and so litle rain water. They had to leave or die soon, but outside was only nothing and a strong sun. She was expecting someone coming, but obviously that would not happen. She was desperate and had to stop talking, she was starting to cry... 

Q felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized the gravity of their encounter. Mei was not just a random stranger; for him she was a key to unlocking the mysteries of this world, a guide to navigating the treacherous landscape that lay ahead, Q was certain of that, meanwhile he had no idea how he knew. Was it instinct? Or something else?

With a nod of determination, Q stepped forward, his resolve steeling against the unknown. Together, he and Mei would embark on a journey that would test their strength, their courage, and their very humanity. After all so far she was his only pair. 

For in a world where the East reigned supreme and the West was but a distant memory, they were the last hope for a better future, or at least that was their belief. 

With a sense of urgency, Q and Mei set out to navigate the labyrinthine corridors of the facility. She explained him geography of the place. It was a standard scientific lab, with very little to read or do. Life here for her had been pretty boring and she spent her last month trying to find a way to communicate with outsiders, but coudn't find any. She also watched a lot some kind of tv with a strange english-chinese related language, there had a lot of life on it and that was her only hope for humanity. It was almost always filmed in a mega city. 

They talked this way the entire day. Sometimes Mai was talking fast and energeticly, sometimes slowly and with a sight of despair. As she was explaining she coudn't understand how the facility was powered, he looked at her long black hair, they were black but shinny, as if she was a teenager with a formidable health, a perfume of orange flower arised from it...

"hey, you listen to me ?" asked Mei. 

"Yeah yeah sorry.. Where did you find the shampoo?" 

Mei looked at him the way many girls looked at him in the past, but surprisingly answered

"In fact we have hot shower here and the only kind of soap, shampoo there is have this flavor, glad you like it..." She looked at him amused and walked away for a time. 

The next day they decided to discover other areas of the facility, each twist and turn brought them deeper into the heart of this enigmatic world, where every shadow seemed to conceal a new mystery and every sound hinted at unseen dangers. 

Mei moved with a grace and agility that belied their ragged appearance, their steps sure and purposeful as they led Q through the darkness. Q could not help notice a certain elegance in Mei's way of behaving, she was surely born rich as she was mannered. She once felt down the floor with so much grace Q coudn't help to smirkle, which she didn't forgive him, despite multiple appologies. 

Along the way, they exchanged stories of their pasts, piecing together fragments of memories in an effort to make sense of the chaos that surrounded them. Therefore, Mei never spoke of her family or childhood, as if it was a forbidden path.

Past was no what was worrying Q, so he simply decided to ignore it. 

Q listened intently as Mei spoke of a world torn apart by conflict and division, where the boundaries between nations had blurred and the very fabric of society had begun to unravel. Obviously, she had lived a little bit more than him in this reality. 

It was a world where power was wielded with impunity, and those who dared to defy the status quo risked everything for the chance at a better tomorrow. Perversity and inhumanity were the daily of the world for a time, as it was expected. 

As they walked, Q couldn't shake the feeling that Mei held the key to unlocking the secrets of his own past. There was something familiar about the way they moved, the cadence of their voice, as if they were pieces of a puzzle that had been scattered to the winds, waiting to be reunited once more. Even her smell remembered Q "something" in a far far past. 

But amidst the uncertainty and turmoil, one thing remained clear: they were not alone. From the distant echoes of footsteps to the occasional glimpse of movement in the shadows, Q could sense the presence of others lurking just beyond the edge of perception. Mei could felt it too. 

Therefore after 3 days of investigation, despite some litle food can and water, they didn't met anyone else than lisard and cockroach. Mei proposed to cook them, but Q refused, scared to be sick. Mei found that childish. 

Outside the facility a huge desert was waiting for them, with rest of a dead civilization. Everywhere on the horizon was nothingness, and fear came back. 

They decided to come back in the facility to gather some resources and try to find any sort of map. 

As of the 4th day, hunger and thirst was already so terrible that they thought for a moment to abort life. No grass, no insect, no life was there, and cannibalism appeared fast the only option for a meal. Q started to worry, after all he didn't knew Mai so well. Visibly Mei felt the same and their new friendship held. The flow of conversation so strong before became a few words and a clear distance between them was rising.

The 3rd day they went to a different space to sleep for the first time. Q felt it was the beginning of the end, and that made him anxious. 

He decided to go outside breath, he couldn't sleep anyway. He found Mei there, seating on a rock. As he was arriving, she nervously looked at him, as if he was coming to kill her. 

In the hardest of time, insanity raise, and logic start to disappear for instinct, we don't really know why we do things, and that's how Q gave Mei his first hug. She didn't resist, as if she needed it too, they stayed here for a long time... 

After a time, Mei softly decided to break the silence:

"You know we gonna die right?"