LWBE: Self-Contained Living Environment

Unending BE - episode 336908

Jim reached the end of the corridor at long last. He stood in front of room 401. Beneath the number 401, there were very small letters: "Self-Contained Living Environment." Beneath that, in even smaller lettering, was printed: "Fantasy Technologies, Inc."

He glanced up and noticed a security camera trained on him. Next to the door there was a small glowing button, apparently a doorbell button. He gathered himself together and pushed the button. He waited, hoping he wasn't going to have to deal with any more nurses.

After a few moments of silence, with a mechanical click, the door to room 401 opened inward. Jim cautiously peered in. He couldn't see anyone. The door seemed to have opened automatically.

Frowning, he went in. He seemed to be the only person around. He closed the door behind him, glad to be out of the security camera's field of vision.

A curious whooshing sound followed the closing of the door. Jim's ears felt the pressure in the room change slightly.

To Jim's delight, room 401 was a spacious, luxuriously furnished apartment. Soft, thick carpeting covered all the floor surfaces, and there was an abundance of comfy furniture -- a well-padded love seat, a big leather sofa, a recliner, and in the middle of the room, a seriously oversized waterbed.

"Hell yes," said Jim.

He flicked the light switch and the room was suffused in a warm glow from tasteful overhead lamps.

Then he noticed the most striking feature of the room: the mirror. A gigantic mirror covered the entire far wall and ran all the way up onto the ceiling over the waterbed. His reflection reminded him that he was still wearing those awful hospital clothes.

To his right, he found the entrance to another room with a kitchen area and more soft-looking furniture. This room, too, had a mirror wall.

He rummaged through the fridge and several cupboards in the kitchenette. He was pleased to find a number of his favorite foods patiently waiting there. He glanced past the kitchenette and saw, through an open door, a bathroom with an inviting-looking hot tub and a large stack of towels.

"Jeesh," Jim muttered, impressed. "It's a fucking five-star hotel."

Returning to the waterbed, he saw a pile of neatly folded clothes that he hadn't noticed before. He unfolded the clothes. They seemed to be there for him.

He quickly changed outfits, glad of the chance to be rid at last of his sterile blue hospital clothes.

The new clothes were soft, somehow futuristic-looking, and form-fitting, so form-fitting in fact that they seemed to have been custom-tailored to his contours. He glanced at his reflection. The outfit looked surprisingly decent on him. It lent him a vaguely androgynous look.

  1. *Jim sees Kelly standing behind him in the mirror. Startled, he wheels around. "How long have you been here?!"
  2. There is a quiet ring from a red telephone next to the waterbed. Jim picks it up.
  3. Jim tries to open the door to the hallway and finds it locked. Hm. This living environment is seriously self-contained.
  4. Something Else
Go back - Go to the parent episode.

Zoe Chloe

Wed Feb 04 06:07:13 2004