standing there. Like me, he wore a hooded top and dark pants. Adele was similarly dressed too, I noted. They were brother and sister? Her skin was pale, and her hair looked a natural blonde, while he looked Middle Eastern.
“Come on, Donny. We need to help Scott inside.”
“No, I’m good.” With one hand on the side of the van, I stood slowly, every joint and muscle complaining. “Do you think being here will jog my memory?” I spoke slowly, groping for the words.
Adele slid her arm around my waist. “I’m thinking of something more scientific, actually.”
Now I was upright, a wave of dizziness crashed over me. I sucked in a breath as I tried to stay straight. I remembered a snippet of conversation between the doctor and someone earlier. I didn’t see who he’d spoken to. Retrograde amnesia. Diffuse axonal injury, resulting from severe head trauma.
I knew what that meant. There’d been a period of rapid acceleration when my brain had been moving, and it had come to a sudden stop. The soft tissues in my head had been rattled around inside my skull. That would explain the splitting headache. How did I know this?
Donny clasped his hands around my arms, and together he and Adele helped me climb down to the ground. It was dark, nighttime, and I shivered. We’d parked outside a low building with an ornate curved glass front. With a sudden flash of memory, I recalled the elegant linked towers that were home to CyGes, the most advanced tech company of our time. “This isn’t CyGes.” Every time I remembered something, no matter how small, I’d hold onto it.
“No, baby.” Adele nudged me with her hip, and I took a step forward. “This is the LindenCore subsidiary.”
Nothing. It was just another anonymous corporate office.
“Hoods up, faces down.” Donny’s gruff voice was low in the darkness. He hoisted a bag over his shoulder, before setting the lock on the van. Adele pulled up her hood and then mine. Unease trickled down my spine. This felt wrong, though I was unable to articulate why.
“Wait a moment,” she whispered. “Donny’s going to take care of the lights.”
As I watched, he set a small box on the ground and flicked a switch. A low hum started, and the exterior lights all fizzled out. A pulse jammer . And how did I know that?
“Let’s go.” Adele dragged me by the arm. “Hurry.”
Hurrying wasn’t an option. My feet were leaden, and every step jolted my already banging head. I needed painkillers before I could even think of functioning. And a drink. My mouth felt as dry as if I’d lined it with sand. One lurching step followed another, and Adele guided me to a security panel set beside the door.
“It needs your authentication,” she whispered, her arm still tucked through mine. I was glad of her hold. Without it, I might have face-planted the floor.
Without thinking, I pressed my palm to the flat, black plate, and then turned my face up to the optical scanner.
A heartbeat later the lock released, and Adele pushed the door. “We’re in.”
Chapter Three
Motion-activated lights flickered on, as we headed down a long corridor. Donny led the way, striding with clear purpose in every step. I hobbled behind, with Adele glued to my side. Nothing was familiar, yet my authentication had let us in. Did I work here? Passing a clock, I noted the time. Almost three in the morning. That would explain why the place was deserted.
“Here.” Donny waited at a door, and gestured to the security panel. “Do your stuff.”
The door was black, like all the others we’d passed, and the only marking was a number etched across the top. 420-1. What was different about this one? Again I placed my palm to the panel, and listened as the lock released.
Donny shoved the door open, and we followed. The lights were bright, and I winced, dropping my gaze for a second. This was a laboratory. Computer screens and keyboards littered long desks, and the walls were covered with densely packed shelves.
“Come on, Donny. We need to help Scott inside.”
“No, I’m good.” With one hand on the side of the van, I stood slowly, every joint and muscle complaining. “Do you think being here will jog my memory?” I spoke slowly, groping for the words.
Adele slid her arm around my waist. “I’m thinking of something more scientific, actually.”
Now I was upright, a wave of dizziness crashed over me. I sucked in a breath as I tried to stay straight. I remembered a snippet of conversation between the doctor and someone earlier. I didn’t see who he’d spoken to. Retrograde amnesia. Diffuse axonal injury, resulting from severe head trauma.
I knew what that meant. There’d been a period of rapid acceleration when my brain had been moving, and it had come to a sudden stop. The soft tissues in my head had been rattled around inside my skull. That would explain the splitting headache. How did I know this?
Donny clasped his hands around my arms, and together he and Adele helped me climb down to the ground. It was dark, nighttime, and I shivered. We’d parked outside a low building with an ornate curved glass front. With a sudden flash of memory, I recalled the elegant linked towers that were home to CyGes, the most advanced tech company of our time. “This isn’t CyGes.” Every time I remembered something, no matter how small, I’d hold onto it.
“No, baby.” Adele nudged me with her hip, and I took a step forward. “This is the LindenCore subsidiary.”
Nothing. It was just another anonymous corporate office.
“Hoods up, faces down.” Donny’s gruff voice was low in the darkness. He hoisted a bag over his shoulder, before setting the lock on the van. Adele pulled up her hood and then mine. Unease trickled down my spine. This felt wrong, though I was unable to articulate why.
“Wait a moment,” she whispered. “Donny’s going to take care of the lights.”
As I watched, he set a small box on the ground and flicked a switch. A low hum started, and the exterior lights all fizzled out. A pulse jammer . And how did I know that?
“Let’s go.” Adele dragged me by the arm. “Hurry.”
Hurrying wasn’t an option. My feet were leaden, and every step jolted my already banging head. I needed painkillers before I could even think of functioning. And a drink. My mouth felt as dry as if I’d lined it with sand. One lurching step followed another, and Adele guided me to a security panel set beside the door.
“It needs your authentication,” she whispered, her arm still tucked through mine. I was glad of her hold. Without it, I might have face-planted the floor.
Without thinking, I pressed my palm to the flat, black plate, and then turned my face up to the optical scanner.
A heartbeat later the lock released, and Adele pushed the door. “We’re in.”
Chapter Three
Motion-activated lights flickered on, as we headed down a long corridor. Donny led the way, striding with clear purpose in every step. I hobbled behind, with Adele glued to my side. Nothing was familiar, yet my authentication had let us in. Did I work here? Passing a clock, I noted the time. Almost three in the morning. That would explain why the place was deserted.
“Here.” Donny waited at a door, and gestured to the security panel. “Do your stuff.”
The door was black, like all the others we’d passed, and the only marking was a number etched across the top. 420-1. What was different about this one? Again I placed my palm to the panel, and listened as the lock released.
Donny shoved the door open, and we followed. The lights were bright, and I winced, dropping my gaze for a second. This was a laboratory. Computer screens and keyboards littered long desks, and the walls were covered with densely packed shelves.
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