The long sleep had been terrifyingly cold, until the soothing Voice had come. It had told her many things that she would need to know and do in order to recover from her accident, and Ranko had listened raptly. Ranko was her name, now, because the Voice had given it to her. Even the Cat had come out to listen to the Voice, although it was doubful he had understood or cared. The Cat cared only for Ranko. She remembered being very afraid of the Cat, but the Voice had told her not to.
Then the Voice had gone away, and Ranko had been lonely again. So she had played with the Cat, and the Cat had taught her those things the Voice could not. The Voice had taught her killing, the Cat taught her stealth and grace. Ranko was grateful to the Voice, for letting her be friends with the Cat, and to the Cat, for teaching her things she knew would please the Voice.
Something tickled her awareness, and it took her a moment to realize what it was. Reaching out, she again felt connected to her own senses - not those of the dreamscape where she'd lived, learned and played, but the real world the Voice had told her about. She was excited - this meant today was when she'd meet the Voice, as it had promised.
Nearby, a door opened with a scraping sound that rang in her ears, and footsteps echoed off the floor. The door closed with a loud click, and there was silence, until her ears adjusted. Then she heard the thumping - first the slow, powerful thumps that had to her own heartbeat, and then a faster, less powerful beat that had to belong to someone else. Her own pulse quickened to match, and she opened her eyes and shifted them towards the source - a stocky, kind-faced man with a fuzzcut and goatee, and glasses.
"Good morning, Ranko. Did you sleep well?" the man asked gently. It was the Voice! Ranko wanted to smile, but it was hard - her face was resisting, it seemed.
"Yes," she croaked out, then flushed in embarassment. That had sounded pitiful, and would not impress the Man. She took command over her own voice and tried again.
"Yes." This time, she was more proud of herself. Her voice was beautiful - almost like she remembered it. The Voice had told her they had had to give her a new one since the old was ruined, but it took a sensitive ear - like hers! - to hear the difference. With more control, she might have her own voice back completely. She would like that very much. Her old voice had been good for singing, which she loved.
"That's good, Ranko," the Man said. "I'm Marko, and I'm with the Public Corporation for Social Welfare. We'd like you to answer a few questions, if you feel up to it."
Ranko wanted to smile again. Now she had a name to go with the Voice and the Face - Marko. It suited him. "Yes... I think so. Yes," she replied.
Marko gave her a kindly smile. "How much do you remember?"
Ranko frowned in thought. Searching her memories, she could find mostly flashes: A bald man in a dirty gi - a sweet girl with a hot temper - other girls who she had wanted to be friends with - a woman with a severe face and a sword, who scared her. And through it all, a Voice - Marko's Voice - telling her to forget. Marko must want her to not remember, then. If she said she did, she would disappoint him, so she'd say she didn't, and strive to make it so.
"Singing." That was safe, Marko hadn't told her to forget that. "Dancing... without music?" Marko nodded, and smiled encouragingly. "Playing... tag? With the Cat."
"The Cat?" Marko enquired.
"I met him while I was asleep. I was afraid of him, and you told me not to, while I was asleep. So I wasn't, and when you went away, I played with him," Ranko explained.
Marko's eyes widened. "What else did I tell you while you slept?" he asked.
"To forget things, I think. I tried, but it was so hard, and I couldn't forget all of them. Then you told me how my body works, and what you did to it. You told me about weapons, and how to use them. How to kill." Ranko couldn't lie, not to a direct question like that.
Marko swallowed for some reason, and hesitated before he said anything. "I don't want you to forget anything else that you still remember. Keep the memories safe, and we will talk about them. I've got to go away for a little while, and it's best you go back to sleep until I come back. I'll bring a doctor or a nurse with me then, they'll want to ask more questions."
Ranko nodded as best she was able, lying down as she was, and closed her eyes. Soon, she drifted back to her dreamscape, where the cat waited.
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(Posted Wed, 13 Oct 2004 18:31)
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