The calm of his dreams slowly but surely begun to stir into absurdity and brutality. Memories of the near-death experiences returned with a vengeance caused him to twitch and mumble in his sleep. His eyes were closed, but he was wide awake. He was suffering from sleep paralysis. As the overwhelming panic overtook him he was finally set free, springing from the couch to an upright position, panting and sweating. By then, the apartment was dim, only lit by the wall-sized display monitor. As he relaxed, he looked behind him to find that both twins were topless. They began to wake up from their slumber. He was bewildered. What in the hell would make them do that? he wondered. Nami was the first to come to, then Hitomi. They slowly sat up, groggy and naked as they looked at Caiden looking at them.
“What is it?” Nami asked as her voice cracked while rubbing her eyes.
“Oh, nothing. It's just that you guys are just topless like it's normal or something,” he replied sarcastically.
“You like what you see?” a sleepy Hitomi humorously remarked as they both put back on their clothing.
“We like to sleep naked okay? Why didn’t you? With a body like yours, I’m surprised you don’t,” Nami said.
“Whatever,” a confused Caiden replied as he got up.
He activated the media apparatus’ holo-TV function. Meanwhile, the twins laid out in their respective corners the sectional couch; eyes still heavy and tempting them back to sleep. The first channel that showed was a breaking news report.
“Reporting live from news center ten for Neon District. We have received multiple reports of gunshots and commotion at The LoveMaars hotel last night at around ten thirty p.m., or so. Authorities say there were several men inside the hotel, presumed to be Hybrid security guards, that are severely injured and in critical condition. So far, there have been no reported deaths.” The twins were glued to the holo-TV as Caiden sat back down, overcome by the insanity of the previous evening.
“If the news is actually reporting about this, then it's almost certain Slavo and his crew are out there looking for us,” Nami grimly stated.
The news update on the holo-TV made Caiden think back to what he went though to save the girls. His brief happiness was swallowed by a black hole of uncertainty, doubt, and fear. He remembered every guard he defeated, and how he narrowly escaped each encounter with his life still intact. He recalled the frightening moment he was shot, and began to panic. But he soon remembered how he fended off his enemies and saved the lives of two kindhearted girls because of those very actions. The conflicting thoughts ate at him. They were becoming unbearable. He abruptly got up and headed toward his lab.
“Hey, Caiden, you okay?” Hitomi asked concernedly.
“I’m okay, just gonna head downstairs and work on some stuff,” Caiden replied.
“Oh, I wanna come!” both twins exclaimed simultaneously.
“Sure, whatever. Just don’t touch anything,” He replied.
Downstairs in the lab, Caiden turned on the large one-hundred-and-fifty-inch screen and logged onto CWR. He typed out a post that read: “Does possessing self-identity produce feelings of personal freedom? Facticity and the absence of it, what is fact about us and what is not? What is truly absurd? To not know your past? Or not envision a future?”
The post was rooted heavily in existentialism. It spoke of the severe crisis and train of thought he inevitably operated under due to his unique life experiences. He was hoping one of his many followers would ease his angst by providing some level of insight. As VseR, he normally received an overwhelming amount of feedback from his followers on anything he posted on CWR almost immediately. This time, he was met with nothing. Desperate for answers and frustrated that he received none, Caiden prepared to logout when he suddenly received a request to video chat from an encrypted source. The user name was ‘Knight-1’. Caiden accepted the request.
The video feed showed nothing more than an interactive avatar of the user. The avatar had the chrome metal face of an androgynous robot with red hair. It was difficult to make out whether this person was a male or a female based on looks alone.
“Rez? Yes, I bet you’re a bit shocked that I am calling you by that name. I saw your post just now and I figured it was time to speak with you about some important issues,” Knight-1 cryptically stated. Knight-1’s voice was hard to discern; it sounded neither male or female. The video feed had a voice alteration override initiated. Knight-1 appeared to be the cautious type.
“How do you know that name? Who are you?” Caiden asked frantically.
“Let’s just say I am someone who knows more about you than you know about yourself,” Knight-1 replied.
“What do you mean?” Caiden yelled back. The twins were bewildered and intrigued as they looked on.
“You have been thinking that there’s more to you than even you can understand, especially as of late, correct?” Knight-1 asked.
“So, what of it? What’s it to you?” Caiden snapped back.
“If you truly want to find the answers, why don’t you start the search for them from within?” Knight-1 said.
“Search within? If you know so much why don’t you just tell me?” Caiden replied.
“The deeper you search within, the more the recollection beacon within your forgotten memories will unlock and resurface until you fully ‘awaken’ and remember who you really are,” Knight-1 replied.
“Wait, I don’t understand! Recollection beacon?” Caiden wanted answers.
“Don’t worry, when you think it over, you will understand. And when you fully awaken, I will know. We will be in touch. Search within, Rez Fayte!” Knight-1 said as the transmission cut.
Caiden always knew he was different, but could never explain it. He didn’t know whether to be happy and relieved, or
