Blood of My Death

Blood of My Death: The Ancient Earthscrapper - Chapter Four

Despite my concerns and Kristonia's annoyed mood, we sat silently for almost two hours, driving through that dark forest. I felt a sense of relief wash over me when the trees thinned out, and the sunlight shone through the thick canopy of trees. Within a few miles, the scenery changed. A dense forest had given way to rolling hills on both sides of the road within miles that seemed to go on forever on both sides of the road. Looking out the window, I noticed mountains topped with snow in the distance. It seemed as if the mountain range filled the entire horizon. 'I knew we weren't in the Maine Territories now, but what could we do about that now?' We didn't know where we were and could only trust that everything was okay. Kristonia was already looking out the window past me when I looked at her. I didn't have to say a word to know what she was thinking. She knew just as well as I did, we were somewhere else. Our two escorting officials were calm as they had been when we first met them at our home in Springview. Unlike us, they didn't seem to be nervous about this.

I turned back to see my sister looking down at her holo-Phone. She probably checked her GPS location, and I flicked my wrist to activate my holo-Phone to do the same. A simple shake of my wrist unlocked the screen locker with pictures of my children opening presents at Christmas. It was the last picture I took when I could walk and the happiest Christmas I could remember. As I shook my head, I couldn't think about that. I hurried through my apps to find the Google Maps app. It wasn't on my home screen since I didn't use it much anymore. I quickly opened the app, waiting for the map to load my current location, but all I got was the dreaded loading circle spinning, indicating I had no service. The same problem was apparent to me when I glanced up at Kristonia. We definitely weren't where we were supposed to be. There wasn't an area in the American Territories that didn't have 10Z (zettahertz) service. Most nations had at least 7Z, and for this area not to have service meant it was remote. I turned to the people sitting in the back seat.

"Hey, I thought we were going to the Maine Territories? This isn't where we're supposed to be," I said cautiously.

"Yes, I understand your concern. We're actually on our way to DNA Labs' headquarters. I'm sure you already know that we aren't in the American Territories. Please accept my apologies for the false assumption that your destination and medical facility was to the Maine Territories. Because of the nature of our research, DNA Labs keeps its headquarters location secret," the male official sitting behind me replied.

"Where are we then?" Kristonia asked.

"Our location is confidential, but I am sure once they settle you in, they will inform you of your location," The male official behind Kristonia responded.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense," I replied, looking back out my window.

"So, you lied to us then? Kristen, you can't just ignore them. They lied to us. You signed up for a medical trial, not some clandestine operation," Kristonia blurted.

"Again, my apologies. We did not mean to mislead you. I can assure you that the medical trials will take place in this location. Please be patient," the man said with an apologetic voice.

"Naw... Fuck that. You can't just take people to God knows where without telling them in advance. How are my nieces supposed to come to visit? We ain't got that kind of money!" Kristonia shouted.

"Mrs. Howel do not worry. DNA Labs will pay for all expenses for your family to visit you. The facility will welcome your mother and nieces and take care of them. We have already taken steps to address these issues as we expected this reaction. As soon as you have settled in, I can come by and give you detailed information about the private schools available to the staff," he said with that same smile and sincerity.

His expression never changed, nor did he show any signs of being irritated or offended. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same about his partner. The female staffer turned around once again. Her expression did not show gratitude for our line of questioning.

"I will say again, set tight until we have arrived at our destination. Then, there will be plenty of opportunities to go over these issues once we are safely at headquarters. Am I clear?" the female staffer replied, removing her sunglasses.

"Eh... Am I clear?? What fucks do...," Kristonia blurted, but she stopped at the last second.

There was a look of intense focus on her face from the female staffers. I could see her eyes consuming my sister's attention. Kristonia's expression went blank, and her annoying presence and demeanor faded. Instead, she seemed to have shimmering eyes as she looked at the female employee. An orange-reddish halo swirled in her eyes. Kristonia's breath increased, as if she was fighting against something unseen.

"Am I clear 001?" she said in a whisper.

"001? What..." I questioned, but something stopped me.

I couldn't talk or think. The female staffer then shifted her gaze to me, and that's when I felt it. An uncontrollable sense of complying with her words overwhelmed me. It went deep into my mind and soul. I felt chains snaking around my body as her gaze became hypnotic. Something felt wrong, but I am helpless to do anything against this feeling.

"001 and 002... Recalibrate. That is an order!" the female said in an icy voice.

"Affirmative... Recalibrating... Memory Series Sequence 482000152451983 beginning..." Kristonia said in a monotone voice.

That's when I heard my voice speaking without me doing so.

"Affirmative... Recalibrating... Memory Series Sequence 3510001002451983 beginning..."

"Memory Protocol Active... Building Memory Database-002-0909... Restarting in 3... 2... 1... Start Sequence," Kristonia said before leaning back in her seat. Her gaze went to look at the window as if nothing had happened.

Suddenly, my thoughts abruptly stopped.

"Memory Protocol Active... Building Memory Database-001-0909... Restarting in 3... 2... 1... Start Sequence," I said as I felt my mind slip away and my view faded to darkness.

I took a deep breath, and I woke up again. I feel an intense panic for a moment, but this feeling subsides in seconds. The female staffer is looking at me closely. I can't see her eyes as she never seems to take off her sunglasses. She looks at her male associate, and he looks back at us.

"Update... We should be at our destination soon. So, please enjoy the rest of your ride," the male staffer said in a cheerful voice.

"Um... Okay... It's been a pleasant ride so far," I whispered.

"Eh... It's been pretty boring if you ask me. How come there's no internet? That's a drag, you know," Kristonia said, waving her hand.

"Free Internet will be among the amenities once we reach our destination!" the male staffer said before turning around.

I turned my attention back outside the vehicle as we drove. The rest of the drive was the same as before. We sat in silence as the scenery passed us by. The rolling hills turned to flat land as the road straightened out. In the distance, I could see several buildings that stood out over the landscape, becoming more prominent at each passing moment. It was like going to New Dallas because you knew you were getting closer to the city because of the high-rise buildings that dotted the horizon. That's what the buildings I was seeing reminded me of as we got closer and closer. My eyes wandered over the landscape, while no thoughts seemed to enter my mind. I felt empty and fogged. It was like I had only now awakened from some dream.