Striding purposefully down the corridor to the Special Projects lab, Troy Kerrick was lost in his thoughts. The board would be meeting later today, and would be expecting the results of his and Whisper’s work on the supervirus project. The pathogen still had yet to be named, and he idly wondered what they could call it during the presentation. While his ego momentarily floated the idea of naming it for himself, he decided having his name associated with a killer supervirus might not be the best way to score a date.

As if you’ll ever score one! Troy thought to himself, chuckling softly. You’re in your 30’s, a bachelor, and a huge nerd. Maybe a little fame couldn’t hurt after all.

Troy keyed in his password for the lock, and the lab door slid open. All of his musings vanished as he looked at the scene before him. Whisper lay on the floor, her papers, and much of the contents of her desk strewn across the floor. Her chair lay on its side, and the monitor for her workstation was on the floor, the screen shattered.

“What the hell?!” He shouted, running to Whisper’s side. “How could anyone have gotten in here?” His mind raced, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He pulled out his phone, and hit the speed dial for Raden. “Raden, get down here, NOW! We have a problem!”

Whisper stirred beneath his hand as he tried to rouse her. She groaned, and after briefly attempting to sit up, slumped back to the floor. Her head pounded, and there were several cuts on her arm where glass from the monitor had cut her when she fell on it. “Wha... where am I..I.” she stammered. She didn’t remember falling asleep, and she was disoriented. The feeling terrified her. “T..Troy?..” She looked up at the man next to her, her lab partner of several years.

“Yeah, it’s me. You look like hell, woman! What happened here? Were you attacked?” Troy questioned her, trying not to overwhelm her.

“Uhh...thanks? I...I don’t know...I think I fell asleep, but I don’t remember.” She said, beginning to become more aware of her surroundings.

Raden arrived running through the door, barely keying in his password in time to avoid slamming into it. His eyes widened in shock, and he went to Whisper, carefully avoiding the broken glass and debris. He looked her over with a practiced eye, looking for any life-threatening or serious injuries. She seemed ok, if shaken and upset.

“Whisper, what happened?” He asked as he collected some first aid supplies from the kit in the lab. “Anything you can tell us will help.”

“I told Troy, I don’t know..I think I fell asleep. I was working, and now…” she trailed off. Her eyes went to the mess around her, and she realized the contents of the folder that had spilled. She tried to reach for it, but Raden prevented her.

“No. You’re not going to even consider trying to clean this right now. You are the concern here. Then we can worry about the rest.” Raden told her, leaving no room for argument.

Troy had gotten to his feet and was beginning to pick up some of her things. As he collected the papers, he froze as he came to one particular sheet of paper. The unmistakable [TOP SECRET] stamp glared at him from the top of the sheet. It appeared to be a satellite image. He glanced from the paper to Whisper, but she didn’t seem to notice. He prided himself on his photographic memory, and he committed the image to his mind. What was she doing with something like this? She had Special Projects access, but Top Secret Clearance? Not wanting to call attention to having seen it, he placed the sheet back into the file along with Whisper’s other documents. He would need to speak to her about this as soon as possible.

Raden helped Whisper to her feet slowly, and she groaned again as she tried to straighten. He motioned to Troy to bring her chair, and together they eased her into it. “Are you able to sit? Is this ok?” He asked, his concern evident on his face.

“I think so...I think I’m ok now, if you don’t count my skull trying to explode.” Whisper placed a hand on her head, wincing at the severity of the pain. “I think I hit my head, it hurts horribly.”

“Let’s have a look.” Raden answered, checking her eyes for signs of concussion. “I don’t see any indication of fracture, but we’ll need an X-ray to be sure. If there was an intruder, they may have struck you.” It will not be necessary, he thought to himself.

“Raden….I don’t think that’s going to be a concern. I thought that perhaps someone had tried to steal the project, or had broken in, but look…” He turned the monitor so that Raden could see it along with him. The screen displayed multiple views of the security feed, playing on a loop of the overnight hours. “No one was in here, but God…”

Raden watched in silence as the scene played out. Whisper had drifted off, her head eventually resting on her arms. A short time later, they could see her begin to move in her sleep, seemingly disturbed. She was thrown backward in her chair, and then had fallen as the desk chair wheeled backwards. The monitor had been shoved off the desk, along with her files and supplies as she flailed. Her head struck the corner of her desk, and she had slumped to the floor. He returned his attention to Whisper, and found her watching him.

“Whisper. It was a nightmare. Another nightmare.” Raden told her, the frustration evident in his voice. “This is becoming dangerous.”

“Nightmares? Am I missing something here?” Troy asked, his gaze moving between Raden and Whisper. “What aren’t you two telling me?”

“I’m sorry Troy.” Whisper told him apologetically. “I’ve been having these dreams, awful ones. I hear voices in them. I get headaches, and it’s been hard to communicate. Sometimes I feel so… out of place. It’s been happening for a while, I just..I didn’t think it was that important. Nightmares suck, but people have them all the time, you know?”

“People don’t black out all the time and hit their head, Whisper. Raden’s right to be concerned. I assume you’ve had it checked out? Troy asked, directing the latter question to Raden.

“Yes, I’ve been trying to figure this out, but nothing has shown up. We’ve tried scans, blood work, an MRI, there’s nothing physically wrong with her. I was on my way down to let her know the results of the labs I ran when you called. No toxins, no contaminants, no sign of physical illness. She’s healthy as can be.” Raden answered, pulling the printout from his pocket. “Still, it’s getting worse, and now it’s gotten her injured. I believe there is something more to this.” He didn’t look at Troy, instead keeping his eyes on Whisper. There was more. There was potentially so much more.

“I see....” Troy stated, taking in the facts of the case. He came to stand beside Raden, glancing over the printout. “Well, if you’ve ruled out the physical, then it may be time to look at the mental aspect. Stress? Trauma? Overworked?” He queried, glancing back over at Whisper.

“This project has been challenging.” Whisper admitted. “But this started before we got the first virus sample. Trauma...well, I still don’t know my past, Troy. There’s a hole in me, so much I want to know. I have family out there somewhere, people who probably stopped looking for me years ago. But is that enough to cause this?”

“Possibly, it’s hard to say. Just please promise me one thing. I want both of you to keep me up to speed on this.” Troy said, keeping his voice level. He would not let them see his disappointment at being kept in the dark on something so serious. “I consider both of you friends. Hell, we spend so much time working down here, maybe we’re family. Let me help.”

“Yes, Troy, you’re right. I told her we should tell someone, but she’s stubborn, as you well know.” Raden favored Whisper with a smile he didn’t quite feel. “If you have any insight, or ideas, we’re happy to have your help.”

“I should have told you too, Troy. I didn’t want anyone else worrying over me. Raden is already such a mother hen, always telling me to take care of myself.” Whisper quipped, returning a pained smile. “I appreciate your help, and seriously, thank you for caring. It means a lot.” She added.

“Whisper, we should get you cleaned up. The board meets in a couple hours, and if you walk in looking like that, we’re toast” Troy said, sighing as he finished sweeping up the glass. “I’ll put in a work order for IT to get you a new workstation, and I’ll see you upstairs, yeah?”

“You got it!” Whisper said, a little excitement creeping into her voice in spite of her injuries. “We’re going to get that funding, I know we are!”

Raden watched until Troy had left, and turned his attention back to Whisper. He went to her side, and lifted her bandaged arm. Without hesitation, he removed one of the bandages, which were already unnecessary. “We need to talk, Whisper. There is more that I have learned, and there is a lot at stake. Have you noticed this before?” He asked, indicating the place where only a short time ago, there had been an angry red gash.

“Yes..of course...but I don’t understand. It’s always been that way for as long as I can remember. Dr. Martask thinks it’s something I was exposed to when they found me. She says that if someone manufactured something that could alter genetics, it might be able to change my immune system like that. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If something like that exists, it would explain why Engram and the government don’t want anyone near there.”

“A reasonable explanation, but not the correct one.” Raden told her matter-of-factly.

“What? What did you find?” She asked, suddenly uncertain if she wanted to know. Something in his tone told her that it was serious.

“Whisper, you do not carry the gene for albinism. Nor do you suffer from the effects of genetic experimentation or mutation. There is no easy way to tell you this. You are not human. I know this is difficult to accept, much less process.” Raden explained.

“Not..human. Raden, are you insane? I’m a person! Of course I’m human!” Confusion was plain on Whisper’s face as she tried to understand her friend’s meaning. “This isn’t a time to be funny, I have the board meeting, and onboarding for the new project. This is serious, I’ve worked my whole life for this!”

“I understand your reluctance to accept this, Whisper. But have I ever lied to you? Have I ever, in the time we have spent together, misled or deceived you?” He asked, taking one of her hands in his.

“No, Raden, but this is crazy. If I’m not human, what am I? Who am I? This doesn’t make any sense.” She looked into his eyes, hoping to see any sign that he was having fun at her expense, or to see him laugh or smile.

“It will, in time, I promise you. There is much I still have to tell you, but not yet. Not until I am more certain of the facts. Please trust me, tell me you will let me help you.” He urged, an uncharacteristic, nearly pleading tone in his voice.

“Of course, Raden. All of my life, it’s all you’ve ever done. Help me, counsel me, keep me from doing the next stupid thing I would have done. I still think you might have taken a blow to your own head, but I know you’re not lying. I know you believe this is true. Raden, I trust you with my life, and more than that....” A hint of color came to her cheeks and she broke eye contact with him. “I love you.” It was barely more than a whisper, but he could hear it plainly. She silently cursed herself for her timing, for saying this now, when nothing made sense. Now you’ve done it, you IDIOT! She thought. Why did you say that? He just told you that you’re not even human, and you love him?

“I know.” Raden said quietly. “I have always known how you feel, Whisper. It’s complicated...but I am man enough to tell you that I have always shared those feelings. Improper, and even as impossible as it is, light help me, I do.” He placed an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to the door. “That too, is a matter we have to discuss. There are more pressing matters though, and we will need to approach them carefully. You don’t yet understand what we face.”

Whisper was shaken. Always known? Raden’s reply confused her, and she tried to understand what he could have meant. They had known each other for 12 years, since she had been found. He had never expressed interest in her, and she had never allowed herself to speak of it to him. He was her best friend, co-worker, lab partner. Together they had been Engram’s rising stars, they had done work together generating billions of dollars in revenue for the company. How could he have known when she had only admitted it to herself right now? She remained silent as they reached the door, and headed for the elevator.She had always been so self-assured, so confident. Even with all that she was missing, not knowing where she came from, she had never doubted herself. Until now.

“I will come to your apartment tonight. There is something I want to try, a theory if you will. I believe I know how to stop the nightmares.” Raden told her, reaching for the elevator call button.

“Is there anything else you want to drop on me?” She asked him, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Maybe you won the lottery? Maybe you casually solved global warming? World hunger?” She couldn’t help but smile, even as the storm of emotions continued to rage inside her.

“No, I think I’m finished, for now.” He smiled at her, the first genuine happiness he had felt in a long while reaching his expression. If he was correct, he could finally help her, finally protect her. It would confirm for him what he believed to be happening, and what was causing the nightmares. The thought filled him with happiness. No, there was no maybe. He knew. He would prove it. “No promises though.” He added, knowing it would exasperate her.

“You’re hopeless, Raden. Hopeless.” She laughed lightly, enjoying the moment. “I may not have any idea what’s going on here, but I know we’ll get through it. We always do.”

Whisper and Raden stepped out on the 2nd floor, where her living quarters were housed. She left him at the elevator and made her way to her apartment. Her mind raced, still unsure of what to believe, and what it all meant. Her heart warred with her mind, it knew the truth of his words as she tried to deny them to herself. Beyond this day, she knew her life would be forever changed. It was thrilling, it was terrifying, and it was true.