Experimental Affliction

I’ve been told my name is Lidia Thompson. I’ve been told soon I’ll remember everything. I’ve been told too many other things to believe that. Things that I don’t need to hear. Like the memories you get aren’t real. That they’re some sort of virtual reality. That you never remember who you really are so long as you stay here.
I wasn’t supposed to use the technology. It held secrets no one was supposed to learn. It held a link to the outside; to the truth. And that’s where I was told my memories wouldn’t be real.
So I had to get away.


I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know where to find who told me those things. So I wandered. It was cold, it was dark, and I had no idea where I was going. All I saw in front of me was endless darkness, no light to help me, to guide me. Soon enough, the cold was too much, and my body could not go on. I collapsed to the ground, cold and wet, and soon saw nothing at all.

When I opened my eyes, the light was blinding. My hand quickly flew up to shield the brightness. I looked around and saw white everywhere. White walls surrounded me, except for one glass mirror. I looked into the mirror, the face staring back at me was dirty and bruised, hiding the rather flawless features underneath. My blue eyes were sad and afraid, mostly afraid of what was behind the mirror. But then my heart began to race, where was I? Back there? But I couldn’t be, I had never seen a room like this there. I stood up and walked to the mirror. All I could see was my reflection, but I knew whoever was on the other side could see more than their own reflection.

I looked around the room, searching for a way out, even though I knew I wouldn’t find one. My search ended quickly, and I resigned to the fact that I was stuck. Tentatively, I called out, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

I heard a whir, like something moving, and soon there was chair beside me. Where it had come from so suddenly, I did not know. A digitized voice boomed from somewhere on the other side of the mirror, “Sit down.”

“Why?” I called back, the chair was not inviting.

“Sit down,” the voice repeated.

“But...” I protested.

There was sharp pain somewhere on my back, forcing me to sit down in the foreboding chair. As soon as I sat, belts came from inside the chair and strapped me in. My heart was pounding faster now, afraid of what would happen next, but I tried desperately to keep my composure. “Who are you?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

“Who I am is irrelevant,” the voice returned, “Who you are is much more important.”

“Me? Why?”

“You ask too many questions.”

A new machine appeared in front of me now. I started breathing fast as it inched near me. It appeared to be floating, nothing holding it from the ceiling or the ground. A brace from the chair wrapped around my neck as the machine stopped an inch away from my face. I tried to close my eyes, but something was keeping them open, some force I could not see or touch. A blue light from the machine in front of my face flashed and after it did so, it and the neck brace were gone.

I blinked my eyes rapidly until the room came back into view. “Well, it’s too bad you are a foe and not a friend,” the voice said.

“What? What do you mean?” I asked desperately.

“Please don’t play ignorant Ms. Thompson. I do not appreciate that.”

“I’m not. Please I...”

“Look, my scan clearly shows that you, my dear, are of combined blood. And I’m sorry Ms. Lidia Thompson, but hybrids are not my friends.”

“Hybrids?”

“I asked you to not play ignorant.”

“I’m not playing anything. Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, okay? All I know is my name, and that I had to get away.”

“Are you a new breed or something? Sixty, forty or something like that?” the voice asked.

“Please believe me, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We’ll see,” the voice returned.

Another machine appeared, this one with a long needle protruding from it. I tried to squirm away, but the straps that held me only tightened. The needle met my skin and whatever was inside it was soon inside me. It too disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

“Now Ms. Thompson, are you a new breed or not?”

My brain was swirling, I couldn’t think straight, but somehow the words got out, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Explain to me what you know.”

“They told me my name was Lidia Thompson.”

“Who is they?” the voice asked.

“I can’t remember. They also told me I would remember everything soon.”

“But how did you end up here?”

“I used technology I wasn’t supposed to, it was forbidden, but I knew it held the truth. And someone told me anything I would remember there was a lie. So I ran away.”

“How did you run away? This doesn’t seem plausible.”

“I don’t remember.”

“How can you not remember?”

“I don’t know.”

There was sigh from the voice, a sigh of disappointment, “How is it that you remember certain things but not others?”

“I don’t know. I think they made me that way,” I didn’t know what I was saying, but my words just kept coming out.

“They made you that way, Ms. Thompson?”

“So that I would only remember what they wanted me to,” I replied.

“You honestly have no idea who you are,” the voice said more to itself than me, “All right then, I will tell you who you are. Maybe I can use you to my advantage. No doubt your people want you back.”

The fuzziness was going away now, the room was starting to stop spinning. I could believe any of this was happening, it all seemed so surreal. But, then again, my whole life seemed surreal considering I couldn’t remember anything. The voice was talking again, “From what I can tell from the scan, you are a new breed of hybrid.”

I interrupted, “What do you mean, hybrid?”

“You’ve lived for 18 years and don’t know what a hybrid is?”

“I don’t remember anything.”

“Right, I seem to forget these things. Okay, hybrid. Definition of a hybrid is the offspring produced by crossing two individuals of unlike genetic constitution, specifically the offspring of two plants or animals of different races, varieties, species, etc. In other words, a crossbreed.”

“I’m a crossbreed?”

“That’s right, and a new one at that. Probably genetically enhanced as well, although you seem to have no recollection of probably numerous hours of training. And if you did remember and had been lying in the beginning, that last needle had a truth serum in it, so you would have had to tell me. But you didn’t, so either you’re resistant, or you really don’t remember.”

“I assure you, I really don’t remember. But, umm, what exactly am I crossbreed of?”

“Human and Venusian, I think. I’d have to do further testing to tell for sure.”

“Venusian. As in Venus?” I sure didn’t feel anything more than human.

“That’s right.”

I suddenly became aware of the straps that were still around me. “Umm, if it wouldn’t be much of a bother, do I really need these straps around me?”

“Sorry. If you are what I think you are, those straps are not coming off.”

I sighed, it was beginning to get very uncomfortable. The voice then said, “Look, if you really are part Venusian, there are some things you should be able to do that an ordinary human cannot.”

“Like what?”

“Well, come to think of it, if you wanted to, you could probably look right through this mirror in front of you.”

“What? But how?” I asked.

“Just concentrate on the glass, and you’ll be able to look right through it.”

I looked into the mirror, narrowing my eyes, trying desperately to see through it. Nothing was happening. Just as I was about to give up, the mirror in front of me started to disappear. I could see through it! Behind the mirror was a room filed with computers, and one man sitting amidst it all. He looked young. He had a head set on, what I assumed digitized his voice, which covered only a small part of his unkempt sand colored hair. His eyes stared into mine through glasses.

“So this is the all powerful one behind the gizmos and gadgets,” I said.

“So I’m right then? You can see me through the mirror?” he asked, almost anxious for an answer.

“Yes, almighty bespectacled one.”

“Funny. Did humor come with your newfound gift?”

“Maybe,” I replied, then looked around the rest of the room. It was strange, I could see through the white, but something silver blocked my view out of the room.

“Titanium sealed. That’s why you can’t see through.”

“Right... well, now that I know what you look like, is there name to go with the face?” I asked, quite curious.

He sighed. “You really are ignorant aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Only people like you have names. I’m just a number. A number sure to be on the destroy list if anyone finds out you’re here.”

“Fine. What should I call you then?”

He didn’t reply, so I changed the subject, “Ok look. I can’t stand concentrating this hard to see you, so can we please change this room or something?”

With that, the room where he was residing turned dark, and a metal shade was drawn over the mirror, barring my view out. I heard a noise behind me, an opening sound, and then a clanging shut. My chair swiveled around, and what I saw surprised me. The face with the headset belonged to a young man in a wheelchair. The headset was gone now, and he looked completely vulnerable.

“Are you done gawking now?” he asked in an annoyed tone.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I looked down at my strapped wrists and frowned.

“You’re even more amazing up close,” he replied quickly brushing off his annoyance.

“You are too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” a defensive tone was rising in his voice.

“Nothing but... I’m just curious about something,” I paused, “How is it that with all of this great technology and equipment that you are in a wheelchair?”

“The great technology isn’t available to everyone.”

“Then what is all of this?” I motioned with my head.

“It’s technology. I never said it was great technology.”

“Are you here all by yourself?”

“Why this sudden interest in me? I find you much more interesting.”

I sighed and looked at the wall over his head. He continued on, “Now, back to business. Being that you are more than likely part Venusian, you should be able to break free of those straps by using your mind once again. I’m telling you this in hopes that you aren’t a double agent who has temporarily lost her memory.”

I stared down at the straps, expecting to have great strength and pull right out of them, but something else happened instead. As I concentrated, the straps started to unravel further and further until nothing was left except my wrists. “Wow! That was so cool! What else can I do?” I was dying to know more, to try everything that was possible.

There was a look of concern on his face. “What? What’s wrong?” I asked.

He looked up at me and replied, “Nothing.”

I stood up out of the chair and stretched. It felt good to be able to move again. I walked over to him and kneeled down in front of him, “Now was the whole chair thing necessary if I could do that?”

“It was a test.”

“A test?”

“Uh huh.”

“Well how’d I do?” I asked, eager to hear his response.

“Depends on how you look at it. See, for you, it’s all right, you’re very powerful. For me, it’s pretty bad because I’ve stumbled on something new. For whoever you ran away from, they’re looking for you like nothing else.”

“Huh, funny, I don’t feel that special.”

“The sad thing is, if they get you back, you won’t remember any of this, and will probably be programmed on a main mission to find me and kill me.”

“But why? Why would they care so much about one person?”

“Because one person can inform the world with a touch of a button if they have the right connections. And I have more than the right connections.”

“Well then they just won’t find me.”

“No, they won’t.”

I frowned, he said it so strangely, and his eyes looked so forlorn and sad. I heard a whir and a machine was behind me. I screamed and ducked before it could reach me, and I lunged for the wheelchair. “Look, you are not going to kill me because you’re afraid you’ll be caught. I’ll kill you before I let you kill me.”

I had him in a stranglehold. The machine had mysteriously disappeared. His eyes were so sad behind his glasses, so full of pain and suffering. “Kill me Lidia. Just kill me and get it over with.”

“What?” I was surprised at this response.

“I can’t stand living like this anymore. Please, just end it. You can go, you can get away. You have the power to escape them, Lidia.”

I let go of him. It was so sad, that he could just give up so easily, and ask to be killed like that. “No. No, Lidia please, don’t. Don’t back away.”

Tears were running down his face, but I couldn’t fulfill his plea. I put his wheelchair back up and helped him get back in. He was practically zombie-like by the time he was sitting up again. “What happened to you?” I asked, “What made you like this?”

There was a pause, but he answered, “Prototype 101. The first of the crossbreeds. I was injured at a young age, injured pretty badly. Paralyzed from the waist down. They didn’t want to spend the money for rehabilitation. Back then, money was tight. But they couldn’t just kill me and put me out of my misery. No, they just put me back into the population, in retrospect anyway. No more name, just a number. And they left me to fend for myself in a world that does not tolerate physical impurities. They probably think I’m dead by now.”

“You mean, you’re like me? Part Venusian?”

He nodded, “You know, the sad thing is, the name they give you isn’t even your real name. It’s a cover up for your true identity.”

“My true identity?”

Before he could answer, I heard a loud bang. I looked around the room quickly, wondering what it could be, then turned back to him. I gasped as I saw blood covering his shirt. He was gasping for air and I ran over to him. “No, Lidia, you have to go. Don’t let them get you. You can’t let them get you.” He looked up at me, and a single tear ran down his face as he took his last breath of air.


I don’t know how I made it out of there without being caught, but somehow I made it. Maybe it was his spirit guiding me, but I made it. The saddest thing about it all is that I never even found out his name. But his face will always be there, and his words, to guide me. I could’ve never made it without him. And through it all, I could only think about one thing. I was told my name was Lidia Thompson. And what I was told was a lie. I only hope I can find the truth.