A Mission Remembered

by Tanner Froreich

  “Ok, my name is Joseph. What’s yours? How do we know each other?”

  He rolled his chair to the desk and grabbed a tray of tools. “I’m John. I’m your boss. We just finished a big job and you needed to have some of the details... um… removed.”

  “Wait. If I needed to forget some details about a job, why can’t I remember anything? Also, what kind of job would require me to forget what I did?”

  He took a blood sample and placed it on the tray. “Yeah, about that, there was a malfunction and a bit more than the job got erased.”

  “Erased! What do you mean erased? What was so important about this job that my mind had to be wiped?” I started to pull harder on the restraints.

  John placed his hand on me trying to get me to calm down. “Because if the Feds caught you, you didn’t want to spill anything.”

  “What! Who are the “Feds”? Were we doing something illegal?”

  He shrugged and chuckled. “Just a little run to a warehouse. The big boss needed some special tech the company wasn’t willing to sell.”

  Confused I asked, “Wait you mean steal? You're a criminal? Who is this ‘big boss’?” There were too many questions and no hope of getting them answered.

  John struggled to keep me still. “Stay still! We’re both ‘criminals’, but I don’t like that term.”

  “Whatever happened to, ‘You shall not steal’! What do you have to say to that John?” I pulled again at my wrist restraints and I heard them groan under the tension.

  John stepped back at what I said, like a cockroach to light. “What did you say?” he said irritatedly. He cursed and reached for the drawer he had put the gauntlet in. “Apparently it’s harder to get God out of your head than I thought, Joseph.”

  He pulled the glove over his hand and it glowed neon purple. I shouted, “My name isn’t Joseph!” With that, I found a surprising surge of muscular strength and yanked my right wrist from the restraint. I caught John’s gloved hand and kept it from touching my head. I sneered, “You will not take me away from my God. ‘And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.’ John 10:28!”

  Using all the strength I could muster, I shoved John back, causing him to land against the desk. I then turned my attention to freeing my left hand. I found the release button and freed my hand. John had just gotten up and lunged at me.

  I caught his arm again. “If you would just let me do my job, this would go a lot easier for you!” He gritted through his teeth as he tried to use some form of martial arts against me. Somewhere from within my mind, I remembered how to fight and I countered his attack, tossing him over my body into the wall to my left.

  There was a sharp pain in my right ankle, as I had twisted it in the restraint during the struggle. I unshackled both ankles and jumped off the table, preparing for the next attack. To my surprise, my ankle didn’t hurt. It should have caused a little discomfort, but it had healed incredibly quickly. What am I? I wondered as I saw John get up.

  “You're not going to escape. There’s no way you’ll find your way out. I will find you, I will mindsweep you, and we will start this all over again!”

  “It doesn’t matter how many times John. No matter what you do, I will never forget my Lord and Savior!” I taunted back.

  He lowered his gauntlet and turned a dial on the side. With a flash of purple, he fired a bolt of energy at me. I needed to get out of the way, I thought. Even though he was so close to me, my body obeyed and sidestepped the blast. I’m fast! I thought in astonishment, while I dodged the next few blasts with no problem. I slowly approached John, who was getting more and more anxious. I ducked under the last blast and grabbed the gauntlet. As I ripped it off John’s hand, I accidentally crushed it in mine. I’m strong! The purple light flickered and faded. I tossed it behind me and grabbed John by the shirt.

  He gestured to the glove and shouted, “Do you know what I had to go through to get that! He’s going to kill me when he finds out you broke it!”

  “Who! You're going to start talking John, if that’s even your real name. First, What’s my name! My real name!” I shouted as I shook him.

  “Phil? Tim?” He started listing names, none of which sparked a memory. I raised my fist and he cowered. “I don’t know! I really don’t know! The facial recognition software is still processing.”

  “How do you not know who I am?” I demanded.

  “You were wearing a suit and mask when I wiped you,” he stammered.

  I dropped him. “Where is this suit?”

  He staggered around the table and pulled it out of the bottom drawer of the desk. I took them and looked them over. The mask was a blue color, not dark or bright, just blue. It fit perfectly on my face. The suit was lightweight and armored from neck to toe. The armor was pliable though, like this suit was meant to be used for running. On the chest was a symbol, a glossy blueish-green octagon with two slightly slanted bright blue B’s and a bold black cross behind them.

  I remembered something - I was unique among people. I was the Blue Blur. I remembered that I could run at unimaginable speeds and heal just as fast. I remembered that I used my power to spread the gospel of Christ, but I still couldn’t remember why I was this way or if I had family and friends.

  John was attempting to crawl away, but I grabbed him by the back of the shirt. Why was he acting so cowardly? I thought. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to act like this. Pulling him up, I questioned, “Why can I remember that I’m the Blue Blur, but I can’t remember anything about my past, like my name or family?”

  Like the flip of a switch, his mouth curled into a sinister smile. “Interesting. You are able to remember some things in your recent past, but the deeper, more meaningful memories are gone!”

  “What do you mean!” I demanded.

  “It means you may never remember if you had a family. I targeted the deepest memories you had, the things that meant the most to you, like your family and religion. Without the tech, which you destroyed, and the information on it, you will never remember.” He chuckled.

  I would never remember? What if I had a family? What if I was married? What about children, would I never remember them? What about friends, parents, siblings, would I never remember them? These thoughts permeated my mind and caused deep grief like I had lost them forever. Always just out of my reach - the memories were there. I knew they were, but I just couldn’t get to them.

  John’s chuckling turned into laughter. “Does it hurt? Did I hurt you more than He did?”

  A deep rage filled my heart. A feeling that was all too familiar. I hated this man who took my memories. His mocking laughter only enraged me more, and I lost it. I threw him at the wall, which he hit with a loud thud. Using my newly remembered speed, I raced up to him and began beating him. With each hit, he became more and more bruised and eventually bloody.

  I paused for a moment and he said, “Go ahead, kill me, disregard the morals that put you on your high horse. Forget God, the only thing you actually remember.” With that, he wiped the blood from his lower lip.

  I raised my fist again but hesitated. I couldn't let this anger control me; I knew that. I couldn’t remember how, but God had taught me to trust Him. No matter where He led me, no matter what happened, no matter the trials, I would never waver. I would always take up my cross and follow Christ.

  I dropped John. “No, mercy is stronger than vengeance. I will never-”

  A door that I wasn’t aware of burst open, flooding the room with blinding light. A squad of armored men swarmed into the room. Raising their guns, they shouted, “On the floor! Now! Special forces! Get on the ground!”

  Chapter 7

  IODINE

  I squinted at the bright light that streamed through the open door. Men were all yelling the same thing. “On the ground! Now!”

  Dazed and confused by the sudden flurry of activity, I just stood there. Two men came and put handcuffs on John. Yanking him
up, one said, “Even without memories, he still beat the pulp out of you!”

  John, weakened and bitter, muttered, “How could he remember? He shouldn’t have been able to remember.” His eyes widened as he realized something, “No, I failed, do you have any idea what he’ll do to me! No, No, please stop! Noooo!”

  He continued his screaming fit as they dragged him off. Four soldiers approached with caution, aiming their weapons at me. Not knowing what to do, I immediately went into a defensive stance. One of the soldiers had a large black star on the left shoulder of his armor, probably signifying his ranking.

  A red laser dot moved across my chest and stopped over my heart, followed by a host of others. The commanding officer’s voice was harsh and aggressive. “On your knees! Hands on your head! We will fire!”

  From outside the doorway, an older voice called out, “Stand down!” As he came into the room I saw the man that had spoken. He was older, probably forty-five or so. He wore no armor, that is nothing I could see. However, he could have had something under his leather jacket.

  The soldiers lowered their guns and the commanding officer asked, “Sir? What is the meaning of this?”

  I didn’t let my guard down while I watched the interaction between these two; the older clearly having a much higher ranking. He said, “Would you shoot one of my operatives?”

  The officer questioned, “Sir, isn’t he the Bl-”

  He barked back, “Would you question my authority, Commander? Or do you need to be relocated to learn a lesson in respecting your superiors?”

  I was surprised by the short fuse this man had, as the commander was simply confused, and he almost got his head bit off. The commander lowered his head as the older man approached me.

  “Hello Mr. Richardson, I’m sorry for everything that has happened to you. First with Mindsweeper, who is in custody now thanks to you, and the misunderstanding that transpired just now.”

  I slowly relaxed but was still ready to spring back into action. Just like with John, I had an uneasy feeling about this man. “Richardson? Who’s that?”

  The man took his sunglasses off. “Why, that’s you. I understand things may be a bit unclear. Mindsweeper got you pretty good. Can you tell me what you remember?”

  I had a feeling announcing my faith would not be a wise move at this time. “Enough to know my name isn’t Richardson, but I can’t remember what it really is.”

  He nodded. “Yes, only very few people know your true name. You received your pseudonym when you joined IODINE, just like every other agent. Your name in IODINE is Wallace Richardson. I even have some proof of your loyalty.”

  No matter what evidence you have, I know my name, it is Arr-, Arr-, I thought, but for some reason, my name escaped me, even in my mind. It was like having something on the tip of your tongue. I knew the information, but I couldn’t remember it.

  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an I.D. card. He handed it to me. On the card was my photo and all my IODINE information. Name: Wallace Richardson, DOB: 06/26/2014, DOR: 04/15/2035, ID#: IS-4031, Clearance: Level 3, Special Info: Exp. 0319. I looked up at the man, “DOR? What does that mean?”

  “Date of Registration, it was the day you joined IODINE. The Exp. 0319 identifies that you have special abilities and had taken part in experiments to better mankind,” he said as he turned. He gestured for me to follow him out of the room.

  “What experiments? Is that why I was able to react quick enough to dodge Jo- Mindsweeper’s attacks?”

  He led me down a seemingly endless series of hallways. John–Mindsweeper rather–was right, it would’ve taken me forever to find my way out. The man said, “Yes, you had volunteered in some experiments to enhance your physical abilities. After the experiment was successful, you could run at hypersonic speeds and heal your body just as quick. You were the first and last successful test subject, as the scientist responsible for creating the serum passed away shortly after.”

  This explained why I could react. Hearing that the man behind the science had died was upsetting. “I hope he was a believer,” I whispered under my breath. I still wasn’t sure if sharing my convictions was safe yet.

  Yet, the man heard my quiet comment and replied, “Since your mind is so new I’ll let that slide, but in the future please refrain from religious remarks. Agents of IODINE must remain neutral on all fronts, that way nothing can interfere with their missions.”

  I hung my head and started wondering how I got into this agency. From what this man was saying, I don’t think I would have joined of my own will. “You never informed me who you are, sir.”

  He nodded and put his hand out. “Sorry, I’m Jeff Bordeaux. I am the Chief of Operation Planning for IODINE. I am the one who makes all the calls in the field operations. My word is law for you people unless overridden by the Director. His identity is classified.”

  I put my hands in my pockets. “So, I’m going to assume Jeff Bordeaux isn’t your real name either.”

  He smirked. “You assume correctly, but my father was an IODINE agent, so I got involved at sixteen. I can barely remember what my birth name was. It doesn’t matter though; Jeff Bordeaux is who I am.”

  He led me to an elevator and we took it up about seven levels. We went outside, where it was night. Bringing me to a compact car with tinted out windows, Jeff gestured for an agent to open the door. “This is where we part ways, Wallace. You will be taken back to our headquarters where you’ll be briefed on your accident and who you are. Don’t worry, you’ll be back in the field before you know it.”

  I didn’t quite know what to say, so I nodded and smiled. The door shut and as the car drove forward I wondered; how did I get involved with these people?

  ∆∆∆

  The vehicle drove onto the highway and I asked the driver how long the drive would be. He responded, “About three hours, sir.”

  I glanced out the window. “So, how’d you get involved in IODINE?”

  The driver looked like I shouldn’t have asked that. “Sorry sir, we can’t even know each other’s code-names for safety's sake.”

  I leaned back and folded my arms; it was going to be a long three hours and the drive was dark. I didn’t know where I was at all. The signs said a whole bunch of different things, but the biggest one that caught my eye was a large word on a mountainside. The lit-up letters spelled out, “Hollywood” on the mountain otherwise covered by darkness. The driver kept plowing into the darkness ahead. Eventually, we exited the highway and diverted onto a worn-down country road.

  I glanced out the window again to see the full moon light up the woodlands that enveloped us. A Psalm came to my mind, “For every beast of the forest is mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” [6]

  God was in control. I had to hold to that. With everything that was happening to me, it was getting harder and harder to trust that He knew best. Here I was, alone in a car, not even allowed to talk to the driver. Separated from a family I couldn’t remember, I prayed, “O God, why, Lord why? I can’t remember my family, but I can remember something as useless as knowing what a car is! God please, wherever they are, whoever they are, comfort them in my absence. If I have a wife and children, please bring me back to them, and until then, Lord, keep them safe. Keep me safe. Provide me with wisdom to bide my time here, and wisdom to deal with these people. If you lead me away from them, help me to do it swiftly, with...um...Your speed, God’s Speed!”

  I continued in silent prayer. Shamefully, I think I dozed off in the middle of my prayer. I was awakened by a younger man with a black trench coat and a green scarf. Through his smile, his white teeth gave a contrast against his darker skin. He had opened the door saying, “Hello again, Ar-,” but he paused and looked like he remembered something that upset him. He continued, “Mr. Richardson! Good to see you’re no longer under Mindsweeper’s keep!”

  I stepped out of the car and looked around. There was
nothing around us, just two cars. The other vehicle looked like a Jeep, but much sleeker as if it was the sports car among Jeeps. I looked up and took in the night sky. With no city lights, the full glory of the heavens filled the sky. The stars like individual angelic beings shined in their places. The moon had settled below the horizon while I had slept, so a galaxy stretching across the sky was visible. Truly, “The Heavens declare the glory of God.” [7]

  Remembering that this man had asked me a question, I said, “Thanks, I wasn’t told how long he had me, and I can’t remember.”

  He shook my hand, rather vigorously. “Sorry, Jeff isn’t good at telling people things like that. I’m his second-in-command, Derek Phillips, that’s the name he picked for me. Oh, sorry, a little scatterbrained.” Recovering a more professional attitude he stated, “You were missing for three months.”

  I almost overreacted, but I knew that it wouldn’t change anything about my situation. However, the wonder of the sky was drowned out by the sorrow of the loss of time. I barely remembered getting into Mr. Philips’ car and the last leg of the drive.

  ∆∆∆

  We didn’t stay on the paved road for long. It felt like Mr. Phillips was blazing his own trail. I hadn't been looking ahead myself, so when the vehicle was suddenly engulfed by the opening of a cave I was caught off guard.

  Briefly, the only light was the light from the car’s headlights. It seemed as if the car was also descending like it was on a ramp. Considering it, the ground was no longer bumpy, but smooth. Just as quickly as the darkness of the cave had enveloped us, we burst into a vast hollowed out cavern. In this cavern there was every form of vehicle you could think of, from cars to tanks and motorcycles to fighter jets. I was curious how the jet could get out through the rather small entrance where we came in.