Squaring the Circle

by B K Brain

  But luck, like everything else, was relative. If she’d known what was to come next, Rachel would’ve stayed where she was, taken her chances at gunpoint.

  Desperate to find Eddie, she’d made her way down a long black corridor toward the sound of distant voices. She found herself at…a dead end? No, an intersection. Stairwell to the right. To the left, a dim glow outlining an open doorway.

  She heard a voice. And footsteps, getting closer.

  She went to her knees, held her breath. Too late, he’d seen her.

  Then came the strangest sensation.

  She suddenly felt…weaker. The weight of her body had become too much. Rachel pressed hands to the floor, struggling against the surprise workload. Her head went low, the muscles in her shoulders and back heaving in defiance of the new pressure.

  Elbows locked, arms wobbled for balance.

  Thick, blunt pain, everywhere. Spine, knees, the palms of her hands, her neck. Her skull must’ve weighed a thousand pounds.

  Rachel would’ve screamed, cried bloody fucking murder, if lungs hadn’t been flattened like punctured tires. Breath had been constricted away, alongside time, hope, the chance to live for just a few moments more. To find her sister. Eddie.

  Can’t breathe. I-

  Like a curtain to a stage, darkness fell.

  But that was not the end of it.

  She woke to icy concrete and pain. A blinding rectangle of starlight. And rope. The terrible pressure was gone. How long had she been lying here? Who tied her to this wall, and why? Where was Eddie? She yanked arms to test her bonds. They held tight. Eyes flooded with tears.

  Again, footsteps. She wasn’t alone.

  “Who’s there?” she said, her voice stuttering.

  “I’m Doctor Samuel Jacobson. But the real question is, who are you?”

  “Rachel Sallenger. Please. Can you help me?”

  “I’m afraid not. But you can help me. Help me to complete my experiment. I’ve already discovered so much. Would you like to know what I’ve found?”

  “Please let me go.”

  “Consciousness is defined by three things. Emotion. Memory. And connection, an ever-flowing line of communication to the universe.

  “Each of us unknowingly conveys what we believe reality to be. Just like an election, only this determines the very fabric of our existence. The cosmos takes in all our individual expectations, adds them up, and spits out the winner.” The man smiled wickedly. “Majority rules. Isn’t it fascinating?”

  Jacobson, the bad man from Eddie’s dreams. Rachel tugged at the rope. “I’m begging you. Please.”

  “Ah, but I haven’t gotten to the best part. You see, I’m now entangled with them, the particles the universe uses to make its calculations. But sadly, I’ve hit a snag. My power, while quite impressive, is limited to my senses, my own personal surroundings. It’s easy to understand my dilemma, yes? But like I said, you’re going to help me.”

  He cupped hands together and then spread them wide, out to arm’s length. A blue glow, Rachel’s consciousness, and her perception, expanded as well. She peered upward to see a galaxy of pulsing, spiral pathways thickening above.

  Her vision diverged in that instant, multiplied. She found herself looking upward, into the illumination, and down at herself from within that light, at the same time. Not from a single point of view, no. From every pinpoint within the blue haze. Her living essence, her soul, saw the massive room, one side to the other, from every possible perspective.

  Rachel gasped, at once terrified and amazed. Her vision had been set free, no longer hindered by the limitations of incompetent, mundane eyes.

  But that wasn’t the end of it -- memories had been loosed as well.

  The physical mind hadn’t the capacity to remember all; her brain had always been forced to pick and choose what it kept, and what it discarded, as the events of life played out.

  Her spiritual mind had no such constraints.

  Sights, sounds, smells. Textures. Emotion. Her entire existence in stunning, vivid detail. No glamour, no embellishment. Just truth in all its beauty and wonder and cruelty. In that moment Rachel realized she hadn’t just left some things behind, she’d abandoned almost everything. Her entire life had been packed away like heaps of musty clothing. Shoes with rotten laces, busted tread. Mislaid photographs of people she’d known once upon a time.

  A simple gesture and it had all come back.

  Rachel’s world -- and for the first time, Rachel -- was complete.

  My God. I remember everything.

  It was like having her own personal time machine. She remembered every moment of her childhood. Weekends filled with games and laughter. Grade school. Recess. Friends, family. Her poor, tormented sister.

  Rachel recalled not only the day the voices began, but the very second. Numb fingers, chattering teeth. A snowman. And Eddie’s morphing expression. Happiness to confusion. Confusion to fear. Then, worst of all, pure, writhing terror.

  Huge flakes fell out of a desolate gunmetal sky. The snow, heavy and wet, melted into knit gloves, leaving no thread unsaturated. Perfect for snowmen. Snowmen and head colds, their mother had said. She’d forgotten that. She’d forgotten nearly everything, including the awful sound that bellowed from her sister. A scream, like a rising siren.

  Something broke that afternoon, a thing inside Eddie that could not be fixed. Not by doctors, not by medication. Certainly not by Rachel. Over the course of the next few months, the ensuing guilt stained her entire world.

  But Rachel was a survivor, and to her surprise, so was Eddie.

  Many things were sacrificed in the years that followed. College, promotions at work, boyfriends. Rachel tried to convince herself she had no regrets, but she did.

  She now regretted coming here, to this horrible dark place.

  The man reached upward, ran cold fingers through her vision, her memories, her mind. Touching, violating.

  “Please don’t,” she cried.

  He turned back. Smiled. Wrenched down like a vise. Razors separating skin would’ve been kinder. A person could not survive such a thing.

  Death was coming, surely it was.

  But not soon enough.

  2

  Her protector, the reason for Eddie’s life. Without Rachel, she was nothing.

  She didn’t need shadows asking her for purpose. Her purpose, her meaning, had always been Rachel. Always.

  Sam was saying something, insults, or perhaps threats. His words, distant, echoes from far below.

  Screw the plan. She had to help her sister. Eddie balled fists, stepped forward.

  David’s voice, from somewhere behind. “Eddie,” he said. “I got this. You have to find him.”

  An unexpected shove and Eddie fell at the little table and the baseball.

  “NO! I HAVE TO-”

  3

  Cathleen plugged the memory stick into the quantum user interface, clicked the icon, chose the explore option. A folder opened, filling the screen with a selection of playable videos and programs. She right-clicked on the first, one titled GRAV-SIM, to check its properties.

  Type of file: application. (EXE)

  Location: A:Users

  Size: 1.92 MB (2,018,464 bytes)

  She selected the security tab, scanned down the list.

  Full control: Allow

  Modify: Allow

  Read and execute: Allow

  Okay, so I can run it. But what does it do? And more importantly, how long will it run?

  GRAV-SIM was short for what? Gravity simulator? That made sense, but what gravity would it simulate? A planet, a black hole? Would it run indefinitely, or just until its calculations were complete?

  There was no way to know any of those things without going over the program code line by line, and she didn’t have time for that. It’d probably all look like gibberish anyway. Cathleen had taken a few courses online, but she was no programmer. And she was certainly no scientist.

  Pick one and cross
your fingers, Cath. It’s all you got.

  What else could she do?

  The next issue would be when to run it. Going by what David said, a premature start would ruin the surprise. And that could be deadly.

  Don’t forget about me, David. When the time comes I’m gonna need a thumbs-up…or something.

  Cathleen stretched to peek through the observation glass, down to the floor below. David was easy to spot. His body glowed bright white, like a human-shaped light bulb.

  He was currently occupied swinging a tire iron at Sam’s face.

  Holy shit.

  4

  Eddie tumbled into the void. Away from the lab. Her sister. Everything.

  He’s killing her.

  Without Rachel, who would put up with the voices, the behaviors? And the crazy, and the indecision, and the fear, and the wants, and the needs? Who would tell Eddie everything was going to be okay? Even when it clearly wasn’t.

  She had to get back. Now.

  She tried to focus on a memory of Rachel’s face, but her mind wouldn’t stop spinning. She saw a man on a sidewalk. Cathleen, crying. Doug.

  David.

  She couldn’t believe he pushed her. Yes, she was about to abandon the plan, and yes, everyone would’ve probably died, but he pushed her.

  Come on, Ed. Concentrate.

  Big Sis, screaming. Sam, hurting her.

  You never had a choice, Rachel had said. How could that matter now?

  Rachel said it. Her sister. The most beautiful person she’d ever known.

  Eddie’s consciousness began to move.

  5

  David, tire iron in hand, swung at Sam’s head. The instant it would’ve connected, it disappeared. Sam laughed. “Have you learned nothing, Dave?”

  David raged forward. He grabbed Sam at the shoulders, threw him to the floor.

  Sam caught himself, spun to meet him face to face. “You’ve found a loophole. I commend you, I really do. But if I believe I’m stronger than you, then I am.” A wicked grin. “And I do.”

  Sam leapt and had him in a strangle hold before David could react. It didn’t hurt; With Eddie on the other side David couldn’t be hurt, at least he didn’t think so, but he could be overpowered. And the doctor’s strength had just…doubled? Tripled?

  Christ.

  Sam heaved. David went soaring, flailing thirty feet across the lab. He struck the wall in a shocking impact that would’ve broken every bone in his body on any other day. He fell fifteen feet, to the hard floor. He turned, scrambled to his feet, ran.

  I can’t give up. I’ve gotta give Eddie more time.

  Sam narrowed a dark gaze at the bound woman. Rachel.

  Oh, no.

  6

  Eddie found herself back in the laboratory, the filmy haze separating her from the here and now. She scanned the room.

  Dim light.

  Thick shadow.

  Rachel, pulling at her bonds, crying.

  David had Sam’s throat in his grip, forcing him to the floor. The doctor was occupied, at least for now.

  Hold on, Rachel.

  She glanced to the control booth. The rest of him, the other side Sam, was still hiding and she knew why.

  The time had come to force the universe to choose. Collapse the fucker’s superposition and erase his power, once and for all. Because enough was enough.

  She ran for the stairs.

  Ready or not, here I come.

  Upstairs, she listened for any sound. She heard muffled voices from below, Sam and David. Nothing from up here. The silence was unsettling.

  At the spiraling vortex. Cathleen, alone in the booth, watching through the big window, oblivious to what danced all around her. The magic particles couldn’t be seen on her side. They buzzed around the quantum cabinet like bees swarming a hive.

  Around the next corner, nothing. She kept on. He wouldn’t catch her by surprise this time. She was ready for him.

  Nothing down the hall in either direction. The opposite stairwell, dark and quiet.

  Might as well give up, Ed. You’re never gonna find him.

  Shut it, asshole.

  He was close, had to be. His damned particles were here, for Christ’s sake. All around that stupid computer…

  The computer. Eddie stopped. Turned back.

  The Gravitons weren’t drawn to the machine, they were drawn to Sam. He was in the control booth and Eddie had walked right past.

  Get ready, David. I’m getting close.

  Back at the doorway. The transparent wormhole churned, round and round. She could see through it on this side. She held out a hand, trying to sense any pull, any power like she’d felt in the real world. Nothing. It doesn’t work from this side.

  Eddie took a moment to gather her nerve, and then stepped through. As she suspected, she’d made it into the booth without issue. Thank God.

  Cathleen stood leaning across the counter, watching events unfold on the laboratory floor. David and Sam, still fighting for their lives.

  Firefly particles zipped in every direction. Not around Eddie, right through her. She could feel them tickling. A warmth flooded her entire form. No way she could’ve known, but she did; they could feel her too. They were aware of her.

  So strange.

  She turned to the metal cabinet. An afternoon of childish games came alive in her mind. Dad’s tool shed. He’d kill Eddie if he found her messing around inside. So would Sam.

  I know you’re there.

  No more hesitation and no holding back. Eddie plunged her face through the aluminum wall. Sam growled in defiance.

  I see you, you son of a bitch.

  She did see him, but only for an instant. Then he was gone.

  Now, David. Do it now.

  7

  Cathleen gasped as David’s body flew across the massive space. He hit the wall, fell, got up, raced back at Sam. He didn’t appear hurt whatsoever. The realization didn’t keep the tears from flowing, or the panic from quaking her entire frame.

  David…

  Halfway to Sam, he stopped. Looked up to the observation window, to her. The look on his face was of pure urgency. A fist went into the air. He yelled something she couldn’t hear, not from inside the booth, but she knew.

  Do it, he was saying. Do it now.

  Cathleen turned to the nightmare machine and pressed ENTER. Information buzzed across the screen in glowing green text. Letters, numbers. Code.

  To the right she heard the most awful sound, grinding. Cracking, spidering glass. Something was pulling at the window, threatening to suck it from its frame.

  The simulation worked, obviously.

  The black hole it had created was no bigger than Sam’s earlier experiment, an odd little dollop of nothing. The difference this time was, it had appeared dangerously close to the booth.

  The crunching continued. The observation glass wasn’t going to last another second. Cathleen ducked down low, behind the counter.

  The row of computer screens tipped and slid toward the wall. The smashed plastic of two busted cell phones rolled away. Pens, clipboards, Pepsi cans too. Even Cathleen’s hair pointed to the anomaly hovering just outside.

  Gravity had shifted directions at the press of a button.

  The window gave up the fight in a strange, silent explosion of shimmering chunks. The surrounding air, and the sound waves it carried, had been eaten alive.

  The door behind was open, allowing a constant whoosh of oxygen, but Cathleen still found it difficult to claim any for herself.

  David. Hurry.

  8

  Just like before, David had difficulty believing his eyes. A black hole, twenty feet above, churning immense, raw power. An explosion of glass.

  His body had gone dark, the bulb within him and the accompanying density, had been snuffed out.

  The girl, Eddie, materialized right in front of him. She’d come back from nowhere. The nothing place. And she’d done it.

  Sam held out a hand, working a fist open a
nd closed. Confusion turned to fright. Then anger. Eyes stabbed at David. “What have you done?”

  David grinned. Flexed. “It’s just us now, Sam. No particles. No magic science. Just us. And I’m gonna kick your ass.”

  “NO!”

  David threw the mother of all punches, everything he had left. Sam’s jaw crunched in the collision, David’s knuckles too. Damn, it hurt. But it felt so good.

  Sam hit the shadowy concrete on his knees, screaming. Blood and snot poured from his nose, his swelling mouth. “No, Dave,” he said, his words slurring. “I don’t think so.” His hand emerged from a black shadow, holding the pistol. He got to his feet.

  “You took something from me, Dave. Now I take something from you.”

  Sam aimed the gun, first at him, then away, to the woman tied to the far wall. Eddie was there too, on her knees and trying to free her sister. Too late.

  David cried, “Eddie!”

  “Which one will it be?” Sam asked.

  Eddie turned, saw the gun, yelled, “No!”

  She jumped to block Rachel from harm. Took her in a bear hug, becoming Sam’s only target. The sisters, each squirming, fighting against the other, screaming. But Rachel’s hands were tied; The bullet would be Eddie’s.

  Sam’s voice grated across every nerve. “Make your choice, Dave.”

  Reality dropped out from below David’s feet, disappearing into the void, leaving behind only emptiness. Shadows. It was all his fault.

  It has to be me.

  David leapt, grabbed for the gun. Forced himself between Sam and Eddie, his friend. He didn’t deserve to survive. She did.

  A surprise cannon, loud enough to break the world. David dropped to his knees. Strength abandoned him and he slumped to the floor. Vision went fuzzy. His body turned to ice.

  It was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

  He’d made his choice.

  9

  Sam watched David collapse to the floor. A dark pool expanded, soaking into concrete and reflecting light from the control room above. He’d given his life for what, a bunch of sobbing women? He hadn’t stopped anything. They’d soon be dead too.