EMPTIED MEMORY

Everyone is already panicking and in turmoil; the communication line get filled with yelling. One by one, he saw it clearly, how the black hole sucking every one of his teammates.

"Henry!" the last shout he heard before losing the last one who didn't make it go away from it.

He gulped as he looked back at the few remaining ones.

"C-Captain, that is already more than half of our team."

He stared at them worriedly. They-He is just risking his men's lives. "We are going back home now. Let us withdraw from this mission." He decided.

As their spaceship turned around, it has barely moved away from the place. The force is still strong even at the distance of miles away.

"How about them-"

"We can't do anything about that anymore, Euvy. We will just lose everyone if we proceed with this," he explained to the woman near him.

"Henry, they have families waiting for them!"

"So are we!" his voice roared, making everyone silent.

"We are going home now. No more buts. That is an order!"

He looked away as they looked at him, both in dismay and hopelessness. He refrained himself to show no hope, though it is so obvious.

"This is Captain Henry-" He was stopped when the line purposely cut off from their main Space Administration Office.

"What was that?!" one of them asked hysterically, throwing them a questioning look.

"We will be going home whether they approve it or not!" he commanded and sat down on his seat, leading their leave.

"Captain, look at this, there appears to be a barrier around Earth. We can't detect any of our satellites to connect us with them!"

"That can't be! Henry, that is ridiculous! They can't do that to us!"

For the first time, he has found no words to calm them. He himself doesn't know what is happening either!

"Just keep contacting them!" he yelled to stop them from buzzing around.

As they plunged towards Earth, it took them almost no courage at all to leave. If not for his order, he knows there be more casualties to happen.

"Captain..." his subordinate uttered as he pointed at the monitor. "We can't go home."

He shut his eyes in frustration and calmed down himself not to make decisions hastily.

"So this is what they have really planned since from the start." He clenched his fist and glanced again at the monitor.

"We can't die here, Captain. We have to do something!"

He turned off his communication device, giving himself a little time to think. Whether they go on with the mission, stay or insist on going back home, all of it is leading them to only one outcome-they will die.

He switched on his line, but only to get deafened by the commotion.

"Captain!"

"Sir, we need your order now!"

"Henry!"

He was about to give his command when their spaceship had already reached the perimeter, of which they should not trespass.

The next thing he heard was that the spaceship's system has already given them a notice and started to count down.

'SELF-DESTRUCTION INITIATED. THE SPACESHIP IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE IN THIRTY SECONDS.'

He's properly aligning the test tubes, vials, and syringes in his vault when one of his teammates came in to his station, holding a calendar.

"We can't stay here for the rest of our lives, Henry! This is not our home! This is not our place!"

"Then tell me what I should do! Look, I am doing everything I can to get us out of here, but if you think the progress of what I am working on is just as easy as sitting as what you are doing, then do it!" He packed his things up and left the man.

He almost ran to get away from his group for a moment. Their presence is making him feel pressured, making things even more complicated for him to figure out.

"What an imbecile you are!" he cussed to himself as he couldn't think of any ways to work things out.

Just then, a tap on his shoulder stopped him from thinking. As he raised his head, a familiar scent filled his airways.

"I'm sorry." He wiped his tears and stared at Euvy who has never doubted that he can think of a way to get them out of that place.

"Hey, that's okay. What happened was not your fault. No one is blaming you for anything happened."

"But we're already here for two years now and all I can do is this! This can't help us with our-"

She cupped his face and rest her head on his while staring to his eyes adoringly. "I always believed, and I will always do, that there is nothing that you will never have a solution to."

He closed his eyes and let himself feel the peace she is sharing with him. It is so calming.

"You are the very reason I have to get this thing done, Euvy. If not for you, I don't know if I would be still here today."

Her lips curved as he wrapped her arms around him. "I am fluttered to know that, Mister."

"You should be." He kissed her temple and hid his tears behind her as he swayed them slowly.

"How's your work so far?"

"I am still observing it," he whispered as he furtively gritted his teeth.

"I promise, I will get us back to Earth."

The woman remained silent and neither nod nor shook her head. "I am not hoping for them to let us go back. But I will be waiting for you."

"The administration has no right to abandon us here. Our team and I will be home soon, and we'll make them pay for everything they have done to us and to everyone else that they had sent for their selfish studies!"

"That is-"

"Captain! Captain!" someone called hysterically.

"Something is wrong," Euvy muttered and let him go.

They hurriedly went back to see what's the man is shouting for. They are gathered around their sensory device, murmuring indistinctly.

"What's the matter?!" he queried and checked on it.

"It shows a different result with Captain's status! This might be malfunctioning!"

He stared at the device, wondering what they are talking about. "I had just checked this device this morning. None of our things are malfunctioning."

"But it is, Captain! See this-" The man stopped as he gets near it, and it has detected him wrongly.

'Not human.' The voice echoed as it repeatedly giving a warning.

He stepped a few steps away and the notice stopped whining. "Captain, tell me I am still me." He touched his face in fear that he's already looking different.

Henry gets the device and take it. "You are right. This might be malfunctioning."

-

"These devices are in perfect condition, Henry," Euvy whispered, afraid that their members might hear them.

"I know. But why it is just the two of us that it consider as humans?"

They looked at each other, thinking of what to do to know exactly what is happening to them.

"Examine us, Henry," she suggested, and get a box of syringes.

"No, this will make them think-"

"We need this."

He didn't speak for a minute and tried to convince himself that there must be another way to get them examined without the need of informing them.

"I know what exactly is running inside your head now, and I am telling you already, that is impossible."

"Help me do it then. I can't do it alone."

She nodded and gave him an assuring smile. "I got your back."

-

"What is blood testing for, Captain?"

"I need to know what is wrong with us. It might be I and Euvy that is not fine here. The sensory devices are all working good and this planet is closely habitable like Earth. There must be something not right going on with our body systems, since we are being exposed to an environment that is new to our system."

"And if it is really changing us, what are we going to do, Captain?"

"We have to go back to Earth as soon as possible to save our humanity."

The man tremblingly observed himself, checking his parts. "W-What do you mean, Captain?" He gulped and looked at him.

Henry gazed at them and place the man's hand on the sensory device.

'98% HUMAN.'

That silenced them. Who wouldn't be shocked after knowing that you are no longer a hundred percent human just because you stayed in a different planet?

"My theory is that all habitable planets have their own unique way to sustain the needs of their habitants. However, since they do it differently from Earth's perfect environment condition for human..." He took a lungful of air and looked away. "Our body system is adapting to the environment that this planet can provide us."

"But we only have the shuttles. Those are not enough for all of us, and we can't do one either!" one of them nervously stated.

"What is our plan now, Captain?!"

He continued getting blood samples and remained silent, for he has no response for that question yet.

"Henry, you know we'll acknowledge whatever decisions you'll come up with. Think of it thoroughly. But I am assuring you, I won't let that 98% dropped to zero without haunting the people who did this to us."

He's already about to go to examine the samples when he stopped and turned around. "Whatever decisions I come up with?" he repeated to what the man had said.

The gents glanced at each other and just by that, they have understood that he's the only one they can rely on-they agreed.

"Okay then. Let us have a meeting after I am done examining these."

"Henry!" Euvy run after him while he walked in faster pace.

"I am talking to you! Violence is not a good idea. What are you planning to do?! You'll just drag them down to the pit if you go against the administration. If they had sent us to the outer space without feeling guilty, it will be easy for them to shut us, too!" She blocked the way.

"Do you really think I would taint my hands just to make them pay?" he asked seriously and walked past by her.

"Henry, this is not what I have dreamed to work on with you-"

"So do I-what did you say?" He inquired and stopped walking without looking at the woman.

"If we are going back to Earth just to get revenge on them, I would rather stay here." She walked away without hearing what he is about to explain.

He looked up and calmed down himself while he gripped tightly to his belongings. As he stepped heading towards the opposite direction she took, he reminded himself of what and whom he's doing it for.

But even before he could reach his place, Euvy came running towards him, handing out a notepad.

"Didn't I tell you I would help you do it?" The corner of her lips curved.

He smiled while nodding. "Let us make the best of what we can do with what we have, Euvy."

"We are still humans. If what you have said earlier is true-"

"Which one?"

"That our body system is adapting to this planet's environment."

"Oh, that one. What about it?" He moved his things piled on his table and carefully put down the ones he's carrying.

"Then the more that we should aim to go back."

He put on his lab suit and prepared everything he'll be needing to examine the blood samples. "I will be using our blood for comparison," he informed her before proceeding.

Just then, the sensory device he has installed secretly beneath the beds of their teammates send data to their spaceship's system. He dropped the syringe he's holding upon glancing the reported data.

"Euvy, tell me this isn't real." He gasped as he grabbed the monitor.

He quickly continued to examine the samples and convinced himself the devices might just be defected.

"Henry-"

"It weren't them, Euvy. The devices are the ones adapting to the environment!"

She shook her head as he assists him. But the results are still the same from one after another.

A long minute of silence devoured them before he spoke.

"We'll observe them for a week. If the adaptation rapids quickly..." He turned to her and pulled her closer. "I am so sorry. Can you wait a little longer?"

She rubbed his back as she understood what he's trying to make her understand.

"I am still human. I don't need an immediate rescue yet. You will come back to me, right?" she asked in almost a whisper.

He hugged her even tighter, and even he doesn't want to, his shaking betrayed him.

"That's okay. I understand. I know you will come back. I'll be waiting."

'Astronaut 03: 90% not a human-"

He turned off the system to not see another devastating datum.

"I'll inform our men that we'll be having a meeting tomorrow, then." He stared at her and waited for her to disagree, but what she did is just nod and shoo him away.

"Go ahead. I'll be preparing the shuttles."

As the Captain get lost in her sight, Euvy weakly sat down and hugged herself. She turned on the system to see how serious the matter is. She whimpered silently as the percentage goes down rapidly.

"I know you're in there. Come in," she ordered to the man hiding outside.

"I-It wasn't my attention to eavesdrop to your conversation-"

"Can you promise me you'll keep the Captain safe?" she cut him off. "You will be going back home tomorrow. Dispose anyone who would impose a threat to him."

"Ma'am-"

"That is an order. I am reserving a spacecraft for you. Make sure you'll do your part."

"But what if I became one of those who will attempt to harm him?"

Euvy gave him a small box containing a strange and a vial of lethal. "Kill yourself before you can do that. That too is an order."

-

"We will come back, I promise." Henry stated as he bade goodbye to Euvy.

"Take care of everyone here." He then turned to the man next to her.

"Captain, we are already prepared. Whatever happens here, we'll make sure Euvy will stay human by all means." The man raised his lethal injection, showing him that he is indeed prepared in case he became violent.

"We'll keep our distance from her, Captain," the other one meddled, assuring him that everything will be okay while they're away.

He nodded and gazed at the eight who are to be left behind. He slowly turned around and run to his shuttle before he changes his mind.

"Euvy, do you believe that we'll still be saved?"

"I believe in them-in him the most. He won't fail us."

As the spacecrafts take off, she gulped and watch their hope flew away. "The Captain will surely find a way," she uttered and looked at the man.

"That may take them years, but I know they will never abandon us."

The man shifted his gaze from her to their mother ship. "You are the acting Captain now. I suggest you to be cautious around us. We don't know what exactly will happen once our humanity drained to zero, Euvy."

"We'll find a way to slow down the adaptation process. For now, let us observe who needs to be incubated first. We don't have enough capsules to use. We have to come up with an idea soon." She led them to their laboratory room to show them how's the individual's condition as she distributed their files.

"Here is your file." She handed over to the last one she's holding.

They peeked at each other's laboratory results, seeing if they have the same reactions to the adaptation.

"So, I am the one who has the highest rate of loosing my humanity," one uttered, staring at his document with full of disgust.

"You are lucky enough to still be a human, Euvy. Stay one. We need you here. They are hoping to see us still humans when they come back. If ever we don't make it, you should at least." He glanced at her.

"I don't want that to happen. Let us think of a way now." She opened the capsule beds. "If the percentage dropped to fifty percent, that is when we'll consider incubating you. But as long as you're still conscious, we won't. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Captain!"

She can feel their fear as she let them rest in their capsule beds for the first day of their observation. So is she. Yet, she has no choice but to brave. She is the only one who they can depend on at the moment.

"Don't worry. It will just take half of a day to get done. I will not go anywhere and will just be here to check on you all throughout the observation process," she assured as she sedated them, putting them in a deep sleep.

As she set the timer, she almost spent no time to space out. She dedicated her hours on observing them.

Euvy shook her head while looking at the gathered results. She took off her laboratory gown and sat down in front of the monitor, eyeing on the data having registered.

She took a deep breath as she stood up. "Come back sooner, Captain," she uttered before sedating them again.

Henry roamed his eyes around. Except for the Island where they have landed on, there are no signs of human in the isolated place. He tapped his shuttle as he took off his suit. Thanks to the devices that his team had successfully made and installed on their spacecrafts. They had successfully landed on Earth, concealing their presence that might alarm Space Administrations, especially the ones that they are hiding from the most.

"Where are we, Captain?"

"Worry not. This Island is my property. No one can easily trespass here without my permission." He looked at the wild, it is literally hiding his residence in the middle of those towering trees.

"We can't just wander around outside this place without being cautious, are we clear?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"It will surely take us a long time to get the things we need to save our teammates, but I want you to always remember not to forget about them. You know how much I hate betrayal-I won't show mercy to anyone who would attempt to do so. From here, we will start everything." He turned to them.

"But how are we going to start, Captain?"

"Leave it to me. Everything we need are all prepared."

-

Years went by as fast as light. He is almost there-almost. If only for some phenomenon, they could have already saved their members.

"Captain, Head Euvy have entrusted your safety to me. I can't just leave your side for this being!"

Henry stopped walking and throw a punch on the man. "She is not just a mere human. Our team members will surely dispose her if they find out about her existence." He held the baby closer to him and cuddle her as she slowly started to wake up.

"C-Captain." The man wiped his swollen lips and stared at the child he's holding.

"Take this girl somewhere they could not find her. I am warning you, if something happens to her, I will find every single member of your family, from the bedridden up to the unborn ones. You know what I can do, and you know I will do it with no hesitations."

Footsteps from afar shut them. He hurriedly pulled the paper inside his pocket. "Take her to this hospital. Find someone who had lost a child. Switch her. Go!"

Though he is so opposed to his Captain's decision, he furtively run away, silently hoping that there'll be no hindrance on the way.

Henry meets the newly come halfway, making sure that he had bought the man some time to flee. Of all the rooms that his organization has, that is the only one that he had restricted from anyone of them-except for the one that he trusted the most.

He gulped as he casually greeted them.

"What is this meeting that you have called us for, Henry?"

"I should be the one asking you first. Didn't I tell you that the meeting will be held at the conference room? Who gave you an order to follow me here?!"

"Henry, you may be the Captain,, but that doesn't mean you can always tell us what and what not to do. What is happening to you?! You have never been like that before!"

"That is the difference now." He eyed the man. "I am not just a Captain here. I am the boss and no one is above me in this organization. Did I make myself clear?!"

He walked past by them and headed to the meeting hall. Behind him, he can feel their piercing, seething looks. It feels betrayal, it smelled familiar.

As the door opened, he wasted no time to went straight to his seat and turned on the presentation of the innovation that he has made personally.

"What is that this time? We keep on inventing and fabricating new technologies, but I rarely see of those that has relevance to saving our teammates, Henry!" one stated right away as soon as he saw the image plastered holographically.

"Henry, don't tell us that is what you really aim for when we come back here? Does it mean that all the treasures that you have taken here from that planet, sold and spent to build this organization is to make those inventions?! That is ridiculous! We can do that after we rescue them! How absurd can you be to set aside them when it was you who has always reminding us not to forget about them?!" one agreed, pointing a finger on him.

"That is what I have called you here for! Is it really your nature to talk back to your boss?! I haven't started speaking here in front, yet you have already blurting your side without hearing me out first! I am warning you, whatever I have put up in this organization is all mine. What you have contributed is just waiting, whining, and complaining! Once you do this again, I will give you no warn anymore. You know what I mean."

The table became silent. Not because they are respecting his superiority, but because they know how serious he is when it comes to disposing anyone ever since they came back from the mission.

"These capsules are far better than the ones that the Aeronautical Space Administration had provided us before. With the condition of our teammates, this will be a big help to preserve the humanity they still have left. It can adjust the condition of its insides to the favorable condition for whoever will use it. As well as, it can also be set to Earth's environment condition. We don't know what are the consequences of traveling them back on Earth. Thus, it will give a chance to them to travel back here without us losing them in the journey," he elaborated, interchangeably glancing at them and to the figure.

"The capsule cradle had been purposely designed solely for our concern-to save our team. They might need different conditions depending on how rapid their body system's adaptability is to the environment of the planet. Based on the last observation we have conducted on your systems, the changes have almost stopped during our first years here after coming back. Hopefully, it has already stopped by now, since we're already staying here longer than we have stayed there. If so, our next target to work on is to completely make you 100% human again. I need your cooperation to know how we will make adjustments."

He refrained himself to furthermore discuss what else the capsule cradles can do, reminding himself not to show off all of it to the people who are potentially be a threat to them-betrayal is really a human's nature.

"We will be testing it today, this afternoon. I have already tried using one, but I will try it again for you to see yourself how it works." He stood up and leaned on his table, meters away from the longer one where they are gathered. "Any questions?" he asked and waited for one.

Someone raised his hand, making him wonder what is questionable in the presentation. He nodded, giving him the chance to talk.

"I am afraid we have to decline to do the trial today. We aren't complete," he spoke that made the others look at everyone to know who's not present in the meeting. Whereas, it brought him chills down to his spine as he tried to stay composed and calm upon remembering the reason.

He casually looked away to not meet their doubting eyes.

"You are strict when it comes to important matters like this one. How come that there is one that is not here, yet it is just fine with you?" one queried in censorious manner.

"I have ordered him to do something for me. He's in my office, doing secretarial stuffs," he lied, but remained serious to make them believe. "However, if you insist on doing the testing tomorrow, give me valid reasons then," he then remarked. Yet, hoped that they will since he is sure the man might take not just a day to do the task he has given him.

They gazed at each other, deciding whether to agree or not to the suggestion of postponing the trials. Not long after, they nodded as if just by looking at each other, they have already communicated.

"It will be better if we'll do it altogether. Hence, if there is someone who is not around, though possible, we have to wait for him. We hope you don't mind that."

"I seconded the motion. It will be unfair if we will do it now while he won't-not to us obviously, but to him, of course. Besides, we are all not 100% human here, aside from you. We can manage to wait anyway."

Hearing them agreed to withdraw from doing it right away made him breath in relief. Though, he's hoping that that span of time is already enough for the man to come back.

"Okay, it is settled then. The testing of the capsule cradles will be tomorrow." He ended the presentation and glanced at his watch.

"Do you have any more questions? No more?" he impatiently inquired. "If you have no more to ask, the meeting adjourned." He motioned them to leave.

As they left, he finally got the chance to feel free from their keen observations. Just then, the secret door in his office opened. The man came earlier than he expected, looking pale and exhausted.

He stood up in surprised and almost ran towards him. "Where did you take her?!" He shook his shoulders.

"Captain, I-"

"It is a two-hour drive from the shore if you'll take the route I have told you to take, what did you do?! Why are you here already?!" he queried consecutively.

"I used the yacht, our fastest one. And I didn't take that route, Captain. I saw someone there. I don't know if who is that person, but he seems to be observing this Island from afar..." he paused and gulped, making Henry even more nervous, yet eager to know what happened.

"I took a detour. That is a better shortcut to get there. Here are the names of the parents. By the way, whose baby was that, Captain?" The man looked for the piece of paper he hid in his coat. "Here." He handed him over the folded scrap of paper.

"She is Euvy. Euvy's perfect clone, a hundred percent human," he replied that stunned the man.

He went to his table and rewrite the names on his notepad. "Are you sure she'll be safe with them? Are they good trustworthy people? Have you known their whereabouts?" he asked without glancing at him.

"Captain, I thought we'll go back to get them? What exactly are you planning to do?" the man queried in almost a whisper.

Henry put down his pen and stared at the man. "We'll get them back here, and I am trying to make a hundred percent human out of clones. In case our teammates can no longer be one, with their DNA's that we have when they're still a hundred percent human will allow us to rebirth them. Though, I am not certain if it will work for everyone. But, I am hoping that it will."

The man walked closer to him and took a lungful breath. "Can I be cloned too, Captain?"

"I can make you some trials. But that will either might take a long time or no time at all to whether be successful or not. It is rare to do cloning to humans. Failing to make one is a sure possibility than successfully having an almost successful one."

"Then why you have successfully made a real human?"

"You haven't answered my questions yet. Answer mine and I will give you the answer to that."

"Which one do you want me to answer first, Captain? I am-" he was stopped when he saw the Captain raised a brow on him, making him give him the responses right away. "The parents are just ordinary citizens; thus, it is certain that she'll be safe with them. I have been working with trustworthy and not trustworthy people for decades now. I know they are far better reliable than some of our teammates. Furthermore, I will give you the address if you-"

"I can clone you. Where's the address?"

He opened his palm where he has written it. "Thank you, Captain."

Henry gazed at the details he has written: NORMAN and JULIA VENTURA.

"She will start a new life with these people. She will have a new beginning far from what her origin had gone through; a new identify," he muttered as he touched the names with his thumb.

"What are you planning to do when she grows up, Captain?"

From the writings, he shifted his gaze from it to the man. "Clones have theoretically believed inherits the memories of the ones they were made from. If that's the case, then, knowing Euvy, she will surely find the truth about herself. If that theory happened to be true, I will make a way to lure her here. She deserves to know how she had existed."

"That will surely make a fuss if they find out about her, Captain. We can't do that!" the man blurted, almost a plea to convince him not to do that one.

"Yes, we can."

"No. We can't, Captain!"

He moved aside his things before examining the man's reaction. "You can't? I am not asking for your permission, neither anyone's opinion. This is my organization. I am the boss. My set Rules and Regulations are the only ones that can prevail what must be allowed and followed. If you have read the very first page, topmost of the rules-only the boss can have the final decision. I mentioned no other names there. If you would just keep on insisting that I shouldn't, you are dismissed now."

To his surprised, the man turned his back on him and marched out of the room. For the very first time, he showed him dignity to stand up for his beliefs.

Henry shut his eyes. "Pardon me, but what you're asking me to do will ruin numerous things. Keeping her here is the best way to prevent that from happening," he uttered and fixed his eyes on the ceiling, looking beyond what his orbs can see.

-

The Captain won't give him such attention if he doesn't work for him for something we don't know."

"What are we going to do with him then?"

"We all know that if he wanted to, Henry can easily wipe us out. But he is not that heartless to abandon someone who's loyal to him. We can use that traitor as a bait. We will make him tell us everything that we are supposed to know and afterwards, we can use that against Henry."

"Who'll kill that one then?"

"That is so easy, I will."

He was froze as he heard them talking about him and his Captain. From where he's lying on, he can clearly hear their whispers. He doesn't know if it is because of the changes happened to him during their stay in the foreign planet, but he has a sharp hearing since then.

He slowly opened his eyes and tried to see them in the dark. He felt someone's presence coming near him. But even before he could reach him, he injected himself the lethal weapon. 'This is better than giving the Captain more reasons to keep believing in betrayal. Head Euvy, I have protected him.' He smiled bitterly as his tears flow. He gulped when he felt his body started to stiffened. 'Though I imposed him no harm. I protected him before I could,' he thought before he drew his last breath, leaving his eyes wide open.