Excerpt:

The light above the door to his room had turned on, casting a red glow on the empty grey walls. Slowly, he stood from his cot. His legs cracked as he did so, and he winced, looking down at them in confusion. He cautiously made his way across the small room, coming to a stop in front of the steel mirror that hung above a stainless steel sink. He turned the water on, and it ran coldly over his hands and stung his skin as he washed. The ratty towel dug into his skin painfully as he dried off. Setting the towel aside, he looked into the mirror.

He did not look away for quite some time.

A pair of clear blue eyes regarded him. When he blinked, they did as well. They roamed over his features, taking in every detail, every minute perfection and imperfection. His hair was nothing but a dark shadow on his head, standing out starkly against his pale skin. However, he continued to look back into those blue eyes, for the gaze was magnetic and somehow captivating. The irises were a deep cerulean the likes of which he could not recall having seen before. The color was unmarred, unmasked by the murky quality he knew they were supposed to have. It was impossible to look away.

It was another ten minutes before he was jostled from his thoughts by the warning siren. The light above his door was now flashing. Hurriedly – and quite unsure why he was rushing – he went back to the cot and picked up the plain grey uniform that was folded over the railing at the foot of it. He began to change quickly, but as he removed his shirt, the cold metal of the tag hanging around his neck fell against his bare chest. He paused, lifting his fingers to turn it over. The identification 363JSM20970312 was engraved into the metallic surface. He considered it for moment before continuing to change. Carefully folding his sleeping clothes and setting them down where the uniform had been before, he made his way to the door. It slid open for him, and he went out into the hallway. The flashing light finally turned off, and the room itself fell dark as he exited.