A man wakes up blind in a pod with only a cryptic computer voice to explain he's Subject 1 of Project Nova.
The episode begins with Subject 1 waking blindly in a pod bay, guided only by a computer that calls itself an interface for Project Nova but refuses to elaborate. The computer explains it lacks full power and can only revive subjects one at a time. Subjects 2 and 3 are revived in sequence. All three struggle with temporary blindness and numbness while trying to make sense of their situation through conversation. The computer confirms there are four pods but reports that Subject 4 cannot be revived due to absence of brain activity. The computer insists it must wait for a medical professional who is not present. Subject 1 notices that the monitoring electrodes on the fourth pod have simply come loose, explaining the false reading. She proposes connecting the cable from her own pod to the damaged one so the computer will register brain activity and open it. The group acknowledges the plan could kill the person hooked in, but decides doing nothing is worse. They use rock-paper-scissors to select a volunteer. The selected subject is hooked in and the cables are swapped, but the computer announces a recycling countdown starting at 30 seconds. An electrode slips loose mid-countdown, zeroing out the reading. The subjects hold the electrode against the connection point and the computer finally registers activity and opens the pod. Subject 4 wakes, confused. As the group catches her up on what they know — very little — they notice names printed on their robes: Armstrong, Vespucci, Batuta, and Eberhardt. Armstrong announces her name to the group and welcomes Eberhardt. A log entry notes the subjects completed their first trial faster than expected and have shown early promise.
