Read Forever Until Tomorrow (War Eternal Book 5) for Free Online Page B

something projected onto his glasses.
    "Excuse me," Reggie said, getting his attention. The man shook and sat up straight.
    "Oh. Jeez, man. You scared the shit out of me."
    "Sorry. My name is Reggie. I'm leaving. The nurse told me you could give me my things."
    The man smiled. "I know who you are. Our famous patient. You've been here twenty years, and now you're leaving?"
    "Yes."
    "Just like that? At three in the morning?"
    "I guess so. It's time." He paused. "I didn't know I was famous." For some reason, the comment bothered him.  
    "Just a figure of speech, man. Everybody in St. Mary's knows you, of course. The rest of the world? I doubt it." He laughed and got to his feet, taking off his glasses and dropping them on the desk. "Give me a sec; I'll get your effects."
    "Thank you."
    Reggie waited for the man to disappear before picking up the glasses and slipping them on. Immediately he could see a window over his left eye, where a flow of text was sitting. It moved depending on his eye position, allowing him to read seamlessly.
    "Initial reports place the death toll at twenty-seven, including Vice President Nelson and the lead emissary from Iran, Sadeq Jannali. Three of the astronauts expected to be on the inaugural crew of the Dove were also injured, and may lose their chance to be part of the historic occasion if plans to proceed with the launch remain in place. Major Katherine Asher, United States Air Force, Ning Zhang, Chinese Space Administration, and Captain Vidal Pathi. United Earth Alliance President Amir-"
    "Do you always help yourself to other people's stuff?" the orderly said, returning from the storage area with a small box.
    Reggie took the glasses off. The man's return had taken him by surprise, but he refused to show it. "Sorry. It's been a while since I caught up with the outside world." He could still see the list of names in his head. His eyes kept going back to the first of them. Major Katherine Asher. The name itself didn't mean anything to him, but he had felt a stirring in his gut at seeing it. Was she the one he was supposed to find?
    "Crazy, right? The attack on the UEA party. I can't imagine why anybody wouldn't want the Dove to fly. It's more than a starship, you know? It's a symbol of unity."
    "I know."
    The orderly held the box out to him. "It isn't much. We also have donated clothes for people who didn't come in with any, or lost them, or whatever. Follow me."
    Reggie took the box from him. It was hardly big enough to hold anything important, and he wondered what could be inside. The box felt empty.
    He trailed behind the orderly to a second room. It was filled with all sorts of clothes, organized by type and size.  
    "Help yourself," the man said.
    "Thank you," Reggie replied. He picked up a pair of socks and underwear, an old pair of stained jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater. He also found a pair of shoes that weren't too beat up. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.  
    "You can change back there," the orderly said.  
    Reggie changed his clothes and came back out.
    "You've been in here for twenty years," the orderly said. "The world is pretty different now. Are you sure you want to go out there?"
    Reggie tried to remember what the world was like. He couldn't. It didn't matter how much it had changed because he had so little to go on. "Yes."
    "Okay, well, be safe." The man held out his hand. Reggie shook it. "Exit is that way."
    "Thank you." He took a few steps before pausing and turning back to the orderly. "What city am I in?"  
    "St. Louis, Missouri."
    "The launch party. Where was that?"
    "New York, why?"
    "Just curious. Thank you for your help."
    "Yeah. Okay. See you, Reggie."
    Reggie started walking again, down the long corridor leading to the exit. It was early morning, and not much was happening as he stepped outside and onto the sidewalk of a city street. He looked around, taking in the towers of steel and glass and the lights of advertisements hanging on boards arranged along the