Hub - Issue 28
Page 2
He was so intent on the mirror that he was startled by the woman in a gleaming white toga who suddenly appeared beside him. There was no reflection of course as she didn’t really exist.
“You have a headache.” Minerva said, reaching out to almost touch his forehead. Jav shrank away. This seemingly-concerned woman was allegedly the person responsible for yesterday’s agonising experience. “A neck massage or mild analgesic is recommended.” She went on, oblivious to his discomfort.
“Why did you shoot me yesterday?” Jav blurted.
“That was not I. It was young Billy. He’s so impetuous.” Minerva’s answer confirmed the doctor’s analysis that the personas were interacting with each other in a way they were not designed to.
“Billy can’t affect my nerves. Only you can.”
“I merely follow my orders from the Queen.” Minerva turned her nose up haughtily, turned, and vanished. The Queen of Hearts definitely seemed to be the source of the problem. Jav got himself a headache tablet and went to get dressed.
After his second helping of muesli Jav was feeling a bit better, but still inexplicably weak. His appointment at the clinic wasn’t until mid-morning, so he ranged around the house trying to keep himself occupied and out of trouble. He decided to have a cup of tea before leaving and wolfed down half a packet of chocolate biscuits with it. On the drive to the clinic he still felt hungry, so when the receptionist offered him some refreshments he quickly downed another dozen biscuits. He was surprised no-one from inside appeared to complain about the calories he was consuming.
He was finally ushered through into the treatment room and shown into a large black chair of the type usually favoured by dentists. Doctor Slack came in and shuffled his notes from the day before, confirmed a few details with Jav then turned to fiddle with some equipment. A second doctor came around from behind the chair.
“This is not a good idea.” He said. “The nanites are for your own good.”
“I don’t care. I want them out.”
“What’s that?” Doctor Slack asked, turning from his work.
“I said I want them out.”
“I know you do, I’m just preparing the treatment.” He turned back to his ministrations.
The new doctor looked thoughtfully at Jav.
“Think of the benefits they’ve brought you. They keep you healthy, take care of your interests. Without them you’d just be another washed-up rock star.” That was possibly true, but as far as Jav was concerned it did not make up for the hassle they had caused him.
“I don’t need your opinion.” Jav retorted. Dr Slack turned again.
“Pardon?”
“I was just telling your colleague…” Jav suddenly realised that Dr Slack did not seem to be acknowledging the other doctor’s existence. He looked up suspiciously. “What was your name?” The doctor vanished. Dr Slack looked confused. Jav was confused. He hadn’t recognised the Doc. And why was a nanite trying to convince him not to destroy them?
The explanation for the first question, according to Dr Slack, was that the Doc had several different options for its appearance. The chosen option should have rendered the others dormant, but for some reason, probably totally benign, the appearance had changed. Jav was not convinced that the Doc had disguised himself for a benign reason, especially as the second question seemed to have no answer. At least no answer that made Jav comfortable.
The removal treatment involved, rather worryingly, the injection of yet another variety of nanite. These were programmed to destroy the extant nanites and then self-destruct after a specified amount of time. Their components would be absorbed back into the body. At the same time Jav would be subject to a high-frequency interference signal that prevented the Doc from ordering replacement nanites for those that were being destroyed. Jav felt quite relieved when the injection was administered successfully and he wandered off to find a snack.
The unit that generated the interference signal was strapped around his waist and was beginning to dig in and feel uncomfortable, but Jav didn’t dare take it off. He had a six hour wait and occupied himself reading magazines and eating snacks while he lounged around the waiting room.
When the tedious wait was over Jav was hooked up to a receiver that could detect the individual signals of any nanites that might be left over. Doctor Slack ran the device for a moment, tutted, and ran the check again. Then he frowned.
“That can’t be right.” His tendency to leave things unexplained was beginning to irk Jav. After a querying prompt he continued. “There appear to be almost ten times as many nanites now as there were yesterday. They must be using up your body’s resources at a fantastic rate to have multiplied that rapidly. My anti-nanites didn’t have a chance.”
Jav thought about everything he had eaten that morning. He had been feeding the nanite population explosion! There was no doubt in Jav’s mind what the nanites were up to: self-preservation. Doctor Slack still thought such a thing unlikely, but then he wasn’t the one infested with the critters! As soon as the doctor had left the room the Queen appeared with her customary fanfare.
“I told you that I take care of my subjects.” She said coolly. “That is why we try to take care of you. We only want to live peacefully.”
“In my body!”
“We are willing to share. Think about it. What have we done but benefit you? Have you not become more popular with your new healthy image?”
Jav couldn’t argue with that, but that wasn’t the point. The Queen had had him shot! He pointed that out to her.
“It was necessary to make our point.” She said. “But think: if we can do that to your nerves, what else can we do for you?” Jav didn’t know. “I know you still crave for your former vices. You can’t go back to them, but you can move on to better things.”
“Such as?”
Minerva appeared alongside the Queen in response to his question, and the Queen nodded at her. Minerva stepped forward and touched his forehead. He felt rather light headed as a sudden rush of euphoria swept over him. It died down as Minerva stepped back.
“We can affect your nervous system and your endocrine system in so many positive ways. Think what that could mean for you.”
-
Doctor Slack looked up from his desk a moment later to see Jav walking past on his way to the exit. He rose and followed him out to the foyer before catching up with him. At his hail Jav turned with a beatific smile on his face.
“The treatment has not been successful.” Doctor Slack said. “There are more tests to be run.”
“I feel fine.” Jav replied cheerfully. “In fact, I’ve never felt better.” A warm glow suffused his face. “Goodbye, doctor. I won’t be needing your services any more.” He turned and departed, whistling merrily. A bemused Doctor Slack was left staring at his notes and pondering the benefits of nanite technology.
Reviews All reviews by Marie O’Regan
Bridge to Terabithia
Directed by Gabor Csupo
Screenplay by Jeff Stockwell and David Paterson
Based on the book by Katherine Paterson
Icon Entertainment. 15/10/07, £19.99
Billed as ‘a fantasy/adventure story of friendship, family and the power of imagination’ from ‘the makers of Chronicles of Narnia, expectations were high when this film was released in the cinema. Indeed, the advertising campaign made much of the fantastical creatures of Terabithia, leading the film-makers to disavow the advertisements as misleading, designed to make movie-goers think they were going to see another Narnia or Harry Potter.
What the film does provide is a captivating story of friendship, and the refuge provided by the power of imagination. The film follows loner Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson), the only boy in a houseful of sisters, with parents struggling to make ends meet. Used to seeking refuge – from his sisters as well as the bullies at school - in his drawings, Jesse is delighted when new girl Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) befriends him. The child of two writers, imagination is her greates
t ally, and together the two create the imaginary land of Terabithia, no more than a stone’s throw from their houses, across a rope over the river. Then tragedy strikes, and Jesse finds the strength to go on, and confront reality armed by the lessons learned in Terabithia.
If you’re expecting a CG laden movie a la Narnia or Harry Potter, you’re watching the wrong film. If what you want is a beautiful story of what it’s like to ‘imagine’ all these things, as we had to when we were children in the days before computer games and CGI, and to find friendship and strength along the way, then this is the film for you. Beautifully scripted and acted, I have a feeling this movie will stand the test of time to become a firm favourite with future generations of children, as the novel by Katherine Paterson has since its release in 1977.
Extras: Behind the book featurette; ‘Bringing Terabithia To Life’ featurette; Keep Your Mind Wide Open – AnnaSophia Robb’s music video; director/writer/producer audio commentary; cast audio commentary; cast and crew interviews; competition winners’ creature painting gallery; trailers.
Mr B Gone
By Cliver Barker
Harper Collins
£15.00 (h/b)
Mr B Gone is Clive Barker’s first true ‘horror’ novel since 1987’s Damnation Game, and tells the tale of Jakabok Botch, a demon trapped within the pages of said book, from his own unique point of view.
The idea works very well, with Jakabok telling you time and again to burn the book – and when the reader obviously doesn’t, Jakabok reluctantly begins to reveal his tale. Jakabok’s story is one that many a teenager would recognise – dysfunctional family, lack of friends, a feeling of low self-worth…but he’s also a young demon from the Ninth Circle of Hell, and when he runs away from home Jakabok is ensnared by humans and hauled to the surface.
It is here that his story really begins. Hunted and reviled by mankind, he finds one friend – Quitoon – who affords him the nickname ‘Mr B Gone’, and together they travel the world, seeking all that is strange, or out of the ordinary. Hearing of ‘something that will change the world’ in Mainz, they set off in that direction, and at the end of their journey they do indeed find something that will alter the course of history, as well as a revelation about the true nature of Heaven and Hell.
Mr B Gone is full of beautifully rendered characters, achingly human, that enable the reader to become fully involved with the narrative. The first person viewpoint effectively draws the reader in, immersing them fully. We empathise with poor, scarred, unloved Jakabok – a truly ‘botched’ persona, doomed to observe but not take part, and the love he feels for Quitoon is achingly unrequited. As in Cabal, humanity – with its petty prejudices and tendency to fear the unknown – is shown to be the true monster, its behaviour ironically the most inhumane.
Unlike Abarat, Mr B Gone relies on the written word for all its imagery – and the Word is also shown to have true power. Read it and see for yourself.
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