9 Days Before

The Tower's equipment arrived within seconds, constructing amidst the rubble-strewn district.

Tower's construction workers start laying down their equipment, eyeing the fanged fulgurite pieces with concern, shivers running down their spine, sensing an otherworldly presence at hand.

Other members on the team stroll in, gradually becoming conscious of a draping, chilling, numbing sensation.

"Just look at this thing" one of the members had gauged the structure, the worker got closer to it, attempting to touch its complexion.

"Don't touch that. " The team leader noticed their actions, "We were told under strict orders just to build around it." They glared at the recruit, they backed off and apologized, going about their set up in a timely manner.

In the surrounding area, bodyguards escorted tower workers, while others arranged the landscape in recently constructed lookout points.

Sam gave orders to clear any living civilians who had survived the event, rushing guards into the locked-down district to pick them up.

The citizens they found were stored safely in vehicles, their sleeping bodies placed in cryo-like containers for later examination - Keeping them under.

Thrumming pierced the working ambiance, the airflow around the helipad gusted, blowing noticeable streams around the aircraft.

Upon its successful landing, guards carried positioning individuals from a specialized list inside accompanying personnel.

Once everyone was on board, the craft took off, heading toward the main tower located in the heart of the branching districts.

Sam watched them depart, shading her eyes from the bright lights. She lowered her hand when they disappeared from view, then waved to other workers and guards, beckoning them closer for further instructions.

"We need solid evidence to support our cover. For now, we can continue building over the monolith. It could become a new Tower - something to occupy their thoughts while we downplay the weather phenomenon," Sam panned her vision with authority amongst the small crowd in front of her.

"We could claim it was a test of new technology, something that aligns with the new Tower, of course," suggested one.

Three more nodded in agreement, following the idea. Sam made a gesture, and they all engaged in a discussion, making the story more believable, however the story might change depending on what the group decides on.

A guard intruded on their conversation. "Excuse me, Mrs., but what is "'blanking'?"

Sam halted, examining every detail of the guard before responding. "You're about to find out." She looked up and over the Guardsmen, knowing her workers never asked about the procedure.

Someone behind him nodded, and the guard was swiftly injected with a serum.

Within seconds, he was unconscious on the ground, then carried away. Sam nods and continues the walk, hidden 'guards' following their path to spot any others lurking within the crowd.

Sam issued a final command: evacuate everyone within a 30-mile radius of the outer district.

Ensuring no one knew what had happened. With the command came a series of injections to confirm no potential "virus" infections, telling the public a lie for the injections.

The crowds wondered why they needed the shot. Some accepted without question, while most were coerced. This caused confusion, but the serum they injected dispelled worries. Carrying tons to an unknown destination, they ensured no one would reveal their secret.

{●}

Vivid hues. The room buzzes with a muted energy as the robotic arms move swiftly, injecting a misty white liquid into the bodies of the unconscious passengers.

Meanwhile, Chandra and Dealix hurried through the darkened streets, their steps synchronized with the rhythm of their pounding hearts. Mier, the tricky fish, followed stealthily on the far left, prioritizing a sunken feeling about their well being, his movements silent and calculated.

They made their way towards distant buildings, their goal shrouded in uncertainty but driven by the instinct to survive.

In the Tower, the craft had landed, and the atmosphere hummed with tension. Escorts rushed to the sleeping passengers, guiding them into rooms for the mysterious process known as "Blanking."

High clinical beds awaited, and the passengers were carefully placed on them.

Wraps secured them, injecting a serum, ensuring they remained asleep throughout the procedure, while thin robotic arms emerged, each carrying syringes filled with the misty white liquid.

Within the liquid, biological organisms swirled, designed to attach themselves to blood cells. Once inside the body, these organisms would target the neural network of the brain.

Delicate threads of themselves infiltrated the neural pathways, collecting data and memories for deletion.

The leader of the operation issued commands, controlling the process by manipulating the unconscious mind. Dreams were simulated, and events outside the unconscious were mimicked, all aimed at persuading the mind to let go of specific memories.

"Delete the entire week from their mind if it connects to 'them'," the leader ordered, his voice firm. The workers focused on their tasks, their concentration unwavering.

"Sir, this one..." A worker hesitated, prompting the leader to investigate.

"What's that?"

Examining the data, the leader made a decisive choice. "Delete everything."

"Yes, sir."

The signal was sent, and the unconscious mind of the Vel was wiped clean of the entire year. The tower shook momentarily, thunder echoing in the distance, but the disturbance faded as quickly as it came.

"And the others, sir?" another worker inquired, her voice barely audible, carrying an air of secrecy. The leader nodded, signaling to erase the week and the connection. The room continued its work, the team moving with precision and focus.

In the dimly lit room, the doctor and the two workers diligently performed their tasks. Robotic arms descended to other beds, repeating the process with the remaining passengers.

The syringes pressed gently, releasing the serum into their veins. The liquid snaked through their bodies, turning their veins into pulsating pathways, a surreal transformation under the sterile glow of the room's lights.

{●}

Chandra, Dealix, and Mier, silently followed their trail, eventually finding refuge in an abandoned village of ancient, crumbling buildings.

The windows were empty, leaving nothing but eerie darkness and the remnants of a time long gone.

Carefully, they entered a building that appeared relatively intact, although shards of broken glass crunched beneath their shoes.

"Be careful. I once stepped on a wedged glass piece that pierced my foot pretty badly," Dealix cautioned, his voice a reminder of the lurking dangers. Chandra squinted, trying to banish the mental image, refusing to let herself "feel" the pain.

Chandra pointed to a relatively sturdy room, its door still attached with minor damages. They entered, greeted by a cold, hard ground that looked surprisingly inviting, and a torn-down closet awaited them.

"How fancy can you get?" Chandra shrugged, turning to face Dealix.

"Oh, very fancy~" he chimed in.

"I guess we'll be needing these." Mier emerged from the shadows, carrying sleeping bags, canned foods, and camping cooking utensils.

"Oh!" Dealix jumped, startling Chandra, who instinctively pulled out her newly found knife.

"Wait-wait-wait! It's me, Mier!"

Chandra, her adrenaline still pumping, blitzed him, knocking him to the floor.

"And where did you run off to? You left us back there!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and confusion from the events that had taken their toll on her.

"I know... I know! I just had to be somewhere important. I should have told you guys... I just needed to do that task by myself," Mier started to explain, while Dealix, still shocked to see him, wondered how he even knew where they were.

"Did you follow us?" he questioned. Mier nodded in response, confirming it afterward.

"Anyone else?" He reached inside his hoodie pockets, gripping a new knife he and Chandra had both found, conveniently stowed away.

"Can you... please get off of me?" he asked, cringing, concerned about the question at hand.

"Oh—" Chandra got off him, helping him up in the process.

"And this is for you." He handed her the blade Vem had left in his car, stored away. A slight shiver branches down his back, thinking that Vem is out there wondering where his knife had 'ran' off too.

"Thinking this would be more handy in your—you know... hands," he tried to make a joke, but no one laughed.

He continued, walking to the edge of the room and setting up his sleeping bag in the corner.

Chandra thought, always the tight spaces.

She and Dealix followed his example, setting up their sleeping bags closer to him to be aware of his movements.

Mier looked at the two of them with a blank expression, scooting his sleeping bag a little bit over to create a small gap between them.

"O.C.D thing," he said. The two nodded in response, understanding his need for order and space.

Mier stepped over the sleeping bags, setting up a small, fancy-looking fireplace in the broken-down closet.

He grabbed more equipment, funneling any excess smoke into a chamber. Confusion was evident on Dealix and Chandra's faces as Mier transformed their shelter into what seemed like a makeshift lab.

Mier had grabbed these in his own little hideout to aid the two.

"And this is camping equipment..?" Chandra asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

"Yup!" Mier continued his setup. Once he was done, he moved to the fireplace again, rummaging through his pockets. He pulled out a handy dandy lighter and lit a blaze. The fireplace hummed with flame, ready for cooking.

Dealix went over to the canned food, picking out "cowboy food" and handing Mier the can. Chandra did the same and grabbed some canned peaches.

"I'll just take this for now," she said, plopping next to the fireplace, poking Mier to ask if he had any silverware. He nodded and provided them with some plastic sporks.

"Wow, it's like middle school all over again," Dealix commented, examining the spork closely with a sense of humor. Chandra nodded, too busy trying to open the can to reply. Mier noticed her struggle, grabbing a can opener from his bag to help her.

"You are so prepared..." Dealix marveled.

"Gotta be in these situations," Mier looked over at Dealix, the can opener being taken from Chandra.

Chandra peeled the can open, then handed the tool to Mier, who used it to open Dealix's cowboy food. The can lid peeled back, revealing clumps of meat, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots – a mishmash of ingredients stuffed into one dish, which made it "cowboy" food according to Dealix and his parents.

Mier grabbed a pan from his bag, placing it on two little thin bars, the clanking of metal meeting metal.

After pouring some baking soda onto the pan, the sizzling of liquid began as he dished the cold food onto it.

Accidentally, hot liquid splashed onto his hand, and he yelped, tucking his hand away and placing the can to his side, tending to his burnt hand; he already hurt one of his hands, and now the other one is being burnt.

Dealix got up and headed to his aid, taking the half-filled can to finish the process Mier had started. "I got this, just relax – thank you for... well, all this," he gestured to the camp set up. It felt almost like home.

"Happy to help," Mier grunted, examining his swelling hand where the liquid had burnt most.

"Here, take this. We found extras on our journey we had without you," Chandra setting her half-eaten peaches on the cold concrete and getting up to toss some makeshift bandages.

Mier sluggishly caught them, but they rolled on the ground. Chandra's reaction was a tad awkward, either due to the miss throw or just his bad catching. He thanked her and continued to wrap his wound.

Dealix stirred the food around, mixing it up, ensuring all the cold pieces were cooked.

"Don't stir it too long, it'll burn," Mier warned, pointing to the pan. Dealix nodded and then taste-tested the food.

"I'm sure it'll be fine; this stuff can cook for a while."

"Yeah, I was too hungry to wait that long," Chandra added.

"That's why I chose nice refreshing peaches, plus it has the juice – best part, I mind you," Chandra getting ready to gulp down her finished can. Chugging the juices down, she placed her hand on her hip, then gasped at the refreshing liquid.

"Good stuff," she exclaimed, throwing the can to the other room, where it clunked as it landed.

"Yeah, but this stuff is more filling anyway," Dealix said, sticking his tongue out. Chandra jokingly threatened to chop his tongue out, but this only made him tease her more.

Mier muttered something to himself, going unnoticed by the two, then chuckled over their commotion. He couldn't help but notice how these two were slowly starting to feel like family to each other.

Within the tower, the "blanked" subjects were escorted into their designated locations, most of them returning to their homes, which had been thoroughly muddled with to erase any signs of what had happened.

Data on computers, phones, and other devices related to the particular event were wiped clean.

The individual who had lost a year of memories was stowed away in a similar facility to Eve's, but more discreet, even from the most observant eyes.

Wrapped in cloth resembling a straight jacket, his face concealed by an additional cloth like a long hood, kept hidden from prying eyes.

Samples of blood and other chemicals stained within the serum were sealed in a glass vial, stored inside a cold case on frozen carts to prevent spills.

After a moment, lab coats arrived and picked up the vial, carrying it into secrecy. It was locked behind a windowless room, its walls ten inches thick of concrete. Nothing was getting in, and nothing was getting out.

A reverberated hum filled the stowed away room.

{●}

One of the blanked testees wakes up surrounded by individuals, their silhouettes color washed with the blinding light behind him. A voice beckoned him "it's okay-it's okay"

"You'll be okay."

His vision slowly comes back to him in a daze, sitting up. Feeling like someone else.

"Hey, it's okay - you just had an episode, but you're alright now."

"The doctors took care of you and knew exactly what to do."

The daze leaves, bringing clarity in his eyes. He sees everyone that he knows, including three doctors that rushed to the side to help. The one waves it off, telling the rest “everything’s under control, thank you for helping”

One of his 'siblings' brings him up, escorting his fragile body to the vehicle.

"You'll get the feeling back in your legs shortly. "

"I'm going drop you off at your house, make sure to take this medication to ease any pains that may arrive - the doctors were telling me of 'side effects' and these would help that." He goes on explaining the plan laid out before him.

The drive seemed long and out of place, multiple turns and stops. Used to be countable, but now it's not. They arrived at the front of the building, steps seemed like hallways and the door was this impossible quest to get to it. This feeling stops after he gets escorted out and into his apartment.

"There's food in the fridge, and don't forget to take those pills." The voice says before disappearing, the door closing tightly behind it.

There's a few notes laying about, One is placed on his glass bong. He goes over to it and rips it off.

" look underneath me. " His eyebrows raise. Intrigued he listens to the note taking a look underneath the bong. He drops it in shock, shattering on the floor.

His memories flood back to him, overwhelming him on the spot.

"Welcome back." The distorted current flared out in hushed tones.

"Crowley.."