Near Future 1: Awakening Read Free Page B

anything about what happened to you?"
    The girl looked at him with some confusion, and still speaking somewhat slowly said, "I don't remember anything." Obviously confused, she frowned as she tried to find answers that just weren't there. "I don't even remember my name!" Her distress was plain to see.
    After a brief hesitation, the doctor responded to her. His voice shook with his obvious sympathy. "Your name is Miranda Summerlin and you are my patient." He held a mirror up to her face so that she could see herself.  
    She saw a pretty, dark complexioned girl with her head wrapped in bandages. She had hazel green eyes and a pixie nose. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "I don't even remember what I look like. Not even the color of my hair." There was a tremble in her voice that to the doctor was heartbreaking.
    "We are so very sorry we had to cut your beautiful black hair for your treatment," Doctor Ted told her softly, his gentle voice almost breaking. He set the mirror back down.
    He paused a minute, seeming to collect himself before he finally went on, "We hope you will eventually get your memory back, but either way we will take care of you."
    The girl just stared at him for a minute. "What am I supposed to do? I feel totally lost," she finally said. "What about my parents? Where are they?"
    "Best we can determine, your mother was a single parent. I am so sorry to have to tell you that she was killed in the crash that injured you, and we have been unable to locate your father, who left some years before that." He used his VR Interface to show her the most recent picture they had of her mother and also directed it to a VR compu-pad beside her bed for her to see any time she wanted.
    She looked at the picture with tears in her eyes. The woman in the picture was very pretty and looked a little bit like the girl she saw in the mirror, also with hazel green eyes and black hair. Sadly she told him, "I don't even remember my mother. It's like it's just a picture of someone else's mother!"  
    "Unfortunately, we know of no other close family, but your mother had good life insurance and the hospital has been donated money in a special trust fund just for you. I can only tell you that the money was donated by the Randolph Foundation of Space Tech." Doctor Ted flashed a picture of another doctor holding a big copy of a check he was donating to the hospital in her name.
    Doctor Ted paused and explained, "You are the first to receive a new treatment. Tiny little programmable machines called nanites have been implanted in your brain to treat your head injury. Some of the equipment here allows me to monitor them."
    He continued, "The nanites that are being used to treat you have been developed by Doctor Samuel Randolph from the Randolph Foundation, and have been through exhaustive testing in our hospital with the doctor's assistance. I believe that he donated the money because of the nature of your injuries."
    Seeing the questions in her eyes, he explained. "Doctor Randolph's daughter Julie received a head injury similar to yours in a terrorist attack. The treatment we used for you is the result of his quest to find a treatment for her." He displayed pictures of Julie and her family. He said, "I have research about the nanites that he has developed that you can look at when you are able."
    Finally the doctor looked at her and gave her a smile. He grasped her hand and squeezed it. "I know that this is a lot, a huge amount, for you to take in. For now, just know that you are in one of the best hospitals in the world, and that we will take good care of you."
    Miranda could only stare in shock. Finally, she took a breath. Looking up at him, she asked, "How about the other girl, Julie? Did it help her, is she alright?"
    Surprised by her question, Doctor Ted appeared taken aback, but after a slight hesitation said, "I am not at liberty to talk about her. All I can tell you is that the plans are to use a similar treatment