Memories Made of Lies | A Short Story [COMPLETE]

| Ben |

"What's happening?" I yelled through the glass as Katie's body shook violently. Teller and Malric ignored me as they ran around her, speaking a million words a minute.

"Quick! Disengage the probe!" Malric commanded, his voice sharp and irritated. Teller scrambled to pull the needle from her mind. Malric grabbed a box from the cabinet, preparing a syringe with a thin yellow liquid as Teller ripped the sensors from her forehead.

Still, she seized, her head thrashing from side to side violently. "It's not working, sir! She's waking up!"

But Malric was already at her side and plunging the syringe into her neck. Katie arched her back for a second, all her muscle tense, before she slowly fell back to the bed, laying limp once again. Sweat dripped down her hairline as she slowly stopped shaking.

All fell quiet as Teller breathed rapidly, trying to regain his barings. Malric looked furious, his forehead wrinkled and his brows furrowed together. Growling, he slammed the syringe back into the box, a small drop of anesthetic flying out and dripping down the side. He braced himself on the table, lowering his head a moment. Eventually he said coolly, "Figure out what just happened and find a solution. Fast."

He turned, walking out the back door and slamming it behind him.

Before he was gone for even a second, I barged in the door that led from the hall.

"Woah, Ben! You can't be in-"

I cut Teller off. "I don't care. Tell me what just happened!" I yelled at him, anger boiling up and out like water. I didn't care if I wasn't supposed to be in the operating room or if everyone in the entire world could tell that I was ticked off. Whatever they were doing was hurting Katie, and I wasn't just going to stand by and watch another person I loved die because of these people.

"She..." Teller swallowed, his panicked blue eyes glancing back at Katie for a split second before focusing back on me. "She woke up."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "All of that was because she woke up?"

He was shaking his head before I even finished the sentence. "No, you don't understand. She shouldn't be able to wake up." He turned and gestured to the brain probe machine that blinked with several lights and was whirling as it tried to process the last few minutes of panic. "I helped design these sorts of brain probes. The sensor here directly attaches to the hippocampus to access her long term memory. The process is highly excertive on the mind and body and without her being unconscious, she most likely wouldn't survive."

I felt my anger kick up several notches, and he wasn't even done talking yet.

"In order to ensure that she can't wake up, the probe also impairs the brainstem, keeping her permanently unconscious. We also put her under an extremely heavy anesthetic to make sure that if there was any error in the brain probe calculations, she wouldn't wake up during the process. What just happened should be virtually impossible..." Teller shook his head in bewilderment. "I don't understand."

I wanted to lash out at him, but he seemed just as confused as I was. I felt my mind start spinning and squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temples to try and refocus.

The room remained silent except for Katie's labored breathing. Every gasp she inhaled I felt my stomach knot a little more. There was no way I was leaving her tonight.

Eventually, I was able to articulate my words. "Is this really worth it?" I sighed, feeling so torn.

I flicked my gaze over to Teller who eyed me, though he looked almost as exhausted as me. Almost. "The UIRC has been searching for her alone for nearly three years. Now that she's here, there is no way that they're going to stop until they get the information they need."

"And what if she knows nothing about the R94 prototype?"

Teller pursed his lips. "They're counting on her, Ben. If she doesn't know anything then..." He sighed. "She has to know something."

I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. What were they going to do to her if she didn't know anything about R94? What if her father never told her about his work? What if she was just Katie, and I had ruined her life for something she wasn't connected to?

My head was starting to pound.

"Ben?" Teller said after several minutes.

"Yeah, Teller?" I breathed, feeling completely worn out.
Teller turned to me, hesitancy in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but then rethought it. Eventually, he said, "Can I ask you something freely?"

I double checked that there were no cameras in the corners, then responded, "Go ahead."

He swallowed nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. I could tell that he was scared to ask, but I didn't push him. I had known Teller nearly as long as I'd worked for the UIRC, and I knew it was best to stay quiet than prod him.

He huffed in exasperation and then spouted, "She means something to you, doesn't she?"

I was too tired to deny it. "When you spend a year with someone, they get pretty embedded in your skin."

"But she..." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "She's not just your assignment anymore, is she? You... you like her."

I love her, I thought before I could stop myself. But I couldn't trust anyone, even Teller, with that knowledge. I would be as good as dead if anyone knew it.

Before the silence could stretch too long, I settled with, "I don't want to see her die, Teller. No one else needs to die from this."

Understanding settled in his eyes, mixed with a large helping of pity. It had been nearly two and a half years since Nolan's death and I still hadn't gotten used to that look. Time didn't heal all wounds.

"I'm staying here tonight. Go home and get some rest. I'll comm you if something happens with her," I said sternly, no leniency in my tone.

He wrinkled his forehead in opposition, but I didn't let him speak. "Go. You look exhausted. Get one good night of rest."

He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, giving in. "Thanks."

Turning, he headed toward the back door of the operating room. His hand hovered over the door knob when he turned back. "If you want, you can stay here on my off nights," he muttered tentatively. "I won't tell anyone. I know that she... Well, I'm just saying that you can stay if you want."

Gratitude filled my chest as I held his honest gaze. "Thank you."

He nodded and then disappeared through the door.

The room fell quiet, though now, alone with just an unconscious Katie, I could hear a faint beeping from her monitor. For a long moment, I didn't move, just stood there staring down at her and the IV and sensor that stuck out of her arms. My eyes roamed her face, looking over the red marks where the machine's sensors had been attached and the bruising on her temple from the probe. The thin wisps of hair that mingled with her drying sweat were dark against her light tanned skin. Her lashes cast shadows on her cheekbones, and I almost could trick myself that she looked peaceful as she slept. But this wasn't like the time when I had come over to her apartment to watch a movie with her and she had fallen asleep on my shoulder. She was being used and hurt, exploited in ways that made my insides turn to rocks.

And it was all my fault.

Dragging a chair over from the corner, I set it directly next to the bed. Sitting down, I leaned over her and grasped her hand. It was cold and I felt my heart break a little more.

Staring down at her closed eyes, I breathed out a shaking breath against her hand. "I'm so sorry, Katie." I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears. I never cried, but all the stress and guilt were mounting up and they stung sharply at the edges of my eyes. "I should have never turned you in. I love you so much, and now I've ruined everything."

My shoulders trembled as I struggled to keep back a sob.

"Just come back to me," I whispered on her skin. "Fight for me, and I promise I'll fix things. I promise."

There was no response.

A/N Thanks for reading! Sorry it took me a while to post. Hope you liked it :) I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and predictions here ----->