Prologue
"Ariadne, are you...certain?"
"Yes."
"Everyone? Not even Warr-"
"Especially him."
"And Nylah?"
"...and Nylah."
"...Ariadne..."
"Quinn, please. You know I wouldn't be doing this if I had any other choice."
"Isn't this a little extreme?"
"The situation is extreme. I don't need to explain this to you again."
"What happens if they find you?"
"They won't."
"But what if-?"
"Quinn, they won't."
"...Alright."
The world turned dark then, soon waking from her sleep in a dimly lit hospital room. She knew she had been wiped but per protocol, there was no indication of who or why or how many. She didn't even remember if she had been wiped before. But she knew deep within that whatever the reason or reasons, it was justified. It was like getting an annulment - the reasons couldn't be arbitrary.
Getting up from the bed, she rubbed at her eye with the palm of her hand, glancing to the side and catching a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror. She certainly still looked like herself: thick dark brown hair, wide dark brown eyes, tiny button nose, and perfectly angled jaw. Taking up her glasses, she perched them on her face before exiting the room. A plan was nestled in her head, one she knew she had to follow even if she didn't understand it anymore.