[i]Memories of the Past[/i] "Maybe this one will work. I hope it does. I hope... I hope..." -Initiating memory sequence- -The car was packed tight and guards were everywhere. "Maybe taking the tram was a bad idea," I thought, but I could never be too sure. "Did you hear the news? Russia threatened to nuke the U.S," spoke a middle-aged woman sitting next to me to an elderly man across from her. "We shoulda just pulled our troops out of there. Now we got them threatenin' to fire nukes? Because they ain't getting more oil than us? This world ain't got much longer with clowns like Pyzkatov running that country," the man replied. Nuclear warfare. It was a term many of us knew, many of us were expecting, but not as early as this. It was a scary thought, to think the entire world could end with one push of a button. I guess the chances of it happening have been increasing as the years go on and resources dwindle. I just hope the Committee realizes the research Bartholomew and I are doing could help with both of those problems. I got off the tram when it stopped. I didn't want to be on there for much longer. I pulled out that piece of paper given to me by Bartholomew before his plane left, which has an address on it, so I headed there. The sidewalks were more crowded than usual but the roads weren't. Strange. I finally made it to Grandoir Hall after going through that hell on the streets and was allowed entry when I presented my ID card. The Summit was already in session so I made it just in time. I walked down the ramp and heard one of the scientists speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, Head-Researcher Anthony Donalle. He introduced me and I was given applause. I wasn't worried about appearances though. I started right away. "Good evening. I'm here to present to you a pure, unrestricted, clean alternative to natural gas. Donalle Energy. Very renewable, very cheap, and very reliable. And the secret is Argon. We put an electron converter into the motor of a regular, unmodified vehicle and added an additional—" ERROR: Corrupted file detected. Searching... ... ... ... -Loading earlier memory sequence... ... ERROR: Corrupted file detected. "No! Goddamnit, I need another." The mysterious stranger walked tirelessly around the bunker looking for human skulls. "Suit busted, can't go up to surface. Need to restore civilization. Need memories." He opened up a door that lead to a storage room where over 400 human skulls fell out onto the floor. "Hmmm, yes, yes. This is the one. It has to be... SHUT UP, TRUDY! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING TO SAVE US! THIS IS HUMANITIES LAST CHANCE!" He shouted into the bunker but no response came. "Well maybe if you wouldn't have died you could be helping me. Ever think of that?" No response. He just put the other skulls back into the room and shut the door, hurriedly running back to the lab. "This one has got to be it. Please, I'm begging you... Please..." The monitor turned on and revealed a memory of whoever the skull belonged to. -Initiating memory sequence- -It was hard working for Girdle, but I knew Anthony needed this done. The research we were working on was too prized for any failure. We worked day and and day out on it so hopefully it would all be worth it. Anthony left for the Summit a little over 2 days ago, and I'm hoping he ma—" ERROR: Corrupted file detected. Searching... ... ... ... -ERROR loading earlier memory sequence. Please contact an administrator. "F*ck! Every single time! I need another. TRUDY, CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING?! Why don't you go get shot again, huh?" The man walked back down the hall talking to the wind, looking for another skull... to look for more memories.