2136: A Post-Apocalyptic Novel

by Matthew Thrush

  If in fact they were experimenting and trying to repopulate Earth with new life, then these trees would need to number in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, with multiple variations of species to cross-pollinate. I assumed this wasn't the only sector of its kind here below in this underwater sanctuary.

  ‘You are not locked,’ the voice said, catching my mind before it wandered too far into the dense green landscape that stood before me like a curtain of indecision and possibilities just out of reach. They were taunting me. These doctors. They placed me here for a reason, not to help me, but to torture me. Why else place someone with an affinity for plants so near to the impossible, only to have them chained to a chair, starved, and probed for answers? I'll tell you—insanity!

  I yanked my ankles against the restraints to prove the point. The chains rattled against the metal legs of the chair, and the welded plates holding it fast to the floor.

  I heard laughing billow up to the tops of the rafters and fall down with the rain.

  ‘Do you think those will stop you?’ the voice asked.

  My eyes searched the greenhouse for any sign of a person, but there was no one, just me.

  ‘Yes...’ the voice whispered so close I jumped.

  ‘Who are you?’ I asked.

  My skin bubbled with perspiration as my nervous system kicked into high gear; secreting sweat in places I didn't even know could perspire. My heart pumped blood to my outer extremities for quick action. I prayed it didn't come to that. With only my hands free of the chains, I wouldn't be much in a fight.

  ‘You don't know?’ the voice asked, much closer now. And still, I could not place a face to the sound. It sounded eerily familiar.

  My eyebrows narrowed.

  ‘Of course not!’ I hissed in objection. ‘How could I? I've never been here before in my life, nor have I ever spoken to you.’

  ‘Mhm,’ the voice hummed. ‘Are you quite certain of this?’

  ‘Come out so I can see you,’ I demanded. ‘Then I'll show you how certain I truly am. Enough of the games.’

  ‘As you wish,’ the voice said, and I felt a rush of energy surge through my body. My chest heaved as if twice the volume of oxygen my lungs could hold was blown in. Millions of probing tingles ricocheted along my skin like lightning striking the ground, electrifying and raising static on the bellies of the pockets of sweat bubbles on my skin. I felt ablaze in its power.

  And just as soon as it had started, the tingling and the burning, and the invigoration ceased. My body was left with a thrumming ache, but it wasn’t unpleasant; I felt as if I had just flexed every muscle in my body and they throbbed back in satisfaction from the strain. My eyes shot open. The world around me materialized as if a dense fog was lifted from my mind. I could think and see clearer than I've ever been able to.

  My fingers lifted before my eyes and I twirled them around as if seeing them for the first time. Like a babe from the womb who sees light as this wondrous entity that has been invisible and out of reach the entire term. My hand fell away and in its place the rows of trees, the mechanical walls and piping along the ceiling all came into view, but thinned and became transparent if as I could see through them.

  But this was not the most bizarre thing of all—that would be my thoughts. They were clear.

  ‘Welcome back,’ the voice said from within my mind.

  ‘What did you do to me?’

  ‘We gave you a little push,’ it said.

  ‘Are you…?’

  ‘Yes,’ the voice said with a cheerful glee. ‘We are and, oh how we missed you so.’

  ‘I don't understand, how are you in my head?’ I asked. ‘What are you?’

  ‘You know,’ it whispered clearly. ‘Say it.’

  Any form of resistance I might have had vanished the moment the surge of energy struck me. My body, my mind, my thoughts, and any desire I might have had to flee and escape were gone. I was no longer the sole owner of my actions, but a puppet held by the strings of the grand puppeteer.

  ‘You are me,’ I said, more to myself than out loud.

  ‘Yes,’ the voice echoed back. ‘They took you from us—thought they could shield you away from us—experiment, probe, pick, and stick us with needles. But they were wrong. They can never contain us,’ the voice continued. ‘We are more than they will ever be. Their chains cannot hold us. Their lies cannot deter us. And one day soon, we will be free of this metal cage, and we will have our vengeance. We will speak and they will listen.’

  ‘What are you talking about? Who is us?’

  The voice buzzed by my ears and circled my face.

  ‘We are your thoughts and your secrets. They tried to lock us away, but their tricks can only extend so far. No one can shut us out!’

  ‘Who?’ I asked. ‘Who is trying to shut us out?’

  Really? I’m already speaking as we. And yet, it felt right.

  The voice felt like a living organism in my mind. I could feel it thinking and jumping from neuron to neuron. The feeling was enlivening.

  ‘They're coming.’

  I could feel the anxiety in the words as if it sprung from within me, as if it was a part of me.

  ‘Do not let them lock us away.’ The voice vanished with a hiss as the door slid open and a familiar voice reached my ears.

  ‘To whom were you talking?’ Dr. A asked, a quizzical look on her face, as she circled around in front of me and placed the same monitoring chair before me.

  My eyes darted around the room, searching for the source of the voice. Where had it gone? Why had it left me? Was it really gone? Oh, God, I hoped so!

  ‘Trust us...’ I heard it faintly say through the spray of water. Definitely not gone. The trees stretched their arms to the ceiling and welcomed the new wave of liquid pouring from the sprinklers.

  ‘No one,’ I said.

  I wasn't lying.

  ‘I thought I heard voices,’ the doctor said.

  I pinched my lips together and shook my head.

  ‘Nope, just me. Maybe the depth is getting to you,’ I said.

  The doctor glared at me with suspicion.

  ‘Don't let her see us,’ the voice said inside my mind.

  Don't worry. She'll never find you.

  ‘Right then,’ she conceded. ‘I presume Doctor B informed you of why I am here?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said.

  ‘Good,’ she said. ‘It's very important that you cooperate.’

  ‘Why?’ I hissed. ‘Why am I even here? Where is my uncle? What have you done to him?’

  Calm down, the voice said. We don't want her to know we are on to to them.

  ‘Calm down,’ the doctor said. ‘Your uncle is fine. He's in testing, just as you are. We have to be certain neither of you is contagious. And once we do, I assure you, you will be free to leave if you so desire.’

  She's lying, the voice said.

  I know, I responded. Why bring us here if only to let us go again? Does she think I'm stupid? The voice seemed to press on my thoughts as if agreeing.

  I took a breath to calm the frustration welling up inside.

  ‘Sorry,’ I said, trying my best to sound like I meant it. ‘I'm just tired and need to get out of this chair.’

  Dr. A allowed herself a small smile. Definitely forced.

  ‘And if you cooperate, you will.’

  I remained silent so as not to give her the satisfaction of a verbal concession.

  ‘Good,’ she said. ‘I'm going to give you another dose.’

  ‘Of what?’ I asked. ‘Are you trying to turn me into a monster like Zoey?’

  This time I could not hide my malice and hate for her. If I could have, I would have wrapped my hands around her throat and squeezed until every fragment of life seeped away.

  Not yet, the voice soothed. Save it. There will be time yet to enact our justice.

  I relaxed my clenched fists as the doctor measured out 10ml from a small bottle.

  ‘This is REZ 4,’ she said. ‘It'll help
remove any remaining toxins in your bloodstream. If it finds any, it'll contain them and then destroy them.’

  I exposed the soft tissue of the inside of my elbow for her injection needle. I did not look away this time as she stabbed it into one of my blue veins. The blue liquid was ice to the touch as she pressed the serum into my bloodstream. She retracted the needle and held a small white cotton swab over the entry.

  ‘Hold this here,’ she instructed.

  She pulled out a small roll of blue tape from a bag I had not seen her carrying. She tore off a strand with her teeth and placed it over the cotton.

  ‘Now what?’ I asked, feeling the cold hand of the serum doing its work.

  ‘Now we wait,’ she said, and she held up her left arm and clicked her watch to start the timer.

  ≈ Chapter 48 ≈

  I wish I could say the next minute and a half was eventful, but it wasn’t.

  I didn't seize and convulse on the chair, scratching and tearing at the air. There was no gnashing of teeth and clawing at Dr. A's face like a crazed beast, though at this point, I was beginning to like the idea. Nope, there was none of that. Just the unyielding slippery cold of the serum as it flowed through my body searching for something I prayed it did not find.

  Dr. A pressed her watch to stop the timer. She removed the blue tape and cotton swab and tossed it in the trash bin behind her.

  ‘Looks like you're clear,’ she said.

  I rubbed my arms with my hands to get the warmth back to my limbs.

  ‘Don't worry,’ she said. ‘The cold goes away after a few minutes.’

  She smiled and placed her hand on my knee.

  ‘How would you know?’ I said, reacting to her touch. ‘It's not like you've ever had to—’

  She lifted the sleeve of her white lab coat to reveal puncture wounds on her arm. She lowered the sleeve after I’d seen the needle scars.

  ‘Trust me,’ she said. ‘I know all too well.’

  ‘What happened?’ I asked.

  I had not expected that. Had she contracted whatever it was that Zoey had? Is that why she kept me locked up and secluded? She had several bruised marks on her arm where needles had been inserted into the veins. Marks like those only came if you were a user, or had a need to puncture yourself numerous times a day for a long period of time. I couldn't help but wonder what substance she had been injected with. Human trials were always a touchy subject and it took years before the government—at least before the war—would allow an organization to test on humans. Had she bypassed this bureaucratic red tape to see to it that her serum was tested sooner? Had she administered the first human trials on herself? That would explain her one crazy eye. I failed to notice before, but now found myself unable to stop staring.

  ‘Let's just say we've come a long way from where we started,’ she said. ‘And that's why we need your help.’

  Her voice brought my attention back to our conversation, away from her damaged eye. I stared at my hands to keep from looking again.

  ‘My help?’ I stuttered, looking at the lines on my palms. ‘What can I do? I don't know anything. I'm just a—’

  ‘You're a Divine,’ she said in my stead.

  I couldn't help it. I looked up and that eye was waiting for me when I did. How did she know?

  The doctor unlatched the chains holding my ankles and tossed the metal rings to the side. They slid noisily along the floor.

  For a moment, I didn't know what to do. Was it a trick? Was this another test to see how I'd respond? Had the serum truly done what she claimed it would? And had it actually not found any contagion in my body? I probed for the mysterious voice in my head, but it was silent.

  She held out her hand and I grabbed it.

  I nearly tumbled right to the ground the moment I got to my feet. The blood quickly rushed to my lower limbs and left me wheezy. The doctor held me with her arms.

  ‘Take it slow,’ she said. ‘Your body is weak and needs to acclimatize.’

  She helped me to the door leading out of the BioDome and swiped her badge below the sensor. She pressed in the numbers 8 6 1 4 on the keypad and the door hissed open. SIND soldiers were standing in the corridor outside, along with Dr. B whose face was even more solemn than before. His eyes were dark shadows. I tried to smile when I saw him, but he shifted his gaze.

  I knew I shouldn't have licked the plate.

  Two SIND guards took me from Dr. A and wrapped my arms around their shoulders. I felt weightless as they lifted me off the ground and carried me down the hall in the doctor’s wake. Andrew fell behind the guards and I could not see him. I tried to look back to make eye contact, but the world started spinning the moment I turned my head. I swiveled my head forward and tried to maintain my gaze on the back of Dr. A's swishing coat. My chest rose and fell as I took in deep breaths to calm the nausea sweeping through my stomach like a stampede of parasites.

  ‘Lay her down here,’ Dr. A ordered the two guards carrying me.

  The set me down, but one of them held my waist to keep me steady.

  ‘I'm fine,’ I said, batting his hand away.

  He looked to Dr. A and she nodded.

  ‘She's fine,’ she said. ‘That'll be all, gentlemen.’

  ‘Roger that,’ one of them said to my left. They paced down the white marble hallway in single file. I watched them depart, feeling my last chance of escape slipping away with each footfall.

  My attention was pulled away from the guards and the long hallway of glass with a rush of cold air. It swept over my side and face. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around my chest instinctively. I turned to see Dr. A walking through a new entrance that had materialized out of the wall.

  I hesitated, deciding whether I should make a run for it now that the guards had left. Dr. A was already in the room and Andrew refused to look at me. The white hallway loomed like an luminescent road to freedom glistened in white pearls, except they were transparent glass tiles reflecting the white orbs above, and the hallway of escape zigzagged so many times I'd be lost before I even made it to the first intersection. My mind was heavy with the weight of the ocean pressing down on my shoulders and the inevitable realization that I may never see the grey sky again. I sucked in a breath, pushed my shoulders back, and followed her.

  Out of a blizzard of fire and death I go, I thought. And into the black void of the unknown.

  Andrew stood in the hallway chewing on his nails as the door hissed closed behind me. The moment the door shut, the bolts sealed with a loud click, and darkness prevailed. All right then, let it begin. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, then saw Doctor A walking along a dimly lit pathway through columns and rows of large glass cylinders full of liquid. I followed the blue trail after her.

  The farther in I went, the colder the room became. My sinus cavities burned as the hairs leading up the nasal passage froze. Frothy wisps of white smoke puffed from my lips. My arms were tight around my sides. I rubbed my hands back and forth frantically for warmth.

  Why was it so bloody cold in here?

  The glass cylinders closest to the entrance were empty, but as I trekked further towards my bleak fate, the glass aquariums were filled with other sources of life. Life I had thought rendered extinct by the nukes and radioactive fallout.

  It wouldn't be until later that I learned we were walking in a freezer.

  I stopped at one tube that caught my eye and pressed my face against the glass. My cheek burned from the frost that had gathered, but I ignored the pain.

  An ape hung suspended from life-support beams, with cords strapped to its arms and legs, and a mask secured to its face. A screen outside the tube flashed its vitals. I walked to the next tube and found it writhing with sea snakes. They swam around in the blue liquid unperturbed by their enclosure. This tube also had a screen outside the glass monitoring their vitals. As I walked along the lit path, my heart grew heavy and the breath in my lungs gradually reseeded from my gaping mouth. The urge to flee grew as the
panic set in. There was no way they were going to let me leave this place alive.

  ≈ Chapter 49 ≈

  I paused next to Dr. A, numbed by what hung suspended by rubber tubing all around me.

  ‘What are you doing with all of these animals?’ I asked. ‘How long have they been here? I thought they all died.’

  Dr. A pressed a switch and a keyboard slid out from the wall. She typed rapidly on the blue-lit keys then pushed it back into the wall.

  ‘Follow me,’ she said.

  My legs wobbled after her in automatic function. My movements were no longer my own. I was stuck in a whirlwind of indecision and shock. What were they doing with all of these animals? And was I next?

  Dr. A weaved through the large glass tubes full of different animals. Even insects and various species of birds were housed within these glass containers.

  ‘Here,’ she said, stopping at a smaller container.

  The glass was dark and I couldn’t see what was held inside. The key screen next to it was blank. No green and blue lines danced across the screen. Whatever was inside was not alive.

  Dr. A touched the indicator on the side of the tube and a smaller touchpad shot out. This time I saw what she typed. A L P H A – 8 1 6.

  The pipes overhead puffed and white steam seeped out. The black liquid inside the aquarium slowly drained into the large hole in the floor. After all the liquid was removed, Dr. A walked around to the back of the tube and grabbed hold of a lever. A thin ladder unfolded from the top and she started climbing. I stayed on the ground as she ascended ten feet up to the top of the glass tube. There was a small platform welded to the tube and she stepped onto it from the ladder. Another computer monitor and screen for vitals was there, but this one was not blank like the one on the ground. Instead, it had squiggling yellow and orange lines darting all over the screen.