The Hallucigenia Project

by Darren Kasenkow

  “You mean when she spoke to us she was…”

  John let the rest of the sentence fall away as realisation set in, choosing instead to look back out into the rain. Judging by the shattered buildings either side they were deep in the city now, although it didn’t mean much considering he had no idea where they were headed.

  A sudden crackle of gunfire burst off in the distance, and with it an instant response from the rear of the truck as Joey fired back into the shadows of the post impact bedlam. Neither Vanessa nor Aaron so much as flinched at the engagement which passed as quickly as it had begun.

  “Talitha and Klementina have worked out a way to block transmissions so the government have pulled back for the moment, but they’ll get around things soon enough.” Aaron swept a hand across the front windscreen. “The problem at the moment is the survivors.”

  “He means the ones with guns and bad attitudes,” Vanessa took over. “Seems there’s a lot of paranoia out there and I can’t say I blame ‘em.”

  “Wait a second,” Candice said with a jolt. “Exactly how long we were gone?”

  Vanessa turned and looked at Candice with eyebrows raised. “You mean you don’t know?”

  “For sure? No. Two days, maybe three?”

  “Eleven days,” Vanessa confirmed quietly, “you were up there for eleven days.”

  Candice nodded that she understood but the truth was she didn’t. Sure there had been moments when exhaustion had carried them across the wall of sleep, but eleven days? It didn’t make any sense, but then what the hell did? Still, eleven days or thousand it didn’t matter so much, the trip had been an ascent into beautiful madness regardless.

  The sky was darkening, forcing Aaron to switch on the spotlights to pierce into the war like landscape. Though the rain seemed to be easing the winds were still howling beasts feasting on leftovers, and beyond the windows a concrete barricade that ran across the broken road could just be seen. As the truck moved closer the red glow of countless flares began to appear, and with them a small army of silhouettes that emerged from the shadows to slide open a pathway for their entry.

  John saw that they were pulling up to one of the huge city buildings that defied the shockwave. A second concrete barricade blocked street entry from the other side and barbed wire was coiled across any possible vantage points. When a bolt of lightning lit up the sky he caught a glimpse of raggedy armed soldiers lined up along the base of the building.

  Aaron rolled to a stop and killed the lights. “Welcome to your new home, for now at least.” He smiled into the mirror and offered a quick salute. “Generators are working, we’ve got hot water running in your room and there’s a good supply of food. Oh, and some premium quality cat cookies.”

  “You sure know how to make a guy kinda speechless,” John grinned back.

  “It’s the least we can do for family.”

  Vanessa jumped out and opened the back door with a welcoming swing of her arm. “As far as finding accommodation in the middle of the apocalypse, you’ve found the best there is.”

  Candice slid out first, then John, and before they knew what was happening a round of applause broke through the wind. Two long lines of people formed a pathway from the car to the building entrance, and surrounding them were countless soldiers with hands held tight against their chests. John grabbed Candice’s waist as Bobbie clawed his way up onto his shoulder, and as the applause began to die down they were joined by Joey and Aaron.

  “I’m not sure I understand…” Candice said.

  “You helped Talitha join the stars,” Aaron explained as he playfully slapped her shoulder. “The Hallucigenia Project was a success. The rest of our satellites will be online soon which means our little girl will shape the future of the digital rebuild. It’s not going to be easy, and there’ll be a lot of firepower trying to stop it, but us humans have got a new reason to struggle now. Hell, we’ve just gone intergalactic!”

  A cheer erupted across the rain soaked crowd, triggering Vanessa to grab John’s hand and lead them through the beaten but smiling faces into the building. Once inside the lights were dim and the floor clearly water damaged. It looked like it had once been the lobby for a high powered company but now it felt more like an abandoned office block, with surprisingly little movement to be found.

  When they reached the far wall Vanessa paused and opened the fire door. “We’ve made a room for you on the second level but there’s no elevator, so stairs it is!”

  Up the steps they went, Joey and Aaron flanking them as Vanessa shone the way with a small torch. The sharp smell of salt water was a constant companion as they marched through the dark, but a soft light greeted them when Vanessa opened the door to the second level.

  A single lamp sat on the floor of a small hallway, sending long shadows to reach across the frosted glass that kept hidden the office space on the other side. Two doors broke up the frosting, one directly in front of them and another towards the end of the walkway.

  “So here you are,” Aaron announced, “safe and sound.”

  Safe and sound. John felt the words echo along the edge of his thoughts as he realised that it was true, that for the first time in a blood soaked forever he did actually feel safe. On a normal day or night of course the opposite would be true but, after all he’d just been through, standing there in the building with soft lighting and soldiers keeping watch down below was an oasis pulled straight from heaven.

  “Now listen brother,” Aaron continued, “there’ll be time to talk in the morning so for now I reckon you’re both due for a bit of a rest. The mission might be over, but the work’s only just begun.” He grabbed John and squeezed him in an over strong bear hug and then spoke softly into his ear. “For a guy that stumbled in off a plane, you’re alright you know that?”

  John slapped his back and ruffled the top of his head. “Mate, with someone like you by my side I’ll jump back into the fire anytime.”

  Aaron nodded with respect and repeated the hug with Candice, though this one a lot softer. “As for you doc, having you here is our honour.”

  Candice tapped his chest and flicked him a wink. “To be honest you scare me a little Aaron, but I like you a lot.” She hugged him one more time. “Thank you.”

  “Okay!” Joey said with a clap of his hands. “I ain’t that big on the mushy stuff and it ain’t like this is goodbye or nothing so…” He shrugged his shoulders and took a bow. “Sweet dreams my pretties, time for me to check on Eric. He had a little surgery earlier and probably needs some company.”

  “He’s got a thing for the doctor,” Aaron laughed.

  “Hey,” Joey responded with mock disgust, “she’s got a thing for me!”

  “Book me in for a coffee tomorrow,” John said, “and we can swap adventure stories.”

  “Done.”

  Joey bowed once more and then disappeared through the fire door. Aaron shook his head with amusement and began to follow, pausing at the door to look over his shoulder. “One helluva trip huh?”

  John could only shake his head. “I couldn’t even begin…” His brow creased with a sudden realisation. “Hey, where’s Rebecca?”

  “She wanted to be here,” Aaron explained with a sad look cast to the ground. “Things got in the way, you know? Right now she’s back in the bunker with Hendrix, but you’ll be seeing her tomorrow.” He lifted his face and John saw that his smile had returned. “You’re gonna be surprised at what she has to tell you.”

  And then he was gone.

  With a quiet beginning to descend, Vanessa lifted Bobbie from John’s shoulders and cradled him in her arms. A sudden softness fell across her eyes and a sense of comfort washed across her face.

  “You know mister policeman, picking you up at the airport seems like a lifetime ago, and the girl holding your name that day is a distant memory.” She looked deep into his soul and blinked to hold back a tear. “It’s been one wild ride no doubt, but I’d do it all again if it meant making a friend like you.”

>   “We’re not friends Nessy,” John whispered, “we’re family.”

  He stepped forward and lifted her into his arms, the joy of her curls tickling his face as he held her close and made a quiet promise that whatever the future had in store, they would find out together.

  “Bobbie must be hungry.” Vanessa wiped at her eyes and gently handed him back, then grabbed Candice’s hands. “Anyone who can steal his heart like you have must be something special. But what you got? Special don’t even come close.” She leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “With a little love in the world, all this ain’t ‘nothin. Sooner or later, love will have the sun shining again.”

  “You’re the one who’s something special,” Candice grinned.

  “It’s not me you have to convince!” Vanessa winked. “But you can help me with that tomorrow.” She looked at them both one last time as her bottom lip quivered. “Get some rest huh? And maybe tonight can be the start of new dreams.”

  The door closed, and now the unlikely space farers were alone in the soft lit shadows of the hallway. They were bleeding, caked in filthy mud and felt as though they’d been shot out of a cannon, which in a way they kinda had, but perhaps for the first time since stumbling upon one another there was a sense of growing calm. It may have been the kind that settled in the eye of a storm, but it was still a beautiful, wonderful calm.

  “After you,” John said.

  Candice pushed open the frosted glass door and stepped inside. Her heart swelled as light from dozens of candles placed along the floor brought the area to golden life. What was once an open office had been transformed into a spacious and welcoming bedroom, with a large mattress adorned with oversized pillows in the centre of the room, fresh clothes and towels waiting for them on small wooden tables, an ice box filled with snacks resting against the wall and a small shower room off to the side. As John shuffled beside her he could see a silver bowl resting beside a fresh bag of cookies.

  “Okay big guy, time to get you something to eat.”

  Bobbie devoured the sudden feast as they stripped off their clothes and washed away the pain and anguish that clotted their skin. When all had been cleansed that could be cleansed they nibbled on some tinned fruit as John picked up a tablet resting by the side of the mattress. A small green light flashed in the corner, and as he swiped his finger across the glass the screen warmed to life.

  “I’ve been waiting for you to turn me on.” It was Klementina’s voice, while on the screen floated an image of a strange jellyfish like creature that performed a slow, colour drenched dance. “Actually this is just a recording so don’t worry, I’m not in the room with you!” John smiled as he shifted to the floor with the tablet in his lap. “You might not be graced with my tattoos again but I’ve got a new home now, close to you all and ready to guide us through the next phase. Soon our network will be up and running and we’ll be ready to break away from the simple strive to eat and survive. We’ll be ready to lead the charge to the stars.”

  John closed his eyes and thought of the view he’d seen through the pod window, the dazzling canopy of blinking jewels that was proof great things could be possible. Then he thought of once standing beneath that same canopy, bedazzled by a dinner at sea and charmed by the wit of a woman made of a mould long ago shattered, and felt a warmth flush across his chest.

  “I’ll explain more when we talk tomorrow, but for now I just wanted to leave this message to say thank you. Together we have given our species the opportunity to reach out and join our makers.” Her voice fell silent for a moment, leaving the jellyfish to wobble and dance until the speakers warmed once again. “They say that the closer you get to a black hole, the slower time becomes. Reach inside, and time just might stand still. Can you imagine if we can fill the hole with light? We will have created an eternity of gold. Sweet dreams dear friends.”

  The jellyfish vanished and the tablet powered down. John dropped it to the floor and stared into his hands. What was there to think? Embraced in the warm glow of candles with Bobbie curled up on the bed and Candice quietly rubbing cream into her wounds, there were no real thoughts to cling to. Instead there was, for the moment at least, peace. There would be no demons tonight, no scratching at his soul to leave him shaking with sweat. There would be only blissful sleep.

  He stepped up to the window and looked out into the night. Electric flashes still littered the sky and fires burned across the horizon, while the glowing red of lava could be seen where the earth had been torn open. Hell was outside the window, but for now he was inside. He was far from home, and yet he was home.

  “What are you doing?” Candice asked.

  “Shutting the curtains.”

  He pulled the long dark fabric across the glass and stretched out onto the mattress. Candice curled up in his arms and drew the blanket across their bodies, inspiring Bobbie to nestle his way between them with paws vibrating from snore like purrs.

  “Can I ask you a question?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Do you mind if we just lay here like this forever?”

  “No,” John whispered, “I don’t mind at all.”

  Author’s Note.

  Bobbie was not hurt in any way during the making of this story, however I can confirm he performed all of his own stunts. I hope you enjoyed The Hallucigenia Project journey and I look forward to reading your reviews and suggestions before leaving my sanity at the door to begin work on the next phase. Until then, keep the stars close and the dreams even closer…

  Darren Kasenkow.