Chapter 3


    A sliver of light like a blade cut the air, revealing a square of beige hallway. A fluorescent strip light hummed. His movement woke the car from its energy saving stand-by mode. The door opened, revealing a small, enclosed parking garage. It was beige, the light was beige, the floor was beige. The gray pillars were off-white and had "Concourse A" scribbled on them. He climbed out of the car and twisted around to take in a view of the underground highway. He turned to the left, and across from him and to his left were more parking garages. These garages consisted of giant black boxes with parking spots, each one painted the same drywall beige as the wall, pillars, and floor. What was behind them, he did not know, and in fact, probably didn''t want to know.


    "We''ve arrived," the car''s AI announced.


    He stepped out and twisted around to take in a view of the underground highway. Across from him and to his left were more parking garages—there seemed to be many ways of getting down there. It was contrary to what he''d envisioned for the future; instead of taking off into the skies, people had dug deep beneath the ground.


    "Let''s go," Lee said and guided Liam to an elevator with a neon holographic sign that read "Athanasia Estates." As the doors parted open, he found himself standing in a traditional living room. On the left side was a wooden door with a peephole and no wall stretching back behind it. To the right was another room with just a frame—perhaps, it was the dining area or kitchen. The living room filled an entire wall, complete with a couch, fireplace, and chandeliers. A long hallway ran across the right side, ending in three bedrooms.


    "They tried to make it as close to your memories as possible, so don''t be too surprised," Lee said, but was cut off by a little voice from around the corner exclaiming, "SURPRISE!". A young girl, probably about eight years old, emerged wearing pajamas shaped like a teddy bear. Black hair and hazel eyes peeked out at Liam.


    “Gramps?!” the little girl exclaimed, doing a full circle around him.


    A man came running from the corner and scolding her. “Duchess! What did I say about being gentle with grandpa? He''s in an unstable condition right now.” The man standing slightly taller than Lee looked into Liam''s eyes. He seemed to be of Asian-American descent: long black hair, dark-as-night eyes, friendly grin that seemed reassuring.


    “Sorry again, nice meeting you—or seeing you again. Do you remember me?” said Andrew.


    “Stop it, already! I already told you that he doesn''t remember anyone,” Lee said, exasperated.


    “Not at all? Not even about us? Oh, my gosh! You have to come out to him again?! That''s so funny! The only person I know that needs to come out twice to the same parent.”


    "Shut up, Andrew. This is not a laughing matter."


    "Oh, please, we could all use some humor," Andrew replied with a smirk.


    "Dad, what does coming out mean?" Duchess asked Andrew.


    "My oh my, sweetheart," Andrew bent down and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Back when your Dad and I were young, folks felt they needed to… well… explain their love for someone of the same gender."


    "That''s strange!" she replied skeptically. "You should just love who you love."


    "Yes, indeed, darling. It was definitely a peculiar time," Andrew smiled fondly. "So, then, Liam, this tiny one here is Duchess—your granddaughter. Your grandson should be around here somewhere..."


    Son? My son is gay? Granddaughter? I think they said grandson, too. Liam felt like his head was spinning with all this new information. Up until now, these possibilities had never crossed his mind. He realized everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to respond.


    "Duchess? That''s her name?" Liam asked.


    "Yep. 07-D-u-t-c-h-e-s-s-07. That''s my tag," Duchess replied proudly. "Pretty clever name, right, grandpa?"


    "Tag? What''s that?" Liam questioned.


    Duchess frowned and pouted unhappily at Liam''s reaction.


    Andrew then stepped in to explain: "Parents don''t give children first names anymore; they use surnames until the child is old enough to choose their own. It''s used universally for identification, a bit like your social security number was back in the day, combined with social media usernames."


    “Well, that''s dumb,” Liam thought. Then, he remembered when his father called him dumb for his Instagram account tag.


    Lee cut in, taking off his San Diego sweater to reveal a SF Giants baseball shirt: “Not everybody likes the names they were given.” Liam knew it was a jab at him, but he couldn''t help but take it in.


    "Why don''t we start dinner?" Andrew suggested, easing the tension between Liam and Lee. "Duchess, why don''t you show Grand-Liam to the bedroom down the hall and go find your brother. Lee, help me out in the kitchen."


    Andrew and Lee strolled down to the kitchen, with Andrew asking about the drive.


    "Just don''t," Lee muttered in response.


    As they kept walking, Liam noticed Duchess watching him as if he was a stranger. Without warning, her mood shifted.


    "Ok! Let''s go," she said. "Your room is the last door on the left. Not much to entertain you, though. No games or anything."


    "So, Duchess," Liam began. "Why that name?"


    "My dads always called me a princess," she replied while they continued their journey down the hall. "But you always said I was more of a Duchess. Then you went away, and I didn''t see you for a while. It made me sad, so I chose the name Duchess and added seven–to represent all the people I love in my life." Liam realized why she had been so excited to tell him her name. She put her hand on the door handle but stopped before opening it. "I''m glad you got a new body and are back," she ruminated with nostalgia. "I remember when grandpa Stevey got too old and went away; I''d miss you too if you did the same thing." She paused and then moved forward again, pushing open the door. "Anyways, here''s your room."


    Liam was taken aback by her sudden change of moods that could take him on a wild ride, then leave him without warning.


    The door opened with the usual creak. He was slightly let down to discover it opened the same way as any other door. Inside was a white room with whitewashed walls and ceiling, a small closet to the left, and a window in front big enough to fit a queen-size bed and wooden dresser. A thin boy with pale, brunette hair lay on his back on the bed, arms behind his head and his right leg crossed over his left. He appeared to be Liam''s age.


    “Hey, Gramps is back!” Duchess exclaimed.


    “You gotta be kidding me! Really? Oh, wow. Alright, I better go…” Boi said as he prepared to leave the room. “Wait, you think so? You''re sure it''ll work? Alright, then. Time to start a live feed. Hey, everyone, it''s your boy Boi here, and I''m going to give you a glimpse into our future. May I introduce my 105-year-old grandpa, Liam." Boi hopped off the bed and moved towards his grandfather, eyes surveying him head to toe. Liam was dressed in black Sketchers sneakers, loose-fit jeans that sagged around his ankles, a plain white V-neck shirt accentuating his toned physique, and a no-frills black belt cinched tightly around his waist. His face bore blue eyes and a clean cut hairdo. "Wow, Gramps, did they really make you look this good? You remind me of retro times! Say hi to everybody," Boi said.


    Liam was confused. There were only two people besides him in the room and no phones or cameras.


    “Oh, shut, up. You act like your dumb friends are not the only ones who follow you. Hi, BayWarrior. Hi, Snake. Hi, KillerTim.”


    Duchess turned to Liam.


    “He''s talking to his friends at school. Don''t worry about him. Nobody ever follows him. He''s a loser, right, Loverboy?”


    “That''s all for now; check me out later,” he quickly cut off the broadcast and glared at Duchess. “Don''t call me that, brat. It''s just Boi now.”


    “That''s the name he chose, L-V-R-B-O-I-6-9, and everyone laughs at it. Even I think it''s embarrassing, and I''m still a kid!” Duchess explained to Liam.


    “This is so annoying! Dad won''t pay for my application for a name change, and why do they let kids decide these things!”


    "Boi, come set the table!" came a voice from another room.


    "Ughhhhhh," Boi grumbled as he stormed away.


    "How old is he?" Liam asked.


    "Twenty," Duchess said, with a roll of her eyes. "My loser brother just hangs around inside talking to his friends and playing video games."


    Liam spent the rest of his time inspecting his room while Duchess sat on her bed staring at him, then glancing idly up at the ceiling, kicking her legs back and forth, humming softly to herself.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    “Right, so tell us about the thing you do. Staring Off. Is it like having a phone implanted in your head?”


    Duchess shifted her gaze to Liam before replying. “What’s a phone?”


    “It was a device we used to communicate with each other, and to access information from the internet. It was like a tiny computer in our pockets.”


    “That doesn''t make sense, but if you mean the chip, then yeah. They put this chip behind your ear, and then you use these contacts to see stuff or listen to music or… Wait! You don''t even have it in?! So you''re just… seeing things in real-time? How are you able to occupy yourself all this time?! Like without any tech?”


    “So, you''re seeing stuff in augmented reality, right?” asked Liam.


    “Aug-what? I guess that makes sense, which explains why your name isn''t hovering above your head. My friend CindyLoo was wondering the same thing, and CandyKiller wanted to know why you talked so much. Also, I told Boi and his friends to leave you alone,” said Duchess.


    Liam suddenly felt as though he was standing in a crowded room; he never liked being the center of attention, yet there he was like some kind of sideshow attraction.


    “Dinner''s ready.”


    Liam walked with Duchess across the living room and into the dining area, where Lee and Boi were already seated. The table was a brown wooden one and, above it, was a shining chandelier. Six chairs and six plates were set out for everybody.


    Andrew emerged with a plate of pepperoni pizza. “No matter what year it is, you can''t beat fresh-made pizza. Say what you want about that company, but they have certainly provided you with a great cooking setup.”


    He started to divide the slices of pizza among everyone; either it was really good or nobody wanted to say anything because it was so quiet. Lee kept his eyes downcast and Boi seemed lost in whatever device he had implanted in his head as he gazed off somewhere else in the room. Liam took a bite from his slice. Andrew noticed how weirded out Liam got.


    “Hun, why don''t your friends talk after they finish their dinner?”


    “But—” Boi began to argue back, but then realized he was making Liam uneasy.


    “Alright, then," he began to eat his piece of pizza but paused after a few bites to look over at the sixth seat next to Liam, which was empty and without a plate of food.


    “So… What does this mean about your grandmother?”


    Lee''s face contorted in distress. “They said she''s doing fine, but won''t let me visit her. I don''t trust that company. Dad, you would know, but you fucking…”


    His shaking voice trailed off as he paused for a few moments to take a deep breath.


    Andrew chimed in, “Hey, don''t get too worked up about it; it won’t do any good.”


    “No. You need to understand this—I’m not apologizing because you can’t remember. At least then you might see what kind of person you were, what kind of person you have become, and the damage you''ve done to our family. You always put yourself first. And now I can''t even see my dying mother one last time. This is your choice.


    “What? I''m so confused. I''m really sorry, I never meant—” said Liam


    “Dad—” Duchess said with a whimper.


    “No! You did this yourself. Who are you to act like you don''t even know us because of your memory loss? If only you would remember us, you''d understand what you''ve done all these years. Or maybe you wouldn’t. You never really knew who we were before… You never knew me,” Lee stood up abruptly and grabbed his plate. “You know what? I don''t even think you know yourself anymore. It was all about work for you, wasn''t it?”


    Lee rushed away into the kitchen with his plate, and Andrew followed him with a concerned look on his face. The murmuring between the two men could barely be heard from the other room, but Duchess and Boi just kept eating.


    Liam turned towards Duchess and Boi looking for an answer.


    “Was I ever a bad father? When I was older?”


    Boi answered first, “No… You were always nice to us, but you just weren''t around very often. We only saw you on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes, we didn''t get to see you at all because of your job."


    "Yea, Daddy says you spend all this money to fix yourself when you could have been making us rich," Duchess added between bites of her pizza.


    “Your relationship with dad wasn''t that great when grandma got sick.”


    The thought of Sarah never left his mind, so he rarely considered the woman he had married. But what kind of person was she? Who would marry this flawed man?


    “What was your grandmother like? Emily, right?”


    Duchess and Boi shared a meaningful glance, conveying the immense love they felt for her in one silent moment. They were about to speak when Lee interrupted.


    “Ok, kids. Let''s go. We''ll take the rest home. I think it''s best to let Grandpa get some rest tonight.”


    Lee stepped out, fully dressed in his coat, followed by Andrew. It seemed as if Lee had won the argument.


    “You''re leaving?” Liam stood up from his chair in disbelief.


    “Look, Dad, I''m sorry for causing a fuss. We took a train here and found a hotel at the last minute. We''re all on edge. We need time to process this, too. Maybe a good night''s sleep will help us all out.”


    Liam barely knew these people, but he didn''t want to be alone; the fear of having to do this without them was paralyzing him. He searched for something to say that could convince them to stay—anything would do.


    “I-I''m sorry. Please look, I don''t know who I''ve become, but I''m sorry."


    Andrew, Duchess, and LoverBoy had made their way over to the elevator and were putting on their coats.


    Lee approached Liam.


    “I don''t know if you understand this, but the docs wanted me to make sure it sank in. You need to stay here for a week or else you''ll lose your memories forever. It''s important. Patrol officers are outside the house so you are secure, and we''ll try to make it as comfortable as possible. We''ll bring whatever you need," Lee paused before continuing. "Liam, I''m sure you can make it through this situation. I know how strong you are."


    Lee walked to the elevator and Liam was left standing by himself in a living room that suddenly felt very empty. He headed to the kitchen looking for a drink to settle his nerves, but of course there wasn''t any alcohol there. Hardly five minutes after everyone left, he heard a disturbance from outside. He went to the lounge window and peeked out.


    He hadn''t braved the outdoors yet. When he glanced out the window, he was astounded by the forest that lay before him. He couldn''t believe this was the same space he knew as a park earlier; it had been transformed into an oasis of towering redwoods, a mini-forest across from Muir Woods. A dusty pathway snaked its way to the entrance, wide enough for joggers or bikers to traverse. His cottage wasn''t alone there, though; another one sat nearby, and it seemed to come straight out of a fairytale. Lights were on inside and Liam heard muffled conversations and people moving around. Suddenly, a woman emerged from the front door. She looked to be his age or older, with long golden-brown hair down her back. She had on athletic gear—a workout sports bra paired with leggings—that flaunted her petite figure. She released her bun and let her hair blow in the breeze, each strand glimmering like diamonds in the sunlight. Taking a deep breath, she glared back at Liam and then turned left.


    Liam hastily jerked back to conceal himself, and peered again, trying to see if she had noticed him. Her eyes stuck in his mind; they were a color of blue he had never seen before, so striking that it made him think for sure that the color was fake. Then, he noticed her hair, falling over one eye as she pushed it aside. She smiled radiantly at the nature around her. Noticing her small nose and larger-than-life lips, he moved on to study the rest of her attire, which enhanced her figure in a way that seemed intentional yet subtle. He found his gaze lingering unnaturally long on her legs. Was this a trend in this future? He wondered what brand her white running shoes were.


    As Liam looked closer, he saw the words “Athanasia”. Ugh. He looked away and back again. Athanasia. The clothing she was wearing was all branded with the same logo. Two men then came out of the house; Liam noticed they were dressed in militant uniforms, all white, and had the same logo on their clothes. As Liam suspected, they must have been guards—no matter what hour, place or day you go, if people are matching and have the same logo, they carry a weapon with them. She started giving out orders while pointing at something and quickly went back inside with the two men following close behind. He remembered Lee talking about sending someone to watch him.


    This could be a perfect opportunity to demand answers, Liam thought. He put on his serious face and psyched himself up before heading towards the door. When he had taken two steps forward, a hand stopped him across his chest.


    A man dressed like one of the guards was standing before Liam.


    “Greetings, Liam. I’m Tyler, and I’ll be watching your place tonight. If you need anything, I’ll be here all night long.”


    “I just wanted to talk to that lady—I need answers!”


    “You will get them tomorrow, but it seems like you need some rest first. I understand the situation is tough, but that''s what I was told to do by my superiors. You can accept it or not, but either way, you must rest."


    The guard kept his arm across Liam''s chest as if he expected him to run away. Liam had a split-second where he considered doing so, but when he looked into the guard''s eyes, he could see something saying "Don''t". So, Liam walked back inside and closed the door behind him.


    Sinking down against the door, he hugged his knees close to his chest and felt his heart thumping against his legs. Everything hit him at once; he''d never felt so confined and helpless in his life. Yesterday had been the best day of his life, and now? He wanted his mom. He craved the family he''d lost; the youngest among his cousins with no siblings left to rely on. The strangers surrounding him were telling him things he would never follow through with. His memories of Sarah were becoming fuzzy, too—he had no photos or phones with her image anymore. She only existed in his mind.


    He got up, headed to the entranceway, and opened the door.


    “Tyler, right?”


    “Yes. How can I help you?”


    “Do you have a pen? Paper''s not necessary.”


    “Here you go.”


    “Thanks.”


    Liam snatched up the pen and closed the door behind him. He began walking back into the living room, and stopped for a moment, glancing into the dining area at the knife that Lee had used to slice the pizza earlier. Perhaps he should just end it all—Sarah and his parents weren''t around anymore, why hang on any longer? Seemingly, no one would care if he vanished from existence, either. Liam slowly paced into the dining area, then picked up the knife with his left hand and placed it flat in his right hand; he could feel the cold steel press against his skin. The thought of giving up was so strong now. But then it went away; why had he even considered such a thing?


    Sprinting towards his bedroom, Liam grabbed a marker and started drawing on the far wall above the bed. When finished, he stepped back to admire what he''d made: it was an artful representation of Sarah Smith with her name written beneath it—a reminder of when she had said “yes”. “Never forget” he wrote underneath.


    Huddled up on the bed, he faced the wall, feeling estranged from his family and the world. He didn''t know why this had happened to him, but he was determined to uncover what had become of Sarah. That meant escaping from there as soon as possible.


    Meanwhile, the woman who had been seen outside was just finishing her shower and donning a robe with “bliss” written across it. As she leaned towards the mirror, two clear contacts were inserted into her eyes that suddenly opened a world of new possibilities: artwork materialized on the walls and the lighting brightened, while a drop-down menu with an oldies playlist played in one corner of her vision. Suddenly, Dr. Tithonus'' face appeared out of nowhere and asked how she was holding up.


    "I just got my first workout in," she replied. "Physically, I''m feeling great."


    "Have you gone over to check on Liam, yet?" inquired Dr. Tithonus.


    "No," said Bliss. "I ordered everybody else to let him have time to process everything—he can be rather impulsive." At this point, Bliss became suspicious. "Is there something you''re not telling me?"


    “Everything is under control.” Dr. Tithonus declared confidently.


    “Don’t lie to me,” Bliss replied impatiently.


    “Alright, I can admit that something worrying has arisen. But it''s better if you don''t know what it is, yet,” he explained.


    “What could be so concerning that it frightens even you?” she asked with apprehension in her voice.


    “I''ll tell you when I''m certain of everything. Just make sure Liam stays where he is for now. I need to go."


    And with that, Dr. Tithonus disappeared, leaving Bliss alone in the bathroom. She walked out of the bathroom and into the living room, which was full of virtual ads and art popping up around her, as well as a virtual fireplace providing warmth and comfort. She looked out the window at the cottage where Liam was residing and felt an overwhelming sense of uneasiness.