Defragmented Memories

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.


The prompts: This story must contain the words: Floating, Computer, Strange

Defragmented Memories

Captain Leland Hesse opened his eyes and saw – nothing.

“Computer,” he thought rather than spoke, “Status?”

“Re-assembly in progress,” came the monotoned response.

Re-assembly? What could that mean? Confusion reigned. He had no idea what was going on. Somehow he knew “Computer,” but that was it.

Mentally, he checked to see if he was injured. It was hard to get a bearing on his physical self. He felt strange, no, that wasn’t it. He felt nothing. It was as if he were floating in a sensory deprivation chamber. Off in the distance of his mental horizon there was a slight tingling sensation. Electricity?

Leland. My name is Leland. Leland what? He could feel memories coming back. They were unorganized: a race in high school track, a first kiss with no face to go with it, bad blood, shadows of family, a burnt lasagna dinner, space program, a fight in the third grade…

Space program! I’m in the space program.

“Computer, Status.”

“Re-assembly twenty-percent complete.”

The memories came back. Disjointed bits and pieces began to fall into place. Understanding began to creep in.

He knew it before Computer said it.

“Re-assembly complete.”

Captain Hesse climbed out of the bio-assembly pod with only one unknown remaining.

Had he passed through the unbreakable barrier?

“Captain, I am detecting Tachyons.”

He’d done it! Tachyons were only detectable if you were traveling faster than light.

He smiled sadly. “Mission accomplished Computer. Well done.”

“Congratulations Captain. Shall I initiate self destruct?”

Leland Hesse remembered everything. He remembered his Leukemia being one of his qualifications for this trip. Relativistic time dilation meant that Earth’s sun had burned out eons ago. There was no one to go home to.

He remembered this was a one-way trip.

He felt tired. It was time to cross one more barrier.

“Yes.”

Word count 300