The Game of Life

Sam sat, Brewin's hand resting like a dead bird in her left palm. She resisted the urge to squeeze, holding her breath as she waited. This was it: Brewin was going to tell her about Eclipse at last. Kathy stood at the bedside, mouth open in anticipation. The EKG emitted a persistent beeping sound.

"Eclipse was an experimental government program," Brewin said. "Strictly off the books… we moved in, after the hospital shut down…"

The old man was fighting just to get the words out. He took a moment to catch his breath, then continued:

"I was a company man back then. CIA. Only a handful of us even knew about the project."

Brewin paused again.

"What was it?" Sam asked. "An experimental program for what?"

"Memory replacement," Brewin said. "We knew it was dangerous but after what you'd been through…"

"Replacement…" Sam whispered. "The memories about my family… the car crash…"