A doctor stands next to your bed. He examines your eyes and your reflexes. Everything is fine.
He is surrounded by a group of people you don’t recognize. When he asks your name, you hesitate.
He then asks, “What year are we in?”
You answer confidently:
[[“2022”]]
[["1783"]]
[[“3033”]]
[[“1946”]]
You wake up in the middle of the night. The bedsheets are soaked in sweat and the pillow is on the floor. You don’t really remember what the dream was about, but it wasn’t a pleasant dream, that’s for sure. You haven’t slept well in the last few weeks. Everyone says it’s normal. You’ll be confused for the first weeks, but then you’ll be yourself again. The only problem is that you don’t really know what that means.
You must have made some kind of noise in your sleep right before waking up, and the woman sleeping on the chair next to your hospital bed is awake and holding your hand. //Mom//. It is your mom.
“It’s alright, sweetie. Try to go back to sleep.”
But you don’t recognize her voice, nor her face. You are not oblivious to her presence. It’s not how it works. In fact, you feel safe, and the touch of her hand is warm and comforting. You know you love her, but there are no memories with her. There are no memories of anything.
//I am safe now//. Were you not safe before?
“I can’t sleep.”
Even your voice is unfamiliar.
[[Try to remember]]
You wake up in the middle of the night. The bedsheets are soaked in sweat and the pillow is on the floor. You don’t really remember what the dream was about, but it wasn’t a pleasant dream, that’s for sure. You haven’t slept well in the last few weeks. Everyone says it’s normal. You’ll be confused for the first weeks, but then you’ll be yourself again. The only problem is that you don’t really know what that means.
You must have made some kind of noise in your sleep right before waking up, and a woman stands at the door of your room, holding a candle.
"Is everything allright, sir?"
You don't recognise that woman. She is dressed in black and white, and wears a cap.
"Everything is fine..." You don't remember her name.
"Francesca, sir," she says. She is not offended. That morning, the housekeeper, an old woman that had been at the service of your family for decades, had to introduce herself too. All the maids were aware of your situation.
"Francesca, that's right. You can go back to sleep, it's late."
"Your mother has assigned us night shifts, sir. To take care of you until you recover."
//Until I recover.// Although you know that Francesca and your mom have the best intentions, the way they are treating you - like someone that has to be protected - bothers you terribly.
[[Try to remember...]]You wake up in the middle of the night. The bedsheets are soaked in sweat and the pillow is on the floor. You don’t really remember what the dream was about, but it wasn’t a pleasant dream, that’s for sure. You haven’t slept well in the last few weeks. Everyone says it’s normal. You’ll be confused for the first weeks, but then you’ll be yourself again. The only problem is that you don’t really know what that means.
You look through the window to your left. Although it is dark outside, you can see neon lights in the buildings in front of you, and you hear a faint humming sound coming from outside. It is probably [[the HSFT]]
"Your vital signs are higher than usual," says your [[PRN]]. Her robotic voice lacks emotion. "I can prepare an antidote for you. The red pill will help you go back to sleep."
Your PRA (Personal Robotic Assistant) turns a soft light on. Your PRN stands next to you, holding a red pill.
[[You take the red pill.]]
[[You dont want to go back to sleep.]]
You wake up in the middle of the night. The bedsheets are soaked in sweat and the pillow is on the floor. You don’t really remember what the dream was about, but it wasn’t a pleasant dream, that’s for sure. You haven’t slept well in the last few weeks. Everyone says it’s normal. You’ll be confused for the first weeks, but then you’ll be yourself again. The only problem is that you don’t really know what that means.
When your eyes get used to the light, you distinguish the space aorund you. There are at least ten more beds around you. In each of these beds, a convalescent soldier. You can hear groans of pain that tell you that you are not the only one awake.
You are wearing a white gown and you're covered with bandages. All your limbs are in place, which makes you a lucky man. However, you don't know where you are, or how you got there. There was a war- that you remember. But you are not sure who won, or with whom you were fighting.
"Sergent, qu’est-ce qui ne va pas chez vous?" A nurse is by your bed.
You don't know French.You know your name. You know how to speak and walk. There’s also food you like and food you know you don’t like, even if you don’t really remember the taste. Music is different: you remember the lyrics to most songs you liked. You used to play the piano and remember the keys and notes. You often find yourself moving your fingers along the bed sheets, playing a silent melody. You know math, you can read, you know basic [[history]]; but don’t remember going to school.
You look back at your mom. She has sat down again and is about to fall asleep. No one in your family wanted to tell you what happened. They have all visited you regularly, but you noticed they behaved in a weird way, and that they chose their words carefully. They refer to what happened as “the incident,” but won’t give you more details about it.
You could [[wake your mom up and ask her about the incident]], [[go back to sleep]], or [[wait until she completely falls asleep and try to find something that helps you remember]]."Mom," you call her. She immediately opens her eyes and jumps from the chair. "I want to know what happened."
"We already discussed that." She sounds tired, but not annoyed. A few minutes later, your mom has fallen asleep on the chair. You get rid of the multiple cables that are measuring your vitals and get out of bed. As you stand up, you feel a sharp pain on your left knee. When you look down, you see a huge bruise. But, of course, you don't remember what caused it.
You look at your mom's purse. She probably has her car keys there. But, do you remember how to drive? //Probably//, you think to yourself.
[[Search you mom's purse.]]
[[Leave the room.]]It's the year 2022. You remember Covid-19 and know that you spent months isolated at home. You passed the illness last year. It wasn't too bad. But you don't remember being with your family during that time, or anything you did during those months.
You know politics and you know what's going on in Eastern Europe.
And you remember the history you learnt in highschool. The Revolutions, the World Wars, the Cold War... but you don't remember your professors.
[[Back|Try to remember]]You leave the room and go into the hall. It looks like all hospital halls, with white walls and tall ceilings. It is late at night and everything is quiet. You close the door behind you and start walking down the hall.
You are wearing a white and blue pajama that immediately identify you as a patient.A nurse walks by you and gives you a weird look. You wonder if there's anything weird about your appearance.
[[Go in the restroom.]]
[[Continue walking.]]You are the third son of a modest child. You worked hard to provide for your family and became a famous artist. You know a lot about art. You spend most of your childhood studying the great Renaissance masters and learning to paint and carve. You know the theory, but can't remember your own masters.
However, youu know that your talent is still here. You feel it in your hands.
You look back at Francesca. She's staring at you with a concerned expression. She probably saw you zoning out and thought you were gone again.
[["I'm allright, Francesca. You're dismissed."]]
[[Tell me what happened.]]The High-Speed Flying Train is the great technological advance from the last past decades. After the depletion of fossil fuels and the failure of natural resources such as sunlight or wind, //radionuclear// energy became the main source of energy.
Your //Personal Robotic Nurse// is your robot assistant in charge of your healthcare. Hospitals disappeared hundreds of years ago, afer the Healthcare Crisis of 2884, when robots took over hospitals and health centers.
↶↷A doctor stands next to your bed. He examines your eyes and your reflexes. Everything is fine.
He is surrounded by a group of people you don’t recognize. When he asks your name, you hesitate.
He then asks, “What year are we in?”
You answer confidently:
“2022”
"1783"
“3033”
“1946”