Invisible Threads

by Michael Hyslip

  “Yes, well you’re stuck here now without your bots,” I said. “But if you mined components from asteroids, or if something went wrong, you could potentially increase the mass of the Earth and affect its orbit I’d think. Dangerous!” Bryson merely shrugged, so I continued, “The nanobots in me, then, became hammered by the machine-created portal, and they essentially learned a new trick?”

  “Yes.”

  “And whatever you saw on your tablet back at the construction site let you know it was from our original world?”

  “Oh yes, which is why it hit me so hard. I was certain no one could have followed me here once I activated the self-destruct contingency, much less had nanobots from previous tests. I spent days poring over all the diagnostics logs I’d taken from our conversation and finally figured out the truth. I suppose the Army engineers also figured it out on their own. The self-destruct I’d put into place didn’t quite destroy everything, and I was going to test it on your friend, Janet, who was so kindly donated by Matroni. What I find truly intriguing is that you brought someone without nanobots back to this world with you.”

  “So how did you get involved with the Army?” I asked, trying to get as much from him as possible.

  Bryson sighed. “You mean in the ‘new’ world, I assume. I chose that particular world because I didn’t seem to have a double there; I used my own genetic makeup as a baseline for monitoring as I built the gateway. Theoretically, going to a world that was truly identical would land me in exactly the same place, and there’d be no way to tell them apart. I originally catalogued over 400 trillion possible destinations, far more than my system could process. But when I found a system in which I didn’t exist, it became my preferred destination.

  “Once there I hoped to recreate my research from scratch, but I ended up in police custody when foolishly appropriating some lab equipment. When I could, I started making calls to military offices until I reached someone who understood I had information of a very serious nature. After speaking with a few of the military powers that be, they temporarily funded my research and instructed the police to end its inquiry due to ‘national security concerns.’ That’s where you found me, but once the new facility was built, we were going to move the research underground. Better security, more funding.

  “Building a secret facility is easy; you just put a legitimate face on it to redirect curiosity. Which is where the IASP, a legitimate nonprofit, came in; we used it to promote ‘new research.’ It would also serve as a place to tap into other talented minds if we wanted to recruit. That Gerald fellow was involved with people in the construction industry, and he stole some of my sensitive documents. I was careless and paid the price. Your involvement with Matroni to steal them back is what connected us together, ‘invisible’ threads of fate, pun intended.

  “Ultimately the underground facility would be used for testing large-scale teleportation of resources. We could take our trash, waste, or anything else to transfer off the planet and pull in whatever natural resources we wanted. Of course, it’s also possible that, in time, we could transfer weapons directly into the heart of an enemy location and destroy them with no trace of the origin. The possibilities are endless, really.

  “The new world’s military researchers validated my technology, although to them it had only been a theory. We rushed through the phases to rebuild the nanotechnology, which would give them an incredible advantage. When they saw it in action, funding would have never been an issue again. Imagine soldiers who healed faster, were stronger, and under control in a much more permanent way. Discipline issues could be all but eliminated…”

  “That’s enough! What about the other abilities, such as invisibility?” a speaker projected from beyond the glass wall.

  Bryson showed the hint of a smile and brought it under control. “Don’t interrupt. Imagine who would pay for an army of completely obedient lethal soldiers. That was the original intent, along with strength, healing, and endurance. I didn’t understand the full capabilities of my own nanobots until you came along.”

  It was certainly a compelling scenario, and I was sure any military would be interested in it, but my thoughts were interrupted as the speaker crackled by another question. Bryson simply looked at the mirror, held up his hand, and said, “Free me, pay me, and I’ll help you build it. Otherwise, we’re done here, Griers. I told you earlier, no interruptions. Take me back to my cell.”

  I wasn’t sure what to do. I certainly wasn’t calling the shots, but a moment later a few MPs, or military police, entered the room. They unchained Bryson from the restraints on the desk and floor and took him outside.

  Griers entered the room and said, “Thanks for your help; that’s the most information he’s given us. I’ll let him cool down a while before further questioning. If I have to, I’ll move him out of the country and take great pleasure in waterboarding him.”

  As Griers exited the room, I suspected he wasn’t kidding. I was escorted back to my room. The doctor took my request to heart and delivered plenty of food.

  As I relaxed, Janet came in, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes a moment. “I wish I could get a message to Marcy to let her know we’re okay.”

  I raised my eyebrow and chuckled. “I know, Jan. She was amazing in helping me when I thought you might be dead. She is fierce—hits pretty hard, too.”

  Now it was her turn to laugh. “I wish I’d seen that! I guess, Sam, the only real regret I have is losing all that cash you gave me access to. Now that we’re stuck here, I suppose it’s back to making my own way in life until we can actually leave this place. It’s not like I can run back and get it all, and this girl needs shoes,” she said with a sly smile and a twinkle in her eye. It was the first moment she truly started to relax, and I knew the toll on us both had been enormous.

  “Janet, thank you for your kindness and support. I was losing every part of who I was in vengeance, and it was only my memories of you and your belief in me that kept me sane. Once I’m up and moving, I need to buy you a proper dinner. And so much more should you be willing to accept it.”

  She merely winked, and I settled back into the bed to rest, contemplating everything we’d been through. She once again lay beside me and kissed me on the cheek, falling asleep shortly after.

  A few hours later I awoke to find her watching me sleep. “Creep,” I said.

  She smiled, moving her fist toward my shoulder incisions. I sucked in a breath, anticipating pain as she laughed, pulling her fist back. I knew that wasn’t a battle I’d win. Instead, I used the intercom to see about some more food.

  Another meal successfully vanquished, I asked, “So what about your double? You said the Army wouldn’t let you talk to her. What was it like seeing her though?”

  “It was weird, but, yeah, I saw her run through pretty much the same routine I did at home. Our houses are the same, parents the same according to Army records, as well as several neighbors. She’s a nurse, although at a different hospital. It was strange, but also liberating to know that we’re both too good for you.” With this she laughed. “Okay, Sam, your body is definitely demanding some rest, and as hungry as you’ve been, you’ve got to let it do its work and heal. I’m going to go for a walk; just please rest, okay?”

  I nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and laid back down. She caught me watching enthusiastically as she walked out of the room, though I had to raise my eyes up to notice. Busted.

  I could feel a tingling along all the incisions. The itching was getting to that stage where it would become a constant agitation, but given how much I’d been eating, I started to wonder about other possibilities. I glanced down at my hands and thought about my conversations with Marcy about nanobot replication. Paired with my unusual hunger, I wondered if any were still left in my system and were repairing themselves. I tested shielding on my thumb, and it started to slightly disappear. I couldn’t push it any further, so I quickly unshielded it and held back a smile; the nanobots were doing their work within and wi
thout. I didn’t know how long it would take to for them to completely replenish, but the process had clearly begun.

  The next morning I woke up refreshed. I was able to shower, and my shoulder felt good enough to manage on my own as long as I didn’t move it too much. I had no more bandages or drainage issues, just a lot of healing stitches. As I stepped from the shower, a torrent of confusing images hit me. They were memories, but hard to pull into context. They seemed to span across my childhood, but in no discernible order. As I tried to piece them together, an alarm echoed throughout the building. It wasn’t a fire alarm, but more like a major security issue warning.

  I quickly dressed, and as I finished, Janet hurried into my room. “Hey what’s up with the alarm?” I asked her.

  She looked absolutely stricken. “It’s Bryson. He’s gone, escaped.”

  “Seriously? Someone let him out? There’s no way he’d get out on his own. Oh no…. I know how!”

  She looked at me in puzzlement. I looked at my hand and shielded. It almost completely disappeared, pulling a gasp from Janet. “They’re rebuilding themselves,” I explained with a coldness in my stomach, “and I bet the same thing is happening with Bryson. He’s possibly not even in this universe and may have escaped beyond Griers’ reach. I’m sure that won’t make him happy.”

  Abruptly, the thought of an unhappy Griers snapped together a few of those memories. I stumbled a bit, and Janet rushed to catch me. “What’s wrong, Sam?”

  “I… I had a flash of a few memories earlier, but jumbled. My name obviously wasn’t originally Samuel Jonathan, but I believe it was Simon Jonathan, which is pretty close. There’s more, and we need to tell him about Bryson.”

  “Tell who?”

  I rose and stepped to the intercom, pressing the button while Janet looked at me questioningly.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I need to see General Griers.”

  “What about, sir?”

  “Tell him his son would like to speak to him.”

  About the Author

  I am a network/server administrator for several small companies around central Ohio. I’ve been in the IT field for over 20 years, and in the past few I’ve gotten a desire to get into a bit of writing. I took an idea and started to write, letting it take shape as I went. After some intense editing it finally resembled something of an actual story, and here we are!

  Back around 2001-2002 I had played a game called Anarchy Online, and had written a short story (total geekiness, I know) for some friends surrounding a character that could use a cloaking device to turn invisible. The game was sci-fi based, and using this technology made me wonder about whether or not light would actually be interpreted by the brain in an instance such as this, or if a person would simply see darkness. That tiny part of an idea stuck with me and this story starting to take form from this.