Hypersubjects

by Ainsley Komper

  “See? Do you believe me?”

  It was taken recently.

  “We need to leave everything intact. They mustn’t know we came here.”

  “How do you know all of this? Who’s “they”? Who are you?”

  “I’ll tell you everything once we are out.”

  The guy copied the contents of the USB in a small laptop he was carrying in his backpack and they both left. Once in the streets, they walked to a car and started driving.

  “Could I go home? We need to tell the police.”

  “No, we can’t. They will be on their side.”

  “So, you are…?”

  “My name does not matter. What matters is yours. You are on a list, a very dangerous list. You have been catalogued as a subject with potentially dangerous skills.”

  “Skills? What skills? If any, I am the opposite. I have the skill of killing myself during a seizure.”

  “If you are on that list, it is for a reason. I am no doctor or scientist but you are on that list.”

  “Who are you then?”

  “I am someone who’s on that list too. That is how I know about it, that is how I know you.”

  “Are you epileptic as well?”

  “What? No? I have a different condition, way different.”

  “If you want me to trust you, I need to know more about you. Otherwise, leave me here.”

  “Have you ever been contacted by a pharmaceutical organisation based in London?”

  He speeded up the car so Iker couldn’t jump.

  “Have you contacted them? Are you taking part in any of their trials?”

  Iker started to feel uneasy about everything the man was pointing out. The fake attempt of mugging was no joke plus the information of the London research institute. After a few moments, the stranger started to talk.

  “I took part in one of the trials to study a condition I have. The money was good and everything went fine until I found out they were torturing a woman as part of one of their research programs. I tried to help her but I couldn’t so I ran away. They captured me and had me all sedated until others like on the list, rescued me and her. We are on the run now and…”

  He started laughing.

  “Sorry, I’ve never said it all at loud. It sounds so ridiculous and unreal.”

  “What do I have to do with this?”

  “Before running away, I found a list of people on a Doctor’s computer. It contains information about their whereabouts, age, profile, families, research field, supervisor. Your name is on that list, that is how I found you.”

  “So, what’s the big deal? Yes, they contacted me for a few years and, yes, I was part of a research program but I left when they were pushing me to move to England. End of story.”

  “Wrong. They are following you and they sent someone to kill you.”

  “Oh please, how do you know he was going to kill me?”

  “Because everyone else on that list has died. You are the first one alive I could found. They all have.” Iker asked him to stop the car, then started to shout so the big guy parked on the side of the highway. He ran a few meters until a stone thrown by the guy hit him on the ankle and made him trip. The man approached him slowly while Iker was grunting in pain on the floor.

  “I am not the bad man here, kid. My name is Braith and I wish someone like me came to my help before all of this started.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “I am not going to be around you much longer because that could be dangerous for you too.” “They are after me.”

  Braith helped him to go back to the car.

  “So, why are you alone? Where are the people who helped you out?”

  “We had our differences and I am not used to teamwork.”

  “So, you guys split? Just like that?”

  “I wanted to go through the list and they didn’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Listen, if you want to survive, just follow my lead. I will ignore your condition and I know that it is difficult to talk about it. I don’t do it myself so don’t ask.”

  “I am epileptic, that’s all.”

  “The woman who was in trouble, the one we rescued, once outside she convinced someone inside the institute to help us with stuff. That person sent us everything, from intel to pharmaceuticals.”

  “How come?”

  “It’s complicated but she managed to get some prescription that I think you were looking for.”

  “How do you know all that about me?”

  “You are so naive but that is the point. I am going to give you the drug, some money, a lot of money and you have to go off the grid for a while. You have all that in the bag under the seat.”

  “Off the grid?”

  “There is also a phone. You can contact your family and talk less than 90 seconds with them, otherwise, they will track you. You need to disappear for a while, go to South America, India, wherever is easier for you. Keep that phone, I will be in touch. Also, don’t go back to your flat, they are waiting for you.”

  Braith stopped the car, took his stuff and left. Confused, Iker followed.

  “I can’t do everything you ask.”

  He threw the backpack at him.

  “Keep your money and your stupid phone and all your bullshit with you.”

  “You are just not an epileptic. Inside the bag, there is a drive with videos of you. Take a look.”

  “Videos of what?”

  “If you don’t do as I say, you will die. Either “mugged in the street” or in “car crash” or anything else that looks like an unfortunate but not suspicious circumstance. I know this is a lot to take but I have to go. I haven’t finished checking the list actually, there are a few names that I am pretty sure are dead but I need to double check. You are safe and if you die, it won’t be my fault, not anymore. Good luck and I hope to see you again.”

  Braith jumped behind a wall, disappearing into the night. Iker was confused, overwhelmed but mostly, curious about the videos. Inside the car, he decided to check the bag to find inside not only the USB drive but also a laptop. The drive was full of videos of him sleeping, at least that was what the thumbnails and the first seconds of each video showed. Someone had installed a camera at his bedroom and recorded him during night time. However, after a few minutes, something weird started to happen in the first video he opened. His hand moved independently, reaching out for his phone and started doing something with it. Because of the angle, it was not possible to determine what it was. In the second video, the hand was working on the laptop like in many of them. Scared, he rented a hotel room, tied his left hand to the bed before going to sleep and, with the right one, took one of the pills that Braith had left for him in the bag. He was not sure what to do with the medicines because there was no guarantee they were the same ones he used to have. Besides, there were some injections in the pack too but it was too late now and he was tired. Perhaps it was better to sleep on all of this and take some time to assimilate his new situation. Iker had to figure many issues out, including his family. How was he supposed to tell them? What about his flat, his jobs, his stuff? Was all this real? It all seemed to but what if it wasn’t as dangerous as Braith said? Certainly, someone was following him and also recording him at night which was sick. It was all too much to handle. He needed a drink but this place was located in the middle of nowhere. Besides, a hangover was the last thing he would need in a potentially difficult tomorrow. He managed to sleep, always playing on his mind the information Braith gave him. An intense pain travelling from his left leg down the tight woke him up around 3 AM and when he looked down, his own left hand was holding an empty syringe. A scream of terror scared and a shake of his body made him lose the syringe. He held it and looked at the wire he used to tidy the hand now laying on the floor. The pain on the leg intensified like a strong invasion of insects stinging, travelling under his skin through the veins, wanting to break free. Having lost control of his left leg and arm, Iker crawled towards the backpack tr
ying to get the phone but once he was about to dial, his left hand grabbed his right wrist and bang it to the floor several times until he lost the phone. The insects under his body went right up to his left shoulder, arm and hand. An intense pain as if his left limbs were being ripped apart from the trunk consumed him but when looking at his own body, there was no blood, no tearing. His body gave up, passing away on the floor for several hours until he woke up hungry. Everything seemed normal, maybe it was all a bad dream like Braith, the mugging, his alien hand. Iker was exhausted and dehydrated, like he had just finished a marathon. While drinking water from the tap, something yanked him away. His own left hand started fighting a man who was attacking him from behind, the same guy who tried to mug him a few days before. The arm seemed to have the strength enough to grip the attacker’s throat plus yanking Iker’s body. With his right hand, Iker started to help out in the fight but he was an irrelevant outsider. For brief instants, he saw a man similar in features to him, controlling his left hand, squeezing the opponent and pushing him towards and away from the wall until the fake mugger stopped breathing. Iker, now worried about the attacker, was trying unsuccessfully to remove the grip of “his own” left hand with his right one. The man in control of his left hand was beyond angry.

  “Stop! You are going to kill him.” Iker said to the guy in control of his left arm and hand.

  “He tried to kill us before, he is not going to stop until we die.” The man replied.

  “I don’t care!”

  “I do! He was able to track us and he will do it again.”

  “You are going to kill him!”

  “That is the idea!”

  A woman and a guy arrived to find the weird scene. She looked at her companion so he raised a hand covered by a weird glove towards them. In a matter of seconds, a blast emerged from the glove and everything went black.

  “Just be careful.” The woman said.

  “Don’t worry. If I don’t stay in touch, leave.”

  After the man with the glove left, closing the door, Iker pretended to be asleep.

  “I know you are awake.” The woman said to him. “Sit down, we need to talk.”

  Iker stood up looking at the redheaded woman, trying to figure out where the attacker was.

  “Don’t worry, my friend is taking care of the body.”

  “What? Is he dead?”

  “Of course he is, what did you expect?”

  “Your welcome!” Said the other guy but Iker could not see him this time.

  “What was that?” The woman asked.

  “What was what?”

  “You know what I am talking about. There is a presence here, in your mind.”

  “How could you possibly know about that? I mean, if he is in my mind, how could you…?”

  “Is that your “thing”? You have a crazy dark passenger?”

  “I like that name. Tell her that.”

  “He likes that. I can tell.” The redhead said.

  “You both shut up!” Iker screamed.

  “Tell me how it happened and I may be able to help you.” She said while looking at him in a way that he knew she would understand him.

  As fast as he could, Iker told her about his epilepsy, the experimental drug, the hand, the mugger, Braith, the backpack, the list, the videos, the recent injection, everything so his head was about to explode, his body to run away from his mind, the voices, half of his limbs.

  “I need you to do something for me. I need to contact that friend of yours, Braith.”

  “Of course, I can show you how.”

  “Wait a minute.” The guy on his mind intervened.

  Suddenly, the left hand pushed her against the wall.

  “You are manipulating him. How can you do that? How can you control him? Is that “your thing”? Answer me!” The other guy angrily yelled.

  “What is happening? What is the other guy saying?”

  “Oh, so now she cannot hear me? Tell her I know what she can do!”

  “He knows what you can do and he wants you to fuck off. I am sorry, he is a bit rude.”

  “Pack your things and let’s get out of here before Taser boy comes back. Now!”

  Iker started to obey the other guy and when she got in the middle, the left hand pushed her to the floor.

  “You cannot control me, you bitch!” The other guy yelled at her.

  “I did not mean to say that, it was him, I swear.” Iker apologised.

  “You are so going to regret it.” Mercy replied.

  “Please, I cannot control him. Just don’t be on his way.”

  “Our way!”

  Iker and the other guy started to pack the few belongings they had.

  “I was the one who got those drugs, I am Mercy.”

  “I don’t know if this is something I want.” Iker said, referring to the drugs.

  “It is something you need. When they track you, which they had already, you are going to need all the help you can get.”

  “We’ll take our chances.”

  When he opened the door, Taran fell over from outside. There was a lot of blood and he was quite pale. Mercy ran to grab him.

  “You have to help him!”

  They put him on the sofa.

  “I am sorry.” Taran said.

  “They are blocking the signal all over this area, I couldn’t text you.”

  “Don’t worry, we are going to get you some help.”

  “No, no, you have to go. They are coming, sooner or later. Run, now.” He said in an agitated voice.

  “He is dying.” The other guy said.

  “Shut up and help me.” Mercy asked him.

  “You feel guilty for something you did to him. Something you are still doing to him.” The other guy replied.

  Mercy started to cry.

  “What did you do?”

  “Fuck off, you two!”

  “Mercy, you need to go now. You need to be around for SETBACK DAY.” Taran said.

  The other guy looked at her.

  “You can make things right, I can feel it… before it’s too late.”

  “This guy, I thought he was your conscious…”

  “Just make it right.” The other guy said.

  “I don’t know if I can.” She replied.

  The other guy gave her a syringe.

  “I bet you can.”

  “No, no, he did this to me, not a good idea.” Iker said.

  Mercy injected herself and held Iker’s both hands with her right hand and Taran with the left one. Out of thin air, another woman appeared next to Taran, almost asleep.

  “Ciana!” Taran said.

  She woke up and looked at him.

  “I am so sorry.” Mercy said to Ciana.

  Just with that look, they all knew that Mercy was apologising to Ciana, they all saw her guilt for manipulating Taran to follow her wherever she went and to support her with whatever she did.

  “I think you can do better than that.” The other guy said.

  Mercy took Ciana’s hand and placed it over Taran’s forehead. In that moment, she saw how much he truly loved her, from the first time they spoke, his insecurities towards her and how sorry he was for letting her go. Mercy wanted Ciana to know all the truth, what was happening inside of him, how he felt, what he was. Ciana smiled at him while Iker and the other guy couldn’t understand how all of this was possible but it was. Ciana was feeling everything, understanding Taran’s conflicted feelings, his brain, his body, his choices, his pain. The frailty of his state made her love him more. Iker could see everything, including the first hug they shared, a hug that was so special for Ciana. The other guy received Mercy’s emotions, her jealousy for never experiencing something so intense and beautiful, how the power got into her head to do as she pleased, the ideas to use that power and her desire to have it all. The noise of a group of men stumping over the hotel corridor broke into the process. Ciana faded out, the other guy and Iker went through a window leading to the alley while Mercy sta
rted screaming. The other guy was able to help Iker climbing down easily and ran with the backpack to the parking lot but a few men were around.

  “We need to go home, now.” Iker said.

  “What? We cannot.” The other guy replied.

  “I have to.”

  “I see, so do they.”

  The men in the parking lot were leaving fast.

  “I think it is her. She is making everyone leave.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Let’s go, she is more dangerous than you think.”

  They got inside the car.

  “I am driving.”

  The other guy started the car and, once in the street, they were surrounded by police forces.

  “What now?” Asked Iker.

  “Don’t worry, she is here.”

  Mercy approached them.

  “Take me with you.” She demanded.

  “Clear them out.” The other guy demanded back.

  The cars left immediately.

  “I need to pick up some stuff at the house.” She demanded.

  “Sorry, lady, we are not an Uber. If you want to come with us, fine. If not, you can hail a cab.”

  “We don’t have anywhere to go. Does it really matter?” Iker said.

  “Shut up!”

  Reluctantly, the other guy decided to drive them to where Mercy was staying.

  “We can try to contact Braith after we get there. I have money, equipment.”

  “Braith did not want to see you but never said why. I bet he has his reasons.” Iker said.

  “I wonder why I cannot get into you.”

  “There is nothing to wonder about. I like it that way.”

  “Was Braith alone or with a guy called Lark?”

  “He was alone.”

  “It is weird that they split. Something must have happened.”

  They arrived at the location while Iker looked progressively nervous.

  “Be quick!” He said to Mercy.

  “You have no idea what you are going to do. What is the rush?” She said.

  The little house in the forest seemed peaceful. Mercy left the car to go inside the house.“There is something wrong here.”

  “How do you know?” Iker asked.