Copper

Chapter Fifty

"It's like my ego had a baby."

"Yeah... its a bit like that isn't it..."

Brought up through the base Becca and her men escort me to the elevator. Finn and Wick left behind as I go searching for answers. I don't believe it. I couldn't have done that- I would never have done that. The elevator opening with a ding, Becca introduces "Floor 2. This is your office. I offered you to floor 1 but-"

"Two is the first even pure number." Furrowing my brows I pause for a moment. Not entirely sure where that came from.

"It's alright", Becca notices the perplexed look I get, assuring me "That's your brain reconnecting to your neurological feelings and memories from here."

The doors opening I step into a rather large space. A rather cool golden and turquoise mosaic-like pattern tiles the entire floor, stopping so the white walls can fly up to hold the high ceiling. My gaze trailing over the simple golden bulbs that hang down I step from the elevator. The gentle pad of my feet are almost silent compared to Becca's clicking heels behind me. But I don't pay attention. Wandering through the two soft white modules I rest my gaze on a desk. My desk. Trailing my fingers around the warm wooden desk I stand behind my chair. Bypassing the laptop my attention falls to the smaller details. Everything is organized. Pencils, pens, sticky notes.

Then I notice the frames. Three. In one immediately recognise my parents. I'm a young girl hoisted onto my parent's shoulders, my mother's arms around mine on the beach. A family photo. My gaze flickering to the next I feel my lips part, gingerly picking up the frame. Dressed in graduation gowns I don't look any older than sixteen. My arm around a younger Wick as he's tugging me into his side with one arm. Our legs quirked up at the side we grin overjoyed at the camera, scrolled papers in hand. Behind us, I see a university sign; MIT University. "Damn", I breathe amazed, tracing my fingers over the frame "This is where I got my degree? In Engineering?"

"Sure" Perching herself on my desk, Becca mentions "But you've got way more degrees than just in engineering." When I arch my brow, Becca encouragingly nods over to another wall "You think you would be helping me run Eligus if you only had just an engineer's degree?" Glancing over I see what she means. Chemical, Civil, Environmental, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Electrical, Mechanical, and the list go on. Gazing over the wall I watch the list continuing into other degrees of Physics and Chemistry. "You are one of the youngest to ever attend and study at such prestigious schools in such competitive fields", Becca fills in the blanks for me "Fourteen. Almost a record." Glancing back down I see myself in an image with Raven and Finn. With my arms around Raven and Finn, I see us smiling widely at the camera. Although I notice Raven and I are in army green jumpsuits, matching USA military logos in the same place. Becca's hand breaking my thoughts, she offers me a USB. "You told me to give you this when you came out from the Sim", Becca explains to me. Grasping the device I roll it around between my thumbs as Becca offers "This should contain the answers you need. Fill in some blanks." I can only nod back, my mind running too fast to keep up with what is going on around me. I feel like I've been dragged from one reality to another and my foggy mind is still playing catch up. There's a click of heels before Becca calls my name. Glancing up, she warmly smiles "I'm glad you're back." Stepping into the elevator she takes it down along with her circle of guardsmen. Leaving me alone and in silence.