Welcome to Gaia! ::

Andrew received a text on his phone from an unknown number, though it was obvious it came from someone at Deus, because other numbers were impossible.

There were, almost eerily, no others nearby. The Golem Lab was empty, and yet the lights were all on and the door was wide open. All of the machines within hummed with life, including those that held the bodies when a Hunter conscious was transferred from their body, to that of the Golem. And on the side, the door to the training arena was also open. He was free to go in there as well, but there was no one there and the simulations were off.

All that there was, was a single open capsule. And a computer screen, flickering invitingly, nearby.

Should Andrew decide to sit at the terminal and look at the computer screen, he would read what looked like instructions. They were simple. It directed him to enter the capsule, and he would re-emerge in a golem that was already in the training arena. The test stated it was programmed in for an hour, and he simply needed to survive.

That was it. Just - survive.

There were warnings, in fine print, as there always are on such Deus tests: loss of limb, loss of life, loss of sanity, loss of bowel functions, the list went on and on, but actual side effects were few and far between in tests like these, and the Hunters had gotten into these Golems many times successfully in the past.

Right?

There was nothing to worry about.

The pod closed with a hiss, leaving him in darkness. Within seconds, it froze over, taking Andrew with it - and the machine did its job, transferring his consciousness over to one of the golems waiting in the training arena.

This, too, was empty. And the golem, for all this talk of testing it, seemed surprisingly bland. There was nothing of particular interest, though it was larger than usual, and its skin felt much stronger if touched.

But there was nothing for him to do - and no one to tell him what to do, now that he was in his golem.

Yet.

The door to the arena closed, and the locking mechanism slid home with a thud.

All the lights in the arena slowly began to turn off, one by one by one. When it was dark, and the only light was from glinting machinery that flickered behind shatterproof glass, there was a robotic sounding voice that informed him of what was happening.

"The Golem Lab is now closed for the night."

Whoops.

Surprise! Napping was actually possible in a golem!

Surprise! Riley was prepared for that!

A very low buzzing sound began to fill the air. Like insects had infiltrated the room, and were flying around. They could have been dealt with.. if it wasn't so dark.

The prank was meant to be boring, so his commentary did not prove it to be a failure. The only thing that would actually attack Andrew that night was his own boredom. The insects, as annoying as they were, were only there to keep him from getting any good sleep.

And, perhaps, to add just a touch of anxiety to the situation.

Despite his realization, said 'prank' did not seem to suddenly end. The quiet droned on, broken by sudden buzzing as the (???) moved about the dark room in sporatic movements.

Bzzt.

Something landed on his leg.