Sunday, January 26, 2014

Memories - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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                Despite his efforts, he simply couldn't remember what had happened. He found himself staring blankly at the blood splattered across the control console. Every time he attempted to focus, to remember, it was just a blur. It was like everything had been hidden in a deep fog that he couldn't see through. The answers were there yet he couldn't access them.
                "Ok, there's something that has to be missing. Think, damnit." He said to himself and shut his eyes tighter.
                He seemed to know some things intrinsically. Male. He was male. Logical. He was human. This also made total sense. He knew he was in a submarine, even if that had taken him a couple seconds of trying. He knew that submarines went into the ocean. What kind of submarine? It seemed very small, maybe only one or two people could fit in it comfortably. So for science? A science submarine is small. Yes, that made sense, but when he thought about the word, rolled it over in his mind, it didn't seem to click right. Science. He knew what science was. It helped you learn and understand things about your world. Something felt wrong though. It didn't fit.
                He yanked his hands back, snapping back to reality. They had drifted to the controls of the in front of him without a second thought. It was the stark cold of the metal that had surprised him. He again brought his hands to the console, more focused on it this time. It felt natural. Pulling gently on the joystick, he felt the sub shudder softly around him. The sub wasn't stuck in the wall of dirt before him, he just knew based on how the stick and the sub shuddered. It let out a metallic groan as he released the stick again.
                "No, not science...scientist? No." He looked over the controls one more time before moving back into the rear of the sub.
                Nothing looked different, but new things started to catch his eye. Blood wasn't only on the floor and console, but small splatters ran here and there along the ceiling. There were cabinets on the far end that housed a number of things that seemed familiar but he couldn't remember them. The only word that came to mind to any of the articles was "Science". These didn't interest him. They, like the word, felt wrong: like they didn't belong to him and he had no right to touch them. A bulkhead above him was covered in warnings in multiple languages about pressure and not to open while submerged.
                The monitors he had seen before were turned off, as were the computers attached to them. He reached down and turned them on without needing to consider this. Ok, that felt normal. The screen flickered on after a moment to reveal a name and password prompt. His fingers fell onto the keyboard, but nothing came. Name?
                What's my name? He knew he should have a name. Everyone had a name. Names came in pairs. A first part and a last part. His eyes wandered the sub again, looking for some kind of an answer to the question. There was nothing to lead him. Looking down at himself didn't prove helpful either. He was wearing a navy blue jumpsuit labeled "Pilot".
                Pilot. That felt right. He typed this into the "Name" field, but didn't proceed. He knew "Pilot" didn't belong there, it seemed silly. For that matter, he couldn't even begin to imagine what belonged in the "Password" field. Pilot meant something else. Pilot belonged here. It belonged on a sub. Just as much as a Scientist did, but they didn't do Science, not like a Scientist did. They drove. They knew how to move the sub and how to help Science happen, but they didn't do Science.
                It clicked at once. Besides his memory, something else was missing. The Scientist. He's shouldn't be this deep without his Scientist. His partner. A brief memory of bright red hair flashed in his mind. He shouldn't be down here without them. No dives without your partner, period. A panic welled up in him and he scampered back to the rear cupboards. Something else was missing. Papers. Clipboards. Why was he underwater? The papers would tell him why he was down here. He wasn't supposed to dive without a reason, or without his partner.
                He slammed the cupboards shut again and rushed back to the cockpit, strapping in. Every belt and latch clicked perfectly without thought. It felt right. The same with the controls under his fingertips. Natural. He had to get out of here. Had to find out why he had dove without his partner. All at once, a deafening bang echoed through the sub as his world turned upside down and the lights went black around him.

4 comments:

  1. My compliments on how you've written this part. The recollecting seems very natural. It's something I usually struggle with, getting characters to have the thoughts I need/want them to have to proceed, and it ends up all jumpy and sudden. But reading this, it all seems to flow pretty smoothly. Good job! (Missing the option "Their partner" in the votes for this part. ;D)

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  2. I'm glad that you enjoyed the train of thought in this section. I won't lie in saying that it can be a bit of a task to make it flow without trouble. On the flipside, I promise that their is a reason "Partner" wasn't an option. That one will be down the road a bit still. ;)

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  3. Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. Good luck on your writing, the story and the polls.

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  4. Not a problem! And the same to you. I think I might be keeping on eye out as well. haha!

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