past...

I stepped over countless bodies, fallen soldiers of our side and the enemy. I didn't acknowledge them, all I cared about was finding Luitenant Logan. Soldiers--enemies--aimed with their guns loaded, I fired at them faster than I blinked away the tears. I was scared. Not for my own life, but that I might not find the Luitenant.

I kept running, my legs never feeling tired. Adrenaline kept me from noticing my heart pumping in my ears and the blood on my face.

"Luitenant!" I screamed, but my voice barely rose above the sound of guns. "Luitenant!" My throat hurt as I screamed again, but the gunfire drowned out my voice.

I finally spotted him and ran towards him. Enemy soldiers were soon all around me but I hardly even saw them drop as I hit every single one. My back hit the wall he was hiding behind as I stood beside him, catching my breath and clutching my gun to my chest.

"Maria, why did you leave your post?" Luitenant Logan asked, taking hold of my arms and moving me to a safer position farther into the concrete corner.

"There were too many soldiers, I had to see if you were still alive," I answered, my voice shuddering in my ears.

"You shouldn't be here!" He sounded irritated, but his voice wasn't harsh.

I looked from his left eye to his right eye and back again like I always did when he corrected me, or when I was scared. But his grasp on my arms kept all my attention on him rather than the violence around us.

"I have to get you somewhere safe, away from here." He said.

"No!" I screamed, jerking away. "Let me stay with you!"

"Maria." He said firmly.

My eyes fell instantly. "No." Is all I muttered.

He took my arm again, with a firm but gentle hold. He had never hurt me, and I knew he never would, despite how strong he was.

I didn't want to leave him, but I followed after him towards a safe place in the trees without arguing anymore. My throat burned from getting angry and screaming.

"Stay here." He said, guiding me to sit on my knees. I was eye level with a big space in the leaves of the bushes, I could see the big tower in the middle of town. "Don't come back for me unless you see the flare."

My eyes met his, searching between the two of them again. "I'm sorry," I said.

"Then do as I say." He responded.

I held my gun to my chest once again, my fingers subconsciously grazing over every tiny feature. "Okay,"

He left again, running back into the heat of the battle. I stayed where I was, watching the big tower with laser focus. I doubted he'd send up a flare...he always said he might but he never did.

present...

Seven. Intrusion. Zhdan. Walk. Run. Thirteen. Wednesday. Lyslov. Bright. Dim. Eighteen. Mercury. Radomir.

These words all echoed in my brain like I was hearing them for the second time. The pattern was so clear in my memory.

"Maria," A gentle female voice broke my focus on the words.

"Yes ma'am," I acknowledged, jerking to attention.

"Relax. You were staring off into space just now, are you alright?" She asked from the driver's seat of the car.

"Yes Ms. Morris," I answered mechanically. I didn't know what she meant. My fingers intertwined with each other, the friction causing little clicking noises. I rested my palms against my knees, the cold metal against my legs making me shiver.

The woman's brows were drawn together in her reflection in the rearview mirror. I didn't say anything else, and neither did she.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled to a stop. I know it was twenty minutes because I counted.

Another woman, this one slightly older, opened the door next to me. "Come on out Maria, welcome."

I did as I was told with no hesitation. It was raining, and the air was cold enough for me to see my breath. I looked at the older woman. She wore a lab coat and had a nametag that read Dr. Rea. Her hair was greying on her temples, and her eyes were brown.

She didn't look kind like Luitenant Logan always did, Ms. Morris didn't either. The only thing I saw in their eyes was pity, but also something else. I didn't know what the something else was.

I took in my surroundings as the Doctor told me to follow her. She walked towards a large white building, her high-heeled shoes clicking loudly on the wet pathway. There was a wire fence all around the property, with big pine trees lining the fence. I followed after her, taking my instinctual long strides to stay matched with her pace. Ms. Morris walked beside me, but because she was a very short woman, she stayed a step or two behind.

The Doctor held the door for me and I entered. The inside of the building looked kind of like the lobbies of the hotels I'd been in, although the composition told me it was built for practicality rather than aesthetic.

"This way Maria." I was lead to an elevator and all three of us stepped inside. The elevator was old, the panels scratched. The only part of it that was still in good condition was the button panel. I supposed it had been replaced recently.

"Fourth floor Maria." Ms. Morris said, motioning to the panel with a smile.

I nodded and pressed the corresponding button.

"Here is your room." Dr. Rea said as she opened the first door in the hallway the elevator opened into.

The room was furnished like a bedroom, with a large dresser, a bed, and a soft rug carpet covering the floor.

"Thank you," I said, walking in and sitting down on the bed as if I'd been instructed to.

"Settle in." Ms. Morris said, her hand resting uncomfortably on my shoulder. She lifted it. "There are two others living on this floor, but I'll let them introduce themselves to you. The doctor has lots of work to do, so I'll be checking in on you occasionally."

I nodded, looking out the window at the rainy outdoors.

The two women left me to myself. I first took in my surroundings entirely, looking in the drawers of the dresser, under the bed, and in the narrow closet. The closet and dresser were both filled with clothes. Shirts with short sleeves, button-down shirts, hooded sweaters, denim pants, and underclothes, enough to last a month.

I looked down at my uniform. I'd never needed anything else, so I didn't see the purpose of these clothes. However, I unbuttoned the top of my uniform, revealing the tank top I wore under it. I removed my uniform shirt and slid into one of the hooded sweaters. I liked the way it felt against my face as I pulled it over my head. The sleeves were long, reaching my knuckles and even concealing my fingers when I pulled them down.

I exited the bedroom and looked down the hall. There were several more doors, all a blanch white, and the walls were all bare save for the blemishes of age.

The door next to me caught my attention and I opened it. The room was identical to mine, except there was a man inside. He wore black uniform pants and no shirt. He held the shirt in his hand. He had just woken up.

He looked startled at my entrance, and I backed away. He yanked the shirt over his head, dishevelling his hair and concealing his solid, scarred torso.

"Better to knock soldier," He said, his tone as steely as his eyes were.

"My apologies..." I waited for his name. My spine was straight, my palms at my sides.

"Howalk," He said. "Eli Howalk."

I studied him for a moment. "Mr. Howalk." I said.

"Just Howalk."

"Correction recognized," I said.

"Don't be so formal." He told me as he walked past me into the hall.

He had no emotion in his voice, and even if he had I wouldn't have recognized it.

He seemed very much like a soldier, but yet there was something very very different about him. It reminded me of the Luitenant.