Metamorphosis

by Sesh Heri

  “Just like your magic trick,” George said.

  “In three seconds or less,” I said.

  “This is Harry Houdini’s body,” George said. “But his mind, his soul, and his etheric energy body belong to a Harry Houdini we do not know, to a Harry Houdini we have never met.”

  “And I exist in a universe I do not know and up until a few minutes ago never experienced,” I said.

  “How different does it seem?” George asked.

  I said, “It seems in every detail exactly the same as it always has been and in every detail completely different from anything I have ever known.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Captain Wilson said.

  “It would if you were me,” I said, “experiencing what I’m now experiencing.”

  “All right,” Captain Wilson said, “I’m not going to pretend I understand any of this.”

  “So you can see why I didn’t want your ship’s doctor present,” George said. “This phenomenon stands at the edge of known materialistic science, even the advanced science with which your ship’s doctor is familiar. This is the threshold between matter and spirit.”

  “The door,” I said.

  “What?” Captain Wilson asked.

  “The door to everything that exists,” I said. “I stood before it down there on the floor of the ocean. I saw things…things I can’t express…things you couldn’t begin to imagine….”

  “Try me,” Captain Wilson said to me with contempt.

  I said, “A tremendous amount of electrical energy was spinning around that bell-shaped object. When I tried to escape from it, some kind of force held me where I stood. A thing rushed by me— so fast I couldn’t see what it was. And behind that thing, a hole seemed to open up, like a tear in the fabric of space itself. The tear was like a door— it was a door— a door to another dimension of reality with its own laws and forces and colors. In that other dimension were living things with characteristics I can’t describe. I was drawn to one of the things. I was on the verge of becoming one of those things….”

  “But you didn’t,” George said.

  “I didn’t,” I said. “I managed to look away from that door, to swim away from it.”

  “Do you think that was when you switched to this universe?” George asked.

  “Maybe— no,” I said. “Not then. I think it was a little later. As I tried to escape, some kind of electrical force manipulated my breathing tube so that it could reach me inside my force field. It pushed my breathing tube into a coil around my body and tried to suffocate me. When I turned up the dial on my force field generator…. That was it. When I turned up the dial on my force field generator, the increased power of the field expelled the coils of my breathing tube away from me…and I think it was at that moment that I switched from my universe to this one where I am now.”

  George Ade was nodding his head, while Commander Wilson shook his.

  “So what I am supposed to do now?” Captain Wilson asked. “I have orders to deliver the two of you back to the middle of San Francisco Bay.”

  “You follow your orders,” George said.

  “What about Houdini here?” Captain Wilson asked. “Or should I say Houdini Number Two?”

  “I’m Houdini Number One,” I said. “Your Houdini is Houdini Number Two.”

  “Well, that sounds like the Harry I know,” George said.

  “The two of you seem to think this is funny,” Captain Wilson said.

  “The deadly serious is always funny,” George said.

  “Relax, Commander,” I said.

  “Don’t tell me to relax!” Captain Wilson said. “I’m in command here and don’t you forget it.”

  “You’re in command of this ship, not me,” I said. “I am a volunteer and a civilian, and I can un-volunteer any time I see fit. And I’ll tell you a few things: George and I were fighting Martians when you were still in knee pants, and when you’re in your rocking chair, I‘ll still be Houdini.”

  “You are insolent,” Captain Wilson said. “You have no respect for proper authority! I have a special Presidential commission!”

  “Shine it up,” I said, “and hang it on a wall.”

  Captain Wilson and I stared each other.

  Finally Captain Wilson asked George Ade, “What are we to do with him? You say he is not really Houdini. How can we know that the mind inhabiting this body can be trusted? Perhaps this man has become some kind of hostile alien force. Can we allow something like this to escape?”

  “Escape?” I asked, laughing. “Did I hear that right, George?”

  “Captain,” George said in a friendly, fatherly tone, “I understand your misgivings. You have been presented here with an extraordinary phenomenon which shatters all our conventional assumptions and premises. It’s shocking. It’s shocking to me. Most of all it’s shocking to Houdini. But I can tell you that I know a Houdini from a parallel reality would never be hostile to us or our interests.”

  “He’s hostile to me,” Captain Wilson snapped. “He has questioned my command!”

  “Nobody’s questioned your command,” George said. “You have your command.”

  “Yes, I have my command,” Captain Wilson said, “and I’m issuing an order that this Houdini— or whatever he is— be locked up in the brig for further questioning.”

  “If you want to talk rank,” George said, “then I’ll have to tell you that I far outrank you, Captain. I’m not just the civilian advisor you’ve been thinking I was. I’m MJ-8. That’s my name at the top. Do you know what that means? Your attitude has given you a need to know; you force me to tell you. After the seven members of Majestic Seven, I’m eighth in rank. That puts me at cabinet level. I report directly to Nikola Tesla, and he reports directly to President Wilson. I also report to the Secretary of the Navy and Treasury. I take my orders from Mr. Tesla and the Secretary of the Navy. All of this means that right now you are under my command. And if you have reason to doubt my words and decide to disobey my command, you will greatly regret it. I have the power to make your life pure hell. I don’t want to do that. I want you to command this ship. But if you’re going to do it, you’re going to have to get a little humor in your soul, my friend, because, otherwise, that fear that’s eating in your gut right now is going to eat you alive.”

  Captain Wilson stepped back, his legs apart; he crossed his arms and bowed his head— and then he looked up at both of us.

  “All right,” Captain Wilson said. “What are we going to do?”

  “We stick to the plan,” George said. “We go back to San Francisco right now. Harry— uh, Harry Number One, that is, you’re going to have to resume the life of Harry Number Two. You’re going to have to anticipate that you will encounter differences in things everywhere you go— differences in people everywhere you go. Jack London waiting back there on the bay may not be the same Jack London you have known.”

  “So there is a Jack London in this universe,” I said.

  “I suspect that this universe is almost exactly the same as the one from which you came,” George said. “Your home universe may lie on an almost parallel time-track.”

  “Is my wife named Bess in this universe?” I asked.

  “Yes,” George said, nodding.

  “And she’s Catholic?” I asked.

  “That’s right,” George said.

  “And you and I and Mr. Tesla and Mr. Clemens went to Mars in 1893?” I asked.

  “Yes,” George said. “We did that. Lillie West was with us.”

  “And her pen name is Amy Leslie?” I asked.

  “That’s right,” George said.

  “And Mr. Czito, Mr. Tesla’s assistant, he accompanied us to Mars as well,” I said.

  “Yes,” George said.

  “My mother—“ I stopped. My throat choked. I started again.

  “My mother. She’s no longer alive.”

  “No,” George said. “Sorry, Harry.”

  I nodded.

  “Everything see
ms the same, good and bad,” I said.

  “Only time will tell if you will encounter differences,” George said. “They may be subtle, but they could be quite striking. Oh— and one more thing: I’m sending all of your etheric readings on this machine and all the rest of your medical information to Nikola Tesla. We’re going to try to find a way to get you back to your own universe and Houdini Number Two back to ours.”

  “And if you can’t?” I asked.

  “You may have to live out the rest of your life in this universe,” George said. “And, I have to tell you, I don’t think your life here will be long.”

  “You think I’m going to separate from this body?” I asked.

  George said, “Mr. Tesla has made some experiments related to your circumstances. Plants subjected to etheric torsion fields disintegrate and die within a short time. They become black, oily lumps of disintegrated matter.”

  “Are you telling me I’m going to turn into a black, oily lump of disintegrated matter?” I asked.

  “I’m telling you it’s a possibility,” George said.

  “I can’t speak for Houdini Number Two,” I said, “but Houdini Number One is not feeling too good. I’m going to sit down over here. Could you have somebody bring me my clothes?”

  I went and sat down in a chair over by a corner. George Ade and Captain Wilson went to the door.

  George said, “If there is any way to put you back into your universe, I believe Mr. Tesla will find it.”

  George Ade went out with Captain Wilson. I sat in the chair and stared at the wall. I felt far, far away from everything.

  The U.S.S. Cypher lived up to its name. Like a pure nothingness, like an absolute zero, the submarine slipped rapidly back into San Francisco Bay and came up at the exact spot where it had surfaced earlier, right next to the tugboat on which Jack was waiting. I hardly had time to get dressed before a sailor was at the door saying they were ready for me to go up top. Down the corridor I came upon George Ade, Captain Wilson, and Lt. Nimitz. They were waiting for me at the ladder that led up to the outside top deck of the submarine.

  “Thanks, Captain,” George said, shaking Commander Wilson’s hand. “Let’s hope this is the last time we see each other. I can think of nothing better than going back to Indiana and just watching the snow fall. I know I won’t be able to do it, but I can dream about it.”

  “Yes sir, Mr. Ade,” Captain Wilson said with a stiff military precision.

  “See you later, Chester,” George said to Lt. Nimitz, shaking his hand.

  “So long,” Lt. Nimitz said. Then Lt. Nimitz shook my hand, and said, “So long, Houdini.”

  “Thanks for everything,” I said to Lt. Nimitz, and then turned to Captain Wilson and said, “Goodbye, Captain.”

  Commander Wilson turned his eyes to look at me.

  “Goodbye,” Commander Wilson said.

  The Commander didn’t offer his hand in parting, and I didn’t offer mine. I just turned to the ladder and began climbing up to the top outside deck. George Ade followed up behind me.

  We came up out of the hatch. A sailor was standing on the deck and had already thrown the rope ladder across to the railing of the tugboat. Jack was standing at the railing, looking down at us.

  I climbed across the rope ladder, climbed over the railing of the tugboat, and planted my feet on the deck. Jack stood there watching me. George came over the railing behind me, and leapt on to the deck. We turned around. The sailor waved for me to throw the grappling hook. I plucked it off the railing and tossed it to the sailor who made a good catch; he was a big, strong fellow. He began coiling up the rope ladder. He got it into a coil, and went over to the hatch. Once again, as before, another sailor’s hand appeared and the hand took the grappling hook and rope ladder below. The sailor on the deck gave us all a wave and then went down through the hatch himself and closed it behind him. Within seconds the waters of the bay frothed over the ship’s deck and the U.S.S. Cypher began to sink below the surface. Within a few more seconds, the U.S.S. Cypher had completely disappeared from sight.

  “How did it go?” Jack asked me.

  “We did all right, for land lubbers,” I said.

  “Did you find it?” Jack asked.

  “I’ll tell you about it when we get back to Oakland,” I said. “I can tell him about it, can’t I?” I asked, turning to George.

  “We’ll have to tell Jack about it,” George said. “We wanted you to go with him up to his ranch. Now I think you must go with him. Perhaps the solution to your situation lies up there in Sonoma Valley.”

  “What’s his situation?” Jack asked.

  I said, “It’s complicated. I’ll tell you about it back in Oakland.”

  “Yes,” George said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Jack went over and raised the anchor. Then he went and started the engine of the boat and began steering us back toward the Oakland pier. The fog still hung over the bay and it wasn’t until we got very near the pier that I began to see a few red, green, and white lights wink into view. None of us had said a word all this while.

  Jack brought the tugboat up to the pier, cut the engine, and then went over and tied the lines to the deck. George and I stepped off the boat and waited while Jack finished his work. When he was done, he came toward us, and we all went up the gangplank and out to the street where our car and driver still waited.

  “How long have we been gone?” I asked.

  “A little over an hour,” Jack said.

  “It seems longer,” I said. “Seems like I’ve been gone for days— maybe even weeks.”

  The three of us got into the car, and the driver, who seemed not to have moved the whole time we had been gone, started the engine.

  “Drive us around town,” George said. “Take us up into the Berkeley Hills. That will give the fellows following us something to think about. Shadows always like something to think about.”

  The driver turned the car up Broadway, and then took us along the main highway to Berkeley.

  George said, “We found the time machine down there, Jack. Harry got pictures of it. And it— the time machine— got Harry.”

  “Got in a tight fix, eh?” Jack said with a grin.

  “More than that,” I said.

  “The time machine got Harry, Jack,” George said again. “This is not Harry sitting next to you.”

  “How’s that?” Jack asked.

  “This is not Harry Houdini sitting next to you,” George said.

  Jack looked me over carefully, and then asked, “Who is he?”

  “This is Harry Houdini’s body,” George said. “But it does not contain his mind and soul any longer.”

  Jack looked me over again, and then over to George Ade, and then back to me.

  “What’s happened?” Jack asked.

  “Harry’s etheric body and mind projected to a parallel universe, and switched places with another version of himself,” George said. “This is the Houdini from a parallel universe.”

  Jack stared at me for a full minute without saying anything. Finally he said, “Damn.”

  The driver took us on along a boulevard lined with small businesses, one and two story buildings.

  “What’s the name of this street?” I asked.

  “San Pablo Avenue,” Jack said.

  “Are they still behind us?” George asked the driver.

  “Yes,” the driver said. “Should I try to lose them?”

  “Oh, no,” George said. “Let’s keep the devils occupied.”

  “I’ve been trying to reach Ed Morrell,” Jack said. “I finally got a call from him tonight, before I came to see you— uh, that is, before I came to see Houdini.”

  “Houdini Number Two,” I said. “That’s what I call him.”

  “Somehow,” George said, “I feel like right now in a parallel universe our Houdini is calling you Houdini Number Two.”

  “As it should be,” I said. “That’s his prerogative.”

  “All Houdinis in all
possible universes are Houdini Number One,” Jack said. “And all other Houdinis are Houdini Number Two— that is, by the reckoning of Houdini Number One, which is to say, by the reckoning of all Houdinis. Thus, we have a paradox of time and universes: there are only two Houdinis and at the same time an infinite number of Houdinis.”

  “That makes about as much sense as anything else makes tonight,” George said. “And I’d say that it’s probably just crazy enough to be true. But what about Ed Morrell?”

  “He’s arriving here in Oakland early tomorrow morning,” Jack said. “He wants to meet Houdini, and I’ve wanted him to meet Houdini. But now I believe it is crucial that they meet— Morrell and Houdini of whatever number. You see, Morrell has had an experience somewhat like you are now having. He once had difficulty getting back into his body after one of his astral flights. He nearly died. If he could get back into his body in such a situation, perhaps he could help you get back to your body in the other universe and, at the same time, help the other Houdini get back into this body here.”

  “I’m all for it,” I said. “Bring Morrell to me. Let him do what he can— if he can.”

  “Morrell wanted to take you up to San Quentin,” Jack said. “He wanted to show you the dungeon from where he made his astral projections. I took the liberty of contacting the warden at San Quentin and asking if he would let us come up to the prison.”

  “I know the warden there,” I said. “Johnston. I just did a show for his inmates about three weeks ago.”

  “So he told me,” Jack said. “Johnston is on good terms with Morrell and was willing to cooperate, but he asked me if you would do another free show, one just for those inmates who missed your last performance. There are about two or three hundred of them that were either on work details or were being punished for one reason or another.”

  “The worst incorrigibles,” I said.

  “That’s right,” Jack said.

  “Sure, I could do a show for them,” I said.

  “Just a short show, nothing elaborate,” Jack said. “No escapes, if possible. The warden doesn’t want to give these men any ideas.”

  “I’ve got a pocketful of magic I can perform,” I said. “All straight magic, no escapes.”