KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision slowly opened her eyes. She felt the
sensation of her clothes against the hard steel bed, and her muscles ached from lack
of use. Her mind started to return to her, and she began to think with sharp clarity,
“How long have I been resting?”, she wondered. She hoped her father, Takuya, hadn’t
missed her long.
SheTamashi #50View on SuiVision reached around her neck and felt the Tamashi
monitor on her head. It didn’t weigh very much, and she was amazed it didn’t obstruct
her vision. She felt around the side to find a cord plugged into the outlet behind
her. She held it in her hand and remembered the day she plugged herself in.
KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision was defiant that day, and wanted to
prove that she could handle the responsibility of plugging herself in. She marched
into the hospital, which was half-filled with people who felt the same. The nurse
that day had been very friendly, and told her that she could unplug herself at any
time. She said that the Tamashi computer heads were to monitor the patient’s emotional
state and ensure that the process went smoothly. Kasumi nodded, and was fitted for
a Tamashi head that afternoon.
When sheTamashi #50View on SuiVision put the head on, and laid on a fresh hospital bed, the nurse handed her the cord attached to her Tamashi head. She said that for liability reasons, she had to plug herself into the wall; after that, the chemicals would start to enter her brain. Kasumi nodded and committed to returning home by dinner, so that she could prove her father wrong. With that thought in mind, she plugged herself in as chemicals began to overwhelm her brain.
Kasumi'sTamashi #50View on SuiVision eyes wandered toward a distant window,
where she could see the night sky. She remembered the last night she spent with her
father, how they had watched the sunset together, and how they’d debated what kind
of a life she should lead. She’d left to “plug in” to prove a point. She wanted to
show him that she could handle the temptation of temporary euphoria, and that she
had the self-control to come home that night for dinner. But her muscles were weak,
and she was in a different building now. She was afraid that a few days had passed,
and that her father had missed her.
SheTamashi #50View on SuiVision pulled out her cord from the wall along
with a separate wire attached to her head, and started to walk around the facility.
It was a massive gray building with high ceilings and dark gray floors. There were
long rows of beds along the side walls of the corridor, which had to be around a
hundred feet wide. Each bed had people in it, with Tamashi heads that lit up in bright
colors, just like the advertisements. They all laid comatose on their beds, and all
wore the same white shirts with white pants.
To herTamashi #50View on SuiVision left, was a door that led outside, and around that corner was another hallway.
“Hey!” sheTamashi #50View on SuiVision shouted, “Is anyone here?!” her voice echoed.
No one answered, and no one in their beds moved even slightly.
“Is anyone in charge?!” sheTamashi #50View on SuiVision exclaimed. And as she looked further down the corridor, she saw him. 
A manTamashi #100View on SuiVision sitting in what appeared to be a large chair elevated on top of a larger platform. He was clearly plugged in like everyone else, and even had a Tamashi head. He wore a full suit and what looked like a crown on his head. He wasn’t conscious, but still had an imperious air about him. Bewildered, Kasumi walked in the other direction around the corner.
There sheTamashi #50View on SuiVision found a large room filled to the brim with clothes. Clothing racks filled every square inch of the room, and she could see huge varieties of colors and patterns. Her first thought was that these were clothes confiscated from people when they were plugged in, but the clothes were so extravagant, they resembled theater costumes more than regular clothes.
Suddenly, everyone around herTamashi #50View on SuiVision started waking up. Some jolted right out of their beds, while others sat there confused, staring at their cords. They all started making their way towards the front where Kasumi was standing.
“Hi, everyone!” sheTamashi #50View on SuiVision shouted.
They all stopped in their tracks and stared at herTamashi #50View on SuiVision, as the room went silent.
“Hi, everyone. MyTamashi #50View on SuiVision name is Kasumi… and honestly, I regret being here” she started, gathering herself, “I thought I could plug myself in for a day, because I wanted to escape how I was feeling. And today I woke up and found out that more time had passed than I’d thought. I don’t know how many days I’ve been gone, but I know it was too many. I look around this room, and all your Tamashi monitors are different, just as they advertised, but your bodies are frail. Some of you had trouble getting out of your beds. I know that the Tamashi machines give you bliss, and I know how appealing that is. I don’t claim to know what some of you have been struggling with.
You may have had it hard and needed an escape“ sheTamashi #50View on SuiVision paused, “But if we ignore that pain, we end up ignoring life too. I’m not sure why I woke up just now, and woke you all up with me. But we have the opportunity here for a fresh start. My father … My Dad told me to carry Nozomi (hope) with me before I left. I want you all to have Nozomi too. We should all leave here and start to live our lives again”
“When did you get plugged in?” 
A concerned voiceTamashi #10View on SuiVision asked.
“Wednesday,” KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision said. Everyone started exchanging glances.
“Does anyone know what day it is?” KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision asked.
“I might be able to help” a voice said. A 
manTamashi #26View on SuiVision stepped forward with deep blue watercolor on his Tamashi screen, “I’m a painter and an amateur astronomer. I know how to tell the time by the stars, but my mind is more artistic than mathematical. Depending on how much time has passed, I’ll need someone who’s good at m…”
Suddenly 
a manTamashi #32View on SuiVision burst towards the front, shoving several people aside.
“-ath” heTamashi #26View on SuiVision finished.
“Yes!” the manTamashi #32View on SuiVision panted, with his hands on his knees, “That’s me! Whew, what are we calculating?”
“Are you any good at math?”
“Look at my face” the manTamashi #32View on SuiVision said, with his screen covered in graphs.
“Alright then. Let’s go” the first manTamashi #26View on SuiVision said, and they walked together out the main doorway.
KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision noticed two people on opposite sides
of the crowd glancing towards each other. She could tell they were deliberately keeping
their distance. 
OneTamashi #9View on SuiVision had a white monitor with
a red outline, 
the otherTamashi #37View on SuiVision had a black monitor
with a dark blue outline.
“By the way” KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision said, “There’s lots of clothes in the room around the corner if any of you want to change your clothes”
The two people avoiding each other sprinted through the crowd, shoving people to either side to dart around the corner to the room with the clothes. Curious, everyone began to slowly follow.
A womanTamashi #10View on SuiVision from the crowd approached Kasumi with
a birdcage on her monitor, “Hey there” she said, concerned, “did you volunteer to
be plugged in?”
“As opposed to what?” KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision answered.
The two men from earlier burst through the main doors.
“Well that really was interesting” the man with the graphsTamashi #32View on SuiVision said, “And you’re sure you had those stars right?”
“If you’re sure you had your math right” the second manTamashi #26View on SuiVision said.
The second manTamashi #26View on SuiVision gravely cleared his throat,
“Attention everyone! We’ve looked outside and used the stars to calculate the exact
date. We are confident in what we’ve found, and understand what this means. To some
of you, this will come as a shock”. Everyone in the main area stared solemnly forward,
while everyone in the clothing room listened intently.
“It is April 7th, 2042.”
Kasumi'sTamashi #50View on SuiVision ears started ringing as she collapsed
to the ground. Her eyes blurred and she started shaking as everything disappeared
around her. Every noise was replaced by a stunned silence as her mind began to wrestle
with what she’d just heard. Seven years. She had been asleep for seven years.
“Hey, hey” the woman with the birdcage screenTamashi #10View on SuiVision patted her shoulder and knelt by her side, “It’ll be alright, okay?”
“My Dad!” KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision shouted, “I have to see my Dad!” she scrambled to stand back up, and darted towards the doorway. She shoved the two men aside and burst open the main doors. She walked outside to her first breath of fresh air in years and gasped at the sight before her.
Ahead was the outline of a dark city, lit only by the light of the stars. Hundreds of buildings were outlined before her, but they were pitch black, with no electric lights as far as the eye could see.
“What the hell?” KasumiTamashi #50View on SuiVision whispered.
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” the womanTamashi #10View on SuiVision said.