EPISODE 2: A NEW LIFE

 A NEW LIFE

She was running out of time. The water rose far above her waist and she struggled to remain afloat. Holding her nose, she submerged herself into the water to search for an object strong enough to pry open the jammed door. Her observant eyes spotted a crowbar floating aimlessly just a little below and she went in deeper to retrieve it. It was of no use, the door had to be opened from outside and she was sure there were no divers around to help her out. She was trapped inside the car and help didn’t seem eager to come out. Yielding to the impulsive waves, she closed her eyes and waited for the water to swallow her up. There was no point fighting; this was the end. She was going to drown in this river and her body may not even be found. As she struggled with her final breath, she heard a faint sound and opened her eyes suddenly. Someone had yelled her name…

Areya woke up abruptly, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She could almost feel the taste of salt water in her mouth; it had seemed so real just like in the previous dreams. Dr Charles had warned her about certain flashes and dreams she may experience as a result of her brain trying to reconstruct her memory.

“…It’s possible as the week progresses that you might have some confusing dreams or episodes that may shake you up a little. When this happens, you just need to calm yourself and come back here for some therapy sessions that would help you get through them.” The doctor said during her last therapy session before she was discharged. They were seated in folding chairs, opposite each other and she turned her attention to the only item in the room that stood apart: a colored file cabinet. Reya wondered how many file cases were in the cabinet,

“So do I consider these dreams as real or merely my subconscious reacting?” she asked him.

“It depends on the circumstances… perhaps the events that occurred before the dream.” He crossed his legs.

“What about the drug trials... can they have any side effects that could cause these dreams to happen?”

The doctor uncrossed his legs and hesitated a little before answering. “We’ll certainly be looking into that as a side effect, but these drugs aim for the centers of your brain that involve memory storage and because dreaming is about the process of assembling and disassembling memories, it’s possible that the dreams may be partially drug induced.” He said carefully avoiding her eyes.

“So I should stop taking them?”

“Of course not.” He replied immediately letting out a laugh that sounded close to a cough.

She gave him a comatose smile; he was hiding something from her.

 

“Areya, are you coming down for breakfast?” A voice said, breaking into her thoughts. She was in the guest bedroom at Sita’ house. The doctor had advised that she stayed close to her since the latter was a strong connection to her past life. She hadn’t hesitated. Sita was the only person she trusted to help her get through her present situation.

Reya blinked, Cataleya was still standing, staring at her with questioning eyes. “I’ll be right there Cataleya, I just need a minute.” She forced a smile and waited till her host left. They had barely exchanged words since she arrived at the house four days ago. Sita had introduced her heartily as her cousin but Reya already knew who she was. The devil herself had come home to stay. She fastened the buttons on her pajamas; from the room she could sniff out the smell of bacon and sandwiches- one of Sita’s favorite. Food wasn’t on the list of things she needed now. She was confused, perplexed and terrified. Growing up, she was used to being independent and being able to rely on her instincts and brain power to make her decisions. Now she felt trapped and vulnerable. It wasn’t two days or months, it was two years of a lot of happenings and she had a sick feeling that this was not just an accident……

 

 

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Her laugh echoed through the joint office. The one thing she enjoyed more than frustrating Luke was frustrating Luke after a visit to the captain. She had been teasing him about the disaster date he had the previous weekend with an old friend and now he was almost turning red. He shoved her away playfully as he picked up his buzzing trackphone and pushed the ‘answer’ button.

“Luke Casper speaking,” He said to the caller. “Yes, he is the one. We were informed last week…when?” His eyes darkened a little, “Sure, we’ll be right on it. Thanks for the heads up.” He ended the call.

“What is it?” She asked him wide-eyed.

“Brandon is the next target.” He replied, running his hands through his hair.

“What do you mean? Who called?” She inquired nervously, already clearing up her table. Brandon was her ex-boyfriend.

“Hannah”

“I thought we were clear on that Luke, no personal involvement.” Her eyes watered.

“I know, I know. I don’t know how it happened. I took him off the radar just as you request.” Luke replied shutting down his system. They had to act fast if they wanted to help him. He locked his cabinets and drawers and turned off his office pager. She was already making her way out of the office.

“Sophia?” He made a move to stop her.

“What?” She shot him an incensed look.

“There is another seeker out there. That is the only explanation. You can’t afford to do this on your own.”

“Watch me.” She said through clenched teeth and walked away. The door made a loud bang and Luke collapsed on the chair, hands on his head. He felt a slight tickle on the cheek, his hand band stroke the side of his cheek gently and lingered there. He pulled it off and stared at it. It was a grey band made up of the different things his sister loves… loved. The last object was a wooden lioness with a crown on her head. Just at the center of the crown was a blue diamond that sparkled only when reflected by the sun. He felt a wave of sadness. The band was the only object that was recovered from her body. He quivered as the horrid image of her charred corpse flashed through his mind. He swallowed and shoved the band into his right pocket making sure it could still receive signals as he couldn’t afford to stay far away from the object. He had a duty to carry out. His sister had paid dearly for her carelessness, he wasn’t about to let Sophia do the same. He dialed her number and she answered on the 2^nd ring.

“Where are you?” he asked her hoping she hadn’t done anything stupid.

“Your apartment.” She replied flatly.

“What are you doing there?” He made a mental note to change his locks.

“Waiting for you to get over yourself and come help me save Brandon’s life.” Her voice was gentle.

He chuckled. One of the things he loved about her…one of the many reasons she made a good Bluecorp agent.

Luke’s apartment.

“Did Hannah say Brandon Allister or just Brandon? Sophia asked in a frustrated voice. They had been scanning through the database trying to find out who ordered the ‘extraction’ on Brandon but their search yielded nothing-Not even Luke’s expertise in software analysis was helping matters.

“If it wasn’t Brandon, she wouldn’t have told us. Try his cell again.” He said while writing some programs. They were trained software analysts specially recruited into the corporation to monitor clients-both incoming and outgoing. Luke’s unusual smartness was noticed at the age of 10 when he wrote the value of pi to 700 decimal places at a go. He had always been the perfect son; well-behaved and cool headed. His sister Michelle was not any different from him, her photographic memory was undisputable. After their parents’ death, they moved to Arizona to live with their Aunt. There, they came face to face with the real word, the fact that everything wasn’t as it seemed dawned on them soon enough. Gradually, they came to terms with their dilemma. It was either Bluecorp or “the streets”.

“Still switched off.” Sophia said. She paced about for a while trying to come up with an alternative on communicating with Brandon without exposing herself or Luke. The trackphone was the only way she could talk to him. She had specially designed one for him when they were still together. Brandon hated intrusion, he loved his privacy more than anything in the world, she included; she soon got to find out.

“You know he can take care of himself right?” Luke asked her after another failed attempt.

“Someone wants him under for a reason. You know Brandon, he is always into trouble or the other. Fine, he can take care of himself but can he withstand the pressure? He is a memory person, he hardly forgets things. Do you really think he can live normally after that?” Sophia pointed out, her face portraying emotion.

“You still love him, don’t you?” Luke gave her a lopsided grin. Her phone buzzed before she could reply. She dived for it, assuming it was Brandon.

“Brandon?”

“Hello Sophia” said an all- too-familiar voice with a tone of hatred. Sophia flashed Luke a danger glance and he started tracking the call. “Don’t bother calling his cell anymore cos in the next ten seconds your “Brandon love” would be dead. Just wanted to give you the good news, have a great day Sophia dear.” The phone clicked……