Chapter 1

Scott and Betty Hanson pulled up to the high fenced facility and a guard came out of the security station and asked their business. He took both of their ID’s and went to the phone and called to get clearance for entry. A few minutes later he directed them through the gate into a secured parking lot. He stood with them until a woman, the one he had seen on the TV piece; roll up in a large people cart to whisk them away.

“I’m Dr. Culver and I want to take you to my office so we can have a talk about the situation we have here. This quite possibly could be a ruse or sad prank, but I don’t see how.” She said as she zoomed the cart to a long building in the center of a number of small cottages.

“When can we see him? We have to...” Betty started to say excitedly.

“Please wait until you hear everything I have to say. You may end up not wanting to see him or be unsure of his identity or condition.” Dr. Culver said holding her hand up forcefully. She clearly didn’t want there to be any false hopes and further heartbreak caused by the events of 9/11/01.

Once settled in her office with coffee and all relaxed in overstuffed leather chairs Dr. Culver began:

“A fugue state, formally Dissociative Fugue, sometimes called Psychogenic Fugue is a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by temporary amnesia for the subjects own identity, including the memories and personality and other little tics and habits of that particular person. The state is usually brief, sometimes hours or days but has lasted, in some cases, months or longer. Dissociative fugue usually involves wandering, not knowing where to settle, and is sometimes accompanied by taking on a new identity. After recovery from fugue, previous memories usually return altogether, however there is complete amnesia for the fugue episode and the time passed. Additionally, an episode is not characterized as a fugue if it can be related to the ingestion mind altering drugs, physical trauma, to a medical condition, or a psychiatric condition like clinical depression, dementia, and bipolar disorder. Fugues are usually precipitated by a horrific episode that is sometime blocked out. We said in the story that “John” suffered from DFS, which is the reason he has been here all this time. When he woke up some three weeks ago and took this personality, to him it was September 12, 2001. Everything that happened to him since 9/11 is supposedly gone from his memory. We’ve spent a few hours each day for the last 16 days explaining to him what the world has gone through since the attacks. He appears to be coming to grips with that, understanding why he is here. He’s a very smart man, whomever he is.”

Dr. Culver paused to sip her coffee and catch her breath and saw both Hanson’s eyes filled with questions and wonderment.

“No questions yet, let me continue.” She said anticipating their eyes.

“In interviews and from a rambling statement he made under a drug induced semi-hypnotic state here is what we know, what he thinks and believes.

On the morning of 911 he and his wife met a lawyer and broker named Gordon Phelan in the Atrium lobby of the tower about 8:25 and opted to go to the Coffee Shop on the 68th floor. They were there to close a deal on property and Phelan knew he could plug his laptop into a hot connection there. His office was on the 80th floor, but he had everything drawn up and finishing the deal over coffee was his preference. He, Joe, had accessed all of the monies and securities to close the deal the day before, he just needed to talk Umm ... Selena?, into it. When she called her mentor, a Mr. Curran, he suggested that they be married at the time of the deal; just to be sure she was protected. That was why they secretly married the night before.”

Betty Hanson broke down crying and Dr. Culver stopped her recitation of notes.

“If this is too stressful, we can do it without you, or we can take a break.” Dr. Culver asked.

“No, ... please go on. I couldn’t be any more distressed or upset than I’ve been at any other time in the last 9 years.” Betty answered between the tears as Scott took her hand and pressed it to his thigh, patting and rubbing it.

“Go on.” Scott said.

“The deal was closed and they were talking when the attack started and it was apparent right away that there were major problems just above them. Gordon Phelan went to the stairwell, unsure of the elevator and told them to wait. A woman came running from one of the other offices and said they all had to get out of the building and they joined a rush in the stairwell as they all tried to field cell calls and see what was going on. He’s unsure of some of the trip down the stairs because falling debris in the stairwell caused a panic and he ended up over a railing and down a flight and landed on people. He cut his face badly and didn’t know if he could walk on his right knee anymore. He thinks he passed out but came to, being carried by Selena and another woman. They were just holding his arms and dragging him between them, his arms draped over their shoulders. Firefighters on their way up wanted them to leave him and let the firemen rescue him, but Selena would have nothing of it. He’s not sure of the floor where they followed a group to a bridge over an atrium, presumably the 4th floor atrium bridge, and began to cross it when they felt it shudder. A group of men in maintenance uniforms called them back across the bridge, and showed them an exit door where they saw light from the outside. There was a terrace and staircase to the street and common loading zone. As they came across that terrace, Selena was now half dragging him alone. A body fell from the upper floors just beside them, splashing blood and whatever. Selena fell to her knees screaming and then looked around to see body parts and other rumpled masses of other people who apparently jumped rather than burn. They went to move one way and a sheet of glass came down, they tried to move another direction to the stairs to the ground and another body fell just in front of them. At this point Selena passed out and he took her over his shoulder and tried to go down the stairs, but his knees gave out and he slid down with her in tow.” Dr. Culver said, becoming emotional herself as she looked up to check on Betty Hanson.

“Let’s take a break here. I’m sorry to put you through this, but I can’t let you see “John” until you know his whole story because we could lose him again. His diagnosis is so tentative; we don’t know how to deal with him.” Dr. Culver reasoned as she took the Hanson’s to a porch where they could get some air.

Scott and Betty spoke but a few words to each other and they held each other’s hand and tried to compose themselves. After 10 minutes Scott was anxious to hear the rest.

Back in the office, Dr. Culver continued reading from the transcript.

“He really expected there to be ambulances or something there but people were just rushing away from the scene as something else was happening, or had happened. (We assume that was the second building being hit) He was able to get to his feet and drag Selena, dodging falling debris and bodies. Everyone was shouting at him to RUN, RUN, RUN. Selena came to about this time and he told her that they had to run and get out of the area. This is where he gets real sketchy. He knows Selena was with him but she was mentally unstable, seeming to dodge falling things that weren’t there. Then came the roar behind them and they turned to see the building falling, and the run for their lives began. Walking for what seemed hours they got to the Holland Tunnel and were told it was unsafe as they were clearing cars out as all lanes were jammed shut. There were 6 or 8 of them together now and they stormed one of the firemen who were guarding the entrances. The small group pulled and dragged each other to the Jersey side where they met lots of others who had come through the tunnel. He found a spot between some cars to lay Selena down and try to reason with her, get her back to reality, but she was in deep shock. He found an ambulance crew caught in the logjam of cars and people and asked if they could tend to her. They told him they could take her, but they had no hope of moving for hours, but if and when they did they would bring her to Christian Hospital in Jersey City. He remembers little after that. He knows he stumbled and fell numerous times trying to get away hoping to get to Christian Hospital and wait for Selena to arrive. He saw a sign on the Pulaski Highway with a Hospital marker and he dragged himself up but tripped and took a long fall into a catch basin. He remembers laying there hearing the sounds of sirens and explosions and the next thing he remembers is waking up here almost 9 years later.”