Vessa woke and began taking in numbers

Female 35: 99%, Female 12: 76%, Male 23: 80%, Male 17: 35%, Female 27: 94%, Female 63: 92%, Male 56: 95%.

She breathed in and out as if she was still sleeping, but assessed what she was smelling. Antiseptic, artificial fragrances of the flower and fruit variety and a bitter smell that probably came from decay. The noises of beeps, wheels, running, and crying, as well as the numbers running in her head all told her she was in a hospital.

Female 25: 58%, Male 76: 94%, Female 34: 96%, Female 23: 78%, Male 26: 21%, Female 26: 80% & Male .07: 45%

Vessa caught her breath at the pregnant woman and her baby. She wondered if the fifteen year old she’d put in the trash can had made it.

Male 23: 92%, Male 17: 47%, Female 63: 99%, Male 56: 97%, Male 35: 25%, Male 21: 45%, Female 34: 80% & Female .04: 40%

Vessa lay in the bed, not giving herself away as awake, trying to think. She fell asleep to a numbness instead of figuring anything out. When she woke again, she was not as disoriented, figuring out she was in a hospital within seconds.

Male 12: 57%, Female 27: 95%, Male 16: 46%, Male 25: 37%, Male 67: 94%, Female 34: 93%

She willfully went back to sleep and woke up again to voices.

“We’ll have to move the unresponsive to a more official place.”

Female 34: 92%

“Wait until morning. We’re still getting more in and those who are unstable are going to need extensive care, and no doubt Doctor Makayl will want to plan before they are moved.”

Male 56: 84%

“The investing team wants to know when they can interrogate the agitators along with… well, everyone. They’ve been pressing me on it.”

“Who? I’ll deal with them.”

“That’s one of them coming now.”

“The Admiral wants to be up by…”

Male 32: 91%

“The Admiral can want what he wants, but medical matters are not in his purview.”

“I understand that but the faster we can question.”

“I will alert you when patients are ready to be questioned.”

“The Admiral….”

“If I were to get orders, I would do as you say, which the Admiral knows. He hasn’t obtained them because he knows Doctor Makayl won’t give them. Therefore, he has sent you to harass me into complying. I will not do so without said orders. Press me again, and I will document your interference as acting outside the chain of command. Do you understand?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Yes Doctor, I’ll just wait here then.”

“As you’re not medical personnel, and will bother my patients, no, you will not.”

Vessa needed to leave. She knew that. The voices had quieted to only medical topics between doctors and patients. Her vitals had been taken twice. Vessa still lay in the bed merely pretending to sleep.

Female 35: 94%, Female 12: 76%, Male 23: 80%, Male 17: 35%, Female 27: 91%, Female 63: 98%, Male 56: 95%.

“I don’t understand, Doctor Esseram, I’ve done blood, urine, and fecal tests. I’ve checked every inch of skin and done physical assessments. Her heart rate and blood pressure are very low, but I can’t figure out what’s causing it.”

Older male hands touched Vessa, but she simply pretended she was still sleeping.

“Let me see the chart.”

“Hmmm, mark her as one to talk about with Doctor Makayl. There’s nothing we can do until we have more equipment.”

If Vessa waited for that, she might be found. The Umbaan had to be looking already. That was good. She could return back to base having proven everyone wrong. Vessa opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. It was white and clean. Did she want that? What else was there?

There are numbers in my head!

Vessa sat up. Her heart racing as she rubbed her face with her hands. If she went back. She’d, she’d. Vessa couldn’t breathe.

“Thank everything. Your vitals are rising. Do you have any medical conditions I should know about?” A nurse said and Vessa placed the voice to a mousy brown hair girl whose clothing was dirty.

“No.” Vessa said as she looked around for anything else to focus on. Where were they?

“A makeshift hospital in one the spires, as the military wants to keep you all separate from regular hospital patients.” The nurse answered the question Vessa had apparently asked out loud. Her mind felt fuzzy, but Vessa still needed to be careful. Did the nurse look embarrassed, or ashamed? Vessa couldn’t tell.

“Hold on let me go get Doctor Esseram.” The woman said and Vessa watched her go until she was out of sight, then got up and walked to the nearest bathroom. Hopefully, she’d find a way out. She looked into the mirror and stared.

The mirror showed her face. Her blond hair hung in messy clumps. Vessa brought her fingers up to the mirror. No blood on either set of hands. She moved them. It felt like someone else was moving the fingers. Not her. Who was she? She didn’t know.

Vessa breathed in and out, trying to find a calm within the storm inside. The father was holding the little girl; the mother braiding her hair as chaos erupted past their bodyguards. What had she done? Who was she? Who had she become?

Vessa looked away from the mirror to see a window. She moved her wrist so that her bracelet would tell her if there were alarms, only there was no bracelet. Vessa looked down at her clothing, but it was a hospital gown. She had no pockets, so the file and the assignment book were gone.

“I want to go back.” A voice said and Vessa agreed.

“Back to when the numbers were about me and my multiple deaths. I never hated myself then.” Vessa nodded with what the voice was saying.

“We protected each other. We made sure we were all safe.”

A sound of crying and Vessa looked back to the mirror to see tears coming down her eyes. Her body was shaking. She was sobbing. A thud and Vessa wasn’t looking at the mirror anymore. Instead, the underneath of the sink.

A knock on the door and Vessa looked between it and the window.

She could pull the window open and escape. Her body would heal if the jump was too high. She could get herself together and return to the Umbaan and then to her people.

Another knock.

Vessa simply stared at the window. She felt sick, numb, faint. Everything was off. The world was moving in jagged motions. She staggered to standing on someone else’s legs. Fingers turned the doorknob. Faces appeared. There was medical white all around. There was green and black. IIA. They’d been following her.

Why?

A Familiar number came into focus.

Male 544: 89%

Vessa looked around as people were touching and moving her. Voices speaking until she found him. The Umbaan rep. His face was sympathetic. She wanted to scream.

Strange hands moved her face away. Fingers at her eyes with lights shining into them, and someone was sobbing. Others were talking.

She was on a bed.

Still, there was medical white. Still the green and black of IIA. Fingers, her fingers grasped at a black sleeve. Vessa made a choice.

“I am a murderer. I assassinated the little girl. It was me,” Vessa said and with those words medical white disappeared, and all there was was black and green.