(Applause)

In the heart of France, the most known and innovative medical professionals around the world have gathered in Republic City to present their latest medical research and findings as well as present this year's award for outstanding medical achievement; an honor only given to those who have truly contributed vital and revolutionary work in their field.

The conference room in Republic City University is filled to the brim with all the best and brightest individuals the medical community has to offer. Every seat was taken in the seemingly endless rolls of long white rectangular tables. In the front of the massive crowd was a monstrous screen where their research was to be presented, there also stood to the right in front of the endless see of faces a clear acrylic podium with an open back and shelf. To the left of the podium was a smaller white table that sat the most influential members of the medical elite.

The conference was about an hour in as another unknown doctor, who had been presenting facts in their research, wrapped up and headed back down to her seat in the back when the most famous neurosurgeon in the whole world, Katara Waters, rose from her seat in the front left and headed over to the podium. Mrs. Waters was a sixty-five year old woman who made a living as a seamstress before she attended medical school. Years later Katara made a name for herself by presenting scientific breakthroughs in adapting the application of cranial Frameless Stereotaxy, once a target such as a tumor is reached, frameless stereotaxy can help measure the dimensions of the lesion and guide the degree of resection. She retired five years ago but remains an inspiration to many up and coming doctors today.

Katara smiled as she reached the podium. Her grey and white hair was pulled back into a tight bun with a few loose strands up in front. The audience was in awe as Mrs. Waters looked over the room. For the most part many people there were absolutely delighted to be in the same room with the woman. Murmurs of approval and gleeful laughter could be heard. Katara suddenly cleared her throat and the room grew silent, no doubt due to the fact that many people respected the dear doctor.

"Merci! (Thank you!) Now let's all give Dr. Ahnah a big round of applause. Shall we?"

The crowd suddenly roared with applause and Katara chuckled softly. The fine lines and creases that now bore her face with signs of old age seemed less noticeable tonight. She seemed almost youthful again.

The crowd began to die down as Dr. Waters spoke again, "It has been an amazing night so far oui (yes) ?" The audience clapped in response as the speaker laughed and continued, "Hearing people discuss their research and findings has always been very enlightening. This is something I have come to enjoy and looked forward to hearing at the medical conferences every year." She chuckled. As did the audience.

"Tonight, I am here to present this year's award for outstanding medical achievement to une personne incroyable (an incredible person), a physician who has given so much back to our society and has made amazing breakthroughs in stem cell research and technology enabling her to develop a new type of artificial skin that substitutes for human skin and can dramatically save the lives of severely burned patients known as K.O.R. World renowned reconstructive surgeon Dr. Asami Seychelle Sato."

The recess lighting dimmed and a silhouette of a woman began sauntering over to the podium. The audience became very hushed as the woman came into view. Belle (beautiful) is a word that wouldn't even come close enough to describe the woman who appeared in front of the crowd. Perhaps words like angélique (angelic), à couper le souffle (breathtaking), or surréaliste (surreal) may have come closer. She wore a fiery red dress that exposed her back. She also had raven black hair loose over her right shoulder, porcelain skin that was clear and well kept, and the most amazing green eyes and ruby painted lips that no man or woman alive could possibly resist. In other words she appeared to be perfect. Mrs. Waters, who was still standing by the podium, then handed over the plaque to Mrs. Sato then took her seat.

"Bonsoir (good evening), I am truly honored to be accepting this award. I am thankful for all the recognition and praise I have received for my hard work, but none of this wouldn't have been possible without my…" Asami paused unsure of wait to say next. She then felt a sharp pain of loss and grief again after being reminded she had no one left. A few more seconds passed feeling like hours. The very same room that a moment ago seemed lively suddenly seemed somber. It was no secret the woman had lost her family two years ago in a tragic accident. In fact it was pretty much common knowledge among the general public.

The loss of her family was all over the news for a while, and up until recently Mrs. Sato had become a bit of a recluse. Rarely leaving her home unless otherwise needed. She cleared her throat awkwardly feeling suddenly nervous and continued. "Thank you." as Katara's daughter Kya a general practitioner with gray hair, clear blue eyes, and tan skin like her mother walked on to the stage to continue the conference. Dr. Sato gave a weak smile and went to take her seat. For the remainder of her time there Asami barely registered what was happening around her. She was just too lost in thought and too broken for words.

….

Weeks Earlier

Unknown P.O.V

It's dark and I'm lying in bed. My house is almost pitch black with the exception of my small black bedside lamp. Casting such a small amount of light that there is almost no point in having it on at all. The wind could be heard whistling and howling outside like a mad dog pissed at an intruder. My place is pretty small, don't need a bigger one… after all…I do live alone. I'm always alone now since Naga my huge white Caucasian Shepherd Dog disappeared. I guess I could have put up some flyers and offered a reward but I just don't have the cash. I've never had much money and I guess I've never really needed it. Maybe that's why I stopped going to work and started drinking again. I want to be numb. I DON'T WANT TO FEEL. Maybe I just want to stop feeling all together. I don't deserve to be happy. The white sheets I'm lying in seem cool to the touch, yet I feel like I'm on fire.

Sometimes… I lie awake at night going over everything that happened that fateful evening. Sometimes… I replay the event overs and overs in my head thinking about all the things I could have done differently. Maybe if I had less to drink, maybe if I decided to go home early, maybe if I never went at all… I…Suddenly I shudder, and sit up straight quickly. I look around slowly scanning my surroundings. I don't see…WHAT WAS THAT!? I swiftly turn my head to my right where I thought for a moment that I saw something there out of the corner of my eyes. It looked like a shadowy figure, but nothing's there. So I slowly lay back down.

Sometimes I get this eerie feeling like I'm being watched. Its crazy right? I'm just going crazy right? Sometimes I'm sitting at the dinner table eating some slop I microwaved in the kitchen and drinking a cold ass beer when I feel as if someone's gaze is burning holes in the back of my head. There are other times I wake up in the middle of the night groggy and think that for a moment someone is standing over me. It's all this guilt it's eating me alive. Maybe I should have listen. Maybe she was right, I am monster.

Suddenly I hear a 'click' 'click' 'thud' and my lamp goes out. What the…? The lights in my place started flicking on and off in an instant and then everything went dark. It's happened before, faulty wiring I guess. I roll over and feel for my bedside table drawer and pull out a long black flashlight. I head towards the basement where the fuse box is located. I'm so sick of this. There it is again that weird feeling of being watched. It's nothing. Yet I can't help it that the hairs in the back of my neck begin to stand up, I start to sweat profusely, and my hands quiver with fear. It's nothing. I repeat to myself. I then place my hand on the golden knob and open the door as I then start going down one by one the rickety brown wooden stairs that lead deeper into the basement.

'Creak'

'Creak'

'Creak'

When I reach the bottom of the stairs I headed on over to the breaker and start messing with the switches. None seem to do the trick. "Great." I mutter to myself. I continue trying to get the power back on while I faintly register a small indistinguishable sound in the background. Suddenly I hear a loud snarl and as I turn around a rough sack is placed over my head and a sharp stinging sensation is felt as something is jabbed into the left side of my neck. All that is left is darkness.

…

As I slowly start to come to, I feel groggy, my body feels stiff and on fire, and my head is killing me. Merde, (shit) my eyes slowly begin to flutter and I can't see a thing. For a second or two I really can't tell if I'm awake or asleep. I slowly start to rise off what feels like hard concrete. Its pitch black wherever I'm at. I try to stand up no matter how much my body protests. I manage to end up on my hands and knees trying to feel for anything that could get me standing up again. The surface of the floor is rough and cool to the touch. It's not until I start crawling do I realize I have absolutely no clothes on.

"What the fuck?" I whisper harshly.

I slowly moved one hand in front of the other before I felt what felt like a step. "Huh?" There was a staircase leading out of whatever room I was in. I was able to push myself up just enough against the stair railings and make my way up. With every step I took a small layer of dust would rise and burn my throat and nostrils.

'Cough'

'Cough'

'Cough'.

I then cleared my throat loudly, 'ahem', as I finally made it to the end of the steps. I proceeded to move my left slightly calloused hand across what felt like a thick splintery wooden door. Wait a minute. Dusty, concrete floor, and stairs leading to a heavy wooden thick door…I'm…I'm in a cellar or basement of some sort. "I got to get out of here!"

My right hand forms a fist and with what little strength I possess I have at the door. Straining every muscle in use.

'Bang'

'Bang'

'Bang'

Dust spews out from the wooden piece I am hitting, causing my eyes to sting and water as I continue.

'Bang'

'Bang'

"Can anyone hear me? Help! Please!" I cry in a raspy voice. "S'il vous plaît!" (Please!) "S'il vous plaît!" (Please!)

Several minutes go on and I feel like I can't go on anymore. The pain and fatigue have finally become unbearable and I can't continue. I've reached my limit. My eyes feel heavy, my usually light skinned fist is now a painful red and I can barely hold myself up anymore. My breathing has become shallow and my head feels like its spinning. I slowly sit down on the nearest step and cry. Tears run down my face as I can no longer keep conscience and drift into a deadly slumber.

Notes:

Okay so originally this was gonna be a long one shot and I was gonna post it like weeks ago but my friend who was beta reading accidently deleted everything. Haha yeah. So...I had to start over, but I actually made changes that I felt fit the story better including changing the title since the old one didn't even fit at all after I thought about it. I changed some character roles so if you read my first tags some of them are probably not gonna apply. The story has plenty of unexpected twists and turns, so you guys just have to wait and see what happens. I also have some French dialogue but I am in no means fluent so please forgive any mistakes. I have been reworking on this and decided it's going to be multiple chapters not sure how long... as usual I'll post when I can. Thank you.