Part 1 – Loss

He had been sound asleep when Fiona bopped him on the shoulder, startling him out of his slumber. The girl stood above him, a shadow with barely visible features against the setting sun beyond her. Slowly, he sat up and shook the long strands of grass off his body as Fiona gave him some room and giggled a bit at him. They were young, care free and innocent in a world ruled by greedy corporations. His blond hair patted against his face as the wind erupted in a momentary gust, sweeping what was left of the grass from his gray pants and white shirt. The worn sandals that he had taken off were quickly placed on his feet as Fiona waited without a word. They weren't needed at this distance anyway.

'…He's dying… isn't he?'

The thought reached out to her, streaming into her mind as if she had heard it with her own ears, and yet his mouth had never moved. 'Yeah… Dad's tests just came back. Overexposure to Kojima Particles is the cause. He…'

'I know.' The young man looked up, into her eyes. Burning red lengths hovered just about her hazel eyes, matching the Lynx's own as he stood up to see her face to face. A conversation like this needed a closer form of contact than just thoughts. Touch was needed, and he provided it.

She was a bit shocked when he leaned in for the hug, taking her soft shoulders into his arms, slowly bringing her close. 'I'm sorry, Fiona… I know how important your father is to you. If it had been me instead of Joshua in there, maybe…'

"No!" she almost yelled into his ear, forgetting that he didn't need her to speak. She remembered herself though, and whispered an apology. 'You know what the risk was. I tried to persuade Joshua out of it too, but he's almost as stubborn as you. It's nobody's fault…'

She hugged him back, a bit tighter than he had expected. They had been friends since they were children, going to the same school and now working at the same facility in the colony, but never anything more. The young man hadn't expected anything either, as Joshua was more her speed if he knew right. He didn't, but only Fiona knew that, and he was honorable enough to leave her secrets as just that; secrets.

"Fiona…" He spoke softly, not really trusting his words as he held her. She jerked a little when he spoke, as he normally remained silent. It wasn't because he disliked speaking, or wanted to seem distant, but because he was always unsure of himself with spoken words. "I'm here for you."

The sun was setting as they broke the embrace, beginning the long trek back to the colony. She was holding on to him, afraid that the slick grass might cause her to slip. He obliged her with a slight blush as she pulled herself close to him, making slow and careful steps as they moved down the hill. It was then that all hell broke loose in the colony. Sirens suddenly went on for no visible reason, causing the two to stop in place as their world was suddenly turned on its head. There was something huge moving around in Anatolia and it wasn't a construction MT. No, it was certainly a lot bigger, and moved a much faster than anything Fiona had ever seen. He, however, had seen in motion, but only in simulators…

"Oh my God… what is that?! Its… its heading right for us!" Indeed it was, flying on a massive burst of Quick Boost that sounded like a massive explosion as it echoed across the fields.

'Is that… !? No! That's Dr. Jarnefeldt's project! Fiona, we've got to get out of here!' He screamed his thoughts at her, but already it was too late. The machine hit the earth hard as it began moving along the ground, shaking the world it seemed as the two stumbled and fell. Dirt and rocks were thrown into the air as the machine pushed forward, raining the earth down upon itself. He put himself on top of her as best he could, shielding her from harm as the machine passed by. 'Just stay sti--!'

It was then that fate happened to deny a happy ending, for the moment. One of the stones thrown into the air by the machine's passing, picked by the hand of God perhaps, struck true against his skull. Death was instant and nearly painless for him, but for Fiona beneath him whose eyes were still tightly closed in horror, it was as if the boy above her had become a shadow. There was no life in his protective hold, no love. He was just there.

He was just there…

Part 2 – Revival

A man sat up in his hospital room. Dark hair and dark eyes, the latter of which were seemingly without life, accompanied his tanned and well toned body. He did not know where he was, nor who he was.

A blank slate.

But he could sense the people outside, and around the hospital. Perhaps even more if he tried, but he was numb from the medications, and still tired from the long coma he had been in for a year. Slowly, he moved from the bed, pulling his medications with him as the IV stand swayed and rolled toward him with every movement. The man found a clipboard at the end of his bed, detailing everything about his physical status.

"Asleep… for thirteen months… That's a long time." Slowly, he replaced the clipboard and moved to the window. It was a beautiful day outside, with a few scattered clouds dotting the sky as the sun shone down on a garden below him; everything was in bloom.

He hadn't even bothered to look at his name.