“Research and education will be Project Darwin’s highest priority. I assure you, Commander.”
“No! No area of research can be considered off limits! Not when the future of humanity is at stake!”
“We will prepare our citizens in case the worst happens. They will be modified to survive under any conditions.”
“Dammit! We are not playing god just for the sake of it! We produce only useful life!”
“I swear, John. You’ll get the Nobel Prize for this.”
This snippet came with visuals. A dark–haired woman — I remembered her from the faded photos in the lab downstairs — wrapped in my arms, looking lovingly into my eyes. I answered her.
“Really? When we’re not even allowed to tell anyone what we’re doing?”
The scene vanished. A mechanical voice cut in.
“Complete the sequence — four, two, eight, four, thirty–two, sixteen….”
There was a barrier in front of me. It looked like everything else in this place, but somehow I could tell that there was another room behind it. I pushed at it.
“Complete the sequence — four, two, eight, four, thirty–two, sixteen….”
This voice was different than the others. It was talking directly to me.
“Huh? I don’t understand.”
“Complete the sequence — four, two, eight, four, thirty–two, sixteen….”
Shit. I’d never been any good at this kind of stuff. I had no idea. I repeated it out loud, hoping that would help.
“Complete the sequence? What was it again? Four, two, eight, four, thirty–two, sixteen…?”
A new voice came into my head, this one was muffled and far far away, but somehow more real than the other ones. “It’s five–hundred and twelve, Ghost. That’s the next number.”
That was Athalia. Was she in here with me? Had I actually spoken out loud, in the real world.
I looked around the blinding space, “Uh… is the answer five–hundred and twelve?”
The barrier dissolved. I stepped forward into another space that looked exactly like the one I’d just left.
“Who’s there?”
I recognized the voice. It was Finster.
“Who entered that security code?”
I waved at the ceiling — which made about as much sense as waving at the floor, but whatever. “Hiya, Finster.”
“Who is that? Who is in my mind? How did you…?” There was a long pause. “I am dead, yes?”
“Pretty much, yeah. But with your dying breath you told us the sec pass for Sleeper One was in here, so… here I am. Want to tell me where to look?”
There was no answer.
“Uh, hello?”
Still nothing. I moved around the space, bumping into the walls.
“Hello?”
“Who is that? Who is in my mind? How did you…?” Again a long pause. “I am dead, yes?”
“Uh… we just went over this. Yes. You’re dead. I’m looking for the sec pass.”
Another long pause. “I am dead, yes?”
“Yeah. We just—”
“I am dead, yes?”
“Oh boy.”
Finster didn’t appear to be doing very well. He seemed like a dying light bulb, flickering and dimming before finally going dark forever. Understandable, considering he was on life support and all, but selfishly I was a little more concerned about me. Was this going to make the inside of his head harder to navigate? Would I be able to find what I was looking for? What happened if he died completely while I was in here? Would I just get kicked out back into my own head, or would I be trapped in here when it all went dark? Whatever happened, getting out fast was probably the best option.
“Daddy!”
The shriek brought me up short. I looked around. Though I hadn’t seen anybody before, suddenly I was not alone. There was a misshapen form in the corner, weeping and feeling at the walls like it was blind.
“I’m sorry, daddy! I’m sorry I wasn’t born right!”
I edged closer and saw that it was one of the night screamers, like the ones we’d fought in Finster’s wild animal park. Only this one looked huge — twice as big as me, with a head the size of a beer keg hanging from a neck too weak to hold it upright.
“Don’t leave me in here, daddy! I’m scared!”
Did the thing mean Finster was its father? Did it mean it literally? The images that brought up in my mind were so disturbing that I just wanted to get out of there. I tip–toed behind the creature’s back and reached another barrier.
“Complete the sequence — four, six, eight, twelve….”
“Shhh!”
I shot a look back at the screamer. It was too busy crying.
“Complete the sequence — four, six, eight, twelve….”
I repeated it out loud again — but softly. “Uh, another sequence. Four, six, eight, twelve….”
There was no response from Athalia.
I tried again. “Four, six, eight—”
“I heard you, Ghost. I just… I have no idea. Uh, just start at thirteen and go up.”
I started to say ‘thirteen’ but then another vision took me over — a bunch of kids sitting around a table playing some kind of game with little tin figures of knights and dragons, funny shaped dice, and lots of books. One of the kids looked at me.
“Okay, Irwin, I pick the lock. What happens?”
I picked a die that was practically round and rolled it behind a screen so the other kids couldn’t see. Yes! The thief was doomed.
“Twenty!” I shouted. “Twenty!”
The barrier dissolved.
From outside my head I heard Athalia. “Twenty? And that worked? Oooo–kay.”
I stepped into the next room, then blinked. I’d only taken a step, but already I was halfway to the far wall. I stepped back, surprised, and was in a corner. I stopped and looked around, trying to figure out what was wrong. I couldn’t see anything different about this place. Crazy walls, crazy floor, just like the others, a barrier in the far corner.
I started toward it and ended up off to one side again. Some kind of glitch? Was I losing my connection? I stepped toward the barrier again and again ended up facing the wrong way in the middle of the room. I turned and ran toward it as fast as I could and ended up smashing my face into the wall behind me.
I picked myself up, frowning. Maybe there was a pattern to where the room moved you. If I could figure out the pattern…
I stepped forward — and ended up right where I’d started. And—
“Kibbles and bits. Kibbles and bits. I’m gonna carve you into kibbles and bits.”
I whipped around. “Who said that?”
It hadn’t sounded like Finster, but it hadn’t sounded like the Night Screamer either. It had sounded completely deranged. There was no–one there. Had I imagined it?
I tried another direction — and ended up right where I’d started. And—
“Kibbles and bits. Kibbles and bits. I’m gonna carve you into kibbles and bits.”
Goddamn it! I was trapped in this corner with the crazy voice jabbering at me. What the hell? Was this a security measure? Was it Finster’s brain falling apart? Was there some kind of invisible monster in the room with me?
Maybe I was getting bad signals from my eyes. I closed them and instead pictured walking to the barrier. I took a step. I couldn’t tell if I’d been teleported or not, but in my mind I was a step closer. Another step, and another.
After ten steps it felt like I was at the barrier. I opened my eyes. To my utter amazement, I really was at the barrier, and it was open.
“Well, how about that.”
I entered the next room. The far wall was partially obscured by weird, grayish strands. I couldn’t tell if they were some kind of visual glitch or if they were actually there. I stepped toward them. A thing that looked a lot like a giant spider dropped down in front of it and waggled its mandibles at me.