Act 2 Chapter 7
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Honestly, I can't call a thing that they serve to military personnel here as food. Maybe it's very nutritious, I don't know, but with how it looks, it kills appetite way before it gets into your stomach. Do cooks think that soldiers don't have teeth? Was it necessary to put it through a blender or did they kindly chew it themselves before spitting this mass back?

Well, my hopes about pleasurable breakfast were killed when I was standing in a queue.

Four times on average. This is a number of shakes with a ladle a kitchen worker is supposed to do to get this thing on the plate. 

Soon enough it was my turn to get my meal. Three portions of different colors found their places on my tray with a disgusting *blop* sound. With each *blop* I thought that photosynthesis is an amazing ability.

Oh, and we got an apple as dessert. As it was standing among plates full of shit, it looked like a cruel joke made by higher-ups.

I found my seat beside my nannies and tried to muster every bit of bravery to eat. I made an attempt to get a little bit of a gray thing on the spoon, but it ended as a failure because the gravity on this planet is weaker than the stickiness of the food before me. One more try, and the plate still goes up together with the spoon. Okay, you mr.Plate and you ms.I-don't-know-what-you-are  have my blessings. Who am I to separate them ? 

I admitted that I am a coward and skipped  right to the dessert. I think even Eve and Adam weren't as motivated to eat an apple as me right now.

My actions were seen by Willy-Billy duo and brought a smirk to their faces.

"What?"

They only shrugged in answer.

I made short work of my apple and was watching how they steadily devoured the creations of evil cook geniuses.

" I'll exchange my portions for your apples."

Guys looked at each other and one of them reacted to my business proposal.

"One apple. Deal or not?"

I thought about my profits, and as I didn't have any other choices accepted the transaction.

"Deal"

While I was chewing my second apple "nannies" shared between themselves my portions.

"So, whose name is Bill, and who is Will?"

"Neither of us" answered my business partner. Seems like he was satisfied with our deal so he continued speaking

"My name is Isaac and so is his" he pointed with his spoon at his friend "We are often working together so Janice calls us like that to differentiate us."

"Why she won't use your surnames ?"

"Who knows, it's not like we care."

"Could you both shut up and just eat? Iza, you know our rules" interrupted second Isaac

First Isaac made a move like he zipped his lips and gave me an apologetic smile.

Shortly we all finished our meals and then they led me through familiar corridors.

In the middle of our journey, I asked

"Do you always eat food like this ?"

"Usually yes. Well, sometimes we have a better menu" answered first Isaac.

"And when is such "sometimes" happen?"

"In days of public holidays or birthdays of officers. You know... You'd better don't skip your meals. We only have breakfast and supper here, so you've got twelve hours on an almost empty stomach. Moreover, who knows for how long you will be kept here..."

And his advice was stopped by an elbow hit in his ribs from second Isaac. From that moment we continued our journey in silence.

Soon we reached the door of Janice's office and an unfriendly Isaac pushed me inside.

There was my enemy waiting for me.

"Hello-hello my tight friend. Did you miss me?"

"Very funny. And no, I'm good enough without seeing you, but fate thinks otherwise"

"Uwaa, such a mean boy. And I thought that we became much closer to each other..."

"You choose to get closer to me from the wrong side. So let's move on and do your job. What do you need from me today?"

"Tsk, kids these days. Well, today we'll gather your actual medical data, take your photos, and will send a request to the police bureau and adventurers agency. Even if chances are slim and the process is long maybe someone is looking for you. Oh, almost forgot, there is a meeting with a psychiatrist scheduled for you after that. That's all, so should we begin?"

"Like I have a choice..."

"Indeed, and that's the best part of my work"

-----------

All in all, it was truly a normal medical check-up. She brought me to different doctors which checked my teeth, my eyesight or took my measurements. After that Janice personally took my samples of hair, blood, and saliva. If I should mention something strange it's that when she took photos of me on her phone I got a feeling that the aforementioned phone is pretty much alive.

Time flies fast, and I'm already meeting a psychiatrist.

He is a middle-aged man with short gray hair. It's hard to describe his facial features because most of them are hidden behind glasses with strong lenses which reeeeally magnified his eyes. If I could compare him to something it should be a goldfish. Yeah, a goldfish in glasses with a more mysterious smile than Mona Lisa's. You don't know what to expect from such a man.

"Sit down, please." he points with his open palm at the sofa.

"Would you like some tea? Or do you prefer coffee?"

"I'll take a coffee"

"Sorry, but I have neither here"

"Then what was the point of asking me?"

"Etiquette. Still, I have an ice cream here. Do you want one ?"

"Sure, why not" I agreed but wasn't expecting too much. And my expectations were pleasantly betrayed, as he pulled two ice lollies from under the table. Does he have a freezer there?

Anyway, he gave me one of them. Plus point to karma for a nice guy.

He sits back at his table and checks some papers with one hand while eating ice cream with another, and periodically throws glances at me. I ignore them and eat in silence.

Minutes pass in a such way until there was a little left of my ice cream. 

"Where is a trash bin?"

"It's under my table. Just give me a stick and foliage when you are done"

"Oh, I'm done already. Thank you, it was very tasty" with such words I pass a stick with a little bit of an ice cream on it.

He looks at it for a couple of seconds then looks at me.

"Could you please satisfy my curiosity and tell me why you didn't finish it ?"

I lean at the back of the sofa with a satisfied sigh and look at the ceiling.

"You know...if I eat it to the last bit, there is an almost guaranteed possibility that my tongue will make a contact with a stick. As a result, the taste of wood will destroy the impression I made about ice cream. Milk on the wooden stick is not the same as meat on the bone, like a chicken leg or pork rib. They didn't grow up together. Or if put in another way - they have different upbringings. Something like that, yeah"

After my answer, I look at the psychiatrist and see him deep in thought, looking at two sticks with ice cream on them. With a little bit of pondering he throws them both somewhere under the table. 

"Let's move to the main part of our meeting." he says and looks at one of the papers on the table.

"Male, around 9 years old..."

"Waaaait a minute, you've got something wrong there. I'm obviously much older than that." 

I'm not a shota, am I?

"And how old do you think you are ?"

"I don't know for sure, but biologically I should be around seventeen years old at a minimum"

"Well, I'm 18. Do we look similar in your opinion ?"

"No, but... I don't know what to say..."

I shouldn't mention "another world" and "reincarnation" to a psychiatrist, should I?

"So, as I was saying. Male, around 9 years old, appeared at the west gate without documents. Covered in torn and bloodied clothes but without any visible wounds. Approached gate guards to ask for help while mentioning that he doesn't have any memories. Everything right ?"

"Yeah, almost. There should be mentioned that I had metallic keys and 20000 chattles on me."

"Uh-huh. Anything else to add ?"

"Nope"

"Okay, let's move to the next point. Your case is unique and not at the same time. It's not the first time we meet people with deleted memories, or as we call them "Erased". But, in their cases, they are more similar to empty husks, or programmed robots. Programmed to do bad things I should say. And you...you are an "Erased" but with high mental and physical functionality. Which brings many suspicions. Do you agree with me ?"

"Yeah. Does anyone knows who or what made them like that, or should I say "us"?"

"No, and that's why we made a decision to put you under hypnosis. To do that, I need your agreement, as it will bring much better results. What are your thoughts about it?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes, you can just say no and just go back to your ward. But no one could say when you will get back to society."

"It's just an illusion of freedom of choice, isn't it? Sure, do your thing"

"Good, very good. First of all, please sign this document about your agreement"

I come to the table and read this so-called "document".

"Do you people understand, that because I don't have memories and identification papers this document will not have any juridical power?"

"It's just a formality plus a psychological trick, so no problem on our side"

"Okay, whatever."

And like that, I signed that paper. As Mr.Psychiatrist looks at that document, only now do I understand that I used my autograph, from the previous world. Fuck.

"Ehehe, seems my muscle memory still works..."

My words are left without an answer, an doctor gets a painfully familiar red-white ball. 

"Drowsee, come out." 

He throws a pokeball to the middle of the room and before us appears a yellow-brown colored tapir.

As I sat back on the sofa and look at this strange creature, its owner issued a command

"Drowsee, put him into a trance"

"Drooo"

It looks directly into my eyes and waves its hands but I don't feel anything. Such a scene goes on for almost a minute, and when I was almost feeling sleepy Drowsee falls on its back with froth leaking from its mouth.

Now I'm truly fucked up.

"I'm innocent, okay?"

Mr.Psychiatrist screams to soldiers behind the door to get me out of the room while trying to wake up his pokemon.

I should have him sign an agreement too... 

                               

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