The Hallucigenia Project

by Darren Kasenkow

  There were rushed conversations as the attendees shuffled out through the doors and as the din grew louder she almost didn’t realise her name being called. Rodney waved a quick hand to grab her attention but waited until the room had cleared before speaking.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  “Cold and wet,” she answered frankly.

  “I guess I walked into that one.” He stole a glance at the doors to ensure the conversation was private. “I just thought you should know that wherever Hendrix is he’s just put a target on his back.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that we’re almost certain he’s behind what just happened which makes him a lot more dangerous than he was when the day started. Before all this it was important to try to find him but it was only to talk. Now though… now he has to be stopped.”

  “I’m sorry Rodney but I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re talking about. You wanted me to try to find out if he’s part of some damn cult and, might I add, went ahead and got the FBI involved, and now you’re talking about him as some sort of target as if he’s a hardened criminal? If you know something I don’t then the least you can do is spit it out. Considering the shit I’ve been through down there I think that’s the least you could do.”

  If he was offended in any way by the biting tone that sharpened her demand he wasn’t showing it. If anything he looked as though he might have been expecting something worse.

  “You and I both know he could be difficult to work with,” Rodney reminded her. “We asked you to try reaching out because, even if you don’t want to admit it, he probably had more time for you than anybody else here. As for the FBI, that was an executive decision. The thinking was that if Hendrix was somehow part of the Hallucigenia Project then the feds might know how we could find out. We’re scientists, not cult specialists, and honestly I didn’t care too much if we couldn’t find him. The way I saw it what did it matter if he told a bunch of brainwashed nut jobs about what we’d discovered? It’s a cult for god’s sake, they’re already convinced the world is going to end.”

  “If that’s what you were thinking why even bother with him in the first place?”

  “Two simple reasons. One, to find out if he knows something we don’t, something we might’ve missed. Two, the government needs to make sure it’s still in a position of power with the ability to rebuild on the other side of hell, something that’ll become a whole lot harder if Hendrix somehow gets the word out to the public and the city erupts into chaos. Logistically speaking, that would be real fucking bad.”

  “Listen,” Candice said with a simmering anger, “I know what you’re saying but chaos is coming whether we like it or not. Don’t get me wrong ‘cause I get that the government would prefer things hold tight while they get their ducks in a row, at the same time though we have to assume it’s going to get out one way or the other.” She waved a hand up at the ceiling. “Getting hold of Hendrix was important, maybe still is, but now that the facility is getting shut down we should probably focus on getting our own houses in order.”

  He nodded with a quiet understanding as the muscles in his jaw clenched and the thin dark line beneath his eyes made obvious his exhaustion. It was also apparent, judging by the quickening of his delivery, that he had no intention just yet of slowing down.

  “This facility is being shut down because of something Hendrix might have done.”

  “You don’t know that for sure.”

  “Not for sure no, but pretty damn close. When I left you back at the lab the message started to appear, and the first thing I did was look into the name.”

  “And what did you find?” Candice asked with genuine curiosity.

  “At first nothing much, except that Talitha is the name of a couple of stars in the Ursa Major constellation if you believe in that horoscope crap and Jesus is supposed to have said the word to bring a girl back from the dead, if you believe in biblical crap.”

  “Considering what’s on the way believing in something might not be such a stupid idea,” she said dryly.

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” he offered before returning to his train of thought. “I dug deeper and then, nestled in a medical journal, I found it. The article was a year or so old but both names were there.”

  “Both names?”

  “Hendrix was the author, Talitha was his patient. From what I can tell he was studying the effects of a premarket drug for neuron disease. Once I had her second name I was able to source a handful of images and a list of family names and friends and there are agents rounding them up as we speak. I don’t think the patient has anything to do with it, but maybe someone she’s close to can lead us to him.”

  The left of field scenario had Candice scrambling for some sort of logic to take the sting out of the tale. If what Rodney revealed was true, and Hendrix was behind the second breach, then maybe he did know something they didn’t.

  “He hasn’t exactly reached out to us,” she reminded him, “and if we couldn’t find him before our chances are even slimmer now.”

  “That’s because up until now we approached things pretty much under the radar. Our primary concern was who he was with and whether or not he was spilling secrets, and of course we wanted to keep the door open for the slight chance we could convince him to come back. Now, of course, things have changed. I checked with the agents and we’re not getting anywhere with the cop that’s supposed to be helping, so things are going to ramp up. If Hendrix is still in the city he’ll have to surface sooner or later, and when he does we’ve got cameras high and low scanning for matches. Like I said, he’s made himself a target.”

  Candice should have shared Rodney’s sense of urgency but she just couldn’t. What had seemed important just days before had dwindled to background noise from the moment John’s skin had pressed against hers. Even now that the shit had hit the fan and a ringing in her ears still persisted thanks to the bullet that had made her witness to yet another death, she couldn’t help but feel the desire to be near him again.

  As far as emotions were concerned she was well and truly on a runaway rollercoaster with every breakneck turn a gut churning race into an unknown level of destruction. Now the call had been made to shut down the facility and, as much as she wanted to know what secrets the machine held, what the strange device built from an ancient blood encased set of instructions did, maybe it was time to turn her back on the whole thing and walk away. That was assuming, of course, that they would even allow her to.

  “I’ve done my part and if the cop proves Hendrix is lighting candles and holding hands with some cult so be it. I can’t make it my problem anymore. You kept pushing and pushing and my lab’s turned into a fucking morgue for Christ’s sake, so you could say my priorities are a little unbalanced at the moment.” She couldn’t help but notice he was no longer able to look her in the eyes. “I’m going to head back down and get the backups done, but after that I need to get home for a shower and change of clothes and I’m sorry if it pisses you off but it’s not negotiable.”

  “Just don’t go disappearing on me Candice,” Rodney said while examining the inside of his palm. “The high ups are angry enough and there’s not much they won’t do to stop another information leak. Now more than ever we need all hands on the task at hand.”

  Candice knew it was a threat, no doubt about it, but oddly enough she kind of understood where he was coming from. Of course the powers that be would be worried about someone running off with one of the devices, it was pretty much a given. Still, considering what she had been through already and the mental scars she was quickly collecting, the idea that she might not be trustworthy left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  Unsure of how to reply, she kept silent. The atmosphere was quickly becoming uncomfortable so she looked at him one more time and then marched out through the doors. She knew he was just passing down the message, but was glad to step away just the same.

  Back in th
e privacy of her office the weight of the building once again pressed down with the threat of suffocation. The stink from her clothes seemed to be getting stronger and the come down from the surge of adrenalin left her muscles exhausted. She wanted to collapse in the chair and close her eyes, but that would just extend the time until she could get out of the damn building.

  With her mind made up she unlocked one of the cabinets and pulled out a small cardboard box the held several hard drives. Everything they did on the system was captured and recorded, but that didn’t matter much now that the system had been compromised. Transferring date across to isolated units was the only adequate response, but before doing that she needed to be sure there was something left to back up.

  Flicking her eyes between the two screens she was relieved to find all her hard work was still there. The amount of video footage and neurological feedback analysis meant the transfer was going to be a slow process, which also meant the collection team would probably have to wait.

  She was about to set up the second hard drive when both of the screens turned a deep red, then slowly dissolved away to reveal a single white light in the centre surrounded by a featureless black. Her hands paused as slowly but surely a picture began to emerge, with strange blends of colours emerging from the white light like a flower stretching out at dawn for the first rays of the sun.

  The cool air of the room seemed somehow hot in her lungs and the blood began to rush from her stomach as a picture began to emerge, a picture of… a cat. Not just any cat though. The deep set eyes, the unbalanced whiskers that seemed to point in random directions and the distinctive pattern of the coat, Candice clamped her half open mouth with her hand at the realization it was Kiki, the dear friend she had lost.

  Confusion and deep buried emotions tangled and twisted across the border between memories and reality, spurned by the fact that it wasn’t just a picture. The fur seemed to be ruffled by an unseen breeze and his eyes peered back moving and wet, seemingly examining her as though he were real and simply held back from leaping into her arms by a thin sheet of glass. When the tiny speakers resting on the desk came alive with the soft whisper of what sounded like a young girl, Candice couldn’t help but scream before covering her mouth.

  I found footage of Kiki online. I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t want you to be scared so I thought you might like to see him again.

  Candice looked around the room, almost expecting to see someone standing in the corner, then back at the computer screens that housed her dead cat.

  I know you see me, because I can see you. We haven’t got much time. There’s something I want to show you.

  The image of Kiki lifted a paw to tap at the inside of the screens and Candice jumped back. Was this some sort of sick fucking joke? Who the hell would want to do something this cruel? With a pissed off grunt she leapt towards the desk and reached for the power chord.

  Please don’t Candice. This is important. You don’t belong with the bad people and I can help you. I can show you. I can save you. We might not have another chance.

  Overhead the lights flickered before throwing the room into darkness, triggering the red emergency globes back to life so that her reflection stared back from the glass wall as if she were sitting in a pit of lava.

  “I don’t know who you are or what game you’re playing,” she stammered meekly, shocked that she was actually responding to the obvious bait, “but you’re digging yourself a very fucking dangerous hole that isn’t gonna end well.”

  I saw what you did with Shane after I talked with him. I’ve seen all the work you’ve done. I know you want to know. I want to give you the chance to see. Please Candice, let me show you.

  Now it was downright creepy. Only a handful of people knew what happened in the lab, but then Candice quickly surmised that the breach might have somehow accessed the security footage. That had to be it. And Kiki? She had immortalised him online so, if someone was digging into her, it wasn’t too much of a stretch that they would know about her treasured cat. It was almost logical enough to rip the chord except… Shane had said he’d talked with someone. Was there a slim possibility that the whispering voice floating through the red soaked shadows had something to do with the code? Was this the angel?

  “Tell me who you are,” she said with a little more confidence.

  I’m someone who cares about you. Please, you’re time is quickly running out. Put on the special machine and you’ll see. It won’t hurt, I promise. I wasn’t there before but I’m here now. You can trust me. If you believe we’re destined for the stars, you’ll put it on.

  She turned to look through the glass into the empty, glistening wet lab. It was almost impossible to comprehend but there was no denying a tiny part of her was considering it. Like a moth ready to burn its wings in a lost search for the moon a growing curiosity was pulling at her insides, as was the realization that it could all be an insane ploy for her body to be added to the pile stowed several floors down.

  I know you don’t believe me, the soft whispering continued, and I know you want to. The people who hurt themselves, they went in too early and weren’t ready. They had outstanding debts with demons that needed to be paid. You’re different Candice, you’re ready. There’s no time left. Come and join me for just a few heartbeats, or say goodbye.

  The digital image that was Kiki looked back at her through the screen and then gracefully turned to walk away, shrinking smaller and smaller into the glowing white centre. In a strange, gut wrenching way, it was as if she was given a second chance to waive him goodbye.

  Considering the emergency lights had been activated she knew it was only a matter of time before her office was swarming with guns and attitude, leaving her with little options. She could either sit and wait for their arrival or risk everything by leaning over the edge of the abyss in search of answers. Suddenly quite sure that regret would haunt her final days, she sucked in a deep breath headed for the door.

  The inside of the lab was thick with the smell of dirty water and burning iron. It was deathly quiet but for the whir of the only working computer as it struggled against internal heat. Every cell in her body told her to turn around and walk away and yet each step brought her deeper into the room. Resting on the chrome case was the device, silent and beckoning with a haunting promise of discovery. With colours of the water reflecting from the mirror to her left it was beginning to feel as though she were entering a demonic lake.

  The lover in her was tempted to take control of her feet and scramble like hell back to John’s hotel to convince him to run away with her, but the scientist buried deep inside knew that this was probably the only chance she’d have of learning the secrets of the code. And if she was going to be completely honest with herself, then maybe putting on the device would somehow atone for the sins that came with the bodies that had been dragged across the floor.

  Fuck it, she concluded silently, if I walk away now then everything that’s happened in the lab would be for nothing.

  She picked up the device. The metal was cool against her fingertips and still had beads of water trailing along the edges. She couldn’t help but wonder if it would even work anymore, but before her thoughts galloped off to a tangent she held her breath and slid the strange object onto her head.

  Nothing happened.

  She sat down onto the same chair so many ghosts had warmed before her and tapped the logo on the screen of the working computer, a simple circle encasing what looked like forked lightening. The sound of her accelerating heart seemed to be getting louder with every second. Though the metal felt cool to her fingers, the nodes resting against her temples felt warm. On the screen nothing had changed.

  Or so she thought.

  From the corner of her eye her reflection seemed to beckon, but when she brought her eyes to the mirror it wasn’t her image that she found looking back. In fact, there was no reflection at all. The mirrored wall was gone and she was now looking at a heart achingly beautiful, rich green garden that seem
ed to stretch all the way to the horizon. There were trees of all shapes and sizes and an endless display of colours scattered along fields of flowers that were bathed in golden sunlight.

  Small, electric blue birds darted between branches and raced each other up into the blue of the sky. A warm breeze that carried promises of exotic lands and dazzling oceans swept into the lab and brushed against her cheeks, and she could just make out the scent of lavender and sweet fruit. It was like nothing she had seen before and yet there was something about the green paradise that was familiar, even comforting.

  One of the delicate small birds raced towards her with wings spread wide. Before she could even try to comprehend what was happening it landed effortlessly on her shoulder and proceeded to hope from one foot to the other while staring up at her. The feathers had a soft, silver like sheen and every few seconds it released a light little whistle. Looking back into the garden, time seemed to be accelerating thanks to the light of the sun beginning to dim as though falling from the sky.

  I’m over here Candice…

  The child like whisper carried across the breeze to brush against her ears. There was fear at the shift in reality and yet the emotion seemed disconnected somehow. Instead of something personal and hers alone it was a primal sensation, a shared behaviour pattern stripped of power and suddenly nothing more than a background curiosity.

  The delicate blue bird hopped a couple more times then launched from her shoulder, circled the lab and disappeared into the creeping darkness of the garden. Candice pushed away from the desk and stepped cautiously towards the green ferns and lush trees as their shadows stretched out along the wet concrete to lead the way. She hesitated where the mirror should have been for just a second and then eased her foot onto soft earth.