When Ty woke next, he couldn't feel anything and his vision was foggy. Like he was underwater.
"Oh." A strangely muffled female voice said. "You're awake!"
There was another strange sound, like muffled footsteps, and he felt vibration around him. He tried to move, but his body was totally numb. He darted his eyes around and his heart sank as he found he was inside of an enormous glass tank. Something was very very wrong.
"Don't be alarmed." The same voice said. "You're safe and sound." Ty saw a pretty blonde come into view in front of him. It was hard to make out fine details but she looked attrative, anyway. She wore a white lab coat and thick rimmed glasses.
Ty tried to speak, but to his growing concern nothing would happen. It was as if he simply couldn't.
"No doubt you feel some disorientation. I can't imagine what it must be like, but please rest assured we've done everything we can to make you comfortable here."
The woman's gaze met his own and he darted his eyes frantically. He looked down and only saw the bottom of the strange tank. And nothing else. He looked back to the woman and realization set in.
"Yes. Your body, sadly, is gone."
Ty tried to scream, tried to speak, tried to do anything, but he literally couldn't.
"Please stay calm. I'll explain everything." The woman consoled. "You see, you entered the public hospital after fainting in your home. Your foster parents rushed you there. After that, something happened. Apparently when the attending physcician began to examine you it was observed that blood was pouring from your ears."
Because his brain had been swelling up. Ty sank again as he began to suspect what had happened.
"On taking you to the OR your skull began to crack and then simply exploded. Then it was observed your brain tissue was expanding."
Yes. He was a brain in a jar. Or worse.
"At that point, a risky and incredibly secret procedure was begun. We call it extraction, wherein your living brain is removed and placed into a life sustaining fluid that oxygenates the tissue and keeps it 100% healthy."
Brain in a jar. Yep.
The woman produced a picture from her pocket. A digital photo printed on glossy paper. A massive brain, as large as a car, being sealed in it's housing. Ty realized he was looking at himself.
"This is you now. You have no body, no organs besides your considerable gray matter, and you are sustained in your housing. We've clamped your brain stem to an electronic interface that will operate a highly advanced supercomputer, think of it as your wheelchair... but sadly we lack the proper drivers for our software, so for the moment it is inoperative."
Great.
"If you wish to communicate in the meantime, I'd encourage you blink in morse code."
Ah! Yes, Ty knew morse code. He knew everything of course. He was a brain the size of a cargo van floating in a vat of gel that kept him alive. Was he even Ty anymore?