<object height="360" width="640"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/YthChN1Wq8M"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><embed height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/YthChN1Wq8M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" wmode="transparent"/></object><br/><br/>She was surrounded by jellyfish. Beautiful, beautiful jellyfish with flashes of pink, blue, and purple. Their tentacles were soft ribbons that swirled around her, tangling up in her hair and holding her arms. There was no sting in them, but a jolt of something almost like electricity. She felt that panic should be rising in her heart, but she was in a sea of calm. She held a feeling of at-homeness she had never felt before. No, it was the first feeling she ever knew. They danced with her, taking her gently through the water like an acrobat. They were guiding and teaching her something, but she didn't know what.<br/><br/>Suddenly everything became dark. The jellyfish scattered from the newly created darkness, replaced by shadows that stretched and pulled her, forcing her into grotesque battle stances. Her chest tightened, bubbles erupting from her mouth and rising into the inky blackness above her like sparkling stars. She screamed, but the sound was dull. A shadow attached to her face, pulling away the remaining air.<br/><br/>She was fading away....Until someone turned on the light.<br/><br/>Her eyes slowly opened, as if they had been held closed by heavy rocks.<br/><br/>"Hello, I'm A.V." The soft voice of a woman greeted her when she woke up. Her eyes darted around as she lifted her head. Her hair tumbled forward, blocking her vision. She pushed the dirty blonde strands away with the back of her hand, realizing that there was something strapped to her mouth. She grabbed it and pulled it up over her head. She swung her legs over the bed and examined it. It was some sort of breathing mask with a tube, which extended to a machine by her bed.<br/><br/>She looked up to where the voice came from. It was some sort of robot with the form of a human, but obviously made of metal, wires, and other unnatural things. She, or it, continued speaking in a soothing tone.<br/><br/>She was a colonist?<span style="font-style: italic">They</span>were colonists? The robot spoke in numbers and letters she didn't understand. K6, 865, it all meant nothing. She put the mask beside her and put her head in her hands, fighting to remember something. Anything. She didn't know anything, except the jellyfish. Her mind was blank, like she had just been born. But that wasn't possible.<br/><br/>"Any questions?"<br/><br/>Her head came back up slowly, turning to look behind her. Six other beds, in rows of two. The one across from her held a man. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a plain cream shirt and matching pants. The others were wearing the same.<br/><br/>She tried to speak, but her voice failed. She struggled in silence until words finally spilled from her lips.<br/><br/>"Who am I?" She managed, looking at the robot in confusion.<br/><br/>"Ah!" The robot said, turning towards a cabinet beside her. The robot's fingers were thin and black, like bobby pins. It retrieved a clip board and handed it to the woman on the bed.<br/><br/>"Your name is Emilie Maureen Whitestar. You're 23 years old; birth date September 26th. Blood type AB. Your picture is right at the top." The robot tapped the small rectangular photo attached to the left side of the document. The robot had such a warm, human-like voice, completely at odds with its obviously not-human body. The robot moved like a human too. Her actions weren't severe or controlled, but just as soft as her voice. It was comforting, in a strange way.<br/><br/>Emilie stared at the photo the robot had pointed at. A young woman with a mess of dirty blonde hair stared back, smiling happily. It was like meeting a stranger. The picture was a head shot on a white background. The robot had said that their memories had been removed to avoid emotional trauma, but Emilie felt like she had just been punched in the stomach.<br/><br/>Emilie didn't want this. The robot said that it had proof of her past self deciding this. It must mean that she had some sort of special skill, an ability that was needed to make a planet inhabitable. Would she remember? Emilie wished she could go back to sleep. She wanted to go back to the land of jellyfish.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">No.</span>Emilie thought,<span style="font-style: italic">don't escape already. The past you must've been brave to make this choice. That means you're brave too. Being a brave person doesn't just go away.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Does it?</span><br/><br/>"Perhaps I'll handle identities first, and take questions later. I do hope to avoid any confusion right away. I'm very glad you've all woken up successfully!" The robot clapped its hands together, but it didn't create the normal sound. Instead it was as if someone had tapped a triangle. Something surprisingly musical.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">How can I build a question with so few facts anyway?</span>Emilie stood and stretched her arms. It felt so good to move her body. She wasn't trapped any more.