2424
The world was blurred and unfocused. What little he could see was spinning around him in a dizzying mix of grays and red. He flinched from sounds he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Metal. Warping metal. Something burning. His eyes started to sting. Something crunched under his foot as he stumbled forward. Right foot, left foot… left foot… right hand. Something cold landed on his cheek. He was being lifted up, his eyes pried open. There was a bright light, and he was vaguely aware of a noise of protest leaving his throat. A woman’s muffled voice echoed in his head. Then another. A man’s. The ground beneath him vanished and his world went dark.
He woke to a dimly lit room. A single flickering light dangled from the cracked concrete ceiling above him, clinging on to just a few thin wires. He looked around the room frantically. The walls were tall and grey, littered with small cracks and holes. It was a small room, filled only with the thin cot he’d been laying on and a large metal door across from him. He looked down at himself. Pale brown pants, and a gray shirt which was torn and stained with blood. He couldn’t see a wound. He reached a hand back to rub his head and winced, hissing in pain. There were bandages around his head. His eyes fell on his wrist as he retracted his hand. A thin line of black numbers was inked into tanned skin.
2424.
The door in front of him unlocked and he felt himself press into the corner of the walls. A woman walked inside. She was humming through a small smile. She had warm, dark skin, and soft curls pulled carefully behind her head. Amber eyes found his cowering figure in the corner and her smile disappeared.
“Oh! I’m sorry,” her voice was gentle but sure. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” she smiled gently and set the small bag she’d been carrying on the ground next to the door. She slowly extended her hand to him. “My name is Jul.” his eyes darted between her eyes and her hand for a moment, before he reached a shaking arm out to her. Jul pulled him carefully from the corner to perch on the edge of the cot. Her smile returned. She looked to be in a uniform. A worn but well cared for white shirt, dark green pants that seemed to be armored under the fabric, and heavy brown boots. A thin chain around her neck held three tags, and three silver rings climbed up each of her ears.
Jul waited for him to calm before reaching back for the bag she’d brought with her. She pulled out a fresh roll of bandages and, moving slowly and deliberately, began to change the bandages around his head. He flinched as the air hit his skin but let her continue.
“Can you tell me what your name is?” she asked after a moment. He was quiet, then shook his head. “Can you speak?”
He opened his mouth, but it took a moment longer than it should have to get the words out. “I can’t remember.” His voice was hoarse, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he’d been shouting. His eyes fell to the numbers on his wrist again. “What does this mean?” he asked. She looked at the numbers and he almost missed the way her brow creased. “Where am I? What’s-” The door opened again, and the only thing keeping him from retreating into the corner again was the tug of the bandage still being wrapped around his skull.
She was taller than Jul by at least a foot, with slightly lighter skin and a curved nose. Her left brow was marred by two long scars that traveled up past her hairline. Dark hair was pulled back tight behind her head with a few gray stripes. Her clothes were nearly identical to Jul’s, except she had five tags around her neck and four rings in each ear. She gave him a once over, crossed her arms, and looked at Jul.
“Montalvo, report.” the room seemed to hum when she spoke. Jul nodded and stood. She placed her hand in a fist over her heart then lowered it to her side before speaking.
“Captain Matto. His number is 2424. He claims to have no memory… of anything.” Captain Matto squinted and returned her gaze to him.
“2424, were you a farmer or a worker?” she asked. Something in the back of his mind jolted, but he couldn’t understand what she meant.
“I don’t-”
“Farmer or worker.” she asked again, firmer this time.
“I don’t know, I can’t-” he winced as pain shot again through his skull. “It hurts.” he started to curl in on himself. There was a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to Jul smiling softly down at him.
“It’s okay, don’t push yourself.” He felt himself slowly start to relax and nodded back at her. “As his doctor,” Jul returned her gaze to Captain Matto. “I wouldn’t recommend pushing him right now, Captain. At least not before I know the full extent of the head trauma. We won’t learn anything if he’s comatosed.” Captain Matto seemed to hold her breath for a moment. Then her shoulders dropped and she reached for the door behind her.
“Fine,” she conceded. “But I want daily status reports, and him,” she pointed. “Under constant surveillance.”
“Understood Captain.” Jul put her fist over her heart again. Captain Matto nodded.
“Bring him Kendall’s old jacket and boots, they look roughly the same size.” Jul visibly flinched. “With the recent graduates,” the Captain continued. “His may very well be the only one’s left.” Jul was quiet for a moment before nodding.
“Yes Captain.” The captain looked between the two of them once more before exiting the room and closing the door. She turned to 2424. “I’ll be right back, okay?” he nodded and Jul stepped into the hall. She returned a few moments later with a dark green jacket and a pair of boots similar to her own. “You’ll want these, it gets cold down here.” He slowly took the jacket from her as she set the boots on the floor next to him. There was a name written on the inside of the collar.
R. Kendall.
“Whose Kendall?” 2424 asked as he pulled the worn fabric over his arms. Jul paused.
“He was a friend.” The air felt heavier. “He died a few years ago. But the Captain was right, the graduates claimed all the new gear already and Robin’s-... This is all we have right now.” 2424 looked at the floor.
“Thank you.” The words felt hollow in his chest, but Jul smiled at him, so he smiled too.
“Get some rest.” she said. “I’ll be back to bring you some food in a bit.” he nodded. Jul opened the door and stepped back into the hall. 2424 didn’t feel tired, but laid back on the cot anyway. He was asleep almost immediately.
