The Hallucigenia Project

by Darren Kasenkow

  “How you doin’ tiger man?” she sang as she reached into the plastic bag clenched in her hand. “I couldn’t help but bring you a little something.”

  With obvious excitement she revealed an oversized grey mouse that began to vibrate with a squeeze of its belly, and placed it on the edge of his blanket. Bobbie edged forward cautiously, then grabbed the toy with both paws and began to roll on his back while biting and licking the sudden capture.

  Vanessa jumped to her feet and turned to John, hands on hip and eyes wide and sparkling.

  “I knew he’d love it,” she said.

  “You’ve made a friend for life now that’s for sure,” he promised while glancing at his watch.

  “I’m a little early, I know, but I got lucky in the traffic. So tell me mister policeman, where we gotta go for this special event of yours?”

  “Here, I wrote it down.” He grabbed a piece of paper from the coffee table and handed it to her. “I don’t know how special the event’s going to be, but I’ll be happy enough if nobody gets shot this time.”

  Vanessa looked down at the note and scrunched up her nose a little.

  “I don’t know why you wanna keep poking around a bunch of crazy rich people, and I sure as hell don’t know why they want you to go out here.” She tapped the paper and shrugged her shoulders. “That’s across the other side of the city, and it ain’t exactly a theme park out there. You sure that’s the right place?”

  “That’s it alright. And in answer to your question,” John smirked, “crazy rich people make me feel better about not being rich.”

  “That might be so, but you still have to be careful they don’t get you all bug eyed and asking people if they know about a man called Jesus.”

  John burst out laughing at the left of field statement, and although Vanessa tried to maintain a serious expression she soon joined him as, by her feet, Bobbie continued to wrestle with his new toy. It felt good to laugh, John had to admit, and for the briefest of moments he could almost imagine he was just on a holiday without a care in the world. The truth, however, was quick to dominate, and that truth was that he was feeling a strange sense of nervousness about the meeting tonight that he just couldn’t shake, and Vanessa’s surprise at the location hadn’t exactly helped things.

  “I don’t think you have to worry Vanessa, I’m the last person to get all spiritual at the drop of a hat.”

  “Maybe so, but all joking aside I hope you can find what you’re looking for and then finish up, because there’s a whole lotta bad people in this city and I’d hate for you to leave here never wanting to come back. There’s beauty here if you look in the right places, believe me.”

  “I’m sure there is. I can’t imagine you being here if there wasn’t.”

  Vanessa crossed her arms and took a step forward. “I don’t know what happened the other night except what was on the news, and I know better than to be sticking my nose where it don’t belong so I’m not going to ask. Just promise me you’ll keep your head on tonight, and if it looks like things are gonna jump off again then call me and I’ll get you out of there before you can say Bobbie got a new toy. Miami? Sometimes, she can take you places you might not want to go.”

  John wanted to maybe ease her concerns and tell her that he had come face to face with enough monsters in his time, and that Miami might be a bit bigger than his home town but was still only a city, and therefore suffered the same human elements as any concrete jungle. But he didn’t.

  “I don’t think there’s much chance of lightening striking twice, so I’m sure things will be okay. Besides, considering my change of careers I tend to wind up in strange situations, sometimes dangerous ones, yet things seem to have a way of working out. And like you said, if things get a little too crazy I’ve always got you to swing in and give me an exit and Bobbie here to keep my head straight.”

  “You’re pretty headstrong for a tourist, you know that?” Vanessa asked with a quick wave of her finger. “I guess we better head down cause the traffic across town ain’t gonna be pretty.”

  John hustled together his things and minutes later they stepped out into the crushingly thick late afternoon air, humidity wasting no time in clinging to their clothes and skin. Once in the car the cool kiss of the air conditioning was welcomed, and as they began their crawl across the strained beating heart of the city the red of the sun was slowly collapsing into the arms of the distant horizon, where tired beams of light struggled to paint ever darkening cloud underbellies with crimson shades of colour.

  The banter was friendly and relaxed until, after nearly an hour, the ambience of the surroundings began to change with the sky dark and brooding. Although there was a sense that the ocean was still close by and the traffic remained almost bumper to bumper, the architecture had slowly shifted from towering offices and apartments to rusty walled warehouses and boarded up store fronts that created an atmosphere of neglect and loss. As they pushed further along the number of cars began to thin, and above them it was a crap shoot if any of the street lights were actually functioning.

  “Not the sort of place you wanna have car troubles,” Vanessa joked. “Back when there was more cocaine than dust this whole area used to be famous for body drops. It got so bad they were going to bulldoze a whole heap of blocks, but nothing ever went through. Now it’s like a scab that won’t ever heal.”

  “It definitely has a certain charm, I’ll give you that.”

  “I guess that’s one way to say it’s a shithole.”

  With a few quiet commands from the onboard navigator they turned off the arterial road and began weaving their way amongst littered streets and buildings of the sort that could only be found in industrial zones, eventually arriving at the address John had scribbled down. A dilapidated chain linked fence was almost overrun by the tall grass and weeds that stretched from the edge of the footpath to the base of the intimidating warehouse, which stood in a darkened eerie silence with no lights or activity to be seen.

  “You sure you wrote the address down right?” Vanessa asked one more time while scanning the multitude of broken windows.

  “I think we need to head down there,” John replied, pointing at a large gate that had been opened to allow access along the cracked and crumbling driveway. “I’m pretty sure I can see a light.”

  “You really want me to go back there?” she asked with eyebrows raised high. “You sure know how to push your luck, and I can promise you ain’t no cops willing to swing in here to help if anything happens.”

  “Between those sledgehammer punches of yours and the way you can handle a car, I’m pretty confident we’ll be okay.”

  “I said you knew how to push your luck, not that you weren’t smart.”

  She gave the wheel a hard turn and steered into the driveway, easing the vehicle through the high steel gates where the concrete took a sharp turn to the right into a large car park that was enclosed with fences and accompanied strings of barbed wire. The vision that greeted them was as unexpected as it was surreal.

  The entire area was awash with blue light that stemmed from a large pole set up in the far corner, with humming globes attracting countless bugs that seemed driven to insanity as they continuously smacked into the hot glass. Along the rear wall of the warehouse there was a line of parked cars, and in the middle of the area sat two enormous buses with front doors wide open. Standing in formation along one of the buses were several figures dressed in some sort of uniforms. John counted six of them, and he definitely saw the guns that were strapped to each of their belts, before turning his attention to a makeshift tent where a small crowd of people had gathered. This was certainly a far cry from the extravagance and comfort of the casino, that was for sure.

  Vanessa placed the car in park and studied the strange activity, her fingers tapping restlessly on the steering wheel as one of the men in uniform began to march their way.

  “This is so not normal,” she murmured to herself before turning to John with a look of urgency. �
��This has been fun and all, but I’m ready to go when you are.”

  “Keep the engine running,” John replied while keeping his eyes trained on the approaching figure, “but don’t shift gears just yet. You’d be surprised how much the invite to this little party cost, so might was well see what this guy has to say.”

  The glow of the almost violet blue light was just strong enough to let him study the man as he stepped closer and closer. Obviously strong shoulders seemed somewhat of a contrast against an overweight stomach that stretched the waistband of dark coloured pants favoured by the military. Judging by his sweat filmed baby face he was young, maybe early twenties, and as he reached John’s window and leaned down the kid’s left hand was resting against the gun on his hip. Now that they were virtually face to face he could see the insignia stitched into the centre of his black shirt, a large H in gold cotton with what looked like a rocket launching diagonally across his chest.

  “This is private property,” the kid began, “so I hope you’ve got a good reason to be out here.”

  John had to hold back his smile at the attempt to sound threatening, even if there was a gun just a few inches from the door. “Easy there tiger, by the look of your shirt I’m guessing this is where I need to be for the Hallucigenia Project meeting.”

  “Name?”

  “John Richter.”

  The kid slipped a small screen from his pocket that illuminated his face and squinted as he scrolled through a list of names. When he found what he was looking for he tapped the glass with a thick finger, tempting John to shift slightly to glance at what the kid had brought up. It was a snapshot of him sitting at the table in the casino the night of the shooting.

  “Mr Richter, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He looked across to Vanessa as a bead of sweat escaped the top of his cheek and slid his neck. “And your name is…”

  “She’s a friend of mine,” John quickly declared, “but you don’t need to worry about her name.”

  “I can appreciate that, but if your friend isn’t on the invite list then I’ll have to respectively ask that she make her way back off the property. We’ll be on the road soon and those gates will be locked back up.”

  “On the move?” John asked.

  The kid smiled as though John had said something stupid and took a step back.

  “What you need to do is head to that tent over there and they’ll get you sorted out.”

  John turned to Vanessa and offered a cheeky wink. “Looks like this is where I get off. My guess it’s probably going to be a late one so I’ll sort something out. No point you driving across the city and then having to come back again.”

  “It don’t matter what time it is, just let me know when you’re finished ‘cause this is some creepy shit and the sooner I get you back to the hotel the better.”

  John could sense the growing worry in her voice and had the sudden realization that he was in no way looking forward to waving her goodbye when it was finally time to head home.

  “Okay then, I’ll call you when the creepy show is over. Here,” he said, handing her his swipe card to the hotel, “take this. I’m sure Bobbie will be happy if you were to stop by for another visit.”

  “Just be careful John. Even for a city like Miami this is looking pretty wrong.”

  “You bet.”

  He stepped out into the thick early evening air and watched as she turned the car around and headed back out along the fractured driveway. When he could no longer see her tail lights he turned on his heels and began to walk towards the tent that was glowing beneath the blue light, with the round bellied kid following close behind. Two small lines of people had begun to form as one by one they stepped up onto the buses, leaving John to wonder just where it was they were to be taken.

  As he reached the makeshift tent he shuffled in close behind a small group that seemed to be waiting their turn at signing in at a small table. Because of his position he couldn’t see who was taking care of the checking in, with nobody bothering to turn and acknowledge his presence.

  Standing at the edges of the tent and over by the buses he counted eight figures sharing the same H emblazoned shirts, all men but for two stern faced women that stood either side of the desk. The uniform shirt wasn’t the only thing they shared, because he could see that they all kept a hand close to the guns resting on their hips. John was usually pretty comfortable with weapons but, standing there in the soft blue light unsure of his surroundings or what was about to actually happen, he couldn’t help but feel a little daunted at the show of force.

  The minutes ticked by and finally the couple in front of him stepped away. Staring up at him from her position behind the desk, Klementina looked a whole lot better than when he had last left her. Sure, there was a thick bandage across her shoulder but her eyes were sparkling with excitement, and the smile that curled her lips made it clear she had been expecting him. John couldn’t hold back his surprise.

  “I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” he said.

  “You almost sound disappointed,” Klementina replied.

  “Not at all.” Behind him one of the buses started its engine and began to navigate a slow turn onto the driveway and headed out towards the road, forcing him to wait until the noise settled. “Usually when people get shot they don’t do too much for a while.”

  “I guess I’m not usual people.”

  “No, I don’t suppose you are, and it’s good to see you Klementina.”

  “It’s good to see you John. To be honest I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

  “And yet here I am.”

  “Yes,” she nodded with a smirk, “here you are. It’s not exactly an exotic location to kick things off, but after tonight I promise you’ll never look at the world the same again.” She tapped at the keyboard of a small laptop resting on the table, nodded at the woman in uniform to her left and looked back up at him with a sense of knowing. “Veronica will show you to your seat and then we’ll be on our way. I’m sure you’re wondering but no, I can’t tell you where we’re going except to say you’ve got nothing to worry about. As for any other questions you might have, there’ll be answers soon enough. For now just enjoy the ride, cause things are about to get a little crazy.”

  John looked around and saw that the other passengers had already boarded the bus and knew there was no real chance of turning back now, at least not if he wanted to try one last time at coming good with regards to the job he’d been hired for. While he still had no real idea about what the Hallucigenia Project was about he was at least assured of Rebecca’s existence in the group, even if the moment had been fleeting. If he could just find her one more time, maybe even manage to talk with her for a few minutes, then at least he could go home knowing he earned his money fair and square. And if he did find her it made no difference to him one way or the other if she wanted to stay or drop everything and return to Australia, because fixing relationships was the last thing he was qualified for.

  He looked back to Klementina and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I’m starting to learn crazy is in this city’s blood.”

  “Not just the city’s blood,” Klementina replied while rising from her seat, “but all of life’s blood. You’d be amazed what you can find when you zoom in deep enough.”

  The woman named Veronica indicated for John to follow her towards the waiting door of the bus. He stepped quickly to catch up to her but paused when Klementina called out from the tent.

  “By the way John, I was a little out if it when you left the other night so in case I didn’t say it then I’ll say it now. Thanks for being a strong shoulder to lean on.”

  “Don’t mention it,” he said before continuing the walk to the bus door where Veronica was patiently waiting.

  The engine ignited to a low rumble. Glancing up at the side of the vehicle he saw that all of the windows had been painted black. If he was hoping for a scenic tour this wasn’t going to be it. He looked at the stairs leading insi
de and then to Veronica, who observed him with curiosity through tropical green eyes and spoke with a tone surprisingly soft and polite.

  “After you sir, we’ve saved the best seat for last.”

  Jets of cool air hit his face as he climbed the small but steep metal stairs up into the cabin, where dim overhead lights left him barely able to see the faces of the strangely silent passengers. To his left was the only empty seat remaining, a front row position that was obviously his for the taking. A small package caught his eye and then a familiar voice cut through the silence.

  “I heard they build ‘em tough down under.”

  John squinted at the source of the statement and saw that it was Joey from New York. If he’d been surprised to see Klementina he was pretty much stunned to see Joey waiting for him to take a seat while flashing a cheeky grin, especially considering the night they had met finished with his gunning down of a man.

  “It’s no fucking limo,” Joey continued without a care for the way his voice carried across the cabin, “but at least the cooling seems to work. Welcome aboard.”

  “Good to see you again mate,” John said warmly as he grabbed the package from the seat and sat down, curious as to what the contents might be.

  “Don’t get ya hopes up. I thought it might’ve been something to drink but it’s just a set of fancy goggles.”

  “I’ve already told you Joey,” Veronica said with a slight smirk while stepping up to John’s seat, “it’s an interface.”

  “Anything you say,” Joey laughed.

  Veronica leaned down, tore open the plastic packaging and handed John a virtual reality headset, and that’s when he noticed that a sheet of plexiglass separated the front of the bus from the rest of the cabin. He’d seen something similar in taxis before, but never a bus.

  “Now that everybody’s here,” Veronica announced, “your journey can begin. Respectively I ask that for the moment there be no talking, and yes that includes you Joey”. She winked at him and then continued. “What I’d like you all to do now is fit the headsets nice and comfortable, take a deep breath to relax and lean back in your seat. For security purposes it’s important you keep the devices on until you’re instructed otherwise, and if you’re wondering why I haven’t asked you for any electronic or mobile devices it’s because they simply won’t work while you’re onboard. You are now entering the Hallucigenia Project and as such this is a secure facility. So, ladies and gentleman, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride.”