"Earthen simulation commencing in three."

Harnessed within her cocoon of wires and straps, Embla couldn't shake the sensation of being trapped on an overlarge spider's web. She knew there were other things she should be concerned about, but her practical reasoning had abandoned ship a while ago. Now she expected to see flashes of spindly limbs or hear the click of pincers snapping at any moment. But no, there were no spiders, giant or otherwise, aboard the Atlas SAT.

"Two."

Her fears went up in smoke as Embla slipped into autopilot. She snapped her eyes shut and allowed herself to relax into the straps holding her up. The harness that held her suspended amidst the wires and machinery whirred as it adjusted itself to snugly fit her petite form.

"One." A brief pause. "Earthen simulation has begun."

Embla opened her eyes gradually, giving them sufficient time to adjust to the bright sunlight that now shone down on her in a beating wave. It took her several seconds of blinking before she was able to get a glimpse of her surroundings, but the moment she did, the pain in her eyes was forgotten.

Brilliant white sand stretched towards the horizon on either side, crunching under her feet as she took her first, hesitant step towards the vast expanse of sheer blue spread out before her. Embla's mind was quick to supply her with the word for the phenomenon: an ocean. However, learning about Earth's natural features in a cramped classroom aboard the Atlas SAT was nothing compared to actually experiencing them, simulated or no.

"Wow..."  She crouched down to scoop up a handful of sand and let it trickle through her fingers, marveling at the rough texture and subtle heat, and the very fact that she could experience such things while aboard a shuttle in space. "Is - is Earth really like this?"

She received no answer, but Embla hadn't expected one in the first place. The whole point of the simulation was for her to experience Earth as close to firsthand as she could, which meant no contact with any of the personnel monitoring her progress. It had struck her as strange to be so inflexible beforehand, but now that Embla was experiencing just how complete the illusion woven by the simulator was, she could see the value of leaving it uninterrupted.

Turning away from the ocean view was almost physically painful, but Embla still forced herself to do it. She had a purpose for being here, and that purpose wasn't playing in illusory water no matter how much she wanted it to be. Maybe one day, when Earth was once more fit for humans,  she'd have a chance to actually experience this scenery for real, on the planet's genuine surface instead of as a simulation. But until then, Embla was content with savoring the glimpses she was afforded.

One day, she told herself as she surveyed the beach and past it, the distant treeline. One day soon.