Kevin spends all night tossing and turning, replaying the events at the gala over in his head. He wakes the next morning exhausted, upset, and confused. He decides that he’ll spend today trying to see if he can figure out why the maid claimed she knew him. But first, he needs to talk to Stan.

​

Kevin arrives early to his office to get a few administrative things done. After a bit, he overhears Stan and Mr. Ling walking up the stairs together. Once he is sure Mr. Ling is in his office, he sets out to find Stan to confront him about the conversation he had with the other subjects.

 

“Good morning, Stan,” Kevin catches him right before he enters his office, “Can I talk to you about something?”

 

“Yes, of course,” Stan motions to follow him. Kevin sits down and starts to wish he had planned how he was going to talk about this. “What is it?”

 

“So, yesterday, at the gala after I had gotten some food, I ran into some other subjects and we got to talking. They, uh, mentioned something about how the assignments of the subjects weren’t random and that I must’ve been someone important before the Handover or else I wouldn’t have gotten this job. They all remembered, Stan. They knew who they were… before.” He realizes he was looking down at his hands the whole time, and Kevin slowly raises his head to look at Stan’s facial expression. He can’t quite read Stan’s reaction, but it doesn’t seem pleasant. They both lean back in their chairs, trying to sit in a comfortable-looking position.

 

“I don’t know why they can remember. Maybe it didn’t work on them? Are you sure all of them remember the past?”

 

“I mean, it seemed like it,” Kevin responds.

 

“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll look into it.” Stan shuffles through papers on his desk, his way of ending the conversation. Kevin backs out of the room and heads back to his office. On his way back, he pauses to look at the portraits. The line of frames covers both sides of the wall all the way down the six-door hallway, continuing at the bend and out of sight. He slowly walks toward his office, glancing at each description. After reading a handful, he notices that they’re in chronological order, with the dates alternating between walls. He walks faster now, making his way past the bend to the dates nearing November, 2046. Once he reaches the year 2047, he notices that the portraits are making their way toward Mr. Ling’s office. The last date June 30, 2047 is hung directly next to the office.

 

He stares at the double doors for a second, contemplating whether or not he should open them, but remembers that Mr. Ling had just arrived and he was not allowed in any rooms other than the common area. Defeated, he retreats back to his office.

 ~

 

Later that evening, Kevin decides to sneak into Mr. Ling’s office. He waits until he hears voices echoing down the stairs before creeping down the hallway, the portraits guiding his way. He peaks around the corner to make sure the coast is clear before making his way to the front of the double doors. Slowly, he presses the handle down as carefully as possible, half expecting it to be locked. It quietly clicks and swings it open. Directly in front of him on the wall behind Mr. Ling’s desk is a photo of him. He can't read the small print in the description, but he can make out the top line: “Kevin Lee Min, Leader of the Rebellion.” He gasps, his trembling hand still on the door handle.

 

“Hi Kevin,” Mr. Ling looks up from his desk. Kevin hadn’t noticed he was in the room, his black suit blends into the shadows from the moon shining through the window. A smirk grows along with a lift of one of his eyebrows, “You always said 2047 would be the death of you.”