The Secrets That Lay

Chapters

Prologue: Nasty Fall.
Wakey-Wakey, Injections and Therapy
What's in a Name?

Prologue: Nasty Fall.

Blank, blank, blank.

That was what she thought of; nothing. Her mind was as clear as glass and as empty as a Monday morning church. As her nerves began increasing, she popped random words into her mind to try and bring something to her mind.

They ranged from dog to cat to car to book but nothing seemed to be surfacing. She could not think of what she had been doing before she fell asleep, she could not think of anything about yesterday.

To make it simple, she thought of nothing.

It did not take long for her to scramble to her feet though she stumbled a bit, almost tripping over, as if it had been a long time since she had walked. She saw herself in a very blank room, white walls, white sheets on the bed complete with white pillows. Nothing else was there, except for a door.

She rushed towards it, tugging the handle down and pushing but the door did not budge. She shoved it again but it refused to move. It must have been locked on the opposite side.

Her shoulder pressed against it strain against it, twisting the door handle down but it did not work. To her surprise, a noise alerted her and she looked to see what remained of the handle in her hand.

What the heck just happened there? It broke? How the hell did it break off? She dropped it and took a few steps back, looking at the door. Only one way out of this.

She lifted her foot, noticing herself to be barefooted. From what she saw, her skin was bronzed, most likely suggesting she must have been outside a lot. Upon further investigation she saw she was wearing a white t-shirt with what looked like some weird winged horse with a horn on it, a circle behind with the words ‘SSR’ on the middle of the emblem and also light-brown cargo pants. Nothing more remained on her.

She reached up to her head, feeling silky locks of hair. Moving her hand over her back, she noticed it reached about her mid-back level and was loose. She grabbed a few strands and as she placed it over her forehead, she saw it was a blond color.

That was all she could tell of her appearance asides that she appeared to be tall and was lean but noticeably toned.

With that thought, no more memories began to pop into her head, causing her worry. Had a brain injury occurred? She remembered items and animals and names of people but she could not pinpoint anything that related to herself.

Her eyes narrowed and she continued on with her plan, smashing her foot onto where the door handle once remained. Thankfully the door swung open as the lock broke and she rushed outside, finding herself in a hallway.

But to her immediate surprise, a man stood outside the door, wearing heavy armor and armed with a rifle in his hand.

“Hey, what?” He looked over at her, his eyes widening behind the helmet he wore, “S-she’s awake!” His voice began to yell as he lifted his gun, “Get back into your room or I’ll have to knock you out.”

The woman clenched her fists but she raised them up in a defensive way of saying ‘don’t shoot’, “I have no idea of doin’ that.” Her tone was a drawl, country. Texan maybe.

“This gun is loaded with tranquilizer darts. I can have you out like a light in a few seconds or you can go back into your room and wait patiently.”

She took a step forward, causing him to brandish the rifle, aiming around her neck area, “I said, I have no idea of doin’ that.” She repeated as she took another step closer. Her eyes focused on the finger hovering over the trigger.

The finger twitched for a mili-second and she ducked down as he shot, missing her easily. Not even pausing to think on however she dodged it, she sent out a kick, landing him in the gut as he fell back. She placed a hand over his mouth before he could call out for help as her other palm grabbed the rifle, slipping it off him.

She wasted no time in shooting him in the neck and he soon slumped unconscious. She grabbed ahold of him and dragged him back into the white room.

No more memories appeared but she felt as if somehow she had done something like this before. Ideas popped into her mind of what to do. She looked down at herself, impressed with having dodged the shot but a little bemused on it.

She closed the door behind her as she glanced down the hallway, the rifle in her arms. It seemed to be clear, maybe he was the only guard on duty.

Where the hell was she? She as confused on her location. The man having a tranquilizer gun showed that she was being held captive but was not ordered to be killed on sight. She must know something they wanted perhaps.

She padded down the hall and looked outside the clear windows as she walked over a bridge-like area. Many other buildings were outside and she scowled as she saw many more armored men like the man who tried to attack her were there. If she wanted to try and escape, it would not be easy.

The sound of voices alerted her and she quickly ran to the corner, opposite a pair of doors that swung open to reveal two more men who thankfully did not notice her hiding.

“How long has she been unconscious now? Two weeks, three?”

“Around that much,” His colleague replied as they trudged down the corridor, “She should be waking up soon though, she’s back to normal now.”

“She better, I’m sick of all this useless guard duty,” He sighed and then they rounded a corner and were out of sight.

The woman reached her door and when she opened she, she heard yelling of “Oh my God” and “She’s escaped” and she saw a red flash out of the corner of her eye and soon noticed a red alarm and following it was a loud horn noise.

Not bothering to think, she took off down the hall, running faster than the average human. She jogged down and almost barged right into another soldier though she pushed him into the wall, smacking what was shown of his face into it and a crunch alerted her that she must have messed up his jaw.

She saw a flight of stairs and ran down them, skipping many steps and hopping the last few before she found three armed guards awaiting her. She backed up, raising her hands as the rifle dropped to the ground.

“What do we do?” One hissed towards his partner.

“Knock her out and hope for the best?” One suggested, his tone nervous. Clearly he was worried about what was going to happen.

The third one snapped at them in a harsh female tone, “Can it, Williams, you know what we were told. Render her unconscious and take her towards General Luna.”

“Um, r-right!” The nervous one stammered out, lifting his rifle.

The blonde-haired woman tilted her head, “Can’t y’all just bring me there? I’ll go quietly.”

“How can we believe that?” The not-nervous man of the group scowled behind his helmet.

She shrugged, “You don’t.” She then frowned, “But I am not gettin’ a dart jammed into me.”

“Too late,” The female of the group growled as she lifted her gun and shot.

Once again, she dodged by some sort of miracle, the dart shattering the glass. She looked and noticed that she was not particularly high from the ground. She might jump down and be safe, maybe get a twisted leg but she could continue on and she doubted the three were brave enough to chase after her.

She turned, her back towards them.

“What is she doing?” Williams asked, now confused instead of scared out of his mind.

“Don’t tell me she’s gonna-“ Before the lady could finish, out went the other woman as she hopped out and into the air, the night wind whipping against her.

As she began flinging down, she realized this was a horrible idea as the height seemed to increase now. She braced herself for pain in her legs but felt nothing asides from the feeling of concrete beneath her bare feet.

She stared, wide eyed as she saw herself standing firmly and not in pain at all. She lifted a foot, not a scratch on the heel. The same went for the other.

She lifted her hands, checking every angle of her body.

“W-what…what the heck is goin’ on?”

She never got an answer as she felt a bang and then something piercing into the side of her neck before she began feeling dizzy, stumbling about before her vision went black and she collapsed to the ground, knocked out before she hit it.

Wakey-Wakey, Injections and Therapy

A gentle slap arrived at her cheek and her eyes peered open. Her vision wasn't dazed or blurred like she expected and she found herself staring at someone tilting their head, face hovering a few inches from her own. She snapped her head back only for it to collide with the feeling of soft leather.

"Good to see you're awake," The figure which she could see was a woman from the body shape straightened up, leaning back on a long table. The recently-unconscious woman took in her image, recognizing her height to be shorter than the last female she had seen; the one before she decided to hop off a building.

Her gaze traveled around where she was. A large room with a big long table planted firmly in the middle, several high chairs lingering around it with herself seated on one of them. A large screen hooked onto the wall was in her sight, only a symbol shown on it. It didn't take long for her to realize it matched the one worn on her shirt.

An itch lingered in her neck and she lifted a hand to scratch it only for both hands to move up. She glanced down and took notice of the fact handcuffs were strapped over her wrist, clamped extra tightly so the teeth nipped into her skin whenever she tried to wiggle them around.

"So, you're the hot-shot causing trouble around this place?"

"Beg pardon?" She then saw the woman reach up and undo her helmet, shaking her head. Her hair was chopped to neck length but what made her quirk an eyebrow were the hair tone; streaked with the colors of the rainbow.

She didn't look more than early twenties at the least. With light tanned skin and cerise eyes to boot, she was definitely an odd vision for herself.

"You," She pointed at the blonde as she made herself comfortable on sitting on the edge of the desk, "Unconscious for almost a month and then you awake, breaking out, injuring one man, knocking another unconscious and then you caused property damage to the third floor windows and also that nice little door keeping you wrapped up nice and sweet."

She was met with a flat stare, unamused green eyes boring into her, "I awoke ta find myself locked in a room. I did what any sane person would do and escaped. It wasn't my fault people got in my way. I was tryin' ta leave."

"Well, let's just say my boss isn't exactly happy," She leaned her head back, finding the ceiling interesting all of a sudden.

"You got a name?"

"Major Myers but you can call me Dash."

Strange nickname. Must be a theme or something with the hairstyle, "Dash? Yer kiddin' right?"

"Got a problem with that, blondie?"

"No, jus' confused on what you'd want a nickname like that," A colonel, huh? Decent enough position to keep track of herself.

Dash sent her a small glare, "Don't ask." She then sighed, "So, how freaked out are you?"

"Freaked out?" She deadpanned. She tilted her wrists at comfortable angles so she could try and examine the cuffs without causing much harm to herself. They were on tight, she'd need a key if she wanted to get out of her.

But seeing the pistol resting on a holster on the rainbow-haired woman's thigh made her re-question her actions and in the end, she remained firmly seated.

"You know, like seeing that thing doesn't make you go what the hell?" She pointed a thumb at the large screen, "You adjusted to TV's already?"

Whatever was a TV. She shook her head then, "'Fraid not."

"You sure are weird."

"Yer too kind," She rolled her eyes, facing her gaze away now.

Dash smirked then, "An attitude like that won't help you out with the General. I suggest you keep formal and polite unless you don't wanna be punished. You don't want to get shot again, do you?"

"Was that you?"

"Nope, not me. But I was told to stay here and keep watch on, and these are the exact words told to me: 'the suicidal blonde who took a nose dive from nearly one hundred feet," The smirk curled into a grin.

A grunt was her response and a silence erupted between the two. The cuffs were still there and that agitated her to extreme ends. She had to think logically. Maybe if she played along and acted nice, she might be released from the damned cuffs. Then she could make a run for it, not looking back no matter what.

Whoever this 'Dash' person was, she wasn't exactly rude from the way her words came off. Cocky, definitely, but not downright mean. She wouldn't say she would be upset if their past were to never not cross again.

The sound of a knock on the door of the door made her thoughts switch off. The Major approached it and opened it, whoever was behind it a mystery.

"Yeah, she's awake," She could barely make out the other voice, unable to hear the words they spoke, "A meeting? Immediate? Alright, you got it. Go easy on her though, I think she's still out of it. Or maybe she's just crazy."

As she popped her helmet back on over her head, Dash took a look over towards the blonde and flashed her a grin and she swore she saw her wink behind her helmet before she disappeared. Something told her that whoever she spoke to was not going to be a pleasant encounter.

Entering the room was a woman, older than herself but still young, late twenties at the very least. Two-tone wavy hair that seemed almost transparent was tumbling down her back. A pair of hardened teal eyes glanced over at her, narrowing only lightly at the door closed shut.

Her outfit was something special, different so from the others she saw. A symbol attached to her outfit made the blonde recognize it as being a general.

It must be that Luna Dash warned her about.

"I hope she didn't treat you too bad."

"Oh no, we had a blast," She grumbled sarcastically.

"She's a good Major, deserves her position. Just…she can get a little…"

"Full of herself?"

"Perhaps proud might be the better word," To her immense shock and pleasure, the lady lifted up a key and swiftly unlocked the cuffs.

Rubbing her wrists, she got to her feet, "Thank ya kindly fer the help but if y'all don't mind, I'd like-" She cut off as the woman wrapped a pair of arms around herself, embracing her tightly. She blinked, unsure of what to do and just stood there.

"I'm sure you have plenty of question but-" She stopped, realizing the expression of pure bafflement resting on the country girl as she stared, "What's with that look? Are you alright?"

"I think so?" She rubbed the back of her messy mane of hair sheepishly as she noticed a look of distress passing over Luna's face though it quickly disappeared being replaced with the most blank look.

"You look troubled- confused."

"You hugged me, not exactly the most common thang I expected ta happen."

Now it was the other woman's turn to blink but it quickly took on a turn of rage as she grabbed her roughly by the collar of her neck, erupting a yelp from the blonde as she was shook around, "Who are you? An imposter?! That's impossible, scans show you are her and that-"

A quick, haste knocking alerted at the door and broke Luna's concentration enough for her to drop the other to the floor, glare and head towards it, opening it up. Rubbing her neck, she returned the harsh look as she watched Luna storm towards the door.

"M-miss. Luna. Your sister wants to see you now!" The voice was male but much younger to be a man's voice. A teenager from the sounds of things. He also appeared to be out of breath as pants could be heard, "A-and…she says to…bring the girl to Doctor Morgan for a proper medical check and then to Twi- uh, I mean Doctor Sloan for a psychology exam."

She looked to disagree with the boy and said something towards him that she didn't catch before she sighed and beckoned for the oblivious girl to approach her. She did so and before she could even think of running her arms were yanked back and the cuffs were snapped right back on before she was shoved out of the office.

The boy in question looked to be no more than fourteen at the very least with big green hair that protruded out of many angles, a mess of spikes and tangles. His equally large green eyes stared up at the blonde which what she thought was awe for a few moments.

"Remember what I told you, Spike."

"Um, yeah, right, you got it!" With a salute, the boy looked at the other girl, "You can follow me, alright?"

"Uh, sure, you got it."

~~~~

She released a groan as another injection was popped into her arm, watching as the syringe filled up with her blood. Spots lingered across spaces on her arms from where a needle had been jabbed into it.

Blood test upon blood test had she been forced to participate in. after the boy delivered her off (her chances of running off foiled by the fact he had a gun pointed at her without so much as flinching during their short journey) at the medical room she found herself in the company of a woman with light pink hair and big turquoise eyes who had a noticeable stammer and seemed to be very quiet.

That was something that made it easier. At first simple stuff had happened; her pulse being checked, heart rate, all that natural jazz. But then she had found herself getting her blood checked, she had to jog on the spot for a few minutes and she surprised herself by not being the least bit tired about it.

And then literally all the blood was getting sucked out of her. The woman had decreased slightly from being a stammering mess and began relaxing only a bit. She was now typing away on some odd keyboard like thingy connected to another flat screen.

"Y-you appearing to be quite physically f-fit and your blood shows no sign of being sick or anything," Doctor Morgan murmured barely enough for herself to hear her though she picked it up somehow, "I think that might be enough for now."

With a sigh of relief, she got off the examination table. It had been awkward, having to run with handcuffs on and then having injections soon after. She was surprised to find herself feeling perfectly okay. The doctor had inserted some weird chemical into her and she was afraid it might have done something as she stood up but to her surprise, she felt as fit as a fiddle.

"Um, if you could follow me I'll take you to your next p-place," She turned and fixed up the long medical jacket she wore. Lumbering behind her was the taller woman who shook her head. She could make a run for it but how far would she make it? They passed multiple armed guards with tight grips on their weapons.

She was led to a door and the doctor dismissed herself after saying she was to enter it and to not cause trouble.

The room was quite small. A desk was there and a couch for someone to lay on and also another chair in front of it where someone sat. trudging forward a bit, she craned her neck to see a woman scribbling notes down on a clipboard, "Er, hello?"

A jolt came from the woman as she jumped up from her seat, her glasses slipping off her eyes. If this organization was anything good, it seemed terrible. Employing all these people who basically jump at any noise was not good to have around.

Fixing up the glasses over her lavender orbs, she straightened the sweater vest she wore. She had violet hair, the top sort of in a hime-cut around the fringe.

"Ah, you must be-" She took a look at her file, "Patient Zero?" Her tone came with slight confusion.

Zero? Zero means nothing. She's patient nothing? That's good to hear, "Born and raised." She said sarcastically.

"Could you take a seat?" She asked right then, indicating the chair for her to lie down on. She made herself comfortable, clasping her cuffed hands together. A shrink. Terrific. She can remember what a psychologist is but couldn't even think of her own name.

"Patient interview number one," The woman pressed a button on some weird recording device and placed it down on a drawer beside her, "Patient appears to be physically fit, no signs of any harm asides from a punctures in the upper arm and a few in the forearm of the left limb. The neck wound has disappeared and no signs exist of it."

The blonde released a small sigh. Interview number one? Was she her first ever interview or was this going to be a regular thing between them?

The doctor spoke more of signs about her for a few minutes and then it was quiet, the only sounds of a pen being scribbled down, notes being took.

"How do you feel?"

"Fine, which surprises me," She replied, "The doc injected somethin' into me and I thought it'd be something that would cause harm."

"She did, the drug was supposed to make you weak so any attempts at escaping could be foiled without the need to tranquilize you again." Her eyes narrowed a bit, "It didn't work?"

"Nope," She shook her head.

It didn't affect her? How was that possible? She didn't feel weak or sluggish, she felt ready and fit.

"Alright, I'd think I'll just start this off by introducing myself. My name is Doctor Twilight Sloan and for this day and every Friday each week I will be having private one hour sessions with you."

"Why?" She sat up then.

Doctor Sloan perched glasses over her nose, raising an eyebrow, "Whilst you were unconscious, scans showed you to have suffered intense head injury. Your head must have hit something hard because we believe that somehow it might have…"

"Might have what?"

"I was speaking with General Luna earlier and she said you didn't recognize her. I re-read the reports and I think there is a high chance you might have amnesia."

Amnesia? Of course she had that! Not being able to remember a single thing about herself. But what case had she got? She remembered nothing.

"Well, she was too busy yanking me all over the place, I barely got a darn word in before some kid showed up."

"I'm still unsure on whether it was caused by a brain injury or perhaps some psychological trauma that occurred before," She wrote something else down, "Can you tell me your name?"

With a blank stare, she tried to shrug her shoulders but found she couldn't unless she wanted to have cuff teeth dug into her wrist. Luna had applied them even tighter than before, "Patient Zero is the only name I've had all day."

"Can you remember anything about yourself?"

"I 'member y'all sayin' somethin' about me bein' from suggestively somewhere warm judgin' from my skin tone," Her brow furrowed and she sighed, "I got nothin' after that."

Panic flushed through the eyes of the doctor before replaced with a normal gaze, "Hmm, alright." She picked up the tape thingy, "Patient Zero appears to have no recognition of a past live. After this session I will discuss with the council to see what will come of her."

The blonde laid back again, deciding to get comfy. From the way she acted, she must have known this General Luna somehow. Her face didn't bring up any signs of similarity.

"What council?"

"You don't need to worry about that yet," Sloan responded with a dry tone before she then spoke in a more professional tone, "Patient caused minimal damage to property and broke the jaw and nose of one soldier. It could show signs of aggressive tendencies but remains unknown as the patient might have simply panicked."

She thought back to shoving the soldier into the wall, cringing a bit at the crunch made. She supposed she should count herself lucky for not doing anything else more.

"Usage of the gun to knock out the guard shows signs of channeling military experience," So she was in the army as well. Was this the place she served at? Looking around didn't make her feel any signs of being welcomed. Perhaps she was stationed somewhere else, "What went through your mind as you awoke?"

She took a look to see the dark-skinned woman looking at her and she frowned, "I was…confused. I didn't know what the hell was goin' on. Heck, I still don't. Why am I here and how come I can't remember a damn thing?!" Her voice began to raise as she glared at the doctor who didn't even flinch underneath the stare.

Her next action consisted of looking at her watch and she quirked an eyebrow, "Lunch time." She noted in a bland tone before standing up, beckoning for the other to follow.

Getting back onto her feet, the blonde scowled, "What?"

"You must be hungry after all that has happened. There's a mess hall on the second floor used for the soldiers but I think maybe you could have something that isn't that bad. There's another one used for the higher ranks or people of different positions that I think you might like. Lunch should be around now," Sloan dropped her clipboard onto her desk and headed to the door.

"Aren't y'all worried I could run off?"

"I doubt you could make it around the corner before you were shot unconscious."

With slightly narrowed eyes, she followed the psychiatrist, walking alongside her as she led her through the hallways. She ignored all the glances given to her by anyone that passed and firmly kept her eyes focused ahead.

Being mentally alone with her thoughts, she pondered over what was going to happen to her. If she was a solider injured on the field would she have to return? Would she be allowed to leave or would she be informed of her memories?

The questions went on and on.

She noticed the good doctor stopped walking and found herself standing outside a large door. Sloan typed on a weird pedestal keypad thing with numbers and letters around it before to her surprise, the door opened, "What the hell?" She muttered before reluctantly entering the room.

It was quite classy from the looks of it. It was large (there must be a lot more important people here than she thought) with many tables lined up in neat patterns. Quite a lot of people were there (guess it wasn't a lie that it was lunch time) and to her immediate annoyance and slight embarrassment quite a few pairs of eyes went up towards her.

She noticed Major Myers resting back in a seat, a grin on her face as she noticed the blonde, much different from the expressions everyone else shared that ranged from shock to confusion to (unless she was mistaken) awe.

She felt a hand grabbed her forearm and was directed over towards the table that Dash sat at and was basically pushed into a seat by the shrink who didn't so much bat an eyelid.

"Hey, Twi," Dash sent a short wave at her before glancing at the amnesiac, "I see you met the lunatic."

"She isn't crazy, Samantha," An eyebrow twitched from the colonel, clearly not a fan of the name, "From what I've seen she is quite sane, probably more than you are."

Before the angered soldier could snap something, the doctor disappeared off to get herself some food. The cuffed culprit quirked an eyebrow as a smirk curled onto her lips.

"See? I'm more sane than y'all are, Sammy," A vicious glare was sent her way though she didn't flinch from it, leaning her chin on her cupped palms as she placed her elbows on the table.

"Rumor has it you almost got your face bit off from the General."

"Rumor has it that's true," She looked down at her shirt, noticing the crease left from when she was lifted into the air, "Strong woman."

Dash shrugged, "She's the best soldier we got here, of course she's gonna be strong."

"Who told ya anyways?"

"Spiky-Boy," She yawned a bit and when given a confused look she sighed, "The kid with the green hair."

An image of him appeared. She mostly remembered him for his crazy hair and also his short stature, "Ain't he a little young ta be 'round this sort of place?"

"Kids a brainiac, smarter than about half the people in this room combined into one brain," She replied as she chewed on a sandwich, "He's also the Doc's adoptive brother. A brain and a shrink, dynamic duo over there."

He sure didn't look like he was smart. Half the journey was spent sending looks at herself and also pointing a nice little gun at her.

"I see," She drawled out.

Dash munched silently on her food as the two stayed quiet, not saying anything. Soon, Sloan arrived, placing a bowl of soup in front of the blonde who shot her a glare.

Especially when she placed a straw into it.

"Yer kiddin', right?"

"I'm afraid not. Eating anything else would be awkward with those handcuffs and I can't release them. No offense," She responded as she herself began to eat.

Myers looked to be biting the inside her cheek to stifle a laugh, trying to appear calm and collected though she sniggered nonetheless.

Despite not wanting to go near the embarrassing food offered, her stomach growled and her mind was made up. With a sigh and muttering enough curse words to make a sailor blush, she dipped her head and began to drink the soup from the straw.

A giggle alerted her and shot up to send a glare at Dash but found the rainbow-haired woman with her mouthful, unable to make any laughing noises.

The giggle continued, "Boy, you really must be hungry to resort to using a straw! That sure is determination! But then again, maybe you just like straws. I love straws, especially the ones with weird patterns but I'm not allowed to have them here which is silly because everyone could use those straws around! It would make everything big and happy!"

She didn't see where the noise was coming from and quirked an eyebrow. She noticed Dash and Sloan looking somewhere and followed the gaze as to her left.

Someone was sitting there that definitely did not sit there a moment ago. Big poofy bright pink hair complete with bright, innocent blue eyes met her gaze and also a large grin.

It was official. She herself had no memory of who she was, didn't know her name, was forced here against her will and everyone gave her weird looks.

And yet, somehow she considered herself the most sane out of everyone she met today.

"Hey, Diane," Dash gave a short wave to the girl.

"Hi, Dashie! Who's this? Is she a new friend? Or is she a new a solider? Did she get upgraded here? But why is she wearing clothes like that? Shouldn't someone give her some shoes? It's not the warmest floor here, or is it?" She disappeared underneath the table and after placing her hands and cheek onto the floor popped back up, "Never mind, it's room temperature."

"Patient Zero's the name," The comment was directed at the new arrival but was sent with bitterness towards Twilight who didn't seem to notice it.

"Patient Zero? What sort of name is that? What kind of parents names a child Patient? Were you a calm baby who didn't test their patience? Wow, I wonder what that would be like. My mom said I used to cry a lot when I was a baby. Like, really really loud like this!" Her mouth opened up and if Myers didn't cram some food into her mouth, she would have started yelling her head off.

"It's the only name I got now, I don't remember my name."

"Wait, what?"

Sloan looked at Dash, sighing, "I fear that she may have gotten amnesia from a brain injury. It's unsure for now but it might possibly be that."

"T-Twilight!"

Spike appeared then, panting like always. The boy was always in a rush it seemed. He bent over, coughing a bit before looking up, "Your presence is required by the council. Also…" He looked up at the new woman, "She's too…go for a…" He gasped in some more air, "Meeting with Miss Belle to get her measurements suited."

A snort came from Dash as the doctor got up, "Haha, you are screwed now."

"What?"

"Rarity's gonna keep you around for hours, Zero my friend," She smirked, "Man, when I had to get her to get me suited for some armor I thought it would never be over. My arms still ache from when that happened."

"Uh, you have to bring her there as well, Major," Spike added and just like that, the boy set off with the psychiatrist not far behind.

"Sure, I'll see her off before she dies of boredom," Sniggered the soldier.

In response she got some soup flickered onto her face from a ticked-off woman with no memory.

"Oh! We're throwing food now, are we?!"

"No, wait, Pinkie, I- gah!"

The sound of sandwich hitting skin echoed around the room after the pink-haired woman aimed perfect fire at Dash.

The amnesiac continued to remain as the only sane person in the room.

What's in a Name?

The good part of being placed into a room with someone to take her measurements was that the dreaded handcuffs had been removed, the marks from where the metal dug into her skin, in some part biting through and drawing small bits of blood. To her surprise, though, whatever small cuts were caused had disappeared minutes after being removed.

The bad part of being placed into a room with someone to take her measurements was everything else. To start things off, the room was empty and no one was there, prompting her deliverer to remain there. Dash was clearly the impatient type and crossed her arms, tapping her foot.

"I'm supposed to be training right now," She said in annoyance.

"Training?" Despite the fact she was free from having her wrists all put planted together and that she probably could have took the colonel if she wanted, she remembered seeing someone with a pistol stationed near the door. And beyond that who knew how many more soldiers awaited.

Glancing over at her, Sam released a sigh, "You know, running, shooting, all that crap. Geez, you think you never were a solider.

"Did y'all forget the part where that doctor said I couldn't remember a darn thing 'bout myself?"

"Still, you don't need memories to know what a solider does."

She rolled her eyes. Myers was barely tolerable now and was working her way towards making the blonde dislike her.

She took a look around the room. A modestly-sized room that was crammed with a lot of stuff. A desk in the corner lined up with many piles of paper, each containing a design from the looks of it but with a big red x scribbled in marker over scattered across. File cabinets and tables with boxes on top were in peculiar positions. The only part of the room that seemed decent was where Dash stood. A simple small drawer that had a sheet of paper on it, blank from the looks of it rested there.

"So, what is it this girl does exactly?"

"She makes armor and stuff for us all," Samantha responded, fiddling with the strap of her gun in a way that made the other female feel a little worried about being left with her. Especially when it was pointed right at her.

"I take it y'all aren't a big fan of her?"

"Na, Rarity's pretty cool. It's just she gets weird when she starts getting creative."

"Maybe she's just determined?"

"Sure, let's go with that."

Another silence washed over before Dash sniggered.

"Sure was funny when Twi gave you the soup."

"I thought when you got a sandwich in yer face really stole the show."

Myers rolled her eyes then, "Pinkie gets a little too excited. It was your fault, anyways. You set her off."

"Y'all shouldn't have went blabberin' yer mouth off."

"It was an accident?" The blank look sent her way showed she didn't accept the excuse and she sighed, "It kind of was-"

The door of the room pushed open, a very pretty woman with purple hair that looked as if it had been worked on for an eternity entered the room, azure eyes sparkling with her eyelashes perfectly lined with black kohl.

She stopped in her step, her eyes moving over between two figures; one donned in light armour with a rifle in one hand. Judging from the vibrant hair it had to be only one person; Samantha Myers, otherwise known as Major Dash to most people (a ridiculous nickname might she add).

Placing a hand on a curved hip and raising a plucked eyebrow, Rarity Belle stared with slight confusion at the other. Not because she had no idea whoever they were but because of the state they were in.

Ruffled blonde hair that reached about the small of her back that looked to be in a desperate need of a wash. Her eyes were a bright emerald colour though, a drastic difference from her scruffy appearance. Freckles sprinkled along her cheeks, almost blending in with the bronze skin.

Her nose wrinkled a bit at her dishevelled clothes but drew her mind from it. That was the casual wear giving to all officers here, minus the fact the t-shirt was a different colour each time.

The white surprised her. That colour was only used for guests or potential recruitments.

"Oh, hey, Rare," With a wave, Dash leaned off against the wall, "Glad to see you're here. This here is-" She paused and shrugged, "Well, I dunno. She hasn't a name. Call her Zero." A glare was shot from the blonde and she returned it with a curled grin, "I expect to see you out in the fields tomorrow at zero-six hundred hours, you'll be joining my squad for training."

And before she could hear a protest, she disappeared, leaving the two alone in the room.

"You don't have a name?" The woman inquired, hand resting on her hip. Only now did the other notice she wore a white dress jacket that went with the skirt she wore.

Fancy shoes, she noted before looking up, shaking her head, "No, Ma'am. Well, I do, jus' don't remember it is all." She stuck her hand out to be polite, "But, er, yeah, names Zero…fer now."

Rarity stared down at the extended hand. She wasn't exactly certain she should accept the handshake as she didn't know where this lady had been. Nonetheless, her own palm reached out and clasped the others, the two giving a polite shake for a few moments before it broke.

"Well, I am not going to refer to you as that right now. Zero is quite a vulgar nickname," She closed the door and headed towards one of the messy desks, opening a drawer and producing a pen before glancing up at her, "Might I ask how you don't know your name?"

"I…well, Doc told me…er, I mean Doctor Sloan came to the conclusion I don't have any memories," She crossed her arms, frowning, "She's probably right. I don't remember a darn tootin' thing."

For some odd reason, being around this ladies presence made her feel quite odd. Maybe it was the fact that she herself looked like she belonged on the streets and Rarity looked as if she should be anywhere but a military site.

Or wherever the hell she was.

A puzzled look growing on her face, it soon dropped, "Well, let's forget that matter right now. Are you here to get fitted?"

"Supposedly so, don't know why though. I ain't gonna be asked ta fight or anythin', am I?"

"I'm afraid I do not know," Picking up some measuring tape, she beckoned for the other to follow, "Spread your arms please." As she did so, she lined up the tape against her bicep and then to her wrist, "Introductions are in order on my behalf. I am Rarity Belle and I design armour for everyone here."

"Ya make it?"

"Oh no, even though my talents are quite brilliant-" Geez, another Rainbow Dash? "To make a costume for everyone here would take forever. No, I only create for the likes of the higher ranks."

She nodded, watching as Rarity moved to her other arm, "I see. Well, thanks fer this anyways."

"It is my pleasure," She stopped then, examining her over, "I would think from you slim figure you might need something light. I doubt you're strong enough for the heavy type."

"My strength remains unknown for now," She might not be strong but she determined something was wrong with her.

Humans were not meant to jump off buildings and land safely on their feet and also not be affected by drugs. Or maybe they were. Heck should she know.

"Well, unless you end up being able to carry a heavy weight and I get proof of it, you'll make do with the light armour," Rarity continued measuring around her arms before moving down to her side.

With a hefty sigh, the blonde shook her head but remained quiet.

It would be over before she knew it. Right?

~~~~

"Come on, Williams, move it! You're moving slower than my grandmother was when she was alive!"

Being compared to the speed of an old lady didn't seem to affect the young man as he continued to slowly make his way through a hand-built obstacle course. He panted, sweat dripping down his face as he continued on.

Just his luck he arrived late to find everyone else lifting weights. As punishment, he was told to start climbing through the course until Major Myers was satisfied.

The leader of the company Williams was in was tough but fair. He knew that despite his protests, he got what he deserved. Next time he needed to get there earlier than he should have.

He got down onto his stomach, crawling underneath the mesh net. His sixth go made his performance slower and slower as it continued and he groaned inwardly as he finally got through the net, jumping to his feet and continuing on as he hopped over a wall and fell down in the mud with a plop.

"Good job, Williams. Almost made me nearly proud. Join the others with the weights now," Dash ordered strictly and he jogged over to the others, lifting up the offered weights and sighed.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!"

The attention turned towards the Major as she stood before them.

"Tomorrow someone new will be joining us and I want no one, and I repeat no one to give her any hassle. I don't want the General on my ass because blondie goes crying saying someone here messed with her," Her eyes narrowed as she scowled in a way to threaten them all. It worked like a charm, "Some of you might actually know her and some might have met her." Her eyes went to one soldier who stared back weakly, "Don't beat yourself up to hard, Marsh, tomorrow's training can do that instead."

The man in question was the one shot in the neck by the amnesiac and dragged into a room. He awoke with nothing but slight shame at his actions.

"Another thing, on my way here I was informed that under any circumstances you do not, and I repeat this slow and deadly, you do not tell blondie anything about herself. She has no memory and the council plans on keeping it that way. If one of you do it," She grinned sadistically, "It won't be me you'll be worried about. General Luna will be on edge the next few weeks. And if she found out something went wrong? Well, good luck."

Before anyone could gulp or even piss themselves in fear, she clapped her hands together, "Alright, everyone drop and give me fifty. Anyone stops and you'll be doing a repeat of what Williams was doing until you vomit your own body weight!"

~~~~

Hours later, 'Patient Zero' found herself sitting in the waiting room of an office. Arms aching, head drooping as she fought to stay awake, she thought back over the afternoon.

Sam wasn't kidding when she said she'd be a long time. Rarity had finished measuring her after a half hour but then she found herself being asked about a billion questions that ranged from necessary to herself thinking why the hell was she being asked about it.

She was then directed (quite roughly and rudely) to this room where she was told to sit down and wait until she was called in. Sitting at a desk, typing away on those strange doo-hickies was a woman with pink and blue curly hair. She glanced up only once towards the blonde and it wasn't a surprise at seeing the mild shock run through her expression.

And here she sat, waiting and waiting as the minutes ticked by, turning into an hour, which lurched into another sixty minutes. Maybe she was impatient in a previous life because right now, she felt it.

The sound of something ringing went off and the woman lifted up a pale hand holding a strange device and placed it at her ear, "Yes? Of course, Ma'am." She placed it away and looked up, "You may go inside now."

As she approached the door, she had to fight back a sigh. What now? She had been bounced all over the place and she still didn't know why she was here.

As she entered the room, two women were conversing. One of them was (to her dismay) General Luna and the other looked a lot like the other, sharing her wavy hair but it had four tones of colour in it this time. She looked to be the elder as well and was seated at the desk, suggesting this was her room.

A warm smile was sent from the unknown lady whilst a cold stare came from Luna, "Ah, hello, please sit." She indicated a chair opposite the desk.

As she took a seat, she took another look towards the handcuffs. Drugs didn't harm her, she could jump off buildings and live. Maybe she could break these if she wanted. It wouldn't be a smart idea with a dangerous lady who almost choked her in the same room.

She pulled her wrists apart lightly, soon stopping as the chain erected to its' full potential. She sighed before glancing up, "Alright, I'm gonna make this clear and straight; what the hell am I doin' here and when the heck am I gonna get out of here? An' I don't take no fer an answer."

"You will refrain from speaking in such a tone!" Luna snapped at her with a harsh tone matching the blondes but a hand from the other woman silenced her though it didn't stop several dirty looks being sent the others way.

"Sister, please. She is just scared of what is happening," She ignored the scoff from the amnesiac and placed her hands together, "My name is Celestia Solaris and I am the leader of this organization."

"It have a name?"

"Yes it does, but it will not be revealed towards you."

"What?"

"Doctor Sloan has informed me that you appear to have no memories, correct?" She inquired.

"Y'all got that right."

"Well then, as much as this pains me to say even though I did not plan our first meeting to proceed like this but you will not be told of anything involving you. We wish for you to remain with no memories of yourself."

"What?" She said in a short tone, her eyes beginning to narrow into a glare, "Yer not gonna tell me anything?" She felt a flash of anger run through her and she jumped to her feet, "What the hell would ya do that?!" Screw it, she thought as she gritted her teeth, pushing her hands apart, ignoring the pain from having the cuffs dig into her hands as she continued.

"I know this sounds tough but I believe it will be for the best. If you gathered enough information to maintain a healthy dose of your memories, it might end up backfiring."

"Backfirin'?! Backfirin'?! I don't know what the heck yer on about but I am not stayin' here! I will not be forced to do whatever it is y'all want me to do!" She forced them apart more, the chain straight as an arrow.

Luna looked at Celestia, "Sister, perhaps we should-"

"No, Luna, she's just angry, let her calm down and-"

The sound of metal breaking was heard and a clatter as the broken handcuffs hit the ground. With her arms free she placed her hands on the desk and leaned forward, her face inches from Celestia's who maintained a cool calm expression.

"I see that your abilities still seems to be working. Good."

"Abilities?" Her anger faded for a few seconds as she blinked, "What abilities?"

"You really have lost all your memories," She replied as she tilted her head slightly, "Sit down and I might explain. I know you want to attack me right now and trust me, I understand why but before you do something stupid, just let me explain."

"Why should I?"

"Don't you want to learn some things about yourself?" She raised a coy eyebrow.

She had her there. She was literally desperate for any info. She sighed and plopped down into the seat, rubbing her sore wrists as she looked at the handcuffs with shock. She actually did that? Her just her strength?

"Last night you jumped off the third-story floor and you landed on the ground without any injuries. I was surprised at that, I figured maybe your abilities wouldn't have kicked in seeing as the knockout darts seemed to strangely work. And then the drugs given to you to make you weary didn't seem to activate at all. And finally you broke those cuffs apart by barely straining."

"I don't understand you. How can I do that?"

"I am afraid I can't say," As the blonde narrowed her eyes she added, "But just know you are different from the average human, Miss and will be like that from every day of your life."

"Is that why you want me?"

"More or less," Luna then butted in, not pleased with the results of what her strength had done, "We need someone like you to help us out."

"Help y'all? With what?"

With a sigh, the blue-haired lady crossed her arms, "Equestria is at the brink of war." The name sounded familiar to her though it didn't pop up any memories, "We have remained calm for nearly seventy years now but that could change any minute."

"War with what?"

"An opposing country. We cannot give you all the details but know that the last war we had was with them. An agreement was made and things were quiet but unfortunately, it all changed."

"Why?"

"We can't say, I'm afraid," Celestia butted in, shaking her head, "For now, that is all the answers we can give you. But we need someone like you." A perplexed look was her answer and she sighed, "Our soldiers are frightened, scared that something bad will happen and its' going to. We are just delaying the inevitable. But we need a symbol of hope. And that is where you come in."

"Me?"

"This is going to be troublesome without revealing info to you," She muttered underneath her breath, rubbing a crease on her forehead, "With your abilities, we could show the army that everything here is safe and under control, that we will be able to defend Equestria no matter what. And for that to happen, I need you to trust me and also to work with me."

With a cold laugh, she glared at Celestia, "And jus' why should I help you?"

"We can hold you here against your will for the rest of your life, we could do worse but I won't go into detail."

"That's blackmail."

"Yes, but also. You could find out who you are. I know you must have questions about your past and who you are and if you help us, I will tell you everything when this is over," She looked up, pink eyes pitiful, "Please?"

Her mouth opened and closed again, her brow furrowing. She couldn't possibly be considering helping her out, could she? What could she do; be forced to stay in a white room her own life or try and do something to help a country.

Both had its' ups and downs but eventually she sighed, "I jus' have to be a sign of hope?"

"You will be assigned for a few weeks to a squad. Train with them, act like one of them to show you that someone average could be strong-willed and brave. Then move to another and do the same. The training with Major Myers' squad begins at zero-"

"Six hundred hours," She finished before she groaned and laid her head in her hands. Somehow she felt physically sick and regretted her decision immediately.

"Yes. Now, you are probably curious about your strange abilities. I myself am unsure what the extent is but enhanced strength, agility and apparently your body resists any drugs given towards you. I think that might be all you need to know today."

"Wait, one more thing," She looked up, frowning, "I still need a name."

"Oh, of course. Well, there isn't no harm in saying your actual name. First term only. Jacqueline."

A few minutes of silence followed as the blonde contemplated the idea of the name though she shook her head, "Too formal, long. Shorten it. Jack maybe might do. Not too shabby, perhaps. Sure beats Patient Zero." She grumbled the last part with a roll of her eyes.

"Speaking of patient, Doctor Sloan expects to see you on Friday afternoon for another session. She will help you deal with this place. You will be assigned a room and also, Luna, please.

Only then did the recently named Jack notice the woman beside her and felt something clamp onto her arm and a wave of pain. Craning her neck, she saw a strange bracelet on her upper left arm and she winced a bit as she swore she felt something drive into her arm.

"That will make sure you don't try to run off. You take one step off the grounds and we will know. You will not make it five steps before being electrocuted with three hundred volts," Luna stated coldly before she nodded her head at Celestia, "Sister." She took her leave.

"I am sorry about her, she is kinder most of the time."

"Yeah, I figured," The hug she gave to her was signs of that. Jack looked over towards Celestia and yawned, "Y'all mentioned somethin' about a room?"

With a warm smile, she stood up, "Let's go get you one then."

As she exited the office, the full realization of things began to hit her.

She was strong, could jump off buildings like it was nothing and survive being injected with chemicals (unless she was recently awoken or whatever the hell happened when Dash shot her).

She was also somewhat a figure in helping soldiers prep for a war that could arrive any minute.

She would have to play along with this little game Celestia was trying to conjure up. If she wanted to know anything about herself she'd have to do as told.

And last but not least, she had a damn name.