The Extent of the Damage 5

Donovan, with his vision now restored, got a good look at the woman before him.

The Golden hair was the only thing he could make out before, but it was all the more beautiful when the strands were defined. The clothes she wore only accentuated this feature, the gold colored threading on the shirt beneath her jet-black overcoat appearing like his favorite starry sky. The silver seams of the jacket helped with this illusion.

What complimented her almost hip length hair the most was not her sense in fashion, but her natural features.

Her pale white skin made it feel like her hair shimmered brighter, her naturally rosy lips and cheeks breaking the monotony.

Her eyes were the biggest factor.

A striking blue, like looking at an iceberg.

"Are you done gawking yet?" Diana's cheeks had reddened slightly from Don's persistent gaze.

"Uuuuh, yeah. Once again, Donovan, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you. Still a little achy, and moving too fast or too far hurts, but overall very good. I can see now too!"

"I noticed that."

"Sorry." Don bit his lip and looked at his feet. She didn't think he was a perv did she?

"I didn't take it personally. Do you have any questions?"

"I have plenty, but I remember you mentioned something bad. What's the damage?"

"Extensive. I don't even know where to begin."

"How- how extensive? I remember flying through a minefield and being told my life was a lie, still haven't processed either of those things yet, but I have no clue about the rest."

"Did you really have to phrase it like that ARC?" Diana turned her eyes to the center of the ceiling. She didn't have a face to work with, so that was where she imagined ARC's face was.

"It was under the recommendation of both the Doctor and the Director. I believed that would invoke the best response as well."

"Haaa~ that's so like the Director. I guess I'll give it to you straight as well.

It's all gone.

Earth, Mars, the rest of the planets, even the Sun, hell, our universe, gone. And humanity, at least our version of it, is gone with it.

We are all that's left."

Silence.

"I know that might be a lot to process but I can guarantee its the truth."

"No, I don't doubt you, I'm just finding I'm not as perturbed or distressed as I probably should be. This might be the concussion talking, but I'm not even surprised."

"You aren't sad?"

"I don't think so."

"No remorse? Regrets? Anxiety? Negative thoughts?"

"No."

"How?" The foreknowledge of this event was on the verge of traumatizing for Diana, the prospect of him being utterly unaffected was baffling to her.

"Umm, I don't know? Am I supposed to?"

"Don't you have attachments? Like a friend? Some object you loved? A crush?"

"Not that I recall. Most of my time and attention was focused on the academy. Sure I'll miss Thompson and Adirondack, as well as my instructors, but I never formed a real relationship to them. There were also some pretty ladies at the academy, but none I considered spending time on, and every object I attached any significance to I brought with me."

He wasn't kidding. Some of his fellow students equated his way of life to that of a monk.

"What did grandpa do to you?" The words practically fell out of Diana's mouth. "He warned me you might have some issues because of his interference, but holy shit. You don't feel ANYTHING?"

"Like I said, might be the concussion, but overall no. Also, what was that about the Doctor doing something to me?"

"Ah, right. You still think he was a Field Scientist or something like that."

"He isn't?"

"No. That was a cover. Grandpa was a psychologist. He was responsible for keeping your mental state in check as well as ensuring you were training to a satisfactory level."

Don squinted his eyes and tried to think about it. Really? It was true Doctor Helmsguard never really talked about his job too much, but he seemed to know a fair bit about the subject.

"My grandfather took a beginner level course in field mechanics to sell the illusion. ARC can probably pull up the documentation of his graduation and career if he submitted it."

"I have that information on his file. Should you request it, I can bring it up." ARC confirmed Diana's assertion. "I have a file on every individual involved in the project filled with a complete record of their educational and professional careers, including any and all top-secret projects they were ever involved in. Doctor Helmsguard's file is in the first percentile in regards to both quantity of individual entries and total volume of data contained within."

"That would be because of his age and use as a monitor."

"I came to the same conclusion."

Donovan couldn't exactly refute them, one was his granddaughter and the other had the sources to back her up.

"Oooookay. I take it this is what you meant by my life being a lie, ARC. What else should I know?"

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose. "Where to begin."

"Might I suggest he ask about an element of his life and we reveal the truth of the matter? It may prove more effective as some lies meant to keep him from a breakdown are less relevant."

"Probably a good idea. Have at it Donovan."

Don took a minute to think. "My classmates, surely they couldn't all have been operatives right?"

"Correct, most of them were not. However, for your more niche classes, such as terrestrial combat doctrine and extended logistics, you were in a room filled with plants. I should also mention that your grades were adjusted downwards in almost every class you took in order to manipulate you into working harder."

"Adjusted . . . down?"

"Yes, down. The idea was that if you got too full of yourself you would stop working quite as hard."