Disconnected: Life Left Behind

The lab was buzzing with excitement as people in white coats ran around getting everything ready. After years of preparation they had finally found someone to take the job. Memories of the last 'chosen' made nerves run high, but the analysts had confirmed that the subjects memories would be hazy at best, practically nonexistent. The subject would have basic knowledge, how to walk, how to eat, how to dress, but may need schooling to relearn to speak. The chosen had been provided just the basic knowledge on the subject, not nearly enough, and it had been stressed to not push her beyond her limits.

A loud resounding beep echoed in the lab signalling that the proceedings were to begin. A large tank in the center of the room had been lit up, as a thick liquid with the consistency of water began to drain. Through the plexiglass the lab workers watched as a young girl appeared in the tank, her floating body slowly lowered onto a pad strapped to the bottom. Once the liquid had draimed away, a door on the side slid open and only those with clearance approached to remove the breathing tube from around her face.

As the sedatives began to wear off, her eyes fluttered as she stirred, but she did not wake. Not yet. All at once the room went quiet and the scientists made themselves scarce. Only the chosen was supposed to be with her now. He had to be the one to be there when she woke or it would not work. Again the subject stirred, her soft, steady breathing filling the now empty space. Lying on the floor of the tank, the only light shining upon her, she began to open her eyes.

'... and if I refuse? What's the alternative?'

'Death.'

The threat loomed over my head like a dark cloud hovering just overhead as I made his through the facility, flanked by guards. Surely they didn't think so little of me. Two guards? I could take twelve before any of them hit the floor. For a moment I thought about that, wondering if I should just wait till they passed the nearest exit, kill his escort, and take off, try to survive a life on the lamb. Of course i'd survive it. They made me into the ultimate soldier.

But that was too easy. I wanted them to allow me back into their good graces, wanted to be a soldier again so I could propel myself through the ranks, become a powerful leader in their military. And when they present me to the council for my advancement to General....

"In here," a guard grunted. He actually had the nerve to nudge me with the butt of his rifle. I made it a point to turn my head and take a look at the name sewed onto his uniform in gold thread.

"Wilkins," I mutter, catching the man's gaze with my eyes, committing them to my memory. He doesn't know that I have an outstanding memory. After promising myself to seek him out when the time was right, I turned and strode into the room. They'd already told me that i'd be alone for this part, but I wasn't stupid enough to believe that no one would be watching or listening.

Didn't really care much anyway. Even as I moved toward the empty container, the young naked girl inside, I wasn't thinking about anything except the prize at the end of the road. She was a carrot being dangled in front of my face, and I wouldn't forget that. I'd also make sure that I caught that carrot, no matter what I had to do to bring it closer.

I watched as she started to stir, replacing my scowl with a pair of soft, understanding eyes, the kind of eyes a girl wanted to see after their husband finishes beating the shit out of them. The kind of look someone would use to manipulate another person into believing that I would be their friend, when all they actually were to me was a meal ticket.

"Hey," I called softly as her eyes began to flutter open. "Hey there." I kept my tone just as soft as my eyes. She was a pretty girl, I gave the lab credit for that. I had heard that she was pretty, but there was no way to know what they did to try to give up her special object. It seemed the boys and girls in the lab kept her relatively unharmed.

The world was dark and cold, the only noise a soft buzzing in my ears. Blurry images flashed across my minds eye too fast and too skewed to know what knowledge, what secrets they held. Trying to catch one was like trying to catch air, my fingers sliding through each one as if I had no body, was just a ghost. But would I be breathing if I were a ghost?

With a shuddering gasp my eyes shot open, a bright light assaulting my vision. Immediately I closed my eyes again, and when I began to open them it was a slow process so that I might adjust to the harshness of the light. I was lying on my back, staring up at glass all around me save for one side, where there was an opening. As I turned to view my surroundings I saw a man on the other side of the glass, his eyes soft as he gazed at me. I stared at him confused and a little frightened. Who are you? I wanted to ask, but what came out was a soft gasp. Did I not know how to speak?

Slowly I rolled myself onto my stomach, my dark damp hair clinging to my face stubbornly. How was I going to get out of this glass prison? There was not enough room to stand, though even if I wanted to I didn't think I could; just pushing myself into a sitting position had made my arms tremble with the effort. Maybe I could crawl, then? With another glance towards the man on the outside, I began to crawl to the opening, but once I got there I realized I could not jump down. There were no stairs for me to step on, no ramp to slowly walk down. Was I simply supposed to fall down? And why... why did my head hurt so much, why after only crawling a few feet did my body ache as if I ran for miles, why could I not remember who I was or why I was there?

My thoughts were halted when a shadow darted out from behind one of the other machines in the room. It came at me, grabbing my arm and yanking me forward, down to the ground. Its hand was cold, the grip like iron. It hurt. I tried to say as much but I didn't know how, I could only go along, stumbling, naked and wet as this man began to drag me away.

This was the part the scientists did not tell the chosen about. They planted someone inside the lab to try and take the subject from him. They believe if the subject saw the chosen willingly protect her, the attachment she would form with him would be one of absolute and complete trust. The subject would bond with him and believe him, never doubting him. Now, to see if the chosen would act quickly and appropriately, or let his ticket to freedom and glory be ripped from him.

I watched with fascination as the woman struggled to even move. I expected her to be somewhat weak, as suspension often lead to muscle atrophy, but that was a whole other ballgame. She couldn't even crawl. I wanted so badly to moan and groan because it seemed like this was going to be LITERALLY a babysitting job. I'd have to carry her around, teach her to speak and how to just... function! If the penalty for refusal were just going back to prison i'd jump on that in a heartbeat.

I was pulled violently from my thoughts when the shadowy figure appeared, snatching the girl up and trying to flee with her. For a moment I considered letting them go, but doing so would have cost me far more dearly than just having to take care of a grown adult as a child. Immediately I jumped, pressing my foot against the Plexiglass cocoon. I pushed hard, firing myself toward the door, beating the would-be abductor there.

The veiled figure tried to divert his course, but it was too late. Just as he had grabbed her wrist, I reached out and took his, squeezing tightly. He turned toward me, staring into my eyes so intently that I could see myself in his pupils, my stony indifference mirrored back to me. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a scream of agony as I crushed the bones in his arm.

He released my charge, trying to wrest his forearm free from my grasp, but it did him no good. I was far stronger. Slowly I lifted him off the floor, bringing him closer to me. He flailed like a fish out of water, screaming and begging to be released. He kicked and punched, but his weakness didn't even make me flinch. Just like before, I planted my foot against him and, with a powerful thrust, forced him across the room. Not enough to kill him, but enough to force him to question his life choices.

"Come on, we have to go. Now!" I decided to play the role of the rescuer, the hero that saved the damsel in distress. That always worked in the movies, right? Carefully scooping the girl into my arms, I peeked my head around the corners before taking off. "Don't worry, i'll keep you safe." That wasn't a lie. I couldn't let anyone harm her until I got what I needed. What happened after that was none of my concern, right?

There was a lot of motion and noise, everything happening fast that it made my head spin. One moment my wrist was in an iron grip by a man encased in shadows, trying to yank me along, and the next I was in the arms of the man with the soft eyes who had spoken to me the moment I woke. Though, for a moment, as I had been dragged away, I could have sworn I saw another emotion flicker through his eyes. His eyes were a deep blue, bright, but also the color of the ocean before a storm; it was quite unlike the natural blue, lighter, clearer that most with blue eyes had. It must have been a trick of the light, that annoyance I saw, for no sooner had I seen it that it was gone replaced with a fire, determination, an unwavering want to save me from the shadowed man.

Now we were headed down hallway after hallway, presumably trying to find some way to escape? I wanted to thank him, whoever he was, for saving me. Where the shadowed mans grip had been hard and cold, this man was warm, his grip on me firm but soft as if he did not want me to fall, as if he wanted to keep me safe and close. It made me feel reassured, though I did not know who I was, or where I was going, or even who he was, I felt that he must know something and he would keep me safe. Perhaps he had answers to the many questions I had, but how would I ask them?

With a soft sigh, I turned my face against him, resting my head on his chest, my arms wrapped loosely around his neck. The wind rushing past us as we moved made me shudder, but I made no noise of discomfort. My skin was still wet, my hair damp, and u was still quite bare, though I had no known anything other than being so, so it did not bother me. But still, I felt a chill. To keep my mind from the cold I felt I let myself analyze the man who held me so gently. Through his shirt I felt hard muscles, each one rippling as he moved, quickly and quietly. I listened to his breathing, he did not seem winded in the slightest despite carrying me, and the sound of his heart beating in his chest. Again I found myself gazing up at his face, his eyes were startlingly beautiful. Did he know? I wondered. He was unusual in appearance, his hair, too, seemed odd. It was silver and long enough that I could feel some of it against my face as I stared up at him. It was not grotesque or unsightly, but quite the opposite, layered perfectly to frame his face, giving him the look of someone who was unafraid to do what must be done to accomplish any task. Even now his face was set into a determined stare.

A small smile fell across my lips, and I once again rested my head against his chest. His shirt was damp now, not from sweat, but from holding me so close. I felt a pang of guilt but said nothing. Thank you for saving me. He could not hear me, but I thought it all the same.

We met no resistance along the way, though we did have to quickly hide in another room or take a detour to avoid the voices. My enhanced hearing helped me even in areas where the echoes were very loud, filtering through the information and telling me where they were coming from. In those moments, where we held our breath to avoid discovery, I had time to analyze the girl more closely.

She was quite beautiful, with a graceful frame and delicate features. Her eyes were deep and inviting, while her hair clung to her wet skin. Speaking of skin, there was a lot of it. Anyone who enjoyed the company of women would be foolish to not have noticed. She had an amazing body, and lips that looked softer than a feather. Very kissable lips.

But I wasn't allowed to think about those things. I had to gain her trust, not check her out. Her nudity didn't seem to bother her, so I guessed that either she was used to it, or she just didn't know any better. I decided to take a look around in one room to see if I could find something for her, having noticed the way her body shook in my arms. She had to be freezing. A blanket would go a long way to further my goal, so after a bit of fishing, I located a heavy wool blanket that was kept near the fire equipment.

Carefully I wrapped her up in it, then took a look around. We were on the second floor. I could handle a fall from that height, but i'd be carrying extra weight of course. From there we could steal a car and get out of the city. Geez, I wonder how long this is going to take...

"Hey," I said softly. "We're going to go through the window. I need you to keep the blanket over your head and hang on tight, okay?"

The blanket was a great welcome, and I pulled it across my body, holding it as tightly as I could. He had eitber noticed my shaking or was repulsed by my body. Perhaps he was not used to seeing other people naked. It made no difference to me, as the blanket helped to warm me significantly, and I had wanted to cover up anyway.

When he spoke about going through the window and down to the ground, I gazed out hesitantly at the ground seeming so far away, then back up at him. He had released me, saved me from the shadowed man, found me a blanket, why would he now put me in danger? If he said we needed to go then we needed to go, and if the way to go was out the window, well... With a nod of finality I drew the blanket up over my head and turned into him. I closed my eyes and braced myself for.. Who knew what.

It wasn't too bad, falling. I had lived for however long in a perpetual state of neither floating nor falling, but actually falling was not as awful as I had expected. During that time of darkness I remember little, but as much as I could recall felt as real to me as anything. Dreams came and went, but I always knew I was floating as if suspended in space. I never heard another voice, never felt anything against my skin, never felt like I was falling. I hardly noticed when we touched the ground again, or anything really after that. I still held the blanket over my head, and had my face turned into him, eyes shut tight.

With my eyes closed, however, I could smell him more clearly than I had when inside that building. I wasn't trying to be weird or anything of the like, but I had neither smelled, nor touched anything in so long, and he was my savior. I wanted to know everything about him. Currently he smelled like soap and sweat and.. Something I could not place. The smell was on me too so I could only imagine that last bit was from my wet skin on his shirt. Nevertheless I inhaled deeply, breathing him in, and the world around us. Where were we, anyway?

Still a woman of few words. So many men wished their wives were the same way. While I appreciated the silence, I wasn't terribly keen on the idea of marriage. But that was a thought process for another time. Technically I could have thought about both that and about jumping out the second story window easily enough. They made me fast-thinking, after all. But that just wasn't a road I wanted to go down in that moment.

Without another moment's hesitation, I kicked over a metal table, sending it flying through the glass of the large window, almost a wall, really. It wasn't very strong glass, but still, that table was heavy to a normal person, and it was better than using her body as a battering ram to break through.

The leap was almost nothing to me, like jumping off a chair in your living room. Even the landing was good, my legs acting naturally as shock absorbers. Then it was off in a sprint, making our way out of the complex and down the street. The council had, in their infinite wisdom, set up a safe house for us. Barring my misunderstanding, it was more of a penthouse than anything else, with plenty of amenities for us to enjoy. I'd make it seem like it was something they didn't know about, but if there was any place for her to be comfortable, it'd be there.

I stuck to the side streets and alleyways to avoid most of the pedestrian traffic, only going near people if I absolutely had to. Once we arrived, I sneaked us in then closed and locked the door. I slowly lowered her down until her feet touched the floor, testing the waters to see if she could stand on her own power.

"We're here, uhm... girl... lady... woman...?" What was the proper pronoun...?

When my feet hit the floor I stumbled a bit, not used to the full weight of my body -it wasn't much weight, lets be honest- but I managed to keep myself upright. I pulled the blanket around me tighter as if it would keep me safe inside its warmth. Everything was foreign to me and it made me feel.uncomfortable, but it didn't stop me from wandering around, slowly, and looking at everything I could.

When he addressed with me confusion I just shrugged at him, not knowing either. He seemed to know me just about as well as I did, which did little to reassure me that he had any idea about the circumstances in which we found ourselves. If he didn't know me how had he known where to find me. Did he know who I was or why any of this was happening? It didn't seem likely and a pang of disappointment flowered in my chest, followed by the sting of fear.

If you don't know me then why did you save me? I tried to ask, but nothing came out, just another soft gasp, as if my body couldn't recognize my desire to speak. It was frustrating. The whole situation was maddening; I didn't know who I was, or who he was, or why he had saved me. Maybe he just came across me in that room, in the plexiglass prison and couldn't just me let go? Especially after that other man tried to take me. I gestured to him as if to ask who he was and I hoped he understood.

It was a strange sensation, one that I had experienced in the past before that moment, but since I 'woke up' I could read people's body language as if they were speaking out loud to me directly. It came in very handy when it came to negotiation because I could tell what someone was going to say before they could say it. Maybe one of the enhancements they gave me increased my perception.

"You're wondering why I saved you, aren't you?" I waited for her to acknowledge my question, noting the subtle nod of her head. Nervousness is so adorable, one of the cutest things a girl could do. Maybe later I'd show her just how much I liked that sort of thing. But in the meantime....

"I'm up for death penalty because of something I refused to do." That's not a lie. "I figured there's nothing they can do to me that they weren't already planning on doing. I saw you there a while ago, and I thought it was wrong then, but what could I do? I saved you 'cause it's the right thing to do." It was the right thing to do... for me. She didn't have to know that my motivations were selfish. It's fine. She'll find out eventually, when it's too late to do anything.

"Now i'm going to keep you safe until you can survive on your own again, then we'll figure it out from there. But until then, i'll keep you safe, 'k?" As I spoke, I moved about the apartment, switching things on and turning on the heater. It was cold, after all, and she was a shivering naked girl in a wool blanket. Once the place was sufficiently lit and the security systems online, I looked up from the screens and smiled.

"C'mon, let's get you dried off and into something warm." I crossed the room and offered to pick her up again, unsure if she'd want to be carried or if she wanted to try walking on her own.

I listened to him speak, my brow furrowing. He seemed nice enough, perhaps what they wanted him to do was ghastly. He had been nothing but good to me since I had woken up, I couldn't imagine his morals be anything but good, his intentions the same. Subconsciously I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders watching him move about the room. When he offered to carry me I shook my head once, but took his arm. I wanted to walk, I knew how, but I was unsteady.

I let him lead me to one of the rooms in the house, it was sparsely decorated, not much more than a bed and a dresser, clearly no one had lived there in quite some time but there was clothes in the closet and dresser. They seemed to be about my size, almost exactly. To me they didnt look like womens clothes; trousers, and shorts and t-shirts, not dresses and skirts. It was odd to me, and I looked to my companion not sure which to pick to try and put on.

Because of the blanket my skin was somewhat dry and my hair was only damp now, some of it had dried and was curling slightly around my face. I brushed the strands from my face and sat down on the bed, my legs shaking. I couldn't stand on my own anymore, my muscles ached, and I was breathing shallowly from the effort it had taken me to do as much as I did. I looked at my companion as if for guidance or.. I didn't know what. I felt weak, and I was still unnerved by my lack of memories and I wasn't sure what to do. I was lost and confused and scared.

'Dear God she's tired already... it's going to be a long night...' The girls knees knocked like a pair of old shutters in a storm. But a thought suddenly occurred to me as I stared at her, my expression still soft. The more frustrated I let myself feel over the whole thing, the more it would show up in my voice and my face. I needed to keep myself in check, and as long as I could do that, I would have my freedom back in no time flat.

Crossing over to her, I sat down on the bed next to her, just close enough for our shoulders to touch occasionally as our weights shifted. "I know you're scared and you feel alone right now," I began, spinning my web of false comfort around her like a cocoon. "But the answers will come in time. Right now, try not to worry about the things that don't make sense and just stay in the moments that do. How about we figure out your name?"

Catching my lip between my teeth I nodded, anxious.  What if the answers never came? What if I never got my strength back? My fingers clenched around the blanket as I held it, using it as a shield between me and any unpleasantness. It wasn't fair. As hard as I try I couldn't recall anything, but I wasn't stupid. I wasn't purposefully trying to be an inconvenience.

What's your name? Again a soft gasp replaced the words I do desperatly wanted to speak. In frustration I kicked the bedside table, barely touching it with my foot. To my surprise the table launched across the room, slamming against the wall, wood splintering from the impact. Yelping in shock I jerked back, unintentionally throwing myself off the other side of the bed. The blanket, previously being my protector against the world, was now tangled around my legs hindering me from straightening myself out.

Giving up after a moment or two of struggling, I laid on the floor, peeking under the bed and staring at the fractured remains of the small table. Had I done that? No, I couldn't have. I could barely hold myself upright, there was no way I could have destroyed it. There was one good thing to come of it though. I had finally made a sound.

At first I was completely unconcerned about the sound she'd made and more about the fact that she had just sent a solid wood end table across the room, smashing it into tiny pieces. Her, who could barely stand up a few seconds ago. All I could do was stand there and stare in disbelief. Was she like me? Had they made her like they made me?

My brow furrowed with frustration. I turned toward the girl, who had fallen behind the bed, tangled up in the wool blanket i'd given her. I moved quickly around the bed. Nothing made sense, but I was about to make some sense of my own. I grabbed her firmly, not very gently, and lifted, easily pulling her out of the mess. I placed her on the bed, then swung around so we could face each other.

"Alright I don't know what's going on here, but it's time for some answers. Show me your back." My tone wasn't very kind, but I thought the situation justified it.

I stared at him for a long moment, the feeling of his hands gripping me tightly lingering on my skin. It hurt. Why had his entire demeanor completely changed? I pulled my arms around myself and turned so he could see my back. I didnt understand what he could possibly be looking for. There was nothing there, except a small scar at the base of my skull, hidden beneath my hair.

I chewed on my lip harder, tightening my grip on myself. What was he looking for? Why did he suddenly seem so angry at me? I hadn't meant to break anything! I didn't even know I could do anything like that, and he was acting like there was some hidden secret written on my back. I remained completely still, holding onto myself; now that the blanket was gone and I was once again bare, the cool air on my skin made me shiver. I wished I could use the blanket to cover myself again.

Before I hadn't felt exposed, but now I felt ashamed of my nakedness and I hated it.

I looked hard at her spine, pressing my fingers against her skin, looking for any marks that matched mine. But no matter how closely I looked, I could see nothing. No marks. No tattoos or scars, save the one at the base of her skull. Maybe that had something to do with it, but I had no way of knowing. Frustrated, I released her and marched a couple of steps away, putting my hands behind my head.

It wasn't her fault. I knew that. But it seemed like I was in way over my head, and every time I tried to get an answer, I got only more questions. With a heavy sigh, wishing I had just walked away when I had the chance, I turned back to her, lowering my voice significantly.

"Look i'm sorry, alright? I'm just frustrated. I'm trying to sort all this out and every time I try something else creates more questions. I'm sorry." It was probably the most sincere thing she'd ever heard, and certainly the most sincere thing i'd said to her up to that point. I just needed to calm down so I could think straight.

"Let's get you a name, okay?"

When he moved away from me I snatched up the blanket from the floor and wrapped it around my body once again. Curled against the wall the blanket covered everything but my head and I held it close, tight. I didn't want to be seen anymore.

Its easy for you. You know who you are. You know where you came from. I don't know anything. I have no answers, I only have questions and I don't even know which ones are the right ones to ask! I wanted to shout at him, to be angry, but I couldn't even do that. Why would I? He was just as confused as I was, as evidenced by the way he reacted when I kicked the table. It made no sense, none of it.

Well, that wasn't necessarily true. I knew one thing: I had something precious that must be protected at all times. I didnt know why, or from whom, but it was mine to protect. I have had it for a long time, and I needed to continue to make sure no one could get their hands on it. Should I tell him? But how can I? I couldn't speak. Perhaps at another time. For now, I needed a name, and he needed to tell me his.

For a moment I sat in silence, just trying to figure out what I should call her. I'd never named anyone before. I hadn't even through about what I would name my kids, if I could even have any. Who knows what kind of shit they put in my blood so I wouldn't die getting my implants put in. Could I even have kids anymore? I mean, physically I should...

Why did I even think about that? That was a weird time dwell on something like that. Name. She needed a name. "I'm Gideon, and you're...." My voice faded into the silent air as I thought. I had hoped that it would just fall off my tongue just as easily as any other word, but I wasn't so lucky that time. I started to slowly pace back and forth, not from frustration, but sometimes moving around helped me think. I'd spent so long living by myself, in my own head, that working things through out loud just came naturally.

"You could be a Lilith, or a Clair. Maybe something exotic like Ophelia, or down home girl like Theresa. I think I like Ophelia. What do you think?"

Gideon. I liked that name. It suited him.

I followed him with my eyes as he paced around trying to determine what to call me. It was weird not having a name and even weirder, I think, to have someone name me. I had to have been born with a name, right? Maybe I wasn't. I decided, however, that I liked the names that Gideon chose for me and when he settled on Ophelia I had to agree that it was a good name. With a nod I agreed, and commited it to memory. My name was Ophelia.

I felt a smile touch my lips, and hugged the blanket closer to me. Ophelia. I had a name. No one could take my name from me; it may have been a little odd but having a name made me feel a little safer, like I was one step closer to having answers. But now there was another question. What next? I had a name but how were we gping to find out who I was?

Seeing her smile indicated before she nodded that she liked the name. Alright, cross one item off the list. Only a billion more things to do before I could say goodbye to prison and get reacquainted with my home life. I sat back down on the bed on the other side of her; now that things had settled down, I realized how vulnerable the girl really was. She was no slouch as far as strength was concerned, even if she didn't know how to use or control it. But maybe I could score some extra points if I go a little above and beyond what I'd already done.

"Oh... you know you probably don't want to be running around butt naked like that. You're going to give people the wrong idea about you." I chuckled a little, hoping she'd get the joke. Unfortunately the closets were bare, so I did the only thing I could think of. I stood from the bed and pulled my shirt up over my head and offered it to her. Being much larger than she, it would drown her, but at least she wouldn't have to hold the blanket on her.

"Here, move the blanket over. You can wear this until we can get something that fits you." I turned my face away, bunched up the shirt, and slid it over her. It barely held onto the top of her shoulders; if one side was secure, the other slipped off, but at least it kept her modest. It was long enough to be considered a short skirt.

"There. Better?"

Its warm... It smells good. Gideons shirt engulfed me but it covered me enough that I no longer felt conscious of my body. Him on the other hand I felt no shame as I stated at him. He was gorgeous, even I knew that much. Every time he moved I watched his muscles ripple, even with every breath he took. I liked to look at him. It made me feel nice.

I tried not to stare for too long but it distracted me enough to put my mind at ease. I was out of the tank I woke up in, I was away from that weird lab, I had a name and I wasn't naked anymore. I'm hungry. Can we get some food? I gestured at him then touched my fingers to my lips. As hard as I tried to force the words out, nothing but a soft gasp or whimper ever escape my lips. It didn't frustrate me nearly as much as it had earlier.

I caught her staring at me, though she probably thought I didn't. I didn't think much of it. I mean, I was moving. I was the only person in the room other than herself. I was the only person she knew, in fact. There wasn't much else to look at. But when she signaled that she was hungry, I got up and moved into the kitchen. I searched the cupboards for something to eat, but there really wasn't much there that tasted good. I found some granola bars, and the water worked, but if we were going to be there for a while, I would need to do some shopping.

In my search, however, I did find a potential... temporary solution to Ophelia's speech problem. In a drawer I happened to see a pad of paper and a pen. With any luck, she would at least remember how to write. I took the items over to her and presented them. "Here... can you use these?"

When Gideon left the room in search of food I stood up and walked over to the window. Pulling aside the curtain, I stared outside trying to see if anything would jog my memory. For a long momemt I stood and waited, but nothing came to me. It wasn't just frustrating, but disappointing. Perhaps I wasn't meant to remember who I was. Maybe... Maybe it was a good thing, a fresh start, a way for me to determine who I was and not let my past, whatever it was, hold me down or drag me back. If I remembered, great, if not... Well, at least I had a name.

I turned as he walked back into the room holding a pad of paper and a pen. Could I write? That was a good question. Moving across the room, I took the utensils from him and sat back on the bed. Placing the paper in my lap, holding the pen in my left hand, I waited. It would come to me. It would. It had to. When nothing happened I began to feel frustrated all over again..

Gideon. My hand moved across the paper, you are Gideon, and I am Ophelia. The writing was neat, and small, but easily readable. I inhaled sharply and dropped the pen, holding up the paper for him to see. I can write! I wanted to shout, but only a soft squeal of happiness came from my parted lips. I wasn't even mad. I could write!

Alright, we have communication. It's not perfect, but it's a start. "Alright, so now we can have more complex conversations. That's good. Now then, Ophelia, let's figure out food. We need to get you fed. I have some protein bars, some granola, and water here. But to get anything else, there needs to be a shopping trip. I'm sure both our faces will be plastered all over the media now, so going together would be a mistake."

I started pacing again while I retrieved a bar from the cupboard and a glass of water. I had no idea what the thing would taste like, or if it would even be good, but at least it was something safe to put in her stomach. There were too many variables to consider, so he just tried to focus his thoughts on the most pressing issues.

Of course it was all for show, but I had to present a reasonably likely scenario. I was able to fall back to my training for nearly all of it. They'd taught me to survive in the harshest of conditions in the worst places in the world. I was pretty sure I could survive suburbia. "Probably best if we lay low for the day though. They'll have time to get our information out there, but it's better than emerging as it's happening. So eat up and we'll figure out how we're gong to spend the rest of the day."

So I can't ever leave? I held out the pad for him to read, my brow furrowed. If I couldn't leave then it was like being inside the tank. Stuck with nowhere to go, never falling, never rising, just... There. Suspended. I don't want to be stuck inside forever.

I moved back towards the window looking out, wondering what I'd never be able to see or do. I wondered what the ocean looks like, feelings like, what sand between my toes would feel like. How would the sun feel on my skin, how grass would feel still wet with the dew. What have I done to deserve such a sheltered, miniscule existence? Why couldn't I just go and be free to do whatever I wanted? I suppose I'd need to know how to speak, and dress myself and a load of other things I'm sure I didn't know, but why were all these experiences taken from me before I'd even gotten the chance.

Despite the fact that I could now write, and I could make sounds, I was back to feeling horribly disappointed.