“Those look expensive,” he remarked.
“Probably because they are,” Klementina revealed. “Most of what you’re looking at dates back to the sixteenth century, but there’s a couple of pieces a little younger. They’ll be pulled down soon and stored for safe keeping. This room alone is probably holding more than ten million dollars worth of canvass, give or take.”
John pointed to a large golden frame that held a portrait of a young but serious looking man. “I don’t know why but he looks kinda familiar.”
“Galileo Galilei, one of the great men that helped bring is into the era of modern science. He discovered the four moons of Jupiter at a time when life was still filled with angels and demons, and the light he tried to shine on the workings of the world and surrounding planets showed instead the hypocrisy of the church. Back then love and compassion was reserved for those with their eyes closed, and if you ask me things haven’t changed too much.”
“Besides being a whole lot richer,” Joey offered.
“You’d be surprised how many killers I met in prison that slept with their bibles,” Eric added while beginning to peel the jeans from his legs.
“I don’t like church,” Talitha suddenly joined in. “It’s full of scary people that smile funny.”
One of the women from the greeting party appeared in the doorway and handed Courtenay several bottles of water before quickly disappearing. They were quickly passed out and, as they cooled the back of their throats, another woman appeared, older than the others and elegantly beautiful in the way that could only come with quiet confidence and sharp, simmering intelligence.
“Sorry Sonja,” Klementina said, “I was hoping our arrival would be under better circumstances.”
“Better circumstances?” Sonja laughed. “An hour ago I thought the game was up already and that the planet was about to split open, so considering the sky is mostly blue again and I’m standing here looking at you, I’d say the circumstances are pretty good all things considered. Now let’s have a look at what we’re dealing with here.”
She placed a small bag on the wooden floor and crouched down to examine Eric’s leg, surgical gloves slipping onto her hands with expert ease. “There’s no way of knowing how badly the bones have been damaged,” she said. “We’ll need a scan for that, so I’m afraid you’re a little unlucky in that department. As for what I can see, I’ll have to pull some of the road out of your skin, give it a good clean and stitch you up with some strong line. It will probably sting like hell, so try not to kick me.”
“I won’t be kicking you doc,” Eric promised as he pushed back against the sofa and clamped down with his jaw for the pain.
Joey skulled what was left of his water and looked over at John. “I don’t think there’s much room left for doubt anymore.”
“No,” John replied, “I don’t suppose there is.”
Klementina held a hand to her wound as a single bead of sweat trailed down her neck.
“So what do we know?” she asked.
Courtenay stepped to the window bay, drew down the white blind and placed a small device on the polished floor that began to project silent news footage of various locations at the mercy of the fires in the skies.
“The reports are only just starting to come in but it looks like it spread out from the North Atlantic. Guyana and Caracas were hit pretty badly and Venezuela is broadcasting a national emergency. Parts of Texas took some heavy impacts along with Mexico and Guatemala, and here in Florida the highway’s been torn to shreds with heavy damage across the coastal areas. As for the number of dead, it’s still too early to be sure but all told they’re estimating in the vicinity of the ten thousand mark.”
John watched the silent, shaky images of flame drenched meteorites crashing into heavy populated areas and felt the stirrings of a primal fear, the kind of deep set fear that was reserved for things that didn’t make sense while promising something more than death. Looking at the screen he might have convinced himself that it was some sort of hi tech illusion, if it wasn’t for the fact that the stench of destruction was still fresh on the inside of his nose.
“What about other countries?” he asked.
Courtenay shook her head. “The reports are still coming in but so far it looks like the storm from hell started tearing up the atmosphere just off the west coast of Africa and made its way across. Word is the navy lost a couple of carriers out there in deep waters. They were running through some war games but I guess they didn’t pick it up in time.”
“There are nearly two million asteroids spinning in a ring between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter,” Klementina explained. “On our doorstep, in Earth’s orbital zone, we know of at least ten thousand that would make for a real bad day if one decided to spin off course. There must have been an impact out there somewhere, and the chances of having a telescope pointed at the right dot in an infinite blanket of barely visible dots would be slimmer than firing a gun over your shoulder and hitting the flag on the moon. And besides, aircraft carriers are built for intercontinental threat detection, not interstellar surprises.”
“Well,” John thought out loud, “it sure was one hell of a surprise.”
“It’s like knowing a punch is coming only when it lands it’s ten times worse than you expected,” Joey mused.
“If that’s true,” Eric winced as the hooked needle pierced the edges of his torn skin, “I’d say we’ve just been hit with the jab that comes before the punch.”
The truth in what he said rippled across the room, while the projection on the blind flickered with the heart wrenching image of a father weeping on the side of a shattered road that had become a grave for what was once his family. His face was mostly covered by his hands, but John caught a glimpse of his red eyes and found an all too familiar sorrow. The fact that he was but one of many was an uncomfortable truth, and it left him considering again what Eric had said about the jab. The real punch was yet to come, and when it did the concept of sorrow would take on a whole new meaning.
Courtenay could see the look on everyone’s faces and switched off the projector, leaving the blind down so that for the moment the sky remained hidden. Sonja looked up from her handy work and used the back of her blood soaked glove to shift the hair that had stuck to her cheek.
“We build cities that never switch off and fill the world with distraction and noise and dance like the song will never end,” she said, staring down at the floor deep in thought. “When we’re faced with the flaw in mortality we sweep away the evidence and keep marching on, sure that the glitch won’t come for us. Now though? Now the curtain’s been pulled back a little, and even though the clouds are beginning to break and the sun’s beginning to shine there’s a soft change in the melody that people can hear, and they know the dance might be coming to an end.”
“The ultimate symphony that asks for no encore,” Klementina agreed.
“I guess we hope,” Sonja continued, “that we can remember the tune and why we danced in the first place.”
“So what do we do now?” John asked nobody in particular.
“We stick to the plan,” Klementina declared. “Things might be moving faster than we thought, but that doesn’t change what has to be done.”
Talitha activated her chair and the whir of tiny gears crept into the air as she turned to face the room. “Sometimes, when the dreams come to visit, my legs work again and I dance on a glittering frozen lake. The dream ends, but I keep the memory.”
“Dancing in dreams is the only dancing that matters,” Joey suggested.
“Soon I can dance whenever I want,” Talitha whispered back. “I won’t need my body and the music will never end.”
Klementina nodded in agreement and leaned forward. “We’ve got a room ready if you want to rest sweetie.”
“No,” Talitha said politely, “I want to talk with them. I don’t need any rest.”
“We have to be careful Talitha,” Klementina reminded her. “The bad people will be wait
ing for you to go in, and they’ll try real hard to find out where you are.”
“I’ll be careful. The bad people will try to find me anyway.”
“In that case, we’ll leave Sonja to clean up Eric’s leg and head down. Maybe you can find out if the sky is going to catch fire again anytime soon.”
With a deep breath to seal the decision Klementina jumped to her feet and joined Courtenay by the open door before indicating to the others to go on through. John had no idea of what was going on and, judging by the look Joey threw him, he wasn’t the only one. With a quick shrug of his shoulders he began to follow Talitha as she rolled across the floor and into the next room, Joey following close behind.
What they found was a hive of activity in a large area that was a blend of renaissance inspired art and post modern functionality, with makeshift desks and computers lined against walls and solemn faces busy at work scanning screens. In here the rising swells and soft retreats of violins and pianos was pushed to the background by the sounds of news reports and hushed conversations.
One by one all eyes turned to the visitors. Some managed a polite smile, while others could only look at Talitha with a strange kind of awe that hinted at disbelief, as if something they had wanted for so very long and were sure no longer existed had suddenly landed before them. John couldn’t be sure, but some of the faces seemed ever so vaguely familiar.
“Abyss Jumpers,” Klementina said, appearing by his side and seemingly able to sense his silent question. “We wanted somewhere to keep Talitha comfortable during the transition phase that also gives us the chance to get where we need to be. It wasn’t easy, and it certainly wasn’t cheap, but it’s a good strategic location with a feature you’ll probably recognise, and considering it’s a dead end street meaning only one way in or out there’s less chance of surprise visitors.”
“Less options for escape though,” John figured.
“That’s a fair enough analysis. You’d probably be right except for a few minor details.”
“The devil’s always in the details.”
“The devil will be looking for us soon enough,” Klementina agreed with a little too much surety before dismissing the comment with a wave of her hand. “Over the last year or so we purchased the titles to some of the surrounding properties. It cost a little more than we planned but now we own the two houses to the left and four on the right. You could say it’s a case of overkill but now this quiet little street is packing enough fire power to hold back a small army if we have to, not to mention a fleet of cars ready to hit the streets to block any entry and a few launchers on the roofs to push back any airborne threat.”
“Jesus Christ,” John said, barely able to conceal his shock. “I get that you want to protect the girl but if getting to her means an all out assault maybe this isn’t exactly where she should be, and just maybe she’d be safer back in the bunker that needs drugs just to get to.”
“You’re right, she might be safer back in the bunker for a while, but there’s somewhere she needs to get to real soon, somewhere important, and when that time comes her best shot of getting there is from right here, believe me.”
The frantic activity in the room seemed to be picking up. Those sitting at the desks had their noses just inches from screens and were either typing at a furious pace or in the middle of video calls that forced their voices to grow louder and louder in an effort to combat the noise of the room. Adding to the busy scene were the many faces of women entering and leaving, faces that not only appeared worried but gaunt and malnourished with many displaying thin skin that was pulled tight against their bones. Some carried handfuls of paper and some ran from one desk to the next, whispering information into alert and ready ears. Courtenay appeared amongst the animated group and Klementina reached out to softly draw her close.
“Is everything set up in the room?” she asked.
“We’re just waiting for the generator to start,” Courtenay replied. “Considering we could run out of power any second it was top of the list, but other than that we’re good to go.”
“Excellent. I’ve got a couple of things to take care of so I sure would appreciate it if you could show Talitha the way and make her comfortable, maybe something to eat and some more water.”
“I’d be honoured.”
Klementina turned to Talitha, who looked slightly overwhelmed at what was happing around her. “I won’t be too long okay? Courtenay will take you somewhere a little quieter so you can get ready to go in.” She brushed a hand against her cheek. “I know it wasn’t much fun today but the main thing is we’re here now, and that means one step closer to saying hello.”
“I wish Eric didn’t need needles,” Talitha said before changing the subject in the same breath. “Is John coming back with Bobbie?”
“I don’t know Talitha, would you like him to?”
“You said we have to stay here for a few days so I think Bobbie should come for a visit.” She turned her head to look at John as the nerves in her neck began to twitch. “Please come back. If you don’t I might never see you again, and that means I won’t get to meet Bobbie.”
John looked down with a serious face then winked in jest. “End of the world or not, I promise I’ll do my best to come back. We got a deal?”
“Deal.”
“Well then princess I guess it’s time to see your room,” Courtenay announced. “Doctor Hendrix told us all about the things that you like, so hopefully it’s just perfect.”
The whir of Talitha’s chair joined the sound of scattered conversations and hurried footsteps as she followed Courtenay through a large archway before disappearing to the right. Klementina, meanwhile, took one last glance around the room, grabbed John’s hand and, after stepping through the same archway, began to lead him down a dark corridor to the left.
It wasn’t overly long, and soon enough they emerged in a sunlit kitchen area with an enormous dining table covered with a banquet’s range of snacks and foods. He was surprised to find the room empty, and through a gap in the blue curtains either side of another wide bay window he could see a large paddock with long green grass swaying in the breeze as though it were just a normal summer’s day.
Dishes were piled up in the sink as the compressor on the double door fridge rattled in the quest to keep things cool, and for a second he figured they had stepped down the hall for something to eat. Food was the last thing on his mind though, and he was about to let Klementina know when she drew his attention to the large floor to ceiling mirror embedded in the wall that left the room feeling bigger than it was.
“I’m surprised it’s still in one piece,” she said as she shuffled up to her reflection.
“Judging by that frame and what I’ve seen already, I’m guessing it must be pretty old.”
“Late nineteenth century actually. It came with the house.”
“I like a bit of antique and art as much as the next guy,” John said with a false sense of conviction, “but I think my eye for quality is sitting somewhere back on the highway.”
Klementina peered into the mirror until she caught his eyes in the reflection. “Things aren’t going to get much easier from here. If it’s any consolation though, you don’t have to wonder if we’re all batshit crazy anymore.”
For a long moment they simply stood there, eyes locked as the sounds of damage control filtered down the hallway. Eventually he broke the trance and tried to wrangle the atmosphere back from the kind of contemplation that could quickly descend like a fresh sheet floating down onto a mattress.
“So why are we standing here staring at ourselves in a mirror?” he grinned.
“You know it’s kind of funny in a way. Mirrors have been around for more than two thousand years but the type we’re looking into right now, the type that uses a thin metallic strip of silver, has been around less than two hundred years. It’s almost as if ideas can evolve the same way life does, with long runs of nothing much happening and then suddenly a shift in how things work.” Sh
e reached out to touch the reflection of her face and traced along the edges of her jaw. “Maybe that’s why the Hallucigenia Project exists, to help and bear witness to a new change in how things work.”
“When you put it like that I guess it is a pretty cool mirror.”
“Actually, we’ve made a few modifications.”
She pushed her palm against the glass and then smeared a finger as though signing an autograph. A small red laser appeared in the centre that sent a beam across her face before blinking several times and disappearing. A second later the glass came alive with an electric kaleidoscope of geometric shapes and glowing green and purple colours. With a tap of her finger she brought up a menu that didn’t make any sense to John, who watched the scrolling light show with quiet surprise. His expression was just a little too early though, considering what happened next.
As her hand dropped to her side the mirror filled with the black of space littered with thousands of stars, spinning and swirling as though being sucked into the very centre. There was the sound of a mechanical grinding and the antique frame began to slide to the right, revealing a long glowing red tunnel that sloped down into the distance. John could only shake his head as yet again reality took a turn off the road.
“It’s like I’m in a forgotten chapter of Alice In Wonderland,” he said once the mirror had opened wide.
“Considering Lewis Carroll wasn’t his real name and he had a neurological disease that left him at the mercy of hallucinations, I think he would have joined our project family with glee.”
“Let’s not forget about the crazy cat,” John offered.
“Or what he said.”
“Which was?”
“We’re all mad here.”
And with that she stepped through what was just seconds ago an electric light show and began the descent into the red, with a quick wave of the hand to ensure John followed.
The Hallucigenia Project Page 57