"Forgetfulness is a form of freedom." -Kahlil Gibran
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It was like coming out of a deep dream. My mind felt foggy and my mouth was dry.
"Sarah?"
All I could focus on was the blinking red light on the ceiling. What was it' My body was locked in place; I could feel the restraints that encircled my wrists and ankles, though I doubted I could move if I had been free. I was still lost in that terrible place between dreams and the waking world.
"Sarah, can you hear me?"
I wasn't alone, someone was calling my name. But I couldn't respond. Breathing felt strange, like I was sucking air through a straw and couldn't quite get enough. My heart began to race as I tried in vain to shake the fog and answer the stranger, but I couldn't open my mouth.
"Miss Mackenzie, just relax. You're safe."
I was safe. Though I had no idea what was going on, I chose to believe the stranger doing his best to comfort me. Suddenly his hand was gently squeezing mine. My eyelids fluttered and I was able to roll my eyes downward, trying to find the face the hand belonged to. Other sounds began to register as I became more aware of my surroundings. The whir of machines. The blip of some kind of monitor. The quiet hum coming from the air vents. And the soft, hushed murmurs of voices several feet away.
All at once I was blinded, a sharp point of light shone directly into my eye. First one and then the other. I tried to move now and found I could feel my limbs as they pulled against the restraints.
"Sarah?"
I could focus now. Turning my head so I could see the man beside me, the one holding my hand, I opened my mouth to speak. Yuck, cotton mouth. That I was in some kind of medical room was obvious, but why' Who were these people"
"Sarah, what?s the last thing you remember?"
This man was asking too much. I had only just been released from the tight grip of unconciousness, surely he didn't expect me to start answering questions right away. I couldn't even swallow.
"Water," I managed to croak. Again I pulled against my restraints. A few seconds later a pair of hands were disengaging me from them. The harsh riiiip of the velcro was an assault in the otherwise quiet room. The bed I was lying on began to move, the mechanized motor steadily churning as it raised me into a more upright position. A glass of water was then thrust into my stiff hands. After a few swallows, I could finally look at the man hovering over me.
He was a good looking man, tall and light haired. He wore black rimmed glasses and a calming smile. He turned away from me briefly to fetch a rolling stool and sat next to me. "Who are you? What's going on?"
His smile widened to show two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. "Sarah, I'm Doctor Fischer. You've just had a procedure here at Gen-Tech. Do you remember Gen-Tech?"
Yes, I did. I nodded as bits and pieces of understanding floated through my mind. Gen-Tech was a facility in Star's End. Doctor Fischer specialized in the mind. The brain. But that was all I could recollect. I didn't even know why I knew that information. "Why am I here?"
"Sarah, I need you to focus. Can you tell me the date?"
I thought hard. It hadn't clicked yet why Dr. Fischer was asking me this question. "March' March 29th, I think."
Dr. Fischer smiled, he looked pleased. "And the year?"
"2010."
————-
It was like coming out of a deep dream. My mind felt foggy and my mouth was dry.
"Sarah?"
All I could focus on was the blinking red light on the ceiling. What was it' My body was locked in place; I could feel the restraints that encircled my wrists and ankles, though I doubted I could move if I had been free. I was still lost in that terrible place between dreams and the waking world.
"Sarah, can you hear me?"
I wasn't alone, someone was calling my name. But I couldn't respond. Breathing felt strange, like I was sucking air through a straw and couldn't quite get enough. My heart began to race as I tried in vain to shake the fog and answer the stranger, but I couldn't open my mouth.
"Miss Mackenzie, just relax. You're safe."
I was safe. Though I had no idea what was going on, I chose to believe the stranger doing his best to comfort me. Suddenly his hand was gently squeezing mine. My eyelids fluttered and I was able to roll my eyes downward, trying to find the face the hand belonged to. Other sounds began to register as I became more aware of my surroundings. The whir of machines. The blip of some kind of monitor. The quiet hum coming from the air vents. And the soft, hushed murmurs of voices several feet away.
All at once I was blinded, a sharp point of light shone directly into my eye. First one and then the other. I tried to move now and found I could feel my limbs as they pulled against the restraints.
"Sarah?"
I could focus now. Turning my head so I could see the man beside me, the one holding my hand, I opened my mouth to speak. Yuck, cotton mouth. That I was in some kind of medical room was obvious, but why' Who were these people"
"Sarah, what?s the last thing you remember?"
This man was asking too much. I had only just been released from the tight grip of unconciousness, surely he didn't expect me to start answering questions right away. I couldn't even swallow.
"Water," I managed to croak. Again I pulled against my restraints. A few seconds later a pair of hands were disengaging me from them. The harsh riiiip of the velcro was an assault in the otherwise quiet room. The bed I was lying on began to move, the mechanized motor steadily churning as it raised me into a more upright position. A glass of water was then thrust into my stiff hands. After a few swallows, I could finally look at the man hovering over me.
He was a good looking man, tall and light haired. He wore black rimmed glasses and a calming smile. He turned away from me briefly to fetch a rolling stool and sat next to me. "Who are you? What's going on?"
His smile widened to show two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. "Sarah, I'm Doctor Fischer. You've just had a procedure here at Gen-Tech. Do you remember Gen-Tech?"
Yes, I did. I nodded as bits and pieces of understanding floated through my mind. Gen-Tech was a facility in Star's End. Doctor Fischer specialized in the mind. The brain. But that was all I could recollect. I didn't even know why I knew that information. "Why am I here?"
"Sarah, I need you to focus. Can you tell me the date?"
I thought hard. It hadn't clicked yet why Dr. Fischer was asking me this question. "March' March 29th, I think."
Dr. Fischer smiled, he looked pleased. "And the year?"
"2010."