It Has Begun

It was the weirdest sensation she had ever beheld during her whole existence. She knew that she was awake but she didn’t believe that she had actually been asleep. She slowly opened up her eyes to find that she was and naked in a beautifully decorated master bedroom. An uneasy cold tingle shot threw her neck, something was very wrong, she didn’t live alone. Last she checked, she’d just gotten engaged and had found herself implanted within a very successful career path. No! This was something else, she sat up in the bed, pushed the covers off her body and gazed out the massive twin windows that this bedroom sported. She tried to think of what she last remembered doing before she had awoken here, but everything was fuzzy. Every time she attempted to call upon the memory it came and went in a flash. The only thing she could remember was feeling a sense of danger, anxiousness and... death. Or at least dying was the first thing that came to mind that could mildly explain or give any sense of credence as to what she experienced right before she’d awoken. It felt like something dark, and sinister was clawing at her throat trying to steal her life essence.

She slowly started to become angry, she felt so lost and her memories were no help to her. Someone was responsible for her abrupt arrival here. The main problem for her was that she didn’t know where she was, by looking out the window she deduced that she was on a Federation controlled world. The endless stream of traffic lanes filled the air outside the windows. As she observed her view of the city further, she realized that she on the capitol world, that meant that she was on Zebulon and had somehow been brought there from her current residence which happened to be Earth. Or at least that what the images in her head looked like when they briefly appeared in her mind. That feeling of angry sprung up quickly this time once she realized that everything she had known was just taken from her in an instant. The only things that she was certain of in her current mind state were three things.

The first thing was that she was either heavily drugged prior to her arrival here or something else completely unrelated to all of this was the reason that she suffered amnesia. In her case it seemed like it was pretty bad. For starters, she couldn’t even remember her name, except that her name was of royal lineage. It was strange that she could remember something about her own bloodline, but she couldn’t remember who she was or how she had gotten here. The ironic thing about all of this was that she was on a planet she was familiar with, but she knew better than to believe that the Zebulon she grew up reading about as a young girl was the city outside those windows. She couldn’t explain what ‘it’ was, but ‘it’ was there and had been there since she had opened her eyes. This presence of something being out of place with the world. She had to speak to anyone, but she didn’t need to. Strangely, she was able to sense somehow that she was no longer within the reality she’d been born into. She didn’t know how that bit of knowledge had graced her understanding. All she knew was that something deep within her soul had been awakened. This among everything else she wasn’t able to explain. She walked away from the windows, past multiple dressers that each fancied miniature sculptures made of diamonds and what looked to be marble. She eyed a door off towards the corner of the room and went to it. Upon opening the light turned on to reveal an entire walking closet filled with all types of designer clothing that only people with too much wealth would wear. Some of it looked somewhat appealing. She figured she’d give the clothes a chance since after all she was naked and was in need of some clothing.

"This can't be all mines." She said looked at the rows of jackets, shirts and every other manor of clothing as she spoke to no one in particular.

"Actually, Agent Veila, they indeed are all yours." said an unknown female voice.

She was momentarily startled by the voice, but instantly felt at ease. It wasn’t a menacing, commanding nor demanding voice that had spoken to her. The voice was soft, almost to soft, yet it felt alive and aware. She glanced back at the closet doorway and was met with a flash of white and blue lights that seemed like they had just formed together from out of nowhere to create as holographic projection of a very stunning woman in what seemed like the designer clothes that she was surrounded by. As she looked upon the holograph further, trying to study it as best she could; she couldn’t help but feel familiar with it. It may have been possible that in her reality she had been predisposed to this form of technology. The holograph looked at her for moment studied her for a moment. The woman in front of her walked around her and just simply nodded her head. Almost like she was silently voicing her approval of her. She had fair skin, slender body structure, sported wavy shoulder length brown hair and had smile that could almost make her forget the insanely horrible situation that she currently tied up in.

"What's your name?"

"I am Amelia-X2, or least that’s my official device code name for science purposes. I have been programmed to be your personal assistant during your tenure with the Syndicate. I am your exclusive liaison and more or less of guide for the organization just for you. I am programmed to primarily function as a remote field assistant, other models like me get programmed and placed within other industries such as entertainment, sports, and even within the armed forces. Though Federation policy as of late has shifted towards artificial intelligence being used more within the Federation military branches."

Carmen looked at her curiously and found Amelia amusing. She hadn’t said much yet, but from what she did say Amelia seemed to be a fancy piece of hardware. It just dawned then that Amelia had called her something earlier.

“Before you appeared over there you referred to me as Agent Veila?”

Amelia nodded and looked at her with curious expression that quickly turned to confusion. “You must be feeling flustered by all of this.” she said gesturing at their current surroundings.

She shook her head, but halfway wanted to nod in agreement. All of this was indeed a bit overwhelming at first, but she didn’t believe it would be enough to make her loose her memory.

“I don’t know how to properly say this. I’m not Agent Veila, I'm not whatever you were told to expect. To be honest, I don’t even know why I was brought here.”

Amelia looked at her briefly as she no doubt too, was trying to make sense of all this. “From what I was told, you are Agent Carmen Veila, you’ve been on Zebulon for approximately six to seven months being trained at Syndicate headquarters in the asset program. It may be a possibility that you were given a high dosage of illegal narcotics to cause your memory loss.”.  

Carmen nodded slowly trying to digest it all. So, she was brought here apparently to kill people, that didn’t seem right to here. Not that she couldn’t have been trained to kill people, it just didn’t seem that believable that someone abducted her and did God only knows what else to her before bringing her to Zebulon. She had a gut feeling that whomever was responsible for her abduction didn’t do this so she could join a criminal organization within an alternate reality. No, there was something else at play here and one way or another she was going to find out everything. She would have to play her role for now and adopt a new way of life temporarily. She thought about the name Amelia said was her name. Carmen didn’t sound like it was her name though oddly enough. Though the name Carmen did cause some memories to comeback. They were just more jumbled images and sounds, she noted that in those images she saw was with a woman whose face shouldn’t couldn’t fully see. Beyond that she just kept remembering the death like feeling when she woke up.

"So, you live here in the apartments computer system?" Carmen asked Amelia trying to get her mind off of her current crisis. Whether she liked it or not Amelia was her only link to the world around her, this world that seemed strange yet familiar in more weird ways than one.

Amelia walked over to Carmen and stood in front of her.

"In matter of speaking yes, Federation scientists designed me to be more independent then previous models. I also can accompany you anywhere you travel via your personal communicator or headset." She responded pointing at two small cellular devices sitting on an end table by the bed.

"Hmmm, that's nice. So, what can you do?"

Amelia began to explain to Carmen the complexity of her programming which allowed her to hack in and out of any system, communicate with other AI's, assistance in combat operations and monitor vitality, defenses and weapons anywhere in the galaxy.

Carmen nodded as she processed the fascinating things Amelia could do. She had never really been around an AI before so she would have to get used to her just popping and talking to her. It was then that she realized she was still naked, she looked through the closet and picked an all-black leather outfit and slipped it on. She looked on the floor and found a brand-new pair of combat boots alongside two dozen more boots and casual shoes. She grabbed a headset that was sitting on the dresser along with a personal communicator, walked out of the bedroom and into the living room which was huge. It had all the finest technology she had ever seen. She looked further and saw a kitchen, a balcony and a large viewing window which took up the entire outer living room wall.

"Does everyone in the Syndicate get an apartment like this Amelia?"

Amelia walked up next to her. "Yes, all members have one, but only assets have residential suites."

Carmen nodded at Amelia as her headset rang. She pressed a button on the earpiece and spoke to the unknown caller.

"Hello?"

"Ah, I see you have met Amelia. One of the finest AI that has ever been constructed."

Carmen was lost for words as she tried to figure out who was talking to her. Then suddenly the voice came again.

"It's Levi Fost, act like you know who he is."

"Shut up and get out of my head!" Carmen yelled.

The voice was gone, but she realized that Levi heard her.

"Are you alright agent?"

She quickly responded so he wouldn't get suspicious. "Yes, I'm fine, I've just been having the worst headache all morning."

"Good, since you are now a graduate of the program it's time for your first job. Your target and its location have been sent to your data tablet and personal com unit. Once the job is done fifteen thousand credits will be wired to your account. Spend them however you like."

Carmen quickly processed all the information Levi was telling her. It was time to get to work and do what she had been trained for. Although she had a strong feeling there was a catch to all of this.

"What's the catch? I mean you've given me an apartment in a five hundred story building, all these clothes and devices. What's the flip side to all this?"

Levi chuckled for a moment. "You've signed a six-year contract as an asset. That means you are bound to the Syndicate, once your term is up you are free to do as you please."

Carmen thought about what he said and knew that he was lying. No one just left a crime organization alive. But she didn't have time to worry about it.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

She heard Levi take a breath. "You have three days to eliminate your target. Once the job is done report to me and you will be given your next assignment."

Carmen nodded as she looked out the window. "I understand, I'll contact you once it's done."

As she was about to end the call, she heard him say her name. "What is it now?"

"I have assigned you a pilot for your ship. Her name is Mina Melena and you'll meet in hanger bay ninety-nine. She will assist you during your assignments, but don't expect her to do any of your dirty work."

With that she ended the call and sat down so she could reflect on everything that was going on. She was about to kill a random person that she didn't know or cared to know. During her training she had been taught to shut out her weaker emotions and focus only on the task she was given. For all she knew this person might be expecting an assassin and might be waiting for her. Even though the chances of that happening were slim, but still, she would still be careful nonetheless.

She picked up the data tablet that was sitting on the table in front of her and looked at the details of her mission. Her target was a female counter terrorist agent from Cryot II. Apparently from the looks of things she had found out too much about the Syndicates drug trafficking operations. What stuck out to Carmen about this target was that she had survived a previous attempt on her life. The assassin was from the Vic’s another organization who had recently partnered with the Syndicate. She felt nervous as she continued to read about the failed attempt to learn that the agent had also survived a bomb explosion in her building. This assignment was going to be tricky indeed, but Carmen knew that there was always more than one way to kill someone.