Evanesce

Chapter Eight
Chapter Seven-Point-Five

I didn't pass out, exactly. I knew what was going on around me, but I didn't feel like doing anything about it. I felt like sitting down, so I kind of let myself fall towards the floor. Ryan tried to hold me up, but eventually he got the clue and let me down gently against the wall. I sat there for God knows how long. I didn't really care either, because I was too happy to care.

Everyone was staring at me strangely, especially after I struck up a conversation with one of the voices regarding… well, I can't remember. It was funny as hell though. It must have been because I remember giggling quite a bit.

Ryan asked to inspect my arms, which I wouldn't let him because he didn't ask very nicely. Then he apologized so I said it was okay. He turned them, this way and that, and lingered over the marks on my wrist before stopping at my hand. I guess he found whatever it was he needed because he let me be and went to yell at someone I couldn't see from behind his legs. I looked and found there was a slight scratch across the back of my hand.

I was half carried back to the couch, and I'd have to say that it was a very nice couch. I was there for what must have been hours, blissfully unaware that any time was passing at all. When I did snap out of it, the apartment was dark and no one was around.

I left, quietly as I could, to stand out on the walkway. It was early morning, I think. Few people were around and the stars were still visible. I leaned over the railing and stared down at everything below. I saw the tops of trees, various other walkways and buildings, and a few people going about their normal lives. What the hell had happened to mine?

"You never had a 'normal' life, if everything on your record is true," the man was on the edge of my peripheral vision. I had no intention of looking at or speaking to him, "And don't be childish. It might be in your best interest if you did talk to me."

"I don't want to," I said. I hoped I'd sounded serious enough that he'd leave me alone. He didn't.

"Then what do you want?"

I did think about it, and I came up with one answer, "I want everything back like it used to be."

"You want the Phantoms back?"

"No," I looked at him. In what little light there was, he seemed like a shadow, "What the fuck are you after?" I winced at my own outburst. This was not a good place to draw a crowd. Not that there was a crowd around to draw…

"I'm not after anything," he said, not intimidated in the least, "I'm working for your good. Which is why you should listen to me."

"Bullshit." He ignored the comment.

"This is a stinger," he explained wearily, pulling something from his coat and handing it to me, "If you're ever cut by one of those then you get a dose of a powerful euphoric drug. It's what I hit you with before, so you're familiar with its effects."

'Keep it,' I stared at the thing. It looked like the… a single blade of a pair of scissors. Except it seemed to be made of glass.

"Have you ever seen anyone wearing a uniform like mine before?" I looked at him. No, that wasn't any uniform I was familiar with, "If you're confronted by these people, do not run away. You will be tracked down and, if we feel it necessary, we will kill you. Understand?" I wasn't going to answer a question like that.

"There shouldn't be any problems," he continued, "As long as you don't cause trouble and don't leave the city."

"What's it all about?" I asked, attempting to sound a little less aggressive. Maybe it worked.

"All you need to know is that we're working for your good," or maybe not, "I would stay away from these people if I were you. They don't remember half the things you do and it wouldn't do them any good to get them caught up in something none of you understand."

"What don't we understand?" I liked this guy's honesty before, but now it was getting annoying because I knew he was holding back.

"You know," he changed the subject, "It might be in your best interests to go back, and cooperate with us for once. All you have to do is answer questions, and we'll give you a whole new life."

"A whole new life?" I echoed slowly, and it dawned on me. Ryan had been missing bits and pieces of his memory.

"You've almost got it…."

Neil was….

"There," he smiled. Not cruel, and not malicious, just… compassionate?

That left two questions, "How?"

"Oh, that's simple," he was like an old man telling the story of his life to some interested little kid. Or a scientist, explaining some ingenious discovery, "We've been doing it for decades, on troubled criminals mostly. The crime rate didn't drop that drastically from loyalty to the human race, that's for sure."

"You see, a strong enough jolt of electricity through the brain causes neurons to break their bonds, including the ones for memory. It can then be rebuilt, although it is always somewhat weaker than before."

"And there are side effects?" I added, not feeling very well.

"Sometimes," his smile faded, "Often it has to do with the somatic nervous system, weakening of reflexes, loss of hand-eye coordination, and so on." Wonderful…

"Hallucinations?" I watched him carefully, "Like, hearing things or something?"

"Well," he looked genuinely amused, "I don't know, have you been hearing things, or something?"

"Yeah," I admitted, "I've been hearing people talking when there's no one there, sorta."

"Really? Does this happen a lot?" I wondered if I was doing a bad thing by talking to this guy, "Come now, you can talk to me. I'm a doctor, after all."

"Yes, it happens a lot. All the damn time."

"Well, then," he pondered, "You might want to come back for treatment, then. Sounds like schizophrenia to me, is there any history of it in your family?"

"Look, I don't care about that," I told him. Schizophrenia or not, all I wanted to know was why, "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm doing this because I care about your cousin's wellbeing," he replied, "She needs to come back as much as you do. As soon as she does, I'm not working with you people on the outside anymore." Okay, I meant the whole of whoever was behind it, but….

"You know what I'm asking," I asked again, "Why?"

"That I don't know," he said, and I had little reason not to believe him. Still didn't though, "I just get the cases. These don't seem to be the normal ones, and to tell the truth I'm a little suspicious. I'm not going to question my job, though."

"Who would know?" I wondered if anything he had said was true.

"Probably those in charge of the new program," maybe he just didn't believe I could do anything, "Hollis, Ross, or Norton. One of them would know the most." Hello….

"Aki Ross?" I asked, maybe a little too eagerly.

"Yes, she might not be your best hope though. She was booted from the project after maternity leave, not too long ago," he snickered, "She's in Chicago, so your chances of talking to her aren't too likely."

For a brief instant, I wondered if he was trying to help me.

"Can I have my weapon back?" he asked as I started to pocket the thing. I thought he'd said…

'Don't give it,' I stared at him, 'Keep it.'

"Look, I need that," he sounded annoyed, "So give it back or I'll get Kristina out here and we'll let her settle it."

"What makes you think she'd side with you?" I felt a little insulted.

"You haven't seen her for some time, I'm told," he smiled again, very confident with a hint of… "I, on the other hand, see her as often as I can." Oh, I understand now. Wonderful…

'Keep it,'

I stared at him, and for a moment he seemed like an entirely different person, "Don't listen," he told me, "Give me the weapon." Serpentine, almost. I relented, and he was again the same… scientist.

"Oh, here's an interesting case," he said, as though speaking of the weather. I looked where he was looking and saw Neil coming along the walkway, "He had a lot of interesting things to say, you know? You were one of his favorite topics of conversation." Neil started walking faster when he saw us, "I wouldn't want to bother with him, if I were you. Not with what he said."

"What would that be?" I wanted to know.

"I wouldn't be a good psychologist if I went around telling my patient's secrets." So I wouldn't know until Neil recovered. I thought about it and wondered how long would take… "Don't kid yourself, it's not reversible."

He nodded to Neil as he went inside. Neil fell back beside me, watching the door the whole time.

"I don't know how you know these people," he started, "But I wouldn't trust any of them. I don't know if you trust me or not but that guy scares me a lot and I don't know if it'd be safe for you to be around him." The whole speech sounded rehearsed, but before I could comment he continued, "Especially after some of the things they were talkin' about last night."

"I was just leaving," I said quietly. It was the truth. I didn't want to stay. I thought about going back to talk to Ryan and Kris later, but I did not trust that man. I didn't know if he'd told me the truth at all. I noticed the sun had risen, though I couldn't quite see it from where I was. I could see it reflecting off some of the higher buildings.

I had my goal again. It was down to Dr. Ross or the captain. I'd found Ryan and I hoped he wasn't going anywhere. If I needed him again I could find him.