Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

26) "Seventy-Six"

 It was an anxiety filled last few minutes for Seventy-Six as he awaited the results of his brain scan in the medical bay. Thirty-Five issued him the exam to check on the nanite activity in his brain. She told him that it was odd that he was still experiencing symptoms of MPD. The nanites were supposed to eradicate it in its entirety. This worried Seventy-Six. It made him wonder whether or not his body was fully accepting the nanites. But for his body to reject them solely in his brain did not make much sense. Surely his body would begin to fail altogether if that was the case. Or perhaps the failure was starting in his brain and was trickling down his body. Regardless of what the circumstance was, Seventy-Six did not expect any good news to come out of his scan.

He looked down at the glossy black metallic floor. A high pitch ring started in his right ear as he caught a glimpse of his reflection. There were soft whispers in his ears and it looked as though his reflection had begun to move. He looked around the room to make sure it wasn't someone else who might have slipped in without him knowing, but he was alone. There was a soft hum that commenced seemingly out of nowhere. Only that this one was not in Seventy-Six's head. The melody of the hum was familiar though he was not sure from where. It was a lullaby, but that was not how he was able to recognize it. There was something personal about it to him as the melody pulled on his heartstrings. Seventy-Six looked up from the floor and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

There was a man standing with his back to him, examining the medical cabinets. The man's head swayed back and forth as he continued to hum the lullaby. Seventy-Six was certain he was hallucinating. He had been the only one in the room the past twenty minutes with Thirty-Five being next door in the advanced lab. The door did not open and he heard no footsteps. Whoever this man was in front of him had to be a figment of his imagination.

"Who are you?" Seventy-Six asked as he slowly got off the bed. The man turned to him while continuing to hum the lullaby. Seventy-Six stumbled back in dismay as he got a clear look at the man. It was himself, the only difference was the man was in Martian legionnaire attire. There was no mistaking it for anything else. The white color of the uniform spread from his torso to underneath his arms while the vermilion color spread along the chest to the top of his arms and shoulders. It was an odd thing for Seventy-Six to look at. He was working with the Underground. Something that legionnaires would never do since their loyalties remained with the Surface.

"I asked who are you?" Seventy-Six repeated through his heavy breathing.

The man shook his head. "I thought showing you was enough of an answer. I'm you. The real you. Jonathan Taylor."

Seventy-Six looked dumbfounded. He had no knowledge of who this Jonathan Taylor was. What he knew for certain was that his own name was Seventy-Six. "My name isn't Jonathan Taylor. It's Seventy-Six."

Jonathan sighed in anguish. It became apparent that he was already losing his patience. "They're using you. You're nothing but a pawn. They took your memories and with those nanites supplanted new ones."

"Bullshit."

"You need to understand..."

"Understand what?"

The door opened and Thirty-Five entered the room. She was carrying a tablet as she walked towards Seventy-Six with a bewildered face. Seventy-Six took a subtle look around the room in order to not garner Thirty-Five's attention. Jonathan was gone. He seemingly vanished into thin air once Thirty-Five entered the room.

"Something wrong?" Thirty-Five asked worriedly.

"No," Seventy-Six answered, not even turning to face her.

"It's just that you look like you saw a ghost. And I could have sworn I heard you talking to someone."

Seventy-Six turned to her. "I wasn't. What did you find with the results?"