He was awake. He was on a bed of some sort. He tried to move, but there were restraints around him. He tried to think of why he was here, and couldn't remember a thing.
"Unnh... where am I? What happened?"
A bald man in a suit walked over to him, and smiled. He thought it was odd that someone would wear sunglasses indoors.
"You are safe. We have rescued you, although unfortunately it seems you have suffered some amnesia. Tell me, do you remember your name?"
"My name is..."
He tried to remember, but could think of nothing.
"N-no, I can't remember my name."
"Your name is Marcus Blake. You are a lobbyist to the Liberty Government representing a special interests group called 'Providence'. You're a lobbyist to a few people of questionable legality, as well. You are our middleman, the one who speaks for the good of Liberty when no one else will."
Something felt very, very wrong.
"That... that doesn't sound right... are you sure?"
The bald man leaned over him and took off his glasses, revealing pale blue eyes that shined in the room's heavy lights. He saw the bald man's gloved hands move in and grab his face, unable to squirm out of the way.
"Look into my eyes."
He tried to look away, but the bald man's hands were firm. Finally he stopped trying to break free, and something about those eyes held his gaze.
"Your name is Marcus Blake. You serve Providence."
"I... no... let me go!"
"Your name is Marcus Blake. You serve Providence."
"I... my..."
"Your name is Marcus Blake. You serve Providence."
He relaxed, and allowed the presence of those terrible eyes to bore through him.
"Your name is Marcus Blake. You serve Providence."
"My name is Marcus Blake. I serve Providence."
Providence takes those who have fallen into despair and gives them hope.
Providence guides those who have lost their way to a new purpose.
Providence shall take you into the fold, and shall keep you safe.
Providence gives all to those who have nothing.
Providence has healed you of your wounds, and nursed you back to health.
"Mr. Blake, we have a few things left to check before sending you out on assignment."
The bald man motioned for him to sit down, then continued.
"First, we need to check a little of the identity we've given you. Who are you?"
"My name is Marcus Blake, an agent of Providence. I serve as a lobbyist to the Liberty Government, and on occasion arrange contracts between them and other parties. I also serve as the emissary from Providence to a wide range of groups in Liberty, regardless of their legal status."
"Good. Do you believe that, with all of your heart?"
"It is the only identity I have. Therefore, it is who I am, regardless of anything surrounding it."
"Perfect. Without Providence, what do you have?"
"Not a name, not a goal, not a life."
"And what is Providence?"
"Providence is an organization that outwardly presents itself as a special interests group devoted to the well-being of Liberty."
"And inwardly?"
"I don't need to know. All I need to know is what is required of me."
"Very good. You will be a fine agent of Providence, and you will make us proud."
"Thank you, Mr... I don't know your name. Should I?"
"In time, you may. But not now. Hurry off to the docking wing, your ship is waiting for you. You will be briefed in space."
"As you wish."
Providence takes those who have fallen into despair and gives them hope.
Providence guides those who have lost their way to a new purpose.
Providence shall take you into the fold, and shall keep you safe.
Providence gives all to those who have nothing.
Providence has healed you of your wounds, and nursed you back to health.
"On my last assignment, someone said I looked and sounded differently than they remembered."
"You gave the response I told you to use in such a circumstance, yes?"
"Of course. It is not my place to question, but am I different?"
"Yes and no. It is time for you to realize what we have made you into. You are not the first Marcus Blake, and it is unlikely you will be the last."
"I do not understand..."
"You did not used to be Marcus Blake, either. We picked you up when the previous Marcus Blake was killed in an explosion on Freeport 14, about a week ago. You had been in a very bad collision on Planet Manhattan, and suffered a very serious head injury. The doctors stabilized you, but it appeared most of your memories were missing or damaged. We found you, took you in, and gave you a new identity."
"I see."
"Does this change the way you think?"
"No, but it gives me new insight. Is it permissable to explain this to outsiders should I fall?"
"Be careful what you say, but we trust your judgment. It is our judgment after all."
"Of course. May I ask what my predecessor was doing aboard Freeport 14?"
"We sent him to eavesdrop on a very interesting meeting between the leader of the Liberty Rogues and some high-ranking individuals in the Liberty Navy and LSF. Turns out we weren't the only ones, and someone covered their trail a bit explosively."
"I see. Did he acquire any useful information?"
"Yes. We stopped getting direct feed before anything interesting happened, but he sent a small transmission before we lost contact. I'll have it uploaded to your neural net for you to review. Which brings me to your next assignment..."
"You want me to find out what they were discussing?"
"No, we've mostly pieced that together already. We'd like you to get close to a few of the bigshots in this arrangement, two of them have large dreams and another seems easy to manipulate. I'll be sending you a summary of what we may be able to offer them, feel free to do whatever you must to get them to appreciate you. Not necessarily trust you- one of the people we're after is never going to do that- but appreciate your usefulness. I will caution you to stay clear of the LSF agent. She's very dangerous, and was recently promoted to Director of Intelligence. Make sure she doesn't know what you're up to."
"Understood. Where might I find these people?"
"Freeport 4 recently received docking reservations for several unmarked, boring civilian transports, not unlike a set that arrived on Freeport 14 before the previous meeting. It's possible they are meeting there; although we have no way to be sure. We're dealing with professionals here, it isn't safe to assume anything. We have made arrangements for you to arrive their shortly after they do. Do not make contact until after they finish talking, and please make sure you avoid the LSF agent. From what we've heard, she has quite a temper and isn't afraid of using her sidearm."
"Anything else?"
"We've arranged for a little upgrade to your transport. We have recently come into the possession of a Grizzly Armored Transport, it should help avoid some of the fates of your predecessors. It may also lend you some credibility as a government contractor."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We're sending you into the mouth of the wolf. This could be the big one... be careful, and give me a full report when you get back. Providence is counting on you, Mr. Blake."
"I will not fail."
Providence takes those who have fallen into despair and gives them hope.
Providence guides those who have lost their way to a new purpose.
Providence shall take you into the fold, and shall keep you safe.
Providence gives all to those who have nothing.
Providence has healed you of your wounds, and nursed you back to health.