Earth

2017

Rory stared at the overbearing medical equipment lining the room. It was her first time leaving her holding room in almost a week but somehow this didn't seem like it would be much better than sitting in that room.

"My name is Dr. Johanson. I'm here to do testing. First, we'll need you to sign some consent forms." The doctor offered a smile, her long black hair framing her face.

Rory snorted. "Really? I have rights?"

"As far as I'm concerned, yes. You have rights. If there's anything you don't feel comfortable with, let me know. We'll stop."

Comfort soothed the hurt in her heart. This was some of the only control she'd had since coming to in the desert. "What do you need to do?"

"We'd like to do a full physical examination and undergo some imaging. It will help us learn more about your biology and your history."

Rory straightened. "Like if I've had any injuries or surgeries."

"Yes."

"Do everything. Anything that could give me answers."

The doctor's expression softened. "You really don't remember."

Rory shook her head. The fear of not knowing never left, never even slightly abated. It had become a permanent weight hanging from her chest that she had to lug around with every step.

"Could you tell if I've had a child?" The words shocked them both. It had just come out of Rory's mouth.

"Do you think you have?"

"I remembered a lullaby. I don't know if my mother sang it to me… Or if I sang it to a baby."

The doctor nodded. "Our biology is so similar. We may be able to tell. For most women, there are discernable signs of childbirth or even miscarriage."

Rory moved to the exam table, more than ready for answers.

#

"I'm sorry it took me so long to return to you. The general wanted his briefing first." The kind doctor sat close to Rory in the holding room rather than on the far side of the table. She opened a manila folder. When she spoke, her voice was soft. "I did not find any indication of childbirth. From what I've seen, your reproductive biology is identical to ours, and I would be very surprised if you had ever delivered a baby."

"Oh." Rory nodded and then smiled. Was she saddened or relieved? Surprised? Her emotions felt too distant now to catch and parse. "Thank you."

"It's possible you could have been pregnant and not carried to term. I see no evidence of that, but an early loss often leaves no scars or long-term changes."

A loss. She felt as if she had lost so much. Could it have been a child? She would never know, not unless her memories returned to her. "Thank you for telling me that first."

"I'm an expert in forensic medicine. So while some of what I will share is my best estimate, it is a very good one." The doctor met her eyes. "I believe you're in your mid-twenties, possibly late twenties. You're in very good health with no known conditions. I did see evidence of a broken femur that looked to heal well, as well as some scarring along your ribs." She motioned along her own in a swath along the right side.

If she'd trained with guns, who knew what other training she might have engaged in? It made sense that she'd have some old injuries. "Surgeries?"

"Not that I could tell. Now, we don't know how advanced your people are. It could be that they have much less invasive treatments than we do here."

"Thank you for sharing this with me. You know, like I'm a patient, not a specimen."

"You are a patient. I will be overseeing all medical care from here on out." She leaned in, voice quiet. "I will know if anything is wrong medically. My patients are my top priority."

Had the doctor just promised to protect her? "You're a good person, Dr. Johanson."

"Just a person, Rory. Like you. Now you ask for me if you need anything at all that I can help with. I'm going to leave this file with you so that you can read through all the findings in detail. I'll check in tomorrow to see if you have questions."

#

Time passed so slowly, not only because Rory was trapped in a room with no daylight, but also because her entire known life stretched from the beginning of the short time in the desert to now. Her mind had gone numb from the constant testing. Testing of all kinds. Psychological, medical, technical, linguistic, cultural. Still, Rory's memories had not returned.

"It's puzzling how similar you are to us." It was the scientist who had played the guitar. She hadn't seen him all week, but he'd returned today for an interview.

"What's your name?" She met his kind eyes. "It's strange not knowing what to call the people I see more than once."

"Theo." He looked over his glasses at her. "Short for Theodore."

"Theo." Rory smiled. "I like that. I've thought about this too, how similar we are." She sat back against her chair. "We must have a shared origin."

"You may be our origin. Alternatively, you could be from another dimension or another time. If you're from another planet, your people may have planted life on Earth, or our worlds may have been seeded by the same civilization." The longer he theorized, the faster he talked. "We have a strong fossil record on Earth. If we were seeded, then it doesn't seem likely it was as humans." He pushed his glasses up, animated now. "We had a time in our history where a huge and varied number of species exploded into the world. The Cambrian Explosion. It's possible that someone seeded those species and humans evolved from that."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Then how are we so similar? There should be more differences between us if we evolved from other species in our worlds since if our worlds are different."

"It would seem that question likely has the same answer as to how you know English and Mandarin."

Her chest tightened. "Either I'm from another version of Earth or our similarities are engineered. This isn't the Earth's first contact. Your evolution was guided. But it wouldn't have been by my people. Look at me." She lifted her hand. "We're of a similar developmental level. That civilization must have evolved beyond our forms. They'd be more than human by now if their technology is so advanced. If it's that I'm from another time, then why is our biology just slightly different? You would think if my people had evolved more, I'd be more advanced than you considering the trend toward implanted medical devices and the research into gene editing."

His brows raised. "What do you know about gene editing?"

"Well…" Rory sat back. "I feel like I could hold my own in a conversation about it and I know that Earth is still on the precipice of utilizing this technology."

"Fascinating. In my opinion, another dimension or another world makes more sense than time travel. If you're an alien species to us, then it's as if your world and mine are the children of a parent civilization. So how did a child find her way here? With nothing? Not even her memory?"

"The general hopes you'll get me to answer this." Rory smiled. "He's given up on interviewing me himself."

"You want to know the truth. I believe you when you say that. We had that breakthrough with the music together. I asked to be the one to do this interview. I think if we just talk we'll learn more than if you're interrogated."

Rory rubbed her arm. "Do you believe me? That I have no memories."

Theo nodded, eyes serious. "I do. There's no signs of manipulation in your psychological tests or in the transcripts of your conversations. There just isn't evidence to support that you're lying, Rory. The military cannot afford to believe you. I can."

"Are you manipulating me, Theo?"

His eyes lingered and then he smiled. "That's not my strength. If I was a good manipulator, I would have had many more friends growing up."

She chuckled. It wasn't wise to simply believe him, so she'd be careful, but she wasn't going to let suspicious derail a productive conversation. "Fair enough." Her smile fell. "Either I was sent here or I fled here. Those both seem like frightening options."

"The national security implications are critical. The United States is preparing for worst case scenarios."

It didn't seem like that was good news for her. "I would never bring someone here to hurt your world."

"If there are people out there who have been around long enough to guide the evolution of two worlds, then I don't think you had a say in any of this. Or if you're advanced enough to jump dimensions, then we're in trouble."

"Why would they send me with nothing?" She shook her head. "It doesn't make sense. I must have escaped here. But if that's true…" That pain hanging in her chest sharpened. She touched her heart. "My people may already be gone."

Theo reached forward and took her wrist with his bulky glove. "I'm sorry, Rory. I'm sorry this is happening to you."

Her breath caught at his touch. It was the first time anyone had made contact with her other than for a test. She grabbed his hand and lowered her head, hating to show her weakness. "I'm sorry too. I've upended your world."

#

Three weeks and Rory had found a strange rhythm to this new life. They'd started allowing her time outside beneath their strange blue sky and a more comfortable bed. But she was still confined to the holding room other than when she was fortunate enough to go for a walk.

Today that all would change. "If I pass this test, I get more freedom?"

The general sat at the far end of the table, surrounded by advisers and scientists. Theo sat two seats down from Rory, a friendly face in a room that was always too stoic.

"We'll be conducting tests and observations for a great deal longer. We realize you need better accommodations. Perhaps, an environment that feels more like home would even help you regain some memories."

Price believed her, didn't he? It was the first time Rory had felt so certain. "What's the test?"

Theo looked up at the general, the curiosity that Rory so often saw in his eyes stronger now. He didn't know either.

The general spoke with too level of a voice. "We have enlisted help from specialists in the military for one last interrogation."

"Oh." Rory seemed to digest what he said before others at the table did. It was like the air was getting sucked out of each person, one by one. A familiar scientist pushed back from the table.

"Wait," she said.

Theo spoke with a heavy voice. "You want to torture her?"

"Enhanced interrogation." The general kept his head up.

Theo snorted and shook his head. "Enhanced interrogation." He slammed his palm on the table, rattling Rory. "That's the bullshit line you run through Congress. Have enough respect to be honest in front of the woman you're about to torture."

"We aren't torturing anyone."

Shock flooded her. This emotion from Theo was real, and he didn't seem the type to speak up. One of the advisers leaned in to whisper to him, but he brushed off the man's words.

"Rory is telling the truth." Theo rose from the table. "Every test indicates so."

"Then this test will support the conclusion of the rest." The general looked sad as he averted his eyes from Rory. "No one is going to hurt you."

Not physically, perhaps.

Theo's voice wavered on out of control. "Dr. Johanson–"

"Is welcome to resign." The general met Rory's eyes again. "You've cooperated with us. You seem genuine. This could all be part of your ploy, but I feel I owe you the truth."

Fear tightened her chest. Theo turned away, one hand running through his hair, the other clenched into a fist at his side. Voices clashed now. Erupting and spewing like venom. Disagreements over the ineffectiveness of the methods and denials that it was torture at all. It all melted into one awful scream in Rory's mind. Until finally, she was the one to stand.

"Enough."

They all spoke over her.

"Enough," she shouted this time. It felt good to unleash some emotion and take control for once.

Everyone snapped to silence.

She clenched her jaw. "If you're doing it then shut up about it and get it over with." Rory looked to Theo. "It doesn't matter what's right or wrong. This was always going to happen because they're scared and have too much power and make stupid decisions. He has his orders. Look at him. He doesn't agree, but he'll do it anyway. So don't subject me to the torture of hearing you all yell about it."

"Rory…"

She plastered her hands on the table. "I'm the greatest national security threat the United States has ever faced. The greatest existential threat to the entire world." She locked eyes on the general now, holding his stare. "For now. If something dangerous is out there, you better hope they don't care about what you do to me."

Price was quiet for several seconds. "Then where are they?"

The question might have been the most terrifying so far, not only for her, because she had no one here, but also for the people of Earth. That was the question that mattered most, wasn't it? Where were her people? If they cared, why did they leave her here with nothing but a bracelet? Rory could not base her hopes of survival or living her life on people she couldn't remember or those who feared her.

She rose back to her full height, looking from one person to the next. "If you're doing it, get it over with. And when we're done, I expect to have a room with a view."