IX

I stood in the bathroom, brushing my teeth as Zero snored peacefully and smiled thinking about the past few weeks. Reed and Gianna were patient and caring. They had managed to get Zero to let down one of her many walls. It may be a small progress but it was progress. She started speaking her mind more, trusting them more, and relaxing more.

In our room, we have two massive white shelves filled with books. Fantasy books, historical books, textbooks and more. She loved to read now that she could. We rarely ever watched the television because we'd just curl up on the couch in the living room with steamed milk, marshmallows, whipped cream and strawberry chunks. In these past weeks, we found out that Zero loves strawberries and dislikes chocolate. She's allergic to nuts and peanuts and dogs.

I, on the other hand, love peaches, apricots and plums, I also dislike chocolate and I'm allergic to shellfish. My hair had been cut and the sides were shaved. It was refreshing to see my red hair. I ran my hand through my wet hair to push it out of my face. I looked at my reflection and smiled. There was a familiar face behind me as petite arms circled around my waist.

"Good morning, Flower," I greeted.

"Good morning, Sparks," Came her soft voice laced with sleep. I could tell she was smiling.

I turned to face her and wrapped my arms around her, "How was your sleep?"

"Peaceful. I dreamt of fluffy clouds and mountains that touch the sky."

"Sounds beautiful," I mused.

"It was. What did you dream about?"

"Dragons that soared high above a forest, leading me through the endless trees," I explained.

"Sound's exciting," She said.

"It was." I ran my hand through my hair. "You should get ready. Reed is going to take us to his compound to search for any trace of our past. They're going to ask some personal questions but if you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to answer. I'll be there with you the whole time. They're also going to check for scars and run some more tests."

She hummed, "Kay. That means you have to leave the bathroom, though."

"You wanna match today?" I smiled.

"Sure. I'm going to wear a tank top though,"

"That's fine. Any colour preferences?" She stepped back and pulled her hair into a bun. It was longer now. Much longer. Her dark curls reached her shoulder blades now that she allowed it to grow.

"Red. Also, can I wear your red sweater?" she asked.

"Yeah. Red and white, red and blue, red and brown, or red and black?"

"Red, black and white. I'm assuming we should wear shorts."

"Probably. Do you want your high-waisted ones?" I spoke as I walked to the door.

"Yeah." She turned on the shower.

I nodded and walked out, closing the door behind me. I hung the towel on the rack beside the bathroom door and walked into the closet. Gianna insisted on filling our closet with clothes, shoes, bags and accessories.

I picked out a white marble tank, a black pair of shorts, and a black sweater. For Zero, I got out a black tank, black shorts and a red hoodie. Both of the sweaters were mine but Zero seemed to like this particular sweater more than all the others. It was red with a drawstring hood and a kangaroo pocket.

As I got dressed, Zero walked in, wearing nothing but a black lace bra and panties. She quickly got dressed, the hoodie falling just below her knees. All of my clothes swamped her. She was only five feet tall whereas I was just over six feet. As she did her hair, I got out our matching pair of red Jordan's.

Together, we walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Gianna was there and she was making pancakes. Strawberry pancakes. She knows what's happening today. She knows that we're going back to the facility, so she's making our favourite as a silent apology.

"Good morning guys. Grab a plate, the bacon is counter," She said.

I sat beside Zero who was already inhaling her pancakes. It didn't take long for us to finish before we were on our way to the base with Reed.

--------

We walked in and Reed lead us to a room. It had four maroon armchairs and a dark brown coffee table in the centre of them. There were four tall glasses of water on the table and a plate of sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies. The walls were light brown that made the room feel warm.

I sat in an armchair and Zero in the one next to mine. Reed sat across from her and Jacklynne took her seat beside Reed.

"Hello again. It's been a while since my last visit. How've you both been?" Jacklynne asked.

"I've been okay. It's been hard to get a good sleep, though. Every time I try to sleep, it's like the memories of the bunker resurface and the more I push them away, the more they stay." I explained.

"Can you tell me what memory resurfaces the most?" She asked.

I told her about the night I snuck out of my room when I was younger and met Axe. I told her about how Axe coaxed me into following her on the basis that my mother was okay with it. I told her about the car ride and when I realized she wasn't a friend. I told her about how I met Zero and how Axe would constantly beat us. I told her everything that happened in the first few months we were there.

"If you're comfortable answering, what do you remember about your mother?"

I tried to recall my mother's face but all that happened was a throbbing pain emerging throughout my head. I bowed my head in pain and whimpered.

"It's okay, Nine. If you can't remember her right now, it's okay. We'll work up to it." She reassured.

I nodded as the painsubsided. It was expected. Every time I tried to remember my life before I wastaken, my head would start hurting. It's not as bad as the first time but it'sstill painful.

I knew I wasn't making progress and it was frustrating. I want to remember my mother but I can't. What if I never remember her? I might not ever find my parents again and that thought scares me.

"Do you remember where you came from?" She asked.

"I remember it was snowing heavily like a snowstorm. Axe and her crew wouldn't stop complaining about how it was so cold. That's all I really remember about our location."

She nodded. "What else can you tell me about the bunker? Anything you need to get off your chest?"

I tensed. It's been haunting me since it happened and I have to tell Zero but I don't know how. Bare with me for a second. We have a Series. A Series is a line of soldiers who work as a team during missions. Zero and I are part of Series 021 to 030. I'm 029 and Zero is 030. In a Series, there are units. In ours, we had the Gemini units. Zero and I are Gemini Stealth. We are the last to complete the Series.

We worked efficiently as a team but our Series was discontinued. One terminated the Series: XYZ and was terminated as a result. Two wasn't strong enough and died during a punishment. Three and Six went rogue and haven't been heard from since. Four and Seven were Gemini Air. They were testing the new jet fighters but Axe had tampered with the jets. Four and Seven didn't make it into the air. Axe made sure of it. Five and Eight were seen as obsolete because they became aware of their humanity and I had to terminate them. Zero doesn't know that I was part of the discontinuation of our series. I never planned to tell her because we were like a family.

"Nine? You don't have to answer if you feel uncomfortable." Jacklynne assured.

"No, I have to. Zero needs to know."

She nodded and waited for me to continue. So, I did. I told them about our Series and how we could be the only Gemini squad left. I couldn't look at Zero as I recalled our Series discontinuation. I didn't want to see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes.

"You terminated Five and Eight?" Zero whispered in disbelief.

I nodded, staring at the table. When she didn't say anything, I risked a glance at her. I wish I never did. She had tears in her eyes. I stared at her as one tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly brushed it off and turned away from me.

"Zero I-" I started but she cut me off.

"Don't. I don't want to hear it right now." Her voice was cold and distant. Like she didn't trust me anymore.