AN UNCERTAIN PAST

Chapter 9: A Meeting of Pawns

Amnesia is bliss, most of the time, as long as that lack of memory is the thing that keeps you alive. Lack of memory is also something that can make you dead, very, very quickly.

"You don’t remember anything of the last week do you? No, didn’t think you would either."

The large elderly man kept walking slowly around my chair, as if musing on my answers. Those answers hadn’t been much to celebrate over anyway, so far they included statements like ‘Nope’, ‘I haven’t a clue’ and ‘I don’t remember anything.’

He suddenly lunged at me and threw me into the wall, chair and all. God was he strong! His metal hand closed around my throat and lifted me effortlessly against the wall. I could feel the pressure in his hand starting to build and stars danced in front of my eyes.

"Do you know what really sickens me? DO YOU!"

"Some of my friends have died because of you, for nothing! NOTHING!"

"Why the hell should we let you live? Give me ONE simple reason!"

At this point I was starting to see black spots in front of my eyes as he slowly squeezed harder and harder. I slowly succumbed to oxygen deprivation and lack of blood as the pressure stopped the blood from reaching my brain, and finally fainted.

"There is no need for more killing father, it seems like we are all pawns in this game. Trust me, if there is something Spider recognizes it is pawns."

…

I woke up some time later, this time in a bed, my aching jaw and sore throat reminded me that it hadn’t been a bad dream, unfortunately. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door before it opened and a woman in her fifties stepped inside the room, she was carrying a tray with something that looked suspiciously like breakfast.

"Breakfast?" She inquired.

She was of average height and fit, her hair had once been blonde but gray had started to become the dominant color. Eyes the color of cracked ice looked at me dispassionately as I sat up.

"Yes, breakfast would be very nice." My stomach gave a rumbling agreement that seemed to shake the room for a moment. Her featureless face cracked a smile at that and she left the room laughing.

I noticed that she locked the door when she left.

…

She returned an hour later to pick up the tray, two small flying remotes buzzed around her, their beady-eyed cameras keeping me in focus as she busied herself with the tray. "Come with me, it is time that we put all the cards on the table."

I was led through an area lined with holding cells. They looked very much like my room, and a small guardroom. Two guards waved to her as we went by. After a short while we went past a reception area and I caught a glimpse of a company logotype, "Mother Security Services." We finally went up an elevator until we came to the top floor. From there we walked to a conference room.

I stopped dead as soon as I had entered the room. I had never in my life felt such profound hostility as the one I felt when I stepped inside that room. It was thick, alive and vibrant.

And directed solely at me.