A forgotten past

Muffled voices. Banging headache.

John jolted awake, sweating profusely despite the air conditioner in the room. Wait a minute---- air conditioner!? Where was he? He scanned the room and noticed it screamed of luxury. How come? How did he even----? Then the events of yesterday came flooding in. 

He was kidnapped, right? So how come he was in such a finely furnished room as this? "Mr O'Connor?" A voice called beside him and he shrieked in horror. Someone had been sitting on the bed beside him all along and he didn't even notice.

He looked at the man's face and he could almost swear he knew the man. The man's face was strangely familiar. And who was Mr. O'Connor anyway? Him? No way? 

The man smiled kindly at him. "It's okay, sir. You're safe. Hope you're feeling better?"

"Feeling better? You expect me to feel better when the man who kidnapped me is acting all smiles around me. Hell, no! You're making me cringe." Well, that was a shock! He hadn't planned to say that out loud. It just happened to slip out.

"Ouch!" The man mouthed. "Well, I'm Mr. Isaac Davis. And you might not recognize me now, but you'll later in the future. I assure you, sir." He bowed slightly.

John scoffed. What does he think he's doing? He thought. And sir? Him? This guy must be kidding him. What the hell is even going on? Was he kidnapped or what exactly are they keeping him here for?

"Sir, you probably wouldn't remember now, but everything would come to you bit by bit. You're John O'Connor. You were a tech genius five years ago, but you met an accident that claimed your memory." Isaac watched his face closely. "Does that ring a bell? Look at me, sir. It's Isaac. Isaac Davis, I----"

"Enough!" John shot in, squeezing his eyes shut in frustration. "You know what? I get it. You're Isaac, and I'm John. We're good. Can I just get going already? I have somewhere I have to be, okay? Thank you!" He stood up to leave but Isaac was on his feet too and he stopped him.

"Mr O'Connor, you're in the right place. Just wait patiently and let me finish with what I have to say."

"O'Connor? Look, old man. I'm no O'Connor or whatever. I am John. Just John. You have the wrong person. I'm probably just a lookalike." He laughed awkwardly. "And what's with the sir? You're weirding me out. I'd appreciate it if you get out of my face and let me go."

"Old man?" Isaac rolled his eyes. "You just be kidding, right? Do I look old to you? Alright. You can go!"

"Wow! That was fast!" He wasn't expecting the man to just let him go. Well, if the man was really a kidnapper, he had to improve his kidnapping skills. He thought and held the door knob to turn it. Before he could, the door pushed open and someone almost knocked him down.

"So sorry!" The person said.

The voice sounded too familiar. He slowly turned his head to look at the person. "Mrs. Nora? What are you doing here."

Mrs Nora looked at him apologetically. "Just have a seat and everything will be explained to you."

"You kidnapped me and you expect me to do as you say? Are you going to go on about how I was once a tech genius some years back and lost my memory? Thanks, I'll pass." He turned to leave.

"The one hundred million dollars---" Mrs Nora called behind him, her voice laced with urgency.

He turned back, shock evident in his eyes. How did she know about that? "Wait, wait... Did you--- what!?" He pursed his lips and walked back to her. "Why did you send such a crazy amount of money to me and where did you even get it? Are you into drugs or something?"

"Well, not me, him." She pointed at Isaac. "He sent----"

John interrupted. "He's into drugs? I knew it. No wonder he was spouting nonsense earlier. I should have figured it out."

Isaac burst into laughter, because why not. John was acting so funny. How could he say he was into drugs? He thought. Drugs like fucking hard drugs?

John looked at Isaac with disgust. He would find this funny. He thought dryly. Well, he wasn't surprised. It was expected from a drug dealer. He must be taking some of the drugs. Probably a junkie too. He concluded.

"You know what? I'm leaving. Mrs. Nora, your son is into drugs and he sent me some money. I should thank you. I will spend the money wisely. You don't have to worry. Goodbye. Hey junkie," he turned to Isaac. "Thanks for the money."

Mrs Nora couldn't take it anymore, as she yelled, "Fucking Christ, John! Get to your senses. Mr Davis is no son of mine and he's not into drugs. He's the CEO of Eon Innovations. You guys were both colleagues at Syphon Company, five years ago. He was your junior college though. Well, that was before you got into an accident that almost claimed your life." She paused to check if he was listening. 

Satisfied, she continued. "You lost your memory due to the accident. And we've been watching you closely over the past years to see if you would get your memory back. In the past, you developed groundbreaking technologies. Mr. Davis will explain better to you. But you need to know that many people think you're dead."

Just when Mrs. Nora had thought that her words had finally sunk in, John erupted into laughter, earning a sharp and irritated look from her. "So, what you guys are saying is that I was a tech guru, right?"

Both of them nodded. 

"Alright, since you so much believe that it's true, then I won't dispute the fact. But the thing is that unfortunately, I can't seem to remember anything about technology anymore. In fact, I find it difficult to operate a computer. So, I would just pass on the opportunity. Thanks so much."

He moved to the door but Isaac's words had him halting abruptly. "Your accident, it wasn't natural!"

He blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked casually.

Then suddenly, he felt a heavy bang on his head. A sharp image flashed across his mind. A car. And a truck. Suddenly, the picture became so vivid. He could see himself in the car, a truck was approaching him at a maddening speed. His heart palpitated. 

"Stop!" He screamed. "Stop, please, please!" His voice was a quiet whisper now.

He felt a hand rest lightly on his back and his mind yanked back to reality. "What's wrong? What happened!?" Mrs. Nora asked, worry etched on her forehead.

He took a trembling step backward as his lips quivered. "I guess you guys are right. I thought you were lying. I thought it was--- I did-----" he trailed off.

It was Isaac's turn to speak. "It's okay, Mr. O'Connor. It would come back bit by bit. You just have to take it easy and don't be too hard on yourself."

He nodded and muttered quietly, "Thank you!" He was still shaken by the flash of memory he had. It had seemed so real. That was his accident scene. He realized. So, he was really a tech genius in the past? But why would anyone have tried to kill him? Who was this person?

"Who do you think caused the accident?" He asked Isaac and the latter inhaled sharply, swallowed hard in his throat, and looked away.