This shit is happening again.
He can't feel shit. His arms aren't moving, his legs are numb. Hell, he can't even feel his heartbeat anymore. The cold was getting at him, and the thick, musk smell of insects, mud and oil was filling the air.
His head has another splitting headache. Except, this time is a lot worse than the last. He can't put a name on himself.
It's nostalgic. It feels familiar to be unsure about your identity, now that he's thought about it. As a child, whenever life wasn't treating you well, you'd question of your existence.
In this case, he's questioning of his identity, which seems so distant from him. He should know his name, but he can't. Was his name Brian?
No, Brian doesn't slip off his tongue well.
Who is he?
He can't answer it.
Hell, he's not sure about anything anymore.
All he knows, is that something has happened.
His eyes begin to open slowly. It felt alien, strange, as if he was a baby taking in the vision of it's first glimpse of the universe. Except, he's not staring to the eyes of surgeons who would smile and take him.
No, he's staring up and into a bright light, and the silhouettes of handfuls of figures were standing overhead, looking at him intently. His hearing was impaired. Nothing more than blurred voices that blended in together in a symphony of judgement.
He felt the words, that must've been scolding him for the mischiefs that he may have formed in the chaos of the past. But, he doesn't know what he's done. He doesn't know the situation.
All he knows is, he's alive.
His vision was hazy from the light of whatever-the-hell was shining at him, and his head was burning in agony silently. Suddenly, the splitting headache increases in intensity, and his whole body began to ignite in a non-existent flame. The screech of a metal object was heard, and one of the surgical figures was reeling back in surprise and disgust.
The surgical team began to surround around him, and began to work harder at the top of his head.
He woke up in an operation, that explains his situation.
The sound of metallic drill is heard, and it fills his ears before his body begins to jerk on it's own accord.
His arms were ready to start entering combat, because his instincts are screaming at him to start beating the shit out of the people around him. But, he's being forcibly restrained by magnetic-locks, that were far-too strong for him to free himself from.
His whole body is going into overdrive from and overwhelming gut feeling, and his pupils are dilating intensely as everything would dim and brighten as he struggled to fight against the restraints.
His voice, however, was pacing itself. He was in full control of his voice, strangely enough. Realizing he can communicate, he speaks aloud, "What is going on?", his calm voice surprising the people around him visibly, who were still struggling against something atop of his head.
His hearing was fading in and out, but he doesn't need clear hearing to understand the people around him.
A female voice asks, "What the hell? Isn't this thing tampering with him?".
"What thing?" asks Kyle in turn.
"It's putting him in denial!" frowns a male voice.
"I'm not in denial" frowns Kyle's voice, as his body continues to fight against the restraint, "Who are you? What's going on?".
"Tear that thing off!" frowns a different male voice.
"It's stuck to his brain!" frowns the female voice, "Try pulling on it!".
"I don't think pulling on something stuck to the brain is a good idea" warns Kyle, "You may cause permanent bra...".
"Pull!" shouts the voices in unison.
And like that, his vision just turned black, his hearing disappeared, and his ability to think left existence.
Unknown Time Later
He's been gone.
He doesn't have a track of time.
He doesn't have knowledge of his well-being.
He doesn't even know if he can feel alive.
But then, after a lone time. After what felt like an eternity.
He was able to feel his body.
Skin cold to the touch, dried lips that have gone flaky, and muscles that felt new. His brain felt fresh, as if it had finally been used after years of endless rest.
His eyelids were light as feathers as he raised them. They went up instantly, and his pupils began to adjust to the new lighting conditions around him.
He awakens on an infirmary bed, and the deafening silence of the planet. The thick smell of oil and grease had disappeared, and all that's left is the smell of mud and insects. He turns slowly to his right.
The IV stand had ran dry a while ago, and it was merely decoration at this point.
That does explain the questionable thirst and hunger he has though. His stomach was groaning, as if it had been doing so for an eternity, and his body was pressing him on for liquid sustenance. His left arm was raised weakly, and brought to the IV tube.
He rips it out violently, and throws the tube to the side as he grumbles in annoyance. He begins to sit up right slowly and gently.
His bones ached, as if they haven't moved in years, and upset to be moving now. With small difficulty however, he manages to sit up right to take a look around him.
He's in an infirmary tent, but there was no medic supervising. He understands he's in a war, his combat uniform told that much.
But what's the IMC?
It's a patch on his uniform, but he doesn't understand the meaning.
That doesn't matter now. Right now, he needs to understand his situation better.
Slowly bringing his legs off the bed, his bones pop into operation systematically. Ever-so-gently bringing his feet onto the ground, he attempts to put his weight onto them.
It was alien to be able to feel his weight on his feet, but he gets used to it quickly as he stands up slowly and carefully, holding onto the bed for support.
Managing to get upright, he realizes, that he must've been alone, the lack of noise hinted so. Slowly stumbling forward, he made his way to the lone, metal desk before him, where a lone clipboard laid.
After the sensation of his body quickly became familiar, he quickly grabbed the metal chair, pulling it out and settling in as he leaned over to the clipboard.
Picking it up, and bringing it to his eyes, he began to read.
'Patient Number – 42TR9
Patient Name – Kyle Wasser (Ex – IMC, Recovered MCOR Pilot)
Date of Admitance – 21/09/3402 (Universal Established Date, 21/09/6402 in Earth Date)
Stability – Stable
Current State – Comatose, Light Brain Activity
Reason for Admitance – Recovery from Brain Surgery
Description of Illness – Brain Infestation'.
He stops there, as he didn't want to know anymore. A brain infestation? That's sick, that's terrible.
And he had brain surgery for it.
He cringes slightly, but then he realizes, he can't remember the surgery.
Wait, did he EVEN have surgery?
That doesn't matter, he needs to find someone to ask something. He begins to stumble towards the exit.
Pushing through the flaps that were the entry-way into the tent, he slipped out into the Swampland. Nearly collapsing onto the mud, which was significantly less sturdy than the tent, he stumbles forward.
As he regained balance, he cocked his head up, and took a look around him.
Remnants of an Outpost surrounded him. The Base had been hammered by something HUGE.
Smoke was still rising from the buildings around him, and the ancient stones of what could've been a civilization had been pulverized into dust and gravel.
The metal buildings was something along the lines for the military, except it wasn't as refined, and it seemed makeshift. But, that wasn't clear, since it was wrecked by something huge.
Chunks of armor and weaponry also laid waste around in the mud. Covered in the mud water, and rusted to the point of no use, it was a sad sight. A large force must've been stationed here, and they were completely trashed to dust. Corpses were in the fires, and remnants of arms, legs, and heads was visible, bobbing up and down in the mud water, locked in their final expressions.
Some of sorrow, some of anger, some of surprise, and few of final joy. It was sad, but he can't pity something he doesn't understand fully. Raising his bare foot from the mud, he began to slowly make his way through the areas of the Outpost.
The tent he was in was spared, for whatever reason it could've been, it was spared. Atleast he's alive, that's all that he can be grateful for.
Sloshing through the mud, he stepped over sharp glass from the wrecked buildings, avoiding the dirty corpses, and dodging the remnants of weaponry. Looking around at the remnants of the chaos, he spotted out something that could be helpful.
A small, hidden building could be seen from his position. Positioned underneath a cliff of dirt, hidden carefully to avoid easy spotting.
Quickly stumbling towards it, it made the base become more visible.
Remnants of Giant Mechs were also present. Titans laid in the waste of battle, some burning, few smoldering, and none in working condition.
Finally entering the hidden building, his soaked, and dirt feet quickly move onto the cold, metal panels of the floor. Stumbling past the automatic doors, he entered the facility.
It was a small communication's array of some sort. It wasn't permanent, but it was designed to be kept for a good while. Most of the equipment was shot to pieces, damaged beyond repair. But he notices documents laying about.
Corpses of Men in Greenish Military Uniforms laid about, with the patch of MCOR on them.
Still no clue about the factions, but than doesn't matter. Walking past the undisturbed corpses, he moved over to the nearest document, which was slipped in the hands of a female in the uniform.
Taking it gently from her hand, he brought it before him.
Nothing important, just a letter from the stranger's family. A regard and wish for well being from the family, but the unfortunate reality remains hidden from them.
Setting the paper back onto the girl's chest, he takes another look around.
A lone, computer terminal was left undisturbed. Stowed away in the corner, hidden in plain sight.
Quickly stumbling over, he leaned towards the monitor.
'From – Captain MacAllan
To – Outpost Sanctum
Subject – Evacuation Plan
Description – In the Event of an IMC Assault, MCOR forces are to prioritize the evacuation of Priority-1 Equipment to Designated Vehicles. Active Defense of the Base must be kept while Evacuation is in order.
Once Priority-1 Equipment has been evacuated, evacuation of High-Ranked Persons will be enacted into a different set of vehicles with armed defensive teams.
Designated Rendevouz Point in the Case of Base Loss, is Currently 123 Miles North of Outpost Sanctum'
He stops there.
An evacuation must've happened, and he was unfortunately left behind. He needs to find these people. It's his only hope of learning of what has happened.
Manning up and Ironing his Will, he began to sprint, in what felt like months. He knows the game now, he needs to find a vehicle, he needs a weapon incase whatever wrecked the base comes after him, and he needs some food.
He just hopes he can scavenge whatever he needs.
6 Hours Later, Unknown Location
He's freezing cold in his uniform. He managed to get some new clothes, a jacket, new boots, the food and water he needed, and a B3 Wingman. It was raining quite hard in the swamp-planet, and he was getting soaked in his humvee.
Unfortunately, the only humvee he could scavenge, that had fuel, was one without a roof. But, he didn't mind the drench of the rain, he didn't mind the cold of the world.
He had a radio.
That's right, a radio.
Not one for making communications.
But one for listening to music and broadcasts.
With the advancement of Technology, the range of broadcasts widened incredibly. Broadcasts could reach across the universes, breaking time and space as they did, to ensure instant receiving of the signal.
He was listening to vintage songs from a radio broadcast back from Earth.
They were playing a song from nearly 4,000 Years ago (Earth Time), a song by a small historic band known as Coldplay.
Coldplay -The Scientist, was playing on his radio loudly, managing to beat the noise of the the rain slamming against the hood, the ground, and the echoes of wild animal.
Just a soothing song for him to listen too while he drove tiredly.
The song seemed to fit for him in a nostalgic sense. Despite of the incredible diversity in music in the present Universe, he had a taste for History. And luckily, one radio station had access to the past.
He has no idea how far he has driven, all he knows is, he is getting closer. The miles seemed to pass silently as he stared at the future, listening to the hundreds of historical songs that buzzed past him. Ignoring the Down Pour of Water. Ignoring the cry of animals and the buzz of the insects. Ignoring the trees that would occassionally obstruct his path.
He just wants to know what's going on. His B3 Wingman is his only defense. But it's all that he needs, as his observation has showed little animal life that would be a threat to him, considering the speed he was going, and the large amounts of herbivores on the planet.
Soon, he finds himself parked, quietly leaned against his seat, and blankly staring at the path before him. The mist has grown thick, and he can't see any further than he 10 feet. With such a risk, comes the requirement for a break.
But that's alright, he's not in any rush right now.
He justs wants to understand his situation.
Why he can't remember anything anymore.
Why he felt like he was just re-born.
Why he was spared.
Why he wasn't dead.
Then, he finally gets something he hasn't experienced in a while.
Sleep.
The Following Morning
Softly opening his eyes, he catches glimps of the canopy above, where small holes in it was allowing a burst of sunlight through. Almost as soon as he woke up, he adjusted his seat, and quickly got to driving, shifting gears before slamming the accelerator with determination.
The vehicle roared to life as it began to drive, undeterred from the break as he continued his way to the base.
Now with his mind refreshed from the rest it needed.
He decides to dig into the lost memories that he wants.
There's only four faces he can remember currently, yet, he still doesn't know their names.
One.
A Blonde Woman. A gorgeous face, one that a man would kill to see. Lilac eyes, one that would dazzle you and leave you in the dust of awe and honor. A smile, one full of confidence, one of constant pride and joy.
Two.
A Different Blonde Woman. A very familiar, lovely face, one that he's seen plenty of in the lost past, one that many desire. Passionate Hazel Eyes, ones that would dig into his own, eager to know more about him. A smile of compassion, one that would be ready to help him if it's needed, a smile of happy confidence and pride.
A deep sense of nostalgia, and familiarity hits him as he thought of the remembered face.
Three.
A Scruffy, yet good looking Man. A shadow of a beard visible on his face. An estimatable face of around 40 years old, and features that have been worn extensively, meaning that he has seen many things, good and bad. A warm smile, one of trust, one of gratitude. Plain Brown Eyes, that looked into his own for guidance, and ready to help him.
Four.
A hidden man. A shadow casted across his face. Facial Features that he can't identify. Eyes that seems to change color from Emerald Green, to Blood Red, and Deadly Black. The Different Eyes colors gave the same feeling. A look of expectations, a look full of judgement. No smile, just a plain neutral expression. One that signifies a strong, professional conduct, one that signifies authority.
He hits a bump on the road, and causes him to snap out of memory and onto the road. Quickly regaining control, he continues his drive, repeating the faces of the four different people that his memory only holds.
Now that he thinks about it, the thought of the two women he remembers kinda does make his heart feel a little weaker than usual.
Noticing this, he repeatedly thought about them, finding amusement in the strange sensation as he did. He doesn't quite understand this feeling.
It felt familiar, but he can't put a tab on it. Not a clue what it means either, probably just a funny thing that happens with women.
Shrugging he decides to take a look at his passing surroundings.
Tall trees that exceed the height of buildings and homes. A foresty-swampland that fills your vision. A light mist that builds up at night. A thick canopy above.
It's a planet that's habitable for life, and civilizations must exist on this planet. Though they must be rare or extinct, considering of the destroyed, glyphed stones he saw when he first woke up. Suddenly, he finds himself slamming on the brakes, causing mud to fly up from the sides as he regains attention.
It was a large, metal gate before him, and two large towers stood by the gates. A pair of MCOR Grunts were occupying each tower's top, and were all looking at the vehicle with mild curousity.
Unfamiliar with the man in the car, they speak up, "Whose there?".
"...", Kyle finds himself a little lost, "I... Is this the rendevouz base?".
"Whose asking?" frowns a grunt in the other tower.
"...", he can't put a tongue on his name, the only thing he realizes is that this is really the destination he's been looking for, "Hey... can you let me in?".
"No way buddy!" replies a female grunt occupying the same tower, "Turn your ass the other way and get out of here!".
"Whose at the gate!?" shouts from inside the base.
"Nothing MacAllan!" replies a grunt, "Just some clueless asshole in one of our humvees!".
"What!?" shouts the man.
"Some asshole in a humvee from the old base!" replies the grunt.
"Wait! I'm coming up to take a look!" warns MacAllan.
Kyle sat in the car, dumbfounded and unsure how to respond. Should he draw his weapon?
Maybe he should, threaten them to get inside?
No, they're better armed, just look at those guns!
Suddenly, a whistle from overhead draws his attention, "Hey! Guy in the Humvee!".
He looks straight into the eyes of the man. He recognizes the face instantly, it was one of the faces he can remember.
Shadow of the beard, the eyes, the features. It was the same guy.
The man looked visibly surprised to see Kyle, "Hey! Is that you?".
"...", Kyle doesn't reply, he justs tilts his head unsuredly.
"Holy shit!" realizes MacAllan, "You survived! Hey! Open the gates! Get everyone out of the barracks now! He's alive!" before he jumps out of the tower, his shouting still audible inside the base.
Now they're warming up to him?
The hell's going on?
The metal gates unlock and open, as the grunts who manned the towers gestures him into the base. He drives slowly and carefully into the base, parking right infront of the gate unsuredly as he looked around.
The man who he can't fully remember is running through the buildings, and people were starting to flood out, and started to surround him.
The gate shuts loudly behind him, effectively entrapping him. Pretty much the entire army that occupies the base has flooded out, and they were all staring at the vehicle intently.
He's unsure how to act, hell, he's still lost as ever!
But, his instincts are telling him to step out of the car and walk towards them.
Trusting himself, he took a step out of the vehicle, and began to pace towards the grunts, pilots, and Administrative Officers.
They began to whisper amongst themselves loudly as the man from before runs towards him.
He is suddenly grabbed on the shoulders by the man, who was smiling widely, "Holy shit! It's really you!".
"...Me?" unsuredly asks Kyle as he points at himself.
"Yeah!" smiles MacAllan, "I thought you died! Hell, everyone thought you died!".
"Is that really him?" asks a male pilot as he begins to jog over curiously.
"Yeah!" nods MacAllan as he grabs Kyle's face, jerking it towards the man, who slaps his forehead in surprise.
"Well I'll be damned! If it isn't Kyle!".
Kyle... Yes... that's his name. Kyle Wasser.
"It's... me..."slowly and unsuredly nods Kyle, as if he was trying to convince himself of his identity.
MacAllan turns around, "Get Cilcia Here! Hell, get THE FOUR here!".
Just as he said that, a female breaks through from the crowd, "I'm here... what's the big dea..." before she comes to a lost of words.
He takes a good look at her shocked face.
It's the second woman he can remember.
Hazel Eyes, Beautiful face, just as he recalls, and his heart is doing that weird thing again.
He is unsure how to respond, as a smile couldn't slip on without a reason, and his frown couldn't come on without reason, so he just maintained an unsure expression.
MacAllan turns to Cilcia, "He's alive! Can you believe it! He survived!".
"Wh... What did I survive?" asks Kyle in turn.
"You had an operation!" replies MacAllan, "They messed up something during the operation... Afterwards you didn't wake up!".
"I... What?" asks Kyle unsuredly as his expresion becomes worried.
"Do you not remember?" asks MacAllan in surprise.
Cilcia runs over in a hurry, "I... Is that really him?".
"Hey... Get Doc over here!" calls the Pilot next to MacAllan, "I think something's up here!".
"Yeah... I told you he'd be fine" smiles MacAllan as he turned to Cilcia, "I think you should check?".
She brings her hand up, and reaches towards Kyle's face.
He moves back, "Who are you?" asks Kyle in confusion as he stepped back from Cilcia, who seemed surprised from his reaction.
"Haha... Funny Kyle" chuckles Cilcia playfully.
"What's funny?" asks Kyle as he steps back once more, "What's going on? First I wake up in a infirmary tent... then I find myself lost... now this?".
A Medic comes running over, "What's the Problem Barker?".
"Something's up with him" points out Barker as he points at Kyle, "Can we get a check on him or something?".
"Is this something that happens after a coma?" asks MacAllan.
"Kyle... It's me... Cilcia..." explains Cilcia ever-so-gently.
"I... Cilcia?" asks Kyle unsuredly, "I... I'm... Kyle... Right?".
The Medic frowns instantly, "Here... follow me... I need to run a scan...".
After the Diagnostics Scan
"Well... I have good news and bad news..." sighs the medic as he shuts off his terminal, standing up and turning to the three people standing next to him.
Our Patient, Kyle Wasser, is on the bed, staring at the ceiling unsuredly.
"Good News..." nods Barker.
"He's in good shape" replies the Medic, "His organs are perfectly healthy... a little malnourished, but he's digesting food right now... His bones have undergone small, disuse atrophy, but getting in extra calcium should be fine for his case... He's in good shape...".
"That's a relief" sighs Cilcia, "Atleast he isn't hurt...".
"What about the bad news?" frowns MacAllan.
"He seems to be suffering from one of the following..." trails the Medic, "It's Either A Bad case of Retro-Grade Amnesia... or this is Post-Traumatic Amnesia from the surgery" as he frowns.
"Amnesia?" asks Barker in surprise, "So he can't remember anything?".
"I'd say this is a Permanent Retro-Grade Amnesia... The Surgery did knock him up" recounts the Medic as he frowns, "The MRI says he has some brain damage... But He should recover and be able to retain memories in a few more days... it's already been healing a little".
"Wait... Retro-Grade Amnesia?" asks Cilcia.
"Yes... It's permanent" nods the Medic, "He doesn't remember anything... I'm surprised he was able to know his name... and he seems to retain little information... and I have managed to slip out the information with the images that were processed".
He gestures to the monitor above Kyle.
An image of Cilcia pops on, "He's able to retain facial-features and is therefore, able to retain memory on people... but he only recounts a total of four from the images...".
"So, does he remember me?" asks Cilcia with worry.
"No, but he does understand that you're significant in a hidden manner" explains the Medic, "He doesn't know why... if you were going to ask... He only knows that he must've known you".
"He... doesn't remember me..." mumbles Cilcia as she steps back, a little stunned at the new information.
"No... he does" replies the Medic, "He doesn't know the details... but he remembers you".
"What about the other images?" asks MacAllan.
Another picture is placed on, and it resembles Yang Xiao Long.
"Pilot Yang Xiao Long" announces the Medic, "The Converted IMC Pilot that we had the Operation on" as he takes a minute to recount his memory, "Surgery on her was easier than Kyle's... Her worm was much more simple and easier to handle... And she didn't receive brain damage during her surgery".
"Why would he remember Yang?" asks Barker, "He's hardly been arou...".
"That's not 100% factual" interrupts Cilcia, "He did know her when he was part of the IMC... back when you recovered them... he was on the mission with Yang".
"But why her?" asks Barker, "He was partnered with Pyrrha Nikos".
"He did have history back in the IMC" replies Cilcia, "They didn't get along TOO well when he was a grunt...".
"Okay...?" unsuredly nods Barker, "I still don't get it".
"Next Image" orders MacAllan.
An Image of MacAllan slips on, "Oh... it's you" sighs Barker.
"This was expected" replies the Medic, "He had a strong affiliation with you".
"Alright... Final Image" sighs Cilcia.
The shadow of a man slips on, the eye colors continue to slip between various shades of colors.
"The CEO..." recognizes Cilcia instantly, "Kyle'd remember an asshole like him no matter what happens".
"So... that's pretty much it" sighs the Medic, "He can't remember anything much... You'll need to restart everything...".
"Does this include his thing in battle?" asks Barker.
"No... his motor functions are fine" replies the Medic, "Re-Teach him basics of a gun... and he'll become the trooper he was before".
"But he's no the same guy anymore..." sighs MacAllan.
"No... he isn't" nods the Medic, "But... this can be a good thing... You can build a new relationship with him... Maybe become better buddies? Make him more friendly? Go nuts, he'll try his best, just tell him 'It's what you used to be like'.
"Huh?" asks Kyle.
"Nothing Kyle, You can get up now".
"Hear that Cilcia?" teasingly smiles Barker as he nudges Cilcia, "You can make him your 'boyfriend' now".
"Shut up!" frowns Cilcia as she blushes lightly, "Wait... How'd you know!?".
"Yang gave me your diary" smirks Barker, "There's some pretty sick fantasies in there Cilcia... But I won't judge your fetish!".
"Asshole!" frowns Cilcia as she punches Barker, "And Yang!".
"Atleast he's alive..." sighs MacAllan, "But Amnesia... Damn... that's gonna take a while to get used to".
"Now..." sighs the Medic as he turns to Kyle, "Make sure be getting lots of calcium... Your bones are atrophied... and they're going to need some calcium to rebuild with..".
"Alright..." slowly nods Kyle obediently.
"That's all" nods the Medic, "I suggest you take him to the range... quickly get him to combat-status".
"Cilcia... want to do it?" sighs MacAllan, "I'm pretty sure that you'd lik...".
"Yeah..." sighs Cilcia softly, "Here... Kyle... Follow me, will you?".
"Sure" shrugs Kyle as he stands up.
MacAllan quickly left the infirmary, and his voice could be heard echoing the base, giving the news.
Surely, everybody was stunned.
They were familiar with Kyle's prior behaviour.
A Very Confident Person. Easy-Going, yet Intelligent. Considered a Womanizer by few, and Easily Liked, Despite of all the drama surrounding him.
All that's left of the incredible figure he was before is nothing in comparison.
A confused man, who's intelligence may have left, who's confidence had disappeared, who's Womanizer ability had faded away.
Cilcia began to lead him out carefully, looking over her shoulder at him with mild worry as she learned of the news.
Debating mentally over his past and his present, she decides to test something.
She turns to him, "Hey Kyle?".
"Yeah?" asks Kyle.
"Do you remember me?".
"I..." sighs Kyle softly, "I can't really... I... Um..." as he seems to enter a flustered state, "I want to... but I only knew your face... when I woke up... I'm sorry... were we related?".
"N-No..." sighs Cilcia in turn, "Just... Good Friends..." as she takes another minute, "Hey... What's your favourite song?".
"That's easy" smirks Kyle instantly, "Fireflies... Owl City... You should know this!".
"Kyle?" smiles Cilcia instantly.
"Yes?" asks Kyle.
"Do you know me?".
"..." Kyle loses the smile, "No...Not really... I think I knew you...".
"How did you answer that question earlier? That was your favourite song back then..." asks Cilcia, stunned and confused.
"I don't know..." sighs Kyle, "It just came up in my mind... and I really liked it when I thought about it".
She's lost. But then she realizes it.
Kyle's Kyle.
He's never really gone now is he?
There's always going to be the small part of him that stays behind.
The conscious Kyle may be gone.
But Sub-Conscious Kyle must've stayed behind.
That means there's a part of Kyle that'll always stay.
She smiled to her realization, and turns to Kyle, "Nevermind... Here... let's go to the range... I want to teach you something".
"Okay".
IMC Flagship
"Sir... You need to see this" panics an Administrative Officer, "One of our spies have reported back".
"What is it?" asks the CEO, "The Militia is Defeated... Why are you panicking?" as he raises a glass of whiskey to his mouth, quietly taking a sip.
"Kyle Wasser is confirmed alive!" explains the officer.
The CEO lets out a spray of Whiskey and Saliva, sending it into another Administrative Officer's face. "Ah!", yells the surprised officer as he jumps away, soaked in whiskey and saliva.
"WHAT!?" shouts the CEO.
"Kyle Wasser is confirmed alive sir!" replies the Officer as the Command Deck's Glass formulates a picture of our Forgotten Hero.
"My God" frowns the CEO, "What is his status?".
"Spies report that..." starts the Officer before he smiles, "Kyle Wasser is suffering from a Permanent, Retro-Grade Amnesia following the Surgery performed to remove our Neurax Project".
"Oh... You scared me!" smiles the CEO as he starts laughing, "It's good to hear Kyle Wasser does not retain memory".
The Command Deck's glass is replaced by the silhouette of a man in a arm chair, whose face was pixelated, constantly swapping between a female and male facial silhouette, "You SHOULD be scared..." warns the man, "I do not like the idea of that... Dunce running around alive".
"Sir..." frowns the CEO, "He does not retain memory".
"But that does not mean he doesn't retain his ability" frowns the figure. The voice was digitally-edited to mix between a female and male voice.
"I... I understand" sighs the CEO in turn.
"Good... I expect him to be dealt with before he becomes a large nuisance..." frowns the figure before transmission feed ends.
The CEO sighs, "Have Spies monitor Wasser for any activity".
"Right away Sir".
The Swamplands, Hidden Base of the Remaining Militians
The Deadeye never disappeared.
Kyle Wasser.
The name that must be feared by the enemy on the battlefield.
An accuracy that is feared of, an accuracy so great, it is thought to be unachievable, an accuracy so perfect, man and machine stand no chance against him. The man with the skill of 1,000 men on the battlefield.
From an Imprompt Titan-Repair Mechanic, to an Ace Pilot, he was unbelievably flexible. As a Grunt that he was in the IMC, he was compared to Hyumu Hellsing, the absolute best of the Universe. Now, that's a feat.
All that's left, is a man in search for his identity. A man who is no longer able to call himself, 'Kyle Wasser' without doubting it. A man with Retro-Grade Amnesia in a rather cliché situation, where the woman who loved him is left with a man in search for his memories.
But, that doesn't bother Cilcia too much. Afterall, it's an opportunity to bond stronger than before, right? He'll believe anything she wants him to believe.
But that wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be the same without the challenge of getting his attention. It wouldn't be the same without his terrible humor. It wouldn't be the same without his confidence.
It's still Kyle, and that's what keeps her happy with his survival. Despite of his lack of memory, his sub-conscious is still the person she loved. Despite of his lack of memory, it's still the same person who raised her whenever her parents were busy.
It's the same person she fell in love with since the day she met him.
Just because he has amnesia, doesn't he mean it's impossible for his memory's return. It's just impossible for it to return in time, but she just needs to expose him to his past to see if it works, right?
The gunshot takes her away from her hopes of recovering our old Kyle, and returns her to observing Kyle.
He hit the target perfectly, the familiar glint in his eye as he took aim once more. It seems that Kyle's god-like accuracy never faded slightly, it was just as good as she remembered.
He even has the familiar 'glint' that crosses over his eye whenever he took aim. The casual, smile of the man she loved was even there as an extra memorabilia.
But she knew this was a sign for something.
It was a sign that it's time for her to return the favor.
Now, it's his turn to Count on Her.
She was always able to Count on Kyle, so now it's her turn to do the same for him.
But that's alright, she knew the time would come sooner or later.
And she'll gladly hold his hand to lead him forward, just as he did the same for her when they were younger.
A deep bond that's shared between the two. A bond beyond that of a brother and sister, a bond deeper than wife and husband, a bond that can't be broken, one that Fairy Tales talk about.
The glint in Kyle's eyes captures her attention as she watches Kyle systematically breathe out, before the his signature 'rapid-fire' returns. He fired through the target without trying, hitting the targetting with extreme prejudice and excellent competence as he brought the gun back, equally surprised in himself.
"You're just as a good as I remember" sweetly smiles Cilcia happily as she watched Kyle turn to her as she spoke.
He smiles lightly at the compliment, turning red slightly. It was cute, now she gets to see the side of Kyle that seemed non-existent.
His shy side.
"Hey, what do I do now?" curiously asks Kyle.
"Oh uh..." trails Cilcia as she snaps out of thought about his shy-side, "We can take a break... We'll go to the cafeteria".
"A-alright" nods Kyle obediently.
The Cafeteria
As the doors open, all the eyes turn to see our Forgotten Hero. Man of the Hour, Kyle Wasser. A few whispers could be heard, but Kyle strolled in, and headed straight for the coffee pot.
Strange, he can't directly recall liking coffee, but his hands seem to move on their own as he poured out a mug. A pure black coffee filled the mug, and the strong smell of the coffee filled his nose. His body was eagerly ready to start drinking, and almost systematically, he took a long sip.
Completely ignoring the burning-hot temperature.
Ignoring the Bitterness.
His body just jumped when he swallowed down his mouthful. Despite of what people say, pure black coffee, is the best for him. It's straightforward and strong, just the way he seems to like it.
I say 'seem', because Kyle doesn't remember the past anymore!
Quietly letting out a relaxed sigh, he turned around, and quickly occupied the empty bench, sitting alone. He didn't have a preferance that he can remember, but his muscle memory is a beautiful thing.
Cilcia settles next to him, a mug of tea present, and a build-up of sugar at the bottom. Just as Cilcia prepared to talk, a figure sits on the other side of Kyle.
The martini-style glass in unmistakable. "Hey! It's the 'I can't remember shit' guy!" smiles Yang happily as she settles in quickly.
"I'm sorry..." starts Kyle, "Do I?" before he turns to her.
He freezes mid-word.
The weird sensation in his chest occurs once more.
It's her.
The other girl he can't fully remember. The same lilac eyes, the same gorgeous face. Just the way his photo-memory served him. He's lost for words, and the only thing that can pop out is, "It's you".
"Huh?" asks Yang in surprise, smiling casually all the while, "Didn't they get the silly little worm out of your head? You're still weird!" as she giggles happily.
Yang Xiao Long was one of the First Pilots under influence of the Neurax Project. Ever since her capture, she had three surgeries to remove the worm. First, was the worm itself.
Second, was the Microchip embedded in her pituitary gland, designed to stimulate and have the gland release certain amounts of hormone to aggitate different emotions.
The Final Surgery was to remove the smaller worm embedded in her cerebral cortex, designed to take-over muscle control in the case that the primary worm is removed.
But, in the end, the real Yang finally returned. She claims very limited control of herself when she was first out of surgery, but she's happy to work for the MCOR in return.
"Come on Yang" sighs Cilcia, "He doesn't remember anything... cut him a break".
"He just got here" whistles Yang, "He's hardly been through anything..." before she smiles seductively, leaning towards him and placing her hand on his left thigh, "Yeah... Hardly been through anything...".
"Stop it" frowns Cilcia as she pushes Yang back into her seat, which causes Yang to giggle as she drank down her martini.
"Man..." sighs Kyle, "I wish I still remembered whatever I've been through... I'm lost! And no one will explain me anything!".
"Well... what do you want to know?" asks Cilcia.
"How would you know my memories!" asks Kyle in turn.
"Idiot... I grew up with you" frowns Cilcia, "Seriously... ask me anything... We pretty much had the same history".
"Really?' asks Kyle in surprise, "Whaaat~ No wonder why I'd remember your face..." as he leans back, apparent strike of reality had just hit our lovable retard.
"Ahahahah!" smiles Yang in amusement as she gave a hearty laugh.
"But why do I remember her?" asks Kyle as he points at Yang, looking at Cilcia in hopes of getting an explanation.
"Oh? You remember me?" smiles Yang as she starts to lean towards Kyle.
"And why does she do that?" asks Kyle as he points at Yang flirting so bluntly with him, but of course, Kyle has no clue about the concept of flirting.
"I... don't know" sighs Cilcia, "Who you liked was your thing... Did you love her? Wait, you don't remember" before she starts to argue with herself.
"Oh? You were in love with me?" smiles Yang seductively as she leans even closer to Kyle, uncomfortably close.
"What's love?" asks Kyle in turn as he leans away from Yang, "She's acting weird!".
"Wait... what?" asks Yang in surprise.
"Did you just ask, 'What's love?'?" asks Cilcia, completely stunned.
"Yeah!" nods Kyle, "The hell is love? I don't get it! And you just mentioned it!".
"How do you not know love?" frowns Yang in disapproval.
"He has amnesia Yang" frowns Cilcia, "He's not the same guy".
"No! He's Kyle!" frowns Yang, "Same idiot in the IMC!".
"You remember him in the IMC?" asks Cilcia.
"Of course! Just because I didn't control how I acted doesn't mean I don't remember him!" frowns Yang.
Kyle takes a sip from his coffee, and plants his head onto the table as Yang and Cilcia begin to get at each other. He closes his eyes, and hopes for memory's return. But, he finds an odd comfort in finding two women arguing about him.
Does he understand the feeling anymore?
No, Kyle's not the same without the knowledge of love.
That's what his life was about.
Love.
He was a constant flirt, always trying to find some love from the women around him.
Now?
He doesn't even understand the concept of love.
That's fucking strange for everyone around him.
But, memory will return, nothing lasts forever afterall.
And this will include amnesia, Cilcia will see to the end of it.
But of course, Kyle falls asleep happily, hoping for the return of his memories.
Kyle's Lost Memories, Middle School
"Hahah!" laughs Tyler.
Now Tyler was the bully of the class. Always picking on the others, bullying for the milk money. You get the bullshit ordeal, Tyler's one of 'em.
"Where'd you get your clothes?" smiles Keith, "The Junkyard!?".
Keith is Tyler's Bully-in-Crime, right hand man, if you will.
Now, Cilcia back then.
She was a pretty girl, trust me, she was. But, she didn't really have a lot of money, and her parents are working hard to get the funds to take care of her. Her clothes are old, and not very stylished, but she liked it, so she never complained.
Bullying was common for her when it came to her clothes.
"S-Stop it!" complains Cilcia with annoyance as the two boys laugh at her, pointing at making the terrible jokes they always do.
"Tyler... Keith... stop it" yawns Mister Aerosmith.
Mister Aerosmith was the Mathematics Teacher for the class. Very lazy as a teacher, and it's a miracle that he was even hired. Doesn't care for his class, ignores the questions, just goes through his lesson lazily, and sits back, reading a book or watching porn on his computer.
Rumors circulate about him paying Tyler and Keith to retrieve panties from Miss Viola, but that's a different story.
The door opens, and in walks our hero, Kyle Wasser.
Young and Good-Looking. The popular of the class, for simple reasons. Calmly walking over to Cilcia, standing inbetween Tyler and Keith forcifully as he looks down to her casually, "Sup Cils".
"Hey..." sighs Cilcia in turn as she turned to her textbook before her.
"What's up? Wanna get to lunch?" asks Kyle, "Lunch Line's going to be long... so Mom made some extra for you" as he gestures to his backpack, "C'mon, let's go eat!".
"Hey! Get out of here Kyle!" smirks Tyler as he shoves Kyle, however, Kyle ignores him.
"K-Kyle... you know..." sighs Cilcia as she motioned to Tyler and Keith.
"Oh look! It's pretty boy!" smirks Keith as he points at Kyle, "Just look at that pimple! HAHA!".
Kyle rolls his eyes casually, "Come on Cilcia~ Let's go eat something~ My lunch's gonna get cold~ We have gym next too~ And I wanna eat before gym~".
"Fatty!" teases Tyler as he points at Kyle's stomach, despite of the fact that he wasn't fat, nor skinny, just the average, healthy adolescent.
"Come on Cilcia" winks Kyle, "Come with me... Let's be a couple~" as he laughs happily.
"Stop ignoring me!" frowns Tyler, "Keith! Punch him!".
"Okay!" nods Keith as he winds back.
Now Adult Kyle has an IQ of 132.
Adolescent Kyle has a very solid IQ.
Kyle ducks and pretends to get up-close to Cilcia's face with his own with a smug.
Keith ends up punching Tyler down and onto the ground.
"Tyler!" realizes Keith as he rushes over to Tyler.
"Keith! You asshole!" shouts Tyler before he punches Keith.
And the Duel started between the two idiotic bullies.
Kyle smiles to Cilcia, "There... Problem solved... Let's eat... Like I said, My Mom made you some lunch".
"Okay" smiles Cilcia as she happily shuts her textbook.
Time to Wake Up Kyle
He finds a pair of soft sensations pressing against his back waking him up. He could feel two arms wrapped around his neck gently, and the breathing of the female could be heard and felt against his right ear.
He jerks his head up in surprise, but the voice quietly, and so sweetly speaks against his ear, "Kyle... Do you know my name?".
"Y-Yang..." recalls Kyle, "I heard it from Cilcia...".
"So you do..." smiles Yang softly as she breathed against him softly, maintaining her back-hug, "Do you know what you did for me?".
"N-No?" nervously replies Kyle unsuredly.
This is strange. The cafeteria was empty, no one aside from the duo.
And Yang had suddenly turned quite flirty with him. Hugging him when he sleeps is kinda pushing it.
"...", Yang smiles in turn as she heard him not know what he's done for her.
Yang claimed that she was hardly in control in the IMC.
Now there's the one time where she should've died.
Kyle was the one holding the gun, and it was pointed at her head. But he shot her shin to disable her for the time being, and took off sprinting.
Than there was him being the one helping with her titan's maintenance.
Then it's him on the battlefield watching her back in the first battles.
She's grown fond of him personally. Despite of the attitude she was forced to give him when he was a grunt.
You see, the REAL Yang is quite a sweet girl. She's blunt and confident, but she's quite sweet. Her parents raised her well, and despite of her clubber-like behaviour, it was just a facade for her soft and sweet behaviour.
And this is the real Yang we are seeing, who is deciding to take the opportunity with Kyle, who has helped her in the IMC, despite of their seemingly-fragile relationship.
But now that she's free to do as she's pleased, it's time to confront her helpful little birdie.
She softly whispers in his ear, "You've been helpful... I like you...".
Kyle felt a shiver go down his spine, and the strange sensation of his chest tightening slightly.
Kyle swallows down his saliva nervously as he squirms, "W-What are you doing?".
"Kyle... Do you want to know about your past?" softly asks Yang, a small teasing tone in her voice as she looked at the side of his face, that was blankly staring ahead nervously.
"O-Of course..." replies Kyle, "W-Why wouldn't I?".
"Don't you want to live not knowing about your past?" smiles Yang, "Not know about how hard you worked to get what you are getting now?" as she sweetly gives him a kiss on the cheek, surprising him slightly as he adjusts unsuredly.
"Bu-But why would I do that?".
"Why learn about how hard you work... when you can just reap the rewards?" smiles Yang, "I'd be more happy if I were you..." as she moves one of her hands to rub his cheek gently.
"I don't want to reap rewards..." replies Kyle, "I want to know that it's my work that I've done... I want to know that it's MY reward..." as he grows silent, "Why are you doing this?".
Yang smiles and giggles softly, "You're cute... Do you know that?".
"N-No?" replies Kyle unsuredly.
She leans forward further, allowing her face further and closer towards Kyle's own, "Kyle... Why don't you just take my reward?" as she slowly begins to slither her hand downwards.
"N-No!" suddenly retaliates Kyle as he stops her hand forcifully and gently pushes her back, "Please don't! I don't know what's happened! Everything is happening too fast! I can't keep up!".
Yang is stunned by his rejection of her proposed award, frozen in place, mouth hung open, words frozen, and her heart sinking slowly. That was, before the realization of Kyle's situation hits her deep.
Kyle doesn't retain his memories.
He doesn't retain the memory of working to get the fruits that were bearing for him now. Kyle isn't one for reaping rewards. He's the one who wants to take pride in his work. A man of integrity, he needs to know it's his fruits.
It's admirable. He going as far as to reject his own award just because he wants to know that it's rightfully his reward. He wasn't planning to exploit her if he didn't know she was his fruit.
That charms our sweet Yang further as she finds herself smiling at Kyle's reaction, "Okay... I can wait..." smiles Yang as she leans back.
"W-What?" asks Kyle in surprise.
"I'll wait..." nods Yang assuringly, "If you want to get your memories back... I'll wait for you until then...".
"I don't want that either" frowns Kyle.
"What?" asks Yang surprise.
"I want you to HELP me get my memories back..." replies Kyle instead, "I'm going to need help if I want my memories... so I want you to help!".
He's not so cocky, he's even willing to ask for help from her. She smiles.
"Okay... I'll help you... You want me to... so I will...".
"Th-Thank you...".
"Let's hurry up then..." smiles Yang.
"W-What?".
"Let's hurry up and get your memory back...".
"Can I ask you something?".
"Sure" smiles Yang.
"How long was I gone for?".
"... Are you sure you want to know?".
"Y-Yes...".
"Five Months...".