Derrick Cole is initially semi-conscious at the start of the game. He overhears two men speaking. One of them questions, "Total memory loss?" The other replies, "We haven't been able to determine the cause. His eyes are open, but he's not fully conscious, not 100% at least. His brain's still asleep." One of the men, Professor Glen Ogawa, approaches Derrick as he lies still. "Hey, wake up. You're our last chance." Derrick's vision fades and he awakens in a medical facility.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Alex Hendrickson appears. She approaches Derrick, and attempts to wake him, though he has yet to fully regain his consciousness, and her words come off as being garbled. She disappears knocking over a piece of lab equipment in the process. This gets the attention of a researcher in the observation room above. He doesn't notice Alex and assumes that it was Derrick who knocked over the machine. This researcher walks Derrick through a series of tests described as "rehabilitation."
The first test requires Derrick to provide his name. The player can at this point reply that they "can't remember" or choose to respond with "It's Derrick" making the assumption that the name the researcher (and Alex) addressed him by earlier, "Derrick," is in fact his name. The second test involves an obstacle course. Upon first entering the course, an earthquake hits, and knocks over a board used for a portion of the test. Though it can later be inferred that this is the result of testing conducted at Site Zero, the researcher calmly writes this off as being a natural event and it is revealed that the facility is located in Japan. Derrick is instructed simply to jump over the rather small gap and continue with the rest of the course. The third test re familiarizes Derrick with firearms. He's given a 9mm pistol and instructed which targets to shoot. The researcher also notes that the handgun is loaded with "rubber bullets." He's then told to holster the weapon and practice hand-to-hand combat facing a large mirror. He's instructed to return the pistol and head back to his room for lunch. Upon eating said lunch, however, a fast-acting drug paralyzes him and he collapses onto the hospital bed.
At this very same moment, a military fire-team enters into the observation room above. The researcher asks who they are, though he's quickly gunned down. A second team enters Derrick's room and finds him lying on the bed. One of them approaches and lifts up his head while a second consults a document (perhaps identifying him via a photograph). The order is given to kill him, though before this order can be carried out, Alex reappears and takes out all three men with her knife. She helps Derrick up and carries him to the toilet to purge his body of the drug. She then carries him back to his bed to rest momentarily while she briefs him of their current objective: leave the building and meet up with Dr. Ogawa. At this point, she recognizes that Derrick is suffering from amnesia. Putting aside her feelings and prioritizing the mission, she simplifies the situation by informing Derrick that he promised he wouldn't let her die. With an encouraging "Move it soldier," she helps Derrick to his feet and instructs him to arm himself. He dons his tactical vest, equips a weapon and ammo obtained from the dead soldiers, and they head out.