A World to Confront
Disclaimer:I own nothing from Remember Me! If I had, Errorists would have started a revolution AND I would have stolen your memory;)
Episode zero: Rebirth
All of a sudden my vision is blurred and distorted. From the very beginning I knew if we, Errorists, had struck the heart of Memorize sooner, this would not have happened. We were stabbed in the back. Well, there is no time to grieve over this loss. Now I know I am going to be put through wringers. I am truly sorry Edge.
I rise to my feet; the freezing cold metal floor instantly comes into contact with my feet, sending a damp chill through my spine, quickly being transferred to my entire body as a result. My knee is heavily burned and skinned; touching a single cell of it with an outstretched palm is enough to make me scream in immense pain. The white prisoner's outfit however, does not enable me to touch it directly.
I cast my eyes around the room for something that can be worked upon; a way for escape. As I had expected, there is no escape. Well, there should not be. Apart from that, with such darkness no one is capable of observing much, but the only thing that can be deduced is the fact that this must be my cell. I pace back and forth only to come towards a holographic word which is currently glowing orange. My half-shut eyes flutter open and try to fix their gaze on it. The word flickers and starts to sharpen more a second after:
Trauma Room
It makes me jolt back in utter panic, causing me to lose my train of thoughts. What can be their definition of trauma? Besides, whatever that is, I can simply infer that it would be three times more for a memory hunter for I know how much they despise us.
The only thing that arrives is prolonged silence. I hate to acknowledge that I am particularly defenseless and vulnerable against this fate. Above all, this eerie premonition does not let me out of its tight grip.
"Memory wipe in progress."
The thumping in my heart arises with each fleeting instant as I begin to comprehend the true meaning of the illuminating orange-coloured words. Just one spark of hope is left at the moment. This cell appears to be soundproof, therefore I muster up all my remained stamina and cry out his name in utter despair
"EDGE!"
There is a creak on the walls. Nothing! No single entity reacts; it is no use. I shut my eyes because it is all over now. Goodbye Enforcers, goodbye Memorize, goodbye Errorists, goodbye memories, goodbye Nilin …
It was beautiful how we brothers and sisters accomplished glorious victories; it was beautiful how defenseless the Enforcers were while we broke into their minds. It was beautiful how we Errorists pledged allegiance and we would not stop until Memorize was on its knees. Yes, it was beautiful how Edge and I professionally cooperated.
All of it was beautiful, but now it'll be nothing more than a gust of dreams.
All of my sweet memories find their way out in the form of bitter retrospection. I shouldn't have let it happen, no I shouldn't have.
I have a feeling; a feeling like a vertigo. A very bad one. No wonder they have already started the process. Blind fury burns glowing red inside me. I hold my head with both of my hands and try not to lose balance. It's no use. In the end, it wins and forces me to kneel down and curl into myself. All my body is now touching the cold metal surface with those circular patterns.
The pain is excruciating as thrusting a blade into each nerve of your body. Agonized screams escape my tight throat and my heavily compressed chest. Despite that, I am not the one hearing them and it is considerable barely hearing them in this state.
I writhe in pain uselessly, the way a fish tossed outside the water would. The only thing I manage to look at is losing my memories just like that. They move upwards like a reversed waterfall and even physically being able to reach one would not make any effective changes. Pain mingles with radiant heat and my entire body is to be shattered irreversibly. My heart pounds wildly and I cannot sense anything but brutal torture. The scene beats black and white with each rapid pulse of my heart. I just want all of this to come to an end; if I am supposed to die, then what's taking me this long? Cannot bear it anymore; I just can't…
"Host memory wiped. Sensen awaiting new memorial content."
In a miserable feeble form, I lean against my cold forearms to lift my back. All the pain, all the ordeal… all of it is gone, as if it never happened in the first place. A great gasp escapes my chest with extreme physical exhaustion and I notice I'm completely drained of energy.
Dazzling light floods everywhere as the metal door rises. Some distinct footsteps approach,
"Good day, can you hear me? "A male voice asks from my left.
"Yes." I manage to reply, barely able to summon up the energy for a one word answer. Turning a single inch makes me lose this little balance for good.
"What's your name?"The voice asks again, so harsh for a question. Instincts tell me a coercive interrogation is on its way.
"Nilin." I blurt out.
"What year," There is a pause; probably awaiting my subsequent response. What year….what year is it? The more I long for the number, the blurrier everything becomes. It is ridiculous how the answer to such a simple question does not come to me straight.
The man does not seem displeased in the slightest. He quickly grabs my chin, all but bruising the flesh underneath.
"What did you say?"The voice snarls with hatred while he forces me to look him in the eyes. His wicked eyes reflect nothing but fury and ruthlessness.
"Nilin."I repeat in exertion, hoping that was all he wanted; it is not as though I have told him anything else.
His eyes are still invading mine and the rage has not faded yet. Eventually, his mind comes up with a sentence:
"Damn, now that's a first."
After an instant, he savagely lets go of my chin and I feel my body being heavily thrust to the ground. He then starts to pace back and forth in the room, briefly disappearing from my sight.
"Not to worry, we'll scrape away those last memories. What year is it?"
"I…"
The vertigo becomes more intense. No! Heaven, why?! Nothing comes to me…
"I don't know" Growing desperation mixed with misery is devouring me second after second.
"It's 2084. Do you know where you are?"
I cannot remember, no, no, no, this cannot be right; it shouldn't be this way, no, nothing is familiar, nothing is right…
The real ordeal has begun right now. It is suffocating me, blinding my vision, cutting my mind's process. The trouble is right here: being stranded in a place you don't know and face people who appear to show unbridled enthusiasm in hurting you.
In the end, I give up and all of the bottled desperation heavily overflows with the painful one-word admission,
"NO" I exhale.
His fury seems to fade away quietly as the number of the questions to which I cannot respond increases.
"Not so resistant after all" he says as a wave of relief passes through him.
He ambles along, lowering himself, and I feel his sweaty hand grab hold of my chin again with lethal pressure.
"Thank you for your cooperation" he says with a triumphant smirk. His eyes go over me for a while before heading for somewhere farther in the room.
"Doctor Quaid?" he asks but I realize he's talking to someone else.
"Yes?"
"This subject is displaying some resistance."
"Complete the substitution protocols, then send her to me. I'll erase her last barriers myself."
"Yes, doctor."
Heavy footsteps gradually go further away and it takes me some minutes to realise no one is here. All the conversations fade.
Some considerable hesitation resides deep inside me, whether I should stand up or not. Staying here till the end of the universe would make no use. There might be an infinitesimal chance. Chance of what?
I push myself off the ground, trying to stand up like a baby gazelle who attempts standing for the first time. My breath gets lodged in my throat and I manage to stand up as a moan of painful exertion shoots through my chest. Nevertheless the victory is short and never had I imagined this would be such a difficult movement. I'm stunned when I fall backwards and mange to prevent it by crashing on a nearby table for support. Ragged breaths enter and leave my lungs with brutal fierceness. My left forearm rests on the table for a few minutes and I just keep my head low to the ground with my eyes tightly shut, trying to digest everything around me, including the pain itself. This vertigo blurs everything into shades of greyish green.
"Good day, raise your head please" someone or rather something orders me.
I raise my head, still having difficulty to balance myself. My head is so heavy with sharpness of dizziness that it hurts.
The green light goes over me and makes me practically blind in doing so. Once more my head falls with extreme fatigue.
"Thank you. Now stand up"
I push my forearm against the table and stumble again. It takes a few moments but I get used to standing.
"Please follow the orange line to your next assignment"
"Where the hell…?"
Staff in green and white uniforms come into view as I move forward. They do not even bother to catch a glimpse of me.
"Argh" my head, damn it.
"Move forward please" the robot orders again.
"I don't… I don't remember"
Stumble after stumble, everything blurs and I just drag myself to the orange hexagon stops.
I trudge left; another room. I press the back of my neck.
"This is all wrong…" a baseball lump forms in my throat and I inhale hard to force down the threateningly close tears.
I can swear I heard a buzz, but nothing is real here. This is just a bad dream; a nightmare that will be over soon.
"Please stand in line and wait for your turn before sitting down on the chair"
I go and stand in line, getting a brief view of what is next to come. The device comes down and fastens to the sides of a man's skull. All of a sudden, his screams jerk me awake and my heart throbs at the severity of his agony.
Something lethal is done to his brain and he is there no more.
"Move forward" the robot reminds me of those horrible screams.
It's almost close. It's painless, Nilin it's painless. Why don't you believe me? You won't feel a single thing.
"Nilin" Someone says into my ear. The voice is warm and also close, coming from my head but it can't be real. No I'm just too dizzy.
"Nilin…" the voice says again, this time evidently concerned.
"Can you hear me?" he asks and I can sense how tense he is.
"Yes" I manage to let out a word, still in somewhat of a trauma.
"They're about to wipe your brain, Nilin… Don't let them do it" he says gravely, more in a commanding tone. I look around. It's nice to hear a hopeful voice, but it still doesn't change the outer reality.
"I need to create a diversion… Be ready to move when I say!" he says in concise words, informing me of his plan. Even at this end of the connection, I can sense the worry twirling in the pit of his stomach. But who is he? Can he really get me out of this? Why would he care?
"Who are you?" I finally decide to ask.
"I'm the voice you have to listen to if you want to live." The buzz fades and a grim silence follows by. I don't know whether he can still hear me…
"Don't leave me alone" I plead with him, my desperate voice almost breaking. He is the only hope left at the moment; I'd like to think that there are still some people who would care for me, people who would freely take measures and rebel against those in authority.
"Please stand in line and wait for your turn before sitting down on the chair" the robot repeats, sounding much like an alarm before explosion. Oh God, one more and I'll be the next… Where the hell are you now? Didn't you say you would help me? Nilin, I told you he was not real. Now watch how your brain will go to pieces in that chair!
All of a sudden, darkness grasps the room and the alarms go off.
"Network anomaly. Temporary quarantine established. Thank you for your patience."
"That got their attention!" he says in excitement, like a kid who has received a reward for their work. A spark of hope ignites in me as I hear his voice again.
"Nilin, the large metal shutter is going to raise on your left. If you understood me, move your head. I'm linked to your Sensen, I'll feel it."
I don't move my head instantly, but half turn with lingering hesitation.
"The door! Go under it, now!" his alarming voice echoes in my head.
I head towards it as fast as I can, but my entire body is drained and I cannot "run". I lie down and drag myself under the metal frame, all the friction makes it much harder to get through but somehow I manage. Once more I'm grateful no one noticed me.
