The Experiment

by Costanza, Christopher

  Horus had no idea that there was a war taking place in my mind… And if one side of it overcomes the other, he was going to die…

  When I left the room and closed the door behind me, my whole body was shaking. No matter how hard I tried to calm down I couldn’t…

  As I stood outside the door I began to hear the drill. I tried a hundred different things to block out the sound but nothing worked... Eventually I just had to walk away. I went and sat down at the desk furthest away from the door, covered my ears and closed my eyes…

  At that moment a symphony of evil broke loose… I could hear the sounds of drills starting to come from all the rooms.

  I thought I was going to lose my mind… I clenched my fists so tightly that it hurt my fingers. It was literally taking every ounce of my strength not to try and rescue all of them. I just had to keep telling myself there was nothing I could do… Yet…

  I tried to think about Aeris and how much things could have changed during the five years I was in stasis... How different it would be once I finally made it back. If I did at all…

  The surrounding cities could have gathered their strength and defeated The Capital by now. The home and the people I knew may no longer exist... We may return to nothing but chaos and destruction… Or the protective field could have ceased to operate by now and promoted peace…

  I had no, idea… I just wanted to think about anything else other than the sound of the drills…

  What was even harder to think about was the fact that Sara was in one of those rooms, with a drill in her hands… I knew this had to be hurting her so much more… I wasn’t the one having to actually give the injections and look at their faces as I drilled holes in their skulls…

  I wanted to save her more than anything… She didn’t deserve this… No one did…

  Eventually, one by one, the sounds started to stop and the lab became completely silent. I knew the door to Horus’ lab would open any moment and I’d have to go back in and see what he had done to the man on the table.

  I had to mentally prepare for what I was about to see and keep reminding myself that I’ll never be able to help them if I act now… I couldn’t let him see me have a negative reaction… I just sat there and stared at the door, getting myself ready…

  After another minute, the touchpad lit up and it opened. Horus appeared and motioned for me to come back in. I hesitantly got up and slowly approached, the whole time wishing I was just having one of those stasis nightmares he had warned me about.

  When I made it through the door, I knew that my mind couldn’t possibly make up what I saw… The nightmare was indeed real.

  I counted dozens of different tubes and wires connected to the man’s head; blood running from each one. To the left was a blood soaked rag Horus had been using to clean it away while he worked. And just as he said, I could see the man’s chest going up and down as if he’d been running for his life; it was starting to take effect.

  I could see Horus drying off his hands, looking down at the native as if he were pleased with his work… He must have just gotten done washing all the blood off of them…

  I knew I shouldn’t have asked but I had to know… I couldn’t let it go…

  “Can he feel anything?”

  Horus shot me a cold glance, hesitated for a moment and said “Unfortunately, the subject is only partially sedated and paralyzed. I can’t get the necessary data without normal brain functions and an induced coma could compromise the testing… Plus the stimulation of fear may actually speed up the process and help our cause.”

  On the inside I was screaming… In my mind I was slamming Horus’ head against the table until he was dead and then freeing that man…

  He calmly sat down, started looking at the data being acquired on his computer and said “Ok, go ahead and sit over there and just write down everything I say. If you don’t know to spell a word, do your best and I’ll know what you’re trying to make out… Don’t interrupt me unless you absolutely have to – it could break my train of thought.”

  Before he had a chance to start, I said “Why am I writing by hand? People don’t really do this anymore; it’s actually been a long time for me…”

  He laughed. “You’ll be fine… I just don’t want my notes to be accessed by anyone but us. People can be nosey and once it’s on a computer it’s no longer private… You should feel very special Atlas… You have a level of clearance only a handful of people will ever get to experience… Your name will make it into the history books as the assistant of the man who changed the world… Now let’s begin.”

  My name in the history books?.. I thought to myself “That’s not working anymore Horus… You may think I’m stupid but I’ve figured out exactly who you are and how you’re manipulating me…”

  I sat there for hours writing pages of things I didn’t even remotely understand. The terminology alone made it as if I were writing down another language. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was one of the reasons he chose someone like me. My ignorance made me invaluable to him, not to mention no one would question a missing member of the military division that was swept away by the head of the science team…

  That had to be why I was here and why he’d trust me with so much. I could easily be disposed of without question and didn’t understand most of what I saw or heard… I was an object to be used, just like the people on the tables. And once he was done with me I’d probably share the same fate…

  Everyone else had left quite some time ago and I was starting to feel exhausted. I had purposely turned my back away from the table so I wouldn’t have to look at the man lying there with blood dripping down the sides of his head. I was so upset I could barely concentrate on what Horus was saying.

  On several occasions I had to ask him to repeat things… Luckily he didn’t seem to mind or suspect anything from my behavior.

  Eventually he stood up and said “Ok Atlas, that’s enough for tonight. You did a great job; it’s exactly what I need… Now go on and get some rest and I’ll see you first thing in the morning. I’ve still got some work to do.”

  I forced myself to say “Ok, have a good night, see you tomorrow” and walked out.

  I couldn’t wait to get out of there and as I headed back to my room I began to feel sick again. If my stomach wasn’t completely empty I would have definitely thrown up.

  I was starving, but there was no way I could eat. I was too depressed, heartbroken, and angry, all at the same time... Even though I was exhausted I didn’t know how I’d be able to sleep. Especially knowing Horus was still in his lab torturing that defenseless man while I stood by and did nothing…

  That night, I passed the hours trying to think of a way to help them. I thought that maybe I could get some others who felt the same way I did to fight back against what’s happening... But it was too risky; if I said something to the wrong person it was all over.

  And I could clearly see that most of the team didn’t care… They were indifferent and even excited, just like Horus…

  I couldn’t help but wonder what Sara was doing right now… How she was feeling, what she was thinking. Was she going through what I was?... Was she able to sleep or was she trying to think of a way to do something?

  Even though I didn’t know her well, from what I did know, I had a feeling she felt exactly the same way… Probably a lot worse due to her circumstances…

  I hadn’t seen or heard from Kayin since we arrived. He’s probably down on X-451 right now. I wonder what he’s doing… He probably doesn’t even know what’s happening yet...

  I knew he of all people wouldn’t be ok with this… I just needed to talk to someone about this… Anyone…

  There was nothing in my life I had ever wanted more than to wake up in the stasis capsule, only to realize this was all just a horrible dream…

  Chapter 6

  After hours of tossing and turning I was nowhere near being tired. My mind wouldn’t stop racing, even for a moment.

  No
matter how I looked at my situation, I couldn’t see a way out. I couldn’t see a way to help any of the natives either and I knew things were only going to get worse for them…

  Just as I was about to erupt in emotion there was a knock on the door. It was so quiet in my room and my mind was so frantic, it sounded more like claps of thunder… It actually made me jump.

  I froze with the fear of thinking it might be Horus… I could feel my eyes widen and my heart pounding as I stared at the door.

  Was this my new life? A simple knock on the door and I’m immediately overcome with fear…

  Whoever it was knocked again…

  Then I realized it was the middle of night, it couldn’t be Horus. So I got up and opened the door.

  There was no one there so I stepped out and looked down the hall, just in time to see Sara turn the corner… I could only assume she wanted me to follower her.

  I closed the door behind me and went after her.

  I did my best to keep my distance without losing her… Someone could be watching right now and I could tell it’s what she wanted me to do.

  She took so many turns and went through so many different areas on the ship I was starting to worry I wouldn’t be able to find my way back...

  Finally, I followed her through a door into what appeared to be a small storage room… To go through all this only emphasizes how serious she knows the situation to be…

  When I walked up to her, she was obviously angry.

  “Why won’t you listen to me?!, I told you not to draw any attention to us… You need to stop trying to talk to me when we’re in the lab… If Horus realizes something’s going on…” Poking me in the chest as she said it.

  I said “I know I’m sorry. This is just all so confusing… You have to realize that.”

  She moved in closer and said “Just please trust me… Something’s going to be done about this; it just needs time to happen. You’re so close to Horus… I have to ask you to forget about me. We can’t have any more contact… I’m sorry…”

  I started to talk and she interrupted me “I have to go now… Please don’t do anything stupid… And don’t walk out for a few minutes…”

  As she left the room I thought to myself… “It just needs time to happen”?

  Does that mean she has a plan? And I just can’t be involved because I’m Horus’ assistant and it could compromise everything?.. Maybe she had already found a group of people who want to stop it…

  I hated not knowing anything, but apparently I had no choice for the time being… I would just have to trust her, keep my distance and wait… I really wish Kayin was around and that I could tell him about everything… He’d know what to do.

  While I waited to leave my stomach started growling… I was still feeling sick from being so scared and nervous. I think being starving was only making it worse. So I gave it another minute and started trying to find my way back… It wasn’t easy, but eventually I made it past the team quarters and over to the nutrition center.

  It was so late, I was the only one there.

  As I was being scanned so the computer could customize my nutrition bar, I noticed the time on the machine… I’d have to report back to Horus in less than five hours. And I hadn’t even gotten a moment of sleep.

  If I nodded off while he was dictating, or he noticed how tired I was, he’d know I wasn’t sleeping… He’d know I was upset and that this was keeping me up. It would immediately make him suspicious of me… I had to get at least a few hours of rest – I had to appear to be perfectly normal and content with my position.

  While walking to my room, I noticed a sign that said “Observation Room” with arrows pointing the way. I was really intrigued but I just ignored it and kept going, I needed to sleep.

  When I got to my room, I was nothing but all worked up and wide awake… I looked around and noticed the bookshelf. I saw the same book about the history of the ACI that was in my room on the Aurora. I figured it would help me get tired so I grabbed it and sat in my bed.

  The very first paragraph was all about how the ACI was a “humanitarian organization of people risking their lives to benefit all of mankind.”

  I immediately became disgusted and threw it across the room… It was just full of more lies to convince fools like me to blindly join...

  I laid there for a while just thinking and gnashing my teeth… Then that sign I saw about an observation room came to mind…

  It made me realize we’d been orbiting X-451 this whole time and I hadn’t even seen it yet… That all of this had made me forget everything I was originally so excited about. It had replaced my interest and wonder with the overwhelming sense of doom…

  I knew I needed to sleep, but I also knew I wouldn’t be able to so I went back out and started following the signs.

  As I was walking, I heard someone say. “Atlas, right?”

  I turned around to see who it was. It was one of the other scientists…

  He walked up and put his hand out. “I’m Seth, we met momentarily when you were introduced to everyone in the lab on the Aurora… I don’t expect you to remember.”

  I didn’t… At all…

  I shook his hand. “Yeah sure, I remember you.”

  He moved closer and made a strange face… “So what’s going on in there? I know Horus is doing a lot more than we are… Can you even give me a hint?”

  I backed up and said “Well you know I can’t discuss it… But in this instance I can honestly say… Not that I know of… Sorry.”

  He looked disappointed. “Well I figured I’d give it a shot…”

  “I’m sure he’ll let you all in on whatever it is in time.”

  He started to walk away. “Yeah, I guess… Well, I’ll see you tomorrow Atlas.”

  “Have a good night.”

  I could tell he couldn’t care less about the “subjects”. He was totally callous, just like Horus… From the moment I saw his child like complexion, soft hands, and sensed the arrogance surrounding him, I knew I wouldn’t want anything to do with him… Even before he opened his mouth again…

  Hopefully he wouldn’t talk to me anymore… I don’t know if I’d be able to contain myself and not start asking how he can do that to them… Why he and everyone else didn’t stand up and refuse to participate, just like that woman… Who I still haven’t seen around…

  No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand how only one person in that room refused… Was it because most of them were scared like Sara? Or because they were like Horus and Seth? I really wanted to believe most people aren’t like them…

  Though it showed me another reason why I had to be extremely careful… If I let someone like Seth find out how I really felt, he’d definitely tell Horus… He was probably jealous that I was chosen to be his assistant anyway… I had to watch myself around him…

  I continued to follow the signs and was eventually led to a large door. When I walked through, what I saw was enough to make me forget all the horrible things that had just happened… For a few moments I actually forgot the details of the nightmare my life has become…

  It was small room protruding from the side of the ship. The outer wall was made entirely from asirium, much like the hall on the Aurora. It offered a perfect view of X-451… It was even more beautiful than Aeris.

  The intense blue of the oceans was so much more brilliant than those on Aeris. The cloud formations around the planet were pure white; everything looked pristine and untouched… I only wished we were orbiting closer so I could get an idea of what the surface really looked like.

  From what I’d already seen, it seemed to perfectly match the descriptions of what Aeris looked like thousands of years ago…

  The way things were going, I didn’t see any reason for Horus to go to the surface… And the idea of being stuck in that lab for years immediately made all the horror come rushing back. I was his personal slave now; I’d only be able to go exactly where he told me to…

  The
thought of it made me want to make a run for it… Go down to the loading bay, steal one of the transport ships, escape down to X-451, and just disappear… Dying alone on that beautiful planet sounded like a better option at the moment…

  Then I remembered I had no idea how to fly one… I couldn’t even escape if I wanted to. In reality, my only option for “escape” at the moment was to get myself killed by doing something foolish like trying to steal a transport ship…

  All I could do was try to enjoy the time I had left in the observation room before I had to report back to the lab. Gazing out over X-451 was really helping me to calm down. It was exactly what I needed… I had a feeling I’d be spending a lot of time here…

  It might even keep me from going insane…

  Chapter 7

  As the months passed, I stood by and witnessed countless atrocities… Since the beginning of the experiments I have personally counted 167 deaths, many of which were his “private specimens”… I’ve yet to see one survive Horus’ “advanced testing” longer than a few days.

  Even I didn’t know all the details of what Horus was doing to them. He would continue working when I left every night. There was no telling how long he stayed or what else he did…

  All I did know is that his private subjects had to endure far more than the others.

  Every time a new batch of natives was brought in, Horus was so sure he would finally make a breakthrough. The only thing he did was continue to pile up bodies while having the rest of the science team aid in mass murder… And no one else asked to leave…

  All it did was make him angry and harder to be around… He became more demanding and started making me stay later into the night. He had even forced my participation to become more frequent and had me assisting in surgeries and autopsies.

  At first he kept to his word and allowed me to leave the room whenever he was doing anything like that…Then he began making me stay…