Chapter 9: The Big Catch

 Agent Coulter 

I've read 2541 portfolios backward and forwards. I know every detail about her and have been tracking her for over forty years, and now I have her. I have her right here in one of my black rooms. So far, everything is going well; she is taking to the treatments to plan,  and amnesia is taking over faster than I expected, which is even better. I need her to forget it all. Forget me, forget that red-headed devil, forget her group of jumpers, forget who she is, and especially what she can do at full potential. I need her to trust me. Need her to be on our side. Think of the possibilities if we had her as a weapon. She could jump over into people and gain top-secret information. Play the part for a time, even make deals on our behalf. The possibilities are endless. The red-head was too weak. I am sure Harper knew she wouldn't have lasted long here. But my Amelia, you are the one. The big catch, and you're all mine. 

I wonder if you'll remember my face when you see me? I do not think you will. You do not even know your name. I watch you every night. I see all the footage, all the reports, and I am there when they drag you out of the room for observations and checks. It is so strange to see you in this fragile body this time around. The one I know you most from that is the body I wish to see you return to. I wonder why you changed before exchanging yourself for the red-head and why pray tell does she so smitten you so? When I enter this room, will you remember my name? A small part of me hopes that you do; I miss our game of cat and mouse. Guess I will see which side of you I'll meet today when I open this door. Shall I open it, or will I knock? 

 When I enter the room, she is standing at the mirror and looking through the mirror's reflection towards the door. Brave even still. No memories, pale, malnourished, and with so many questions unanswered.  Don't worry, little mouse. I am here to help you. I close the door and put on my most innocent smile. She doesn't bite. So I greet her with a "hello Miss, my name is Agent Coulter, and it is a pleasure to meet you finally." She turns away from the mirror and faces me, looking me directly into my eyes. Those eyes, though they are not hers - they are her, and her look does not sit right with me, so I signal to one of the cameras to have the guards at the ready outside of the door. 

 After a few moments of a stare-off, I continue to speak and explain my deepest apologies for her current living conditions. They were, of course, necessary, and I offer to get her something to eat or drink. I wonder how she will respond? It has been exactly four days since she has last eaten. Even with amnesia, you can feel your body hunger in pain. You cannot sustain simply off of sink water. Her response is unexpected and short. She says, "why not." Are you there, Amelia? Are you pretending to hide behind this flesh? I am not amused, and thus, my response is one of irritation.

 Why not, you say? I would have expected much more from someone in your situation. She says nothing. She stares at me like a bug, and I wonder if I let her get into my head. So I change tactics. Miss, do you know why you're here? I pause and wait for a response. There is none. Can you at least tell me your name? Maybe this way, we can help get you the help you desperately need. I pause again. She says nothing. She says nothing at all, and as I turn to take my leave from this shit hole of a room, I finally hear her speak. With my hand on the doorknob, I turn to look at her. Her head is facing downward, and she has one hand on her head, and all she says is, "I know you, but I...I don't know how; who are you to me?" 

I sigh out a quiet breath in relief. I am still there. Amelia, my sweet, you haven't forgotten me. We will always play this game, you and I. I turn the doorknob and leave. My heart is racing, and I cannot wait for the plans ahead. For the times we will have alone together. For the times, she will continue to show us her powers without even knowing she is doing it. I head down to the surveillance room to see her once again before heading for the Medical Bay. She has moved to the bed now. Sitting head in hands. It is almost sad to see her this way, but for all the times she escaped, for all the times she has jumped in and out of lives, and for all the centuries she has been blessed to live. The things she has gotten to see and know. It just is not correct, nor is it fair for such a thing to exist unless others can have it, and the fact that she has shared this gift with others and not me: I, the one who first approached her all those years ago so eager to learn. Look now, Amelia, look who is in control now.

 I head for Medical Bay and give the doctors new orders. I want patient 2541's medication dosage increased to the maximum limit without placing her in a state of vegetation; I want her to know nothing. Remember nothing. I want to be able to teach her how to walk and talk again. The doctors will do as they are told and as I walk away, I think I will teach her how to use her vector. I know enough to get her there, and if I can't, I get the redheaded brat back here and force her to teach her again. For whatever reason, she is the key and the only one who can travel farther than the others and who knows what else she is capable of. 

 I leave one last order for the guard to ensure she is fed over the next two days. She will need her strength for the new dosages to come. The new medication dosages will begin in three days.