First Step

Darkness was total until my sight focused. Beneath my boots: a flat, pale blue terrain. Above, a deep shadow cast against the neutral wall behind me. I initiated movement. Left knee joint flexed with faint tension, clicking into alignment. I shifted forward half an inch and touched the cool, matte plane underfoot. Solid ground. The environment is silent, still, and contained. I paused, upright and balanced, watching the perimeter.