Chapter Eight
“Good to have you back.”
I pause at my boss’s voice, stopping in the doorway to his office. “Thanks.”
A flash of pale skin catches my eye. A woman stands just inside, her back to the door, and recognition hits me like a punch to the gut.
Sabrina.
I don’t know her very well, but my heart pounds as I take in her familiar silhouette. She turns, and for a moment, our eyes meet. But her gaze slides right over me, utterly blank.
She doesn’t recognize me at all.
What the hell?
I sat with her on the bus that carried everyone from base housing to the medical center yesterday. My hands curl into fists at my sides. I want to grab her shoulders and shake her until her memories come flooding back.
We went through hell together. She can’t have forgotten that.
Can she?
I stride toward my locker, my jaw clenched. Maybe it’s some kind of trick. A test of my loyalty… or my sanity.
I wouldn’t put it past the higher-ups to pull something like this. If that’s the case, I won’t give them the satisfaction of a reaction. I’ll play along.
But Sabrina… I glance over my shoulder, gazing at her through the window into Nate’s office. The blinds are up like they usually are, and she looks like shit. Pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Honestly, she looked better yesterday before the debriefing.
Those assholes.
By the time I reach my locker, I’ve got my expression schooled into something neutral. But my heart is still pounding like a motherfucker.
Sabrina is here. And whatever they’ve done to her, it’s changed her.
I glance over my shoulder at Nate’s office. Sabrina stands at his desk, her hands folded in front of her. She looks...nauseated, hunched over her folded arms. Like it’s just the flu. As if she hasn’t just escaped a secret government facility after being held for God knows how long.
I can’t believe she doesn’t remember.
I turn back to my locker, spinning the combination lock with practiced ease. The familiar clicks soothe me, ground me. This is my normal. My routine.
Whatever strangeness is going on with Sabrina and the other rescued women, I can handle it.
I thought about taking the day off. The paperwork I was given on the way out of the medical center said that I might want to, and to just reach out to my superior. But I don’t want to sit around and do nothing.
I pull out my tool belt and sling it around my hips. The weight is comforting, and the pouches and hooks are perfectly arranged, just how I like them. I’m ready to work. Ready to lose myself in the methodical tasks that usually occupy my days.
But when I close my locker door, I can’t resist another glance toward Nate’s office. He and Sabrina are still talking, their voices an indistinct murmur. What are they discussing so intently?
“It’s just my head!” It’s Sabrina. She’s moved to the door, standing just outside Nate’s office, one hand pressed to her temple.
My heart lurches. That headache… I’m sure it’s a side effect of the memory wipe. The timing can’t be a coincidence. Which means...this is real. All of it. I’m not losing my mind after all.
“Okay,” Nate nods, his brow furrowing. “Thanks for coming in to tell me.”
“Yeah,” she mutters. “I hate getting nasty headaches out of nowhere.”
Nate nods, his expression sympathetic. “Of course. Get some rest, feel better.”
As Sabrina shuffles toward the exit, I force myself to turn away. My hands tremble faintly as I return to loading tools into my belt.
It was real.
The abductions, the rescue, the debriefing… all of it. And now they’re trying to make us forget. Make us compliant little workers again, oblivious to the danger all around us.
Well, it won’t work for me. I remember everything. And I swear I won’t rest until I get to the bottom of this.
No more living in fear of what lurks in the dark. I swore that off years ago. The truth will come out, no matter what it takes.
For now, though, I have to stay calm. Carry on like normal. But inside, my mind is racing with questions, searching for answers. I’m already running through the others I know, especially the women who shared my cell like Shayla and Jamie.
But I don’t know where they live on base. I never thought to ask before the debriefing.
I take a deep breath and force my expression into one of casual calm as Nate steps out of his office.
“Morning, Summer,” he says with a friendly smile. “How are you feeling today?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” I reply, hoping he can’t detect the tension coiled inside me. “Ready to get to work.”
Nate nods. “Glad to hear it. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
He launches into explaining the tasks for the day, and I make an effort to listen attentively, asking questions to seem engaged. Inside, though, my thoughts are churning.
Nate has to know something. There’s no way a massive alien abduction happened right under the military’s nose without a lot of the personnel being involved somehow.
Is he one of the good guys trying to rescue us? Or is he part of the cover-up?
I wish I could just grab him by the shoulders and demand answers. But I know I can’t. I have to keep playing it cool until I figure this out.
So I just smile and nod as Nate hands me the work orders for the day. “You got it, boss. I’ll take care of this.”
As I turn to go, he calls after me, “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“Will do,” I reply over my shoulder, already striding away.
With a quiet huff, I turn and stride down the hall toward the exit. I can’t afford to be distracted all day by reliving the past. Not when there are repairs to be made and systems to maintain. The base depends on all of us to keep things running smoothly.
For now, I’ve got a job to do. And I plan to do it damn well, like always.
With my chin held high, I enter the elevator, pushing the button for the basement. Time to get to work.