The first thing Tinga noticed when she awoke was the absence of water. Her eyes still refused to open, so she inhaled deeply and let true air filter into her swollen lungs. It took a moment or two before she could finally accept the fact that she was no longer in the water, but once again on land, breathing like a normal human being.
Then, she opened her eyes.
At first a pit of dread formed in her stomach as she took in her surroundings, but went away quickly enough as a thought entered her mind: I'm free.
She was no longer wearing the black outfit that she had worn in the tank, but instead a baggy shirt and pair of pants that were starched and a light blue-old Manticore uniform. Her arms and legs were tied down with thick, black straps, but when she flexed her arm, she discovered that the straps would bend slightly to accommodate the movement. Tied up tight above her head, her hair still felt slightly damp, which led Tinga to believe that she hadn't been out of the tank that long.
Lying on a medical table, she was surrounded by various instruments and beakers on the walls. All of them had a purpose, but only some of their purposes were known to Tinga. Rolling her throbbing head to the side, she watched as a heavy iron door opened.
The man that walked in was familiar to her, but yet she knew that they weren't close friends or anything of that sort. He was a short, skinny little man with a balding brown head and wire glasses. And, even though his looks may have been something to laugh at, the gun that produced an irregular bump underneath his lab coat was not.
He walked over to Tinga, reached for the hand closest to him and began to take her pulse. She watched him carefully, with close fascination almost. Finally, he nodded his head approvingly and pursed his thin lips.
"Renfro and X5-734 would have been here to bring you back to Manticore," he was saying to Tinga as he began to clean out some test tubes. "But, unfortunately, they were in a terrible car accident." He sounded as if he was talking more to himself than to Tinga.
She said nothing because she was unsure as to who this Renfro person was. Also, the name of X5-734 sounded rather familiar, but yet she was unable to connect a face with the name. But, that wasn't important at the moment. What was important was trying to decode the doctor's mumbled words.
"It looks like I'm going to have to take you there myself. Lydecker will not be pleased if he finds out that an X5 has been hidden from him once he knows that Renfro's been killed. And, I'm not going to be the one to tell him that I've been working for her over him. Plus, I very well can't keep you here; only Lydecker and Renfro know what to do with you training." He glanced over at her and sighed heavily. "You don't understand any of what I'm saying-do you?"
Tinga nodded slowly; she understood most of it.
"Anyhow, I really do not want to sedate you because I'm afraid that will trigger the new enzyme in your body to start producing the wrong kind of chemical, and I certainly don't want that. So, will you agree to come along peacefully?"
She nodded again.
The doctor smiled slightly and began to undo her straps. Tinga didn't move until all the straps were removed. Then, the doctor offered his hand to her as she stood on solid ground for the first time that she could remember.
"Wait," Tinga said to the doctor who immediately paused in case she was planning to kill him.
"Yes?"
"What will I be called? I do not know who I am," Tinga admitted to him.
The doctor didn't know what to say to the confused X5 in front of him. But, if she was going to work for Lydecker, knowledge of her identification number would be necessary. "You will be called X5-656."
"X5-656," she said softly to herself, and the last of her memories disappeared from her mind.
