Magnolia looked at the other three, waiting for them to make the first move. She has a little skip in her step, of course, that just might be because of the fake leg. She looked around at the lights and the lines on the tiled floor trying not to stare at the others too long and make it awkward. A smile stretched across her face, she couldn’t wait any longer.

“Hi! I’m Magnolia, but Maggie is good too.” She waited a second, hoping to prompt anyone else to formally introduce themselves. Maggie shook her head and smiled, “well, I came here because it sounded look a fun place to work. I love seeing other people’s perspective and I guess now I really can! I am really looking forward to working with you.”

Roland glared at Jackson during his brief introduction. He clenched his fist and dug his fingernails into his palms with the inane comment about ‘new arrivals’ and ‘indentured servants’. But rather than slap him, he pops a piece of Double-Bubble gum into his mouth, then takes the ID badge and clips it to the t-shirt. Which happened to have the number 9 on it.

Perfect he thought as he looked at it and tried to smooth a wrinkle. The Japanese called this ‘ku’ which could mean suffering, agony or torture. All of which he was feeling at the moment. Remembering one of the anger management techniques he’d been forced to learn he took a deep cleansing breathe Looking down at the shirt from his perspective didn’t look like a ‘9’ but a ‘6’ which helped him relax a bit. The jokes on them

He put on a pair of dark aviator sunglasses against the too bright lights of the place and follows Jackson down the hall making mental notes of various location markers…just in case. He didn’t want to get turned around and lost in an unfamiliar environment.

His reverie is broken by the chipper woman who seemed too eager to be here. He nods once at her introduction. “Roland” he mumbles and reached into his pocket for another piece of gum and offers it to her. Maybe this will keep her quiet for awhile

“Oh, thank you.” Maggie said as she tossed the gum in her mouth. “It’s nice to meet you Roland.” Her words were a little garbled between the chews. She looked at the other two, smiling with her eyes.

“Uh, Hi “ Lorna smiled awkwardly “I’m, Lorna”. She winced at how pathetic she sounded and took a deep breath to try again with an uncomfortable laugh, “l wish I could say I was as excited but, I don’t really know what I’m doing here, or what this place is or –anything.” The end of her sentence trailed off weakly. Her face flushed pink and she looked down at the floor as they walked.

She liked Magnolia right off the bat. Her enthusiasm made her feel more hopeful, though she didn’t know why, and she really did wish she had her confidence. At least Magnolia, or Maggie, seemed approachable. Lorna glanced at the other two from the corner of her eye. They made her nervous. Everything made her nervous. Lorna, you survived something big enough to put you in a coma, you can survive this, she told herself.

“You’ll do great Lorna.” Maggie smiled and then looked over. One more person, “Allis is it?”

Haydn approached the four other people. He felt his heart beating rapidly out of excitement and a tad bit of fear.

More people! This’ll be great!

They won’t think of me as a fool, will they? Because I came in late?

He took a few, quick, deep breaths as he wiped drops of sweat from his brow.

I’m only a little bit late. It’ll be fine!

“Hello, there!” He cleared his throat.
“This is interesting,” he accidentally thought out loud. “I guess I can say I’m excited to be here too.” His voice trailed off a bit. He ran out of other words to say.

Excited to be here?

He stifled a groan at the fact he was surrounded by a a pack of yapping puppies who were being led by a lame-brained intake officer.

These people had no idea what they were in for…of course he didn’t either. He knew any place called the ‘Memory Retrieval Team’ couldn’t be good. The place was too bight. Too clean to not be hiding something dark and dirty.

“Hi,” Haydn said to the person nearby who looked slightly uncomfortable. “I’m Hadyn.”
He didn’t really care about anything else at the moment; he just wanted to know everyone’s name. Besides, he was going to be in the same team as these other people.

He paused, anticipating the person to respond, and possibly introduce himself. And even better: getting the names of everyone else.

Maggie slyly looked out of the corner of her eye to see the rest of the groups reactions to him. Their collective faces seemed to convey a feeling of uncertainty to the newcomer. Maggie looked back at Hadyn. He was shifting a little, waiting for someone to say something. She chewed her gum unevenly, thinking for a moment, we’ll never get anywhere at this rate.

Maggie, as gracefully as she could, hobbled over to Hadyn. “Hi,” Doing an exaggerated curtsy, “I’m Magnolia.” She smiled brightly and whipped around to point to the rest of the group. “That’s Roland,” she leaned in to whisper, “he likes gum.” She shifted over slightly and pointed with her thumb, “This is Lorna, who I have high expectations for.” Maggie turned her head toward Lorna and gave her a cartoonishly big wink. “And that’s Allis I believe,” She leaned in again, “not a big talker.”

Maggie looked at Haydn’s face, not sure what to make of his emotions she threw an arm around his shoulder and closed the gap between them and the group. “Welcome to the team.”

Lorna was grinning from Magnolia’s confidence in her and feeling a lot less awkward in light of their newest member. He looked as lost as she felt. “Hi Haydn.” She greeted “you’ve come just in time. Haven’t missed anything so we’ll figure it all out together.”

“Does anyone here know anything about MRT?, I mean, besides Jackson.”

Haydn didn’t respond with anything but a small grin. A spark of curiosity and excitement shone in him, though he tried his best to conceal it to appear less vulnerable. He liked it when no one knew about something he also didn’t know. That bit of joy slowly vanished and reappeared again as he thought about the others.

They don’t look like they like me very much. Although Lorna seems nice. Magnolia, on the other hand…there’s no way she can be so overly confident and optimistic. Or Roland, who seems overly pessimistic over nothing. (Or is it just anger issues?) Perhaps they know a thing or two about the MRT that no one else, including Jackson, knows.

Haydn tried his best to set that thought aside. He decided not to initiate conversation with anyone in the fear of getting too comfortable with them. Though he couldn’t help it, he knew his curious side always caused trouble.

Roland is a big man. Over six feet tall and solidly built. He’s not attractive in the classic sense of good looks but in a hunky sort of way. He projects an aura of dangerous bad-boy which is occasionally enticing to others.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple more pieces of gum.

“I’m Roland…y’all want some gum?” There’s a slight Southern drawl to his voice. “Not nearly as happy to be here as y’all seem to be…”

He recognized the jabbering and grins for what it was. Nervous energy and anxiety of being put into a strange situation. Jitters from the unknown. And their attitude was slightly contagious.

A sly grin wrinkles the corner of his mouth and deepens the crevice of a scar running along the left side of his face.

He was surprised to find that he was starting to like these people that he didn’t know but by some providence had found himself involved. All except the woman who hadn’t said a word. The sunglasses hid his covert glance at her. She was indentured too and he wondered why.

“Ooh, thanks!” Haydn replied, already forgetting the thoughts he has earlier. “What flavor?”

Ugh, I’m already being annoying.

He took a piece of gum from Roland and just stared at it. He shrugged and waved his hand signaling to disregard that question. He casually popped it in his mouth, waiting for something to happen.

“Yes. Thank you.” She smiled at the big man sincerely. Evidently they were all in the same boat, not knowing what to expect. That was a comfort to her.

She bit the gum in half and then put the other half in her pocket for later.

“Hey Jackson” Roland taps him on the shoulder. “We gonna walk all day or what? Where are we going?” Roland’s tone has a taut edge.

Maggie’s hand shot up like an eager five year old who knew the answer. She tried to get her hand as far up as she could so she knew that Jackson would see it.

“ HI! Okay, um…Do we get our own radios, how long is it going to take, is it EXACTLY like a human mind, are we kinda like superheros now?” She finally inhaled and smiled. She swiped some stray red strands back. “OH, and do you have a hairband?”

Roland’s eyes narrowed at Jackson’s discussion of their ‘training’.

“So how do we keep their memories separate from ours? How do we keep from going insane?” His face darkened as he took off the shades.

“Or are we just collateral damage if that happens?”

Roland considered what Jackson said for a moment.

“Yea, I have another question…if we have a radio during training but not during the real deal…how you going to pull us out of the op if things go sideways?

Maggie closed her hands into tight fists. She knew her monitors would be going crazy as she could already feel her heart pounding from excitement. She took a deep breathe hoping to calm herself. She couldn’t wait to start.

Roland looked at Maggie then back at Jackson.

“Let’s get it done then…”

He knew the sooner they started the faster he could get released from this place.

Magnolia was the first to disappear. As soon as the radio cut off, she was gone. That’s what she was best at, hiding. She vanished, undetected. Her silenced footsteps hidden by the steady rhythm of the rain.

She glided across the smooth gloosy floors as she expertly hid any trace of herself behind a pillar. It was cold, like it was real. Maggie bit back her smile as she felt the adrenaline rush through her, pulsing with every heartbeat.

She noticed the reflection of the perfectly polished white and gold marbled floors. She was curious to see what the others would do. She directed her attention to watch their moves.

Roland examined the door and saw that it was locked from the inside which was strange. It looked fairly sturdy so he decided against brute force to open it up.

He quietly looked around the room being careful to stay behind the man. He knew there was something here that could be used to open the door. He just had to find it.

The mission was simply to escape the room and he’d deal with the man if he got in the way of that outcome.

Roland motioned to Maggie who seemed to float around the room like a ninja stalking a victim. He pointed to the man with his right hand. With his left hand he pointed to his pocket and made a overly-exaggerated motion of taking the key. Them pointed to the door and pantomimed turning the key and opening it.

Maggie saw Roland, in the reflection, making some kind of motions at her. She glanced around the pillar to get a better look at him. She was surprised to see he knew where she was as she watched him signal several motions. Her brow knitted in confusion until she looked where he was pointing, she saw the key! Maggie felt the excitement spilling over and gushing out of her like a fountain. She didn’t even look over at Roland again. She imagined holding the beautiful key in her hands, moving the sparkling metal over to the lock. She wanted that key!

She breathed in, lowered her head, and slinked over to the man like a fox. Her movements resembling a prowling animal stalking it’s meal. She started to move faster, faster then she should. Shes never been this excited in her life. She wanted to get that key as fast as she could. She felt the weight of her dead leg weighing on her so she tried to pull it along faster, that was a mistake. She pulled her leg, not realizing it was caught. It had wedged itself under a fancy embroidered rug and when she jolted the carpet, it moved the table with a vase on it.

The vase wobbled but did not topple. She exhaled, realizing she almost failed the mission, for everyone. Maggie felt a sense of shame as she looked back at her leg. She would have to untangle it from the loose strings of the now manged carpet. Laying low she motioned for someone else to get the key.

Roland grabs the keys and moves carefully to the door. He slowly tries each key until he feels the lock slide back. He squats down on his haunches and opens the door just a hair to look down the hall to see if anyone is out there from this angle.

Maggie, cutting and pulling the strings away looks up at Roland. “What do you see?” A hissing whisper came out, she’s still afraid of catching the old man’s attention.

Roland looked at Maggie. “There’s a couple of people down the hall that way” he motions with his hand to his right. “But we can head to the stairs the other way…maybe catch the elevator on another floor. There’s a sign on it that indicates the door is broken on this floor” He puts the keys in his pocket. “You need some help? Or you ready to roll?”

As the door slammed shut a sudden jolt of panic ceased Lorna. Exit a locked room? That seemed familiar but not so much in a challenge sort of way. Had she done this before? She looked around the room quickly but couldn’t really focus in her panic. What does she do? Come on, think!

Vaguely she can see two of the others moving around and then gesturing to one another. Focus. Then she saw the keys, half hanging in the man’s pocket.

Numbly she stood, unable to move and watched as Maggie moved for the keys but then got caught. She took in a silent gasp, her heart pounding. OH God! Then the man stood and left the room.

OK Lorna, now, do something. At this point, Roland had the keys and was looking out the door. Lorna moved quickly and silently over to help Maggie and straighten the table so they could leave.

Maggie snapped the final strings and looked up at Roland, “I’m good, we can go!” Lorna helped her straighten the table before the group started to follow Roland. “Lead the way.”

Roland looked both women in the eyes. He said

“Listen carefully…there’s one or two people wandering down the hall. I can’t be sure how many from this angle. Keep your head down. Don’t make eye contact with anyone.”

He waited a moment for their acknowledgment and continued.

“We’ll move down the hall to the stairs single file next to the wall. That will keep our profile low. If you need to say something keep voice soft.”

He nodded at both of them, opened the door and walked toward the stairs.

Maggie listened while he laid out the plan. He was very serious and quiet, this was going to get a little tedious for Maggie, but she would have to get bored and wander.

Roland looked back to be sure the two women followed him then picked up the pace to get to the stairwell

Lorna gave a short nod of understanding and ducked her head low. She followed as close and quietly as she could, not daring to even glance at the people at the other end of the hall. She kept her eyes on Roland, watching for any further signals. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it’s pulse in her head. The anxiety was nearly suffocating but exciting too. She concentrated on Roland and breathing slower.

Maggie looked at the stairwell puzzled, “well, what are we supposed to do? Can we use the radio and ask?” She looked around at the room, it wasn’t in a bad state but it wasn’t as nice as the hotel room. Screw it she thought, “lets try up.” Maggie did a little hop forward and glided up the first few steps. She twirled around with her hand on her hip, “Coming?” She smiled.

Lorna couldn’t help grinning at Maggie’s sense of adventure and briefly glanced at Roland before following the bright-eyed redhead.

This is an adventure. she mused. My life is unknown to me, and what if, she tensed at the thought, what if I never remember? Then my whole life is a new adventure.

“I’ll try to keep up “ she laughed. “Come on Roland.”

Roland looked at the two women and didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. They seemed to think this was some sort of game rather than a training. And he knew that training simulations demanded focus or else you could wind up dead in the real world.

He considered the situation knowing they’d been dropped into a room but didn’t know floor it was on. Up or down, he knew, didn’t really matter. The only thing that mattered was finding their way to the lobby.

He shrugged and motioned for Maggie to lead the way.

“Y’all go on ahead…” He said “…but when we get to the next floor just open the door a little bit to see if it’s the lobby.”

Maggie hopped on forward She climbed the stairs that seemed to be never ending. It started to get hot at the top as the trudging continued. Finally, she saw the doorway. She glanced back to see if the others had kept up with her and she reached for the door. The smooth metal of the handle was refreshingly cold. She felt some weight behind the handle as she tried to pull the door open softly. She cracked it open the slightest bit and peeked through.

She fell over, her prosthetic tripping her up, along with everyone else piling on top of her. She laughed while hopping back up, “Come on.” She waved them along, “We’re almost there!” When she got to the elevator, she hit the button and the elevator doors DINGED open. She stepped inside and decided the best course of action is to go down since going up isn’t really an option. She held the doors for the others. “Hurry up slow-pokes!”

Lorna picked herself up and brushed off the dirt and gravel.
“Ouch” she grumbled under her breath. She looked at Roland. “ I guess we better catch up before she leaves us”

She jogged off, rubbing her elbow where the roof skinned it. There was no blood on her fingers so no, it wasn’t skinned but sure felt like it. More like a rug burn. As she reached the door where Maggie waited, she gave her a humored smile. Jumping up and down like a child on Christmas. It occured to her that she could remember a Christmas.

Maggie, Roland and everything else around her faded to the background as she tried to concentrate. A dim room, filled with colored lights , the smell of pine and cinnamon, the excitment of the other’s behind her. Who was with her? Parents? Siblings?
“Ugh” she groaned out loud. Focusing on it just seemed to confuse things.

Roland thought he was herding cats the way the two young woman were bouncing around the roof. He took one last look back down the stairwell to insure they weren’t being followed. He stepped outside on the roof to look around for anyone other than the two woman. Then he walked across the roof to the elevator.

“Are y’all OK?” he asked

“Eh, just road rash. “ Lorna quipped showing him her raw, scratched elbow. She thought Roland looked a bit too serious and raised an eyebrow at him. She agreed and understood it was a serious task they were on but wasn’t going to get too riled up about it. In fact she felt like the happy medium between her two companions. Working with them was going to be interesting, if nothing else.

Roland looked at her arm and shrugged. “It was a rhetorical question…this is a virtual simulation remember?” His tone was flat and expression was blank except for a small crease of a smile.

At first Lorna didn’t know what to think. She studied his face for a second then, on impulse, slugged him in the arm as hard as she could (which probably wasn’t much to him). She then stood straight faced, looking blankly forward and emulating his flat tone said. “Good thing this is just a virtual simulation”.

About half a second later her placitude dissolved and she started sniggeringng quietly. Oh God. They’re driving me insane. She didn’t even dare look at Roland for his response. He could probably flatten me in an instant. She inhaled and blew out a long breath. Ok, serious now. This is nerves, just nerves.

Roland smiled at Lorna after she punched him and gave her hair a good-natured tousle.

“That’s quite a punch you’re packing.” His voice had a warmth to it that had been missing up to this point.

He realized he’d been way too focused on just getting the hell out of this place. He thought these two young women could use some guidance and figured he was the only one around who could provide it. Lessons learned, he knew, had to be on their terms, not his and so he decided to relax and just go with the flow.

“OK Princesses, any suggestions? He paused. “My first thought is nightshade…it’s a perennial that comes back every year. People have been known to link mandrake and nightshade as the same thing…”

Lorna mocked offence as her hair was mussed up then grinned triumphantly.

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps just mandrake? Or is that just too simple?” Lorna scrunched up her face in consternation “ And it’s not a phrase” she pouted as she thought. “I like simple.”

She looked at the elevator panel, since she didn’t know how else to address it, and asked, more than stated “Mandrake?”

Maggie stared at the elevator doors and without breaking eye contact she asked the group, “maybe we scream at it?” She knew how crazy it sounded, the idea almost made her smile. She looked over at the two, “You know, like Harry Potter? Haven’t you seen it? The screaming mandrakes.” She looked back at the daunting elevator doors, “They were my favorite movies. I used to get teased that I was a Wesley.” A ghost of a smile haunted her lips.

Roland huffed…good naturedly…and gave Maggie a wink. “Sure. Go ahead and scream all you want at it.” He stepped back into the corner opposite the screen and examined the environment a little more closely.

Smiling, Maggie covered her ears for good measure and took inhaled as much as she could. She couldn’t be sure how long or loud she had to do it, so she gave it all she had.

Maggie scrunched her nose and kicked the door in anger. “You have no effect!” She sighed and looked at the others. “Any other ideas?”

“I’m racking my brain here but can’t think of what it needs. “ resigned, Lorna clicked on her radio.
“Jackson,” she hissed in it “help us out here.” She paused. “We need a pass code or phrase or something. Can you hear me?”

She was getting quite irritated with this now, especially after Maggie’s epic scream. Her ears were still ringing. Mandrake. A narcotic, an aphrodisiac a suspect of countless superstitions….Does it even have anything to do with this at all?

Roland stepped back out of the corner and looked at the screen.

“OK Mandrake, come out from wherever you are and operate the elevator to take us to the main lobby”.

Roland felt like the day couldn’t get any weirder. On a lark, he took out the key ring and examined the keys. He looked to see if any of them had the name “Mandrake” or something similar imprinted on them.

Magnolia grew impatient. She didn’t like standing in one place for too long. She addressed the computer “What are we supposed to do?” She started pressing buttons and tried swiping, “Um, mandrake?” Maybe typing it in would work.

Roland stood behind Maggie with his arms folded and watched while she typed. When she finished he spoke: “OK computer what does ‘Mandrake’ mean?”