A is for Ares

8 - Who Are You?

It had been thirteen months since Tana entered his coma, and his skin and finally healed. The drugs had been taken off, and the doctors were now waiting for him to awaken. When he came to, his first words were as stereotypical as one could expect from a brain-damaged post-traumatic amnesia victim.

"Where am I?... Are you a doctor? Who am I? What happened?"

A leapt in front of the gunmen, intercepting their shots. The bullets struck him square in the chest. A lunged at the gunmen and flipped over them, slitting their throats. This is at least what Dane remembered about the day they met Bridger.

"You can come in now... But be gentle. He knows a lot but can't remember a single thing. He doesn't know who he is or who we or you are. Try to explain to him what his life was like before. You can't make him stress. You can't do anything that isn't happy" the doctor said.

"Then I shouldn't explain what his life was like before" replied Kooi.

Kooi pushed the door open slowly and inched his way toward Tana with his hands out. He sat beside Cam's bed.

"Hello? Who are you...?" Tana said shyly.

"Hey... I'm Garrett... I'm your best friend... We have done a lot together. Do you remember anything?" Kooi whispered.

"No... I know how to read, write, talk, count, do math, make a coffee and post bank statements for Christs sake. I know a lot of the world and I can recite a biographical synopsis of anyone I see. How can I do that when I don't even know who I am?" Tana replied.

"Your name is Cameron... Your second name is Montana. Sometimes, people call you Tana... We used to own a big company together. Not anymore. It was stolen, but it's okay. When you get out of here, I'll take you home... We can catch up. You were asleep for more than a year. You were hurt. You bumped your head in the woods" Garrett explained.

• • •

"Sorry I'm late, I didn't know... I... It's okay... I'm here now!" Caitlin rushed in.

"Excellent! I've been waiting for you! So long! You are late? How could you be so late? Now who the hell are you?" Ranted Dane.

Another girl soon walked in. She was short but tall, thin, with lightly tanned skin and camouflaged imperfections. She was, like Caitlin, very pretty.

"Don't worry, I'm here now... I..." She said.

"And who are you?" Asked Dane, scratching his head.

"Olivia? You know... The one who... I thought I... But I was supposed to... I..." She rambled on.

"My best friend" Caitlin butted in.

Garrett peaked around the door and started talking to the doctor, closing the door of a sleeping Tana.

"Garrett, strange girls are bugging me!" Dane yelled, tilting his head toward Kooi but not breaking eye contact with the two girls.

"Thank god you two are here! Your late, I've been waiting!" Garrett said, panting as he ran toward Caitlin and Olivia.

• • •

Dane and Dylan Hanyn were in Hornet's bunker when the men arrived. It was Soren. When Soren walked inside with four escorts, Hornet immediately kept into action. Realising his disadvantage, Soren took two men and ran outside. One man called to the others, but was silenced by Soren's knife. Before Soren's second man could react, Soren slashed straight through his chest, crippling him. Soren scuttled off through the thrush and into the night, leaving his companions to the mercy of the Hornet.

One of the attackers stood to his full height and lifted his high-powered handgun, taking aim directly at Dane Hanyn's head. By the time he had pulled the trigger, Bridger had ran into the path of the man and intercepted the bullet, striking A directly in the left clavicle. Dane spun and looked in shock as Bridger leaped athletically into the air, kicking the attackers neck out of place.

The memories rushed through Dane's head when A leapt in front of the attacker, saving his life. When he opened his eyes, he realised that he had fallen asleep seated in the waiting room.

The doctors were testing Tana's responses every half hour, often with Garrett by his side. In time, the doctors began letting one person in to introduce themselves per two days.

Kooi was in the bathrooms when an unknown figure walked in. Garrett was drying his hands when Bridger stood leaning against the far wall, one foot mounted back on a tile facade. Kooi royally nodded at the man who was still unbeknownst to him. Before he could reach the door, the man spoke.

"Is that as far as you go, Kooi?" Garrett abruptly stopped in the doorway, staring into space when A continued "After all you have been through, after the attack in the forest, you'd be slightly more vengeful".

Kooi twirled and stared down this mysterious figure. He was tall, solid, with an intermediate build. "The name is A. I work for a branch of security led by Mr Beck. You want something that I have. You want Beck's company back. Little does he know that I am the one truly in control of his plans" Bridger explained.

"Which are? What are his plans?" Garrett asked.

"Will you join me or not?" Asked A calmly.

"Hell no, I just want to know what his plans are" replied Garrett angrily.

"Then I shan't tell you what they are unless you agree to help me" explained Bridger in monotone.

That was when Kooi slammed Bridger against the tiled bathroom wall. A replied with a pocket taser lunging into Kooi's hip.

• • •

"Vectra Three... Central stage checks are go. Upmost stage checks are go. Lower stage checks are go. Ignition timers are positive, stage separation timers are positive. Ignition is positive. Hatch bars are positive. Vitals are positive, consistent for all crew. Waiting for passenger signals. Passengers are go. Ceres Launch One-Seven-Nine positive. Waiting verbal consent. Received. Thrusters two to eight are go on my mark. Mark. Boosters nine to eighteen are go on my mark. Mark. Ion one, nineteen, twenty are go on my mark . . . Mark. Unlock the bridges on my mark. Mark. One minute from my mark. Mark. Lock down separation stages on my mark. Mark. Commander, your life support systems are go. Unlocked from basin, kept with Canada eight, four, and twelve. Releasing on triple ion. Triple ion commencing in thirty. Lock down hatches and restraints. Twenty-Five. Final safety checks looking good, Commander. You alright in there, sir? Good. Twenty. You're gonna pull some serious g's so you may black out. Fifteen. Ion chargeup commence on my mark. Ten. Mark. Final basin locks released. Kept in Four, Eight, and Twelve. Mark in Five. Four. Triple Ion. Two. One. Ready commander? All Systems Go. Point nine. Triple ion commencing, basin locks out, and.... Booster ignition" Gill ran through the launch procedure.

This flight to Ceres was not the typical cargo, passenger, or combi flight, it carried valuable cargo. A prisoner. When they reached the outermost layer of the troposphere, flight commander Andreas looked back at the flight's official Koytana ambassador, Steven Bridger, seated behind him, writing and marking down a list pinned to a clipboard on his lap.

When they exited earth's atmosphere, Bridger stood and marched back down the emergency-supply-filled cargo bay when he reached one particularly large crate. He opened one hatch and climbed inside. A glass tube with blue light emitting from its base and peak was the only thing in the room. A small robotic arm sat inside the tube and could return to the exterior of it at any time to retrieve food, water, drinks, clothing, or anything else for the prisoner which was kept surprisingly hospitably. This was a prison crate. Bridger circled the tube and the man inside it, Garrett Kooi.

"Well... I guess we have gotten ourselves in a deep enough hole we've dug now, haven't we...?" Bridger said calmly, a mumble.