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John found her. In the old cliché, that it was like a train wreck, Nora couldn’t turn from the science fiction Madonna in Genesis Unit Eleven.

“Come with me,” John said, holding down his hand to Nora. “Jason and Malcolm are helping the ones that survived. I opened the door at the end of the hall. Let’s go explore.”

Nora used his hand to stand and took one more look at the woman and child.

“Makes you wonder how long we were in those things.” John said.

“Yeah it does.”

“A lot of thought and science went into this project, whatever it is. It’s sad to see it fail so miserably. And it did. People died. They weren’t supposed to.” At the door, John led Nora to the hall, shut off the light in Room eleven and slid the door closed.

“How are the ones that made it?” Nora asked, walking with John.

“Confused. I’m not really sure what they remember and what they don’t, I didn’t talk to them much. Here …” John handed her a small LED flashlight. “I got that from storage. It’s pretty dark on the other side of the door.”

“How far did you go?”

“I opened it and thought, I’m not doing this alone. I wasn’t scared, mind you. It’s just not something I want to do alone.” They walked further and arrived at the door. John turned on his light.

“Do you think we’ll find answers?”

“I want to say yes. But I don’t believe so. Not all. We are going to have to put it together. Ready?”

“Yes.”

John pushed on the bar of the door and it squealed as it opened.

They stepped into complete blackness. John’s light illuminated what looked like another hall, only shorter. After resting the ax in the doorframe to prop it open he moved forward to the next door with Nora.

“From what I figure,” John said. “We are part of something. I mean physically part of something else. Someone else may be here or is supposed to be. Those monitors are hard wired. The wires lead somewhere.”

He placed his hands on the horizontal silver bar. “Let’s hope this isn’t locked.”

It wasn’t.

He pushed the door open and again was greeted by a blackness. Only this dark carried a stench of dust and old.

An immediate tickle hit Nora’s throat and she coughed.

“You’re not scared, are you?”

“No.” Nora shook her head. “I don’t feel I know enough to be scared. If that makes sense.”

She coughed again and noticed how it echoed as they crossed the threshold.

“A big room?” John said. His voiced bounced off the walls. “Stay still.”

He moved the beam of his light around, it only spotlighted things. Tables, doors, a metal staircase. The steps led to a second floor with a metal railing and more doors.

“Looks like a prison,” Nora commented.

“Oddly it does.” John took a step and aimed his light around. “This is the door, there has to be …” He moved to his left. “Yep.”

“What is it?” Nora asked.

“Looks like a circuit box.”

Nora watched him walk to the wall space a few feet from the door. She aided him in shining her lights. John flipped open a metal cover and after an ‘A ha!’ began flipping switches.

They clicked and shifted as he did and with each breaker he switched on, lights came on.

“Oh, wow.” Nora said and turned.

The room was spacious. It held six, eight seat tables, a counter and refrigerator were against the far wall, along with other kitchen items.

“We found our dining room,” said John.

Nora noted the rooms. Five on the bottom, five on the top. Positioned on one side of the dining room. No other exit doors. At least not that she could see. The other side of the room was just a wall.

“They expected us all to survive,” John said. “What do you remember, Nora?”

“Not much. I remember being put in unit and feeling very panicky. I believe I have a husband and children, but I don’t know if it is a dream or real. It doesn’t feel it.”

“According to that video, you’ll know in two days. Hopefully.”

“Hopefully.”

“I think after everyone gets mentally oriented, we should sit down and start talking about what we remember.”

“Piece it together,” Nora said.

“Exactly. Pin down the president.”

“He says he doesn’t remember.”

“He’s full of shit. “

“Jason believes him.”

“Jason is a preacher.”

“No.” Nora said.

“Yes. Sounds odd, doesn’t it?” John asked. “I mean, really, one would think if he dedicated his life to God, even if he didn’t remember his life, spiritually he is vested enough to know he has a connection to the big guy.”

“That’s true. But it makes sense. Jason is very kind. What about Malcolm?”

“Don’t know. I do know the president is here. This was a government thing.”

“What if it was a terrorist thing? A kidnapping. Something new.”

“It’s possible,” John said. “Whatever happened, we were in the same place. All of us. Or at least you and I.”

“I’m so sorry I don’t remember. Were we talking?”

“Laughing,” John said. “I don’t remember, but you said something funny.”

“Really? Where were we?”

“New York.”

“But I’m from …” Nora paused. A slight lightheadedness hit her. “Wait. Wait. I was in New York.”

“You remember.”

“Not why. I know I was there. I just can’t recall the reason.”

“It’ll come. Let’s go check out these rooms.”

Nora agreed. “Do you think its day or night? There are no windows.”

“It’s afternoon. Mid afternoon. Close to four by now.”

“How do you know?”

“The clock at the bottom of the monitor. I looked for a date and saw the time,” John said. “The message played at 3:22 PM.”

Nora was impressed that he had done that. It was simple, yet something she herself didn’t think of.

They began to explore.

Of the ten rooms, eight of them contained lockers. Each with a number. John guessed and told her since there were forty-eight lockers; he supposed they were numbered according to the rooms.

They were locked.

“Where are the keys?” Nora asked. “Do you think there are any?”

“I’m gonna guess they are in our rooms or storage. I mean, have we had the chance to check?”

Nora shook her head. “No. We haven’t been up all that long.”

They left the locker rooms. Not much they could do there. The final room on the top floor was locked, and something they knew they had to investigate. And the last room checked, on the bottom floor, was a computer room. None of which were turned on. There were file cabinets and boxes.

“Should we dive in?” Nora asked.

“I would love to, but we should check back with the others. Maybe see if anyone else wants to come back. Also, we need to look for keys. They’re here somewhere.”

“Maybe behind the locked door?”

“That’s possible.”

“The video said we might not comprehend. I know I’m not thinking clearly,” Nora said. “When we all have our wits then …”

“Hello?” Jason’s voice called to them.

Nora and John stepped from the small computer lab.

“Look at this place,” Jason said. “What is it?”

“Near as we can tell,” John explained. “This is our dining area. We have locker rooms with lockers that are … locked. Yet numbered.”

“Forty-eight?” Jason asked.

“Yep.” Then John pointed up. “A locked door up there. And behind us,” he indicted. “A computer room. My guess, that’s where a lot of our answers lie.”

“This is amazing, thank you for finding it,” Jason said. “Did you by chance touch something? Turn something on.”

John glanced at Nora with a quizzical expression and smiled. “Just the circuit box. I flipped the switches.”

“That’s what I thought.” Jason turned. “Come here.”

“What is it?” John asked.

“It’s easier to show you than explain.”

Curious, Nora followed the two men. The small hall was now lit and the door that was propped with the ax was marked Block B. She turned to look back at the door that led to the dining area. It was marked Block C.

Where was Block A.

The second they stepped back into The Hall, Malcolm raced forward.

“Guys, you did something, right?”

“What are you talking about?” John asked.

“That.” Jason pointed. “You weren’t gone five minutes. We heard the humming of electronics and then that.”

Nora looked. Jason pointed to the door at the other end of the long hall. She moved forward to get a better look.

Malcolm stated. “That isn’t a busted Exit sign.”

In a whispering voice of shock, John said, “Oh my God.”

Above the door, the box that they all assumed should have said ‘Exit’ contained the numbers – 4:08:22:23.

The last two numbers decreased every second.

“Four days,” John said. “Eight hours, twenty-two minutes. It’s counting down. It’s a countdown.”

“Yeah, it is,” Jason said. “But counting down … to what?”

Nora rolled the tiny key between her fingers, feeling the texture, finger to finger while she sat on the bed in her room. Seventeen.

It didn’t take much searching. Actually it was the first place she looked. The lone item in the top desk drawer. She didn’t tell the others where she found hers or even that she did. Somehow she didn’t want to be motivated to go check that locker. She would in the morning. A part of her felt that she had no connection to what was in it.

The countdown clock threw her back some. But she felt she knew what it meant. It immediately drew questions and conversations from Jason and Malcolm. The other three who survived and emerged from their units were still processing the events that just occurred.

In a way, everyone was still processing one thing or another.

How could they make an educated guess when their minds were all over the place?

Nora did try talking to the president once more. Again, he declined to speak, saying he didn’t remember anything and asked her to stop calling him the president.

“If indeed I am the president,” he said. “Then I am ashamed because if I am not a prisoner here, and if this was a government plan, then I am being protected from something.”

Protected.

Nora didn’t even think of that.

Before retreating back to her room, she spoke with the three new people.

The one woman, Amy was around the same age as Nora, an African American woman who was strikingly beautiful and showed no signs of being worn out from the process. She wrung her hands a lot and was bitter because she couldn’t remember anything.

Meredith was in her forties, maybe fifties, it was hard to tell. She had a healthy build and a line free face, but her hair was prematurely gray. Totally gray. Nora didn’t know if that was the process. She wore glasses, because like John, they were on the desk. Meredith presented herself uppity and spoke educated, even though she claimed to remember very little.

The final newcomer was Grant. He was more than likely in his late twenties, handsome and slender with blonde hair that fell right into place.

“I play the piano,” he said. “I know that, because that’s the last thing I remember.”

A piano. An explosion. New York.

Nora hoped the next day, things would be clearer. They planned to meet after they all woke up and had something to eat.

John wasn’t resting, he told Nora that. He set his sights on the storage room and what was in there. He found a box of watches. Wrist watches with a compass. An odd find. He handed them out and guessed the time of day.

Last she heard Malcolm went to the computer room. He remembered he knew about them.

A light knock on her door drew her attention from her thoughts and that key. “Come in.”

The door slid open and Jason peeked inside. “Hey, I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“No. Not at all. Come in.”

He shut the door. “Are you sick?”

“No. Why?’

“You kind of just disappeared.”

“I was done for the day.”

Jason reached for a chair and paused. “May I?”

“Please.”

He pulled it up then set a bottle on the nightstand. “John found wine. I’m gonna have a glass to relax me. You?”

“That sounds wonderful thank you.”

Jason poured. “We may need it to rest. We don’t know how long we’ve been asleep.”

“Long enough to give birth.”

He hesitated before handing her the glass. “Maybe she was close to her due date when they put her in there.”

“I don’t know.” Nora accepted the glass and sipped it with a gasp of enjoyment. “Thank you.”

“Hey …” He reached forward. “You found the locker key.”

“I did. Top drawer. I’m in no hurry to check the locker. I figured I’d do it tomorrow.”

“I’ll look in my drawer.”

She placed the key on the nightstand. “Clock still ticking out there?”

“Yep.” Jason said. “I just hope it isn’t counting down to an explosion.”

“Nah, I think it’s counting down to the door opening.”

“That’s so odd. Why are we in here for a time period?”

Nora shook her head. “Maybe we’re on a spaceship and were abducted by aliens.”

Jason laughed. “Really? Where did that come from?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have my own thoughts. I’m so foggy still, like … John said New York and Bam. I knew I was in New York for something. What? I don’t know.”

“An event.” Jason said almost with revelation. “An event.” His eyes widened. “I don’t know what kind. But it was big. Holy crap.” He ran his hands through his hair. “The phone call. It was asking me if I would do the honors of doing the benediction at something in New York. I just remembered.”

“So me, you and John were all in the same place.”

“Yeah. Something big, the president was there.”

“Well….” Nora tilted her head. “Unless like John believes, he is part of it. Are you remembering anything else?”

“It’s coming back. I know I was a preacher or pastor. I know I was a pretty big deal because my memories have me in front of thousands. Like an arena. I’m a husband and father. I feel a sense of sadness for my wife. Like I hurt her or abandoned her. You.”

“Nothing. Just the New York thing. But there’s one thing I do know.”

“What’s that?”

“That Event, this whole being stuck in a vat of fluid …” Nora shook her head then sipped her wine. “I’m a mistake. I’m not supposed to be here.”

“How can you say that?” Jason asked. “Forty-eight people were handpicked. That’s what I believe. I think once we all remember, we all will know why.”

“Not me. I’m a mistake.”

“I’m curious,” Jason said. “Why you are adamant?”

“That.” She pointed at the Genesis unit.

“What about it?”

“The name. Look. I emerged from that unit. They were labeled.”

“I know. That’s what made me remember my last name,” Jason said.

“Yeah, so, that name above my unit is Rosewood. And that is not my last name.”

Jason was hesitant before saying anything. He looked at Nora then the unit. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, I am positive. I don’t remember much, but I know my last name isn’t Rosewood. So why am I even here?”

“And where is Rosewood?” Jason poured her more wine. “Drink up. Your mystery is even deeper than the rest of ours.”

“Don’t I know it.” Sitting on the bed, Nora sipped the wine. It was an even bigger mystery for her, compiled with the one everyone else was trying to solve.

Nora wanted answers. She wanted her memory and she only hoped that she got her answers before the clock hit zero.

For some reason, she believed that when the countdown was over, she was on her own. And that thought scared her even more than not knowing at all.