Elion lay in bed with his eyes closed. He had been trying to sleep for a while, but it wouldn't come. When he closed his eyes, images of a cloud of smoke flashed in his mind. The man on the ground with the "A" tattoo replayed over and over again. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. He wasn't like this. He never thought deeply about anything. He just carried on with his day the way it was planned. The name he'd shouted was also memorable, "The Artisans." He repeated the name. He rolled over onto his side and stared out the window. The chosen weather was overcast, it stirred something in him, so he shut his eyes again. Hours had passed since the lockdown. He needed sleep. Tomorrow was going to be another day of coding and developing new features for GERMAN. He needed to be alert. But what if the Artisans came again? Was he hoping that they did?

He was alerted by a soft tapping on his door. It sounded familiar, but strange at the same time. His door unlocked in an instant. Elion froze. Who would dare come into his room at this hour? A tiny hand reached in. The person whispered, "Are you awake?"

Arion's soft voice brought some sense of stability to his mind. "Yes," he answered. She walked in and locked the door behind her. She sat at the edge of his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Strange question. I don't feel anything."

"Right," she said. She reached into her pocket and brandished a small red square.

"What is that?" Elion asked, lacking any sincerity.

"They are your memories."

Elion sat up. " My what?"

"Your memories. You told me to keep them safe for you in case something happened to you."

"What do you mean? I have my memories."

"Do you remember how we used to sneak out after lockdown and tell each other stories?" Arion pried.

"I remember you always asked me to, and I kept telling you no."

"Well, that's not true," Arion protested

"You shouldn't be out here after lockdown. I am going to alert CANA."

"Wait, no!" She slapped his leg before he could send the message.

Elion got up to get away from her.

"Just take the chip and scan it."

"That doesn't make any sense, Arion. My memory is perfectly intact."

"No, it's not." Arion pulled a glasses from her other pocket. "Put this on."

"Where did you get this? It's the new GED they were working on at POLARIS. Only prototypes are available."

"You gave it to me."

"When? I don't remember even having this."

"Exactly–"

"You should stop now and leave before you're caught."

Alarms went off, and the room lights flashed red. 

"They know I'm not in the room."

"What did you think was going to happen?"

Arion pressed the little red square into his hand. "Just keep this. Scan it when you're ready. I need my brother back, ok?" She rushed through his door, closing softly behind him. 

Elion looked down at the red square in his palm. He felt uneasy with it. Almost like it were burning his palm. Or was something else burning within him?

CANA entered the room not long after Arion left. He slipped the chip into his pocket. He remained stone-faced and still as CANA scanned the room. It reported that Elion was the only one in the room and left, locking the door behind them. Elion went to the bathroom and let out a sigh.

He took the chip out of his pocket. CANA surely should have picked up on it. Arion was a resourceful child, but this was absurd. His memories erased? Or changed? What could have happened to him?

Curiosity was dangerous, but it was getting the better of him. As he lifted the chip to the posterior of his ear. "Security checks complete," CANA reported over the comms. He paused. The red lights turned off.

It might not be best to restore his memories at home, where they were continuously monitored. He hid the chip under the base of the bed just in case there was an impromptu search in the morning.