Fuchsia leans forward, pulls her glasses off, rubs her temple and sighs. “Jax I can’t tell you everything at once because it would be too much for you!”

She instead started with what happened yesterday.

“Bren told me about what scared you in the lab. When you saw the bloody ID card in my lab you assumed something terrible happened to the individual. I understand how you may have thought this especially considering I have not been completely honest about what we do, and I am sorry for that!”

She tells Jax that they had taken the individual to the lab to keep them safe until the tranquilizer wore off. When he fell in the street, he must have hit something and broken his nose. He bled everywhere and that is why his ID card had blood on it. He was returned to a safe location and the situation was resolved.

Fuchsia looks at Jax and says “The people on the list that you and Bren have collected have received what the government likes to call unauthorized surgeries. The unauthorized surgeries have occurred by two different groups.

“The first is a group of doctors that wanted to push for the immediate use of new medical technology for the purpose of improving or saving lives. Most of these doctors were on the original teams that created the new medical technology, or they were doctors who had joined with good intent. Most of the facilities or individuals that performed the surgeries have either been shut down or have been terminated. Many of the patients that have received these surgeries have not been located. Most had circumstances that allowed them to start over and leave their old lives behind. So, it was almost impossible to track them down, especially if the hospital records were destroyed.

“The second group is a group of wealthy investors who wanted to capitalize on the new medical technology. Originally, they had offered a large sum of money to a group of leading researchers ‘Eclipse Medical.’ Eclipse Medical specialized in Cybernetic Research. The Senior Researcher refused saying the investors had unethical intentions.”

Fuchsia paused and then with a shaky voice she said, “Some things happened and the research was stolen despite attempts to protect it. The Senior Researcher was my mentor and boss.” She wipes tears from her eyes.

Jax hands are trembling as he pushes his chair back from the table. He has too many questions pounding in his head.

“How long have you known about me?” Jax asks.

Fuchsia sits silently running her purple nails over the table.

Jax asks again, sounding more frustrated “How long have you known about me?”

Fuchsia cradles her head in her hands and mumbles, “since before you had your surgery.”

Jax nearly hits the floor as he tries to stand up from his chair.

Bren taps Fuchsia’s hand urging her to continue as Jax goes to the couch and pulls his legs up to his chest.

“Do you remember a nurse named Keri?” she asks Jax.

Jax looks up and nods, “She was the only person in the hospital that acted like they cared about me.”

Fuchsia smiles and chuckles. “Jax, that nurse is my mother.”

“She only mentioned a son who she said she hadn’t seen in a long time.” Jax said while rubbing his forehead trying to process what he was being told.

Fuchsia waves a dismissive hand in the air as she says “That old bird has never accepted me, even after I transitioned 4 years ago.”

Sina moves to the couch with Jax.

Fuchsia gets Jax’s attention and continues, “Jax, when I found you three years ago you were close to death. You had lost so much blood and had sustained serious injuries to your head. The administration of normal medical care and surgical procedures would not have saved you. I made a call for an ambulance and got you taken to Nova North Hospital. The hospital had several doctors who I was closely connected to through joint research in cybernetics and future med tech. I knew this was the only option I had in order to save your life.

“Not far from the hospital your heart stopped, but I refused to give up on you.”

Fuchsia’s hands trembled as she brushed one up her cheek to her temple.

“We rushed you into an operating room and began trying to revive you. You were clinically dead for 38 minutes.

“You required several blood transfusions and immediate care to the stab wounds and external trauma to your head. As soon as your heart had stabilized and the bleeding stopped, we administered nanoparticles to encourage repair and regrowth. Over the next couple of weeks, you received several other procedures and a major surgery. The biggest surgery was the installation of your cybernetic implant. During the first couple of weeks you experienced many seizures. We were afraid that your brain was rejecting the implant, but we couldn’t rule out that it was just a side effect of your trauma and coma. It was an agonizing six months waiting for you to wake up!

“I requested that my mother, Keri, be placed at the hospital to watch over you. She is an excellent trauma nurse and I knew I could trust her when I couldn’t be there.

“When you woke up you couldn’t remember anything. Keri thought it would be best for me to avoid you until you started regaining your memories. We didn’t want you to have to face your past too fast! About four months after you awoke, I was approached by some government agents. They were trying to get information from me about you and some other recent matters that had taken place. They gave me a timetable to produce answers and a request to work with them. I decided that it was in my best interest to talk to them and comply with their requests as much as I could. I denied knowing what happened to you and simply said you had gone missing.

“I had to leave your care completely in the hands of the doctors and my mother and I advised them to discontinue their research and destroy the evidence. They released you from their care with as little of a trail as they could, as I had suggested. Keri left the hospital immediately after you were released and the doctors were terminated and an investigation has been ongoing since. I have been afraid that they would find out about you and my involvement with your surgery.

“I was in shock when you showed up behind my building almost ten months ago. I thought I was seeing a ghost as your silver and white hair danced in the wind. If It hadn't been for Nix biting you and bringing me back to reality. I probably would have hugged you and messed everything up. I didn’t think I would ever see you again, but there you stood in front of me alive and well. When I walked you into the building I couldn’t take my eyes off your hair. I found myself reaching for your hair but stopping myself just in time as you made eye contact with me. I assume your hair changed color as a result of either your trauma or the many procedures you underwent. While I talked with you and bandaged your hand I desperately tried to think of a way to keep contact with you. I didn’t want to lose you again. That is why I asked for you to work for me.”

Jax stood up and walked to the door. He didn’t say anything. Fuchsia walked over to him, tears running down her cheek as she said “Jax, please wait.”

She reaches up to touch Jax’s shoulder and he looked at her coldly and said “I don’t understand any of this! I need to go.”

Fuchsia collapsed on the floor crying as Jax takes off running out the door. Bren springs up and tries to catch up to him. Bren calls his name, but his voice disappears over the distance and he loses sight of him in a crowd of people. Jax had always been extremely fast, so Bren had no hope of catching him.

Bren returned to the apartment short of breath. He finds Fuchsia and Sina on Jax’s couch. Sina is rubbing Fuchsia’s back trying to comfort her.

He sits in a nearby chair and tells Fuchsia that he couldn’t keep up with Jax. Fuchsia looks up looking defeated. She sits up straight, pulls out her phone and starts messaging him. Eventually he will get the text and even if he can’t forgive her, she knew he would want more answers.

She looks again at Bren and says, “we have to find him, there is no telling what he is thinking!