The Persistence of Memory | ✔

26

The wind felt cold as it swept through the open door and the rush of rain outside was like a roar in Nina's ears. Even so, she heard the quietly spoken greeting as she stood rooted to the spot. Her legs felt stiff, her body cold as her mind seemed to turn into a rush of thoughts and calls to run. And then, the gun glimmered in the light as the hand holding it shifted and Nina knew that wasn't an option anymore.

"What do you want?" she heard herself ask. It was an odd feeling, to feel so distant to all that was happening around her, as if she were only a spectator watching as the scene unfolded before her. Nat looked at her curiously, unsettling eyes sweeping over Nina.

"So you know about me," she stated. Clearly, she had expected for Nina to have found out the truth. Perhaps in the same way that Fearnley's implanted memories had degraded, the lies in Nina's mind had slowly been washed away, driving her suspicions.

There was a distinct lack of surprise on the woman's face, a nonchalance as she stood there with a gun in her hand that was frightening to Nina. Enough so that she wasn't certain as to what to do. All she was aware of was the woman blocking her way and the card Alice had left resting in her pocket—a weight that seemed too heavy at the moment.

"I did some reading," Nina said simply, her mouth dry and her hands trembling even as she tried to hide it. Fingers slid across the phone she was holding and she fought to remain calm as she spoke. "Why did you do it?" she found herself asking.

Nat—if that truly was her name—took on a curious, maybe even amused, look. Her brow rose and her lips curved just slightly.

"Why did I do what? You'll have to be more specific than that, I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

The mocking tone made something in Nina snap, even as questions rushed through her mind. Alice's empty office. Fearnley sitting in a prison cell. The life Nina had lost. There was no answer that would justify any of that.

"Why did you kill them?" Nina asked at last. She glanced at the open door and the gun in the other woman's hand before returning her gaze to those mismatched eyes. A sharp pain shot through her head. Nina ignored it. Focused on the moment.

"I didn't kill anyone," Nat began. "All I did was help clean things up. Wouldn't have been good for anyone to recall inconvenient details."

"So you framed people—patients. You made them think they'd done your dirty work." She watched as the woman in front of her shrugged.

"It was a sacrifice that had to be made."

"Because of what? Your experiments?"

"The research we're doing would have a greater impact than you know. The potential in memory implants—"

"Isn't worth the risks or ethics, is it? Alice thought so," Nina interrupted. She watched as annoyance overtook Nat's face.

"Alice didn't understand that sometimes risks and sacrifices are necessary for advancement. All of the things we'd learned would have been wasted if we'd let her do what she wanted with the information she stole. The FDA already didn't want to approve any more testing."

"So you had the commissioner killed."

"He wouldn't change his mind. We thought if someone else took charge, someone more pliable, things would be easier."

"You killed people," Nina said, her voice heavy with disbelief as all of the things she'd learned were confirmed. "You ruined lives, you broke into my mind." She stopped, something occurring to her and she felt a new wave of horror sweep through her.

"You broke Fearnley's mind." Fearnley, who had been drowning in guilt until he couldn't take it anymore and had to turn himself in. Nina thought of the man who's life had crumbled away around him—a sacrifice in a game that he never should have been a part of.

"His mind was already a mangled mess, just like yours," Nat said, apparently tired of the exchange. She raised the gun, stepping closer to Nina, the glint of the metal weapon like a warning. It took all of Nina's courage not to step back. "And now you can finally be at peace."

Nina swallowed, heart racing and blood pounding in her ears. The trembling in her hands worsening.

"And who will you blame for this?" she asked, voice as steady as she could manage. The barest hint of a tremor still hiding beneath each word. Nat smiled, crimson lips curving on her pale face.

"The hotel manager was fairly rude," she said.

The gun pointed straight at her. Nina could see into the dark depths of the barrel, could feel a chill run down her spine at the thought of what awaited her at the other end. The phone in her hand slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground with a clatter as Nina moved.

Thoughts of Ben flashed through her mind, of how he'd once suggested she learn self defense. Gratitude flowed through her as she reached for the gun. The maneuver came to her easily, adrenaline and muscle memory combining in that instant. Her grip on the other woman's arm was like steel as she twisted the weapon. It went off, the force of it something even Nina could feel run through her body.

A bullet hit the ceiling, fine grains of dust and plaster raining down from the point of impact. Nina kept her grip, twisting until the weapon fell to the ground and then Nina took her chance. She let go with one hand, swinging with as much strength as she could muster.

She felt her fist connect with the woman's cheek, a small burst of pain shooting through her arm from the force. Nina was glad to see her knocked back, stumbling over the chair Nina had been sitting on and falling to the ground, dazed. Quickly Nina grabbed the phone she'd dropped along with the fallen gun, stumbling over her own feet as she hurried to the open door.

The night was cold and rain pelted her, icy drops that felt like shards against her skin. She ran to her car, not looking back, fingers searching for the keys she'd stuffed into her pocket moments before her room had been broken into. She fumbled with the keys for a second, somehow managing not to drop them, and was soon climbing into her car. It started immediately, something Nina was grateful for.

Tires screeched as she drove out of the parking lot and onto the rain slicked road. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, the adrenaline seeping away and leaving her feeling exhausted and cold. As she drove away, Nina spared a glance back through the rear view mirror and could just barely make out the woman staggering out of her hotel room.

Fear shot through her even as she reminded herself that she was fine, that she'd gotten away. A glance at the passenger seat where she'd tossed the gun reminded her of how close a call it had been.

The gun glinted as she drove passed a streetlight and she thought of how menacing the sight had seemed just a minute ago. Nina thought of how the void that was the barrel of the weapon had felt like such a terrifying thing. Fear had clenched her heart in that moment, a fear Nina hadn't felt since the night that had changed her life, when she'd laid beneath the night sky surrounded by flames and twisted metal.

For a second, Nina could feel the heat against her skin and the smell the acrid smoke that threatened to suffocate her. She could hear the wailing of an ambulance and see the dark sky watching it all past the metal and fire. Then, she shook her head, and the memories were gone, leaving only a desolate road ahead of her.

In that moment of calm, one that Nina feared wouldn't last, she reached for her phone. It was battered, a corner of the screen cracked, but still functioning well enough for her to send a message to a familiar number.

As she pressed send, Nina thought about the people waiting for her, about Iris and Ben and her father. A desire to see them, to speak to them—to gain some form of comfort from simply having them there for her—rose within her and she knew she had to keep going. Nina knew she couldn't give up.

The road stretched on before her, desolate and dark, and Nina hoped what awaited her at the end was better than what she'd just left behind.

- - - - - - - - - 

Hello everyone! Here's a brand new chapter for you all, hope it's good. Next one should be up on Friday and there's only a couple left! As always, thanks for reading and please leave a comment and/or vote if you can.

Have a great weekend!