Chapter 5: A Return

It was the same room she’d been in only hours (days?) before. And now, she was on ground level. People and others were working on things just like before. Many began to stop what they were doing to look a her and Driedell who walked in behind her.

The man behind her made some sort of motion, and everyone went back to what they were doing. He lifted a hand and placed it on Haylee’s shoulder causing her to flinch slightly, “It’s a revolution.. to take back what is rightfully ours, but most importantly… to seek revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“For the death of our Sensei.”

“Our Sensei?”

Driedell gave a sigh and pushed passed her, walking briefly towards the center of the room. Spreading his arms out to his sides, he began turning a circle, “Yes. Our Sensei. Killed by the very corporation you work for now.”

A prickly sensation ran down Haylee’s back from his words… or maybe from something else. She stood where she was, standing very still, hoping beyond hope that the memroy would return to her like the others.

Driedell’s arms fell down as he looked at her, “Of course you won’t remember. You didn’t know.” He lifted a hand to touch his eye patch. Pure anger showed briefly on his face, “OMNI Corps did this to me as well. And then… I almost… ” His voice dropped to almost
below audibility, “It doesn’t matter now. You’ll know soon enough.”

Haylee didn’t say anything. She felt confused. Part of her wanted to knock him down and threaten to kill him, unless someone showed her the way out. The other part of her… the other part of her wanted to be the woman that comforted and told him that revenge was not the only answer. This was the weak part of herself.

Behind her came a large popping sound and the prickly sensation grew more noticeable. Suddenly, there was a large rush of air that pulled at her. Driedell looked over at her, watching. He lifted a hand and moved hi fingers in a good-bye motion, “We shall meet again, Haylee Creetz… soon.”

As her form began to be sucked in, she fought against it. But that did nothing. The walls of a shimmering vortex shut around her. The next thing she knew, strong hands were taking a hold of her limbs. Haylee fought against them.

“Get a sedative over here!”

“But I thought you said she’d be fine?!”

“I can’t hold on!”

“*crack* Owe!”

“Well… I lied.”

THe world began to slow down for Haylee. Her limbs grew heavier and heavier. Her eyes were also starting to refuse to stay open. Her head lulled to the side, a familiar face coming to view.

Her lips trembled as she said the name she always called him by, “Capt’n…”

***

White pierced her vision. Cold hands ran along her face, her neck, down her shoulders–touching her burning skin and whispering unintelligible words of comfort.

Her skin was on fire… her whole being ached with a ferocious intensity.

Pain spiked through her head, traveling down the length of her body… not allowing her to question why she burned; why there was this suddenly frustrating, aching desire to be awake, to be in control.

The white that she could see, began to fade to black. Haylee found herself falling, circling and falling. She reached a hand out and reached, trying to grasp something, anything to stop this spiraling tumble.

Words began to echo in her head.

“White Knightress.”

“Experiment.”

“The deception of OMNI Corps.”

Her hand caught a hold of something soft, like cloth. The images in her head began to shift and she was no longer falling. Instead, she was grasping the edge of a black cape, her lower body lying on the floor. She gripped it as if she were pleading. Haylee’s head tilted up and back, her gaze searching for the one from whom she sought comfort or help. A hand touched her chin and her eyes were met by a cold-eyed stare. The Black Knight looked down at her and smirked.

No.

No No No.

“NOOOOOOOO!” Haylee was pulling herself up right, her arms flailing out and striking at whatever constricted her. Something strange about her body caused her to pause… but all she glimpsed was metal as the world suddenly disappeared.

What she thought felt like a few seconds, was, in truth, several hours later, when a voice pierced her still stunned mind.

“Haylee? Haylee? Can you hear me?”

“Yes…”

A light flashed in each of her eyes, forcing her to refocus her pupils. Shadowy outlines began to take barely recognizable shapes.

Has other senses came to the fore, Haylee slowly realized that she was sitting on a cushioned chair. Someone, probably the eye checker, stood to her left. Two more sat facing her on her right.

“Haylee?”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember who I am?”

“You… you are Captain Gerrald.”

“Do you know who is standing beside you?”

She looked to her left, a familiar face coming into view, “Alfred?” The man nodded.

“And the woman beside me?” the captain asked.

“Alicia.”

All three nodded happily. Alicia shifted energetically in her seat, right before flipping open a steno notepad. Alfred pulled up a seat as well.

“Now Haylee… we want you to tell us everything you can remember. Everything!” Alicia said eagerly.

The woman looked at all of them, staring at Captain Gerrald the longest. Were they… nuts? Insane? She’d just woken up… why would she…?

Alicia scooted more to the edge of her chair, “Well?”

“No.”

The two scientists’ jaws dropped in astonishment. Gerrald never once moved. He’d been expecting this. He quietly sat there, pondering as the other two began to question Haylee’s motives.

“Why not?” Alicia asked, pouting.

“Because I just woke up.”

“But… but…”

“No.”

“Well… Alicia… we do have,” Alfred began to say; right as the Captain’s hand came up, stopping the other man in mid-sentence.

“She has a point. If you two could please leave the room, I would like to talk to Haylee myself,” Gerrald said very carefully. There was an unsatisfied sigh from Alicia, which was followed by Alfred moping towards the room’s single door. “And Alfred.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t even think about tampering with those.”

“Fine fine.”

“I mean it.”

“I know,” Alfred said as he left the room, Alicia trailing behind. The door slid closed, leaving Haylee and Captain Gerrald alone. Silence ensued next, the female staring blankly at the carpeted floor.

“Well? Would you prefer to talk to me?”

“No. I’d rather you talked to me.”

“Eh?”

“Tell me the story of the Black Knight.”

“Black Knight?”

“Don’t play stupid with me Captain.”

Gerrald bristled up in his seat. What had happened to her? “Don’t talk to your superiors as if you are the one in charge.”

Haylee’s eyes flicked to his face and then away, landing on her hands that gripped the edges of the arm’s chair tightly. Something flickered in her memory and then died. Nah… She had seen nothing like that… it had to of been a delusional dream. “Please? Tell me the story of the Black Knight, sir?”

Capt’n sighed. He couldn’t stay mad at her… no… couldn’t. Haylee had become a daughter to him. Considering… “I don’t know much. An individual took the name a few years back. It’s a man to my knowledge, who creates logistical terrorist attacks on our citizens. But, he has been hard to find and locate. He’s also not had any reported movement for the last… oh… 6 months?”

Haylee closed her eyes for a brief few seconds, “Does the title the White Knightress have any meaning to you?”

Gerrald looked over at her a bit puzzled, “Yes… the legend of deceit.”

“Legend of deceit?”

“The story of the Black and the White. Evil vs. Good. If I recall, one fell in love with the other and quelled the heart of the evil one. But… that’s just it… the Black Knight was betrayed by the White Knightress, and both ended up dying in the end. It’s quite a depressing folk tale.”

Folk tale. She looked up at the captain. He had just said that the whole story was a lie, a fabrication, a myth.

“Why Haylee? Why do you ask me of such questions?”

Could she tell him? Should she? The woman bit the bottom of her lip and frowned to herself. She would have to tell him. Yes, she had no choice. Driedell had made it abundantly clear that he was planning to strike OMNI Corps in the near future.

“We’ve a threat approaching. I don’t know how soon… but it is by a man who calls himself the Black Knight.”