Secret Fire

Chapter The Sixth

"Head Don report to Charting Station directly," Blared over the speakers in the compound. Sciles dropped the paper he was writing in his small office and strode to the charting room. Thoughts raced through his head as to why he was being summoned, all terrible. "An attack? That's been known to happen. Like last summer, when that group broke through our defense and made it to the monitor lab, they nearly brought them back! They were totally crazy. What did they call themselves again? The MIB? No... MOB? No no no." As the white metal door swung in on silent hinges he was greeted by the bleeping and clacking sound of many computers and monitors. A tall, pale woman rose from her chair. She was thin and severe looking, with glasses so delicately placed on her hooked nose that Sciles was always tempted to blow them off. She didn't need them, he knew that. She wore them as she was Magerine, Head Human Psychologist Specialist. And she only reminded everyone of this title at least twice a day. "Ah, Sciles, Head Human Physic Don, how kind of you to come so swiftly." "My pleasure Madam Magerine." Sciles gritted out. Around Madam Magerine's shoulder appeared a little bald man Sciles knew. "Well, well Mycroft, got shipped to the monitor lab eh?" Mycroft straightened as much as his back would allow in indignation at Sciles' words. "I was... Upgraded to here, Sciles." He said, sniffing proudly. "Oh, upgraded. I see." Sciles chuckled. Mycroft sent Sciles a look saying that Sciles had indeed burst his self-importance bubble. "Sciles." Madam Magerine interposed, "We called you here to look at this." She gestured to the screen behind her. She wore a long, white lab coat and had her hair back in a painfully tight bun. Sciles had to blink to look away, then stepped around her. There was a large screen with a normally straight, green line moving across it. But now the line was jerking up and down. Sciles studied it, then glanced at the small name tag underneath it. Nia -Last Name Unknown. -Parents Unknown. Sciles flicked his eyes back to the screen. "She's remembered." He breathed. "Yes. Everything it seems." Magerine said in her superior, nasally voice. Suddenly the line went red and began blinking. "What is that?" Asked Madam Magerine, sounding tight. "She's not coming back for us now that she remembered us." Sciles whispered. Most of the people in hearing range who had been clacking at beeping computers had stopped and stared at the screen. "Well." Breathed Magerine. "You know procedure. Sciles, erase her." Sciles turned to look Magerine square in the face. "No." He said. The room went so silent that even the quiet bleeping sounded deafening. Unruffled, Magerine turned to Mycroft. "Mycroft, you erase her." Mycroft, eager to please, lunged towards the button. "No!!!!" Shouted Sciles, and leapt to intercept him. They collided and Sciles being the bigger man threw Mycroft away from the screen and into a few chairs. Sciles turned to the wide-eyed workers. Something snapped inside of him then. All of this had been slowly gnawing at him over the years, and it all spilled over here and now. "Enough!" He shouted. "Enough of these mind games! Don't you all wonder how many times you have been wiped of your life? Of your memories? Of all the people who ever loved you? We have to end this game! Enough of this toying around! Instead of sitting in here zapping each-other we should be out there doing something! All this money that we are wasting on trying to find other worlds could be going towards peoples real needs. Like water, and medical supplies! I for one have had enough of this... this, infamy. Who is with me?" There was a brief, hanging moment of silence, then room erupted, each arguing and shoving and yelling. Then came security. The people who sided with Sciles panicked because they were on the wrong side. The people who sided with Magerine panicked because they were afraid that the guards would arrest them for siding with Magerine. Sciles leapt to a table and began shooting with a pistol that had appeared from his coat. The rebels and non-rebels were screaming and shouting now. The guards tried to restore order but were unable to use their weapons for fear of hurting those who were not rebels. Chaos ensued when Sciles started shooting. All the rebels latched on to the idea at once. Most had weapons for fear of the outsiders coming in, as they had known to do. When they opened fire, the security had no choice but to return bullet for bullet. They made a mad dash and stormed the halls. The screams and yowls reverberated across the entire compound. Most people hid under counters and behind chairs and closed doors to avoid contact with the rebels and guards. Sciles was still in the room with Magerine. She was slumped up against the white wall. There was a red streak above her. Her hand was clutching a crimson hole on her white lab coat. Her glasses had fallen to the ground and shattered. Magerine's hand over her heart was stained red, along with the wall, her coat, the floor where her hand had collapsed. She stared at Sciles. "I'm going to die." She breathed. Sciles knelt next to her. He touched her forehead with his. "I'm sorry Magerine. We had some good times you and I." Magerine coughed up blood as a raspy laugh escaped her. "I never forgave you for what you did to me."