Life-After (21 page)

“
Can you hear me, Mr. Zavior?” The woman whispered in my right ear. “Don’t worry. You’re fine. You’re better than fine! Let me take this off of you.”

The pitch black that I had seen up to that point brightened slightly. I realized something was placed over my eyes and though I still could not open them I realized that my sight had not been lost. The woman did not sound like what I expected. I had pondered if somehow Flag was able to recapture me, but the joy in the woman’s voice was unmistakable, she was happy for me.

“
The doctor is coming, David.” The woman said. “I’m Nurse Margaret, I’ve been your nurse for…well, I better wait for the doctor. I’m sorry. I’m babbling, but it isn’t every day you get to be there for something like this. I mean they said you may never…oh, there I go again. Listen, everyone owes you. I owe you. Just hold on and she’ll tell you everything.”

My mind was racked with thoughts about my explosion and the feeling of power and rage that I had felt. Intertwined with those feelings were others of me standing on the beach with Clara and her telling me to continue the fight. What echoed in my head the most was what Jonathan had said. He had no idea who Clara was and that just was not possible.

I heard the door open and immediately I knew who had entered the room. I could smell her perfume. It was the same as when I was in the capsule. I forced my mouth open to call out, but no words came. Lola whispered something to the nurse who then promptly left the room. Again I tried to open my eyes but could not. There were several moments of silence before she spoke.

“
David, its Lola, you are in the hospital. I don’t know what I should say because of many factors. Because of what happened to you and the time that has past I do not want to say something that could cause you to relapse. What you should know is that you did it. Everything you sacrificed for paid off and we all owe you our thanks. I just wish Jonathan was alive to see this. He wanted to thank you in person.

Anyway, I know who you want to see and she is on the way, but bear with me for a moment. We had placed you in containment and in the process we used we bathed you in life energy. We believed this would bring you back, but it was as if you were brain dead. Your body was paralyzed, but it just so happened that due to an electronic malfunction we were not able to return you to containment right way. It seems some it has worn off I can take care of the rest.”

Lola’s words did not connect with what I had remembered. She spoke as if I volunteered for what was done for me and what happened had a positive outcome. I wondered if what I felt when I turned to pure energy was different than what happened. It was possible that Flag’s plan worked and I destroyed the Asher base ship or this was yet another false reality created by Richard or my own mind.

I could move again, it was slow and labored but I was able to lift my hand and touch Lola’s face. I was no longer mad at her. Maybe it was because I felt sorry for her loss, be it true or false and regardless of what he had done to me a part of still considered him a friend.

I heard the door to the room open again. At first I thought it was the nurse that had returned. My eyes strained to open and through blurred vision I could see a woman enter the room. Lola stood from the bed as the woman rushed over to me. She wrapped her arms around me and began to cry.

“
David…” She cried. “I thought…I thought I lost you.”

The voice was not of the nurse. I could not make out who it was but her touch was familiar. She leaned over pressing her lips against mine. It was like remembering a long lost memory. As she leaned back I could make out her face, but the person I saw was not what I expected.

“
We have to run tests, Mrs. Zavior.” Lola said. “But take your time.”

I gasped out her name and she nodded pleased that I remembered her. When I found Clara for the first time her name popped into my mind for just a moment and I quickly pushed it away. I felt guilty for thinking about her. The love of my life was Clara and that was who stood before me at that time, but the first person I thought of was my first love. Now, she stood before me.

13

“
So this is your last visit. I think we should reflect on the past. Why don’t you tell me everything that has happened over the last two years as if we had just met?”

Doctor Silva’s office was specifically designed to bring comfort to her patients. On the seventy-fifth floor of the Destiny building her view of Lake Daily was spectacular. From the soft brown carpet to the positioning of the couches she always tried to make me feel as relaxed as possible. Above her desk were numerous degrees from all over the planet. She was the best and they would only give me the best. After all, I was their hero.

“
If we just met then I wouldn’t tell you anything.” I replied with a chuckle. “Anyway, my life story is all over the global net.”

“
You know that is not what this is about, David.” Doctor Silva said with a slight tone in her voice. “We’ve made all the progress we can here, but your true healing comes from out there. Your life with your wife and friends is what will continue your inner peace. You will need to continue talking and opening up to them.”

I had grown accustom to her round face with thick black eyes brows that sat just above her rimless glasses. She always wore her hair up, but once when I showed up to her home one night she answered the door and I was surprised. Her hair came all the way down to the small of her back. At the time I was not thinking about that. I thought I was relapsing again and ran from the house to the only person I thought I could trust.

She could have called the cops on me. I found her address using less than legal means. I was delusional and soaking wet from the rain. Instead she invited me in and talked me down. Her voice was so calm and kind almost like a mother’s. It made me wonder why she was single. She was an older woman, in her mid forties I would guess. Yes, she was a bit round around the edges but I thought she was very attractive. Perhaps it was just because she helped me so.

“
I know.” I answered. “Believe me it hasn’t been easy, but I had to open up if I was going to make it. I owe you everything for helping me see that.”

“
We owe you everything, David.” Doctor Silva said. “I wish I could say life will be easy, but with your status and fame it will not be. What is important is to know who truly loves and cares for you, who will be there in your brightest days and darkest nights. It may sound corny, but that’s what we need. Now, let’s start at the beginning.”

The beginning to Doctor Silva was different than what I perceived as the beginning. To me my beginning began when my vision cleared and I looked into the eyes of Sara. If it were not for the fact that I was still in a weakened state I would have jumped from the hospital bed. It was like being visited by the ghost of a loved one. The look in her eye was of joy over having me back. The look in my eyes was one of fear, fear that I had yet again fallen into another delusion.

It took weeks just for me to accept the position I was in. I played along wanting to know what had happened. I remembered everything that had happened to me, but their versions of events were different. All I could do is claim I did not remember so I could learn what they knew. The story they told me was incredible.

My grandparents were part of an experiment. There was a disease that tore across my country that caused human cells to decay at a rapid rate. The doctors and scientists did everything they could to reverse it, but they just did not have the technology. A year later we had lost over half of our population to the disease. It was then that a doctor from India visited the country. At that time the global war was still fought country to country and the Federation and Alliance were not yet created.

The doctor claimed he had a way to reverse the cellular decay and promised to share his research for asylum and access to continue his work. There was little debate and soon the government passed the resolution and he was allowed to conduct human trials. My grandparents were part of that initial group.

While the doctor kept most of his work a secret he was able to curse the disease, but as soon as he did he was killed and his research taken. All they had was the few initial test subjects and the cured population. As time went on the death of the doctor and loss of research was forgotten. The war continued to grow closer to our country and so all else was put to the side. When the Alliance finally came the people rose up and fought against them.

My grandparents were killed and my parents fled the country. They knew they would be hunted and so they left me with friends of the family who were too old to flee. I was eventually placed in an Alliance schooling facility. Meanwhile, my parents were being tracked. The alliance wanted my country because of its recourses and strategic value, but it was more than just that.

They knew about the doctors work and a team of scientists from twelve countries came together to find out if his research was true. They tracked his movements to Korea where they found a soldier who could heal almost instantly from injury. As they began looking into the reason why this solider had this ability and if it truly was the work of the Indian doctor they were betrayed by one of the scientists.

All the scientists and their data were destroyed. At that point the Alliance ramped up their search for the doctor and discovered he was working in my country. However, by the time they arrived the doctor had been killed and his work stolen. When they conquered my country they began testing the surviving population to see if they had any abilities. The alliance doctor, Henry Flag, was the first to discover that the original test subjects and their descendants were the only viable sources for data on the doctor’s work.

Flag and his team searched the files the alliance had taken on the remaining population and the only living family was mine. My parents had fled under my mother’s maiden name and it would be years before he discovered me.

My parents were not so lucky. The Federation had been tracking the doctor since he began his work. Originally he worked for the Chinese government on a project to create super soldiers. When the doctor was near completion he fled and had been hunted ever since. Once China joined the Federation they continued the search to destroy any evidence of the doctor’s work. They ordered the twelve scientists killed and they tracked the doctor to my country and killed him as well.

The Federation government had their own scientists who also discovered that my parents were the last source of the doctor’s work. They however were not fooled by my parent’s last name and captured them. They were tortured and tested upon until my father escaped just long enough to destroy the facility. My mother and father gave their lives to destroy the research and end the Federations plans.

By this time I was ten years old and after an extensive search Flag discovered my identity. By the time the Alliance moved in to take me I had collapsed during a boxing match. Flag had me rerouted to Alpha Medical where he began tests on me. Up to this point much of the story matched what I had already known with a few differences. What happened after that point was completely different.

Flag was able to piece together data thanks to his father who had kept copies of his work and sent them to him before he was killed. Flag used the data and with the Alliance blessing began The Awakened Project. When he ran experiments on me he knew exactly who I was and with his new data would be able create the super soldiers for the Alliance. When he was found dead in his apartment it was assumed he was killed by the Federation, but it was soon discovered this was not the case.

Unlike the history I had come to believe I did not keep my new found abilities a secret and told my headmaster. I was promptly taken to Alliance command where they began an investigation into Flag’s death. It was discovered that Flag was keeping much of his research and results from the Alliance and soon we discovered why.

Flag’s father was approached by a colleague of his and recruited to work for the Federation military. He knew he could not just turn over data to the Federation and so gave his location to the Federation assassin and faked his own death. He had also recruited his son and sent him specific data so he could work from within the Alliance to keep tabs on their progress. Once Flag made a breakthrough on me he contacted the Federation to pull him out by faking his own death.

I was all that remained and with Flag and the Federation close to creating an army of super soldiers they asked me to subject myself to tests. By that time I had learned the truth of my family and had come to terms with it and so I volunteered. In the end they were unable to draw any useful data from me and as it appeared the Federation did not achieve their goals at age eighteen I entered the military.

It was during my time there that I met Hershel, but after a training accident I was once again without anyone that was until I was recruited into Alpha Factor. It was there I met Jonathan Kane. The military kept my ability and history a secret. All Jonathan knew was that I was determined to be the best solider in the alliance, but I had competition. Her name was Sara.

We began as rivals but over the months of special training we fell in love. When we were tasked to go on a mission together I was concerned for her safety, but she would not allow me to pull a macho routine on her. Before I was sent on the mission it was approved by General Davalos who informed me of his knowledge of my condition. I was selected for this mission because it was discovered the Flag’s were close to completing their formula.