text: It was 4:44 on a swampy midsummer Tuesday morning, and a cruel storm had been assaulting the grounds of the Obsidian Springs Correctional Facility throughout the entire night. The sun hadn’t even begun to show its head from behind the horizon, but Daniel Jordan was wide awake. He sat on his twin sized bet with his knees tucked up to his chest and stared out the window of his cell, watching the rain and wind ravage the courtyard that sat 50 yards in front of him. A courtyard that, for the entirety of the 9 years he had been locked away, he never had the chance to visit. “It just had to be a Tuesday, didn’t it?” Daniel mumbled to himself. Tuesday’s had always played a significant role throughout Daniel’s family history. His grandparents met while vacationing in Rome on a Tuesday. His parents got married on a Tuesday. In fact, Daniel was born on a Tuesday. And now, on this typical, ordinary, stormy Tuesday, just as he was brought into the world, Daniel was scheduled to be taken out of it. He continued to stare out the window and tried to picture himself sitting out on one of the old, rusty courtyard benches. He tried his best to block the storm from his mind and imagined he was basking in a warm, cloudless day, with a full sun beaming down on his face and a light wind blowing to keep him cool. Inmates would surround him, calling out to him and asking if he wanted to join in on their game of pick up basketball, or wall ball, or chess. But Daniel would decline each offer that came his way. All he wanted to do was sit and enjoy the sunlight. Something he hadn’t done in almost a decade - and something he would never get to do again. A crack of thunder sounded off and caused Daniel to jump out of the daydream he had found himself immersed in. He let out a depressive sigh and turned his head towards the digital clock that hung directly above the door to his cell, which now read 4:45 AM. “Any minute now.” He whispered to himself, as he stood up and made his way over to a small plastic dresser on the opposite side of the room. He opened the middle drawer of the flimsily piece of furniture, pulled out a pair of extremely tattered and broken-in dark blue cargo pants, and put them on over the thigh gripping boxers he had been wearing for the past 48 hours. Another crack of thunder erupted above him as he knelt down to cuff each of his pant legs, and he felt the frigid tile floor of his cell rumble beneath his feet. The thunder was followed by an aggressive triple pounding on his cell room door, which flung open immediately after the pounding had stopped. “Jordan, you got a visitor.” Announced one of the prison’s many overly assertive security guards as he walked into the cell. Daniel stood up tall and placed his hands in his pockets, trying his best to look as calm and collected as he possibly could. A woman followed the guard into Daniel’s cell and stopped a few feet in front of him. She was a tall, pale woman, who wore a long medical robe that covered her entire body, and a pair of bulky, ocean blue glasses were placed firmly on her nose. Her hair sat modestly on her shoulders, sporting an onyx tone that challenged the likes of the deepest crater on the farthest point of the darkest side of the moon. Daniel’s pupils dilated at the sight of her, and his knees buckled in an embarrassingly quick fashion. It was impossible for him to hide the fact that he was infatuated with her. “Remember me, Daniel?” She asked. Of course he remembered her, and he knew exactly why she was there. “Doctor Bridgewell, of course. Good morning.” “Good morning, Daniel. How are you feeling today?” “Good, I think. Tired, but good.” “Well that’s good to hear. I know how stressful it can be for somebody in your situation, but we really don’t have much time to sit and chat like we usually do. Have you thought more about what we discussed the last time I was here?” “Yes ma’am.” Daniel said nervously. The back of his throat began to feel dry and scratchy, and he could feel his cheeks turning red. “And?” She said blankly. Daniel took a moment to turn his attention back towards his cell window. He hoped to finally get a glimpse of the sun rising, but all he could see was the rain continuing to flood the courtyard. “Daniel.” The doctor snapped. “Oh, sorry. Right. I, Uh.. Well I guess I’ve decided to do it your way.” “You guess?” “Sorry - I want to do it your way. Definitely.” “And you’re sure about that? There’s no going back once the procedure is complete.” “Yeah, well, it’s better than the chair, so..” Daniel took his right hand out of his pocket and extended it out towards the doctor, who in turn grabbed it and shook it confidently. The pair stood still for a moment and exchanged smiles, which eased Daniel’s worries. “Alrighty then, put your shoes on and follow me.” Instructed Doctor Bridgewell. The two of them walked out of the cell and turned right down a long, barren hallway. Armed guards stood about 20 feet apart on each side of the hallway, and they all shot menacing glances at Daniel as he walked past them. Although he couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of each guard's face as he walked by, Daniel tried his best to keep his eyes focused on the door they seemed to be walking towards. The door stood at the far end of the hallway, and a small sign reading “OPERATION LABORATORY” in big black bold letters was plastered next to it. Daniel’s breath’s grew stronger with each step he took, and his heart began to race uncontrollably. “Nervous?” Asked Doctor Bridgewell. “No way. Why would I be nervous? Like I said, it’s better than the-” “You’re breathing pretty hard. I can hear you.” “Well it’s a pretty long walk.” Joked Daniel. Doctor Bridgewell chuckled and placed her hand on his shoulder and kept it there for the remainder of their walk. Once they reached the laboratory door, the guard standing in front of it turned around and pounded on it 3 times - a sound that had grown to become all too familiar for Daniel. A dreary buzz sounded off from the inside of the door, and it opened swiftly. The laboratory was just as depressing and unsettling as Daniels cell. Dozens of people in lab coats were scattered throughout the all white four-walled room, and each of them held a clipboard and wore medical masks to hide their faces. Daniel expected to be greeted by big, beeping, blinking, buzzing machines, but there was nothing of the sort to be found. Instead, the only piece of equipment that was present in the room was the one thing he had been trying to avoid. A chair. Daniel’s muscles tensed and his eyes began to squint with anger. “Whoa, whoa, what’s the deal with-” “Relax, Daniel.” Doctor Bridgewell interrupted. “You didn’t think the procedure would take place with you standing upright, did you?” “No, but I-” “Daniel, It’s fine. I promise. Now please, have a seat.” Daniel stood motionlessly and clenched his fists together. He trusted Doctor Bridgewell, but that didn’t change the fact that sitting down in the chair would be the last thing he ever did. He stared at the chair and tried his best to hold back the tears that were trying to push themselves out from the corners of his eyes. It took a slight nudge on the back from one of the guards to finally convince him to make his way over to the chair. “So, how does this work exactly?” Daniel said as he hovered over the chair. “Well, first things first, you have to sit.” Replied Doctor Bridgewell. “Right, but I-” “Sit down now, or I’ll personally escort you to the other chair.” The back-bumping guard demanded. “Jerkoff..” Daniel said under his breath as he sat down in the chair. He glanced around the room and took notice of how many people were examining him. To his surprise, the thought of a dozen brains and eyes looming over his existence calmed him. “Well, it’s now or never, Doc. Let’s do this.” He exclaimed. “Ah, anxious now, are we?” Doctor Bridgewell shot back, with a smirk on her face. “I’ve waited forever for now. Let’s do this.” “You’re a convict, Daniel. And my patient, at that. We aren’t-” “Friends. I know. But maybe we could be? I mean, after all this.” “I don’t befriend patients.” “You don’t have to be Daniel Jordan’s last friend. You can be Jordan Daniel’s first.” Daniel smiled at Doctor Bridgewell and allowed the tears hiding in the corner of his eyes to fall. She smiled back at him and walked up to his chair. “It’s simpler than it seems..” She said, trying her best to change the emotional tone of the conversation into a professional one. “First, you take this.” “A red pill? Are you serious? Ha! You can’t be serious. My name’s Daniel, not Ne-“ “This isn’t a joke, Daniel. This is real. And there’s no blue pill in this reality. Sure, ironically enough the other chair is blue, but that-” “Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll take the pill.” Daniel said as he grabbed the red pill from her hand and swallowed it. “Now what?” “You put that on.” Doctor Bridgewell said as she pointed towards a metallic helmet sitting on the head of the chair. Multi Colored wires were wrapped around the base of the helmet, which made it look almost too silly to be real. “You can’t be serious.” Daniel said bluntly. “Daniel, if you aren’t going to take this seriously then maybe we should just-” “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I’ll put it on.” He said as he grabbed the helmet from the chair. He placed it on his head and could hear a soft humming sound coming from the very top of it. It was cold, like it had been sitting in a freezer for hours beforehand, and a line of chills ran down his arms as it touched the tips of his ears. Doctor Bridgewell walked over to him calmly and sat next to him on the chair. “Last time I’m gonna ask you: Are you sure you want to do this?” “Yes.” “You won’t remember anything. And when I say that, I mean it literally. You won’t remember anything at all.” “I know.” “You won’t be Daniel Jordan anymore.” Daniel paused for a moment and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and envisioned himself sitting on the courtyard bench again, but this time the sun wasn’t shining, and there were no other inmates to invite him into their games. Grey clouds covered the skies completely, and there was no breeze to cool him off. He sat there alone, waiting for the sun to come out. A sun that would never come. “I don’t want to be.” He whispered as he opened his eyes. Doctor Bridgewell stood up from the chair and walked to the far side of the room, where a group of masked lab workers were standing. One of the workers handed her a small, black remote control, and then walked to the other side of the room to join a different group of workers. “Alright Daniel, this is how this is going to work.” Doctor Bridgewell said firmly. “You’re going to lean back in the chair, and when I tell you to, you’re going to close your eyes. Once you’re comfortable, I’ll activate the helmet by pushing this button on this device I’m holding. From there, I’ll begin to count backwards from twenty. While I’m counting, I’ll be turning this main dial here on my device. As the seconds go on, you’ll begin to feel pressure building on the top of your head. It is extremely crucial that you do not remove the helmet once the activation process has begun. Once I reach one, I’ll push the activation button one more time. You may feel a quick shocking sensation in your arms and legs, but after that, you’ll fall asleep. And from then on... Well, you won’t wake up. But Jordan Daniel will.” “That’s it?” “For the most part. Now remember: Not only will you wake up and forget your current life, but you will know an entirely new one. This technology doesn’t just erase memories - it forges new ones. You’ll remember a life you’ve never had. A family you never had. Birthday parties you never had. You’ll go home to a house that’s been provided for you, and tomorrow morning you’ll wake up and go to a job that’s been provided for you. The path to the rest of your life has been paved. All you’ll have to do is walk it.” Daniel sat still and stared intently at Doctor Bridgewell. He wasn’t sure what to say to her, or if there was really anything that needed to be said at all. He took another deep breath and swung his legs up onto the extended end up of the chair. “Alright. Let’s do this.” He said calmly. “Is there anything you’d like to say before we begin?” Daniel paused for a moment to think. He tried to come up with something to say, but the only thing sitting at the front of his mind was a still image of the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky. He turned his head to face Doctor Bridgewell and smiled. “Thanks for getting me out of the storm.” He said. Daniel turned his head back to face forward and closed his eyes. He stuck his thumb up in Doctor Bridgewell’s direction and held it there until he heard a tiny beep, which indicated she had just pressed the activation button. The pressure around his head began to rise, as the seconds Doctor Bridgewell had been announcing continued to descend. 20 seconds turned to 15. 15 turned to 10. 10 turned to 5. No matter how painful the pressure was, the image of the sun never left Daniel’s mind. “5.. 4.. 3.. 2..” Daniel felt a lonesome teardrop run down his cheek the moment before his time expired. The corners of his lips rose subtly, and his chest felt warm. He listened intently for Doctor Bridgewell’s final proclamation. “1.” A jolt of electricity shot through Daniel's body in an instant. Although it only lasted for just one single millisecond, Daniel felt his entire life evacuate from his mind and body. All of the memories he had created, the good, the bad, and the awful, had vanished. All of the years of imprisonment completely disappeared. Every single thing that made him ‘Daniel Jordan” was completely gone. And then - Silence. And darkness. And loneliness. And then - Light. Fuzzy, blurry, unfocused light. And mumbles. “Jordan? Jordan, can you hear me?” A woman said calmly. Jordan Daniel sat up in his chair and looked around the room. It was completely white, and completely empty. A black haired woman in a long white coat sat next to him. “Come on, Jordan. Your massage is over. You fell asleep halfway through, but I didn’t want to wake you. You snore pretty loud!” The woman said as she giggled innocently. “Oh, right.” Jordan groaned, as he stood up from the chair. “I’ll show you out.” Said the woman, who was motioning him towards a green door at the far end of the room. They walked together to the door, which the woman opened. They walked through the door and entered a dimly lit lobby that seemed to be the waiting room of the massage parlor. There were dozens of windows lined up along the perimeter of the building, and the sun was shining brightly through all of them. “Ah, lucky you, you slept right through the storm. Not a cloud in the sky now!” “Oh, perfect!” Jordan said with a smile. “Well I’d better be off now. See you next time.” “Have a great day, Jordan.” The woman said as she returned a smile. Jordan waved his hand goodbye to the woman and turned around. He smiled brightly as he stared out the windows and made his way towards the door of the building. He finally reached the door, and without any hesitation, walked out into the sunlight.