Neon Helix

by Nik Whittaker

  “It’s... it’s ok, I’ll look into it,” Xander said the only thing he could think of to help the woman before him. “But one thing, why me? I’m not exactly the most popular choice of PI’s in the Metro,” Xander said, self deprecating as ever.

  “Oh, that’s quite obvious, Mr Draven. Several weeks ago, Mr Owens told me he had you down as his personal choice, should anything happen to him. He specifically told me to seek you out should anything befall him. I assumed you knew him previously?”

  “I’d never even heard of the guy until you walked through that door just now,” Xander replied, after taking a moment to add the information to a growing list of things he didn’t understand.

  “I guess we have a few mysteries to solve then, Mr Draven.”

  “Who’s this ‘we’? I don’t have partners.”

  “Understood Xander, and, I mean this with no offence, but I have many resources at my disposal which I believe would be helpful to you. Also I want, no, I need to understand what happened,” Ava looked Xander straight in the eyes. He couldn’t refuse.

  “Fair enough. And It’s Xander, only my enemies call me Draven.”

  “Very well Xander. Please call me Ava. Where do we start?”

  CHAPTER 8

  Prime

  His eyes opened.

  Who am I?

  Where am I?

  The thoughts crept into his mind… again?

  I am Reilly, no, 733

  I am at the beginning of my shift.

  The cylindrical pod was new, yet familiar to him. He put his hand up to open it for the first time, or was it the hundredth?

  I am a perfect employee. My main goal is guest satisfaction and aligning this with the customer needs. I should return to my post upstairs to action my goal.

  These thoughts came forced into his head, he felt he knew the words.

  I should get my uniform on.

  He felt like the words were being sent to his brain but he couldn’t understand where from, or why they felt familiar. He followed his instincts into the large changing room.

  Where is my locker?

  I need to get dressed.

  Time to go to work. Swipe in.

  He walked over to the scanner and placed his eye in front of it, with that, all the fragments of memory were gone. Opening the second door in the room, he stepped into the Grand Fall Hotel foyer for the first, or hundredth time.

  As he made his way through, he knew he needed to head to the kitchens.

  I am a chef, of the highest training. His programming told him. As he went through the hotel, he waved and smiled at everyone he met. Asking how everyone’s day was going, being an ideal employee.

  Entering the kitchen, he looked around, there were three other chefs already in the kitchen, they were preparing varying meats along the center island area. He quickly joined them and began chopping the vegetables which were waiting for him.

  Several hours later, Reilly had been working non-stop; chopping, cleaning and prepping vegetables. Next ,he had cooked food for the in-house restaurant and had been standing at the hot plate, carving fresh cooked turkey for the residents in the hotel. He suddenly became aware of how tired and aching he was. Almost instantaneously, he felt a sudden urge.

  The day is over, time to sign out.

  Without another thought, he walked out of the kitchen and into the main foyer. At the desk, two customers were attempting to check in and were having some trouble.

  “Can you find my reservation! Mr Jonathan Hall!” The young man at the counter shouted at Janice behind the desk.

  “I assure you sir, I am doing the best I can for you.”

  Reilly slowed his pace, a slight resistance to his commands but his empathy for his colleagues took priority.

  “Excuse me, can I help at all?" he made his way up to the counter.

  “Unless you can cook me up a fresh room, I don’t think so,” the young man mocked, his breath reeking of alcohol. The woman at his side gave Reilly a sympathetic smile, clearly ashamed of the man.

  “Unfortunately, I can’t do that sir, but I’m sure Janice is doing all she can. Perhaps you could have a drink in the bar while we sort it for you."

  “How about Frack Off!” The man took a swing at Reilly, who wasn’t expecting it.

  The fist flew straight into Reilly’s temple and he crumpled to the floor, clutching his head. A siren rang throughout the foyer area and three guards appeared from the side of the reception desk, each lifting the man by the arm. He shouted in resistance as they dragged him out of the building and threw him to the pavement. Behind them, his companion followed and went to his side.

  Meanwhile, Reilly had slowly regained his faculties and was pushing himself from the floor. As he got to his feet and leaned on the desk, he looked over to Janice.

  “You ok?” He asked.

  “I’m fine, are you?” She replied, concern in her voice.

  “I’ll be fine, just need to rest up I think.”

  Reilly was aware that there was no order coming to his brain, no voice he didn’t recognise. Regardless, he was so exhausted, he walked to the cloakroom as usual and started to get changed. He did as he felt he should; heading to the door that lead out of the room.

  He leaned down to look at the retina scanner, only this time when it flashed, he felt nothing. He watched the flash and heard the beep of the door lock coming undone. For a moment, he stood there staring at the scanner, as he did not understand what he should do next, a large blank in his mind was all that came through.

  After several moments, he walked through the door, as that was the only way he could think to go. Opening it carefully, he saw the cloakroom and the door opposite. He continued through, forgetting to change without noticing. He stepped through the second door and realised the room beyond was where he started his day. He continued into the large warehouse, glancing from side to side, he saw the chambers filled with bodies. They all looked asleep, and yet there was no life in them. Like husks of people.

  Like they are waiting for instructions.

  Reilly stopped at one chamber and looked closer. There was a label on the outside of the pod ‘801’, underneath, was a track of biological functions and a timer with a label ‘4 hours til available’. He tapped on the glass, trying to wake the woman inside, there was no reaction.

  The realisation sank in; he was one of these people, there must be a pod for him. Scanning the numbers; 800, 799, 798, he ran towards his number. Arriving at an empty pod, he looked at the tracker.

  Due back, eta minus 15 min. Alert.

  He didn’t need to think twice about what it could mean. Torn between getting in the pod, which his instinct told him he should, and running away, he stood there frozen on the spot.

  He heard a door open further ahead of him; the noise triggered him into action. He ran, back towards the changing room. He did not understand what this place was, or who he was, but he wasn’t going back into the chamber!

  CHAPTER 9

  Jacob

  Father Jacob was sat in the small office he had renovated at the back of the Church. A wooden desk and a small set of drawers were the only furnishings in the room. He scribbled down a few notes about the sermon he would deliver later that evening. Once done he rose and walked over to the door, making sure it was locked and secure before heading to the drawers.

  Placing a finger on a far corner, just under an incense holder, a metallic click indicated a lock opening. He pulled at the centre drawer and as he did, a computerised display rose from the centre of the desk. Whilst he was against all augmentations, he understood technology had its uses. However, he didn’t want his followers to see him using such things, as he knew it would lower their belief in his teachings.

  A small holographic keyboard appeared on the desk, just under the screen. Tapping a log in into the computer, he was soon accessing the Net. Checking his alerts, he saw that the CyberBio conference was going ahead, this surprised him. Pulling a phone from his pocket, he dialled
a number.

  “Mr Tombs, I see the conference is going ahead. Are you sure the Owens problem was handled correctly?”

  The voice on the other end of the line was sharp and polite, but the offence was still audible.

  “Yes Father Jacobs, I can assure you I completed it according to the plan. Do you doubt the work?”

  “Not at all, please don’t be offended. I am just curious to see the conference is still going ahead.”

  “It appears they are keeping the details from the public domain, Mr Jacobs. They have suspended the police investigation and as expected, they have no positive ID on the fingerprints found at the scene.”

  “Good, then we can proceed to the next step Mr Tombs. Is the hotel prepped and ready?”

  “It is Father, when are we proceeding?”

  “Soon, there are a few details to test before launch. I will be in touch. In the meantime, make sure the bodies are ready.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  Jacobs hung up the call and returned to the computer. He opened a program which had been running in the background.

  85% Complete. Sample required.

  Jacobs read the display, it was as he expected. He left the program running and pushed the screen down until it was submerged with the desk, another metallic click as it locked into place, the keyboard fading from view simultaneously.

  Checking the clock on the wall, he saw it was nearly time for the next sermon. Hanging on the back the door was his gown, a deep red velvet which he draped over his shoulders. Gathering the papers on his desk, he made sure they were in the right order, before unlocking the door and heading out into the church.

  Inside the main nave of the church, he made his way towards the lectern. As he approached, he looked out over the gathered crowd that sat waiting for the evenings service. He smiled, proud of the work he had accomplished and that which was to come. Scanning the crowd, he could see that most of them he had healed; giving them the antidote to their augmented virus. The antidote which his own body had created. He looked deeper into the crowd, seeking the next to be cured.

  Sitting looking uneasy was a young boy, only seven or eight. He had an augmented eye which darted back and forth with nerves, as an older woman, whom Jacob assumed to be his mother, had her arm around him.

  Perfect, the boy had returned.

  Father Jacob stepped up to the lectern. The boy had visited the church with his mother the previous day, which had given Jacob the time he needed to prepare.

  “Greetings to all!” His voice booming and powerful, he had come a long way since he first arrived at the Church. Now clean shaven and dignified, he addressed the crowd with the manner of a true religious leader.

  “Thank you all for coming tonight, it is so good to see so many of you here. I see some regular faces,” he smiled and nodded towards some followers he had welcomed many times before.

  “And some new faces, thank you for joining us,” he deliberately avoided eye contact with the boy and mother he had noticed earlier. Letting them wait for his acknowledgment.

  “Let me first start by reminding you all of how far we have come. Several years ago we began our journey. We had seen the way this world was heading, there is a new God, a false God who is not God but a devil in disguise. A devil who has found its way into the lives of all. I must admit, and it shames me to say so, but I was once one of those who let this devil in,” his voice went quieter as he spoke now, the gathered crowd straining to hear, as his voice, almost a whisper, continued.

  “I was lost, thinking this false God I had put into my body was the answer to my problems,” turning his arm over and pulling up his sleeve, he showed large scars which ran down his arm, where previous augmentations had been.

  “I relied on these augmentations to do so much for me, and in my laziness, I became less of a man and more of a puppet to the new devil. Then I, like you, saw the truth. Saw that there was a better way. In that clarity, I saw a vison from God, which showed me the light,” his voice went from a whisper to a shout. “Showed me I needed to turn around, before my soul was completely lost!”

  “In that vision, I was given a way to free myself from the shackles of the false devil! Begone devil! I shouted, as my body changed and rejected the sins of technology which had infected my flesh! Just as all of you before me have rejected the devil of augmentations! Now, here we are. Free. Pure. Saved!”

  He leaned against the lectern, as if the energy inside him had faded from the speech. Using this moment, he glanced at the boy, who was now riled up with the crowd, his mind ready for what was to come.

  “Now, I know there are some amongst us tonight who have yet to be freed.”

  A few hands raised in the crowd, including the boy’s, pushed up by his mother.

  “I want to save you all, and we will all be free, I promise. I have a strong feeling that there is one here who needs to see the light more than anyone. They have had a vision of this event and as I look around, I can feel their eyes upon me,” he paused, closing his eyes and raised a hand, palm facing forward, as if feeling a guiding hand, until he was aiming at the area the boy sat.

  “There!! I can sense they are there. Is there someone?” He opened his eyes and for the first time, was looking directly at the boy. “Come here, let me save you”

  The boy’s mother nudged him, as the crowd all turned to look at him. Jacob typed a quick button into the lecterns podium. A confirmatory click alerted him the process was complete and a small cylinder was delivered to a hatch in the lectern. Jacob retrieved it and placed it into a pocket under his gown. By this point, the boy was slowly walking down the aisle towards him. Leaving the lectern, Jacob moved closer to the boy and held out a welcoming hand.

  “Come, let me see you,” he held the boys face in both hands and stared at the augmented eye. Up close ,Jacob could see the slight irritation around the socket where the eye was implanted. It was nothing unusual or causing any harm, a marking of the augmentations implanting. However, this was what he used to make people think they had T-Pox infections.

  “Ah yes, I can see the infection already spreading. We can save you, we need to save you young man. Are you ready to be saved?”

  The boy nodded.

  “This will be painful, as anything worth having must be,” Jacob said to the boy, who became more nervous, but nodded, regardless. The belief in the church overcoming his fears of the ritual.

  “Then let us begin.”

  Jacob retrieved a goblet which was on the lectern, it was filled with a liquid which was synthesised from his own blood. After his first few healings, he dropped the visceral image of using his fresh blood for the ceremonies, for the more traditional chalice. As his audience grew, he needed less shock factor and more powerful imagery.

  “Drink from this and be saved!”

  The boy slowly drank from the goblet. Pausing and looking expectingly at Jacob. who looked back at the boy, a look saying wait.

  Then the screams began. Slow at first, then building to a crescendo. The boys’ one normal eye bulged with terror, as pain flowed through his body, beginning at his eye and spreading through his head and into his body. Jacob held the boy by the shoulders as he shook. As he held him, he kept him pointed face first towards the crowd. Whilst they had seen the ceremony before, it was the first time it had been someone so young, and such a prominent organ as the eye.

  Blood pooled around the augmented eyeball, the boy was literally crying tears of blood now as it bulged out of the socket, stretching the eyelids that surrounded it.

  “Let the poison begone! The power is flowing through you!” Jacob shouted over the primal screams from the boy. The connections of the augmented eyeball synced the system to his brain. These were being severed slowly, as the potion Jacob had made the boy drink, was taking effect. At a basic level, it boosted the body's immune system, causing it to fight off anything it saw as a foreign body; in this case the augmented eyeball. Once the potion was in the body, it stayed, removing any pos
sibility of augmentations to be added in the future, a vaccination against tech.

  The eyeball was now almost free of its socket, hanging by one final wire and coated in the boy's blood. Jacob now spun the boy around to face him and knelt down to him, taking the cylinder from his pocket, he opened it and retrieved its contents. With a swift movement, he pulled at the augmented eyeball and pulled the last connecting wire out, causing a yelp from the boy but also relief it had gone, his body happy the foreign object was no longer there. Jacob dropped the augmentation into the now empty cylinder and placed it back in his pocket. In his other hand, he revealed a biological eyeball, fully formed. He placed it into the bloody socket of the boy's head and held his palm over it for a moment.

  “Let the power invested in me bring you back to flesh and your soul back to life!” He shouted, as he pushed the boy backwards with the palm of his hand. Once he knew the biological eye had taken root as it was genetically modified to do, he gave one last shove of his hand for dramatic effect. The boy fell over backwards and was laying across the floor of the nave, face up for all the masses to see. Where was once the augmented eye was a fully functioning biological eyeball was visible. After a moment, it moved around as the boy looked around the church. The air in the church moved in a collected gasp, as the onlookers couldn’t believe what they saw.

  Jacob, in the spectacle's midst, had returned to the lectern and dropped the cylinder in the hatch at its base. He had what he needed from the boy and had further cemented his followers' faith in him.

  A few more samples and he would be ready.

  CHAPTER 10

  Julian

  Inside the Valkyrie bar, the Norse theme was strong; long wooden tables ran along the main section of the room. The tables themselves had Nordic runes carved in glowing neon, which twinkled in various colours. The ceiling was made out of wooden archways, making it look like it had been built in the upturned remnants of a boat, raised high on pillars. The most impressive feature of the room, however, was the giant throne which took pride of place at the head of the room, surrounded by blood red neon highlights. A hologram of Odin sat in the seat, surveying all who drank within the establishment.