by Chris Yee
“It’s crazy,” Alan said. “Every single one of these was full just a few weeks ago. Now they’re completely abandoned.”
Vince studied the cells. Some were stained with urine. “They were not well taken care of down here.”
“I knew it was bad,” Charlotte said, “but not this bad. I had never seen the cells myself. I just heard rumors.”
“Where do you think they all went?” Vince asked. “The prisoners, I mean.”
“Into the streets,” Alan answered. “Where else would they go?”
“I know,” Vince said, “but where on the streets? They don’t have homes, do they?”
“Some do,” Charlotte said. “The newer prisoners likely have families, but the rest of them have been locked up for most of their life. I doubt they’ll survive on the streets. They have no money. No shelter. No one to look after them. They’ve been dependent on Greene for so long. They probably can’t take care of themselves anymore.”
They reached the upper levels. Sunlight poured down the center shaft of the room.
“That’s a side effect Simon didn’t consider,” Alan said. “He was all gung-ho for freedom, but some people can’t survive in a free world.”
“He claims to fight for freedom,” Charlotte said, “but didn’t much care for the freedom of the people who worked here. Many of them weren’t strong supporters of Greene. They were just doing their job. Supporting their families.”
“We’ve said it before,” Vince said. “Simon has a twisted sense of justice. That’s why we have to stop him.”
They reached as high as the stair would go. Level 149.
“There’s a separate staircase to the top,” Charlotte said. “Or we can take the elevator if it’s working.” They stood by the familiar security door that kept unauthorized people from getting in and out of the cell room. It was wide open. “It looks like Simon left this door open too.”
They left the cell room and entered the maze of hallways. Charlotte knew every twist and turn. Vince and Alan followed her lead. Along the way they encountered three guards, each patrolling a long sweep of the labs. They stayed low, waiting for the right opportunity, and snuck by. She led them out of the restricted zone, and back to the main corridor.
As they walked towards the elevators, they witnessed the wreckage from the day of the attack. Flickering lights. Gun Powder. Debris. Bloodied walls. The incessant buzz of flies congregating around the decaying bodies and the putrid smell. The pungent stench made Alan gag.
“Are you okay?” Vince asked, his eyes watering from the harsh air.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Someone should really clean this up.”
“Who?” Charlotte asked. “Simon’s certainly not going to do it.”
Alan shrugged. He did not have an answer to the question. He just wanted someone to blame for the wretched smell.
They continued down the hall, holding their scarves over their mouths. It made little difference, but it was better than nothing. They walked past their room, where they had slept for several weeks. Aside from the corpse by the doorway, the room remained largely untouched.
“Man,” Alan said. “Those beds were comfortable, but I don’t think I could have stood one more night in this place. Everything was so clean. It was too clean.”
“It’s not anymore,” Vince said.
They moved on and came to the briefing room. Alan wandered inside. “Ah, more great memories of Greene telling us what to do. Good times.”
Charlotte poked her head through the doorway. “Enough messing around,” she said. “We need to find Izzy. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”
“Oh right. Sorry.” Alan popped out, and they continued towards the elevators.
They stepped through the sliding doors and Charlotte pressed 150. “I’m surprised there are so few Crowns here. I expected more.”
“The Spire is big,” Vince said. “Maybe he has them gathered in a different area.”
Charlotte stared up at the display above the door, waiting for the 149 to change to 150. “If he has them gathered anywhere, it’s probably in Greene’s office.”
Alan held up his rifle. “They won’t withstand our little trio of misfits.”
“We can’t go in shooting,” Vince said. “We stand no chance.”
“We did it before,” Alan said. “We’ll do it again.”
“That was different,” Charlotte said. “It was in the middle of chaos. There were distractions, and we had more numbers. The evacuation pods were working too.”
“And we didn’t all get out alive,” Vince added, reminding them of Saul.
“Right,” Charlotte said. “If we want to get out alive, we need to have a more thoughtful approach.”
“Stealth mission?” Alan asked. A hint of excitement rose up in his voice.
She nodded and grinned. “Stealth mission.”
“What’s the plan?” Vince asked.
“Well, it’s not much of a plan. We just need to make a quiet entrance. Sneak in unnoticed. At least get in far enough to see what we’re dealing with. We need to locate Izzy and Simon and figure out how many guards he has. Once we know all of that, we can decide what to do next.”
Alan nodded. “Sounds like a plan, man.”
The elevator doors slid open, and they tiptoed out. Charlotte held a finger to her lips. “No more talking, and if you must, whisper.”
The hallway was in a similar condition to the floor below. Bloodied walls, flickering lights, and littered with bodies. The smell was just as bad too. Vince had a hard time believing that Simon would stay in a place so revolting. He was beginning to suspect that Simon was not in the Spire at all. But Izzy was, and they needed to find her.
They turned the corner and crept along the walls, hidden in shadow and only occasionally illuminated by flickering lights. They heard no one. Saw no one. Just the remnants of the security door at the end of the hall, with metal ends bent back and charred with explosive dust. Lights past the door were off. It was too dark to see inside.
They carefully stepped over bodies, guns raised. They crossed the threshold and pushed through the double doors, into Greene’s office. It was pitch black and impossible to see anything. There was only the small flickering ray of light coming in from the hallway.
Charlotte inched over to a switch on the wall “Get ready,” she whispered. “I’m switching on the lights.”
Vince and Alan both tightened the grip on their guns. She flipped the switch and light poured into the room, blinding all three of them. They dropped their weapons to cover their eyes, but swiped them back up when they remembered the potentially fatal threat in the room. Their eyes adjusted and they got a clear view of the room. It was completely empty. Not a single person in sight. They lowered their weapons and relaxed.
“He’s not up here,” Alan said. “So much build up for nothing.”
“It’s good he’s not up here,” Charlotte said, walking over to the panel. “Now we have control of Greene’s system. We can use it to find Izzy. We can control other things too, like the power.”
“That’s good,” Vince said, watching the screen as she logged in.
Alan sauntered about the room, examining the walls and desks. He dug through a pile of papers and found a book, similar to Charlotte’s journal. He ran his fingers over the embroidered letters on the cover. Monitor Journal: Project Monika. He grabbed it and held it up. “What’s this?”
Charlotte pulled her eyes from the screen and glanced at the book. “It looks like a monitor journal.”
“Well, I know that. It says that right on the cover. But what’s Project Monika?”
Charlotte searched her memory and shrugged. “I don’t recall a Project Monika.” She squinted and walked over. “Why would a monitor journal be up here in Greene’s office? Monitor agents weren’t allowed in here.”
“Greene’s not around anymore,” Vince said. “Someone else brought it up after the attack.”
“But why?” Alan asked.<
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Charlotte opened the cover. “It must be important.” She flipped through the pages and started reading. Vince and Alan watched her expression transform from curiosity to intrigue. She stopped reading and looked up. “You have to read this.”
They gathered together and hovered over the journal, reading Project Monika.
SIXTEEN
PROJECT MONIKA
Monitor Agent: Victor Greene
Day 0
Weight: 1 pound
Length: 1 inch
I have transferred this experiment from Project Nyssa. What started as yet another effort to extend the human lifespan, has turned into something much bigger. Normally I would assign a monitor agent to record these logs, but I want to keep this project small and out of sight. At least for now. Only me and a select few will work on this. I have chosen a team of two labbies. Trish Beaumont and Humphrey Jacks. If necessary, I will request additional help, but I think two will be enough.
A development in the lab today has turned this project into perhaps one of the most important projects in the vitality sector. Potentially in all of the Spire. The results are currently uncertain, but I believe we have created life. Using various samples of my own tissue, we have created a specimen that appears to be growing and exhibits signs of life. It stands at approximately one inch in length and is growing at a surprising rate. We detect a steady heart beat and minimal brain activity. We are storing the specimen in a small glass chamber, submerged in nutrient-rich fluids. We hope this will promote growth. We will continue to monitor all developments closely. I am excited about the potential for this project, but until it yields more stable results, I will continue to keep it hidden from both the public and the rest of my employees.
Day 12
Weight: 2 pounds
Length: 4 inches
The specimen continues to grow. It now measures four inches in length. Its heart rate remains steady, and its brain activity has increased. Arms and legs have started to form, and I think I see a small pair of eyes. The nutrients from the fluids seem to be working. The specimen remains healthy.
Day 30
Weight: 6 pounds
Length: 10 inches
The specimen is developing quite well. It resembles the shape of a human baby, though it is still very small. I am surprised with how fast the body is maturing. We have moved it to a larger chamber to accommodate for future growth. After close analysis, we have determined that it is a girl. Very exciting and quite surprising! I did not expect a female specimen. I don’t even know how it’s possible. Perhaps I should name her. Given the name of the project, I suppose I could name her Monika, although that seems too easy. Maybe Laura.
Day 31
Weight: 6 pounds
Length: 10 inches
Not Laura. Isabella.
Day 53
Weight: 13 pounds
Length: 22 inches
Isabella has developed enough to survive outside of her chamber. She no longer needs the fluids to sustain herself. We will continue to care for her as we would a normal child.
Day 54
Weight: 13 pounds
Length: 22 inches
I held her for the first time today. The labbies say she is finally healthy enough to have outside contact, so I asked them to bring her to my office. She looked up at me with her adorable eyes and swung her little arms around. Her laugh is the most precious laugh I’ve ever heard. I think I’m ready to share her with the rest of The City. It is a big moment. I’m curious to see how people will react. The creation of life right here in our labs. It could mean big things for the future. I will make the announcement tomorrow.
Day 55
Weight: 13 pounds
Length: 22 inches
Today a group of workers were killed by the Crowns in a terrorist attack. It was a suicide bomber. Simon immediately took responsibility, although I never doubt it was him in the first place. He’s a monster. In light of the tragedy, I have canceled my plans to introduce Isabella. After the incident this morning, I question if I ever will. Simon says our experiments are unnatural. He preaches that we shouldn’t mess with biology, but my experiments have helped people in so many ways. I’ve made people happier. We are healthier and live longer, all because of the work we do in these labs. He will never appreciate that. If I reveal Isabella’s existence, she will surely become a target.
Day 77
Weight: 17 pounds
Length: 26 inches
There was a bit of a scare today. This morning Isabella had a violent seizure. It lasted approximately thirty seconds. It was the longest thirty seconds of my life. Fortunately, we handled the situation in a timely manner, and she is now healthy. We believe it may be a result of her rapid growth. She has the anatomy of a normal baby girl, but she continues to grow significantly faster than normal. We did a full body scan, and it seems the brain is struggling to keep up with the rest of the body. We will monitor this issue closely to see if it persists. In any case, the incident has helped me realize how much I care about her. She is like the daughter I never had. She was conceived from my tissue samples, so I guess technically she is my daughter. After learning that I was sterile, I gave up on the possibility of passing on my legacy, but this changes everything.
Day 105
Weight: 19 pounds
Length: 28 inches
Today Isabella said “dada” for the first time. I was holding her in my arms, and she said it while looking into my eyes. I never realized how much I’ve wanted to be a father until we began this experiment. Every time I look at her, I see all of the best parts of myself. She’s perfect in every way.
Day 123
Weight: 20 pounds
Length: 29 inches
Isabella’s legs are now strong enough to support her own weight. She can walk with little to no assistance. It is exciting to watch her play. She is a bundle of joy, bunched into one tiny person.
She is still developing unusually fast. Her seizures have persisted, but have caused no danger to her health. We have learned how to deal with them. To ensure her safety, we place her on her back, away from any obstacles, and gently hold her head in place. The seizures average about thirty seconds to a minute in duration. We still believe it is due to the abnormally rapid development of her brain.
Day 158
Weight: 23 pounds
Length: 32 inches
Isabella is learning more words. She cannot yet speak in full sentences, but it is amazing how much she knows already. She is not even a half year old. It is all going by so fast. I am excited right now, but I worry that if she continues to grow at this pace, she will suffer a shorter life. She may even pass before I do. No father should watch their child die.
Day 194
Weight: 27 pounds
Height: 34 inches
It is such a joy to watch Isabella play. She is more energetic than ever. Watching her play reminds me of a better time in my life. Being a kid was simpler. No worries. No responsibilities. No vices. Just an innocent ball of joy. Things really change when you get older.
Day 283
Weight: 32 pounds
Height: 37 inches
I didn’t think Isabella could get more energetic, but I was wrong. She’s started climbing furniture, which makes me nervous, especially with her seizures. Maybe I worry too much, but that’s what parents do. Her seizures are always scary, but we can easily keep her from hurting herself. She occasionally bites the tip of her tongue, but we have learned that applying a light pressure under the joint of her lower jaw prevents this.
Her speech has improved drastically in the last few weeks. She could recently only speak in two or three word phrases. Now she is forming full sentences with a robust vocabulary. She is also very organized. I saw her earlier this week sorting her toys by size and color.
Day 365
Weight: 34 pounds
Height: 40 inches
It has only been a year, but Isabella has the appearance of a four-year-old. She
has physically grown a lot, and her cognitive abilities far surpass that of a one-year-old. It is exciting to see how far she has come in such a short time. She has recently taken an interest in drawing. Her drawings are basic, but I adore every one of them. She drew a picture of me holding her hand the other day. I posted it up in my office.
Day 414
Weight: 40 pounds
Height: 43 inches
Today Isabella told me she wants to go by Izzy. How can I say no to that adorable face? Izzy it is! It will take some time to get used to, after calling her Isabella for over a year, but it does sound nice.
Day 465
Weight: 44 pounds
Height: 46 inches
Somehow, Izzy has managed to find more energy! She can barely sit still for even a minute and constantly asks questions about everything. She keeps on asking if she can leave the labs and go outside. I try to explain that it’s dangerous for her. She nods her head, but I think she still wants to leave. I don’t blame her. Being stuck in these labs would drive me crazy too. It tears me up to say no to her, but it’s necessary. I can’t risk anyone seeing her. I have brought her up to my office a few times to show her the view from my window. Her face lights up every time.
We have performed another body scan to monitor the development of her condition. We found some sort of mutation on the back of her brain. It does not appear harmful, and in fact, seems to be helping. Her seizures still persist, but are now far less frequent. I believe the mutation is affecting her rate of growth as well. It has somehow managed to slow her aging. She continues to grow faster than a normal child, but these results are still hard to ignore. This could possibly lead to exciting new breakthroughs in the vitality sector. If the mutation can slow Izzy’s growth, what could it do for a normal human being? This is a question I am eager to answer, but unfortunately, we cannot get a closer look without performing brain surgery; something I am not willing to risk. The odds of her death are too high.