The Hallucigenia Project

by Darren Kasenkow

They both looked up to see a woman standing before their table with a bottle of vodka in one hand and three shot glasses in the other. Just over six foot tall, her body was slender yet athletic and was draped in a shimmering silver cocktail dress that revealed long, defined legs and shoulders that only a swimmer could grace. Silky jet black hair reached down past her waist. Dark purple lipstick glistened from lips and a mischievous smile complimented deep, curious brown eyes. One thing was for sure, her presence demanded a level of attention that very few could muster, and adding to the impact were intricate black and grey tattoos that appeared to start at her ankles and finish at the edges of her neck. Somehow she wore the art work as though she were born with it.

  Xavier appeared momentarily frozen by the sudden addition to the table, however John thought it only polite to rise from his seat and introduce himself. He was quickly waved back down.

  “Please, keep yourself comfortable.” There was a hint of Eastern European in the way she rolled her words. “I am Klementina. I thought we might enjoy a drink as dinner is served.”

  Klementina gracefully settled into a chair opposite them and distributed the shot glasses. With a steady hand she poured the vodka, whilst the diamond clad host appeared with arms balancing plates of food that barely fit upon the table. John saw that it was lobster tail surrounded by a selection of oysters, scallops and carefully cut vegetables. Just moments before the thought of food hadn’t entered his mind, even though technically he was attending a dinner. The aroma of fresh seafood brushed with butter and white wine quickly changed that.

  At Klementina’s urging they raised the shot glasses and threw back the vodka. Brief introductions were initiated and John found his eyes captured by the way lace like lines of ink rose and fell across her chest. Stealing quick glances he saw that angels and demons appeared to be caught in some sort of struggle along her arms, while on the left side of her neck was a renaissance styled crucifixion. On the right, a devil sat glaring upon a throne of human bones. The fact that she was stunningly beautiful was an obvious understatement, but John was just as sure that here was a woman who harboured tales to be discovered.

  For Xavier the spell seemed to fall away. He wasted no time in delving into the delicacies on his plate, and considering his short but muscular frame John figured food was probably just as important to him as money. Klementina, however, elegantly tasted one of the oysters before licking her lips with satisfaction.

  “This evening you have the opportunity of becoming part of something very special,” she assured them. “Of course there is the matter of making money, that is after all why you are here. But by choosing to invest in the next stage of our project’s technical wing you’ll also be helping a family of people that have a very important responsibility.” Another oyster journeyed to her lips and disappeared into the child like grin. “So, in return for your money we will not only make you richer than you thought possible, but also promise to change the world in ways you couldn’t dream.”

  So captivating was the sound of her voice and the way she made each word sound like an important beat of a poem John almost didn’t realize the boat had begun to move, heading across the smooth water to where the lights of the city couldn’t reach. Unsure of how he should respond he grabbed his fork and extracted a small piece of lobster. It tasted even better than he’d anticipated.

  “Before we talk about dreams,” Xavier mumbled through a mouth full of food, “I’d like to discuss some of the logistics of the prospectus. A million dollars is a million dollars. From what I can tell the money buys into some sort of satellite system, so how exactly does the return come into play? Or do we have to wait for the presentation?”

  John barely managed to keep a poker face at the blasé way a million dollars had been thrown into the conversation. He was definitely dancing in a different circle, and couldn’t help but wonder how long he could pretend investment dinners like this were par for the course.

  “This is the presentation,” Klementina replied, reaching for the vodka bottle and topping up the shot glasses. “For matters such as this we believe it’s important to talk face to face with the people considering our offer. As far as financial pathways are concerned you’re on the money, pun intended. We’re looking to launch a series of satellites in the coming months. I’m sure you’re both aware that information and communication has become the backbone of all commerce and industry, however the overall system is currently held together by barely functioning governments and corporations that would rather profit than innovate.” She tilted the vodka down her throat with an exotic confidence. “Not only is it open to attack, a danger that is growing exponentially every day and is an industry unto itself, but nowhere in the design and implementation is there a back up protocol in the event of a global disaster. We, on the other hand, are creating orbital storage systems and deep underground data facilities designed to withstand even the most critical global situations. Simply put, we’re creating a networking system that is beyond the reach and manipulation of any government entity and will be fully operational even if destruction is catastrophic.”

  Xavier took a moment to stop chewing. “Let me see if I understand correctly. You’re company is basically running an alternative web using underground and off planet servers, meaning it’ll still function even if major infrastructure is somehow destroyed or compromised? There are already swarms of satellites zipping away up there. Creating another, more secure internet has me interested yet I can’t quite see a viable reason for it.”

  “It’s not a matter of reason, it’s a matter of necessity.” Klementina topped up her glass once again. “The current system has grown organically, upgrade by upgrade, but at the core of it all sits one irrefutable truth. Everything has been built upon the belief that life will continue the way it is, within certain parameters of course. The schematics of our system have been put together with the anticipation that life will not continue the way it is. Unfortunately, the reasons for coming to such a conclusion are a little out of scope for the dinner table.” Vodka washed across her lips. “Tonight is about the immediate future, and naturally the return on investment that’s possible.”

  John felt the slightest of cool breeze wash across the back of his neck. Knowing he’d have to talk sooner or later, he decided to ask the only question he could think of.

  “How exactly do a bunch of satellites up in the sky make me money?”

  Xavier nodded his approval at the question before stuffing his mouth with more lobster. The sound of the violin floated across the din of chatter and cutlery. Klementina leaned forward, balancing her elbows on the edge of the table.

  “We already have close to a hundred companies across the globe ready to use our network as soon as it’s up and running. The bottom line is we offer a level of security that’s hard to maintain in the current sector, and with governments around the world reaching deeper and deeper into people’s affairs they’re willing to pay for the chance to conduct their business without big brother monitoring everything they do. Conservative estimates at this stage is a first annual profit in excess of one point five billion, give or take. That’s why we’re willing to guarantee a two hundred percent return on your contribution, plus ongoing residuals. It’s important that you both understand this isn’t a project at research stage. We have factories and launch locations ready to go. What we need right now is a cash injection to get the heart beating. Gravity is a real bitch, and pushing things up through the clouds takes a lot of processing power and fuel. With your help gravity will have to concede defeat, and in return you become rich. Well, in your case gentlemen, richer.”

  “You must be looking to raise quite a bit of money,” John said.

  “That depends,” Klementina smiled, “on whether you think half a billion dollars is quite a bit.”

  “That’s a lot of money in anyone’s language.”

  A slight lull eased the conversation. Each time John brought the fork up to his mouth his eyes scanned the faces of the othe
r diners in search of his mark. There were a lot of beautiful women on board but so far none appeared to be her. He glanced up to the second floor deck but could only make out silhouettes against the star scattered sky. At least they were out at sea, meaning nobody was going anywhere. When the opportunity arose he’d have to take a stroll and take a closer look.

  Xavier reached out with thick fingers and tore open a bread roll, then proceeded to mop up the residues of his plate. Satisfied he’d left nothing behind he took a mouthful of champagne, grabbed the vodka and poured another round of shots. John had the growing feeling that he was the kind of guy that always got what he wanted.

  “I can see the value in a secure communication system,” Xavier declared. “The problem I have is I know next to nothing about you or your company. If what you’ve told me so far is accurate, how have you managed to keep an operation that size under the radar? Logistically it doesn’t make sense. I would’ve heard about you long before tonight.”

  Klementina raised an eyebrow and downed her shot, eyes locked with Xavier’s. “You may find it interesting to know that in just one second,” she snapped her fingers with a crack, “the human brain brings in about eleven million bits of information. Of those eleven million bits, we’re lucky if we’re actually aware of forty.”

  “I’m not following,” Xavier admitted.

  “Life is experienced through a filter,” she explained. “From the young boy who sees only the dinosaurs in a toy store to a corporation that becomes obsessed with what the competition are doing at the expense of their own innovation, what is seen and what is experienced is selective. For example, we’ve been sitting here discussing a potential investment, something I can tell excites you, and I’m willing to bet you haven’t at all noticed that the violin has gone quiet.”

  John realized she was right. The music had stopped, and as beautiful as it had been he hadn’t even noticed. If anything, it was a subtle reminder that he needed to maintain his focus and work out a way to determine if Rebecca was on board, and sitting there drinking vodka wasn’t exactly going to do him any favours.

  “It’s difficult to find something if you’re not looking for it,” Klementina continued. “That’s why this dinner is important. It’s the chance to look at things through the right filter.” With a mischievous grin she placed an empty oyster shell into a spoon, lifted it above her shoulder and promptly flicked it out into the ocean. “A tiny little flea can jump with an acceleration nearly twenty times of the space shuttle at launch.”

  “Are you suggesting we send fleas into orbit?” Xavier asked with a hint of spite.

  “I’m suggesting great power can come from the most unusual of places. But you strike me as a man that likes details, likes to get in there and crunch the data. Let’s satisfy that urge shall we?”

  Klementina slid to the side of her chair and looked back towards the cabin. When she found who she was looking for she called out with a beckoning of her hand. A middle aged man with a well groomed beard and small, circular glasses that made his eyes appear way too large for his head excused himself from his position at the table with an elderly couple and made his way to the back of the boat. Klementina remained seated as she introduced him.

  “Stephan, I’d like you to meet Xavier and John. Xavier here is ready for some detailed information so I thought you might like to give him a little access to a selection of the good stuff.” She turned to John and tilted her head as if trying to read his thoughts. “I think John and I will grab a drink on the top deck. After all, business is so much better closer to the stars.”

  This was the opportunity John was hoping for. If luck was on his side he’d find his mark, though he still wasn’t sure what he’d do if he did. Like most jobs he’d cross that bridge when he came to it, and as for discussing business he would just have to make sure he didn’t find himself on the hook for a million plus.

  He squeezed his way out of the seat, taking a moment to shake Xavier’s hand, and then followed Klementina as she effortlessly weaved through the tables and servers towards the stairs. Up on the deck he was surprised at the number of people chatting away along the railing and laughing at tables that glowed beneath glass encased candles, and he could just make out the faint cries of the violin begin once again as he carefully scanned the faces in the crowd. The lack of light made things a little tricky but it wasn’t looking like luck was on his side. It was a big boat though, which meant there was more than one area to explore.

  They reached the bar at the far end and Klementina grabbed two glasses of champagne before handing one to John. She then stepped to the empty corner of railing and leaned against the cool metal, her long hair swirling around her hips with the breeze. John joined her and looked out across the water to the flickering city lights in the distance.

  “You sure can bring up some interesting facts,” he observed.

  “You see the ocean down there?” Klementina grinned. “If I were to reach down and fill a teaspoon, that little bit of water would hold more atoms than there are teaspoons of water on the Earth. It’s almost as if the smaller you go, the bigger things become.”

  John tried to visualise the comparison and quickly found the idea overwhelming. “I’ll have to remember that one,” he mumbled.

  “The trick is to find magic in everything you see.” The demons and angels along her arms seemed to dance in the dim reaches of the candle light. “Xavier down there was ready to invest before he came on board. Nobody who has any real hesitation eats like that.”

  “You mean forgetting to take a breath?”

  “Something like that,” Klementina laughed. “But what about you John? You seem like you’re happy to just observe. In fact, the way you’ve been studying our guests I’m left wondering if you’re looking for something more than money.”

  John wondered if he’d been that obvious or if he had seriously underestimated the woman that once again looked as though she were trying to read his thoughts. The smart money was on the latter.

  “Dinners like this aren’t really my thing,” he shrugged. “I guess I don’t hide it very well.”

  “Just about everyone here is after one thing,” she nodded carefully, “and that’s the chance to make their money grow. It’s a good relationship really. We have certain desires, and they have certain desires. Is that why you’re here John, for an exclusive investment opportunity, or something more?”

  There was an element in the way she carried herself, something in the warm and confident delivery of words that invited only total honesty. Unfortunately though, honesty was not the best policy given the current circumstances, even if he did feel a twinge of growing guilt.

  “Unlike your other guests, and I don’t mean to be presumptuous, I kind of fell into some money not long ago,” he admitted. “It’s funny how things work out really. I made plans to attend a seminar over here and one of the guys helping me to manage my funds had some details about tonight. Considering I was going to be in the country anyway he said it’d be worth my while to take a look, so here I am.”

  Klementina’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

  “Seminar?”

  “Yeah, something called the Hallucigenia Project. I don’t know much about it, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”

  Klementina held his gaze for a long moment, sipped her champagne and then looked up into the night sky. “One night a group of scientists sat down and started counting the stars, beginning with the eight thousand or so that can be seen with the naked eye. From there they began tapping away on their calculators and, after a whole lot of heated debate and number crunching, they came to the conclusion that the universe is made up of more than one hundred billion galaxies.” For a moment she fell quiet, scanning the heavens. “Then they determined that each galaxy was kept warm by at least forty billion stars and amongst it all here you and I stand, floating on calm waters as the planet dances around our special little sun at around sixty seven thousand miles an hour. The smaller you go, t
he bigger things become.” Now she brought her gaze down from the sky. “I had a feeling you were searching for something the moment I sat at the table. Our website only had one registration from Australia, and that’s you.”

  “I guess you’re right,” John replied, both surprised and impressed.

  “I have to be honest John, a dinner like this is for the kind of people that love to watch their money grow, and love even more what it can afford them. Society needs people like this. We need people like this, to help achieve the goals that have been set. For them though, it’s difficult to see through all that glitters.”

  “People love money I guess,” John offered. “They say it can’t bring happiness but the only time I’ve seen someone with wealth unhappy is when it’s taken away.”

  “Your words hold more truth than you know,” Klementina laughed. “But tell me, are you a man chasing all that glitters and sparkles or are you wanting to dig a little deeper and peak behind the stage curtain?”

  John found himself unsure of what to say. There was no denying the way words fell from her lips like rolling hints of music was both calming and electrifying on some level. He could probably listen to her talk about the stars all night and maybe, just maybe, she could lead him to the woman he needed to find. And yet, if he stepped into things a little too quickly, there was the chance he’d create a web of lies that would become way too sticky to pull away from.

  “I’m a tourist with a little spare money and a little curiosity,” he answered.

  “Then let’s make things easy shall we?” Klementina smiled knowingly. “We’ll call it door one and door two. Door one, we go downstairs so you can arrange a transfer of one point five million dollars and we’ll return the funds with substantial growth in twelve months, give or take. Instead of the seminar I’ll arrange for personal tour of Miami and all of the glorious, orgasmic sins that the city has to offer.” The word sins almost dripped from her tongue. “Door number two you enjoy another champagne or three, keep your money where it is and make a promise to me that we talk after the seminar. Two doors, two worlds… one choice.”