Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

8) "Seventy-Six"

Seventy-Six groggily awoke with a searing headache. He was met by the bright whiteness of the room he was now in. He sat up in his bed and noticed that his left hand was handcuffed to the bed frame. To his right he saw Thirty-Five sleeping on the small table by his bed. He was happy to see that she was alright, but several questions were running through his mind. The last thing he remembered was being imprisoned on The Olympus. It felt like it was just yesterday he was having his eye burned out by a Martian interrogator. Seventy-Six knew he was not going to get answers alone. Thirty-Five would be able to help fill in the blanks.

"Hey!" he called to her in a whisper. "Thirty-Five! Wake up!"

Thirty-Five slowly opened her eyes and sat up in her chair. She moved her bright blonde hair out of her eyes as she yawned. "You alright?" she asked tiredly. "You need anything?"

"Some answers would be nice," Seventy-Six responded as he showed her that he was handcuffed to the bed.

"It's a...safety precaution."

Seventy-Six stared at her as if she had three heads. "Safety precaution? What am I going to do, put a bullet in someone?"

Thirty-Five remained silent and looked at Seventy-Six awkwardly. Her silence was a good enough answer for him. He was deemed a threat, but what baffled him was why that was the case. In his mind, he had just returned from Martian hands. What is it that I'm not remembering? He thought to himself.

"Just tell me what happened after you got through that passageway," he told Thirty-Five.

"Passageway?" she repeated in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

"The passage way on Mars, after the Radiant Dawn rally."

Thirty-Five's eyes widened like she had just seen someone return from the dead. "Holy shit...it's you. The real you."

Seventy-Six sighed in frustration. "The fuck're you talkin' about, Thirty-Five?"

"You finally remember. That rally, Zero and I got out fine. But you...you were captured-"

"And was a prisoner on The Olympus for a month I know. But what I don't know is how I ended up back here."

Thirty-Five placed her hand on Seventy-Six's shoulder. "No, Seventy-Six. You were there for six months. We thought you died."

Seventy-Six groaned as a high pitch noise rang throughout his ears. It was as if there was microphone feedback within his own head. Six months aboard The Olympus? He could not believe it. It meant that over half of his time as a prisoner was wiped clean from his mind. His mind was a scattered jigsaw puzzle, and he was desperately trying to put the pieces together. "What...did...they do to me?" Seventy-Six asked through his teeth.

"Seventy-Six," Thirty-Five began with concern. "Lay down. You should rest."

The ringing intensified the more Seventy-Six thought about his time on The Olympus. It had grown so loud that it was hard for him to think. The ringing stopped abruptly and Seventy-Six turned back to Thirty-Five. "You're the girl from yesterday," he began. "Thank you...for the food."

Thirty-Five looked at him worriedly. "What were we just talking about?" she asked.

Seventy-Six's body became rigid. He didn't want to get hurt again by giving a wrong answer. "What do you want me to say?" he asked.

Thirty-Five shook her head. "No, this isn't an interrogation." She placed her soft hand on top of his. "Do you even remember what you said?"

Seventy-Six let out a heavy sigh. "I thanked you," he answered. "For what you did for me yesterday. Why? Is that wrong?"