Chapter 1 : Lincoln (Present)

Lincoln jolted back to the present moment, suddenly aware of the gaze of his colleagues in the meeting. Had he drifted off during his speech? The vivid images that had momentarily consumed his mind gradually receded, allowing his attention to refocus on the task at hand which was deliberating over the battle's floor plan for the imminent confrontation tomorrow.

The 3D hologram wavered, casting an uncertain light as miniature human figures traversed the simulated battlefield, meticulously arranged in a formation chosen by Lincoln. The origins of the enemy remained shrouded in mystery. Their knowledge was limited to the meager intelligence gathered from their spies, indicating that a substantial portion of the assailants hailed from Germany. Although they had successfully anticipated this surprise attack, it was not the first instance of such a tactical maneuver. Nevertheless, the element of surprise implied that the number of participants would be kept to a minimum to avoid detection—a crucial detail that demanded their attention.

Once again, Lincoln found himself lost in thought, his mind drifting away. He pondered why a particular memory had resurfaced at this moment. Although he couldn't retrieve the specific details anymore, a lingering sensation hinted at the presence of something significant. That day, something had occurred, but the recollection remained a tangled mess within his mind. The only fragment he could grasp was the sensation of falling. Yet, the circumstances surrounding that fall eluded him. Where had he been falling, and how? Every attempt to reconstruct the missing pieces led him to question his past decisions. Did he make the right choices?

His memories had become a casualty, but it was not without reason. Lincoln took solace in knowing that his actions had saved numerous lives.

Bringing his focus back to the present, Lincoln reminded himself of the importance of staying in the moment. The memory of the incident from three years ago receded further into the recesses of his mind. "Alright, everyone," he began, resolute. "This is the floor plan we'll be working with. I expect our frontline members to arrive an hour in advance. While I'm confident in our ability to emerge victorious in this battle, we mustn't underestimate the need for precautions." Lincoln gestured towards the image depicting the desert, the enemy's anticipated point of entry. "As far as we know, the enemy remains unaware of our readiness. Considering it's a surprise attack and the fact that they're from Germany, it's likely targeted at me specifically. Hence, we must prepare ourselves for the worst-case scenario."

He moved some of the miniature holographic characters across the image, to better explain what he needed them to do for the upcoming battle. He pointed to the image of the wall in the back, "When I give the signal, I need this wall's informants to get Dexter's team. They will come as a backup when we need it." He then repeated his commands before dismissing them, the room emptied but one remained.

With a weary sigh, Lincoln reached over and pressed the button on his side of the long table, deactivating the hologram. As the hologram faded away, the table automatically folded itself, while the desk lights simultaneously turned off. He exited the room, and Dexter trailed behind him. The androids entered the room to tidy up the meeting space.

Without meeting Dexter's gaze, Lincoln finally spoke up, concern lacing his voice, "Why don't you go rest with the others? I've noticed you're exhausted. You haven't slept in a week." Dexter responded with a smug expression, retorting, "I don't know, man. I'm just tired of repeating myself all the time."

Lincoln turned away silently, refraining from speaking. "I know. Even when you're home, you avoid your bed. Don't you realize how much I worry about you? We've been fighting for three days straight, and tomorrow we have another battle after barely a day of rest. Can't you try to get some sleep whenever you can?" Dexter looked directly at Lincoln, suggesting, "Let me take charge. I'm your second-in-command for a reason. Go get some rest; there isn't much work to do anyway." Dexter placed a firm arm on Lincoln's back.

"I wish I could," Lincoln responded softly.

Dexter withdrew his arm from Lincoln's back, taking a few steps forward to face him directly. He spoke slowly, attempting to empathize with Lincoln. Finally, Lincoln looked at him, finding concern in Dexter's eyes. "What do you mean?" Dexter inquired, his tone filled with compassion.

"It's the nightmares... They haunt me," Lincoln replied, his voice subdued. "It's been going on for more than two years now, Dexter. My body has adapted to this sleeplessness. I don't even feel physically tired because there's a surplus of energy within me. But whenever I try to sleep, I'm plagued by flashbacks from my past, most of which I can't even remember. Even now, when I attempt to recall, all I find are empty spaces that were once filled," Lincoln explained, realizing that nothing seemed to align, except for the knowledge that he had willingly sacrificed his memories in exchange for power.

But for the sake of his country, and its people. He still took it, and at the time he did not know the value of one's memories. Sure, it's a minor price to pay for saving a lot of lives. But what if one day he forgets everything important to him. What is he going to do then? Will he take it as a Commander and focus whatever he had for the better of his country? Or will he be too broken to do anything?

"Why did you not tell me this before? We could've found a therapist, someone who can help you with this problem. Why tell me now of all times?" Dexter said, he looked disappointed. "One, it wasn't me who told you, you're the one who asked. Two, you already know about the side effects of this power. Three, getting a therapist would not help because this is not just some amnesia, get that through your head, Dexter." Lincoln snapped. He looked directly at Dexter now. The look on his friend's face made Lincoln immediately regret being so rude, Dexter was only trying to help after all. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"No, no. It's all good. I'm sorry you had to go through all this. Especially because this war isn't helping you get answers. Sure, you're our best chance at winning it, but you're still a human. You need to live your life like us..." Dexter paused and sighed. "What's the point in telling you all this? I'm nothing like you, not as powerful and I don't know a single thing about the pain you're going through." Dexter said and distanced himself from Lincoln. "War is a terrible thing; it ruins the lives of many. And you must go through not only that but this, this 'curse' you got with your powers. But I'll tell you what, there are people like you. I'm sure of it. You can't be the only successful experiment, think about it, Lin!" Dexter said excitingly. Lincoln's face lit up, "That... That isn't impossible." He said with a smile of his own.

"Exactly, and we'll find them once this is all over," Dexter said smiling brightly. Lincoln grimaced again. "But Dex, will this ever be over?" Lincoln asked. "It sure will man. It'll take time, but it'll be worth the wait." Dexter replied his smile not fading. Lincoln sighed, "Hope is all we have huh?" He asked grimly. "Yes. But I'm promising you this, over my grave. When our children grow up, they will partake in a world of peace and tranquillity." Dexter said and patted Lincoln in the head. "Alright," Lincoln said with a chuckle. "I'm with you."

Dexter raised his fist in the air. "You know we're too old for that now." Lincoln deadpanned. "Nonsense, this is how we made promises all our lives. So, bump it already." Dexter said laughing as he did so. Lincoln sighed and bumped it slowly. "Good. Now get some rest, we have another battle tomorrow, we don't want a sleepwalking Commander." Dexter said playfully and walked away. Lincoln sighed again and walked the other way towards the elevator.

Hopefully. Lincoln thought with a smile. I guess the hope is all we have.

He closed his eyes as a screen appeared in his pane of vision. He wasn't so surprised to see so many messages. Most were just from work and some were from a few of his past friends that messaged him regularly, they were in different sections of the military, so Lincoln didn't get to meet them a lot. He replied to most of them and called a taxi. He would normally walk home, but since Dexter insisted so badly that he get some rest it would be better if he got there early.

He walked out of the elevator, the doors sliding closed behind him, and made his way to the pickup platform on this floor. His ride would be arriving soon, so he walked out the door and stood on the platform. This military building was about seventy stories. On every ten floors, there is a parking lot and pickup platform. These were specifically made for the people who come to work using vehicles. After all the only means of road transportation allowed now is walking, cycling, hoverboarding or skating.

He looked around and sighed. Imperiale was the city he now lived in; it was derived from the word 'autobus à impériale' which in French means double-decker. This name was given to this city because Imperiale is Canada's first double-decker city. It's located in the outskirts of Canada and hence where most of its military resides.

The concept of the double-decker city, states a land above land design. About fifty stories above ground are yet another land that is just like the ground but floating. It's supported by titanium foundations that won't give away even by an earthquake. People can traverse between the lower Imperiale and the upper through SkyStreets.

The SkyStreets is an incredible concept explained as the road for flying cars.

Ontario was nothing like this, it was green with very few taller buildings and most of the vehicles were still road. It was not like he genuinely missed the countryside, he just lived there his whole life. A horn snapped Lincoln back to reality. He saw someone waiting for him. "Your ride is here, Lincoln Blaze." He heard a robotic voice announce in his brain. He approached the car and got in. A Maserati, just like the road one except this had no tires but thrusters in its place. However, the experience is still the same if not better, the horsepower could sometimes excel the one used on the road and the speed is just as amazing as the road cars could get.

The car lifted slowly and took off, Lincoln staring at the city as they passed through hundreds of buildings.