The Power of Forgetting

by A M Russell

  'Can you hear me?' Marcia asked.

  'Yes. fine.' said Oliver and promptly gave the head set to me, 'just talk to the lady.'

  'Hi! Marcia, Jared here.'

  'Okay. Get off the line now.'

  'Oliver gave me his head set.'

  'Fine,' she sighed, 'tell me what you see.'

  'Only a lot of grey corridors.'

  'Good, that's good. Are you near the long alleyways yet?'

  'Yeah; just coming into view now.'

  'Right then; keep watch for local trouble. They should all be gathering at the other end of the base for this big presentation. But…. you just stay alert.'

  'Will do.'

  Everyone was silent for some minutes after that. I followed Oliver. Janey and Davey followed behind me. They only spoke a few minutes later as we huddled together to consulted the map.

  'Is that next junction where we need to go?' asked Davey.

  'It looks like it…. Oliver?' Janey turned to him.

  'Hum. We don't want to get ourselves tangled up in something social. The crowd will not start assembling for another half an hour.

  'Okay,' said Davey in practical mode, 'we'll need ten minutes totally clear. Is that other room here?'

  'About 20 yards away.' Oliver looked to me.

  'I'm going to be lookout then.' I said.

  'We will have at least five minutes from when you first hear them coming.' Davey said and stared at me very directly. He startled me, seeming so much happier in these grey tunnels than outside. Perhaps because he was operating in his area of expertise. Fiddling inside computer files didn't thrill me in that way at all; and for me the trapped feeling of these windowless spaces was having the opposite effect. The three of them seemed pleased as we tiptoed towards our destination. I swallowed hard and tried to breathe to calm myself. Oliver slid along the wall ahead, and then silently beckoned us forward. I held the small torch while he worked the lock of a grey door inset into the wall. The fine needle like tool twisted once more, and he pressed the catch down. It swung open noiselessly.

  Inside the dim illumination inside of something like a broom cupboard, Oliver bent down to work on a small access panel. It gave way to his skill and we were then faced with a tight squeeze through a twenty-foot tunnel to another small airless room right behind the computer memory banks.

  'Alright. You stay here.' said Oliver, 'snap twice with your fingers if you hear anyone approaching.'

  'We could lock the door.' I said, and then regretted it.

  'I can't undo it that quickly,' said Oliver, 'besides, we need to see which way they are going if anyone does come past.'

  'Yes...of course.' I shook my head to clear it. Davey and Janey were wriggling their way through the small shaft. Oliver slid the pack off his shoulders and followed them. I turned back to the door. Close behind it I stood motionless, with a small sliver of light falling across the floor. It was only open by the minutest fraction, just enough to peer down the corridor beyond.

  'Jared!' Janey hissed from the vent shaft behind me.

  'Here Janey.' I knelt down and passed her the toolset from the side pocket of Oliver's pack.

  'Thanks!' she grinned at me before disappearing into the small tunnel again. I took my position again and prepared for a long vigil. Time was already stretching out in swathes and sheets of featureless greyness. I checked my watch. We had only been in the building for quarter of an hour. It seemed much, much longer.

  'Come in Jared; update please!' The noise in my left ear made me flinch but I answered without hesitation.

  'We're in; just starting on the computer access.'

  'Keep it tight. We can hear movement at this end.' Marcia's voice was snappy and tight.

  'Where are you?'

  'In an access tunnel. Shortcut to the labs.'

  'Stay safe.' I said rather unnecessarily.

  'Update me in ten.' Marcia said and cut off the transmission.

  I checked the time again, and eased round the bevel of the watch face. I carried on staring through the tiny gap down the corridor. it was too quiet. I looked at my watch again. only two minutes had passed.

  'Oliver!' I whispered as loudly as I dared down the small access tunnel. nothing. I waited a few minutes more beginning to feel a creeping sense of something approaching.

  Suddenly, Davey slid out through the small opening with a black block, and immediately knelt down on the floor and pulled the cables form his big.

  'Here, hold this…' he gave me one of the cables, and then connected the memory block to the small tablet resting inside the top of his pack. He turned his hand towards me, so I gave him the connector end.

  'Are we in business?' I whispered.

  Davey frowned and touched the tablet.

  'Yeah…. loading.'

  I went back to watching the corridor. There! In the distance someone was walking slowly this way.

  'We've got company!' I warned.

  'Is that a cliché?' Davey asked without turning round.

  'Probably.' I squinted at the figure. Something…. something was odd about him. I glanced at Davey. 'Twenty per cent.' he said.

  'Shit!'

  'There's a lot to download.'

  Janey wriggled out of the gap then, 'There's the next one.' Davey took the identical block from her. She immediately disappeared again.

  I saw the person in the distance pause and appear to turn to one side. They were far enough away to be just unrecognisable.

  Davey quickly unhooked the first block and got started on the second. He swapped number one for number three as Janey came back through.

  'How long?' I said.

  'About four minutes.' he pushed the cable into number three.

  Janey was back yet again with the fourth and final box. She took number two back to Oliver.

  A few minutes later the third was out. The last one took about thirty seconds to read.

  'Okay, that's it.' Davey said. He quickly packed the equipment away.

  I checked my watch again. Nine minutes from the call.

  'Where's Janey?'

  'I'll take it.' Davey said, 'the panel needs two people to lift it.'

  I saw to my horror that there was someone quite close to our position. I froze. I couldn't hear any sound from the other inner room. I hardly dared to breathe. The man was joined by another, who came into my eye line from behind us. The guests for the meeting seemed to have arrived early! They trickled past in tows and threes for the next few minutes while the others came back into the small room. Oliver secured the panel. He pointed at the door. I shook my head. I realised I was over time on the check in with Marcia.

  'We need to act casual.' said Oliver softly.

  'Follow the flow?' asked Janey.

  'Check whose coming from the other direction Jared.' Oliver slid out his knife.

  We were out in the corridor the door clicked closed and Oliver flicked the tumblers with practised ease. Another group of three people dressed in colourful coats came past us. We followed cautiously.

  'We don't exactly blend in.' Davey looked to Oliver for advice.'

  'Be cool.' said Oliver.

  'No one will notice,' I said, 'pretend you are a guest. Imagine you want to go in to the hall.'

  'What?' Davey looked scared.

  'Act casual.' Janey shrugged and shook her head in a little gesture of playfulness.

  We carried on, following the flow, and scanning all the while for some way to get away from the crowd that was gathering.

  Oliver touched my wrist. I turned and saw a small deserted corridor to the left. We quickly followed to for about fifty feet and came to an intersection. The way to the right was leading again towards the great hall. The ceiling was sloping upwards and further down was illuminated by skylights.

  'We need to join the others,' said Oliver, 'that took too long. We can cut off the corner if we skirt the main corridor and run along that gallery.'

  'That's right above the Hall.' said Davey, 'and the people are
gathering.'

  'Then we need to split up.' I said.

  Oliver nodded, 'get to the annex of the labs. We are meeting in a small office just there remember…' he pointed at the map, 'the exit is at the end of the hall.'

  'As long as Marcia has got to the alarm control we'll be fine.' said Janey, and tightened her pack straps.

  I gave Oliver the head set and retrieved the spare from my pocket.

  We moved into the main corridor and a little further we all melted into the crowd. There were columns here and seats, and further down a long table covered with some sort of soft fabric and loaded with exotic drinks and fruity creations. A waiter pushed a cocktail into my hand as I passed. I felt helpless then in the flow of the crowd. Or perhaps it was curiosity. I allowed myself to be carried through the pale panelled spaces and brighter arched rooms into the hall proper.

  It was huge; bigger than a cathedral. The enormous crowds of people that seemed to come from nowhere were swallowed up in the space. I moved forwards, realising that I was off target, yet fascinated by this impossible place. Was it still in the same dimension space? Who were all these people? The bright clothes and the party atmosphere made me feel careless of the purpose I had come to exact.

  What now? Where was Mr Rimmington? Almost as I remembered my promise to Juliet, I realised that Oliver had known what I was going to do… or perhaps attempt to do, and might well be here somewhere as well. There was music floating into the space; an otherworldly resonance played it seemed on strings that did not inhabit the world of musical instruments I had any familiarity with. Strange… like another planet, or even another dimension of a world as yet unimagined. There on a dais of pure marble the group were arranged; the crowd flowing round this like some coloured river of light. As I left the entrance further and further behind I saw there were other raised platforms and as you left the reach of the sound of one, you came to the edge of another. It lured you in. the people flowed all in the same direction towards the distant misty reaches of this marble edifice. I was entranced. It was something like I dreamed heaven's gate to be; so pure… so beautiful. Was I dreaming? A group of girls in bright flowing silk hurried past. Something like urgency was being felt. I followed them. There ahead; in a crowd that would rival any gathering of the best concert ever, they stood like birds of paradise, waiting expectantly for their master to appear. Behind me the crowd closed in, and I was stood in the middle of this sea of strangers. And suddenly I was afraid.

  I came…. that ripple of silence that travelled through this vast crowd from front to back. They became like attentive statues, paused in the moment between moments. They stood with glasses still in their hands, and with only the slight movement that indicate a living thing. They blinked and breathed and remained quite still. I stood similarly, wondering what was about to happen.

  And then I saw them, others moving quickly through the crowd. Every so often they stopped, two of them and escorted a person to the left and forwards. There were the steps to the dais that stretched the whole width of this space, like some vast stage. It made me think then of the base of cliffs, where the sea had washed over the remaining rock shelf, and gouged an under cut into the cliffs beyond.

  There were some of these staff moving in the vicinity. I stayed still, not wanting to attract their attention. And it seemed to be working. Some crossed between some people directly in front of me and didn't pay me any attention what so ever.

  then at once there were two of these people by my side, one to the right and one to the left. a man and a woman, both dressed in dun coloured silk of leggings and tunics. The woman took the glass from my hand, and immediately handed it to someone who stood near. That person caught my eye for a fraction of a second. Only that; I saw fear, and relief. The expression smoothed out a moment later was again cow like and compliant.

  The man had his hand on my shoulder; he held my right wrist with his right hand. The woman stood behind me and something cold touched my neck for a fraction of a second. Then she stood to my left. There was a moment when I knew that I should resist. That I should run. But then I felt a sensation of euphoria, even while my head seemed quite clear. Every colour seemed brighter and the sound of all those people faded completely. I sighed as the trace of something delivered as one fraction of a drop, made my destiny different that day. One moment….and nothing would ever be the same again…. I had diverged off course and would find a fate that no power on earth could divert me from. If I had known, if I had only known… I would have run! Until my strength was utterly spent. But I did not know.

  In that moment, I tipped my head back and marvelled that I could not see the ceiling. The space above was filled with light. A glass roof, or many skylights close together, lacing the whole place with light. I relaxed and started to slip. They kept me upright and slowly we made our way through the crowd, who parted in front of us like polite weeds on a river.

  And now I was line up with the other hopefuls. I didn't struggle, I didn't resist. And as each person was led forwards; I saw that they were standing by themselves and were simply being escorted to the little bright knot of important people that it would be my lot to be dealing with at the moment.

  There before me were a group who seemed to contain some of the more shadowy scientists from the Sandglass project. There they were…. those I assumed to be the Bank Collective.

  I saw the others being led to church style pew like benches. They sat and waited; then they were given a little case. Other minders collected them and they then filed to the other end of the platform, out in front of hundreds of people.

  They took me towards the back wall. This proved to be riddled with entrance ways and corridors. They took me down one seemingly at random. I was in a roomy place and a breeze from the outside was coming from somewhere. I felt the floor sliding out from under me. The two who accompanied me, quite gently let me down onto the floor, rolling me onto my right side. It was as if there was no will to move. I didn't feel weak. Rather, I was without the will power to make any movement towards escaping.

  'Mr Arden!' the speaker came into view. A dumpy looking brunette with bad teeth and a foul expression of hostility. She inspected me and leaned over once or twice. I closed my eyes as she did so, and prayed that whatever indignities they were going to visit on me in this helpless state, that they would get it over quickly.

  'You poor thing! What possible use can a man from the outlands be?'

  I struggled to sit up, failed; and elected while forced to lay still I would listen and look, and record mentally anything at all.

  'Come now….' another speaker swam into view. She was quite young, with an elegant shift of green silk.

  'My dear….' said yet another, male voice, 'do not play with my toys! I won't be pleased if you damaged one of them.'

  The young girl backed off and stood with her head on one side in thoughtful mode. The other girl standing near appearing puzzled, and inclined her head in submission as he moved into my field of vision.

  He bent over me then. This person I had so long wondered about. He was dressed differently to the others. He wore a light suit and silky tie, and his hair was slicked back with hair gel, or another subtle dressing.

  'Ah! I see you are dressed for any eventuality,' he said, 'So soon we will have to part ways. You will perhaps appreciate being put back into the hall; so you can follow on foot…. but then best not; you don't know what I can do.'

  'August Charles?' I was frankly surprised by his friendly almost dismissive manner. Perhaps they already had enough out of me. There wasn't any point in being impolite if they were out to get us. Just for once I didn't want to run from something dangerous.

  He bent down near my ear and whispered: 'I have wanted to meet you for so long Mr Vincey…' he met my eyes as my head turned slightly, and I breathed in sharply, 'Yes! You see I have you…'

  'How do you know that name?' my voice was thick and lower.

  He put a friendly hand on my shoulder, 'Shh, be calm. This is no m
atter. We are both the same you and I. We have a destiny to fulfil,' then to the two who had stood quietly by, 'help him up now.'

  They helped me to my feet. I stood slightly unsteadily, unsure of what was going to happen next.

  'Come Mr Arden…. let me show you what I have for you.' he opened his hands in invitation. I nodded quite unable to speak. How did he know my true name?

  'Come…' he said again, 'I have to tell you about your future…and this is what I must do.'

  We went into another place. It was a high balcony above the hall. I was staggered then by the distance and the light. The people were like brightly coloured dots on the surface of an ice lake.

  'beautiful isn't it.' he said to me.

  'Yes…'

  'leave us.' he told the tow minders.

  'Mr Charles?' said the man.

  'It is fine. I will be perfectly safe.'

  'As you wish.' They both bowed slightly in deference and left us alone.

  he turned back to me, and then broke into a wide smile.

  'It is so good to see you again! I can't say I'm not surprised…but it is good!'

  'I think you need to tell me what is going on here. And who all these people are.'

  'Of course…. I know that you haven't seen me before. I know that this is your first time. But for me it is not; do you see?'

  I went to the rail and rested both hands lightly on the curve of the bar. This man could not know my future; whatever he thought he knew, I still had control over my choices. I knew of course that things like this were possible. Karis had warned us. Karis knew; of course she knew! Destiny…. what was that? A fate that could not be changed; or a chance that could not be avoided? I turned to face him.

  'I need proof. I need you to tell me something that tells me how you know my name.'

  'Jared…. I'm not sure I can. I know who you are. What more is there to say? Why is it so important to be hidden among the people? You have such skill, and such depth of passion to drive you to greater things than this….' here he flicked the collar of my jacket, 'come now Jared! What can I say? That you sent me to find you and make sure that things didn't go wrong for you; that I was given an assignment by the board of the Sandglass project to protect you…. to keep you safe so that you would reach this place? I have many people at my command; all of them will obey you and work for you if you make a choice to take up your rightful place.'