Zero.

Chapter One

Day 1

I LAID there staring at the white ceiling waiting for the feeling to move through my body once again. If I was Awake, then Agent One was too. They never Woke us separately, we were a team. Together we were the best agents in the field. For smaller projects they sent rookies. For anything major, they sent us, and we had never failed. We would become anything the mission required us to be; assassins, government spies, hitmen, teachers, and I had a vague memory of posing as a wife.

That memory was always harder to hold on to.

Slowly, the numbness from my legs began to fade. I wiggled my toes to test it out. Although we were always Awakened at the same time, One always took a bit longer to open her eyes. She always said it was because she was fighting to stay in her dream. That she was having too much fun to be bothered to wake up when Chief decided to use us. She had a few more moments to enjoy her bliss before Chief came into greet his prodigies.

I was sure I had a family at one point, but for as long as I could remember Chief and One were the closest thing to family as I knew.

The same technology that prevented us from aging also altered Cheif. So, no one knew his exact age, but whatever it was I assumed I wasn't very far behind. Chief was the president of the Headquarters. A secret organization that acted as guardian angels for the rest of the world.

We took down terrorist, spies, and just about anything else that threatened the supposed land of freedom. Although we did more for this world than any other governmental office, we were the best kept secret there ever was. We operated under the umbrella of anonymity. It was simple: complete the job and walk away.

We were ghosts. Nameless, faceless entities that lived to watch and protect, but not actually alive. No. Living required things like families, careers, mistakes...love. But we were forbidden from those and as compensation submerged into peaceful dreams that gave us what we couldn't really have. It was genius really, making us forget what we had done, so when the time came we could do it all again and not feel a thing.

All that we were supposed to remember when we Woke up were the basics of who we are and whatever information was engrained in our minds to ensure that we never lost. A groan from besides me shook me from my stupor, and from the agitated way it sounded, One was finally awake.

"Morning, Sunshine" she rasped.
Was it morning?
"Is it morning? Or afternoon? Or Nighttime? Man, I hate how disorientating Waking up is." she continued, mimicking my thoughts.
"You'd think you'd be used to it." I said, clearing my throat against the rasp. It felt like I hadn't spoken in ages, I wondered again, how long we had been Asleep.

"Are you?" she retorted
I chose not to answer.
"That's what I thought." I heard her mumble.

With a sigh, I sat up from the bed, the white sheet falling to the ground in the process.

My legs wobbled once I placed them on the cold ground. Standing up, I tested my balance and jumped slighty when I felt the epressure of my hair fall down my back

"A bit jumpy are we?" One joked, stretching her limbs.

I shot her a glare and made my way to the bathroom.

I heard her chuckle from behind me. "That's a yes"

Chief would be here any moment, and I wanted to be ready once he got there. And I was curious to see just how long my hair had gotten. From the feel of it down my back, it was much too long.