Upload (Finale)

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep,

I groaned in my head. My alarm? I didn’t want to get up right now. I felt terrible. So bad I felt like I could barely move. No way I was going to schoo- wait.

No! The simulation! I’m back in the simulation! We got caught! Braxton, Jason, Lexi! Where are they? I have to find them!

My eyes snapped open blurrily and I was surprised to find myself in a dim, unfamiliar room laying on a bed. There were machines next to the bed and I could see tubes and wires on them. Was it another N.I.N. machine? I glanced around trying to think of a plan to escape but I knew that with how exhausted and weak I felt I would be lucky to even sit up.

Movement next to me made my head move and I saw a woman with dark brown hair sitting on a chair next to me. Seeing my movement she leaned towards me and I belatedly remembered to close my eyes and pretend to be asleep.

“Alexsis?” She said softly. “Alexsis, honey? Are you awake?”

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, my heart aching. I wanted to be awake. I wanted to be awake and safe. I didn’t want to get sent back to a simulation again.

“Alexsis open your eyes.”

I forced my eyes open again. I had to convince them not to send me back. I had to convince them to let me stay awake!

Seeing my eyes open the woman leaned forwards smiling at me and I flinched. She noticed her brow furrowed in confusion and sympathy. She was about to say something when I broke her off.

“Don’t! Please, don’t send me back there.”

“What?”

“The simulation. Please-don’t put me back. I- I don’t care what you think I know. I don’t know anything!”

“Alexsis-”

“I don’t know anything. Where are the others? What did you do with them!”

The woman put a hand on my shoulder. “Alexsis, listen! Do you know where you are?”

I blinked looking around the room again for any signs of where I might be. Where was I? I remembered that being important. Important for being rescued. Where had Jason said again?

“The Department of-Experimental…”

“Alexsis, you aren’t in the compound anymore. You’re at the base.”

“B-base?”

She nodded. “Our hideout. Resistance base.”

Resistance base.

Overwhelming relief filled me with my fear evaporating. Resistance, I was with the resistance. I was free. I was safe.

Tears stung at my eyes and a few tears leaked out before I forced myself to hold them back worried to embarrass myself in front of this woman and whoever else might be here that I hadn’t seen. I glanced around the room again. Wait! If this was the resistance where were…

“The others! Where are-”

“Shhh it’s alright. Everyone’s alright. They’re all fine. They’re just sleeping. They would have been here but you’ve been asleep for two days and I made them all get some rest.”

Fine. They were alright. We were safe, we were free! Tears sprang from my eyes and I suddenly found myself sobbing, unable to hold back the pure joy and relief that I felt. My friends were safe, they hadn’t been hurt because of me and we could be together!

The woman smiled again, holding my hand. “Are these happy tears or are you sad?”

“H-Happy. I-I think.” I muttered trying to get under control though I wasn’t sure if all of them were happy. I wasn’t sure about this new world. These new people, but it was better than where I had been before.

She nodded and pulled out some kleenex to help me wipe my eyes and now runny nose. I sniffled embarrassed at my sudden breakdown though I felt better for it and was suddenly glad my friends hadn’t been there to see it. Especially Braxton.

“S-Sorry, I don’t- know what happened there.”

“It’s alright dear. Better to let emotions out than keep them in.”

I glanced around the dim room again and noticed the tired look in the woman’s eyes. “Wh-what time is it?”

“About three in the morning. Being in the simulation for so long screwed up your circadian rhythm.”

I sighed. Of course when I woke up for the first time in the real world it would be in the unholy hours of the morning.

“Great.”

The woman beside me laughed. I liked that sound.

“Sorry I- woke you up.” I told her, aware that she should be sleeping too.

“It’s alright I was already awake.” She reached over to pick up a cup. “Would you like some water?”

I gave a slight nod, suddenly too tired to do anything else. She held the cup to my lips helping me drink though I was disappointed she only let me take small sips when I felt so parched I wanted to gulp down the entire glass.

“There, now you get some more sleep. I’ll make sure that the others are here next time you wake up alright?”

I blinked in response, heavily resting my head down on the pillow again as I fell back asleep, a tired smile spread on my lips.

***

A gentle light greeted me when I next opened my eyes and I found Braxton and Lexi sitting on chairs next to my bed. Lexi spotted me looking at them first and nudged Braxton as I yawned, blinking my eyes to get them to come into focus. With the extra sleep I felt a little better but still extremely weak.

Both my friends grinned at me excitedly. “Welcome back sleeping beauty!” Braxton said. “I would have been here when you first woke up but someone made me go to bed.” Lexi whacked him on the shoulder, shooting him a glare.

The woman’s voice came from behind him. “Braxton. What did you just say?”

Braxton blushed suddenly looking very small. “Sorry Mom…”

“Uh, hum”

“…I love you!”

“That’s better.”

I smiled. “That’s your mom?”

He glanced back at her. “Yeah, she’s our head nurse. Not that it gets me much sway with her.”

“Well Braxton” Lexi said glaring at her friend. “In her defense you were sitting here for two days refusing to sleep once we got back. We practically had to drag you out.”

He folded his arms glaring back. “Oh come on! It’s not like you weren’t poking your head in here every twenty minutes to see if she woke up!”

I smiled imagining them both being so worried about me but I quickly hid it as Lexi turned her attention back to me. “How do you feel?”

“Uh…Tired. Which is annoying, seeing as from what I can tell I’ve been asleep for ages. You would think I’d have more energy.”

They laughed. 

“Well you have been asleep for a couple months.” Braxton said. “Your body isn’t sure how to wake up.”

“Yeah, I guess. What time is it?”

“Almost two.” Lexi said with a smile. “We just finished lunch. Do you want some?”

I nodded, now that she mentioned it I realized how hungry I was. “That’d be great actually.” I glanced over at Braxton’s mom who had moved over to listen to our conversation. “If I can do that.”

“You can try. I’m not sure how much you’ll be able to get down though. Let’s start you out with some crackers alright?”

She went over to get me some food and water only to rush over when I started trying to sit up.

“No, no no! You do that you could break your stitches again! Someone has to help you get sitting up until they’re gone, got it?”

I scowled annoyed with my powerlessness and then resigned myself and let her help me sit up against the pillows. It wasn’t as if I had the strength to get myself sitting up anyways.

Mrs. Keller brought me a small plate of crackers and a cup of water that were set next to me and I began to slowly, at her insistence, nibble at a cracker. Looking around I suddenly noticed one of my friends was missing. 

“Where’s Jason? Is he alright? He got shot didn’t he?”

The two of them glanced at each other nervously and I set my cup down worriedly. Was he alright? Was the shot worse than they thought? Braxton’s mom said that everyone was fine. Didn’t that include Jason?

Not if they still think he’s their enemy. Not if they still think he betrayed them.

“He’s fine.” Lexi said, seeing the look in my eyes. “He was in the medical wing here with you for about a day for his arm; he’s briefing the general on what happened.” 

“General?”

“My dad.” Braxton explained. “He’s in charge.”

“If Jason is fine why do you guys look so nervous?”

Lexi pursed her lips. “Well…its just…”

I understood. “They don’t believe him do they? They still think he’s a traitor.”

They nodded. My heart ached for Jason. He had done so much for me, risked everything, just so we could be free and safe and his old friends still didn’t believe him.

“He didn’t betray us.” I said quietly. “Even if he did, he helped us get out.”

They nodded again though I could see the slight nervousness in their eyes. Maybe they didn’t trust him either. I didn’t blame them.

I tried to eat some more crackers but found my eyes kept trying to droop closed. Braxton’s mom spotted it, insisted my friends leave so I could get some more rest and after forcing them to reluctantly head out I layed back down hoping that soon I would get my sleep schedule back to normal.

***

Voices woke me and I listened for a moment keeping my eyes closed trying to decide if I should try and go back to sleep or not.

“…don’t think she would be able to give you any information dear. She hasn’t been awake much but from what I can tell the reports are accurate. She doesn’t remember anything. She didn’t recognize me when she woke up and earlier she didn’t know who you were either when the kids mentioned you.”

I opened my eyes seeing Mrs. Keller talking to a large, tall, man with unruly black hair. They hadn’t seen me so I kept my eyes open trying to figure out who this new person might be. Someone that was mentioned earlier. I thought back on my conversation with Braxton and Lexi, Braxton had mentioned his father being a general. Was this him?

“Am I the only one who thinks that’s a little suspicious?” The man said. “He comes back with information and helps us get her back, but he’s the only one who remembers what happened and his story contradicts what we had on last contact?”

“Do you not want to believe him?”

“No, I do. Heck it’s hard for me not to believe him! but I can’t put everyone at risk just because he helped us. We thought he had betrayed us before. Can we risk the possibility of it happening, if not for the first time, again? For all we know this could be a long con, or he could’ve been brainwashed…technically they both could have been.”

“Would they have come with us if they were brainwashed? Would Jason have taken a bullet for Braxton if he was planning to betray us later?”

“Like I said. Long con. Infiltration.”

“Taking a bullet is a lot more drastic than giving false information which, may I remind you, he gave us the correct information to successfully do the mission when we had wrong information before!”

“Are you saying you can completely trust him?”

“…No, I merely think you aren’t taking into account all he’s done for us since then.”

“I want to trust him. I do. But I can’t if it will put us all at risk again.”

At that moment he looked over and spotted me watching them.

“Oh! Look who’s awake!” He said with a smile coming to his formerly stern face. “I’m sorry we didn’t mean to wake you!”

“It’s ok.” I said as I smiled back nervously and glanced at Mrs.Keller for help. She caught it and stepped forwards gesturing to the man.

“Alexsis, this is my husband Laurence. He’s in charge of the base.”

I nodded in understanding, turning my attention back to him. “Hello sir. Um…sorry I didn’t recognize you..my memory..”

He waved a hand dismissing my apology. “It’s alright, I’ve been briefed on your memory loss. I’m sorry.”

I nodded. “Sir…Jason..he’s not a spy. He helped protect me. He wasn’t working with them of his own free will! He was a prisoner just like me!”

He walked over to take a seat next to me. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Jason. How did you get to know him after your memory was erased if you were placed in the simulation?”

“I woke up. At first I thought they were dreams. Jason was there working on the simulation, fixing things for them though he didn’t want to, and taking care of me. He said he made a door or something so Braxton and Lexi could get in and find me.”

Mr.Keller nodded. “Yes, he mentioned the door. What happened when you were awake? Did he or anyone else say anything important or tell you anything about their plans?”

“The Commander mentioned using me as bait to catch other rebels and using them to test out more machines…though if the one they were using on me was the only one I’m not sure what they were planning on doing. Jason said he didn’t know much about their plans, he was just in charge of keeping up the simulation.”

“I know you don’t remember much but can you try to think back? Do you remember anything that happened on the mission when you were captured? Anything to support Jason’s story?”

I looked back searching. Turning over the words in my mind. Mission, Jason, Capture. I looked as far back as I could but there was nothing besides my life in the simulation. It was just…empty. I looked down ashamed. Here I was the only other person who might be able to clear Jason’s name and I couldn’t remember anything!

“I’m sorry sir. I can’t remember anything.”

“It’s alright. If you remember anything make sure to tell someone alright?”

“Ok. I will. Sir can…can I see Jason please? Just to make sure he’s ok?…I uh..never got to thank him.”

He seemed unsure for a moment but then nodded. “I’ll arrange for him to be able to come see you.” He stood up. “Well I should let you get some more rest. Get well soon.”

I frantically tried to think of anything I could to try and convince them of Jason’s innocence. A thought came back to me.

“They hit him.” I said forcing my tired eyes to stay open.

He paused at the door, turning to look at me. “What?”

“In the dream..ur when I woke up. When Jason tried to defend me they’d hit him. The commander was going to kill him when he saw I was missing…but…Braxton killed…him first.”

The two of them looked at each other wide eyed.

“Hmmm, they…never mentioned that. Thank you Alexsis.”

I nodded and then dropped back to sleep.

***

The next day Mrs.Keller decided it was time for me to start walking again. I was excited when she proposed it, having become sick of lying in bed all day long. Standing up for the first time with her helping hold me steady I was surprised by just how weak I actually was. Even with her help to walk over to the bathroom I felt like I could barely hold myself up and by the time we got to the bathroom only a few steps away I was already exhausted. Once I was done and we had walked back over to the bed I laid back heavily suddenly finding myself wanting to sleep for hours even though I had just woken up.

“This sucks.”

Mrs.Keller nodded sympathetically. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“I mean..at least in the simulation I could move.”

“You’ll get your strength back and the stitches will be gone next week. It’ll just take some time.”

“I know. It’s just annoying.”

She nodded, tucking me in and telling me to get some more rest which I also found annoying seeing as I had been doing nothing but resting for days. Even so I took a nap waking up later when Mrs.Keller brought me some food for lunch. I was able to eat most anything at this point; though it was hard to stay awake to finish it.

A visitor at the door distracted me from my sandwich as a man poked their head into the room looking in at me and Mrs.Keller.

“Hey Lura, I brought him.” He glanced at me. “If now’s a good time and she still wants to meet.”

I sat up a bit straighter excitement chasing away the last bits of my exhaustion. Mrs.Keller saw my reaction and nodded to the man. “Let him in.”

Jason walked into the room and I was glad to see that he looked well, he seemed nervous but the dark circles under his eyes had started to fade. Upon entering the room he spotted me and I could see relief fill his eyes, his shoulders dropping slightly. He smiled.

“I was worried when they said you hadn’t woken up.” He said, eyes shining “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“You too.”

Jason shuffled towards me waiting for Mrs.Keller’s permission before taking the chair next to my bed. As he sat down I noticed that he had handcuffs around his wrists. I glared at them.

“You shouldn’t have those. You didn’t do anything wrong. You should be free!”

Jason glanced over at the man who had brought him here who was standing just inside the door. “It’s fine Alexsis. I’d far rather be a prisoner here than free back at the compound.”

I looked at him sadly. “You shouldn’t be a prisoner at all. You saved us.”

“I knew what would happen when I got back here, Alexsis. I knew they wouldn’t trust me. The Resistance are far better captors than N.I.N, they treat me well.” 

He was putting up a strong front but I could see the tremor of nervousness still in his eyes. His friends thought he betrayed them. Even if they were moral and wouldn’t hurt him that didn’t mean they would be nice to a traitor.

“I’m sorry.” I said, tears welling in my eyes. “I keep trying to remember the mission. I keep trying to remember so I can tell them you’re telling the truth but…It’s all…There’s nothing there!”

Jason leaned forwards holding my hand in his own. “It’s alright Alexsis. It’s not your fault. You don’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself, remember? You just focus on getting better, alright?”

I wanted to argue more but merely nodded. There wasn’t much I could do at the moment to help him but I decided I would keep defending him in any way I could. The thought came to me that I could maybe try and make something up and say I remembered the mission but I was hesitant about trying that. Could I really lie to these people I had just met? What if they asked about specific things that they would know about the mission that I didn’t know? What if I actually remembered later and it didn’t match what I had made up?

“How are you doing?” Jason asked, trying to change the subject.

I shrugged. “Alright, I started walking today though I’m still super weak. I’m staying awake longer though so that’s good!”

He nodded, smiling. “I’m glad you’re walking. With so long in the simulation I was worried it might have damaged your motor functions. Don’t worry about being weak, your muscles just aren’t used to moving yet; you’ll get your strength back. Just give yourself time.”

I nodded but I wanted to learn about him. “How have you been doing? I remember you getting hit, are you alright? What have you been doing while I’m here?”

“I’m alright Alexsis. I just needed a few stitches. It hurts a bit but other than that I’m fine. I haven’t been doing much since I got here. Speaking with the General and resting mostly. They won’t let me do much else but I’m fine with it. I’ve wanted a chance to rest.”

I nodded. He had been staying up to talk with me at nights and who knows all the other things he had to do for the Commander during the day. 

“I’m glad you’re able to get some rest. You deserve it. You’re looking better.”

He chuckled a bit. “I doubt it but thank you for the sentiment. You’re looking better too. Being awake and getting a bit of food seems to have done you some good!”

I blushed looking away embarrassed. Lexi had brought me some of my old clothes but I had quickly found that being in the simulation had made me lose quite a bit of weight. I felt like I was a skeleton.

“Ha, sure.”

He frowned apologetically. “I’m sorry Alexsis I tried to give you as much nutrients as I could but they were watching us both closely. I was worried just changing the medication…I wish I could have gotten to you before… everything happened.”

I looked down nodding thinking of the stitches I had where feeding tubes had been and the gaps in my memory. I shrank deeper under my blanket. Thinking of that…of what they’d done…it made me want to hide under my covers and never come out again.

I’m fine. I’m safe now. It’s over. I’m fine.

“It’s ok.” I told him, forcing a smile. “You saved us in the end. That’s what matters.”

 He nodded and I started yawning exhausted after spending a few hours awake and Jason stood up to leave so I could rest. As he moved towards the door I forced myself to stay awake and watch him leave. After having him as my protector for so long I didn’t like seeing him go wishing he could stay near me. Just before he left I remembered something else I wanted to say to him.

“Thanks for protecting me.” I called and he looked over smiling sadly at me.

“It was my pleasure Alexsis.”

***

A week later after I got my stitches removed and had regained enough strength that I could walk with minimal help I was finally allowed to leave the medical wing. Lexi came to get me excited to show me the rest of the base. I had asked her on one of her visits if I had been in the base before but she said that the one we had lived in before had been destroyed after my capture and I had never been here before.

She wanted to give me a tour but luckily when I stood up and got going she saw that I was still pretty weak and relearning how to walk so she decided better than to drag me all across the seemingly enormous building and brought me straight to the room we would share instead.

“Welcome to our room!” She said with a flourish, opening the door for me to reveal a small dimly lit room with a bunk bed, a desk littered with wire and tools, and two dressers.

“The bottom bunk’s yours. I would give you the top one but I don’t think you’d be able to climb up yet.” She explained.

I nodded, walking over to the bed and sitting down taking in the room. She looked at me concerned. “You ok?”

“Uh..Yeah. Just tired.” Which was true. Though I was also trying to connect that this was my room. That the base was my new home. This place…it felt safe but it was just so…foregin.

Another world.

“I saved some of your stuff from the old base!” Lexi said excitedly going over to a drawer and pulling out items and putting them on the bed next to me. A light brown jacket made from worn, soft, leather, a book with pencil smudged edges, a knife in a leather sheath, and finally a picture frame.

Taking the frame I stared at the picture in shock. It was a younger version of me standing with my parents. They looked exactly like in the simulation.

My hands trembled with rage as I thought of the spies I had left behind who had looked just like that and I almost threw the frame at the wall. How dare they? How dare they take so much from me? How dare I have to see their faces again? However, stopping myself I looked at the picture again. These weren’t the spies. This was real, these people in the picture had been my parents.

And they were gone. They were gone and I didn’t even remember them.

Hot tears flooded my eyes rolling in steady streams down my cheeks. A feeling of loss filled my heart. Startled by my sudden reaction Lexi slid over putting her arms around me in a warm embrace as I sobbed. I didn’t know these things that had been so important to me, I didn’t know anything about this place and this world.

“Alexsis? What is it? Are you alright? I’m sorry, was it too much?”

“Lexi, I…What do I do? I…I don’t remember any of these things…I don’t even…remember…them!”

She held me tighter. “It’s ok. It’s alright. I can tell you what they were. Do you want that?”

I nodded trying to wipe away my tears. “Y-yeah. Th-that’d be nice. Thanks.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

She told me the picture had been taken about a year before the uprising that killed my parents. Apparently they had died while trying to get me to Braxtons family and they had managed to save me. The jacket had been given to me a few years ago for my birthday and was one of my favorite ones. Trying it on I knew why, it was extremely comfortable with deep pockets that could hold almost anything. The book was a journal I kept throughout the last few years and Lexi promised that she hadn’t looked in it while I was away, and finally the knife had been given to me by Braxtons parents before I went on my first mission and was my first ever weapon.

I studied the knife running my fingers across the leather case and the smooth metal hilt. I didn’t take it out seeing as I had no idea how to use a weapon and wasn’t sure how strong my grip would be but pulling it out slightly I saw a shiny, well kept blade with a sharp edge.

It was a reminder. A reminder of what I had been before I was captured even if I couldn’t remember it. I was a worrier. A rebel fighting for their freedom.

“Lexi, can you teach me the stuff I used to know? What I used to do here? How to help fight?”

She nodded. “Of course! Anything, just ask! Hey, I can even teach you how to make your own explosives if you want!”

I smiled nodding as I gripped the hilt of the knife. They may have taken my past from me but I would get it back. Somehow. Just let them try to stop me. 

I kindled the anger within me and felt the first fires of revenge.

The End