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What could be worse than nightmares? Especially those in which you expect imminent death. Sam dreamed that he had fallen into the water, and an unknown force was pulling him to the bottom. And he himself was reaching more and more desperately for the surface, for a saving sigh, for a bright light. However, something was still inexorably dragging him into the depths. Sam felt his strength leaving him. The light that was on the surface itself was gradually fading, or else it was already so deep that it could not reach it. My lungs were burning from lack of air. Sam felt the approach of death. His consciousness began to slip away, and he himself soon plunged into darkness, inevitably accepting his unenviable fate.

… … … …

  Well, waking up after a nightmare was far from an easy task: my head was buzzing as if percussion instruments were being tested on it; my arms and legs barely obeyed and were completely wadded up; and my eyelids were so heavy that it was impossible to open my eyes. And even after opening your eyes, it didn't get any easier, because instead of a warm bed and home, you wake up somewhere in a clearing in the forest, and the very bright midday sun is shining above you. Somehow getting up from the ground, and standing on trembling wadded legs, Sam was able to inspect his surroundings in a more or less understandable manner: he really was in the forest, being in the center of a small clearing. There were trees on all sides, and there was bright juicy green grass on the ground. Everything is quite normal, except that Sam had no idea how he got here, and how he got out of here. He didn't have a phone or anything like that with him, and he was dressed somehow quite simply: a light green jacket with short sleeves, the same pants and sneakers without socks. His head was cracking madly with pain, as if his brains were being massaged with a drill. When Sam touched his forehead, he was surprised to find that a strange metal hoop with various tiny flashing lights was put on his head. Attempts to remove it were unsuccessful – this piece of iron seemed to have grown to it. Having given up trying to get rid of this strange thing, the guy decided that it was time for him to get out of this place. Not coming up with anything better, the guy just went in one direction, intending to go out somewhere. As Sam walked, he constantly turned his head, looking around the neighborhood with interest. The guy squinted suspiciously at all this surroundings: something in this forest thicket confused him, but he could not understand what exactly. Having gone into thought, the teenager tried to compare the current situation with his last memories in order to try to understand where he was, but this did not bring any result. Sam honestly couldn't remember what the last thing he did or where he was. He knew that he was sixteen years old, that he went to high school, that he had parents, a house, and a dog, but he could not remember anything concrete from the last days. So, plunging into memories, Sam has already walked many kilometers, from which he is pretty tired, but he has not gone anywhere. This forest didn't seem to end. It even seemed to the guy that he was walking in circles, because after a while he found himself again in a small clearing covered with grass and surrounded by trees. After a long walk, Sam sat down on the grass again, trying to catch his breath and rest. The guy was thirsty: he was terribly thirsty. That's just the drink was not to take from where. There was only the forest and silence around. SILENCE! It suddenly dawned on Sam what he didn't like about this place: there was only silence everywhere and there was not a single sound that usually happens in the forest. The guy only now noticed that neither birds nor animals were heard, the wind was not blowing, the trees were not moving, and the leaves were not even rustling. The whole place was in one single peace, without making any sounds. All this began to frighten the guy not a little. He had never encountered such a thing, and therefore he began to shake a lot from all this. No, Sam wasn't a cowardly guy, that's for sure, but in such a situation, even he would be scared. And then the teenager's gaze stopped on a strange object that definitely wasn't there before, or he just didn't notice it. Right on the edge of the mini clearing was a vertically elongated metal plate. Sam was interested in this, from which he got up from the ground and approached the strange thing. Indeed, it was a plate: slightly taller than a person, had a smooth surface, the edges of the corners were slightly bent, which made this plate not quite rectangular, but not oval either. Having walked around her from all sides, the guy realized that there was nothing behind her or next to her. Now the thing seemed pointless to Sam. The guy decided to touch her one last time, and then continue on his way, because he was still looking for a way out of here. However, at the moment when the teenager's palm touched the surface, it suddenly vibrated and moved away somewhere to the side into the void, and a free space opened up in front of Sam. Well, how is free: it was a room. A spacious room, and there were various furniture in it: a bed, directly perpendicular to the entrance, a long table and a chair against the far wall, a wardrobe next to the entrance, and it was mostly empty. Sam was shocked, looking at all this: it turns out that this plate was a door leading to some room but how was this possible? The guy stepped back with fear, and the plate returned to its original place, and that there was nothing behind it, that there was nothing in front of it. Sam felt the air outside the door a couple of times, but still there was nothing there. After looking around once more, Sam decided to take a chance: he touched the door again, and when it drove away, he went inside. A simple room made in a minimalist style: the bed was spacious, double, there were three pillows and a warm bedspread on it, the mattress was white and seemed to be made of a strange soft material; the bed had sides that played the role of some kind of bedside tables; right under the wardrobe there were a couple of shelves on which there were two more pairs of identical shoes; in the closet, too, hung two more spare pairs of clothes made of green T-shirts and pants; the table that was on the opposite side of the bed was inseparable from the wall, unlike the movable chair. Looking at the room, the guy noticed two things that he did not immediately notice: on the wall where there was a door with a wardrobe, there was also an unusual panoramic window with a curved sleeping place offered so that you could lie on it and look at the view outside the window; and next to the table in the wall there was something in the likeness of a domestic waterfall, water flowed from the wall in a continuous sweat, for some reason of a maroon–purple color, and again flowed somewhere inside. The guy was very thirsty, and therefore he hoped that this unknown liquid would not kill him. Coming closer, Sam outlined a nearby shelf, there were several elongated glasses on it, only it was not clear what they were made of. Taking one glass, the guy carefully filled it with water from the flowing waterfall. Looking at the water in the glass, Sam suddenly thought and hoped that it would be something like berry juice, and not some kind of poison. And having gathered himself from the perfume, the guy drank a strange liquid, and immediately opened his eyes wide in surprise: it really tasted like berry juice, and quite delicious. Sam finished the first glass, and then poured himself another. Having finally quenched his thirst, the guy began to inspect the room further. As it turned out, there was nothing else to look at: there was nothing else in the room, as there were no other exits - there was only a large bare wall, long across the room. However, as soon as Sam thought about leaving, his gaze caught on something again. Right on the table was a very strange remote control with many different buttons. Coming closer and taking the strange device, the teenager began to examine it. Then, out of curiosity, Sam pressed one of the big buttons. Suddenly, a noise was heard: the front door slammed shut, from which the guy inadvertently jumped. Sam turned to the door, thinking about what had just happened. It was quiet and there were no additional sounds. Everything remained the same. Except for the view from the panoramic window. If earlier there was still the same forest, now there was only impenetrable darkness. Sam was wary, but still decided to go to the closed door. Like last time, the guy touched the smooth surface. The door vibrated again, and then slid aside. What Sam saw outside the door shocked him. Right outside the doorway was a solid column of water. In the literal sense, it was just water, which in some unknown way froze in place, which made it look more like a jelly cube. Sam was in shock and didn't know what to say. Out of curiosity, he touched the water: wet, slightly cool, flowing - everything is as normal water should be. That's just this very water should not be here, because just a minute ago there was a forest here. All this was strange, as well as the fact that an unknown force did not let the water go beyond the threshold. Even when Sam touched the water again, and then pulled his hand to him, so it was dry again, without a single hint of water. It was very strange. Deciding to risk even more, Sam leaned his hands on the edges of the door jamb, and then plunged his head into the water. His ears were immediately filled with the sound of water, and then he dared to open his eyes and look around. Everything was empty, and there was nothing else but water. As well as around the place from where he was looking: the opening was just floating in the "air", not leaning on anything, and behind it it was also empty. Turning his head back, Sam touched his hair just in case, and it turned out to be completely dry, as well as his face. There was a feeling that the room inside and the space outside were not connected and what was happening outside could not get into the room. Sam came up with the idea to try out the remote again and see what would change after that. Pressing the button again, Sam watched the door as it closed again. After its opening, the guy saw a snowy landscape in front of him: snowdrifts and icicles, also frozen in a single harmony. Sam suddenly realized that all this "space" was nothing more than some kind of strange illusion or hologram, only more advanced. Following his theory, the guy tried to press other buttons on the remote. Everything changed or was added with each subsequent click: then the snow will suddenly come from somewhere above, then the sky will turn from daytime to night and dark, then the wind will blow, then there will be a sound like birds singing. Deciding not to look at the winter landscape anymore, Sam continued to scroll further to see more of what this room could offer him. Sam was able to see the jungle, and swamps, and desert, and the mouth of a volcano, and the cityscape, and a shopping mall, and much, much more. Stopping soon at some harmless flower meadow, Sam finally moved away from the door and went to the window. From the window there was a beautiful view of the sprawling expanses and bright waving flowers. All of this would be fine if it wasn't an illusion. It finally dawned on Sam: he was locked in some strange room, with only one exit leading to a huge space that, at the touch of a button, could become whatever he wanted, from which he concluded that most likely he had been abducted by some maniac scientists to conduct there are unknown experiments on him. Yes, it was quite logical, although it sounded extremely wild and sad. Sam made the assumption that most likely right now he was being watched and something was being recorded. The guy tried to call someone to figure out where he was and maybe get some answers. "Hey, is anyone here? ... Hello? ... Can anyone hear me?.. Tell me, where am I?.. What do you want from me?.. Hey?" However, no one answered. There was only silence, accompanied by the sounds of running water and the rustle of flowers behind the beast. Sam tried a couple more times to call someone, but the answer was still silence. Having accepted the fact that he was ignored, the guy began to think how he could try to get out of here in this case. After going around the room a couple more times, Sam concluded that she was completely deaf and there was no way out of her. There was an option to go through that one door and try to go all the way, maybe then he could find a way out. After thinking about it for a couple of minutes, Sam decided to try this option. Leaving the door and finding himself in a blooming field, the teenager walked confidently in one direction. Walking straight and straight, the guy noticed that the flowers under his feet bent very realistically, although they almost immediately returned to their previous position. So he walked and walked, maybe an hour, or even more. He was thirsty again, and now he was also hungry. When Sam turned around, he saw that the door was not there, but as soon as he thought about it, it appeared out of thin air again, being in the same place. Sam groaned loudly: did he really go through so much, but at the same time returned to where he started. It was already starting to piss him off. Stomping loudly, he returned to the room, and then shouted into the void. "What do you want from me?.. Can you hear me, hey?.. What do you want from me?.. Who are you?.. Why do you need me, well?.. WHY DO YOU NEED ME?" At the last words, he shouted so that he almost broke his voice. However, as before, silence was the answer. Sam collapsed on the bed out of anger and impotence in this situation, thereby noticing for himself that the surface is quite comfortable. After lying around like that for five minutes, the guy remembered his hunger again. Sam suddenly remembered his mother's famous apple pie, which she used to bake on weekends. Yes, he would definitely like a piece of pie right now. To his surprise, when he thought about it, the wall that was right in front of the table began to buzz strangely, and then a previously invisible compartment opened in it, from which a large plate with something that, surprisingly, resembled a pie in its shape, only for some reason light pink. Surprised, Sam got out of bed and walked over to the table to take a closer look at this strange pink mess. Indeed, there was a pink mixture on the plate, compressed into an elastic round shape, which was usually made for pies, even similar grooves were on top. Sam looked at this strange mess with a question, not knowing what to do with it. A couple of times he even poked it with his finger: elastic, viscous, soft, not sticking. Finally, for the sake of interest, Sam tore off a small piece and brought it to his face: strange or not, this mixture did not smell of anything. Finally, deciding that he had nothing more to lose, the guy put a piece in his mouth, and then his eyes opened again from shock. This taste. This taste was exactly the same as the pie that his mother used to make. Sam tore off another piece and tasted it. Yes, indeed it was a pie. Not knowing why, but Sam had a desire to eat this "pie completely". To do this, he went back to the mini waterfall to get himself a drink. The guy suddenly remembered about the compote that his grandmother used to make. Yes, this compote was best suited to his mother's pie. Sam really wanted that compote. And so he filled himself with water and raised the glass to his lips, as his eyes became the size of a plate again: the taste of the water changed, and now it was completely reminiscent of the same grandmother's compote. Sam stood in shock and looked in disbelief at his glass, then at the "pie" on the table. Trying to put two and two together, the guy suddenly made a strange assumption for himself: what if both water and food changed their taste, according to his desire and what he wanted. Sam decided to test this theory. After pouring the water back out, he suddenly closed his eyes and spoke loudly. "I want, uh, orange juice!" After that, he opened his eyes and put the glass under the water again. After taking a small sip, the guy immediately felt the taste of orange. It was true: somehow the water, and possibly the food, changed its taste depending on his desires. Having decided to experiment with food, the guy tried to imagine something more complicated: he thought of fried potatoes with melted pieces of butter. A buzzing sound was heard. The plate that was with the "pie" instantly disappeared from the table, and then reappeared, but now the pieces of mass on it were smaller and clearly softer. Coming closer, Sam immediately took one piece and immediately threw it into his mouth, and then groaned with pleasure: the sweet taste of fried potatoes mixed with tender melted butter touched his tongue. Sam wanted to eat this dish completely, even though it still looked like a pale pink mass. Sitting down at the table and putting a plate of food and a glass in front of him, Sam began to eat the food offered to him with an appetite. The teenager concluded for himself that those who abducted him seemed to be putting some kind of experiment on food and his ability to change tastes. Well, if you look at it that way, it wasn't bad, right? The main thing is that he is not poisoned here. Sam was thinking about whether he should eat and drink what he was given at all, and not whether it was poison, but for some reason such thoughts immediately left his head, trying to focus only on the good. Because of all these events, Sam's thoughts about the strange hoop wrapped around his head completely disappeared from his head, which, as it turned out, was the very device thanks to which food and water could change their taste, depending on his desires. However, this hoop had other functions that the guy didn't even know about.

… … … …

  While the man was getting used to his new environment, two Autobots continuously watched him and his actions, being in the closest proximity to him. That wall, which seemed empty to the guy, turns out to be such only from his side. In fact, it was a large panoramic window, which also plays the function of a door. From the Earthman's side, it was not transparent, but from the other side it was indistinguishable from simple glass. Ratchet and Bumblebee were watching the man through this window. The Autobots wanted to make sure that their man would properly settle into his new home. The bots decided among themselves that it was not worth immediately letting the guy know that he was "captured" by aliens. They decided to teach the guy to do it gradually. It was all the fault of a very complex emotional impulse in people, because of which a guy might have a stroke or his psyche would suffer seriously, and therefore it was wiser to let him get used to a more familiar environment, and then begin his first acquaintance with the outside world. This room was specially designed for the needs of people: unlimited food, a sleeping place, and an attached transformer room, giving the guy the opportunity to stretch his limbs and relax in the environment familiar to his planet. Ratchet had plans for the Earthman and this room, but he decided to leave them for later – it was necessary to give Sam time to get used to both the rooms and the new body – and then he could start conducting experiments. It was Bumblebee who was most nervous in this situation: he was impatient, as in the old days, to hug his little friend and show him their home planet - he believed that they would be friends again, like the first time. Yes, Bee had no doubt that they would get along: he knew Sam too well, and therefore he was sure that the guy would love him. Yes, they will become friends again, only now without unnecessary conversations, relying only on the touch and affection with which Bumblebee planned to constantly pamper his little man. Bee was already rubbing the manipulators in anticipation, looking at his friend from behind the transparent glass.