Beyond The Wall

Sure thing

X's POV

Delta was so happy talking about Pehoe lake, I couldn't take that hope of happiness away from her. I wanted to answer her that she will go there again and that I will be the one to take her and experience her happy place with her, but I knew that I couldn't tell her that. Delta's future was full of uncertainties. I didn't even know if she was going to live for the next five days, her time was potentially limited. Just as I opened my mouth to try to answer her something cryptic I heard a general's voice in my ear.

"Jo reported that you are messing with the experiment, come to my office to report."

I looked over at Delta whose face was hopeful yet confused since I didn't speak a word for five minutes.

"I have to go."- I said standing up.

She also stood up "Will you come back?"

"Sure thing" I don't know what came over me as I leaned and kissed her forehead, I backed up quickly and left.

Yeah, that was a totally normal thing to do to a person who you have known for two days.

I didn't bother to knock on the general's door, I knew there was going to be some kind of consequence, hopefully, the punishment will be another month added to my one-year spending with her. I couldn't believe my train of thoughts, I planned to get away from this place, the faster the better, not add months to my stay. If I could just take her with me that would make up for time being spent with her. I plopped on the chair in front of the General. Jo was already sitting there, displeasure written all over her face.

"What is this all about" My patience was thin, I wanted to get over with this quickly so I could get back to Delta. "Jo, here says that you created a problem for her. Since you both know that this is an experiment of the utmost importance, we need to deal with the situation carefully. So Jo tell us what was has gone wrong"

Jo cleared her throat "X here thought that he should take Delta on the stroll down memory lane, so she told him about her happy memory and since she has just a few of those, her hope ignited, and that takes us back a step, now she probably thinks she could get to that silly little lake" Anger raised in me, but Jo continues "If general didn't stop you at that moment when she asked you about going to that place, these past days would be all for nothing we would have to start over, and more viciously this time."

"So how do we fix this predicament that we got ourselves into?" General seemed annoyed

"The best course of action would be that Delta doesn't see anyone for the next two months and we try to be a little more aggressive with the experiment. No more neutral memories, we go straight to hard ones. "- General nodded to Jo's words "Okay, do it." I started standing up, thinking we were done here, then Jo spoke again "Also, I would suggest that in these two months X is prohibited from seeing Delta, we need her to know that she doesn't have a safety net or anyone that she can depend on."

"What? That won't cut it for me."- Anger washed over me

"The thing that's going to make the most improvement is that you told her you will come back. You know "Sure thing." ?" She chuckled evilly, there was something wrong with her, something in her mind was broken. I couldn't even form words to express my anger towards her, and above all, she had to throw my parting words back to my face.

General cleared his throat and stood up "So this is how it's going to go down, Jo you will put more force in these 2 months, but don't push it over the edge, you know how your past experiments ended. And you X, you will be allowed in the monitor center, but there will be no contact with Delta for the next two months. Look at it on the bright side, your job became a lot easier, and don't worry this will not be added to the one year you are doing this. Am I clear?"

"Yes, general." -Both of us confirmed.

Once outside of the office I turned to Jo, I was seething in anger "What is your problem, you couldn't let this one-time happy moment slide for Delta? Are you so unhappy in your life that you have to make others feel miserable too, so you wouldn't have to be alone in that misery pit?"

"Watch what your saying X, I could ask the general to make those two months into three if I see it fit. And no, I couldn't let it slide, my freedom and my career are also attached to this girl, and maybe you are starting to be blind to what is the goal here, but I'm not. My future comes first for me. "

I walked past her, going straight to the monitoring center. Once inside I sat on the chair and look over the monitors showing Delta curled up in bed looking at the entrance of her box.

She's waiting for you to come back. To go back to her. -my conscience mocked me.

An hour past and nothing changed, I sighed and decided to leave for my room, there was nothing I can do for her now. Maybe she will figure it out, that something happened and I can't come, and that I didn't abandon her. I could only hope.

The next ten days passed just the same. I go to the monitoring room, watch Delta, and she watches the door. The only good thing about this was that Jo didn't start with the new regime, no old memories were replayed to Delta, so at least she had some peace of mind.

She did swallow the pills when they are brought to her during her sleep. She wakes up every morning takes the pill and sits to watch the door. She doesn't talk, doesn't yell, doesn't complain. That worries me.

One afternoon Jo comes in smiling like the Cheshire cat

"What are you so happy about Jo?"

"Oh, it's time for phase two lover boy. I don't know if you want to be present for the next few days since I'm going to replay her relationship with her boyfriend." She taunted me "Didn't she tell you that she has a boyfriend, or did you think that she waited for you all these years to appear? "

I didn't even want to give Jo acknowledgment of her existence so I didn't answer her. I decided to stay and to watch Delta's memories, to get to know her more, maybe it was masochistic to see her with somebody that isn't me, but she is not mine, hell I knew her for just two days, I don't know why am I even feeling this kind of attachment towards her.

"Come on, press play lover boy"- Jo said in an annoying sing-song voice