The Hallucigenia Project

by Darren Kasenkow

  Kiki.

  He’d been the runt of an abandoned litter that someone had dumped in an alley that she’d occasionally used on her morning runs before classes. The other kittens had seemed ready to take on the world, but Kiki was barely alive and small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. There was no way she could have left him there to die, so she had bundled him into her jacket and carried him back to her apartment where, with constant care and attention, she had been able to nurse him back from the brink.

  It hadn’t taken long for his dark blue speckled coat to start to shine and mischievous personality to spring to life, and they were soon inseparable. Through the pressures of university and the long nights of post graduate challenges, he was always there to remind her of the importance of switching off the constant state of analysis and taking a moment to enjoy the small miracles that life had to offer. She sure wished Kiki, who never really grew bigger than a kitten, could bounce into the room and climb up her leg with a demand for attention right about now. If ever there was a time to be reminded of small miracles, now was it.

  There was no chance of that happening though, not anymore. When the proverbial shit storm had ripped through her life and she had been lying in the same hospital as her father with fresh stitches stinging her stomach, she had begged her mom to go back to the apartment to get Kiki. Just hours later, with strong pain killers maintaining a fog across her every thought, her mom had returned with red eyes and a face flushed with sorrow and fought against the declaration that had fallen from her lips.

  Kiki had been stabbed several times and hung from the bedroom door, his small bones broken and piercing through his soft blue coat. Somehow, between the time Calvin had tried to kill both Candice and her father and the time the arrest was finally made, he had returned to destroy her beautiful friend of nine years in the very room they had shared so much love. Looking at the picture of Kiki wearing his favourite collar, she wanted so much to kill the bastard for what he did. The only thing that seemed to settle the pain and rage that surfaced in times like this was the knowledge that, considering the nightmare that was about to be bestowed upon them all, the fires of hell would reach for him soon enough.

  That was if the numbers were correct.

  She reached out and traced her fingers along the picture frame, the slightest hint of a smile curling the edge of her lips. There was always the chance they were wrong. Or, more to the point, she hoped like hell they were wrong. She was still struggling to come to grips with how the code had been discovered, let alone what it represented, and now the darkest of shadows was ready to swallow her whole. If there was any possible way they’d somehow made a mistake, or misinterpreted the message, she needed to know. Even though it went against all that science stood for, the fact was that a mistake or error of any kind was the only hope they had, and now more than ever she needed to convince Hendrix to come out of hiding. If they were reading things wrong he might be able to confirm it. The fact that he’d gone into hiding though, was a sinister sign the message wasn’t just some strange coincidence of nature.

  Unfortunately there wasn’t much she could do about it tonight, but tomorrow she hoped to meet the private investigator from Australia. Whilst she was already aware of the shooting at the casino there were still a lot of questions unanswered, and any one of them could help in their search for the rogue doctor. The Australian might have found himself in the middle of a storm that nothing could have prepared him for, but with the countdown clock well and truly on the move he might just be their final chance to fortify the findings.

  With a heavy heart she skulled the last of her drink and shuffled to a mirror resting on the wall beside the book case. The sight that greeted her offered no reason to lighten the mood that had descended upon the room. Her eyes were bloodshot and the hair that fell upon her pasty skin was in desperate need of a brush. The reflection of the scars on her cheek taunted and threatened to make her relive the flash of the blood one more time. For Candice there was no denying it. The woman that stared back at her was a far cry from the woman who had been so excited when she’d landed the job, when the future had promised a world of opportunities.

  The urge came, and she made no effort to hold it back. With an angered murmur rushing from her lips she hurled the glass into the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. Now she didn’t have to look at herself anymore, and the destruction and shards of glass at her feet seemed to calm her a little. If destruction can lead to happiness, she thought, then the way things were going she would die in an hysterical bliss. Alas, the moment was only short lived as frustration and anger was quick to flush the lining of her veins. For now, the only thing left to do was head back in the kitchen to find another glass.

  Chapter 17

  John had his bags packed and was ready to call Vanessa when the message came through. The late morning sun was already losing its battle against rolling storm clouds that darkened the hotel room, and his muscles were stiff and aching after having spent nearly twenty hours tossing and turning in a sweat soaked rollercoaster of nightmares and strange visions. A quick rattle of the pill container when he’d finally surfaced confirmed he had tried to swallow his way to oblivion. Only two tablets were left and there was no real memory of the binge. That wasn’t good, and neither was the idea of sitting on a plane for twenty hours with an empty container.

  He grabbed his phone and sat on the edge of the sofa as Bobbie nuzzled into the cookie bowl. There were several slices of cold pizza sitting on the coffee table accompanied with the note that Vanessa had left letting him know she hadn’t wanted to wake him to say goodbye. He hadn’t spoken to her yet to let her know that he’d decided to head back home, but she would know soon enough. First he needed to sort things out with Sebastian, who would no doubt be pissed at the decision.

  A hot gust of wind blew in through the balcony and a deep rumbling thunder rolled across the city that brought a flicker to the lamps in the room. John swiped open his mail and narrowed his eyes at the message.

  It’s time to breathe life into your new sense of purpose and pull the curtain back once and for all. Are you truly ready? Time waits for nobody while death beckons us all, and a sense of purpose transcends both. Tonight begins your movement. Rendezvous location provided following completion of a one hundred thousand dollar deposit. Look to the sky. A storm is on the way.

  There was no name to the message, only detailed instructions for the funds transfer. The audacity of the demand was bold, impressive even, but most certainly totally fucking crazy. John couldn’t help but wonder how many guests from the casino would be ready to hand over money after having their night shattered with bullets and blood. What made the demand even more amazing was the fact that they were obviously targeting the kind of people with very deep pockets, which meant they weren’t exactly stumbling around bare foot and vulnerable to the influence of any charismatic character that could recite jumbled poetry ranting about inner peace and harmony.

  How people that were smart enough to beat the system and swim in wealth could still be lost or unhappy enough to want to belong to some strange fringe cult he just couldn’t comprehend, but the answer would have to lay buried. As far as he was concerned the job was no longer viable. It didn’t matter which way he sliced it mentally, a simple outcome just wasn’t possible. He knew that the deeper he went, the stickier it would become.

  Another rumble of late morning thunder rattled the screen doors of the balcony. Rebecca was here in the city, he’d confirmed that much. Getting any closer to her would mean diving deep, and with everything that was happening he couldn’t be sure there would be enough air to make it back to the surface.

  Bobbie’s ears pricked up at a soft rapping at the door. John was aware of his pulse beginning to rise, knowing the chances were high that someone would probably want to talk with him about the events at the casino. If anything, he was surprised it had taken this long. At least now he could get the questions out the way and get ready to say goodby
e to Miami.

  A second round of soft knocks prompted him to his feet. The air conditioning was on and yet beads of sweat trailed down his back as he made his way to the door and pushed down on the handle, wondering which agent would be standing there ready to greet him. It didn’t really matter though, because either way his decision probably wasn’t going to be welcomed with open arms. When he pulled open the door, however, his prediction was quickly washed away.

  “Hey,” Candice said as politely as she could, “I hope you don’t mind me intruding like this.”

  John found his pulse surge once again and took a slight step back.

  “I probably should have called first,” she continued.

  “No problems,” John finally managed. “Come on in, I was just making coffee.”

  Candice offered a small nervous smile and followed him into the kitchen. The pot was already hot and he quickly poured two cups as she dropped to one knee and rubbed the back of Bobbie’s ears.

  “I bet he breaks a lot of hearts,” she said.

  John snatched the pill bottle from the counter and quickly slid it into his pocket, suddenly conscious of the slight rattling noise it made as he carried the coffee to the dining table. He noticed that she was dressed casually in faded blue jeans with a thin grey jacket that revealed a plain white singlet and wondered if it was normal attire for a doctor. When she sat down at the table somewhat cautiously, he realized he didn’t actually know what kind of doctor she was, and as he took a sip of coffee he saw that her eyes were ever so slightly bloodshot and the scars on her cheek flushed pink, somehow complimented by dark red hair draped across her shoulders.

  “You can probably guess why I’m here,” she said while struggling to make eye contact.

  “The shooting at the casino I’d imagine,” he replied calmly.

  “Your imagining’s correct.” Candice looked down at her coffee and seemed content to run her finger along the edge of the cup. “Your friends in the FBI were planning to visit you today but I convinced them to let me come instead. They don’t really have a dog in the fight you see, but I do.”

  “They seemed interested enough going on what I saw the other night,” John reminded her.

  “Actually, you’re right.” Candice rubbed the side of her face. “I guess what I really meant was that the agency and I might have two very different dogs, so to speak. They can smell the chance to take a cult, or whatever you want to call it, head on, but I’m not really concerned with any sort of underground movement. The only thing that’s important for me right now in all of this is getting the chance to speak with Hendrix one last time.”

  John leaned down onto the table and slowly nodded while from the balcony came the sound of the first heavy drops of rain. The sky had quickly become dark as night but it seemed the heat had no plans of going anywhere.

  “If you’ve come to find out about your friend then I’m sorry,” John said as politely as he could, “but I haven’t got anything for you. It wasn’t exactly what you’d call a meet and greet and, as you well know, the proceedings ended up being cut a little short.” He shrugged his shoulders and waited quietly while another clap of thunder, much closer this time, tore across the sky. “I can’t say for whether he was there or not, but I know I didn’t see him.”

  “What about the guy the shot up the place, did he say anything?”

  “Not that I know of,” John answered. “He pretty much appeared out of nowhere and started pulling the trigger. To be honest, I still can’t believe things didn’t turn out a lot worse.”

  “All things considered, I agree. This city is literally littered with guns and it’s like not a day can go by without someone snapping and going on a rampage.” She took a quick sip of coffee before running her finger along the edge once again. “I guess there’s always the chance you’ll have better luck next time. Hell, nobody thought it was going to be as simple as waltzing on in there and asking to speak with him.”

  “Next time?” John asked.

  “Yeah, the next time you go to one of the meetings or whatever they’re calling it.”

  John suddenly felt strangely conflicted. There was something about Candice that left him with a feeling he wanted discover more of. Sure they had only just met, and their lives probably couldn’t have been any more different, yet her presence produced a subtle surge of electricity that he didn’t want to end even though he was about to bring closure to things before they had even started.

  “I hate to say it but there’s not going to be a next time,” he said with a frown, “not with me anyway. I’ve decided to head back home.”

  Candice’s disappointment was instant. Her slightly bloodshot eyes widened and lips pursed.

  “What? No, you can’t go home yet. We don’t have anybody else that’s got a chance to get close like you have.”

  “I’m sure the FBI can work something out.” John was surprised at the guilt that was starting to surface. “Doctor Garland…”

  “Candice. Don’t worry about the doctor stuff.”

  “Okay,” John sighed. “Look Candice, don’t get me wrong cause I’d really like to be able to help out, but I’m not so sure I’m the right guy for the job. I only came out here because I needed the paycheque and it seemed like a pretty easy gig, but now things are getting real complicated real quick. You need somebody who knows their way around, not a last minute ring in who doesn’t know one city street from the next.”

  “Right now you’re one of the only chances we’ve got to get to Hendrix.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to get someone else.”

  “In time maybe but John, time isn’t something we have.”

  Candice felt something brush against her feet and looked down to find Bobbie gently reaching up with his paw. The frown that was beginning to set in quickly fell away as she scooped him up and brought his nose close to hers before setting him down on her lap. The sound of heavy falling rain wasn’t enough to silence his content purring.

  “You are absolutely gorgeous,” Candice whispered while stroking the fur along his spine and looking up to John, finally ready to hold his gaze. “He must be pretty important to bring him half way around the world.”

  “He helps me out, and I make sure to return the favour as best I can. I’m not sure if dragging him all this way was a logical thing to do,” John smiled, “but I figured he deserved a holiday.”

  “I had a cat,” Candice revealed with a hint of sadness. “He wasn’t nearly this big, but he sure was a special kind of friend. He always seemed to know if I’d had a shitty day, or if I wasn’t feeling so good, and somehow he could make things better.” She fell silent for a moment, deep in thought as Bobbie continued to purr on her lap. Eventually a tentative smile surfaced to lift her soft features. “The only time I could ever be angry with him was when he insisted on waking me up in the middle of the night just so I would turn on one of the taps for him. Seems he developed an addiction to running water in the bathtub. He’s gone now, but I still wake up sometimes ready to turn on the tap.”

  “Bobbie there has a habit of wanting cookies in the dead of night,” John said light heartedly. “And I can assure you there’s not a hope in hell of ignoring him.” Somewhat glad for the shift in conversation he found himself growing curious about her friend. “Did you lose him recently?”

  “Kiki? Not so long ago. I don’t know if lose him is the right way to put it though. It’d be closer to the truth to say he was taken from me, but that’s a whole can of worms that doesn’t need to be opened.” She looked back up with a sense of pleading in her eyes. “Look John, we don’t know anything about each other and no doubt things probably seem pretty fucking crazy from where you’re sitting right now, but when I say we don’t have the luxury of time you have to trust me. I also need you to trust me that reaching out to Hendrix is more important than you can imagine. If you go back to Australia now, we’ll lose one of the best chances we’ve got.”

  “But just a few days ago you didn�
��t even know who I was.”

  “That’s right, and a few days ago we had just about run out of ideas to reach out to him. Then we found out about you.”

  “You do realize the only meeting I’ve been to finished with a body on the floor don’t you?” John asked.

  “Not exactly pleasant I’ll admit but considering you were a cop not so long ago I’m sure it wasn’t the first time you’ve seen a body.”

  It was a little jolting to hear someone he hardly knew making a statement about his past with such assurance, yet at the same time there was something in the confidence that John found enticing, and the more he absorbed the soft lines across her face the less chance he had of denying the existence of the growing attraction. It was a pity, then, the circumstances were what they were.

  “No,” he agreed, “that wasn’t the first shooting I’ve come across and it sure as hell wasn’t the first body I’ve dealt with. But I’m not a cop anymore, and I only came to Miami to deliver a declaration of love to the runaway wife of a guy who has enough money to not even blink at the idea of flying me and Bobbie over, even knowing the odds are stacked against any sort of success. I sure as hell didn’t plan on being stalked by god knows who or recruited by the FBI to find some rogue doctor, let alone drag a woman to the hospital with a bullet hole in her shoulder. I know America likes to be bigger and better at just about anything, and you’ve sure delivered on that front, believe me, but I don’t think I need any of this right now. I promise you, my life is complicated enough already.”

  Candice listened to what he had to say and then looked around the room, noticing Bobbie’s carrier resting against the wall ready for transport.

  “Let me make a proposition,” she said with determination. “I’ll call the lab to tell them I’ll be late today while I go down and get my car, then you and Bobbie meet me downstairs. I’ll take you both out for lunch and then if I can’t convince you stay, well, I guess at least I’ve had the chance to break bread with someone more interesting than I usually come across. Deal?”