The Experiment

by Costanza, Christopher

  I wanted Horus to be able to talk, so I only filled up the injector with half of what he usually does. Then I walked back over to the table and injected him in the neck.

  While I waited for him to wake up I looked over all his tools; I kept going back to the drill. I wanted him to experience everything the natives have… I needed him to know the fear of being paralyzed but completely aware of the pain and what’s being done to him. I wanted him to hear the sound of the drill and experience the indescribable terror of knowing what’s going to happen next…

  After a few more minutes he still hadn’t regained consciousness so I slapped him in the face a few times… He was an old man; maybe I hit him a little too hard…

  When he opened his eyes and saw me standing above him, he realized where he was and immediately started to panic. The paralyzing drug had already taken effect, so he could move and speak, but just barely.

  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him try to struggle free with that terrified look on his face. So I just watched… He was trying to speak the whole time but I just ignored him… Today he’d be the one listening.

  I leaned over him, wrapped my hand around his neck and squeezed just a little… he stopped moving.

  I got in so close I could feel his hot breath on my face… I looked into his eyes and said “I’ve administered a half dosage of that paralyzing fluid. Even if I unstrapped you, you’d just fall down… You’re too weak to yell and no one can hear you anyway.”

  He just stared at me… he was already sweating…

  “I’m going to take that rag out of your mouth and we’re going to have a conversation… If you yell, I’m going to hurt you… Badly. Do you understand?”

  He did his best to nod and I pulled the rag out of his mouth.

  He coughed a few times “Please Atlas, I”

  I hit him again and told him to shut up “I’m talking first Horus!”

  After I did that, he just stared at me again, didn’t even try to talk. I could tell he wanted kill me. That he hated me…

  I paused for a few moments… “So… My first question… What makes you think it’s ok for you to murder 1000’s of the natives?.. For any reason!.. I want to know Horus.”

  He was obviously terrified… he even started to stutter “I, I… I did it for everyone on Aeris! For the benefit of all mankind… The natives should be thanking me for making the necessary sacrifices and advancing them!”

  “So it’s ok because they aren’t advanced like we are? Their lives don’t matter?”

  I could tell he was angry “Yes Atlas! Yes! Don’t you see the benefits greatly outweigh the sacrifice!? They were like animals and I turned them into people!”

  “No Horus… They were people before you ever got here… And you know, I might have actually believed what you’re saying. Unfortunately I’ve come to know you too well.”

  I walked over, picked up the same knife he always used to cut open the natives, and started circling the table. I didn’t plan on doing anything yet, I just wanted to scare him even more…

  “I know that you and the ACI plan on using your research to take over Aeris… You’re all in it for power, nothing less, nothing more.”

  He eyes widened…

  “That’s right Horus, I figured out your plans long ago… I know that all of this was for your own glory and so you could turn yourself and all your friends at the ACI into some kind of super geniuses… Just like I know you planned on killing me once this was all over…”

  I continued to walk around the table and stare at him…

  “I also know that you picked an assistant like me so you’d have a fully evolved human to sacrifice when the time came… I know everything Horus… Don’t you get it? You’re nowhere near as smart as you like to think you are.”

  He was still struggling to speak “That’s not true Atlas… I wanted you to be my permanent assistant. You would have had such a wonderful life... You could be at my side when the ACI takes over our pathetic government and brings order and the law of logic and science to Aeris!”

  I scoffed “Oh Imagine that… The great Horus believes he should rule the world. That everyone should worship him and bend to his will… It’s why you smiled that day we found out the natives began worshipping us as their creators!”

  He didn’t say a word. I guess he was starting to understand that I had him all figured out…

  “I know exactly who and what you are… And I know the men you’re working for are just like you. Probably worse… Your lies won’t work on me. You may think they have been this whole time…”

  … “But as you can see, you were very, very wrong… And now you’re going to pay for every crime you’ve committed against the natives Horus.”

  He started to lightly laugh “Spare me from your idiotic moral high ground… You obviously plan on killing me so just shut up and do it… I have nothing more to say to you. If you want to throw away the gift I’m offering you so be it… but know you’re a fool and that they’re going to kill you anyway!”

  I slammed my fist down on his leg where he’d been shot. He let out a whimper and I could see him trying to tense up and twist because of the pain but he couldn’t… I bet it actually hurt more that way...

  “I am going to kill you Horus!.. But I have some great news to give you first…”

  As he glared at me I could see tears starting to form in his eyes.

  “Because of everything you and the ACI have done… And forced people to do, almost everyone has turned against you… We’re days away from coordinating a seizure of the ship and all the mining sites. We intend to free the natives and stay as long as it takes to mine the rest of the chrysos without their help.”

  With immense rage, he said. “You won’t be doing any such thing!.. You’ll be tried and executed for treason as soon as you all return home. Just so you could help some animals escape a little bit of hard work!”

  I hit the wound on his leg again. This time as hard as I could.

  “They’re not animals Horus!.. They’re more human than you…”

  This time he was actually able to move… He started trying to lunge at me in a blind rage. A mix of drool and blood was running down the side of his face and he was spitting it everywhere.

  I said “Who’s the animal now Horus!? Look at you!..”

  The light dosage I gave him was obviously starting to lose its effect so I injected him again. I said what I had to say and I was sick of hearing his voice.

  He started cursing me and saying he’d be there to watch me die, that I couldn’t kill him… Then the drug kicked in, he laid his back and became silent – his mouth hanging open and eyes fixed to the ceiling.

  I leaned down “You’ve gotten a little taste of what it’s like be one of the natives Horus… How does it feel to be completely powerless and immobile, yet totally aware?.. Now I’m going to give you the whole experience.”

  I could just faintly see the panic in his eyes, but I knew it was there… When I looked down at his hand I could see it was just barely moving… He was probably trying as hard as he could – screaming on the inside.

  “Sorry Horus… You don’t remember how this works? You can’t move a muscle but you can feel everything…”

  I walked over and picked up the drill. He couldn’t turn his head so he didn’t see it yet… Just to scare him, I pulled the trigger a few times.

  It must have worked because even though he had a dose and a half I could actually see him moving his legs little now… It had to mean he was just that terrified... Which is exactly what I wanted…

  I purposely made my way back over slowly, switching the drill on and off the whole time.

  As I looked down at Horus he was still doing everything he could to struggle, but he could barely move… Now tears were streaming down his face and he was sweating profusely…

  Then I noticed the wet spot forming on his pants…

  I leaned over him and said “Oh Horus, now you’re just embarrassing yourself�
�� And we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!”

  …“We’re going to start by drilling 12 holes… You remember that right? You’ve done this so many times I figured you want to experience it for yourself… don’t you Horus?”

  I lined the drill up and pressed the bit against the side of his head…

  I could barely hear him whispering “Please, please, please.”

  “So if the natives had said please, would you have stopped Horus? What if they could speak and begged? What about then Horus!?”

  As I sat there, ready to put him the trough the same horrors countless natives had suffered by his hands I hesitated… I didn’t understand why because this is something I’d been waiting to do for so long. Something I’ve dreamed about…

  I couldn’t turn back now, so I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. I could feel it starting to bore into his head and I opened my eyes, taking my finger of the trigger as I did. There was already blood running down the side of his face onto the table…

  I looked into his eyes and I could see the same pain and fear I’d been seeing every day… I know it’s exactly what I wanted, but it reminded of the natives and what I was doing here… Why I was killing Horus.

  It was because he was an evil man that did exactly what I was doing at this very moment…

  I dropped the drill and went over to the other side of the room…

  I wanted to hurt Horus… Not just for the natives but for myself… He really had trained me in his image... What I almost just did proved that… But I didn’t want to be like him… I didn’t want to let all this make me lose myself. That’s exactly what he wanted all along…

  I walked back to the table “You know what Horus, even though you deserve for me to do this… I won’t, because then I’ll be just like you; a monster that doesn’t deserve the gift of life.”

  This didn’t change the fact that I had to kill him… but I wouldn’t torture him. It isn’t who I am and I never wanted to see myself behave like that again…

  I went and sat down at his desk. I looked over all his papers and the notes that I’d been taking… Then I remembered 3… And I had an idea to win his trust. So I walked over and pushed the bookshelf aside and opened the door.

  3 frantically stood up “What are you doing here, where’s Horus? What was all that noise and yelling about?”

  I looked at him for a moment… “I’m setting you free… And I want you to see something.”

  I could see the confusion and concern on his face… So I said “Come on, it’s not a trick.”

  3 started to slowly walk towards me.

  “I do have a gun so don’t try anything.”

  He stopped “Ok what’s going on! Tell me now! Is this another one of that buffoon’s tests!?”

  I softly said “Just come out, I have something to show you… and even more to tell you.”

  I walked out and went back over to the table.

  3 slowly appeared in the door way and saw Horus lying on the table. I could see the shock and disbelief come over him.

  I said “Come here.”

  As he approached he said “… What are you doing?”

  I looked him in the eyes “A large group of us have decided to take the ship and put a stop to all this… We can’t stand by and allow this to happen any longer. We want to set your people free and we need your help.”

  He looked somewhat amused. “My help?”

  I pulled out the gun and put it Horus’ head.

  “It all starts with his death.”

  Then I pulled the trigger.

  3 jumped and stepped back. Then he just stared at me… Like he thought I was going to shoot him next.

  I raised my left hand to show 3 I wasn’t going to hurt him, slowly put the gun away and told him to take a seat.

  I could tell he was scared so I said “Please, you can trust me. We just want to free your people and go home… but like I said, we need your help.”

  He continued to stare at me… His body was tensed up, as if he were prepared to react if I tried to kill him.

  “Please 3… I just killed Horus… You know I’m telling the truth. Now please sit down so we can talk.”

  After a few moments he said “Alright… Not like I actually have a choice in the matter…” and sat down.

  I looked over at Horus… The table was covered in blood and it had started running and dripping on the floor... When I shot him, it sprayed blood and pieces of his head all over the wall next him…

  I was now a killer just like him... Well not just like him… I was doing the right thing by making it so he could never hurt anyone again. I knew that…

  When I sat down across from 3 he said “Is the ship being taken over now?”

  “No… We still have work to do before that happens. That’s where you come in.”

  I sat there and explained everything. What was going on in the storage rooms, how many natives had been advanced and how many had been killed… I told him our plans and what we needed him to do.

  I don’t think he really heard about the plans… He only heard me describe everything Horus had done to his people… I guess he thought there were only a few subjects… Or maybe even that he was the only one…

  I could see the hatred and sadness in his eyes.

  He jumped up and pointed at me. “How could you people do this to us!?.. You may be trying to fix it now, but how did it ever happen in the first place!?”

  I did my best to explain about the ACI, our government, and how everything works. That a small group of men came up with this idea and tricked us under the guise of saving our world… That they did not in any way represent the people of Aeris.

  I could tell he understood what happened… I saw him start to calm down.

  “Very well... I suppose even someone like me may have fallen for all that…”

  Before I could answer him, he said “So what makes you think they’ll listen to me now that they view all of you as their all-powerful creators?.. Horus gave me books about the history of your world; I know exactly what these types of beliefs do to people.”

  “It’ll work; we just need you to learn their language so we can communicate with them. If you can let us know how to explain it to them they’ll have to believe us. And I know you’re smart enough to learn their simple language in matter of hours… Horus told me what you’re capable of.”

  He sighed “Well you’re offering me freedom… You’re saving me and risking your life for my people… I’ll help you.”

  I stood up and put my hand out.

  He looked at it and said “Oh yes, this… One of your customs… You know you’re really just transferring germs and possibly even sickness... It’s a dumb custom; it makes absolutely no sense…”

  Then he stood up and shook it.

  I laughed “Yeah I suppose so. But it’s what we do to signify friendship and trust…”

  3 nodded and looked like he was trying to hold back laughter. “Friendship huh?”

  He sighed and said “So what do we do now” with a look of condescension on his face.

  “We don’t do anything… You’re going to wait in that room until Kayin and I return. I still have to let him know the plan is a go and wait for him to acquire a transport ship so we can take you down to the first site.”

  He looked upset “So you’re locking me back up?.. Yeah nice way to start the relationship…”

  I felt bad for him but he was continuously proving himself to be arrogant… and pretty rude…

  “Hey come on… I’m giving you your life back. What do you think would have happened when Horus was done with you?.. I don’t care how smart you are. You’re a fool if you even thought for a moment that you’d ever be released.”

  I took an aggressive step towards him “Can you please take this seriously? All of our lives are at stake now; we’re in this together. Whether you like it or not, we’re each other’s only hope.”

  He put his hands up as if to mock me and said
“Alright, alright, my apologies” and went back in the room.

  3 was going to be hard to deal with but I couldn’t blame him for his behavior… While Horus was educating him, he must have inadvertently passed on some of his bad qualities…

  The poor guys been locked in a room all this time and his only contact was with a man like Horus. I guess we’re lucky he’s not worse.

  I was about to leave when I realized I had to do something with the body… and there was only one place to hide it.

  I felt horrible but I had to…

  “Hey 3… I hate to tell you this, but I have to hide the body in this room… there’s nowhere else.”

  He made another sarcastic face and said “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Just deal with it… At least you won’t die in this room alone.”

  I didn’t mean to be so harsh but his attitude and totally ungrateful demeanor had me aggravated…

  I went over and looked at Horus… There was blood everywhere… Hiding the body won’t help anything. If anyone saw that amount of blood on the floor they’d know he was dead.

  Just as I started to walk back over and tell 3 he yelled out “You know there’s blood everywhere, putting the body in here won’t change anything!.. You didn’t think about this beforehand?”

  When I walked back over to him I said “I was just coming to tell you that… Give me a break, it’s been a stressful day… Now hang tight, I’ll be back.”

  He said something under his breath and waved me away, so I shut the door and pushed the bookshelf back into place. The best I could do was use Horus’ key to lock the lab behind me… I don’t think anyone from the science team would dare go into his private lab anyway.

  It won’t be checked until Neros realizes he’s missing… It could be days or even weeks, there was no way to know. I just knew Kayin and I had to hurry and make this plan happen. We needed to get 3 down to the surface as soon as possible…

  As I headed back to find Sara I knew this was it… There was no going back from what I had done. If they find the body I’ll just have to say I snapped and killed him to take away any attention from Kayin’s plans.