I Knew You Once. -An SCP Foundation Story-

I awakened to the sound of my own breathing. It was slow, shallow, unnatural. Like I did not know how to breathe appropriately. The bed under me felt uncomfortable, not homey one bit. My eyelids fluttered open. Fluorescent white light burned overhead. The walls around me were white, sterile, and hospital-like. The room was too clean to be comforting. In the corner, I noticed a security camera, pointed right at me, its light blinking as if recording me. The air hummed with its dull, mechanical buzz. I forced myself to sit upright, and thanks to that, a wave of nausea crashed into me, and my head pounded. My thoughts were foggy as if I were drunk. Who am I? I clutched my hand to my head, I inhaled sharply. Nothing. My mind was void. No names, no memories, no sense of before. As if I didn't have any past whatsoever. I dropped my hand back on the bed in a fearful manner.

As I do so, I look at my hand and tense. My breath hitched. There is a barcode on my wrist.

D-3921

This is my number. Am I... a prisoner? I look out of the cell. Yes. I am—100%.

Before I could be alone for a longer time I hear the door buzzing and opening, my eyes instantly lay on the door. Two guards stood there in black and white tactical gears. Their set is undeniably intimidating: Bulletproof vests, helmets, black visors, the one on the right had a baton at his hip, the other had a rifle slung across his chest. They were studying me like any move I make could be a threath.

"D-3921. Come with us. Cooperate and it won't be harder than it needs to be" The rifle guy said in a low, monotonous tone. He probably had said this sentence over a hundred times already. I just stared at the 2 of them. I don't have anything that I could defend myself with damn it. I just accept my fate, stand up, which my body does not really take nicely, I barely have enough time to catch myself, lunging towards the cold metal wall. They were just simply waiting until I finally stepped forward.

As I started walking the one on the right got infront of me, the other behind me so I had no chance to escape. My eyes still did not adjust to the lights properly and my mind was still foggy. I also heard a person shouting, punches, then a baton sweep...BANG! Bone breaking, a small cry.... then nothing. Must have been the wind.

***

As we walk through various halls I can't help but wonder. Why am I here ? Where is this place ? I build the courage to speak up as we are walking..towards an unknown location. "W-What is this place ?" I ask, trying to sound confident. The one infront of me shakes his head and does not say anything. "Oh come on. Don't I have the right to know where I am ?" My tone is higher this time. The guard infront of me fully stops and I couldn't stop in time so I bumped into him. He looks back at me, like he is analyzing if I worth his time and power. "No questions asked, D-Class" was all he said as his eyes pierced into me like it's a warning, then he started walking again.

This place feels like a true maze. And its fully futuristic, like they are ahead of time. I had been looking around the halls as we were walking, trying to find weaknesses of this place, escape routes, and I have been very unlucky. This place could contain anything and anyone. Is this a prison for life imprisonment ? So does that mean that I am a ki-

I snap out of my thoughts when I see a small mirror in the corner. I stop, everything stops around me and I get closer to the mirror. I see as it reflects my full body. I analyze myself head to toe as if seeing myself for the first time. BECAUSE I SEE MYSELF FOR THE FIRST TIME. Ironic isn't it ?

My reflection stares back. Their eyes are dark brown, almost onyx, they match her brown, long hair. The orange compliments her but-

This can't be me. I felt my heart race fast, my own face-my own existence felt wrong. Like it was not me who was staring back. I didn't know them. Then a voice whispered in the back of my mind, its voice distant and low. A male. Who is he? NO. Who am I? Before I could get anything out of it one of the security grabbed me aggressively and pulled me with him so we can continue our never ending journey.

"This is your very last warning. No more babysitting." The one behind me said and slightly put his baton on my back as a warning, his voice was much crispier and lower than the other's. It made me shut up. A chill also ran down my spine.

***

After what felt like half an hour -which may have only been around 10 minutes- , we finally stopped infront of a door, the baton guy took out a keycard and the door buzzed and started to open. One of them implied on me getting inside, and then I obeyed. In the middle of the room there was a single table and 2 chairs in front of each other. There was also a camera in the corner and a....mirror that must be two-sided. This is an interrogation room. Then the door closed behind me. Leaving me alone with a man.

There was a man in a lab coat with a bright smile and with a necklace that looked like I had seen somewhere before. He stood beside the table, flipping through a file. "Sit." He said, not even looking at me. I was just standing near the door. Not moving. I looked back at the two-sided mirror. I swear I could feel eyes on me through it. They are examining me like I am an animal. "Sit. Down." He says slowly, making sure I heard him right. I stare at him still smiling and then finally I manage to sit down, after some moments he does too.

"D-3921, correct ?" He asks softly. "I.. I guess that is my code name." I reply back. He doesn't say anything, just watches me, a little too closely.

"You've undergone a high-level amnestics treatment," he said, looking back into the file and flipping through it again. Looks back up. "Memory loss is expected. It will pass. You are now assigned to assist in research procedures under the authority of the SCP Foundation" He said without breaking eye contact. He spoke so calmly like its normal to make someone forget everything.

"SO let me get this straight. YOU made me forget everything, and now I need to assist a so called S- What was it ? SCP Foundation ? Why would anyone agree to that ?" My voice gets higher and more tense every second that passes and his smile starts to drop. "Hey, hey. We are not your enemies here. Before erasing your memory, we made a deal. You were in life imprisonment and the deal was: You work a month for us here and we let you out." He continues, but there is something wrong with his body language. I feel it. It is like I am good in psychology and I don't remember learning it

"You are lying." I say under my breath and stare into his eyes. But then I zone out. How could I remember if he is right or not if I do not even remember who I was before? Maybe I was a really bad person.

"-So. Understand ?" He asks. I fear I zoned out and did not hear what he said. He shifts slightly on the chair and tries to look calm and collected, but I feel him being tense under his mental mask. "Could you repeat that ?" I ask "So as I stated earlier, you will work for us. You may and will see things you have never saw before. You just need to survive working here and after 30 days we will forget eachother and live like before." He repeats himself, my eyes are on his, but he sometimes breaks the eye contact which I take in surprise but do not say anything about it.

I raise my eyebrow slightly at the 'if you survive' part but nod anyway. "If you say so." I bit out, trying to sound unconcerned. His smile does not go away. It is still there. Then, he finally got out another paper in his hand. "Okay, I will ask you some basic questions. Please answer truthfully" His eyes stopped on me again.

"What's your name ?" He asks without hiding the genuine curiosity in his words.

"I- I don't-" I say as I try to remember back as far as I can, anything that may be connected to my existence before. My mind is... empty. Nothing. Nothing. There is nothing of before.

"I don't remember." I finally say. I will go insane.

"ohh.. Dr. Adrian. You are here." He says, addressing someone

I hear a male speak up after the heavy metal door closes behind me.

"I will take it from here." He says in a low tone to the man infront of me. His tone is almost like what I heard back at the mirror. I looked back at the newly arrived man. Dark, black hair, blue, tired eyes. His hands lingered at his sides. As I was glancing at him, he finally looked at me and as he did so, he looked almost hesitant about something.

"Follow me"

Author's note:
Thank you so much for taking the time on reading my first ever book's first chapter. I hope you liked it.
I will try to post a chapter every week but it may sometimes not be published because of my school life or other stuff. I am gonna be really happy, no matter how many people read it. Please give me feedbacks, building critics on what you saw. I can't wait to see how you feel about my book. I have so much stuff in mind <3