<P>"Bob Page...the billionaire?" Tiberius asked.
<P>
<P>"Ah," said Carson, who suddenly sounded rather impressed. "Some of your memory is still intact. I'm surprised, but pleasantly. This means that the process was more successful than we'd anticipated."
<P>
<P>"But why erase my memory? What difference does it make if I know who I am or not?"
<P>
<P>Carson became quite serious again. "It was necessary to remove your attachments to the world of yesterday. It would have caused some...complications."
<P>
<P>"How so?" Tiberius was finally gaining a clear head, and though very little of what Doctor Carson was telling him made much sense, he was able to focus again on the things he did understand.
<P>
<P>"The world you knew before is gone. Whatever happens now, things will never again be the same. I anticipated this, and have been preparing for it for some time now. You, on the other hand, have been thrust into this dark age' with no warning. The shock of realizing what it is you've lost would have taken far too much time for you to overcome. This sounds cold, I know, but it is paramount to the survival of human civilization that we succeed, and we cannot do so without you."
<P>
<P>"But...who was I?"
<P>
<P>"Don't you see? It doesn't matter!" Carson was becoming irritated, and had trouble suppressing it. "Your old life is gone. I need you to focus, Tiberius. There's too much at stake here."
<P>
<P>"Would it hurt that much just to tell me a little? What was my name, what did I do for a living? Something..."
<P>
<P>"All right," said Carson. He paused a moment and collected himself. When he spoke again it was in a much calmer tone. "If it matters that much to you, you were a businessman. A faceless, obedient, oblivious office worker. A nobody. You're valuable to us because of your physical attributes, and your military training. That was helpful to us in selecting the final candidate."