(Track 1: In my arms- Plumb)

The Next Day

I woke to the sound of a machine beeping softly. Then something weird happened. I saw letters appear in front of my closed eyes.

REBOOTING SOLDIER #4012

What the heck was that?! I opened my eyes but the letters stayed in front of my vision, glowing red.

When did that happen?

I risked a glance around the room, the words disappearing. It was white. The floor was white, the walls were white, and the ceiling was white. The bed I was lying on was also white. The only thing that was a different color were the books that lay on a white shelf. I recognized some titles but the room was weird.

Was I in prison? An asylum? A hospital?

My head throbbed as I sat up, a pain that felt similar to a headache but somehow felt deeper.

I glanced down at myself. Small surprise, my t-shirt and sweatpants were also white. I stood slowly, feeling the coldness of the floor on my bare feet.

A mirror hung on the door to my left and I caught a glimpse of my reflection. Frizzy brown hair, brown eyes, and a plain face stood out sharply against the whiteness of the room. My face. Me.

The door opened and I stepped back, reflexively.

A young man stood there, gaze going from the empty bed to where I stood, "You're awake," he said, relief in his voice.

I stared at him. He was familiar but his name and who he was were a mystery to me. It was like de ja vous. That I'd been in this situation before. But I couldn't recall it.

MEMORY BANK EMPTY

Memory bank?

"Tawny?" He asked.

He was average height, had wide shoulders and work-rough hands. His clothes were different from mine, almost a body suit but not like spandex. It made him look sort of attractive, actually. His gaze- gray eyed- was firm and calculating but worry lay behind those gray eyes. All this, added together gave me a picture of a person who was a provider for others and wasn't afraid of work. Not bad. I estimated his age to be between seventeen and twenty-one. His hair could was nice and trimmed, wavy brown curls made him look a little feminine but no one would mistake him for a sissy. He also need to shave, he looked like he'd been up all night without any sleep.

"Tawny," he repeated, "are you alright?"

I shrugged, "I guess so," I replied, uncomfortably.

"What happened last night?" He asked, relaxing somewhat, "the last I saw you before we found you was when you were dancing with Lio."

Dancing? Last night? Who was Lio?

The confusion must have shown on my face because the stranger repeated the first question, frowning "What happened last night?"

I thought about it, hard, blinking as I tried to remember. The last thing I remembered was a woman. Her voice. And the words, "Don't get angry, it'll distract you. Now listen closely, since you won't remember this later. I will store your memories so that you can recover them. But I won't make them easy to get to and you'll have to sacrifice to get them back. Now, shall we begin the game?"

"A woman," I said, putting a hand to my aching forehead, "something about a game. And. . . memories. . ."

The young man's frown deepend, "Hm. Must be the new head of the Department. Apparently, Miles was killed-"

"Just stop!" I shouted, putting both hands to my head as the throbbing behind my eyes increased.

The young man's mouth- still open- closed abruptly.

"I don't know who you are, where I am, or what's going on! Who are you?!" I asked, tired of the games.

He looked at me as though I'd hit him, "Who am I?" he repeated.

"Yes, who are you?! Is this a test of some sort?!"

His face drained of color as he stared at me, "You don't remember me?" he ignored my questions.

"No, I don't remember you! Just answer the questions, please. Who are you?" I repeated, frustrated.

"I'm Koll," he said slowly, "Koll Emmons."

Koll Emmons. The name made my poor head buzz and the feeling of de ja vous grew stronger. But the only thing that came up was MEMORY BANK EMPTY.

"What's a memory bank?" I asked, desperately.

The Koll-guy's eyes widened, "Oh, no," he said, softly, "they didn't- . . . they wouldn't. . ." He looked as though he'd lost his favorite dog.

"What's with all the yelling?" A new person came into the room. He had an easy grin, brown eyes, and black hair. He was a little shorter than the Koll-guy and seemed like the type to flirt.

"Who's this guy?" I asked Koll-guy.

"What's with her?" The newby asked, the grin fading somewhat.

"They wiped her," Koll-guy said, slowly.

The newby's expression went from relaxed and curious to confused and then horrified, "You're joking. That's not funny, Koll. Tawny, tell him to stop joking!"

"Ethe, I'm not joking. Go get Doc Violet! Now!" Koll ordered.

The other guy- Ethe, I think his name was- backed out of the room, staring at me. Then he turned and ran off down the hall.

"What's going on?" I asked, almost on the verge of anger again, "Where am I?"

Koll-guy made a placating gesture, "You're in a place called Vigilant. You're safe. I'm your Unit member, Koll. Do you know your name?"

I felt my heart-rate rise as I wracked my brain, trying to remember. MEMORY BANK EMPTY.

"No," I whispered, "I-I don't know my name," the last word came out strangled. Who was I? What was I doing? Where was Vigilant? How did I get here?

"It's alright," Koll-guy said gently, "it's alright. You're gonna be OK," he stepped towards me, slowly.

"Keep away," I said, backing up, "what happened to me?! What happened?!"

Koll-guy looked like he wanted to cry, "I don't know, but we'll figure it out, alright?"

"No, it's not alright!" I was shouting now, "What happened?! Why can't I remember?!"

"I don't know," Koll-guy repeated, "I don't know. But we'll work it out, together, we'll work through this."

I felt tears running down my face but I felt like I was watching this happen, that it wasn't really me that the Koll-guy hugged. It didn't feel like me as I collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

And it didn't feel like me, when the Koll-guy cried with me as he held me against him.

All I could hear was that woman's voice.

"Shall we begin the game?"

(Final track: Million Voices- Barlow Girl)

Author's Note:

Well here we are. The end.

I honestly never expected this story to be anything other than a good read but now that I've posted this last chapter, I feel like I've lost all my characters. The last track I put for you guys is just to give you a glimpse of what will happen in the next book, this is just the beginning of the game. There's so much more to come.

Special thanks to all my buddies I named in my last note, those who read and didn't review, as well as to you who are reading this now.

I also want to thank all our military men and women, to whom I dedicate this to. May their sacrifices never be forgotten even if all their deeds never come to light or get publicized. They're the inspiration for my story. And to those who stay home without their loved ones who've gone off to war, thank you for being the pillar that our military personnel can rely on.

Keep your eye out for the sequel, "I Am Protector", coming soon.

Thanks again, I love you all.

Ink