Brain wave

"All I remember is being in the middle of that road where I was found," the patient insisted. The attending physician looked up from his portable work station. "I see; so you can't remember anything but your name?" He asked.

"No, all I know is my name: Alison," she said. The doctor typed for a little bit. "Well your tests don't show anything wrong with you," he said. "Are you sure you don't know why you were outside Grange Army Base?" Alison was feeling irritated. The florescent lights in the ER flickered. "No!" She said. "We've been over this! I don't remember anything except being outside barefoot in a hospital gown! Then I was almost run over by the trucker who brought me here!"

In all his twenty years of practice Dr. Metner had never seen a perfectly healthy individual with Retrograde Global Amnesia. Yet he couldn't think of anything else this young woman could be suffering from. "I think you may have been through something traumatic," he said. "Your memories of who you were should come back in time. I'm afraid to discharge you with nowhere to go." Dr. Metner reached into the pocket of his scrubs and pulled out a bussiness card.

"What's this?" Alison asked as she took the small rectangle of cardstock. "It's the address and contact information for St. Anthony's Rescue Mission," he said. "They should be able to help you get on your feet." Alison rolled her eyes. "I have no clothes, no phone, no money and no transportation," she said. "How do you expect me to go anywhere?" Tamping down on his own frustration Dr. Metner did some quick problem solving.

"I'll page one of the nurse's assistants," he said. "They'll meet you at the front desk and drive you to St. Anthony's. Free of charge. As a courtesy the hospital will give you a clean change of clothes."

Alison felt calmer but still worried. "What happens when I remember?" She asked. "What if I'm a terrible person?"

The elderly medical professional allowed himself to show empathy with his patient. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can't answer that. Aside from a bit of a temper you don't seem so bad." He finished his notes and clicked on the print button. "I'm printing up your discarge papers," he said. "An on duty nurse will drop those clothes off for you. After that just stop by the front desk and then you're free to go."

It was weird, certain words like discharge and duty stirred something in Alison's brain. Were they clues to who she was? She didn't know.

A young woman in magenta scrubs brought a grey pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt into the partitioned bay. "Take your time," she said. "Feel better, okay?" Alison nodded as the woman pulled the curtains shut behind her.

As Alison picked up the clothing, another image flashed through her mind. Men in suits with plastic id badges. Her sitting at a table with a pencil and piece of paper scribbling madly. A strange jagged thing forming on the blank sheet. Then she was back in the hospital bay.

What was that?! Alison gasped for a second. No, it was too bizzare. She hoped that scene had just been her imagination. Alison finished dressing and went out to the lobby.

"Are you the amnesiac?" A short girl barely older than eighteen asked. "Unless there's someone else here I don't see," Alison joked. "I'm her. Alison." The raven haired, tiny nurse's assistant extended a hand. "Erica," she said. "Are you ready to go?"

The car ride didn't take long only fifteen minutes. Erica attempted to make small talk. "So, I bet this is hard for you," she said. "St. Anthony's isn't so bad. Father Ricardo and Sister Alba are very kind." Alison didn't have a good response. "Is that right?" She said.

Erica was the type who loathed silence and prone to prattle. "Oh yes;" she said. "They helped my brother, Nathan when he was homeless after his house burned down. Now he's an accountant at R and J Auto. I'd tell you all about it but we're here! You need anything else before I go?" Alison gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "Nope," she said. "I'm good to go." Erica gave Alison a quick shoulder squeeze. "Good luck!" Erica said. "See you around."

Alison decided to wave to the girl as the car pulled away. She rang the doorbell outside St. Anthony's. A while later, the heavy oak doors opened and a nun peeked out. "May I help you?" The nun asked. "Um, I just got released from the hospital," Alison said. "I have nowhere to go. They said I could come here for help."

Opening the door wider, the nun stood and beckoned Alison. "Come in," she said. "We'll do what we can." Alison followed the Sister inside.

The nave was lit by dozens of votive candles. "I'll set you up in one of our rooms," the holy woman said. "My name is Sister Alba. I am in charge of the mission along with Father Ricardo. Dinner is at six in our cafeteria. Tomorrow Father Ricardo will help you look for work."

Alison felt at peace in St. Anthony's. She must've been hungrier than she thought, she devoured her entire pot pie and mashed potatoes in reccord time. She had been about to go to bed when there was a knock on the door.

She cautiously answered the knocks. On the other side was an elderly man in black with a priest's collar. "Hello child," he said. "I am Father Ricardo. I apologize for interrupting your night but there are some men here who wish to talk with you."

Alison was suprised. "What for?" She asked. "I don't know anything. I don't even know who I am." The Father looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "My child," he said. "These are very important men and they insist on talking with you. Please, come with me to the chapel."

Two men in identical black suits and aviator sunglasses sat on a pew closest to the altar. In unison they both turned to look at Alison as she approached them. "My name is Agent Paulson," the one on the left said. "This is Agent Jackson. We are here on behalf of the Department of Defense. Please take a seat ma'am."

Afraid of the situation, Alison nervously complied. "We've been looking for you," Agent Paulson said. "You gave us quite a scare when you went missing." Her face went cold as blood drained from her cheeks. She wasn't sure she liked where this was going. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"You were a participant in Project Deltawave," Agent Paulson said. "A military experiment. We had you at our secure facility to...consult." Alison would've never guessed that. Maybe thats how she had ended up near Grange Army Base.

"What was I consulting on?" Alison asked. Agent Jackson looked around and nodded to his parter to affirm that they were alone. "You posses Level 5 psychic abilites," Agent Paulson said. "We needed you for remote viewing of a new threat to humanity."

Somehow, the whole psychic abilities and remote viewing thing sounded familiar. Alison gasped as she remembered her vision in the hospital. "Remote viewing," she said. "Does that have anything to do with scribbling drawings on paper?" Paulson nodded. "It was the way your abilities worked best," he said. "Durring your last session something happened."

Hating herself for being curious, Alison listened intently to Agent Paulson's explanation. Apparently the United States Army had picked up on some strange electro mangnetic waves. Boots on the ground found no signs of anything abnormal at the sites where the waves originated. None of the DoD's scientists could explain what was going on.

Project Deltawave was comissioned to investigate a possible paranormal cause behind the anomalies. Over the past year and a half Alison and Project Deltawave had been trying to psychically locate the source of the waves.

They now knew that the waves were emanating from a parallel universe. The waves had come from sentient beings attempting to breach into our world. Just as they had been about to figure out how to prevent the invasion, something had happened. Alison had screamed in agony and become comatose.

Aproximately six hours ago, Alison had mysteriously disappeared from Project Deltawave's medical facility. Agent Paulson and Jackson had only managed to find Alison by interrogating hospital staff.

"Will you help save humanity from this threat?" Paulson asked. There was a ringing in Alisons ears and blood began to drip from her nose. "Too late," she said. "They're coming."