Wow, this is crazy! Caiden thought to himself.
“No, this is fate,” Rez said with a smirk.
“How’d you do that? Oh, yeah, you’re me. Of course, you’d be able hear my thoughts,” Caiden said as he and Rez both smiled.
“So, what am I supposed to do now?” Caiden asked.
Just as he asked his question, the ethereal water beneath them began to bubble. This time, five large rectangles made of polychromatic light slowly emerged. As the last of the droplets trickled down from these rectangles, the light dimmed. The rectangles began to ripple and turn in to five unique doors. The doors formed a pentagon around Caiden and Rez.
“What are behind these?” Caiden asked while pointing to the doors.
“Important memories. Think of these as some of our psychological backup hard drives. They’re memories of your life,” Rez said. “Follow me.”
”They walked up to the first door. It automatically opened and they stepped through. Time seemed to speed up. Everything contorted and warped. Caiden and Rez walked into some sort of astral theatre where they could observe their memories as spectators.
***
The First door
Amiko Fayte cried out in pain. She was lying on a bed in the delivery room.
“That’s it, Amiko. Just one more push!” the doctor said encouragingly.
She screamed again. What followed were the sweet sounds of a baby’s first cry.
"My son," she said, sobbing with tears of joy.
“What a beautiful child, Ms. Fayte. What’ll you name him?” the doctor asked.
“Rez. His name is Rez,” she replied.
The doctor smiled and began to take measurements. “Wow, a solid eight pounds on the scale. A, hearty, healthy boy!” he said happily.
Amiko was full of pride. She had never loved anyone more than her son.
The astral projection rippled and dissipated.
“How is this a memory when I wasn’t even cognizant yet?” Caiden asked.
“The nanocells. We were built to be special. I was introduced to you shortly after you were conceived. It was during the initial gestation period, that I came to be. It will all make sense soon, trust me,” Rez said.
They re-materialized back to the area where the rest of the doors were. The door they walked out of broke down into millions of particles of light. The light rushed to Caiden, encompassing him. It began to pulsate until the light dimmed. Caiden took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
“Wow, I—”
“Remember, right?” Rez finished his sentence.
“Yeah,” Caiden replied.
“Let’s go to the next one,” Rez said.
Rez guided Caiden to the next door. This time they were transported to a different memory of Amiko.
***
The Second Door
It was three months after the birth of Amiko’s son. She was in her living quarters, building new technology and writing down her findings. She looked anxious, but she was determined. To her left, was a custom-built automated drone cycle. She picked up a carrier with her son sleeping inside, and placed it on the drone cycle. She checked that he was strapped in securely. The cycle latched on to the carrier and pulled it toward the designated opening, using a complex system of hydraulics. Then, an aerodynamic polycarbonate dome encapsulated the carrier. The airlocks were sealed tight. Amiko took extra care to review the environment readings inside the protective seat that held her precious son.
“Motion stabilizers; check. Temperature settings; optimal, check. Clean air flow systems; check. Drone defense systems; check. Setting speed and maneuverability to maximum. Typing in rendezvous destination coordinates now,” She said, making sure everything was in working order. Her plan for escape was nearly ready.
"Miko, I—"
"I can’t let them take you too. They don’t even know that this is your son! You can live free, hidden from the system, without ever having to look over your shoulder," Amiko replied.
"Miko, Rez is my son! And you two are the only ones I want to spend the rest of my life with! Why can’t you understand that? I would do anything to be with you," Kubar said.
"I can’t have you suffering for the rest of your life because of the mess I created," Amiko said.
Kubar sighed. “But—”
She showed him a small gadget. "This is a device that will induce selective amnesia. Please, just do this for me. I couldn’t bear to have you die because of me.” She began to sob. “I input a command in its programming to order you to change your physical appearance. There’s a name change command, and a new bank account with some money in it, for you to start over." Kubar was the love of her life. He gave her the most amazing gift she could have ever hoped for; her precious baby boy, Rez.
"Will I— Will I even remember you? Or Rez?" Kubar asked. Amiko took Kubar by surprise, using the device and scrambling his memories. She guided him to a separate room. When she came back, her computer screen lit up, showing three names. The new IDs she’d created were ready. The first two read‘: Dana Nyx’ and ‘Caiden Nyx'. The third name was partially obstructed from view, and only the last two letters were visible; they were ‘CE’.
Once again, the ethereal projection dissipated and brought Rez and Caiden back to the astral space. The door dematerialized into light like the previous one, and enveloped Caiden until he fully absorbed it.
“That man was my father,” Caiden said, astounded.
“Yes,” Rez responded.
“Is he still alive?” Caiden asked.
“I don’t know,” Rez said, looking down.
“So, Mom erased her entire identity from the networks of the city, altered her appearance, and became Dana Nyx,” Caiden said.
“That’s correct,” Rez replied. “Hey, next door.”
They were transported to a memory of a time when they lived with their mother in Integro.
***
The Third Door
Caiden was a happy, healthy, and extremely gifted six-year-old child. His mother, now known as Dana, had provided him an excellent
