Hello! bestknight32 made this account just to upload this story for the arknights community! its going to become apparent but im not the writer of the story. i went to that deviant place and asked dahliingg for a commission! thanks again for writing the story! I also have to warn you im not tech savvy with the site litteraly yesterday so bear with me im sorry but any way lets dig into the story! hope i figure out how to add new chapters! haha! —

What made a man?

What proved his existence?

It was easy for one voice to shout into the cosmos, drowned out by the million other lives that had ever been and the million more than would ever be, so what made that one cry herald above the noise of creation?

The man didn't know why, but this was the question that plagued him as he stood in the dark and endless expanse of black that surrounded him. It was less of a place and more of a feeling and he, as reluctant as he may have been, was a resident of his own thoughts. They were empty, a complete void, and so was he. Had it always been like this? Was there something missing?

He took a step forward but did not move, not that he was trapped in place so much as he was trapped in this place. Where was he? He looked down upon himself, watching as his long and narrow fingers flexed and moved at his command whilst he turned them around for his observation. Ten fingers, surely a human. Why was it up for debate? The man felt along his form, taking stock of his body and noting that, as far as he could remember, everything was present that was required for him to be considered as whole. A whole being, but ten fingers and appendages did not make a man, and still he was left with the question of his existence and why his tongue felt heavy when he tried to conjure the sound of his own name. Was it a name he was missing? What was a man without a name and, more damning than this, what was a man with nothing to his name?

"Doctor?"

A sound, a sweet voice that resonated more like a lullaby than a title, filled the expanse and caused the man to stand upright in attention. His head whipped around to try and find the source of the sound but it was everywhere, vibrating through the expanse which meant, at the very least, there must have been an end to this black prison.

"Doctor!"

The voice was more frantic now, the voice creating a cacophony in his ears as he dug his heels into the ground and began to run towards the sound as fast as he could. Oxygen was bitter in his lungs, almost as if they were unused, and his heart hammered like that of a neglected organ which nearly served to take his breath away. He stopped, hunching over with palms on his knees as he caught his breath, when a bright light and a sharp jolt of pain struck his chest.

He opened his eyes to see two blurred faces looking down at him, expressions indistinguishable from the bright light that was shining behind them, but just as quickly as they appeared he was cast into the darkness once more.

"Circulation resumed … stabilize vitals … cardioplegia solution injected … clear!"

Another jolt through his chest, setting fire to his veins as he sunk to his knees with his fingers digging into his rib cage to try and soothe the agony that plagued his heart. He cried out, loud enough that it made his throat hoarse, but no sound escaped him.

Once again he was thrust from the dark into the light, his eyes slowly growing accustomed to the brightness to see a figure just beyond the haze of his vision. A woman, or the outline of one, with her hand outstretched and her voice … that voice, the one that he had heard in the darkness. It soothed him for reasons he didn't understand, like a comfort from the cold, and he was only just able to make out her face before she was begging him for something.

"Doctor…"

"...Hand!..."

"Take my…."

"Take my hand!"

In a moment his vision cleared until he saw her, a face with beauty that matched her voice, with a worried and heartbroken expression and a hand that was desperately trying to reach for him. He looked into her eyes, those blue and transparent orbs and, without truly thinking, reached out for her in the final moments before darkness claimed him again. This time was different than the last; he didn't feel so alone. It was like he had brought him home from that place to where he belonged … but who was she? Who was she calling for? Was he the Doctor she needed?

When he awoke again he was immediately flooded with senses that had been denied to him in the dark place and, despite his better judgement, rose to a seated position with a groan that he could actually hear. Blinking once, twice, he looked around to see some industrial building that had clearly been abandoned and destroyed, with consoles and wiring falling from places in the infrastructure with exposed walls and torn flooring. How did he get here? Where was here? He was beginning to grow frustrated over the mind that plagued him with questions but didn't give him the solace of an answer; every time his internal dialogue spoke there was nothing in response.

"Are you awake?" A different woman stood in front of him now, younger and more tender looking, with a large medical satchel and a kind face. The man only blinked at her in response, unable to really give her a question that was obvious from the way that he sat up in front of her. "Amiya, it's a success! The Doctor is awake!"

His eyes followed the sounds of approaching footsteps and was met with the same face as before, the same woman that had guided him from the darkness and brought him towards the light he wasn't sure why, but simply being around her again caused him to relax as she slowly began to stretch out to test his body. His chest still ached, undoubtedly from whatever pain had jolted through his system before, but he supposed that it was a better fate than staying in that wretched place forever.

"I'm so happy … Doctor," the woman with the long, hare-like ears exclaimed, relief flooding her face as she took a step forward and embraced him in her arms. He groaned in response, the pressure of her arms causing pain to shoot through his system that caused the medic to step in and place a hand on the over eager woman's shoulder.

"Ah, careful! You mustn't do that."

Once released from the embrace he propped his arms behind him and lifted, trying his best to push himself off the ground and to his feet, but a sense of weary filled his body that caused him to collapse back on the floor. It was like this body was not his own, or like someone that was new to the aspect of having one, and his fall caused the medic to rush and kneel to his side.

"Don't try to move yet. Your body still hasn't fully adapted to this."

"To what?" He managed to say, his voice ragged from lack of use as he looked up into the young woman's eyes who said more than her actual words would allow. "What are you talking about?" He continued to implore, his eyes leaving the medic to look at the other woman before a far more pressing question came to mind.

"Who are you?"

His question, although simple, seemed to stun the woman as if it had caused her pain. Did he know her? Should she know her? It wasn't his intent to offend but it was clear that whatever had happened had affected his memory in ways that the two women were not aware of.

"It's … it's me. Amiya."

The name did not strike him and his face remained blank, no spark of understanding crossed his features and he continued to stare up at Amiya with that same question lingering in the air; he had her name now but that didn't answer the question of who she was. With a small inhale he combed his fingers through his hair, trying to find a way to apologize for something that he wasn't sure was entirely his fault, but Amiya's next words cut off any attempt.

"We've come to rescue you," she explained but he could only feel his frustration mounting. Every new bit of information didn't bring him any closer to understanding or recollection.

"Who. Am. I?" His question was gruff, clearly showing his irritation, but Amiya seemed to take it in stride or, at the very least, wasn't visibly fazed by his tone.

"You...You're a member of Rhodes Island, just like us…."

Frustration seemed to reach a breaking point within him as he stood up finally, ignoring the fatigue in his bones and the way his muscles and sinew strained with reluctance and protest until he eventually found his footing. He swayed and the medic was immediately at his side, her face stern and chastising him for doing the exact thing that she told him not to do, but he refused to feel like an invalid any longer. Already weakened by his lack of memory, there was no reason that he should be made to feel the same way physically. Eventually, and as gently as possible, he waved the medic away and stood on his own strength to face Amiya. He could tell that she was torn by his obvious amnesia and he felt a sort of mentorship to the young girl, some need to give her the answers that she wanted, but he was unable to.

"Doctor. You're the most important person to me…"

Something in her voice struck him, an arrow to the chest, and it was the first time that he had heard a name that seemed familiar. Was there such a thing? It must have been his own name, as Amiya said it, but he knew he should have felt something more from it. It was the name that his parents gave, the name that carried him through life and the name that, supposedly, meant alot to Amiya and this Rhodes Island. The vacancy he felt, and lack of recollection, was jarring.

"Doctor...You don't remember?"

He didn't speak, not at first. An inhale was taken but not used as his jaw tensed and the hands at his sides turned to fists. He remembered nothing of his life, of these people, but he was still able to acknowledge that there were bits of information in his mind that still existed and eluded to the fact that he was a man of intelligence. Cardioplegia solution meant that they had stopped his heart, for whatever reason, which could likely be the cause for his memory loss. This also meant that it would be temporary, a simple reboot of the brain and, before he even realized it, he started a differential diagnosis on himself. A man of science, a man of medicine, but still a man with nothing more to go on but his own name.

"I'm sorry. I don't," he replied and his apology was genuine, not only for Amiya, but for himself.

"Doctor Hayden, do you really not remember me at all?" Amiya implored, urging him forward as she stepped in front of him more completely.

He sighed, trying not to lose his patience, but he wasn't sure what else he could say to make himself feel heard.

"I could think of better pranks to play than to feign amnesia," he finally replied, her shoulders pulling in a small shrug as he met her gaze so that she could see that he was not trying to play a cruel joke on her.

"Even if that's the case … I won't give up," came her reply and although he found her to be naive he could only admire her resilience in the face of what was sure to be an impossible task. Even as Amiya spoke the words, her posture and body betrayed her; she was tired, whatever they had gone through to find him had been a long journey and he knew, somewhere deep down, that they were not finished. " We've already sacrificed so much, just to find you …"

"What are you talking about?" The idea of someone sacrificing anything for him seemed profound and wasted; who were these people and why was he so important? He felt uncomfortable now with the eyes that were trained on him, as if waiting for some genius revelation or recollection from him that did not come. Instinctively, he took a step away from them, realizing that they were still strangers to him that have not given him the answers that he needed.

"Please...just give me some more time." The ears on her head, strange to find on a woman, seemed to fold and flop forward with the same tone of defeat that was obvious in her voice; now that he thought of it, and after looking over at the medic, both of the women had animal like ears atop their heads and they didn't seem bothered by that fact. He squinted at both of them, trying to see if any other features of theirs seemed more anamorphic than human, but the medic spoke out of turn and stopped his train of thought.

"Does the Doctor really have amnesia?" she wondered out loud, her voice sweet and gentle with hands that were raised and loosely pressed against her chest.

"I'm sure everything will be fine if we give him space," Amiya replied.

"I'm standing right here. No need to speak to me like I lost my hearing and my memory," he interjected, his voice holding a small hint of humour before he left it alone and began to wander about the room. It was in ruins and entirely vacant, appearing like nothing meaningful had taken place here since whatever it was that caused it to become empty and derelict.

"Where is this place?" he asked over his shoulder towards Amiya whose gaze had not left him.

"It's fine. We're saf-..."

Her words were cut off by the sound of a loud explosion somewhere deep in the compound, a rumbling and crumbling sound shaking the walls that made him feel as if the building would collapse on their heads. Instinctively he returned to Amiya's side and saw a heavily armed guard running towards them; friend or foe, the answer was given as the man stopped in front of them with a ragged breath.

"Amiya! Someone … broke into the facility," the man said, his palms resting on his knees to try and calm his lungs as Amiya's face immediately turned white and her ears perked up on top of her head. "The way they're dressed … they don't look like Ursus soldiers…"

Doctor Hayden felt his muscles tense at the mention of Ursus soldiers, for reasons he could not explain, but at least the most basic of his responses were still alive and well; fight or flight. Teeth gritted together, hands fists at his side, he knew that it was time to act but he didn't know anything more than the fact that this seemed natural for him to do. What was his role in Rhodes Island? Clearly he was a doctor but why did he feel the urge to fight cause adrenaline to course in his veins. Acknowledging his handicap in this, he turned his fierce gaze upon Amiya to study her reaction to the news.

Amiya was robbed of the opportunity when the door was blown open and several men ran into the room. They were dressed in white jackets with matching masks, small and hollow eye holes that dehumanized them and made their presence all the more menacing. Both himself and Amiya moved quickly to place themselves in front of the assailants, instinct manifest, but without any warning from their unexpected visitors they pulled out their large guns and began shooting directly at them. They moved quickly, splitting down the middle, and Amiya's voice could be heard over the deafening sounds of gunfire.

"Take cover! Protect the Doctor!"

He huddled behind an overturned desk and placed his hands over his head, pressing himself down into his knees and making himself as small as possible while his gaze stretched across the room to see Amiya doing the same. Bullets pinged against metal tables and whizzing past their ears, breaking glass and causing wall panels to crash to the ground; they were outnumbered and outgunned but a tactical mind was still racing.

"These outfits … are they Reunion? How is that…" she spoke out loud towards the guard that was situated next to him.

Reunion. He didn't know why, but the name caused his stomach to turn and a certain flare of anger to burn in his chest; whoever they were, or whatever they were, he could accurately assume that there was no love lost between Reunion and Rhodes Island.

"They're after the doctor!" the guard beside him screamed out to Amiya who just nodded in understanding.

"No! No one else should know that he is here!" she replied back with equal concern.

"Why are they after me?!" he interjected, unaware of why a firefight would ensue because of him.

Amiya didn't answer his question and, instead, leaned as close as she could so that he could see into her eyes; there was worry there but also hope.

"I know what I'm asking you to do is sudden and inconsiderate … but please, lend us your aid."

He recoiled, unsure of why she would ask him for his help but, deep down, he knew that he would not find the answers to his existence until he took a chance and made his newly born life one worth fulfilling.

"Let's push them back first!" he heard himself say before a series of tactile commands left his mouth, sounding like his voice, that was quickly followed by the guards that surrounded him.