“No, no, adjust the frequency a bit more...”
Click
AAAAAAAAARRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Turn
it down! Turn it down!”
Flames
dissipating. Eyes cooling off. Can’t
see. Can’t speak. God help m– AAAAAIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Now just relax your arm, Mr. Stanley. It
will be a minor sting, then we will begin with the
procedure. You’re a brave man to do this, Mr. Stanley.”
“Where’s Martha? Where’s my wife? I
just wanted to see her again before this began.”
“She’s in the waiting room right
now, Mr. Stanley. Our head physician is explaining the procedure to her as we
speak.”
“When will I see her again?”
“As soon as we are
done. I wouldn’t worry at all, Mr. Stanley. We’ll constantly be in touch
with her. She’ll be constantly updated.”
“Can you give her a message please?
I know it’s silly, but-”
“Anything you want, Mr. Stanley.”
“Tell her- tell her not to worry.
Tell her I’ll be fine. Make sure she knows I’m fine.”
“It’s alright, Mr. Stanley. I’ll
tell her. Now don’t you worry. As you said, it will be
fine. Now you’ll just feel a slight sting and then you might seem like there it
Tell her I will be fine
I will be fine
Fine
I’ll –
Bbbbbbbbbbbvvvvvvvvvpppp
Sarah?
Sarah, is that you? I told you I’d be taking some vacation time. No, no, I
don’t know when I’ll be –
Bbbbbbbbbbbvvvvvvvvvpppp
Sarah?
That’s not –
AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
“No,
Jesus, I think we just disrupted a memory pathway. The chart shows a great deal
of hyperactivity in one of lower frontal nodes we hooked into the hippocampus.
I wonder when he thinks he is?”
“Good afternoon. Could I help you
with something?”
“Excuse me – Martha Stanley?”
“Yes, that’s me. Do I know you?”
“My name is John Aikens,
and this is Major William Samuels of the National Defense Operations System.
I... know your husband, Mrs. Stanley. May we have a word with him?”
“Uh, sure.
Let me just...”
“John! I thought I heard your voice!
What are you doing here, fella? How long’s it been, what, twenty six, twenty seven years?”
“Twenty seven.
Good to see you, Harry. You look well.”
“Wow, well I certainly didn’t plan
on a surprise like this! Come in! Come in! Honey, John was in the same division
as me in when the war eneded in ‘75. That was a
bitch, wasn’t it, John? Who’s the silent partner? Hey, you’re not here to con
me into something again, are you?”
“Sorry, I wish this were a social
call, but yeah, we have a proposition for you.”
“Eh?”
I
remember those colors on the trees in the late summer. They are so beautiful
behind the house. It wasn’t the time yet when they became orange and red and
brown, mixed among those that stayed dark green all year round. No, they were
that vivid grass green, and some yellow, and everything was so bright and
exciting and life was filled with beauty and fury and passion and hatred and
they are becoming so vivid the colors mixing the colors going around why and
there did I decide I don’t want to yet is it over it hurts it hurts it hurts it
Bvvvvvvvvvvvvppppppp
“The experiment is a highly delicate
one. You recall my participation in the Super Soldier Project a few decades
back?”
“Yes...”
“This is essentially the same
concept. Except we believe that we have perfected the
technology to be used on every day citizens.”
“Why would we need that, though?”
“Harry, I’m sure you can realize
what the massive implications of this would be. Workers’ enhanced skills would
improve product and service output, and in doing so, would improve the
economy’s supply and demand cycle. We would have the best market in the world.
Of course, with each person more than satisfied with the work they’d be
producing, there would be a massive morale boost nationwide. And you know how
important morale is for everything.”
“I still don’t know how great of an
idea this is. It’s like something out of a comic book or old science fiction
film – you’d essentially be turning the whole population into cyborgs.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it
that. Besides, you know that the technology for the most part is not
mechanical. The circuitry of the network in the chip is for the most part
almost the same as the biological neural pathways you were born with, only
these are synthetic.”
“Yeah, whatever.
But you still haven’t told me how this involves me.”
There
is something that I am supposed to be remembering right now. I get confused;
no, no, the colors mean it is not planting time. Sarah, I don’t understand why
this falls for vacation time. The mortgage has been paid, and You look so gorgeous in that, honey. I can’t wait to see it
at the Why does it feel so cold? No, wait, I am laying on a bed? But it’s day – they haven’t started yet, have they? Wait, now I
“I
think the effects of the last burst are finally stabilizing. I think one more
shot and then we can see if the neural network is functioning properly.”
Bvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeee
“Sarah, yes, good morning, it’s me, Harold. I,
uh – oh, you got a message – so it’s not on vacation time. Great.
Well – yes – thank you. Wow, I hope so too. I have no idea when I’ll – well
thank you! I’ll let Martha know. –Yes, I hope things keep going well there too.
Alright, hope to talk to you soon!”
“Harry, the car just pulled up!”
“Alright, I’ll get my coat. One
second!
“Ready.”
“Sure about this, honey?”
“I’ll be fine Martha. Let’s go.”
“Good morning, sir. Anything I can
help you with?”
“No, lieutenant, I’m good.”
“May I say that I salute you, sir,
for the brave choice you made in deciding to join this project.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.
So let’s hit the road, okay?”
“How’s he doing?”
“Vitals
are attaining equilibrium, sir. He should be conscious enough to speak in a few
minutes.”
Hhhhuuh?
I – I’m– What? Y-yes, the pain has gone. I think –
“Uuuhhhh...”
“Harry?
Harry, can you hear me? It’s John, Harry.”
“Eeegghhh, John...”
“How you feeling, Harry? You alright?”
“Man,
I feel like I was hit by a truck. Is it over?”
“We
think so. We want to see how you’re responding. How many fingers am I holding
up?”
“Three.”
“Now?”
“Six. What the hell kind of
test is this anyway? I can see fine. Uggghh....”
“Just
keep lying there Harry, you still may feel disoriented for a bit. How many now?”
“Wh- I don’t know, you damn trickster, they’re
behind your back.”
“Alright. Good man. Now, do you remember why you’re here?”
“Yeah,
I think so, I.....ouch... part of your cockamamy
experiment to implant people with bio-electric “circuitry” in the brain to enhance
our regular skills, maintain steady brainwave activity, yada
yada. Why the hell does it hurt so much?”
“We,
uh, had some problems activating the proper neural pathways to enhance certain of
your attributes that we were... interested in. They are working fine now, as
you can tell, or you’d still be under. But you knew this was part of the
procedure when you agreed to it.”
“Yeah,
I know. You’re
an idiot, Stanley...”
“What
was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Sure?
Well, okay. Are you starting to feel better?”
“Yes.”
“Good.
We’re going to leave you to sleep for a while, because you’ve just been through
a lot. Let your brain rest for a while, then we will
do some testing tomorrow. Sound good?”
“Yeah,
that’s good. Is Martha still here?”
“Yes.
If you want, we can have her stop by your room briefly when we take you there.
But we want you to get some good rest, so it will be brief.”
“Alright,
fine. I’d just like to see my wife.”
* * *
“I like this one. What do you think, Harold?”
“Honey, you have the most amazing eye for
picking out houses. I think with some work we could fix up the fence so you
could have more space for your garden and I could expand the shed for both our
cars. What’s the selling price?”
“Forty thou unibits. We could take out a loan from the bank and
using the interest on some of your war bonds we could work off the payment in
about four years.”
“Sounds good.
Let’s do it.”
“Ah, isn’t it just the most gorgeous
day today Harold?”
“One could not have picked a better
hour for a picnic, my sweet.”
“Ha ha,
oh, how romantic you are, Mr. Harold Stanley.”
“Oh, but do not
mock, my fair lady! It pains me to think that you do not but for a
minute take to heart the sincerity of which I but utter in words no match for
the beauty that my eyes behold.”
“Oh, Harry, stop that, I... oh,
Harry! No, don’t do that! That’s – ha ha! But we’re
in public! Harreeee.....”
“Harold.”
“Eep!”
“What?!
John! What the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s time to begin Harry, you
agreed to this. It will only be a small sting.”
“Harry, what is going on? Who are
these people? What is that on your arm??”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHH!! AHHHHHHH!!!!”
“That’s it, no, the wavelength,
Doctor. Change the wavelength. Don’t worry, he seems to be fine.”
“Goddamnit
I’m not fine! Shut it off, shut it off!”
“There. All finished. How are you
doing, Mr. Stanley?”
“Great, Doc! I feel I could pick up
a truck I feel so strong.”
“Well, why don’t you give it a
shot?”
“That’s silly, that’s– wow! I can!
You guys are miracle workers! I’m like Superman!”
“He he,
that’s a little bonus we decided to give you. Now, just for starters, we’d like
to give you a mental test. This was the problem Einstein started with when he
set out to solve the problem of relavity. Can you
complete the theorem?”
“No problem, doc. The fundamental
error lies here, and then when you move this here and here...”
Scritch scritch scritch
“Amazing!
His brain really is working at a higher level than anything we could have
imagined!”
“What can I say,
my mother always told me I was a special child. Now if you’ll excuse me, I
think I may have just discovered the cure for diabe–
what’s that sound?”
“What are you talking about,
Harold?”
“That thumping that - Jill, what are
you doing here, I thought I put you to bed an hour ago?”
“I couldn’t sleep Daddy. The man in
the closet kept making scary sounds and I thought he was going to get me.”
“That’s silly, honey. There’s no man
in the closet. I’ll show you?”
“Who’s he talking to, Doctor?”
“I don’t know. Harold, are you
alright?”
“I’ll be right back, fella. I am going to show my daughter that there is no man
in the closet.”
“Your daughter?”
“But Daddy, he’s not there anymore.
He’s here!”
“What are you talking about, honey?”
“Stay away daddy! Get back! You’re
the man in the closet! Help, somebody help!”
“That’s silly, come back here, Jill!
I said come back here! Now! NOW! What is that? What do you have in your hand,
Martha?”
“Sir, I think I may have to do this
again.”
“What’s going on? No, stay back
Martha... Don’t... AAAAAHHHHH–
* * *
–HHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Harry,
Harry are you okay?”
“Hhhuhh, hhuhh, hhuhh... wha...?”
“You
were screaming. Did something happen?”
“No,
no, I– I was just having a bad dream. That was all. Something about a picnic
and then the test and my daughter, but... I don’t want to think about it.”
“I
didn’t recall you had a daughter.”
“I
don’t. She died in an aero accident five years ago. Drunk driver not watching
what he was doing, makes a turn, same old story.”
“Jesus,
I’m sorry. You’d think after all these years we would have eliminated something
as stupid as that.”
“It’s
alright. There are always going to be stupid people in this world. Doesn’t matter if it’s automobiles, hoverbikes
or aerotransports. The
technology changes. We don’t.”
“Heh, right. Well, that’s what
we’re here to see, right? How are you feeling today? Hungry?”
“Actually,
now that I think about it, I could eat a bear!”
“Haha, I bet you do. While I wouldn’t recommend it now, I
had the chef prepare you something that should satisfy all your nutritious
needs. I’ll have her bring it to you, and when you’re ready we’d like to do
some tests on you to see how the neural network is doing.”
“Okay.
Oh, John? How’s Martha?”
“She’s
just fine, Harry. She was relieved to know that the operation went well, and
Lieutenant Chambers will be picking her up again today to visit you.”
“Is
he taking the Interstate?”
“Yes...
is there a problem?”
“Could
you tell him to take Route 50, please. I know this is
a ridiculous request and that it’s out of the way, but would you please have
him do it for me?”
“Uhh, sure, Harry, if it will make you feel better.”
“Thanks.”
“Well,
looks like your food’s here. Just press the red button on the side of your
chair when you’re done and the doctor and I will come back.”
Munch
munch
Crunch
Munch
munch munch munch munch
Munch
Sluuuuuuurrrrp
Gurgle
gurgle gurgle
*gulp*
Munch
munch munch
Crunch
crunch crunch crunch crunch
Siiip
*swallow*
Cruunch crunch
Gulp
aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh
*Beep*
“Yeah,
it’s me, I’m ready to go.”
“Okay,
we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Harry,
we are going to keep these patches on you during the tests so that we can
monitor your brain activity as we see what you are capable of.”
“Alright. So what do I have to do?”
“First,
we are going analyze your motor skills with a simple keyboard test. I’m sure
you remember taking them in grade school.”
“I
hated those.”
“Well,
we’ll see if you changed your mind this time. All we are going to do is see how
many words a minute you can type. It’s an old program, but it will serve its
purpose. If you will just sit over here...”
WELCOME
TO TOD’S TERRIFIC TYPING TEST. I AM TOD. PLEASE SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
-
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME, TOD.
-
I’VE USED THE TERRIFIC TYPING TEST BEFORE. LET’S GET STARTED!
“You
have got to be kidding me.”
“As
I said, it serves its purpose. I assume you don’t need the walkthrough.”
“Good
guess.”
CLICK
OKAY!
LET’S BEGIN!
Tack tacka tacka tack tacka tacka tacka tacka
tackatackatacka tackatackatacka tackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatacka
tackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatacka
tackckatacka—
“Well...
let’s just say I’m impressed...”
tackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackckatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackckatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackckatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackatackckatacka
CONGRATULATIONS!
NEW HIGH SCORE! 380 WORDS PER MINUTE! YOU HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUSLY TERRIFIC
JOB!
“...Whoa.”
“Well,
it seems that was a success! How did that feel, Harry?”
“Well,
my fingers are a bit tingly, but, well, I guess I can get a lot more work done
now, eh? Uuuhhh....”
“Harry?”
“Sorry,
my head started to feel slightly funny for a second. I’m fine.”
“Why
don’t you have some water and sit rest for a minute. Doctor?”
“The
computer shows a brief burst of energy in the cerebellum, but everything seems
fine. I doubt it is anything to worry about.”
“That
makes me feel good.”
“Seriously,
Mr. Stanley, at the soonest sign of a problem, we will halt everything and get
you back into tiptop shape.”
“That’s
great, just great. It’s no big deal or anything. My brain could just go on the
fritz any minute. I’m okay. So what’s next?”
“Harry,
look, you knew the risks when you got involved in this, and everything has
worked out fine so far, right? Maybe we should just take a break now and we’ll
come back when you are in better sorts. Trust us, nothing will go wrong.”
“Let’s
keep going. I can see I am already the fastest typist alive, so let’s see what
else you can
make me do.”
“Are
you sure?”
“Yes,
yes! Let’s get on with it!”
“Well,
being an engineer, we thought someone with such great mathematical skills would
be an ideal person to work with. After all, if your
already very quick analytical abilities are amplified as much as your typing
skills, you could be a great help to us in perfecting this project. And since
you served in the military, you would be familiar with our procedures for the
most part. So we have put together a test for you. You recall who James
Phillips was?”
“Was
he... the inventor of the hoverbikes?”
“Yes.
We have taken the initial problem that was to find a way to create a small personal
airborne vehicle, and would like you to walk through all the steps – with no
help whatsoever – to find the solution. Then, we would like to see if you can
expand his work to create a two-person, four-person, and eight-person vehicle.
Can you do it?”
“Well,
that’s... a tall order. But considering what I just did, what the heck?”
“Okay.
Here’s the problem, and...”
Beep
“Yes?”
“Sir,
Lieutenant Chambers has just returned with Mrs. Stanley. He wanted to thank you
for the advice to take Route 50, as an oil transport and hovercar
collided on the Interstate less than ten minutes ago. There is massive damage,
and over 80 people have been killed, more wounded.”
“...... Tell him he can thank Mr. Stanley for that.
Thanks for letting me know.”
Beep
“Christ, did you know that was going to happen?”
“Yes
– and no – I think. I don’t know,
really. It just kind of came to me. Something about the events of the past few
days culminating in that and... I really can’t explain it. Just like I can’t
explain that in 30 seconds the chef is going to come in here and take my food
tray away.”
“It
could have just been a coincidence, sir.”
“I
don’t think so, Doc. I’d like you to check the instrumentation again and see if
we are missing something.”
“Honestly,
the fact I just did that is even creeping myself out.”
“So
how did you do it again?”
“I
don’t know. Just leaped from the beginning of a train of
thought to the end. I didn’t even think about how that happened until
you mentioned it.”
“And the cook?”
“Sir,
I think you should see this scan.”
“Okay,
Doctor.”
Beep
“Who
is it?”
“It’s
Barnes, sir. I’ve come to take out the food tray.”
“Well,
well, well. Alright. Come in.”
Click
“Was
the meal acceptable?”
“Huh?
Oh, yeah, thanks. It was good.”
“I
am glad you approve.”
“Can
you have the next ready by 5.30, Barnes?”
“Certainly, sir.”
“Alright. We’ll see you later.”
Click
“So let’s see, then you’d have
to carry the... yes, and...”
“Harry?”
“I
think I’m almost finished. Give me another minute.”
“Let’s
see those scans, Doctor.”
“As
you can see, sir, everything that we activated is functioning... far better
than normal. And...can I have a word in private with you, sir?”
“Sure,
sure.
What is it?”
“Now that I have begun comparing
scans with those taken every twenty minutes, the activity of his brain centers
continuously keeps increasing and increasing. In fact, part of his so-called
‘telepathy’ may be a result of faster thought processes through the cerebrum,
which is now working at almost 100 percent capacity. What scares me the most is
that his thalamus is processing all sorts of data and outputting responses to
his body many many times faster than any human was
ever thought to be capable of. I am afraid if this
keeps up, we may, in simple terms, ‘burn out’ his brain. No one has ever used
their entire brain at once.”
“That’s totally ridiculous,
doctor. I don’t see how we are coming anywhere near to activating all his brain
centers.”
“You
may not have intended that, but it’s very plausible something of the sort could
do that. In fact, I’m sure it has happened to your previous patients.”
“Wait,
wh–? You heard that?”
“Yes,
I am starting to hear many things. And you don’t need to worry about keeping anything
from me. I am quite alright with it now.”
“I
think you have been mistaken, Mr. Stanley. You are our very first human
patient.”
“You
don’t need to lie, Doc.”
“He’s
right, Doctor. How did you figure it out, Harry?”
“You
made it incredibly obvious when you outlined why I – of any other person you
could have chosen – was selected for this project. You wanted to make sure the
device was working well enough with me so you could use my mathematical talents
to perfect it for public use. But everyone knows that when you are working to
create anything new, you never get it right the first time. So you must have
had plenty of previous ‘guinea pigs’ you worked on until you could get to this
point, a point where you were comfortable enough to use the last person you
really to make the network officially safe for public use. I wonder what the
others had to go through so you could reach this point. Who were they, John?
Who did you find to mess with their brains?”
“Harry,
it really wasn’t like that. You’re right, we couldn’t have just one test
subject, and one who we needed badly to survive the operation so he could
complete the project. But the others were nobodies, people nobody wanted to see
and wouldn’t remember anyway. I can’t see how that is hurting anybody.”
“John,
you are playing with people’s minds.
As you have already seen, the results are unpredictable and rather dangerous.
You are even currently dealing with problems that you were unprepared for,
problems you never expected to arise because you assumed by this point, you
would have a final working product. As the doctor pointed out, you may have
just discovered some new problems yourself. Can I have a glass of water? My
head is beginning to hurt.”
“Of
course you can. Why don’t we stop what we’re working on right now and let you
get some rest. We’ll see how you’re doing at dinner time, and then decide what
we are going to do, okay?”
“Alright. Oooohhh.... okay, yes. That we’ll be fine.
We’ll continue later...”
* * *
“This really is a lovely house,
honey.”
“It’s wonderful. It’s big enough for
our own space, but definitely not like the last one. I don’t think I could
handle that type of arrangement without....”
“I know. It’s
okay, Martha. Maybe we could turn that room into a parlor, and the back room
could be used as a home office for you and the den for when Sarah gives me a
major project to plan.”
“That sounds good. And Harold?”
“Could we, you know, maybe, um, get
a dog? Just for the extra company?”
“Sure, sure.
I think a dog would be great. But I need to get back to the lab right now. They
are still doing tests on me.”
“Do you think they will be done
soon?”
“Yes. They just left me to rest
right now, so I’d feel better this evening.”
“Okay. And honey?”
“Yes?”
“Drive safely.”
“I will. And I’ll check on Jill on
the way.”
“But Harold, Jill’s...”
“Oh, yes, you’re right. She’s dead.
That must mean I am still dreaming.”
* * *
“How
are you doing, Harry?”
“Slightly better. Still very tired for
some reason and I am really hungry. Is it dinner yet?”
“Yes,
we’ve got some food here for you. Now–”
“Good, alright!”
Crunch
crunch munch munch munch munch crunch slurrrp crunch--
“Uh,
Harry, I don’t think you should be eating so fast. Take it slow,
let the food go down easily. You don’t want to agitate yourself.”
“But
Irm” crunnch crunch “sooo” munch munch sluuurp *GULP* “huln” crunch
munch crunch *swallow* “gry.”
“I
know, but–”
Crunch
crunch crunch gulp gulp gulp munch munch SLLUUUUUUUURRRRRP *swallow*
“That
was good. Mm, I– ohhh, I think you were right.”
“You
okay?”
“Yeah. I just couldn’t help myself. Is there more?”
“Well,
I can see if we can get you some more in a bit.”
“Because I’m still hungry.”
“Okay,
we’ll...uh...see what we can do. Doc, could you, um, talk to the chef?”
“Yessir.”
“Thanks.
Harry, did you realize you solved that problem I gave you correctly? It took a
couple of our scientists here to verify, but you were correct.”
“I know.
I don’t see how I couldn’t be. It was quite simple. But let’s get to the point
here, John.”
“Oh?
What’s that?”
“John,
I don’t think you can handle what you are trying to achieve with this project.
You’re playing with the one part of the human anatomy that we have always known
the least about, and I think it is safe to say that we still don’t know enough
about it to begin experimenting on them. It is unethical and inhumane. More
time needs to be spent trying to understand its finer workings than dealing
with our so called ‘advanced modern psychology.’ And that is something I think
I could help you with. Do you have any water?”
“Yes,
here you go. I understand what you are saying, Harry, but I think you may be
misjudging us on this. You know that we have spent many years doing research
for this before we began experimenting, and you know we only began this project
because Project: Super Soldier was a success. And we spent years researching
for that.”
“But
that was different, John. That was essentially pumping an incredibly physically
fit person with tons of steroids, heightening their awareness level almost to
that of neurosis, and then mixing it up all together with mood stabilizers. I’m
surprised that worked as well as it did. But now you are trying to control an
entire nation’s population with a flip of a switch, and keep them working like
happy little bees to keep our country running in a smooth, trouble-free manner.
It’s too much. This thing is going to explode in your face. I see it now.”
“You’re
taking this too far, Harry. We’ve analyzed all the possible flaws that might
occur and know how we can prevent them. We’d like you to be willing to help us,
but if not we’ll manage on our own. It’s for the good of everyone, believe me.”
“I
hope that’s what your last volunteers thought too, for their sake. Taking
society’s dregs off the street to experiment on? I am ashamed of you. I didn’t
think you could stoop that low. We may have had to do some bad things during
the war, but I’d assumed you were past that. I wonder if they felt what I felt? I wonder if they were on this very operating table,
going in and out of memories and color and pain and disorientation and wanting
to call out but being unable to? I’m sure it was much
worse. I’m sure the operation was a living hell for them. Do you have more
water? My head is hurting again. Dammit.”
“Here
you go. I think you better lie down again. I’m sorry, Harry. I’m sorry, but I
think you know as well as I do that this is one of the greatest things our
government can do for its citizens. The benefits will be enormous. I think–”
Thwwwwwwkk!
“Ow!”
“Harry?”
“What
the hell was that? It felt like I got pelted in the side of the head with a
baseball!”
“Lie
down, Harry. Here’s some more water. Do want the water, Harry?”
“I’m
fine! I’m fine. Eerrrrhhh... do you have anything for
this headache?”
“Doctor? What’s going on with him?”
“It’s
as I told you, sir, his neurotransmitters are firing faster and faster.”
“Well,
can you do something about it? The man’s in pain!”
“I’ve
been trying to work out a way to reverse the network’s charges, sir, but so far
it doesn’t seem to be responding.”
“Keep
working on it.”
“Like a child playing with
fire...”
“What
was that, Harry?”
“I
said you’re like a child with fire... Eeccchhh....
Why is it so cold in here...?”
“It’s
alright, Harry. Doc! Help me lay him down! Hang in there, Harry. You’ll be
fine. Damnit, I hope we don’t lose him, too. Stay with us Harry, you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine...”
There
is a great windstorm in front of me. I can’t see what is happening; everything
is gray. I think I hear voices, but they are voices I haven’t heard in a long
time.
Jill’s breathing is shallow, and her hand is cold. The doctors have cleaned her up
quite well, and she almost looks like she is sleeping. Martha is sitting in the
chair next to the bed, weeping. My hand is on her shoulder.
“Daddy, tell her not to cry.” Jill
is standing next to me.
“It’s okay, honey. She’s just
afraid.”
“I know. But tell her I’m okay. I
really am. And I’m not scared of anything.”
“I know you’re not sweetie. I know
you’re not.” I kiss my daughter on her forehead.
“I have to go now, Dad. But tell her
I’m okay, will you?”
“Sure I will honey, sure I will.”
“Thanks daddy. I love you.” She
gives me a kiss. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Okay. Stay well.”
“Oh, daddy.”
She laughs, and walks away. I give my wife a hug.
“Harry,
Harry, can you hear me?”
“Yeah, John. What’s up?”
“Harry,
the doctor thinks he may have figured out what the problem is. He is
reprogramming the machine’s code now. We’ll give it a test and then we’re going
to get you back in shipshape condition, alright?”
“Yeah, John, sounds good...”
It’s my first day back from the
service. I walk up the steps to the Jones’ door. I try to hold back the grin
that I can feel creeping across my face and ring the doorbell. Martha opens the
door.
“Oh my god!
Oh my god!” She stands there for a second, and then
jumps on top of me. I almost fall backwards and we laugh and embrace. Mr. and
Mrs. Jones come to see what all the commotion is, and
we all hug.
“I had no idea...”
“I wanted to keep it a surprise.” I
grin. “Did it work?”
Martha just keeps laughing.
“And I have another something you
might like.” I take the ring out of my pocket.
“You still
with us, Harry?”
“Huh?
Oh, yeah, doing my best... hehe...”
“Good
to hear, good to hear, my friend. The doctor has completed the changes and
we’re ready to begin? Are you ready?”
“It’s
now or never, John, buddy.”
“Alright, great. It’s going to be pretty much the same thing
as last time. We’ll be regulating your regular body functions through this
monitor we’ll be hooking into your arm. You might feel a slight sting...”
It’s a lovely spring day outside,
almost like something out of a children’s storybook. The pink blossoms of the
trees are lazily drifting down while the birds are chirping to one another in
the trees, squirrels are chasing each other across the grass, and lovers are
whispering to one another. I’m watching the ducks swimming in the pond. A young
man walks by and throws breadcrumbs over the railing as his girlfriend happily
laughs. I am that young man. Angie, my high school sweetheart, loved to feed
the birds. On one of our walks outside the city, I brought a huge loaf of bread
from Zeigman’s Bakery and we threw breadcrumbs until
the loaf was gone. It was a memorable day.
“What are you thinking about, babe?”
“Oh? Nothing.
Nothing at all.”
Martha snuggles closer to me. “Come
on, I want to know.”
“You’re sure this is going
to work.”
“As sure as I’ve ever been, sir.”
“This better damn work. Harry is a good man and a good
friend. I do not want to see him just another body on our lab bed.”
“It’ll
work, sir. The operation will work.”
“You
don’t sound too confident, Doctor.”
“It’s
just that even when we return his brain functions to normal, he already may–”
Beep
“Yes?”
“Sir,
Major William Samuels is here to see you...”
A boy and his father toss a ball
back and forth between one another about twenty feet from us. That boy is me
when I was five years old. My dad loved the outdoors. He said when he was a boy
his dad would take him hiking and camping, and they would travel for days just
to get away from it all. That was when there still were forests, before the
population explosion and the Energy Crisis of ’46. I rarely spent time with my
dad, as he was in the service. When the war began. I
don’t remember what he did – some special operations unit – he died when I was
seven.
“I was just taking everything in,
thinking how nice it would be if there were more places like this left. There’s
too much city now, too much hustle and bustle and noise all the time. I like
things quiet and peaceful like this.”
Martha snuggles closer. “Mmmm.” She makes the most wonderful
sighing noise that makes me feel like the happiest man in the world. A beautiful day in a beautiful park with the most beautiful, the
most wonderful woman in the world leaning against you. I take a deep
breath and let it out very, very slowly.
“Major Samuels, what an
unexpected surprise.”
“Indeed.
I’m here because I’ve heard word of a... problem with the test subject?”
“Oh,
no...er, well yes, in a way.
But it’s under control. The subject performed better than we could have anticipated,
but we believe that the process was working so smoothly that the network
overloaded his normal brain functions. Dr. Peters has found a way to reverse
it. We should be done soon, and then he will be feeling better in no time.”
“That
is good news. I’ve just spoken with the President, and he has been a
bit...displeased with the results. I don’t think he’d consider shutting this
down–”
“That’s
great!”
“–yet. But there needs to be some further progress.”
“I
can guarantee it, sir. You needn’t worry about that.”
“I
also took the liberty of drawing up a file on a Mr. Thomas Blake, merely on the
off chance that... well, let’s just hope this is a
success, shall we?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright. I have a meeting to get to now, but I will have
someone check back tomorrow if I can’t make it myself. Best
of luck.”
“Thank
you, sir. Jesus,
that’s just what I needed now. Come on, Harry...”
A mother passes by, wheeling her
infant in a stroller. The child is making playful gurgling noises, and smiling
at everyone they pass. I am that baby. I stare out at all the people from my
stroller seat, looking at how pretty and interesting they all are. What are
they thinking? What are they doing? Is that man going to his job like my papa?
Is that woman a mama like my mama? A duck looks at me with a quizzical look,
asking why I am in this strange rolling machine. I tell him that my mommy likes
to push me in it, and that she always pushed me around in it when I was very
little. I say it is my own private car around the world that I don’t even have
to drive myself. The duck thinks I am funny, and says he prefers his wings.
Then he says goodbye and flies back to the pond to eat more breadcrumbs.
“Harry,
Harry, can you hear me? I know you can hear me, buddy. We’re done. The operation
was a success. You’re probably quite tired so we’ll let you rest now, but you
got through it. I can see that you’re right now, we have quite a bit of work
ahead of us, but we’re going to make this thing work, Harry, and you can help
us now. So why don’t you rest and we’ll tell Martha that you’re doing just
fine, and if you’re well enough in the morning will have her come in to see
you. Alright, Harry? Alright? Get
some rest Harry, I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some rest...”
It has been a relaxing afternoon. The young man that is me and the girl
who is Angie have sat down under a tree, and are whispering sweet nothings in
each others’ ears. The boy who is me and his father who is my father have sat
down to have a picnic. The boy’s mother who is my mother has come to join them.
The baby who is me has fallen asleep in his stroller while his mother who is my
mother is reading a book on the grass. Martha has fallen asleep on my shoulder.
“Daddy?”
Jill walks toward me across the
grass. A duck waddles past her and towards the young man who is me to see if
there are any more breadcrumbs.
“Daddy, it’s time to go now. It’s
getting late. Can you tell mom?”
I nudge Martha and she sighs as she
wakes up.
“Honey, Jill and I have to get going
now.”
Martha rubs the sleep from her eyes
and sits up.
“Is it time already?”
“Yes, it’s time.”
A look of sadness crosses her face.
“Alright, well make sure you take good care of yourselves. I packed you both
sandwiches in case you get hungry.”
Jill smiles a sad smile at me and
takes the sandwich from Martha’s hand. She kisses her on the forehead.
“I love you, mom.”
“I love you, honey.” Martha holds
back a sob. She kisses both of us, and gives us tight hugs. We are the only
ones left in the park now.
I stand up and stretch my legs.
“We’ll see you soon mom.” Jill tries
to soothe her mother.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “We’ll be
fine.”
The Operation