[ WP ] One day you wake up and find your whole life that before you slep was just a ling dream

As he slowly awakened, Jacob struggled to remember what his wife had been saying. The memory was a blur. Strip after strip of blazing fluorescent light slid past overhead as he was wheeled through the cold hospital corridor. He heard the sharp, smart click of Alice's heels on the floor beside him as she kept pace with the gurney, her warm grip crushing the three middle fingers of his immobile left hand. Her voice, sweet and still strong after so many years, telling him over and over it would be all right. Then she had let go because she could n't follow him into the OR, and a doctor's shouted orders overrode her last words. He thought she had been saying, `` I will wait for you, Jacob, forever,'' but he could n't be sure. 
 
 The place where Jacob lay now was dark and cool. A dim, distant light and the constant draft of dry air gave the impression that he was in a large, cavernous space. He could blink and move his lips and the tips of his fingers, a little, but that was all. Even that was better than the paralysis he had feared, but at the same time he felt radically different in ways he could n't describe to himself. He was trying to figure out what it might be when he heard the rustle of someone sitting down beside him. 
 
 His first attempt at speech produced a dry croak. He felt a straw being touched to his mouth and instinctively drew on it. A small sip of water was all he could manage, but he felt it beginning to restore him immediately. 
 
 `` Hello, friend.'' It was a man beside him, speaking quietly. `` Have some more water and let me talk for a while, then it will be your turn. Nod if you can understand me.'' Jacob managed a feeble nod. `` Same language, good. Well, you remember a full life, yes? Adventures and mishaps, friends and enemies, love and loss, all that stuff?'' The voice paused, and Jacob nodded to indicate that he had known those things. `` That's good. So, presumably you know how to take care of yourself and live as an adult in society. That's the important thing for now. Those memories will remain with you and provide some comfort, I hope, as you adjust. They are n't your memories, you see.'' 
 
 `` What. Do you mean?'' Jacob asked haltingly. What kind of anesthetic had they given him? 
 
 `` You sound like your memories are from the late 20th, maybe early 21st Century, so I'll give you the quick version, as much as they tell us. ’ They' are beings from somewhere else, we do n't know what they call themselves or what they look like or even if they are physical beings. They found Earth sometime after humankind either died out or left the Solar system; they either do n't know or do n't care which. The body you are in was cloned from recovered human DNA. The memories you have are shrivens -- cast off in some form when that person died. There are endless debates over whether they are the person's soul or just the identity left behind after the soul departs. Debates between us, that is; they again either do n't know or do n't care.'' 
 
 `` They clone adult bodies so that they can put us to work right away, and infuse us with these identities so that we start with basic abilities. Personally I think the emotional toll is too high even for those who survive integration, but they do n't listen to us. Our work, our purpose, is to dismantle the ruins of human civilization and return Earth to a more natural state. It seems hopeless to all of us, but I guess they have a longer perspective. Our lifespan is about six to ten years, depending on your work zone and other factors.'' The man paused again. In the dim light, Jacob could only make out an outline of longish hair and beard hovering over a lean frame. He was deeply disturbed and did n't know what to say. 
 
 `` That's a lot for you to digest; I can see your heart rate is very high. I'm going to give you a sedative and we'll resume when you wake again.'' Jacob felt a slight pressure on the side of his neck. `` What was your profession, in your memories?'' 
 
 `` Accountant.'' 
 
 `` Hm. When you can, try to think of any other skills you might remember. Agriculture, machine operator, any medical or related skills. I'm sorry, but most white collar types are put on toxic or extreme environment details. Try not to dream.''
