by Sam Nash
“What do you want me to do?” Mary tried to extinguish the animosity glowing in her eyes. Visser had gifts; considerably more than intuition to fall back on. She could not afford to let down her guard. Visser guided her back towards the stool where Alexi was sitting. Mary flinched at his touch.
“You must learn to tune into my Hive Mind…” Visser flashed a beatific smile in her direction. His Hive Mind. His proud creation. His megalomaniacal whims directing perhaps hundreds of gifted minds. A cold chill permeated her spine. Compliance. She reminded herself.
“How do I do that?” She dampened her voice to a whisper.
“Do you remember the first time you saw me?” Visser waited for her to recollect. “When you synchronised your thought waves to that little boy in Japan, the trapped earthquake victim?” He was standing too close. Mary could taste the seafood and aftershave cocktail with every inhalation.
“Synchronised? You mean that I was feeling his pain because my brainwaves mirrored his?” She leaned away from him, restricted by a bench top.
“Precisely. You did the same thing when you read my mind too. Although I should have been prepared for that and stopped you. In both cases, you were emotionally charged. Pity for the little boy and hatred for me.” Mary could not stop her eyebrows from rising and a demi-smile of agreement formed on her mouth. She did not deny it. “Now you must learn to do the same thing but at your command. To tune into their rhythms and feel their collective energies.”
“How?” Mary could see sense in the theory of channelling frequencies. It sounded like tuning a radio or television. But they were receivers of a broadcast, in the same way that she became the receiver of the little Japanese boy’s broadcast of pain and distress. She was in no position to alter the subject of transmission.
“I think we should begin with you being in close proximity to the Hive, perhaps… Alexi, could you take Mary into one of the wards? I have a meeting shortly, elsewhere, and it might be less confusing than having my thought patterns in the mix too.”
“Yes, yes of course.” Alexi slid from his stool and took Mary by the elbow. “We go the proper way. No climbing through windows and running away.” He admonished.
***
“Do they know what is happening? Are they aware that the drugs are killing them?” Mary looked closely at the neutral expression on the young man’s face. A thin hospital sheet and gown were all that kept his dignity intact. Alexi began typing into his smartphone.
“They are one. They are all in constant communication with each other. A community within their linked subconscious minds. I suspect that they are no longer aware of their physical bodies, but I am not the one who talks with them. Visser is their director at present.”
“But they are all so young. They should have their whole lives ahead of them – to work, fall in love, have families and experience the world… Alexi, how can you stand by and let this happen? Can’t you see how wrong it all is?” An empathy and sadness filled her, an intense compassion meandering through her thoughts.
“Only the mission matters. Can you detect their stream of consciousness?” Alexi scanned Mary’s eyes. The pooling glaze of liquid accentuated the rich mahogany tones of her irises. One drop escaped her lids and nestled between the lashes. Alexi looked away. “You can feel them, yes?”
“No. I can’t, and I won’t either. This is barbaric.” Mary turned towards the entrance to the ward and started walking.
“Visser will hurt your husband. Parth is in grave danger. Visser does not enjoy killing people, but he does like reading their minds while he tortures them slowly.” He waited, poised with his phone, waiting for her obedience.
Mary stopped and sauntered back to the gurney supporting the comatose Hive Operative. Maybe she could find out enough information to free these victims or at the very least, defeat Visser and compromise their operation. It had to a be mission with deadly consequence, or they would not have gone to such lengths to ensure her collaboration. How could a Dutch born sociopath use a Russian Hive Mind to cause monumental changes in the economic and political landscapes of great nations?
Mary listened to Alexi’s instructions. A guard collected a chair with soft padding from an office and wheeled it into the ward for Mary to sit in. She made herself comfortable and closed her eyes, concentrating on rhythmic breathing, slowing her movements and thoughts down until she could almost fall asleep. Alexi and the guards crept further away and watched.
Inside her head, eddying thoughts alighted on an image of Parth, like a butterfly landing on an exotic flower to drink in the nectar. He was sitting at his office desk, typing away at his journal, periodically slurping from a large coffee mug. A pang of sentiment and fear broke her attention, stirring her fully alert. Alexi scurried over to her.
“You could sense them? Yes?” He shook his clasped hands towards her in elation.
“No. You are wasting your time. I couldn’t sense anything other than my own thoughts.”
Alexi frowned, turned to a guard and bellowed a stream of Russian at him. The guard ran off out of the ward and into a room close by. Mary heard a mechanical clunk – the sound of a thrown lever and a high pitched whine that she had not noticed before, wind down into silence.
More tapping on the smartphone. “Stupid guards left the solenoids switched on. It should be easier for you now.” Alexi touched her shoulder, gesturing her to lean back and try again.
“What do the solenoids do?” She perked up. Could this tech somehow aid my escape? Keep him talking. Alexi started the laboured phone translation process again, while she spun from side to side in the office chair, analysing the ward for potential routes to freedom.
“We use them to hide any electromagnetic flux emanating from the Hive Mind. We don’t want intelligence agencies to find us, do we?” Alexi gently pushed her shoulder again, indicating that she should try again.
“No, of course not. That would never do.” She failed to hide the sarcastic tone. Alexi realised his mistake in telling her. He muttered a command to the guard on his return from the room containing the solenoids. He removed a key clip from his belt and rushed off to secure them. Think before you open your mouth, Mary. You are your own worst enemy.
“You try again. Perhaps better if your hand connects with Hive Man?” Alexi was moving her by the wrist closer to the Operative. Mary pulled her hand away.
“No, thank you. I will try without having to touch that poor young man.” She sat back in the chair, arms resting in her lap and cleared her mind. Behind her eyelids, blobs of colours faded in and out of her vision, moving randomly. There was a low hum in the back of her head. It should have been alarming, like the ominous buzz of an overhead pylon in the early morning mist. Instead it felt strangely soothing. The reassurance of a supportive presence surrounding her – safety in numbers, a collective intelligence.
Next came the voices, low at first, then louder. Shrieks of laughter, murmurs, shouting and singing, filled her head in a massive cacophony of noise that was so voluminous, it was painful to listen to. Too many voices, some deep, some higher pitched and all in a language which sounded aggressive and incomprehensible. She opened her eyes, gasping.
“I can’t, Alexi. They are all shouting. It’s so very loud in there.”
“But you could hear them, yes?” his expression, gleeful.
“Yes, but they are mostly Russian. I cannot understand a word they are saying. This is pointless. Whatever you expect me to do with them, is impossible. You may as well let me go now. I’m going back to my room.” Mary stood up and again made for the exit. The guard placed his gun across the opening, shaking his head.
Patting and swiping the screen of his phone, Alexi placed a call. “Visser, she did it… yes, I know. Very quick. Told you she was powerful. You come back now.” He turned to Mary. “You get fruits, chocolate, films to watch…treats. You did well, Mary. Very good.”
“Yay. Well done me.” Mary grimaced. “Can I go outside again? I miss the sunshine. I pro
mise I won’t climb through anymore windows.”
Alexi narrowed his eyes, then nodded. “Half an hour only.”
***
There were grey clouds scudding by and a breeze that carried a bite, making the gooseflesh on her arms prominent. Mary breathed the cold air into her lungs and let the particles of hospital stink blow away.
How did Visser find me in the first place? If all the other Hive Operatives are mainly Russian, what prompted him to search for me in the Midlands of England? Had Plender assessed my abilities when I first started shorting electrical equipment in the Lab? Did he tell his wife, Yelena about the oddities and she informed Visser?
Which one of them is to blame for my predicament? Yelena has been my friend for years. How could she suddenly turn against me like that? And now, she is infiltrating Parth’s life too. Is she Visser’s trigger man? If I fail to do as he asks, will it be Yelena who fires the shot into Parth’s head?
Mary rubbed at her eyes and told herself to concentrate. She longed for her husband. She missed his voice, his kindness, the intimate touch of a spouse. He would still be grieving for her. Parth had been quite pragmatic about death when he lost a much-loved uncle. He grieved quietly, alone in his office, sent flowers and attended the funeral with deep respect. Mary wondered if he was equally calm when they informed him of her death.
The wind changed direction, bringing a faint smell of diesel and muffled traffic noises. A siren blared, confirming her suspicions that the ‘disused’ hospital she was sitting amongst was on the outskirts of a town or city, perhaps even her home town. The way that Visser popped out for half an hour or so, and then returned promptly, suggested that they were not far from civilisation. This revelation sparked an idea to travel without her body again, to search for her escape route at the earliest opportunity.
Alexi stepped out onto the courtyard to join her, bringing packaged sandwiches and cartons of juice. Mary accepted her cheese and pickle offering, ripped open the cardboard and took an enormous mouthful.
“I think you very hungry, yes?” Alexi chuckled.
Mary chewed, swallowed and then tucked the remaining food into her cheek to answer. “I don’t understand why. I haven’t exercised at all since you locked me up, yet I am constantly ravenous.”
“Normal brain function makes up twenty per cent of body’s energy needs. When brain is being used to do complex things, energy consumption is more.” He unsheathed a plastic straw and pierced the foil covered hole in the juice carton. He offered it to Mary. She shook her head, wrinkling up her nose. “Ah. You drink only tea. I make you one in a little while.” They sat together in silence, munching on their lunches. Mary pulled stray strands of her hair behind her ears when the wind caught it.
“I know you killed that guard.” Alexi said, not looking up from his sandwich. Mary half expected this. She froze waiting for him to give her bad news or some form of punishment. “I did not tell Visser.”
“He was trying to rape me, Alexi. I had no other choice. They drugged my porridge. It was all planned in advance – I tried to tell you.” She put the half eaten sandwich back in the wrapper and swivelled her body to face him. “You have to believe me. I had no other choice.”
Alexi stopped eating, listening to her appeal. He did not face her, but bowed his head slightly. “Then you understand that sometimes we must do whatever it takes to survive.”
“Are they threatening too? Is Visser forcing you to hold me here?” Mary brightened at the prospect of forging an alliance with Alexi.
“Visser? No. Not him. Come… I make you tea and then back to work. Visser is talking with Hive Mind. He is giving them orders. You are new director, English only.” He stood up, indicating that the discussion was over. Mary wanted more information. She had to get him to sit down and confide in her.
“Are you married, Alexi? Do you have children?” She stayed resolutely in her seat.
“No time for talk. We work. Come.” He beckoned her with his hand to follow.
“We have all day. Sit with me for a while. You must have someone you love back home?” Mary continued to eat her sandwich.
“Not all day, deadline has been set. We must work now.” He gestured again.
“Deadline for what? Who has set it?” She moved from the bench on his insistence. “Is Visser planning something dreadful?”
“Come. Must show progress, and soon.” He scuttled into the prep room through the fire door, leaving the guard to round her up like a Border collie. Mary finished her sandwich and thrust the packaging at the guard. He glared at her, but took it. Alexi led the way back into the laboratory where Lars Visser sat waiting for them.
“Ah there you both are. I was going to send out a search party. I have given my Hive implicit instructions, Mary, but you will do whatever Alexi commands. Is that understood?” Visser paused for her acceptance. Mary waited for a moment, pretending to contemplate his demand, then nodded. Visser grinned at her power play. “Good. Now then. I have to go for my interview with a stunning French blonde. You remember the one, Mary? From the Ball?”
“Connie? You are meeting with Constance Cadot? What for?” Mary’s mind raced, linking all the possible reasons Visser could have for meeting with Constance. Did they already know one another? And by logical extension, did Visser know her boyfriend, Dan Wildman? The man with whom she had shared her secret regarding out of body adventures; the friend who had read the picture from her mind of Tower Bridge in the University Library? Was there anyone left in her life whom she could fully trust.
Chapter Fourteen
“Hello? Can anyone hear me? This is a weird sensation. My head feels very full”. Mary sighed. How could she introduce herself to a Hive Mind? Worse still, Visser expected her to guide them. Her mind wandered into a vision of her handing over a key to all her thoughts. Her most intimate dreams and wishes, locked away from even her husband.
What if I am not strong enough to pull myself back out, will I be assimilated into the hive too? Her mouth was dry and a tremble that began in her stomach, radiated out to the tips of her extremities.
“It is better than having an empty head, is it not?” Several voices laughed. Mary could hear them all muttering in the background. It was like the intermission bar at a theatre, the hushed voices of polite people, echoing from the vaulted ceilings.
“Who said that? What do I call you?”
“I am Thirty-Four. Captain.” His intonation was soft, but his words were abrupt, as if years of military practices had hardened his tongue.
“What is your…um…name, Captain?” Mary tried to affect an authoritarian tone, but the result sounded more like a backfiring campervan. The thought of commanding anyone was bizarre to her, let alone hundreds of professional soldiers.
“Thirty-Four. Captain Thirty-Four. Traditional names were relinquished at the start of this programme, ma’am.”
“Are One to Thirty-Three your subordinates, Captain?” The image of their physical state flashed through her thoughts. She dismissed it as fast as she could. Mary had no desire to upset these soldiers with a reminder of their bodies. Another thought occurred to her. What if she accidently angered the Hive? Would they swarm into her head and do irrevocable damage? What if they receive the idea of attack through her and that initiated action? In her semi-conscious state, she shook her limbs, drifting her attention back to the laboratory.
“Are you alright, Mary? What is happening?” Alexi panicked, fiddling with the neural mapping cap on her head. Mary waved him aside, closed her eyes and refocused.
“Captain?”
“Privates Thirteen and Twenty-Two are still here and under my command. The others you mentioned timed out. Their conscription or contract ended, Ma’am.” Thirty-Four issued some Russian orders at the rising voices of discord. The clamour ceased. Mary had opened a festering sore of contention.
“And how long have you been serving for, Captain?” An honest question, innocently framed. She had seen television footage of her Majesty Que
en Elizabeth inspecting the troops. She had asked similar of her personnel. The voices rose once more. Thirty-Four put them sharply in their place. “Have I said something wrong, Officer?”
“No, Ma’am. It’s just time is a difficult concept here. Some of the soldiers think they are being cheated out of their pensions or forced to serve longer than their contracts.”
A damning thought occurred to her that she did not know how to conceal. She pulled herself out of the Hive Mind, shaking her limbs. Blinking fully alert, she turned to Alexi. “Visser hasn’t told them they are dying.”
“Shush, shush, Mary. Do not upset yourself.” Alexi poured her another cup from the teapot.
“Upset myself? It’s inhuman the way they are treated. We have to stop him.” She raised her hand again, this time dismissing Alexi’s offering.
“Cannot stop. Only the mission matters. You must not tell them they are dying. Do only as instructed, Mary. That is very important.” He faced his computer, trotting out the lines he thought she needed to hear.
“But those poor men. Can they read my mind while I am away from them?” Mary’s urge to escape was all the more desperate. She stood up from the comfy chair and stretched her legs.
“I don’t think so. No one else has ever been as powerful or controlled as you. Even Visser has to be physically close to talk with them. He must meditate to find their frequency. You can dip in and out when and where you like, it seems. Quite amazing." Alexi was talking through his smartphone app and clicking the computer mouse at the same time, trawling through images of neural activity in the simulation programme. “You need to get their full cooperation, Mary. Then we will try a little experiment.”
“But I have no idea what to say to them.”
“General chit-chat. It is good word, eh? Chit-chat. I like very much. Go on.” He gestured for her to sit down and try again. She complied, reluctantly.
Closing her eyes and slowing her physical movements, she tuned in again to the rumblings of the Hive.