Chapter Thirty Four

"What do we do now?"

"They got it handled," said Jessica.

"What? Who's they?"

"It's hard to explain," Jessica is now using the same words as I did when I explained to her about my identity, but she wasn't joking. "I hear this voice inside my head, it's like... Telepathy."

"What? Are you kidding me?" But it wasn't that surprising after seeing telekinesis. Why couldn't telepathy be existent if telekinesis was?

"They told us to wait at the walls."

As if they heard Jessica's words, or maybe they actually did, two men walked out. One was tall and skinny, but not muscular. His skin was a bit too pale, but his eyes were sharp on his young face. His fingers were thin and long like a pianist's. Accompanying him was that killer I had met in the presidential meeting who took down five fully armed soldiers with ease.

The pale man nodded at the killer, and he vanished into the air without a sound. As I looked closer, he was actually patrolling the perimeters.

To answer the question I held in my stomach for so long, Jessica said, "Yes. Them."

Their identities were still enigmatic to me. Even though they were part of the base, but their actions and skills didn't seem like any of the privates, or even officials, in the base. Even though their movements were swift and quick like a well programmed machine, but the gestures themselves also contained some life in it. It was an ineffable atmosphere carried by them, but Jessica and I could immediately identify them as humans.

The pale young man asked gently, "Are you ready?" Along with the words his lips carried a faint smile that immediately made me relaxed. It was a friendly smile.

Jessica nodded, and he took out two balls about the size of golf balls. He rolled it on the ground, and the ball came slowly towards us. They stopped right in front of our feet.

"Random coordinates except base," the man spoke in an imperative tone.

Jessica then held me tight and kissed me. The same kind of kiss as the ones she gave me everytime we departed from each other.

I pulled away a little, "Jessica, are you not going to be with me?"

"No. Sorry Andrew, I can't. I am only dead weight to you."

"I just find you again! And now we can leave safely!"

I felt a tiny pain on my left arm. I lowered my vision. Jessica was holding a tiny syringe.

"This will let you forget all that had happened here. All about the drugs and trials. All about now. Let me go Andrew, and complete your quest. I love you."

The next second, the world around us were twisted and warped. I felt dizzy, but I couldn't fall down because there was no down. All kinds of colors passed along my eyes. Nausea struck me, and just before my stomach could collapse and let it all out, I was back into the normal world again. Before I could take in the surroundings, the world disappeared and was replaced by a line of words.

"Now you know what exactly happened. It's time for you to meet us."

I find myself back in my body. It feels so good to be able to move again - in actual flesh and bones. Even though I can't have the same freedom as I had in the previous memory viewing, it is still a lot more reassuring when you have a set of your own physical carrier. A sense of home.

I am standing in a long, endless corridor. The plaque above read "Mind Palace". Mind Palace?

Rows of rooms lined up neatly by my sides, actually to be more precise, above and below too. However, when I glance up at the doors that's not right beside me, I feel the door moving down, despite the whole setting remaining the same.

Somehow I know these doors are not what I should be looking for. There's a beacon in my head that is guiding me to stop at the right door. After perhaps a three minute walk, I stop at the door right above me. I know this is where I should go. I just know.

The door opens without me pushing it. And I slowly step in.

Then this question comes to me.

Is this finally reality, or another figment of my thoughts.

My body feels very real. The muscle fibers work exactly like they used to be. The different enhanced senses function exactly like they are supposed to be.

But again. It's like a dream. I know that none of this can be real. This weird corridor. The doors on the four sides. The Mind Palace.

"So, now you know what occurred in the past, it's time for us to introduce ourselves." Greeting me is that gentle voice and faint friendly smile.