Outside the tall windows of the board room, the afternoon light faded into darkness as the sun slipped below the city skyline. The city lights came to life, thousands of glistening points in the distance like a galaxy fallen to earth. Dr. Aldrich Saxe sat at the head of the long conference table, his arms folded casually on the table as he listened to his two employees present before the board. The meeting had been underway for several hours now, as they turned from presenting to opening the floor for questions. He knew there would be many. They had simultaneously discovered a deadly pathogen, and the means to contain and neutralize it. It was a field fraught with ethical concerns and issues, and many felt that the study of these things was in and of itself far too dangerous. Still, Dr. Saxe had founded Engram to prevent those worst case scenarios. He saw the company as something of a beacon of hope in a world of fragile lives. His expression did not betray the pride he felt, that his team was once again on the cusp of a massive breakthrough.

Whisper and Troy stood before a white board, explaining the virus and what it was capable of, as well as showing slides of the antigen being introduced, and the immune response they were able to trigger. Troy was in his element, making the information digestible to C-Suite executives of the board of investors. In addition to the antigen, he explained, they had also been able to produce a robust t-cell response targeting the virus, with the ability to neutralize it entirely. Heads nodded approvingly around the table, as Troy introduced the next speaker.

Ephrim Xerxes stood and joined Troy at the white board. He stood for a moment, arranging his papers and preparing his slides. The board would be pleased, he knew, and he allowed himself a smile as he began to present the numbers. He was met with shocked expressions, and calls for additional verification, but he knew he needed none. The estimates for developing the vaccine were solid, and he was all too aware of the eagerness of world governments to avoid another global pandemic. The last one had brought the world’s powers to their knees, a position they refused to find themselves in again. Unusually for these sorts of meetings, there were no signs of anyone nodding off, or losing interest when the financial numbers were being addressed.

As the final concerns were answered, the board voted unanimously to fund Engram’s research, and development through Xerxes completely, an investment that would pay off handsomely. Whisper was exhausted, and struggled to focus. She shook herself out of her thoughts as someone was offering a handshake.

“Congratulations, Whisper!” Dr. Naria Martask said brightly. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Plenty, Doctor, I promise you. I can’t even stop myself from working long enough to relax!” Whisper returned the woman’s gracious smile and handshake. “Anything new?” She asked hopefully.

“I’m afraid not, but don’t give up hope. If you can make a breakthrough like this one, we’re going to find your answers.” She squeezed Whisper’s hand reassuringly as she spoke. She needed no elaboration to know that the woman still wanted to understand her past. Dr. Martask had been the doctor called to the scene on behalf of Engram when Whisper had been found. She had been the first to examine her, and had been working ever since to help in any way she could. “Get some rest now, and celebrate a job well done.”

“I’ll do my best.” Whisper replied, waving to Dr. Martask as she filtered out of the room with the other board members and began to mill around. Voices droned as groups stood around discussing the meeting and other small talk. Troy was still packing up the presentation materials when he noticed her sitting back down at the far end of the table. The room was nearly empty, and he saw his chance.

“You were awesome tonight!” Troy began, coming over to join her. He didn’t want to be too direct, especially on such a special occasion. “You had them eating off the palm of your hand.” He smiled at her, proud of what they had accomplished.

“You weren’t so bad yourself, Troy. They love you! You always know how to make the science geek stuff approachable, and I think they appreciate that.” She smiled back, but raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn. “I’m exhausted, let’s get out of here.” She said, standing again to leave.

“Whisper, wait. I wanted to talk to you about something.” He told her, gesturing for her to sit again. “It’s about earlier, when we found you in the lab.”

Whisper sat back down, her stomach tightening as she did so. She had managed not to think about it during the meeting, but now, the same dread returned, along with Raden’s words. You are not human. His words had been so casual, a simple statement of fact. But they echoed now as she wondered what Troy wanted to discuss.

“What is it, Troy?” She asked hesitantly.

“Your files had fallen to the floor, and I saw something.” He began, glancing back over his shoulder to be certain there was no one within earshot. “There was an image, marked Top Secret... What is it? You don’t have that clearance, and if you’re in some kind of trouble, I want to help. I told you, don’t shut me out of this.”

“The truth is, I don’t know. I was on my way to the lab yesterday and it fell out of the mail one of the interns had with her. I think it was being sent up to Mr. Saxe. Troy, it’s where they found me. I know the risks, but I have to know what’s going on. That site is treated like Area 51, they won’t talk about it, or even acknowledge it’s real. Nobody will say why I was there, much less why I can’t remember anything.” She sighed in frustration. She had been searching for so long for any clue as to who she was, and where her family could be.

“Fair enough, Whisper, but you know they’re going to find that document missing right? You can’t just keep it. They’ll trace it, and you’re going to be in the hell of a lot of trouble when they do. You need to return it. Szostak isn’t going to take it kindly.”

“I knoooow” she said, nearly whining. “Trouble loves to find me. I can’t exactly just march in and drop it on the desk, you know. I have to get it up there discreetly.” Whisper held her head in both hands, feeling overwhelmed by it all. She was out of her league with all of the secrets and goings on at Engram. She didn’t want any of this. “Please don’t say anything to anyone. Give me time to think. Raden will help me come up with something.”

“We will help you come up with something.” Troy corrected her. “Same team, remember? And hey, I looked at it too, so if they send you to the firing squad, I’m coming with you.” He laughed, giving her arm a squeeze. He remembered too late that she’d been injured, but she didn’t pull her arm back. “Sorry! I almost forgot about your arm. How is it?”

“Oh it’s ok, don’t worry about it.” Whisper replied lightly. “Nothing a few painkillers couldn’t fix. I didn’t even feel it.” She was glad she had remembered to replace the bandage that Raden had removed. That was not a conversation she was prepared to have with Troy. “Let’s get out of here, ok? I think they want to lock up.” She nodded toward the door where the security staff were approaching.

“Yeah, let’s. I’m wiped from this and I want to get a bite to eat before I crash. You coming?” Troy asked, getting up to leave.

“Thanks, but no. I’m going home and going to bed. Food can wait!” She smiled tiredly. It was no lie, all she wanted was to rest. Raden would be there soon, waiting for her. She wondered for the hundredth time if giving him access had been a mistake.

The two left, and entered the now dark hallway, long deserted by the other attendees. Security was doing their final checks as the elevator closed, taking them back to their apartments. For reasons she couldn’t quite place, the sight unnerved Whisper.

As she approached her apartment door, Whisper could already sense that Raden was inside. She could always tell when he was near, and had never thought to question why. They were just connected in that way, and it felt natural to her. She keyed her code for entry, and walked inside. Raden was seated with his back to her in one of the chairs, pouring over documents while he waited for her to come home.

“I see you brought a little light reading.” She joked, looking at the papers spread across the coffee table, the end tables, and even part of the floor. “Anything I can help with?”

“No, thank you Whisper, just reviewing reports for a new project. Sara was kind enough to drop it on my desk, along with a note from upstairs that this is to take priority over everything else. I would have appreciated a little more lead time, but you know how it is. Dr. Saxe wants what he wants, and if he feels something is important, he’s seldom wrong. However, this evening, even this will have to wait.” Raden stood and began collecting the papers, placing them back into their file folders and then into a briefcase. “Right now, regardless of what anyone else feels, you are still my top priority and I won’t change that.”

“Thank you, Raden. For this, and for everything. I haven’t been able to focus all day, all I can think about is what you said earlier, and I can’t get my head around it. Somehow, deep down, it fits, but that still doesn’t help it seem real. This is my home, it’s all I know. Where will I go if you’re right? How could I stay here if anyone learned something like that about me?” The questions came pouring out, so many questions she needed answers to.

“I understand, and I know what you feel more than any other. You’re afraid, and you have a right to be. Please remember, you are not alone, and you will not be. I will not leave you, and I will help you. I am sorry that you have to experience this. It is, by far, the most difficult time we have been through, and I’m afraid it will become more difficult still.” Raden motioned for her to join him on the sofa, bringing with him a single piece of paper that he hadn’t put away.

“That isn’t very encouraging, Raden. After the way the morning went, and the board meeting, I was hoping for some rest, but maybe I should make some coffee instead. Something tells me it’s going to be a long night.” Whisper met his gaze, the seriousness of his expression confirming her words.

“No, it’s alright.” Raden replied, making room for her beside him. “It will be more clear once I have explained. I want you to rest, especially now that I have an answer to those nightmares. I believe you will sleep through the night for the first time since you’ve been here. I just need you to see this.” He passed her the sheet, allowing her to take in what was printed there.

As she took the paper from Raden, Whisper’s hand trembled. The gravity of his mood was unsettling, she had not seen him this way before. She looked at the two images at the top, nearly identical, clearly microscopic views of the same substance. Beneath the images were the data, and as an expert in her field, she needed no explanation to understand that the values given were for blood panels. Both contained unidentified fields, values that had no entry. Highlighted in both images were cells she did not recognize, smaller than lymphocytes, and a pale blue color that did not occur in any life form she had ever studied. She looked up from the paper to Raden, again meeting his eyes with a questioning glance.

“What is this? What are these samples?” She questioned him, though she had a feeling what his reply might be.

“Blood samples, Whisper. Yours, and mine.” Raden replied, betraying none of the emotion he felt beneath the surface. “I can prove that you are not of this world, because neither am I.”

Stunned into silence, all Whisper could do was stare at the images.

"We're not related, are we?" She asked, a hint of embarrassment creeping into her tone. She thought back to their earlier conversation, to the things she had said to Raden. She looked up at him, feeling a little foolish that this was the first thing to come to mind.

"No, we are not family." Raden reassured her. "I would have made a far different reply to you had that been the case. We are of the same race, nothing more." Almost nothing more..he corrected himself in his thoughts. What would she feel if she knew..no, when she knows. "But please, I know you have questions, and I will do my best to address them."

"Raden, how? How do you not look like me? If we are the same, shouldn't you look like you've never heard of sunlight either?" A wry smile played at the edge of Whisper's lips at her own remark. "You could be anyone, a janitor, a pizza guy…"

In answer to her question, Raden stood then, turning to ensure the window was securely shaded. He walked to her terminal, and keyed off the security to her apartment, ensuring there were no operational cameras. He returned to her then, and sat, closing his eyes. As Whisper watched in shock, a soft, eerie glow emanated from Raden, bathing the room in pale, otherworldly light. His appearance began to transform, his dark hair fading as though exposed to bleach. His skin took on the familiar marble white hue, and when he opened his eyes, they glowed an emerald green that would never be seen in nature. Not the nature of Earth.

Raden reached out and took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. Whisper looked down at their hands, their skin now indistinguishable. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek as the realization came to her that she was no longer alone. She was no longer a curiosity to be studied, or the only person to look like her. For the first time she could remember, Whisper felt what she had so desperately longed to feel. She belonged.

Moments passed as they sat together. Raden didn't speak, but instead moved closer, pulling Whisper into his arms. She would speak when she was ready. He wanted only one thing, for her to be safe. Her shoulders shook as she cried into his chest, overwhelmed by the flood of shock, as the life she knew and understood was stripped away.

"My heart, there is more that I need to explain, but I don't feel that it would be wise to continue. I don't want to see you upset this way, and I hope I was not mistaken to wait so long." Raden told her softly. "Can you trust me? Will you let me decide when the time is right?"

Whisper nodded, and raised her head to look at him again. Her amethyst eyes were rimmed with red, and the pain in them was evident. She lifted a hand to his face, almost afraid that she was dreaming, that she was still alone. She studied his face, the same Raden, but now completely alien.

"Thank you." He told her. "You are safe with me, I promise you. Do you think you are able to rest?"

"I feel so…lost. I have what I want more than anything, but it doesn't seem real. I need time…" She answered. "I feel so drained, as if the life is just pouring out of me."

"Then sleep. I will be here, to protect you while you rest."

As Whisper lay down, the last thing she saw was Raden transformed again, to the man she had always known. She drifted off as exhaustion quickly overtook her.

Whisper...are you there? Help me…

Whisper crawled through the darkness… terror gripped her as she tried to see ahead of her. It clung to her, her skin damp and cold as the voice echoed again.

He comes...please help me, Whisper.

Red points appeared in the tunnel, growing larger as she got closer. They coalesced into eyes, staring into her soul as something took hold of her. She tried to get free of it, gasping in short ragged breaths….

Raden watched as Whisper slept, keeping a vigil at her side. He could feel it now, as she entered into the nightmare. She moaned in her sleep, tossing in bed as she fought something unseen. It was time.

Standing from his chair, he went to the bed and sat beside her. He placed a hand gently on her head, wiping away the perspiration beaded there. Closing his eyes, he reached out to her mind, weaving a shield of light around her consciousness. His hand took on a near translucent appearance as the light radiated from it.

Whisper calmed beneath his touch, Raden’s power and presence shielding her from the dream. A grim smile came to his lips as the truth of the situation was now certain. She was awakening.

Light blinded her as the red eyes blinked out of existence. She fell to the ground, bloody, fighting to bring air back into her lungs. She raised a shaking hand to her throat, where...it...had held her in its grasp like a ragdoll. In the distance, she could hear a laugh. It left her chilled to the bone where she knelt, unable to move.

"You cannot hide." It mocked her.

Then it was gone.