“Dean Walliot didn’t lie about your extraordinary agility. You did way better than I’d expected”.
“Oh, don’t flatter me! It’s only my obligation and I didn’t do anything special. I’m a responsible person and I want to show commitment to the work and advancements in science. It’s a duty of the modern humanity-to sacrifice someone weaker for the sake of someone stronger”.
“It’s a really good point. But there’s a lack of such aware people as you are. Mostly they’re afraid of venturing further afield and stepping out of their comfort zone. They stay isolated in an information bubble simply to protect themselves”.
“I definitely appreciate your support and encouragement. But what are ought to do with the guy? The
pills will evaporate sometime and he’ll wake up”.
“Don’t pretend to be stupid. We just need to teleport him and to inject some more drugs for extending his sleep. We have to set everything up before the experiments”.
“Oh, I see”.
“That’s perfect”.
***
“Ladies and gentlemen! Today is really crucial for our delinquent Gillean Joseph Cullen. Last month he
was accused of an egregious crime- a murder of the two people in a truly sadistic way and burning
down some valuable assets for our country and their scientific and tech achievements. Moreover, he
doesn’t any documents at all which is a sign of him being present here absolutely illegal. The twelve
juries have come to a final and irrefutable punishment-the torture of the mechanic dog and the acidic
bath. The man will suffer from being bitten by the artificial dog and then floating in a capsule filled with
acids that will be gradually destroying his skin and exacerbating his painful bites. We do it for Your sake-
to learn to be accountable for anything you do, even accident inconveniences”.
The people watching the trial started declaring in unison: “Leave the useless flesh for the dog! Make
him die in an acute suffering! He doesn’t deserve to walk on the same ground with us, the proper
citizens!”
The room lost its borders and became blurry. The echoing dozens of voices were already distant didn’t matter at all. The robotic canine bit his calf, tearing apart the muscles and flesh.
“Aaaah!”
***
“His heart rate has increased. It’s now 220 beats per minute. The brain is extremely active. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are now navigating and processing the new infodump the drugs poured in his head”.
“OK. Now let’s just let him sleep soundly. He’ll have woken up by 11:30 pm tomorrow, give or take. You should develop a plan how to explain everything to him and give him some instructions”.
“I got it, boss!”
***
“Ouch, why does it hurt so bad?”
“He woke up!”
“Where am I?”
“OK, dude. Let me put it this way…The whole thing’s been a fraud. I had been waiting for you to arrive in Detroit and I knew that you will get the notification about the time machine being hacked. My boss has built the game-changing piece of tech and arranged the whole scheme. I was notified about you being in the park and so I got there rapidly. We need you for our experiments”.
“Jesus Christ! It just doesn’t make sense. Asteria, stop fooling me and tell what has actually happened”.
“Who said that I was fooling you? It’s absolutely true”.
“Marcus Bell!”
“Yeah. It’s him”.
“But why me? What’s so special in my body that you picked me for your experiments?”
“Oh, it’s pretty apparent. It’s because you were the one who was given the task of solving the murder of Anne-Marie Hansen. This experiment went in the wrong direction and we got in a serious trouble, so no one was permitted to discover it. The only solution was to track you down and punish for finding out too much”.
“No comment”.
The girl turned around and rushed into the corridor. The world has fallen apart. How could it have happened this way? Why had he been so gullible? His eyes scanned the space around him and he saw an IV attached to his arm.
“What the heck?”
The memories came flooding back to him. The Coke, sitting in the toilet not knowing what to do, the suspicion, were so distant as if he felt this way ages ago. A new life lesson has been learned: “Trust only yourself. No stranger in the authoritarian reality would like to do anything do for no reward or because of a pure and kind soul. The instinct of self-preservation is one of the most essential tools for a successful survival in here”.
“Now I also know the victims name. It can possibly help me in my investigations. I couldn’t have expected something so wacky happening to me in a couple of days”.
***
“The dopey is awake”.
“How’s he holding up?”
“Oh, Mr Bell . He’s in shock .His mind is still a bit spaced out”.
“Does he get the drugs via IV?”
“Of course”.
“Gonna go and finally get acquainted with him”.
“Good luck!”
“Thanks”.
***
The white walls were blinding him and it really hurt to be surrounded by something so bright. The vision was hazy, the objects all around were unclear, immersed in a thick mist. His head started pulsing and heart was throbbing as if he saw something dreadful.
“Gillean…”
“Gwen! Oh, I must have misheard. I’m just hallucinating”.
He closed his eyes and then someone opened the door and came in.
“No, sir, don’t sleep”.
“Who are you?”
“That’s why I came to you-to get you to know me .I’m Marcus Bell”.
“You’ll be punished someday”.
“Ha-ha ,I’m so terrified…”
“Being sarcastic isn’t your strong suit”.
“Well, I came to speak not about me ,but you”.
“What on earth are you doing here? Why am I taking part in this shitty thing?”
“Oh, man. Don’t pretend to be stupid. Asteria has already told you the reason. I came to explain the rules”.
“The rules?”
“Yes. And you must obey every single one”.
“I won’t”.
“Then you’ll just die, that’s all. And the humanity collapses and dies right after you”.
“How are my and the humanities deaths correlated?
“You’ll see it yourself. Don’t wanna spoil the fun to you”.
“So much fun!”
“You’re not the Sarcasm King either”.
“Dude, will you eventually tell what’s going on?”
“Ok. So ,we’ve established one game-changing project. We’re currently building a memory chair. And we need someone to alter their mind, its capabilities, perceptions of the reality. I’ve been working on the time machine for more than two decades for it to lead to the establishment of the great memory-altering tech. The experiment on the stupid neighbor failed and we needed to flee, but now I can safely test my endeavors on you”.
“But I still don’t get what is the purpose of the memory chair”.
“I have a burning desire to learn to influence people and their thoughts, to change the world for the tech to rule it. You see, it’s way different from in the reality you live in. Well, used to live”.
“I’ve noticed it already”.
“You’re not so dense then”.
“So, let me get this straight”, he said, trying tom process the bizarre situation. “You want to be a guinea pig for your memory altering experiment?”
“Exactly”, Marcus replied with a smirk. “You’ll be the key to unlocking the potential of this technology”.
“And what happens if I refuse?” he asked, his mind racing with the implications.
Marcus’s expression turned serious. “As I said before ,if you refuse, you’ll die. And not just you, but the fate of humanity hangs in the balance”.
He felt a chill run down his spine. The weight of such a responsibility was almost too much to comprehend. “And if I comply?”
“Then you’ll be part of something monumental”, Marcus said, his tone tinged with excitement.
“Together we’ll shape the future”.
He hesitated, torn between his fear of the unknown and the desire to make a difference. “I need time to think about this”.
Marcus nodded understandingly. “Of course. But remember, time is off the essence. The fate of humanity waits for no one”.
With that, Marcus turned and left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders.
As he sat there, contemplating Marcus’s proposition, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on his mind, and he knew that whatever decision he made would have far-reaching consequences.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled out the IV from his arm and got up. He began pacing the room, his thoughts racing. On the one hand, the idea of being part of a groundbreaking experiment was undeniably enticing. The opportunity to shape the future of technology and potentially change the course of history was something he had never imagined he would be a part of.
But on the other hand, the risks were immense. The thought of having his mind altered, his memories tampered with, filled him with a sense of dread. What if something went wrong? What if he lost himself in the process?
As he wrestled with his inner turmoil, a sudden realization struck him. Perhaps there was another way. Maybe he didn’t have to blindly accept Marcus’s proposition. Maybe he could find a way to use this situation to his advantage.
With newfound determination ,he made up his mind. He would agree to Marcus’s terms, but only if he could find a way to ensure his own safety and the safety of humanity. He would play along with Bell’s game, but he would do so on his own terms.
Steeling himself for what lay ahead, he took a deep breath and headed out of the room, ready to confront Marcus and take control of his own destiny. Whatever the future held, he was determined to face it head-on, no matter the cost.
***
His mind still being blurry, he went into the corridor and sat on a bench, feeling disoriented. His eyes wandered around the strange facility. His mind raced with plans and possibilities. He knew he needed to tread carefully, navigating the delicate balance between cooperation and resistance.
Marcus and Asteria went from around the corner and approached him.
“Ah, see you’ve made your decision”, Marcus said gesturing for Gillean to stand up and follow him. They went to his office.
“I have”, he replied evenly, trying to keep his emotions in check. “But before we proceed, I have some conditions and questions of my own”.
“To get the ball rolling, ask your questions”, Marcus raised his eyebrow, intrigued.
“Why are we in an asylum and why did you and Asteria grab me so forcefully and inject some uncanny drugs? Couldn’t you introduce me to the situation in an adequate way? Cuz tying a person to the bed and making him pass out is not a solid and promising method to get somebody by your side”.
“Oh, speaking about the building. It used to be in asylum, and we haven’t made a lot of changes in it as we’re still going through the reconstruction process. Making you pass out had been meant to transfer you to the new location safely. The injections are our pilot project. We loaded a bunch of illusions and fake memories into your mind to see how your nervous system and consciousness were going to react and cope with it. It’s like a preparation before using the memory chair, a light warm-up”.
“Asteria had been drastic in this situation”.
“That’s for the suspense”, Marcus grinned. “And what about the conditions?”
“Firstly”, he began, his voice steady, “I want assurances of my safety throughout this experiment. I won’t agree to do anything that puts my well-being at risk”.
Marcus’s grin widened. “Of course, of course. Your safety is paramount. Consider it guaranteed”.
“ Secondly”, he continued, “I want full access to the research and technology being used on me. I want to understand exactly what’s happening to my mind and why”.
Marcus hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Agreed. Knowledge is power, after all”.
“And finally”, he said in a firm tone, “ I want a say in how this technology is used in the future. I won’t be a pawn in your game, dear know-it-all Marcus Bell. I need to ensure that this technology benefits the humanity, not just your own ambitions”.
Marcus studied him for a long moment before nodding slowly. “Very well. Your terms are acceptable.
With the terms set, they shook hands, sealing their agreement. But even as he sat back in his chair, a sense of unease lingered in the ambience. He knew that the road ahead would be fraught with challenges and dangers, but he was determined to see it through.
For better or for worse, he was now a part of the scientist’s experiment. And whatever the outcome, he was ready to encounter it, armed with newfound knowledge and tenaciousness to shape the future for better.
“Now, fella, you should go and sleep”.
“Yeah. I feel a need in it after such a madness”.
“For God’s sake, don’t be so dramatic”.
“Good night”.
“Likewise”.
***
“Hey, Gwen!” ,Brandon waved and entered the room in a lively fashion.
“Hello” she replied in a despondent voice.
“Still grieving?”
“Can’t you see this?”
“Hey, bro. Don’t be so rude. I came up with something immaculate”.
“What’s it?”
“Get up and follow my lead”, he said and gently took the colleague by her hand.
He led her to a tiny luminous room. There was a single bed and a gadget similar to the VR helmet laying on it. There was nothing else except for these.
“Why did you lead me here?”
“My dear friend, I have invented and assembled an absolutely ground-breaking thing. Long story short, this thingy helps you transfer to a particular person’s dream no matter the reality and time differences. You have to lie down, put on the helmet and simply think about the person you want to get to. The tech reads your thoughts and visualizations and truly transfers you to the desired individual”.
She opened her mouth in shock and covered it with her palm. She approached her colleague and hugged him with all the strengths she had.
“Oh, let’s go without these sentimentalities and straight to the point: try the thingamajig on and eventually get to Gillean. It’ll change the course of the story in another direction and we will be able to help him at least somehow”.
“You’re genius!”, she put the helmet on and laid down on the bed. It’s so warm and the mattress was so soft that she started dreaming about Cullen immediately. She wasn’t in a deep sleep, it was something on the brink of a nap and the reality. Brandon connected one wire to the top of her helmet and plugged in his tablet so he could observe what was going on.
***
Gillean had a queer dream. He was sitting on the edge of the roof of the skyscraper, his legs swinging. He looked in the sky and zoomed out, not thinking about anyone in particular. A strong feeling of someone’s present suddenly struck him. He space behind him illuminated, making him turn around and look at what had been going on. A blinding splash of light made him close his eyes and wait. Someone fell with a distinctive sound on the glass floor of the top of the building. He mastered the courage to finally open his eyes and confront whoever was in front of him.
“Gillean! I’m terribly sorry that it turned out this way!”
“Gwen! What are you doing here? Oh, I forgot ,it’s just a dream”.
“Not really a dream. I got there deliberately. Brandon came up with a brilliant idea- he constructed a VR helmet that helps you get in someone’s dream if you think about the person and visualize everything”.
“He’s truly intelligent!”
“Yeah, absolutely”.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. It’s just and accident”.
“You think so?”
“Yes. I missed you so much! My days have been a total cacophony and madness and I desperately needed your pacifying presence . I felt as if I had been deprived of oxygen being without you”.
“I blamed myself for trapping you there”.
“You didn’t trap me. It was arranged to have happened this way”.
He embraced her and stroke her back. The smell of her favorite coconut perfume almost made him throw up, but it was the smell there was a lack of in this reality.
“I love you and I’m gonna help you come what may”.
The dream gradually faded and he got in a really deep sleep.
