"Grab him! Hold him down!" Andre shouted at the stout orderly. "Nurse, get the restraints, hurry!" His voice boomed through the room. Andre was holding onto Drew's arm and leaning so far in he was practically laying on him. Drew was thrashing about wildly flailing his arms and legs.
"Let me go!" Drew demanded as he jerked up and down and all about trying to break free of the hold the men had on him. "What are you doing to me? Why are you holding me hostage? Who are you and, and why did I see a guy that looks just like me in the other room?" Drew's voice bellowed loudly while he continued to fight.
"Drew, listen to me, it's me, Dr. Maddox, you came to me for help, remember?" Andre calmly replied. He had to get Drew to calm his fight or flight reflex so they could continue the procedure. As Andre, was speaking to Drew the nurse had returned with the restraints. The big, muscular orderlies helped hold Drew down as the nurse attached them to Drew's wrists and ankles.
"Stop it, why are you restraining me? No, I don't know you, I've never seen you before, I didn't come to you for help and what kind of help is this anyway, you are holding me prisoner?" Drew stammered wearily as he kept flailing about.
"Nurse, up the dosage on the sedative, we have got to get him to calm back down!" Andre commanded quickly.
"Sedative, NO!" Drew roared and jolted his entire body up quickly. As he did, he kicked one of the orderlies in the face as they were helping finish fastening the final restraint.
"Drew, Drew, it's all right, please, listen to my voice, remember, you need to be calm and relaxed for the procedure." Andre kept trying to soothe Drew with his words and tone. "You are going to begin to feel sleepy again, very sleepy and above all very calm." Andre's voice was very monotone now.
Drew had stopped flailing about as much, mostly because the sedative had begun to work. Drew was bobbing his head back and forth still using his last bit of energy to fight off the sedative he could feel working in his body. He did not understand at all what was going on. The last thing he could clearly remember was meeting up with Kim at the bar and that guy had joined them, what was his name? Peter! Yeah, that guy was bad news, he had some buddies that jumped him in the ally and….Drew felt himself drifting off. His eyes were getting so heavy he wanted to close them. He started listening to the sound of his own breathing then he began to hear Andre in the background telling him to relax. Drew finally laid his head back down on the bed and relaxed his arms and legs.
"That's it Drew, very good. Just relax," Andre's calm words surrounded Drew. "Relax from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes. Breath in deeply and calmly, nice and easy just like that." Andre was standing right next to Drew squeezing his hand ever so gently. "Good, good, breathing in and out, all you will hear is the sound of my voice," Andre coaxed gently. "It's only you and me here right now, no one else, you are safe and nothing bad is going to happen to you." Andre stepped back over to the computer where Drew's memories were being downloaded from the flash drive. The first part of the procedure had gone very well, the baseline of the memories from the last 5 years had transferred nicely and the merge had completed without errors. The final step was re-implanting all of the combined memories. When this part started Andre had noticed Drew getting more and more agitated in his hypnotic state. Andre knew that could be a possibility as Drew's subconscious was relieving parts of his past. During the procedure the memories are transferred quickly from the computer through the wires leading to the electro-therapy band which was attached to the leads on the sides of Drew's head. Small insignificant memories would be retrieved without much fuss. The bigger more powerful memories, those were what could be potentially harmful. The more stimulating the memory the bigger the pulse needed by the electro-therapy band, essentially shocking Drew's brain to imbed the memories. Andre could tell, Drew had, had many very potent memories based on the unrest he was experiencing. Andre decided to slow the transfer rate down just a bit so that those more significant memories would integrate more smoothly. After adjusting the program Andre walks back over and stands beside Drew. He again begins to squeeze his hand gently.
"Drew, can you hear my voice?" Andre quietly asks.
"Yes, I can hear you." Drew replies plainly.
"Good, now remember you are very calm and relaxed, just listening to the sound of my voice. There is no need to get upset or alarmed. You are safe and comfortable right where you are," Andre's voice was tranquil and soft. He could see from Drew's posture that he had fully calmed down and was back in a relaxed hypnotic state. The violent episode seemed to have passed and they could continue on with the remainder of the process.
After several hours the procedure was complete and Drew was back in his room resting. Andre sat in a chair next to the bed taking vitals and observing Drew as he slept. Andre wanted to watch over him very carefully to detect any signs of complications immediately. Drew seemed to be doing just fine no abnormal vital readings or temperature spikes. The CT they took of Drew's brain right after the procedure looked the same as the CT they had taken before the procedure so there were no signs of brain damage. Andre quietly stood up so that he could stretch his legs. He also extended his arms up over his head and shifted his hips side to side, he hadn't realized how long he had just been sitting and staring at Drew. He walked over to the window of the room and looked out at the starry night. Andre whispered a small little prayer to himself, "Please, let him be all right, let this have worked."
"Let what have worked," Drew quizzes him staring at him from the hospital bed. Andre turned around in shock not knowing Drew had awakened.
"Drew, I'm glad to see you awake." Andre voiced, happily. He walked over to the bed and put his fingers on Drews wrist, taking his pulse.
"Where am I?" Drew inquires softly. As he begins to become more conscious, he tries to reach his hand to his face and realizes he can't raise it because it's restrained. Drew becomes very agitated quickly. "What the hell is going on here? Why am I restrained?" Drew angrily questions.
"Drew, please calm down, please. I don't want to restrain you, but we had to do it for your safety in case you had a bad reaction." Andre explains coolly.
"A bad reaction to what?" Drew growls, growing more and more impatient and beginning to flail his body about trying break free of his confinement.
"Drew, I really need you to listen. I promise, I will remove the restraints if you just calm down and let me tell you what is going on. You are not being held prisoner, you are here of your own free will, in fact YOU initiated this proceeding." Andre details quickly.
"Me, I did this to myself?" Drew snaps back. "Why the hell would I want to imprison myself?"
"As I said, you are not being imprisoned and if you will begin to get calm, I will loosen the straps and you can be free, okay?" Andre comforts Drew by tapping him on the shoulder and giving him a reassuring look.
"Okay, I'll stay calm, but can you talk while you loosen these things?" Drew suggests jerking his hands up as much as he could. Andre started loosening the straps while he explained to Drew that he was in the hospital.
"Why am I in the hospital?" Drew plainly asks.
"You had a procedure to reverse a memory mapping experiment that was done on you 5 years ago." Andre explains calmly.
"Five years!" Drew exclaims, "Wait what year is it?" Drew asks excitedly.
"I actually need to be asking you that question. I really can't tell you too much. Part of your recovery is going to be based on how much you remember and what things you will need to work harder to uncover and we will need to determine if…"Andre cuts himself off sharply.
"If What?" Drew bitterly retorts.
"If some memories are gone forever." Andre states regrettably.
"Some of my memories could be gone forever? This is insane! Doc, you better start making sense because I am quickly losing patience with you." Drew fiercely shrieks.
"I was worried that this could happen, in fact you and I discussed it thoroughly. Since I thought you might not believe it from me, I thought it would be a good idea for you to hear it from someone you trust." Andre responds.
"Great, who, my CO?" Drew inquires.
"No, not your CO," Andre continues, "We both thought it would be a good idea for you to hear about this from the only person we knew you would believe would tell you the truth, you." Andre declared.
"Huh?" Drew squeaks, raising his eyebrow. He was just sure this, "doctor," was completely out of his mind. Drew had no idea what was going on so how could he tell himself what was going on. Drew rubbed his forehead with his hand and sighed out loudly. "Okay, Doc, you still aren't making any sense." Andre put his hand up signaling Drew to give him a second and strolled across the room. Drew looked around quickly and a sense of familiarity did come over him, kind of like a bout of déjà vu, although he really didn't remember being there, did he?
Andre walks back over from pulling something out of the drawer across the room. When he reaches Drew he presents him with an iPad.
Drew looks up at him with a puzzled look.
"Open it." Andre insists.
Drew opens the cover of the iPad to reveal the key pad asking for the pass code.
"It's password protected and I don't know the code." Drew snaps back sharply.
"Oh yes, you know the code. You told me when you set it that even your 5 year ago self would know what the pass code was." Andre urges smiling. He shoved the device a little closer to Drew and smiled with encouragement.
Drew shook his head not believing a word of any of this. Taking a deep breath in he lets it out slowly and grunts out, "okay, I supposedly know the password, huh?" He takes the iPad and lays it on the bedside table that was stationed in front of him.
"Let's see, maybe it's this," Drew queries to himself as he pushes in a 4 digit number sequence. The iPad does not open. Drew looks over at Andre with a confused look.
"Try again, Drew. You know the code, I promise." Andre encourages him.
"Okay, okay, let me think." Drew snaps. "This has to be it!" Drew exclaims as he pushes in the four digits, 1-9-9-3. The iPad opens up to the home screen. Drew smiles proudly.
"The year you joined the military, right?" Andre confirms.
Drew looks over at him with a perplexed look. "How would you know that?" Drews asks suspiciously.
"You told me, yourself when you programmed it in." Andre confidently replies with a chuckle. Andre again strides across the room to the counter on the other side. There was a pile of papers and other supplies strewn across it. "On the iPad you will find video files that you made for yourself, to help you out in case you had a bit of a memory problem," he explains. "However, before you dive in to those and begin your recovery journey there is one more bit of business we need to take care of." Andre turns around to look at Drew. He is holding a mirror in his hand. "I don't want to give you too many details, because you need to be trying to recall these memories on your own, however, this one you need a bit of help with because, it's something you can't really avoid." Andre walks over holding the mirror in front of him. "Back in 2014, you were in a terrible accident. It was very severe and you were injured quite gravely." Andre coolly recounts.
Drew's eyes get very wide and he gets a nervous look on his face.
"Obviously, you recovered and there was no lasting damage, except one thing…." Andre pauses as he hands Drew the mirror. "They had to reconstruct your face." Drew grabs the mirror and raises it up to look at himself.
"What the hell…" Drew blurts out poking at his face with his fingers and shifting his head from side to side to glance at different angles of this strange face.
"It is a lot to take in, I know," Andre affirms, "but honestly, a new face is the least of the crazy things you will learn about yourself." Andre announces brashly.
"What does that mean?" Drew squawks. He looks at Andre with a blank stare.
"As I said, I don't want to reveal too much. Part of your recovery is to determine whether or not you will be able to remember on your own. We are starting small with just you being able to trust why you are here and me. That's where the video's come in. You made several, but only a few are on your device at the moment. Only information that I felt you would vitally need in order to continue this journey are loaded for now. As we go, I can send you other's that I feel might be necessary for you to recover memories. For now, just open the video app and look for the video labeled, Welcome Back Drew!" Andre chuckles.
"Well, at least it seems I haven't lost my sense of humor in 5 years," Drew mocks. He scans the iPad and finds the video app. He sees a few file folders so he browses until he finds the one labeled, "Welcome Back Drew."
Andre walks over toward the door and reaches out to open it. "I'm going to leave you to getting to know yourself a bit. Please remember, you did just basically have a surgical procedure so please make sure and rest, don't over-do it," Andre cautions.
"Got it doc." Drew quips raising his thumb and forefinger and pointing it towards Andre.
"I will see you in the morning and we will assess further how much of your memory has returned." Andre explains. He opens the door and walks out closing it behind him.
Drew watches him leave and when he does, slightly rolls his eyes and sighs. "I don't know what the hell is going on here, but this situation is so bizarre," Drew asserts to himself. "Let's see if me from 5 years in the future has any more answers as to what is going on." Drew opens the file containing the video and then opens the video itself. He can see the camera jostling around a bit and can hear the muffled sounds of someone trying to get the camera into position. Then he sees himself, or his new self, or this him with the face he doesn't recognize come onto the screen and begin talking.
"Welcome Back Drew!" he exclaims laughing. "Now, I know the stuff you have been told so far is probably just blowing your mind right now but trust me, it's all true. There have been some pretty crazy things that have happened to me, well you, well us, in the last 5 years and the reason you are in the hospital right now is so that "we," can try to remember it all. First of all, let me assure you, you, "we," are not being held captive, against our will or any other form of imprisonment. I mean, look I am outside right now, just chilling, there are no guards around or prison walls or anything. Here, I'll pan the camera around so you can see." The picture whirls around to show the trees and plants and sky and even a few other people sitting close by. "I can also tell you that yes, it is 5 years later from probably what you remember, it is 2018 right now." Drew pauses the video for a second to try and digest the information he had been given. This was some crazy shit happening. He sighs loudly and rubs his hands along his face. He had to keep going so that he could find out more about what was going on, but he just needed to take a small break. He took a few more deep breaths and rolled his neck around to stretch it out a bit. He was ready to continue.
"Next, let me tell you that Dr. Maddox, well, he's, he's someone you can trust. He lost his way in his past but he's trying to make it right, now. You can believe what he says and take him at his word, he's a good guy." Drew assures himself enthusiastically. "Well, there is a lot more to say and a lot more to learn, but some of it I can't tell you right now, Dr. Maddox orders. Some of it, you will learn on your own and hell, I'm sure there is some, I'm going to wish I didn't remember, but that's the shit's of it right? You gotta take the bad with the good and doing this will bring a lot more good than bad, at least I hope so. Since that's all I can say for now, you should do what Dr. Maddox said and get some rest. I know you won't want to because, I'm sure one thing has not changed and that's you, "we," hate to sit still. We've got to be doing something or being productive in some way. Trust me, there is plenty of time for that and plenty of things to get productive about, for right now just rest. You can start fresh after a good long rest. So, anyway, I guess I'll be "seeing," you soon. Ha! We are such a smartass aren't we, I guarantee, that hasn't changed. So yeah, until next time." The video ended and the screen went dark. Drew placed the iPad back up on the bedside table in front of him. He let out a huge sigh while he flapped his lips. Dr. Maddox was right about one thing, he did trust his self to tell him the truth, so Drew was much more relaxed knowing this whole thing was somehow on the up and up. He scooched down in the bed just a bit and laid his head onto the pillow trying to unwind enough to close his eyes. He punched his fist gently into the pillow fluffing it up to make it more comfortable. Turning over on his right side he slipped his hand under the pillow and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt very tired and could feel himself drifting off. There was a lot to get to the bottom of, starting tomorrow.