[DC] The Gamer of the Silver Snow

"What?" My words dribbled out, mangled and skewered as I slowly felt my sense return to me. 

The slow murmurs of a man reached me, "All victims evacuated." It took me more than a second to hear the words and another to understand them. I forced my eyes open, only to wake to a brittle darkness and a black...cloth? Sheet? Floating. Waving in the air.

He was holding me over his shoulder as he grappled his way out into—blinding light. I flinched away. Trying to shield my eyes from the sensation, I moved my limbs, they refused, utter weakness assaulted as my breathing hitched. A kidnapping. 

And then I saw the mask.

Two-point ears over half a helmet.

"Fuck."

———

——

—

"This is your father," The doctor said as he introduced me to a man who looked no older than his thirties. Well built, with a mop of black hair and a thick beard over white skin.

"Hello, I am…" I began before cutting my words and twisting my lips into a frown, just judging by the way the man sighed I knew I had earned decent pity points from him. 

The doctor's lips didn't betray much emotion as he sat on the chair next to 'my' father. "As you can see…"

Father cut in, "Amnesia…" He looked like he had swallowed a lump of coal. I didn't blame the man, if your daughter was kidnapped by aliens only to say she can't remember you after the fact—must be brutal. Not my problem though. That is not to say I didn't have problems and the one that stood at the forefront of them all was shelter, I had nothing in this world, and well I had to grasp at whatever straw I could, so I asked the man, "Sorry but...Can you tell me my name?" 

He took a deep breath before he nodded and started, "Mira, Mira Smith. I am Kalvin Smith, your father. Your mother is Sabrina Smith, you will meet her at home." 

"I see," Saying so I shut up, speaking too much made me liable to mess up. The better thing to do was to keep quiet.

Something which Kalvin validated as he turned his stony face to the doctor, "When can she be discharged?" 

The doctor said, "Well, now if you want. However, there will be many things to be careful of. And a list of supplements…" He smiled at my father, "Don't worry though, all expenses are on the feds for this one."

———

——

—

"Our home?" I tried sounding as enthusiastic as I could, as I asked the man pushing my wheelchair into the elevator, "Yes," He answered. The man was of few words I gathered.

Pressing the switch for the tenth floor he asked me, "Does this remind you of anything?" 

"No," Should it? I mean even if I had lost my memories, I doubt pressing an elevator switch would hold any significance. 

Almost like he read what was on my mind and told me, "You used to always press the switch for the eleventh floor, you liked jumping down the stairs from there to the tenth." 

Maybe she did, she was only thirteen years old after all, "I did?" 

"Yeah and—" He was cut off by the chime of the elevator and my eyes moved up to the LED display. We were on the tenth floor.

He didn't say anything more as he let the door open and pushed me along across to the room just to the left of it. 

And it was then that I realised something, there were three flats on this floor and this was a proper apartment block not far from the city centre. This place was expensive, so a question wrestled out of me, "What do you and Mother do?" 

He laughed a dry chuckle as he inserted a key into the door and turned to me, "At least you have the same sense for money as before. Your mother is a researcher. Accomplished too. Me well, used to be military." 

"How did you two meet?" He opened the door as I asked and pulled me in while answering, "In elementary. Known her forever."

Then he turned me to a specific door, "Ready?" I nodded. 

And so, the door was opened and out came the monster of…blandness. Huh, a very very normal room. Neat and tidy, looked used, with a study desk next to the wall, a bed and a dresser. 

"It's pretty bland," I turned my opinion over to him, and he shrugged, "By your own choice. If you don't like it, we can always paint it together."

Sure, "Make some new memories together?" If that makes you feel better. 

"When you are recovered," He pushed me inside before helping me get onto my bed. I was too weak to do even that, a fact that made me want to curse. The fucking aliens could have done anything they wanted, but no, a human battery it was.

Seeing me on my bed he gave me a final look over before declaring, "I will be in the hall, call me if you need something. Alright, kiddo?" 

"Thanks, Dad," The words, the lies flowed as easily as water down the Nile and I waved him out of my room. With that I was alone. I was in peace. I was in the quiet. Not that I could stand it.

Trying to keep myself from thinking of my situation I shifted off to the side of my bed, there was a drawer there and a piece of paper with the words [Stationary] stuck to it. How very organised.

Well, I wasn't one to complain, mostly because of how convenient it was. After all, I could get a lot of info off say, her notebooks. Her school year, the level of study in the US of A, and more. All important things.

So, I snaked my way to it wrapped my arms around the handle and slid it back. Nothing. Nothing but a single box. A box of murky silver skin, carved with skulls fitted together with mad precision, titled together into a formless whole, and they moved. Drowning. Then came a screech. Then a thousand cries. And I didn't hear it, I felt it. Yet, the most natural human response eluded me. I didn't panic, I didn't throw it away,

Almost by instinct, my hand went to the clamp and pulled it open. And there, sitting in between velvet cushions was a…shard? I couldn't describe it but there was a feeling to it. An off feeling. But that was obvious, just the perfect symmetry of it, just the way the light just fell through it—it was not natural. Never could be. 

Yet, I knew what to do with it. Somehow I did. I pulled it out of its case like a mother would her newborn. A cotton touch.

Then my grip tightened. I felt my ears ring and a strength bloomed in my arms. They clamped in. My eyes widened, as I felt myself lose control. My arms lifted it over my chest, veins bulging I held it till my skin was pale and with strength I didn't know this body had, with all my might—I plunged it down. Straight through my chest. My flesh gave way. The chest bone cracked. My boiling blood spilt through the edges until the crystal finally reached my heart.

I screamed but I didn't. I couldn't. No voice left my lips. Pain ripped through my skin. I felt hell burn me alive as if the fire was my blood and my heart was a furnace.

I blacked out screaming a voiceless cry.