The crowd is getting bigger and bigger, soon there are people all around me and up in the air, though not in the higher area where the vehicle pass by. I am halfway towards the window, and I notice there are a lot of a bar like stands throughout the hall, and people seem to enjoy various drinks and meals.
"Do they all serve human food?" I ask.
"Why, yes! You hungry?" asks Fourty-Two.
"No, not really."
As I am walking, I recollect the information that I have learned so far. Each piece of information is like a piece of a puzzle set, I just have to figure out where to put them. First, I need to figure out more information about myself. I still need to find out my name, and how old am I? Where am I from? What happen to my baba? Then I remember the items I stored in the inventory. So, how do I get them out? Do I imagine it like I did with my suit?
"Where are you going?" 42 suddenly asks, disturbing my thought processes.
"I am going to that giant arc shaped window."
"Ah! Then I hope your prepare to see what's out there"
"That's why I'm going there, why? Do you know what's out there?"
"Well, yes! Of course!"
"Ok? What's out there then?"
"Pff, go find out yourself!"
*Tsk* This droid... I swear. Anyway, I think about the items. I think about the screen that had my items list. How do I bring it up? I imagine the screen to pop up in front of me, and it did! On top of the screen it has a writing that I can't understand, but I see my two items. The pendant and the other broken item. I wonder why I have them?
"Hey 42!" I call out.
"What is it?" 42 responds
"You said my items are stored in a dimensional pocket, right?"
"Why yes!"
"So if I want to bring out my item.. I just have to imagine it?"
"Precisely, or you can just tap the image of the item you desire from the screen there. You learn fast! Impressive!"
"It's nothing to be impressed about, it just makes sense from what I've learned so far." I reply.
"True, well, you humans pick up patterns and learn them quickly. Still, there are some who are generally technically challenged. Besides, considering that you remember little, you still learn more quickly compared to most"
I click the broken item, and a small portal appears in front of me. The item drops on my hand. I take away the screen. Then I thought about how I used to adapt to anything technology related. To be more precise, any systematic technology was my forte.
"I guess that's one thing I'm good at," I mumble
I hold the wristband shaped item on top of my four fingers on my right hand. Then I see how half of its center is missing with its half finished numbers. I think back on my memories, then realized I had this on my left wrist when I was on the mission. Is it a watch? As I think about it, I suddenly feel dizzy and my vision is about to go back. Just before I lose conscious, I walk in to something. Something tough! Then I come back to my full sense. I rub my head with my left hand, the part where I crashed in to the object.
"Hey yo! Watch where you goin man!"
I finally look up the source of the voice; which is coming from the object I walk in to, or I should say.... I walk in to someone!
"Oh.. sorry, my fault." I respond.
I step back and observe the person I crash in to. He is a tall masculine man; he is about one head taller than me, and has very short curly black hair, with trim cuts on the sides of his head. His skin is brown, and he has black eyes. He has mustaches. On his chin he has a beard that connects to his mustache and also covers his lower jaws and connects to his side trims of his hair. He's a human!
"You doin alright? you're not looking so hot, man!" The man speaks with concern.
"Just got dizzy for a bit, but I'll be fine" I respond. Was I just about to have another flashback?
"Ehhy! It's you! You are ok!" someone from behind the man emerges.
"You know him?" The man in front of me asked him.
I look at the new yet familiar source of the voice, and it's coming from the person whom I met earlier right before I went to the infirmary!
"Ya, he was the one who was in front of my capsule! He had his nose bleeding as if there was no tomorrow!" He responds to the man with his unique accent.
"Damn! He had his nose bleeding?" The man looks back at me "Are sure you alright?"
"Y.... Yes, I just get dizzy when I'm about to remember something, I always get dizzy and lose conscious..." I respond.
The man looks at me with a shocked expression "Damn! You got it rough!"
"So my friend, what happened with your nose?" The man with the unique accent asks.
"It's for the same reason for my dizziness, apparently it's related to the injury I had before I woke up in here, according to the doctor I've met." I respond.
"You had an injury?" The tall man asks.
"Yes, but I don't remember how I got injured. The doctor told me that before I got here, I was severely injured." I answer.
"So they do have doctors here... Was the doctor... Human?" The man with accent asks.
Why is he asking that? "Well... no."
"Ah!" He looks up, ruminating.
"Yo! The doctor is an alien too? What she looks like?" The tall man asks.
"She looks more or less like a plant, Rose, She has crimson color skin." I respond. I wonder though, should I tell them what I've seen so far? But I don't want to mention the conversation between me and Dr. Rosita.
"She? She's a Female?" He asks with wide eyes.
"Yes, at least she sounded like a female," I respond.
I notice that their guide droids are hovering behind them, observing us silently.
"Hello 200!" I wave at the droid behind the man with an accent.
"Hello. I am happy to see you are well. Are you feeling better?" It responds.
"Yes! Thank you for asking!"
"Ey! Where is your guide?" The man with a unique accent asks, finally coming out of his deep thinking.
"He's in my suit!" I nonchalantly respond.
"Eh?" his eyes widen at my response
"In your suit?" The tall man asks, tilting his head in confusion.
"Yes! He has combined himself with my suit to help me navigate since I cannot perform with my Prototype Orb properly. Right, Fourt-Two?"
"Yes, precisely! Hello everyone!" Fourty-Two responds through speakers on the neck ring of my suit.
"They can do that? Man! These guys grow more incredible the more I learn about them! And these Orbs... these are amazin! I don't think we had these from where we came from man!" The tall man said, "Hey, Daisy! You didn't tell me you could do that with our Orbs too!"
The guide droid from behind the tall man hovers forward.
"That's because it isn't necessary for me to combine with your suit. You are perfectly healthy and are doing just fine without my assistance. Besides, you won't even listen to me! You always wander off on your own! Do something about that curiosity of yours! " The guide droid responds.
This droid's voice though robotic has a female voice. She is flapping her wings like Fourty-Two does, but hers is more out of frustration rather than excitement.
"Aww, C'mon, Daisy! You guys have all these cool gadgets around, I can't help it! Besides, I've never seen so many aliens before, so, of course, I'd be curious," The tall man says while tickling the guide's underbelly.
"Stop that! I'm not a pet!" The Guide droid hovers back quickly.
"Daisy?" Fourty-Two asks through the speakers
"He keeps calling me Daisy! I keep telling him that my name is DRO 2567026! Or just Twenty-Six for short!" The Guide droid answers back.
"Aww, but it suits you! Besides, there is no way I can remember that! And numbers seem to be just plain." The tall man said.
"You know it's perfectly fine for the people we serve to put a nickname for you!" 200 chides in.
"Oh! BooHoo 200! You are always too plain and go by the book. You are so robotic and generic, even for a droid! I don't like it when people suddenly put names on me! I have feelings, too, you know!" Twenty-Six shouts back.
"Well. we are the lesser of our Serinian counterparts." 200 said
"Lesser? Just because they have more intelligence and emotions doesn't make them any better than us! Besides, were Serinians too!" Twenty-Six argues.
"To be more precise, we're more of a subspecies, They are the ones who create us," 200 points out.
"Well, they shouldn't have created emotion in us when they were creating us! Besides, weren't they created, too, at some point? It wasn't until they could mate and reproduce themselves that they became an independent species!" Twenty-Six counters.
"Can we reproduce on our own?" 200 asks
Twenty-Six's wings loosen *sigh*… "No... but that's the only reason we're a subspecies, otherwise emotionally and intelligent-wise, we are the same."
"You may be correct about that, but we also have to do our duty," 200 replies.
"Wow, wow, wow, wow. Yall need to chill! I didn't mean to start a fight! Sheesh! And what is this stuff about not being able to reproduce?" The tall man jumps in with both of his hands up.
"I highly recommend that we wait on any explanations!" Forty-two suddenly spoke through my speakers, and everyone turned their attention to me, or rather us. "They woke up not too long ago from a very long deep slumber! They have a lot to take in, and our job is to make sure that process is smooth! With this bickering, You guys are confusing our humans even more!"
Everyone looks at us in silence for a moment, then "What a surprise, Forty-Two! It's rare to see your logical side." 200 finally replies.
"Well, he does keep to his principles. He likes to goof off most of the time." Twenty-Six adds.
"Hey! I don't goof off! I miss around and try to have fun in the middle with my work!" Fourty-Two Snaps back.
"He has a point, though, it is best to get our partners to safety and make sure the processes are smooth. Thank you for the reminder Forty-Two!" 200 applauds.
"Aww, but I can take it! I want to know what you guys are talking about!" The tall man announces.
"I do not doubt that you can, sir! But judging by the reaction of your two friends here, I don't think they are prepared for that yet," 200 points out.
To 200's point, I see the other man beside the tall man has a confused look on his face. At the same time, he seems in shock and is silent, trying to take it all in. 200 is correct; neither he nor I am in any position to take in all that information. This alone is a lot more I can handle, Serinians? And they are part of the Serinian species? Who are they? I wish there were a way for me to keep this information somewhere to analyze later on. At the moment, however, the tall man has my attention. The way he spoke about these orbs and the aliens. He seems to speak about them with too much confidence for someone who is just regaining his memory, or is he able to regain them at a faster pace? I wonder how they are regaining their memory. I'm sure the man with a unique accent has also made some progress, seeing how I have made some progress.
"Hey... uh.. can I ask a question?" I ask the group in front of me.
The man with a unique accent is deep in his own thinking again. He didn't seem to have heard me. The two drones have turned towards me in silence.
The tall man looks back at me. "Sure, man! Go ahead."
"You know, since I woke up, I have a hard time remembering much." Then I point at his companion, who is still thinking, "and he has a similar issue with me. According to our guides, that is normal for almost everyone here and will regain our memory over time."
"Ah, so your wondering if I have the same issue?" The tall man suddenly asks before I ask the very same question
"Correct, and I'm wondering what you remember so far? If you don't mind me asking," I reply.
"Fair point, Fair point." Said the man, nodding his head "I am in the same situation as well, Though since then, I have been remembering quite a lot." Then he stops in the middle with a look as if he realizes something. "Yo! I forgot to introduce myself! My bad. "He gives a soft smile and scratches the back of his head, then he relaxes. "My name is Rowan, Rowan Kingwoods." Rowan extends his hand toward me. "What's your name?".
I look at the hand, then grab and shake it. Somehow I knew that's how I should respond. "Nice to meet you! Although I don't remember my name yet. All I remember so far are my high school days, some of my childhood events, and...some items." It's best to leave out the battle experience I remember.
"Huh! That's cool! I wish I remember some of my childhood and high school days... wait.. how old am I?" He looks up while asking that, then looks back at me. "Anyway, I remember that I am from a region called the United States, East Coast on Earth. But I can't remember the exact location. I remember I was part of a team developing a technology related to this Orb, but I don't remember being this advanced, yo!" Then his expression turns sad, and he looks down. "And I think we were in a middle of a war," He continues in a lower sad tone... "A very terrifying and gruesome war.. against monsters," Then he stops there, with his eyes full of tears. "Black and man-eating monsters."
He must be talking about the same ones I saw in my flashback, another piece of evidence that we have lost the war.
"No way! He's talking about the False Oracles!" Forty-two said in my earphone.
False Oracles, Dr. Rosita also mentioned that name when I described the creatures from my memory. What are they exactly? Do our guides know more about them?
"Ah... They weren't just man eating..." The man with a unique accent suddenly spoke. He still seems to be thinking deeply, as if he's having a dream with his eyes open. Tears are rolling down his cheeks. "They can also turn any walk of life into one of them, and they have advance technology..." He drops onto his knees and whispers. "Oh, my god... My wife... My son... They are gone.."
I felt something heavy on my chest, a pressure on my heart, and I feel I am sinking into a dark deep ocean. Was I married too? What happend to my family? Am I also the only one left?
"Looks like he has his flashback," Forty-Two whispers in my ear.
"So... what were their names?" I asked the man as softly as I could.
"My wife's name was Aretta; She was my life's sweetest and most beautiful woman. My son's name was Abebe, and He was my pride and joy." He maxes momentarily and looks up with a soft, sad smile. "And my home, my mansion, had a big garden with a pool at its center. Until one night... Something suddenly showed up in the sky above our city... It was big! It was the size of our city! However, the shape was ugly. If anything, it looks like a giant bug. It has these missive antennae underneath it, with a hexagon gate at its center. That thing looked like it had flesh, but it was not alive! From that gate, swarms of bug-like oil-black dark beasts were coming out of it. Among those bug-like creatures, some creatures had tentacles on their head, three vertical eyes on their forehead, and a human-like skulls. It had three legs with two arms, but it had swarms of spiky tentacles on its back." He frowns. "When we were about to escape out of the city, that thing appeared out of nowhere in front of us. I tried to fight it, but it knocked me to the floor. I don't know what it did, but I was paralyzed. Then that thing took my son and wife and stabbed them with its spiky tentacles!" He clings to my arms and looks me in the eyes. Eyes full of anger and sorrow. "It was holding them like how I am clinging to you! It sucked their organs and blood out of their mouths as more tentacles stabbed them into their bodies. I saw the tentacles transferring fluids into their bodies! Then it slowly turned my son and wife into something unrecognizable as I watched haplessly to see their lives go out of their eyes with pain and fear! Eventually, they were no longer my family. They had become... one of the bug-like creatures!" His breath becomes heavy, his grip on my arms becomes tighter, and it is now sweaty. "I knew at that moment I lost EVERYTHING! Then they all look at me. I realized I was about to join my family as that monster grabbed me. At that moment, I welcome my fate." He smiles with despair. "But then another object shows up in the sky. It was as big as the dark object, but it was white with gold stripes on it. The ship looked like it had fairy wings, with a huge canon at its front center. I don't know what it was, but I knew neither of them were human! The white object blasts a beam at the dark object, cutting it in half! The monster that was holding me saw something from behind me. It then dropped me and ran. The other two, which used to be my wife and son, were following it, but blasts of beams incinerate them into ashes!" He then lets go of me and looms down while kneeling. "The last thing I remember was when I was on the ground, looking at the falling black object, I saw two figures appear next to me. They had similar suits as some of these aliens here...then I lost consciousness." The man then bows his head to the ground. "Why?.... Why... WHY DID THEY LET ME LIVE!!!!" HE screams and cries in agony.
Rowen sat beside and hugged him, but he couldn't speak. He, too, was crying.
Everyone who had been listening in our surroundings was silent. I look around. I see women and men, old and young, Most look healthy, but some are missing limbs, some have devices that help them move around, and some have scars. Little boys and girls, most without parents or guardians.. standing and hopelessly watching. Some of them were crying silently, and I heard one of them say, "I want my mom.. Where is she?". Some were laughing innocently just a few moments before, but as they seemed to get some of their memory, their expression changed from a happy, innocent face to a dark, terrified, and helpless expression. Then I realized why I felt so heavy in my chest, for finally remembered one reason I had joined the military. It was to stop spreading this feeling amongst these children... and we have failed them... I have failed them.
*To be Continued*