Chapter 7


    “We must talk,” came a voice from the hooded figure who had pulled down his hood: it was Dr. Tithonus. Red and blue lights were approaching from both sides.


    “Talk? What happened to Emily?” exclaimed Liam.


    “She exhausted her efforts to help, but we ran out of time. Do you remember your past? That is impossible for now. We need to head back to San Francisco immediately,” said the Doctor.


    “I''m not going anywhere with you," Liam replied quickly; thinking of only one option in such a tight spot, he ran to the edge of the bridge.


    “God, Liam! Stop! Listen, your body is still weak like an infant in this world; you will freeze instantly if you jump, and even the common cold could kill you—any sickness could be fatal! That''s why we wanted to keep you safe in that house surrounded by guards! Think about it from my perspective. I was uncertain of your mental state, so what should I have done if I thought someone might be suffering psychotically? I''ll tell you everything. I messed up badly.”


    Conflicted, Liam looked back at a scared man; what was he scared of?


    “I need assistance from you. Emily needs assistance from you, too. This was all part of your plan. Recall what you can remember; I am out of my depth here."


    Liam stepped away from the ledge; he didn''t care about the doctor''s reasons but knew he had to help Emily after she had done for him. “What is up with the army coming our way?” asked Liam.


    “They are not here for you alone,” said Dr. Tithonus before he jumped onto his device and connected with a mysterious individual. “Hey, it''s me. Let me tell you something, I have him. If you want both of us safe and sound, then you must promise me his security.” Liam witnessed as he spoke to the other party. He glanced over his figure from head to toe. A dark fluid was dripping from Dr. Tithonus'' coat onto the tip of his shoes. He''s been wounded. “Yes, he is willing to comply. No, there can be no deal like that. No! You require my presence here, too. I won''t accept anything less than two conditions: I get to finish the job myself, and he gets to meet Emily first."


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    For a few moments, all was quiet; one after another, the red and blue lights from the vehicles began to disappear until only one remained—a white military-esque car, which had the company logo instead of the police badge painted on its sides.


    "Who were all these officers? Where are the regular police in this affair?" inquired Liam.


    “The police are still around, though not in great numbers; they spend most of their time in their stations until they''re called out for minor city crimes. A long time ago, the police were brutal, and we had to defund them, taking the money and using it to help other fields and training-specifically mental health, which started us on a path toward real change. But that same reform allowed large corporations to hire private security companies instead, who care more about money than morals. Training wasn''t what they needed; empathy was.”


    A guard carrying an assault rifle approached them. “Sir, I''m here to escort you back to HQ.”


    But the doctor refused, “No deal. We ride alone.” After he radioed in their decision, they got into the car and sped away. Liam glanced behind him as the solitary guard faded away, replaced by a mysterious car from the darkness. He then noticed the doctor fiddling with some screens in the car as he pulled out a small box from his coat and powered it up.


    “There, now we can speak without them listening,” said the doctor. “You know who Emily is, but you don''t know who I am yet? How?”


    Liam explained what had happened recently, including his family and Sarah showing him Instagram.


    “So, you don’t have your memories yet,” said Dr. Tithonus as he pulled out a pair of glasses. “I assume you know how to use these? After seeing you took a similar pair from my desk. Here." He handed them to Liam, who quickly put on the glasses and saw a screen with different applications pop up in front of his eyes.


    "What’s the point of this?" asked Liam.


    "It''s just easier to show you," replied the doctor. "Let''s start with Instagram. Tell me when you recognize something."


    Dr. Tithonus scrolled through until Liam noticed the baseball game video. "Wait, there I am!" said Liam.


    The doctor showed him the same clip from before. "But where are you?" asked Liam.


    "Who do you think is filming this?" laughed Dr. Tithonus, "Here. This is better—this is my favorite."


    He pulled up a picture projected from the glasses, which showed Liam leaving his internship to become a full-time employee.


    “This is Emily and yourself, of course. The others in the frame? That''s Tedd, who sadly passed away from cancer a while ago. Tiffany there is happily retired with her husband, living near the shore in Italy. And that person on the far right—me. Albert álvarez. We were—are—friends. Best friends, all three of us. I wish I had the time to explain all we''ve been through together, but for now, let''s just focus on the last forty-eight hours, when everything went wrong.”